No More UTE

This is it: our last Ultimate Thailand Explorer post. Although we've officially been eliminated from the contest for a few months, and our last post preceded the selection of the finalists, we know that many of our readers truly appreciated our blogs. Sure there were a number of detractors and cynics who criticized us, but we kept plugging away. Now's the time to move on to a new chapter, but a few words before we do.

We had a blast with the contest, and we were sad to see our involvement as participants end. We still vote, and we still post on the UTE Facebook page, but we've stepped away from commenting on the contest in this forum at this point. After the finalists were selected, none to our liking, our interest in the contest decreased dramatically. Our last blog succinctly emoted our thoughts on the voting discrepancies, and although 128 folks clicked to the blog from FB, only one pathetic little man commented disapprovingly here. I feel quite justified in noting that neither Greg or Alex continued their involvement with the contest.

In fact, commentary from most non-finalists ended. No more Rana & Sherry; no more Ben & Fee; no more Jackson & Lori; and most thankfully, no more Frank & Melona. We believe these teams were no more invested in the contest than Aubrey's sister, Aleene, or Ben's mom, Lisa: much less likely so. The chatter on the UTE wall has virtually disappeared save a few stalwarts like Stephanie, Lauren, and Ambi & I. It's not even really transferred to the main UTE site, much I'm sure to TAT's displeasure.

Before the voting period ends, I expect to see some more controversy, and I'm sure an undeserving team will win. Curtis & Mark have provided such little content, it's deplorable. Four, count 'em, four posts from Thailand! The other likely winners, Aubrey & Parker, continue deluge us with their drivel. "It’s wonderful hearing stories and seeing pictures from a century ago while asking questions to how they relate to the present." I'm sure Parker's English professors in Bloomington are very proud. The three other teams are all far more qualified, entertaining, and informative. I have been quite pleasantly surprised by the quality of their contributions. I wish them all luck, but hold no promise for their success.

Thus, the blog is changing in nature, but not in tenor. Instead of detailing our desires and qualifications for a trip to Thailand, we're going to tell you about our upcoming trip to India and beyond. Ambi and I love to travel, and now that we've gotten into travelogueing, we see no reason to stop! So even though the UTE contest is nearly done, stay with us and enjoy the ride. We'll have plenty to share from Ahmedabad!