In Bloom

Spring hit Korea.  No, the weather isn't always a beautiful 60/70 degrees yet but the flowers came and have pretty much left now.

We spent a Saturday morning in Jinhae at the Cherry Blossom Festival.  Sadly the cherry blossoms weren't in full bloom yet but there were still out enough and beautiful.  I just wish they lasted longer.  For a few days the trees lining the street were full and white and blossoms were raining down on us.  It was quite an amazing sight!

Walking up the 365 steps to the top of the hill.

At the top of the hill.

Along the street of the Naval base.

The following Saturday we hiked up Daegumsan Mountain here on Geoje.  The top of this mountain is covered in azaleas.  Seriously covered!  It was quite amazing!

  

Hiking up...our first glimpse of the azaleas (the purple streak on the mountain side).

At the top.

Some serious beauty!

The following Monday E and I took a short ferry ride with friends to a nearby island called Camellia Island.  It is a small island with trails...not much else.  It is famous for camellia trees.  Unfortunately for us most of the flowers had already fallen.  It was nice to walk around and picnic on such a beautiful day!

Ferry ride.

One of the few and fallen camellia flowers.

Around the island.

Side note...isn't this the sweetest?  These girls are such great friends!  We often catch these two holding hands or giving each other the biggest hugs it knocks them over.  It sure is nice to have good friends.

Easter

Easter was pretty low key for us.  Fortunately I had my parents bring plastic eggs with them when they moved out here because they were non-existent here.  We got together with friends Saturday evening for dinner and an egg hunt.  Like last year, E was a very focused and determined hunter.  She's pretty much a professional.  After the hunt the girls cracked confetti-filled shells on dad's heads.  They thought that was pretty cool (not sure dad thought the same).

Easter Sunday was General Conference for us so we laid low that day.  E wanted to set out carrots for the Easter Bunny (totally her idea) so she awoke to some nibbled on carrots and a surprise in her basket.

Phuket, Thailand: Part 2

Day 4 was elephant day.  We booked a tour with Siam Safari for a Thai culture expo and elephant ride.  It was perfect.  They put together a wonderful tour.  We started off the tour with some coconut pancakes and learning how the Thai use water buffalo.  We also got to ride in a buffalo pulled cart.  We then learned about rice growing and picking, coconut uses, curry making and all about the rubber trees.  We then watched a cute show with the baby elephants where E got to feed them, then had our elephant ride.  The day concluded with lunch.  It was one of the most fun days we had.

Our ride from the resort to Siam Safari.

Water Buffalo

Rice, Coconuts, Curry

Rubber (yes, it comes from a tree)

Baby Elephants

E feeding the babies...the most memorable moment!

Elephant Trekking

Day 5 we rented a car and explored Phuket.  Dad did a great job driving on the left side of the road!  We drove through Kata, Karon and Patong and spent some time at Karon beach.  Later that day we drove to the southern tip of Phuket and checked out Sunset Peak before heading back.

Karon Beach

Sunset Peak

Day 6 was spent at our resort beach.  It was our 2nd to last day so we just wanted to relax!  Ben and I rented a kayak and paddled around the cape we were on.  What a beautiful island.  This night E started running a high fever!

Day 7 was a bit of a challenging day.  We had to check out at noon but our flight wasn't until 2 a.m.  We ended up renting a car for the afternoon and tried to find indoor activities.  We had scheduled a dinner and show at Fantasea for the evening which would hold us over until time for the flight.  The challenge was keeping E happy as she was running a fever all day (which we found out when we got to Korea was from tonsillitis).  Mom and I got our Thai massage while the guys and E hit up McDonald's.  The massage was wonderful and less than $10 for 1 hour.  We both admitted we were a little sore a few hours later but it sure felt great.  We then went to the mall and outlet stores before going to Fantasea.  Fantasea wasn't as impressive as everyone made it sound.  It was overly crowded and the show was so-so.  Poor E was miserable but was able to sleep through most of the show.  She's rocking a cold compress on her head in all our pics.

Message Location

 

Phuket Fantasea

Last Picture of the Trip

Great trip and so glad we went!

Phuket, Thailand: Part 1

While living in Asia I really wanted to go to Thailand.  Thanks to my hub and my parents we fulfilled my dream.  Phuket is a hot travel spot for a lot of the expat families in Korea so we had plenty of recommendations.  We had a couple must do items on our list which included hang out at the beach and pool, eat lots of Thai food, ride the elephants and go on a boat/kayak tour.  Check, check, check and check.  It was great to travel with my parents.  The trip was a true vacation.

Day 1 was spent hanging around the resort at the pool and the private beach.  The private beach was a short ride down the road on their shuttle truck.  That evening we went into town to a Weekend Market held on Saturday and Sunday nights.  It was crammed full of booths selling DVD's, clothes, shoes, bags, food...you name it.  It was so crowded and hot and pretty chaotic.  We picked up a few things and enjoyed some great Thai food at a nearby restaurant for less than $20 for 5 people.  Excellent.

Around the Resort

Beach Shuttle

Resort's Private Beach and Restaurant

Weekend Market

Day 2 we laid low around the resort and enjoyed resting...mostly at the pool.

Day 3 we went on a tour of Phang Nga Bay which is on the mainland of Thailand, just across the bridge of Phuket.  We took a traditional boat ride to 'James Bond Island' where the movie Man with the Golden Gun was filmed.  The scenery was amazing and pictures can do it no justice!  From there we got hooked up with a kayak tour around some of the sea caves and mangroves. We then went to the Floating Village which is a village built on stilts against the side of a rock.  When we returned we had lunch at the dock.  From there we saw the laying Buddha (and monkeys), then went home.  It was a super busy day.  On the drive up we passed a pineapple plantation.  We picked up some pineapples for less than $1 each...and they were delicious!

James Bond Island

Kayaking

Floating Village (not too impressed...dirty and a tourist trap)

Lunch

Buddha and Monkeys