Off to the ruins at Si Satchalanai. Slightly less ancient and rickety fixed-gear bicycles. Thai guards on a quiet day deeply amused by a gaggle of brightly-colored white people careening through the checkpoint, waving colored tickets.

On one side of the stately ruins is a huge thicket of [unidentifiable] trees, and pelicans. Pelicans everywhere in the trees. Thousands of them creating a background like the roar of the amazon, like a rushing river – ceaseless.

The main temple is surrounded by time-blunted elephant guards. The front-facing buddhas are all headless, and amid the wide tranquility there is a sense like violence.

There were monks playing tourist in the tree-shadows of the western temple grounds, looking down wells, macking for photos. It was lovely and most indecent.

There was a sudden hill with an impressive cheddi. But the most impressive thing was the ride down hill with no brakes! First time I’ve been actually cool in Thailand.

Afterward, we went to the herbal conservation center. We all signed up for some kind of massage. I opted for Thai massage, so naturally, they picked the tiny ancient woman. We laughed while she worked, and when she would try something with my big legs or something, she’d laugh, “big, big!”