I've been in Thailand now for about three weeks. So far, it's pretty much everything I hoped it would be. Food is amazingly cheap, the people are super friendly, and in general Thailand is really laid back and accommodating. While the weather has been mostly cloudy lately, it's still warm by North American standards, and a daily dip in the pool has become part of my routine. Pad Thai Back home a Pad Thai dish probably runs around $12 or $13 a plate. Some of the best Pad Thai I've had here costs around 50 baht ($1.66), so there's quite a big price difference. At one place, you can pay 80 baht ($2.66) for Pad Thai and a beer, something Scott and I have done quite a few times already. Outside of that, most people here eat a lot of stir fries and coconut-milk based curries, all of which is amazingly tasty. I've even been working hard at making most dishes at home as well, so I imagine when I leave I'll be able to add a pile of Thai dishes to my cooking repertoire. While I try to walk to most places close by, there's lots to see and do on the island. To help cover the distances, we've all rented scooters for our time here. I was a little bit timid on the scooter at first, but I've pretty much got the hang of it now. It's still a bit scary riding around on them here -- most