Cont'd...

Ban Lung was a great place, even though there was not much of anything except a very sketchy market and a ton of orange dust. We took a day-trip with a guide named Mana. We started at an elephant village where the animals are used for work on the farm, pulling timber, etc. They can be used for tourist purposes if you get permission the day before. We went on a 2 hour elephant ride through stunning landscape, including rubber plantations and cashew nut farms. We ended at a beautiful waterfall. We drove to another waterfall in our guide's pickup truck. On the way, we heard a loud thump as the truck tilted to one side. Our guide exclaimed, "Oh, big problem!" He was right...I looked out the window to see our tire rolling away. It had fallen off! It is not a surprise when you see the condition of these dirt roads. Our guide told us the most important thing you do in the morning is check your tires and bolts...he forgot that day. Luckily, we were able to find all of the bolts and get the tire back on in a mere 15 min! Out of necessity, everyone here is a mechanic.