A Photo Safari Halloween Solo Trip for Oct'13: Trip Report Started!

[afwdwfan]

Wow... I leave for a week and look how far behind I am. I'm trying to get caught up, but still have a couple more updates to get through here. I'm really enjoying seeing all the pictures from your Korea trip though. Some very impressive sights to see, and you capture it quite well.

 

[DaveinFallsChurch]

Wow... I leave for a week and look how far behind I am. I'm trying to get caught up, but still have a couple more updates to get through here. I'm really enjoying seeing all the pictures from your Korea trip though. Some very impressive sights to see, and you capture it quite well.

Welcome back! Were you on vacation? Actually, was this the week that you were considering a Disney tip as an option few months back?

 

[chattadisser]

Hi Christine! I'm very happy you came out of lurkdom and I'm always happy to make new friends on DIS! I also see that you're heading to the World in October and that you have children with very similar ages as ours. When will you be there?

I've been like you in that I have not been able to find time for photography classes between work and the kids. I've been learning by trial and error as well as reading materials online and in print when I'm trying to figure out what I'm doing wrong when I'm sitting at home and going through my pictures on the laptop.

I've also made a point of taking the camera with me whenever I take the kids for local outings such as museum visits or playgrounds and trying to get as much practice as possible. I started using the full auto mode at first a little over a year ago, then gradually moved on to using aperture priority or shutter priority modes (semi-automatic), and the past three months I've been been making myself use exclusively manual mode. Taking these steps helped me learn a lot about photography and in gradual steps. Next up on my to-learn list is flash photography (not at Disney of course ).

So glad to hear that you haven’t been an ace photographer for years…there’s still hope for the rest of us! I have an older Canon Rebel that has served me very well for years but I am just now getting off the auto mode and exploring the other functions. Your right, with work and the kids, there is not much time to spend on hobbies of any kind. Teekathepony actually posted a few photography pointers on her PTR and I have printed these out for easy references. I was so proud of myself, I actually I used the pre-set mode the other day when we were picking up our oldest from camp. I do need to take it out more to just everyday events so that I can play with the semi-manual features, now that the girls are old enough that I only need one eye on them!

Unfortunately, I need to update my ticker…this past weekend we decided that we are going to cancel our October WDW in favor of visiting Virginia and Williamsburg. The unexpected purchase of a new washer/dryer and tires for my car put a dent into the vacation budget. Besides, we are going to WDW in January to run the half so I will still get in some WDW magic!

I was in denial for a while, after all that planning I wanted to enjoy the fruits of my labor! But, since we have started planning the VA trip, I have gotten really excited about it. My oldest is a history nut, a positive byproduct of an American Girl addiction, and I am too so I am looking forward to seeing something new. And, we will still get a vacation!

Being a Virginian, do you have any suggestions? We are in southeast TN and plan on starting out in Charlottesville, spend about a day and half, then move onto Williamsburg and Jamestown for about 4 days. We might head home thru NC to make a complete loop out of the trip. We had to be somewhat creative with our weekends as a lot of the universities have home football games making hotel rooms a little scarce.

Christine

 

[DaveinFallsChurch]

I have an older Canon Rebel that has served me very well for years but I am just now getting off the auto mode and exploring the other functions.

The first DSLR I bought last year was a Rebel T2i and it worked out really well. I think it was perfect for my learning as its functions and capacity didn't overwhelm me as I was learning about the exposure triangle. A year later, I upgraded to a 7D once I felt more comfortable. Really looking forward to trying out the 7D at Disney for the first time in October.

Your right, with work and the kids, there is not much time to spend on hobbies of any kind. Teekathepony actually posted a few photography pointers on her PTR and I have printed these out for easy references. I was so proud of myself, I actually I used the pre-set mode the other day when we were picking up our oldest from camp. I do need to take it out more to just everyday events so that I can play with the semi-manual features, now that the girls are old enough that I only need one eye on them!

Wendy's posts about photography are awesome. I agree that it's challenging to focus on taking good pictures when out with young children. I couldn't spend a lot of time looking through the lens when DS was younger and I took the kids to the zoo or museums by myself. Toddlers have a way of wandering off Now that he's almost four it's a lot easier and he'll actually pose sometimes for pictures.

Unfortunately, I need to update my ticker…this past weekend we decided that we are going to cancel our October WDW in favor of visiting Virginia and Williamsburg. The unexpected purchase of a new washer/dryer and tires for my car put a dent into the vacation budget. Besides, we are going to WDW in January to run the half so I will still get in some WDW magic! Being a Virginian, do you have any suggestions? We are in southeast TN and plan on starting out in Charlottesville, spend about a day and half, then move onto Williamsburg and Jamestown for about 4 days. We might head home thru NC to make a complete loop out of the trip. We had to be somewhat creative with our weekends as a lot of the universities have home football games making hotel rooms a little scarce.

