I love elephants. the way they move, their weird tentacle-trunks, their leathery and HAIRY skin, all of it. The babies were so cute and i got some video of them playing in the water. their sheer size was amazing and demanded my respect. what a freakin hike! It felt so good to breathe hard, work up a legit sweat and have my heartbeat ringing in my ears. When we got to the village the first night, everyone was really interested in my leg, and they all pointed and gathered around to sit by me. I mimed my accident and showed them that i couldnt move it, after which they nodded and an old woman reached out to put her hand on my knee, smiling into my eyes. a little boy tried on my brace (it went up to his hip) and he walked around holding it on for abit before losing interest. in the end i was just another tourist :) my knee held up great, never causing me any pain (hurray for that last fix!) but my lower leg got pretty swollen a from the abuse and I had to fight back some tears of frustration throughout the second day--but it was well worth it! we went to the most secluded villages and waterfalls, surrounded by lush green hills, like heaven on earth. The guide made us each slingshots with is machete and we used these hard green berries as ammo for various targets along the way. the water was really cold but welcome after our strenuous trip. it was great to finally get in after walking alongside it all day. I cant believe that places like that exist alongside us all the time, and we just dont know about them! we got to stay in bamboo huts, where up to five families live at once ( i was disturbed to think that we were staying in someone's home while they were evicted--but i know that they also depended on the money). I imagine them all together in one room, living every aspect of daily life together--such a differente experience than ours, separated by doors, locks and 'privacy.' the food we got was great, and teh whole three days for only $45! definitely worth every penny. After Pai, and all we have heard from the people we have met, we are scratching the Vietnam idea and opting for Laos, where we have heard the people are amazingly nice, everything is cheap, and the culture still thriving (not yet blown up by tourists) . we will go with Krista, a dutch girl from the trek who has similar plans, sometime early next week. There is a route that is popular with young tourists, and we have heard tons of hints and insights from people we have met along our way. More soon, Sara