Last Day at The Castle

Tomorrow morning I leave for the Elephant Nature Park. I've been here at my guesthouse - The Castle Rajchiangsan - for 5 days now and it has become my second home. Pearl and her mother own and run the place. They take such good care of everyone. Every morning they get up at the crack of dawn to make sure everyone gets a good (super yummy) breakfast before they head off for the day. I always get the cinnamon french toast with friend bananas and a fresh fruit parfait.

The day I arrived Pearl's mom (I still don't know her name) came up to my room w/fresh orange juice and a homemade banana muffin. She's kind of odd in a different way. Apparently she has the demeanor of all older Thai women. A bit brusque and she doesn't mince words. That first day when I opened the door she thrust the plate at me and said, "Banana homemade for you!" and before I could say thank you she was gone.

Tung, the day clerk, is such a nice kid. He speaks excellent English and loves American music - especially Blues. When I told him I'd met BB King after a concert he just couldn't believe it. It was like I'd told him I had lunch with the Buddha yesterday or something. Tung always orders me up a tuk-tuk when he knows I'm going out. He brings me towels at the pool before I'm even all the way downstairs. Very kind -- American kids could take a lesson from him - hardworking w/great customer service skills.

I'll miss it here, but I am very excited to be off to the mountains. Thank goodness my cold is all gone.

Pearl (right) and her mother. I never did learn her name. For more pics of my guesthouse, click here.