Cycle Tour Day 3, 83km average 25 km/h. 6:30am brekky of curried pork & rice plus very strong coffee. 8am ride away. Because we arrived late last night there was no chance to look around this interesting town of 50,000 people. It is the site of the National Elephant Roundup. Heeehaaaaa!!! It looked interesting as we rode out of the centre and through the burbs. Once out of town we entered a huge rice growing region where the harvest was in full swing, some by hand but the vast majority mechanized. To dry the rice they just spread some fine shade cloth on half of the road and spread their rice out. Every now and again they comb it with a rake to get an even result. All the motorists just slow down and drive around it, no problem, no hurry. Imagine blocking off one half of a main road in Oz to dry your rice? The most interesting part of the day though was about the 50km mark where we stopped at Ban Chang, which translates into Elephant Village. The whole town is devoted to the keeping and caring for this magnificent beast. There are about 600 elleys in the district. It brings the tourist in their droves, especially the locals who worship the animal. There was a really young calf in one of the yards and it was the cutest. We discussed whether it was good or bad for the elephant, but it does give the locals an income and the ellys get three square meals a day, so to speak. They did look very well fed and cared for. Lunch was provided 3km up the road at a riverside cafe which produced great Thai food for 20 people (15 riders + staff) out of a kitchen a little bit bigger than a shoe box. After another 30km and it was on the bus to take us the 90km to the Motel Roi Et. The odd bus ride is unavoidable due to the lack of suitable motels in the areas suitable for cycling. We were checked in by 4:30pm which gave us plenty of time to wash the riding gear then have a walk around town. Not a tourist area; real Thailand. Walked to the local lake/park where there lots of locals jogging, playing basketball, relaxing and mingling. Back to the motel for dinner. Gee they certainly do good Thai food in Thailand. Go figure! Early night.