Floating Market and Elephant Hooligans

decided to be the tourist today (because, after all, i am one) and did a day tour. first to the floating markets where we witnessed loads of tourists taking photographs of each other and i was overcharged for some fruit. i have never seen so much crap in my life. there was some stuff that was okay but of the hundredsof stalls we passed (all selling exactly the same mercchandise) there copuldnt have beenmore than a handful of people actually buying anything. i think if youre in sales in bangkok you need to learn how to take rejection well. there has to be some kind of state subsidy or something because i cant comprehened how that market could actually pay for itself.
after that it was off to see crocodiles and elephants. a welcome surprise was that this was the soccer palyingelephants that robbies told me about. most amusing, incredibly well trainedelephants dancing, exposing themselves, doing a mock battle and dressing up as famous soccer players and doing penalty kicks (predictably, there was a cheeky baby one who got yellow carded then headbutted the referee and was sent off ... after which he tripped the referee over). then there were two young thai men who wrestled with some (hopefully very well fed and drugged) crocodiles. i also met a young belgian couple named bert and lise who were very nice -however, they flew off this evening. all in all a very pleanand day (was also given some tips on how to avoid getting ripped off over here - they were got on the infamous gemstone scam).