Showers!

Something is really odd about most of the showers here...there aren't bathtubs or little enclosures for showers. No, that would make too much sense. Rather, here in Thailand, most places just have a spout on the wall facing the toilet that shoots out water all over everything. You could take a shower while sitting on the toilet if you so chose. Some places even forget drains which means that they bust a hole in some corner and the water finds it way out eventually. So, after a shower, the toliet is covered in water, the toliet paper is decimated and full of water, the floor is a complete hazard, and you are clean. We feel really, really special if we go places that have a bathtub shower...one of the many comforts of home.
Also, another odd thing: whitening creams. I ran out of deodarant which is something you desperately need here since you are in a constant state of hottness (and by that I do not mean a high level of attractiveness...). It took me a while to find any that didn't whiten your underarms...all of the skin creams are whitening too. Johanna - quite the opposite of what you have been scouting, no :)
Everything is good here - we are in the Northern part of Thailand near the Burmese border. My travel guide thinks I am weird (I was acting like the coneheads - you know "We come from France" and he just couldn't handle me anymore :) and I was worried about accidentally crossing into Myanmar or as it is still called here, Burma and getting killed. We are going to the Golden Traingle tomorrow - where Burma, Laos and Thailand form a peaceful (or not...) union and will be taking some sort of boat along the Mekong River there. Should be fun! We miss you all and hope you are well!