the photo for this entry isnt nywhere I have been or am going to, but I havent managed to put any of my own photos on yet. I might try to do that in a bit because i have a cd with lots of photos on, and the man next to me is doing something with a cd so i figure i might be able to?

so yeah, anyway... yesterday was my birthday, and it was probably one of the best, most interesting birthday I'll ever have. Let me tell you about my day...

woke up and everyone was like "oh happy birthday" and then everyone else was like "oh its your birthday?" and it was really good cos it meant I could talk to more people at the centre than I have done previously as everyone wanted to talk to me and stuff. Its geting more and more like the big brother house where I am staying. Im not sure how to explain it, its sort of like a big group of about 30 people who dont know each other all from diferent parts of the world and of all different ages. there are about 5 people who work with the elephants and the rest work with the other wildlife, and there is a bit of a divide between the elephants and the wildlife, because they all think we are lazy becuase all we do is ride the elephants and go to the river and stuff, which is quite true, but good fun! but its not like everyone hates everyone else its just strange. I think I have got a lot more confident in talking to people becuase you kinda have to here, and I have my friends who are really good. and like if i want to go to the village theres always someone going, and its just wierd! but im happy here so its cool.so yeah, i cant explain it any further, but im pretty sure it would make a great tv programme!

so yeah back to my birthday! we persuaded the mahoots to let us go to the river instead of the lake and we had a really good time down there, i rode with bum (one of the mahoots... yes that is his name!) and he taught me how to say lots of stuff in thai like "chan locun" is i love you, and "chan mai locun" is i dont love you. we had some beer at the river and we took lots of videos and then me and bum and tartar went to pick some coconuts from the trees and then we all sat drinking these coc*** s and eating them, they were so delicious!

we got back to the centre and got ready to go out. a couple of days ago i had said that i wanyted to take monday off work and go and stay in hua hin (its like the nearest big town, a really good night market and stuff) on sunday night for a massage and stuff, and everyone decided they would come too and we would have a meal and go to some bars, so we got some tais and all the volunteers went to this italian restaurent which was really nice. and then noone would let me pay for my meal! so i got a free meal. then we all went to this bar called the moonlight bar and noone would let me pay for my drinks either! i literally didnt spend a single penny (or baht) all night! the bar was crazy, and im sure most places in thailand are like it. all drinks came in these glasses shaped like naked ladies! (im going to bring one home with me!) and there are people walking around selling roses and trying to make you buy stuff. there are loads of really young kids aswell who just go up to the men and look really upset when they dont buy any roses! there are these two norweigan guys from the centre who are quite good and one of them bought me a rose. and there are also so many western men with thai ladies who are about 20 years younger than them, it was crazy!

at about 12 the taxi came to take everyone back to the centre, but As i was staying the night here I stayed in the bar with an american girl called buffy and the two norweigan guys; michael and andre. they are all wildlife people. we al went down to the beach and they have loads of beach bars which literally have the sea coming into them! we went to one called "relax" and it was really good, very relaxing! we have quite a laugh and then went back to our rooms, me and buffy staying in a place called jings and it was very cheap and very nice.

all in all i think it was a pretty awesome birthday! wer just got up and had breafast in the really cute little place, buffy has gone somewhere and i am about to go to the beach. hopefully wont get so sunburnt this time! im wearing lots of suncream, and im not going to take of any clothes! ive never ever been as sunburnt as i was last time, i had blisters under my nose that lookes like a moustache! but its better now, and i feel good. everything here is good, and i feel like i dont have a care in the world! i dont want to leave!