In a nutshell- Take your boat and go immerse yourself in a world of flowers.  Every street has a corner, you know?  I'd like an express ticket  to Mueng Kut.  Oh, theres no such thing as an express ticket?  All you have left is the "grueling" ticket?  Well, i'll take that then.  Lets go shopping and argue about pants.  I'm hungry.  Is that a 7-eleven over there?  Lets stop and get some snacks... its not like we're in a rush or anything.  Take a boat or ride a beast.  Either way, you're headed to the Mae Ping village to wash some dirty elephants.  Go to Karen Village, but don't be in too big of a hurry.. no one's eliminated this week.

     Sorry, I'm really rushed this week so this episode summary is going to be very short.  Teams left in the order they arrived in the wee hours of the morning.  When Wil leaves, he immediate starts yelling "Go" at the long boat driver.  So much for becoming more humble.  That pledge lasted all of 5 seconds.

     They had to go to the Pak Kong Talad flower market in Bangkok and find a specific vendor whose shop was marked with the Amazing Flag.  Sounds easy enough.  But they forgot to mention that this is no ordinary flower market.... its a flower market on steroids.  As Chris says, "This isn't just one market, Its a world of flowers."  They were told that that the shop was on the corner of a specific intersection, but as Chris astutely pointed out, "there is a corner on each street."  What i think he meant to say was that this particular intersection the clue mentioned was very large, and the clue did not specify which corner it was on.  So basically, the teams all wander around clueless for a while, but they all eventually find the vendor.

   That clue sends the teams on an "express" train fride to Mueng Kut, a village near Chiang Mai in Northern Thailand.  If this is the "express" train ride, I'd hate to see what the "really slow" train ride was, because the teams are in for a 15 hour ride.  Each team, when interviewed about the train ride, threw in the word "grueling," which apparently is required by federal mandate.  Wil describes it as "grueling, grueling, grueling."  Trilogy will not get you bonus points in the Amazing Race.

  Well, the train doesn't leave until that afternoon, and its still early in the morning.  Several of the teams (Blake/Paige, Tara/Wil, Mary/Peach, Chris/Alex) decide to go shopping in Bangkok.  They show the teams haggling over sunglasses, books, pants.  Then the teams eat lunch.  Mary/Peach argue about buying a pair of pants, but seem to get over it quickly.

    So they get on the train, and they stay on the train for 15 hours and then they get off the train.  Its the wee hours of the morning when the teams arrive.  They all race for taxis.  Blake/Paige grab one and take off.  Mary/Peach and Danny/Oswald share one, but stop at a 7-eleven to buy some snacks.  I'm guessing the Grueling train package doesn't include a meal. Gary/Dave get a cab driver who they say is the first one who understood that they are in a rush.  Tara/Wil and Chris/Alex are the last teams to get a taxi, who stops for directions while Wil helpfully yells "hurry" from inside the cab.  Blake/Paige are handed off to another driver.

     Basically, everyone except Tara/Wil and Chris/Alex arrive at the Old Bridge in Mueng Kut at the same time, sometime near dawn.  They cross the bridge and determine that they have a detour choice of Boat-navigating a raft down a river to the awaiting SUVs, or they could choose Beast- riding an elephant to the SUVs.  Not suprisingly, all the teams choose Boat.  Gary/Dave get off to an early lead, with Mary/Peach close behind.  Blake/Paige leave next, followed closely by Oswald/Danny.  Peach takes a fall, as does Oswald.  Mary/Peach pass Gary/Dave.  Oswald/Danny almost pass Blake/Paige, but O/D get stuck on something and have to move their raft.  About this time, Tara/Wil and Chris/Alex arrive.  T/W are actually in last place.  They have trouble steering the raft.

     So Mary/Peach finish and hop in their SUV, now headed to the Mae Ping village.  Gary/Dave are close behind.  Blake/Paige are next, followed by Oswald/Danny.  Chris/Alex finish, but wait up for Tara/Wil, who then proceed to pass them up.  Chris, giving them the benefit of the doubt, says they are leading the way since they know this area.

     Mary/Peach get to the Mae Ping village and are presented with a Road block.  This week they've got to wash chalk marking off of an elephant until the elephant master says "wery good" and gives you the clue.  Mary washes happily as she sings her best renditition of  "I'm washing an elephant."  Dave tries to make friends with his elephant.  Blake's elephant poops on him.  Oswald gets a second chance in life to wash his elephant.  They all head to the pit stop, which is Karen Village.

      Mary/Peach edge out Gary/Dave for first place.  Blake/Paige arrive third, and Oswald/Danny arrive fourth.  Wil arrives and starts sortof patting his elephant.  I wouldn't call what he was doing washing.  Chris washes his elephant quickly and once again waits for Tara/Wil.  So that is twice in the past hour that Chris/Alex have finished first, but waited up for Tara/Wil.     But, when they both arrive at Karen village at the same time, Wil steps on the mat first, and Tara doesn't protest.  They come in fifth, and an obviously irritated Chris/Alex come in last.  But, as we all knew already, this was a non-elimination leg.  We'll see what happens next week.