I am back to being intrepid solo explorer Allison, at least for a few days. Jon left today to return to the States after an action and emotion-packed four weeks together. When I left for my travels we said goodbye, but I think on some level I kept him in the back of my mind and sometimes a little too much in the front, particularly once I knew he was coming to travel with me. This time together was wonderful and exactly what I needed to finally close that chapter of our relationship. We had some magical times together, and now I feel good and resolved and ready to continue this journey on my own.

Last I left you, I was going for a massage and Jon and I were heading to Ayuthaya to take in some wats (temples). First, the massage. I opted for a Swedish massage this time for a change of pace from the contortion/wrestling match that is Thai massage, and with hands liberally oiled, my masseur decided to throw in a breast massage for free. I wasn't sure what to say or do so I just went with it and chalked it up to differences in international massage standards.

Ayuthaya was the most culturally-interesting place I've been since I arrived in Thailand almost six weeks ago, and I am guessing a good preview of what I can expect in the north. The town itself is an island surrounded by two rivers and a canal. Both on the island and off are ruins of ancient wats in various states of restoration, most made out of brick and often crumbling precariously. With stately rows of headless Buddhas lining the walls and giant chedis (like stupas) rising high above the surrounding ruins, I often felt like I was exploring lost cities.

Walking around these temples, I couldn't help but be bothered by the sight of dozens of stray dogs, most very sick and on the verge of starvation. Thailand is a Buddhist country and believes in the sanctity of all living things. They also don't seem to care much about fixing their pets. As a result, unwanted dogs, often pregant females, are dumped at temples where they give birth, get progressively hungrier and sicker until they are incapable of caring for their puppies and eventually die. Then there's a new generation of puppies (the ones that survive anyway) to procreate and the cycle continues. Apparently just before the APEC conference in Bangkok in October, in an effort to clean the city, thousands of stray dogs were taken from the streets of Bangkok and relocated to temples in the north. I am not looking forward to seeing more of that.

Our last night in Ayuthaya, we hung out at our guesthouse and taught Shithead (very fun multi-player card game that Jon taught me) to two riotously funny guys, one German and one French, both coincidentally named Christoph. They will both be in the north when I will, so we may meet up.

One of my favorite Canucks, Tyler, is coming from San Francisco to meet me in Bangkok. We will travel together for three weeks through Laos and Northern Thailand. I am hoping his new maple leaf tattoo will make it easier for me to pretend I am Canadian, eh (or "ay," if you're from Quebec :P).