Thailand, once known as Siam, is a sultry country located south of the Tropic of Cancer in the center of Asia. Countries along its borders include Myanmar (Burma), Laos, Cambodia (Kampuchea) and Malaysia. A 1,200 mile coastline faces the Gulf of Thailand, fed by the South China Sea. Thailand's jungles are thick masses of bamboo, tall rubber trees and tangled vines where the strange bird with the yellow and black beak roosts and spindly monkeys swing. Five-star hotels have all the modern conveniences, however, life for most Thais is poor and simple. Where logging takes place, elephants are used to lift and haul the timber and on the plains, buffalo pull the farmer's carts.