As you will see from one of the pictures I had the experience of "riding" (meaning sitting) on an elephant for a few minutes. I bring the news that sitting on their skin and hairs in nothing but a pair of panties is not too far removed from straddling a cactus except that the hairs didn't come out in me. I did most of Bangkok wearing "men's clothes" to the extent of my Sulu from far off Fiji. It was really a great idea as I could carry money, cosmetics, comb, fan and hanky in the pockets leaving my hands free of a bulky purse and with only a camera to carry. I recommend any girls going to hot countries to have one of these things made up beforehand. I think men would adopt skirts much quicker in this country if they would put pockets in them instead of trying to sell men not only on skirts but on shoulder bags at the same time. It's too much at once.

Getting around Bangkok by taxi is an experience, especially for a single lady like me. You have to leave the hotel with a slip of paper on which they have written in Thai characters your destination and another with the name of the hotel for your return since the drivers don't speak more English than to be able to state the fare in "bahts” the local currency designation. It is another experience to have the ride itself. They drive like mad men and my boy really curled my hair when he made an in-and-out U turn across three lanes of traffic on one of the main streets just at 5:30 with the traffic very heavy. I just closed my eyes and held on. By all reason he should have been clobbered from both directions at the same time but I guess the other drivers were thinking of their own fenders if not his so we made it. Of course the confusion is made greater for an American by the fact that they drive on the left side of the street as in England. So after four days in this interesting country we took off for Hong Kong.

As you may know what is generally called Hong Kong is made up of Hong Kong itself on one side of the harbor and Kowloon on the mainland on the other side. It is one of the world's most interesting sea and land views and quite a fascinating world to explore. My room- mate and I took a street car and went way down into the native section and walked up and down back streets through their street markets and everywhere. Although H.K. is a British Crown Colony and is admin- istered at the top by Britains there are not many of them to be seen. Instead you see nothing but Chinese. We two white women wander- ing around in there were consequently something of a curiosity but we were even as they and their stores and markets were a curiosity to us too. The next day we set out on the inevitable shopping tour. I remembered the old Chinese adage, “Ask the price at three places

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