Along the way some how Thailand became our meeting point for recruiting friends on to the world tour. We had continually pressured our friends to get away from their desk jobs and come out to play with us. I suppose either months of relentless emails or simply reading about all our fun was too much for both our neighbor Dave and our climbing friends to take. We had two seperate visits in Thailand which provided us the opportunity to explore both the north and the south regions with them. In total we spent 76 days in Thailand which makes it the longest stay in any single country for us. It was not enough time and both Aprille and I did not want to leave when the time came. It's never enough time but Thailand has so much to offer and such a diversity in culture and surroundings that you really need to see it! Aside from the natural beauty and cultural diversity Aprille and I were both taken back by the people of Thailand. So many times we were met by pure kindness and hospitality.

In the north we were able to explore remote villages where westerners had hardly been seen before. We trekked through mountainous jungle on the border of Myanmar where we met and stayed with local villagers. "Why did we come, were we lost?", was the question we were met with at one village. We had to assure them that we were not lost and simply wanted to go where life was uninfluenced by western ideas. I had asked our guide if the people of the village had any need for money to which he replied, "no". Seeing something like this gives you real perspective on what it means to truly be part of a community. These people all worked together and together they shared their lives.

In the south we stayed in a single small beach community for nearly 40 days and had the chance to get to know many of the locals. Here we learned much more of the Thai language and culture than any other place. We started to feel as comfortable as if we were at home and never wanted to talk about such things as moving on or seeing other places.