Carnivores, Protests, and Koh Chang

When I was a kid, I often used to go down to a little park near my grandmother's house and feed the ducks with pieces of bread.


In Bangkok, if you're a kid you take your bread, go to the local park, and feed this thing:




(They're monitor lizards, about 4 feet long.)





I'm not kidding: kids were actually feeding them.


Now, call me a nervous pervous, but that seems a wee bit dangerous. Some of those kids were significantly smaller than the carnivore they were feeding.


But I guess locals know best.
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After strolling through the park, I accidentally stumbled upon a political rally. The Red Shirts (unusual for Bangkok) were out in full force, griping about God knows what:










Generally speaking, when it comes to Thai political rallies, the key to staying safe is the same as with snakes: "Red [shirts] touches black [police], you're OK Jack; red [shirts] touches yellow [shirts], your a dead fellow."


Can I copyright that?
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Finally, I took the 2am bus this morning to Koh Chang island (arrive 9am to the ferry and 10am o the island).


The ride itself was uneventful except for the two British guys sitting in the seat ahead of me. They apparently felt no compunction about discussing how, after experiencing the sleazier part of Bangkok, part of Bangkok left a little reminder. While I'm no doctor, they should probably go see one.


The island is split between the coasts, which are generic Thai beaches (though I found an excellent bungalow on the southern tip), and a jungle natural reserve on the interior. I'm going to ride an elephant tomorrow, so look for pictures on my post tomorrow.