Christine

We love Williamsburg! It's about a 2.5 hour drive for us since we live in Northern VA in the DC area. We've visited a few times in the past 5 years since we moved here. We haven't had a chance to explore the rest of Virginia yet though but it's on our to do list.

We visited Colonial Williamsburg last year during the Fourth of July and had a great experience. (Here's a mini-TR as part of an old PTR from last year: http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=2949227) It was soooo hot in July but October should be perfect weather! In fact, I'm looking into taking the family down over Columbus Day weekend. There are a lot of interactive experiences at Colonial Williamsburg even for kids. If you do visit, make sure to visit the The Revolutionary City section. They have actors/actresses in the street reenacting some key scenes during the revolution which I thought was very very well done. We also enjoyed the brickmaker's and the blacksmith's shop which you can see live demonstrations of the craft. For the brick maker, the kids can also help!

Our kids are also huge fans of Great Wolf Lodge which is one of those indoor water parks. As a resort, I would give the place a rating of average but since the kids love playing in the water so much we sometimes make a trip down to Williamsburg just for the water park.

 

[afwdwfan]

Ok, finally caught up. Your son's comments are great... can't blame the boy for liking "all the pretty girls."

It really is interesting seeing the palaces and the contrasts of traditional Korea vs. modern Korea. Oh... and late 70's Korea with the astroturf trim.

Welcome back! Were you on vacation? Actually, was this the week that you were considering a Disney tip as an option few months back?

We were on vacation. This wasn't the exact week we considered Disney, but it was our plan B for that trip. If we had gone to Disney it would have been the week before Father's Day, but last week was more convenient schedule wise for us. We went to Panama City Beach with quick stops in Chattanooga and Atlanta on the way.

 

[DaveinFallsChurch]

Wow... I leave for a week and look how far behind I am. I'm trying to get caught up, but still have a couple more updates to get through here.

I'm trying to finish up the "mini" TR by the end of this week since my hospital schedule picks up a notch next two weeks. Then I have to make room for a mini TR for my annual get together (read: fantasy football draft) in Chicago with my friends from residency in mid August.

Ok, finally caught up. Your son's comments are great... can't blame the boy for liking "all the pretty girls."

It really is interesting seeing the palaces and the contrasts of traditional Korea vs. modern Korea. Oh... and late 70's Korea with the astroturf trim.

We were on vacation. This wasn't the exact week we considered Disney, but it was our plan B for that trip. If we had gone to Disney it would have been the week before Father's Day, but last week was more convenient schedule wise for us. We went to Panama City Beach with quick stops in Chattanooga and Atlanta on the way.

DS' comments had us rolling on the floor!
Hope you had a good time and good weather at the beach!

 

[SAT887]

I can relate with the anxieties of traveling overseas from what I've experience with this trip. In my past visits to Korea, I was solo and without kids so I didn't worry much about it. Plus when it was just me I didn't have to worry about language barriers, "culture shock", or food-intestinal incompatibilities. Before the trip, I was very very stressed out with the planning. But everything turned out great! It's definitely an adventure but I think that's what makes it fun when you force yourself to move out of your comfort zones and experience new things. And believe me, I'm not a very adventurous person. DW is and she was at ease with everything during the trip! Anyway, now that I've got this trip under my belt, planning for a Hawaiian vacation (next year I think for my dad's 70th birthday) and maybe a European vacation (2-3 years from now) should be a cinch, right?

I laughed reading how you keep your youngest awake in the car because I used to do that ALL the time with our kids when they were younger. Because, if they fall asleep in the car, they without fail wake up when you try to move them out of the car at home. And when they wake up, they never go back to sleep in their bed for a real nap because they feel that 10 minutes of dozing in the car was enough. And when they don't take a nap, they get extremely volatile say around 5pm! So, I would constantly sing songs, tell jokes, ask them questions while driving if I saw their eyelids getting heavy!

If I ever go to Korea, I am bringing you and your family as my tour guide!! My anxieties of over seas travel come from watching too many episodes of Locked Up Abroad... Throw in a 2 & 4 year old and I barely want to leave the house!

I knew I wasn't alone in my methods - the worst is when that 10 min so called nap is too close to bed time and it interferes with my Bed Time!!

So you are an updating machine!! I am at a loss for words to describe how beautiful your pictures have been. I really loved picture 3427 of the statue. I have a thing for statues and it reminded me of some that I have taken The vibrant colors in both performances are beautiful, how amazing and enriching that your children get to experience this. The history you have been telling us on each part of your trip is amazing. Absolutely amazing....

 

[DaveinFallsChurch]

So you are an updating machine!! I am at a loss for words to describe how beautiful your pictures have been. I really loved picture 3427 of the statue. I have a thing for statues and it reminded me of some that I have taken The vibrant colors in both performances are beautiful, how amazing and enriching that your children get to experience this. The history you have been telling us on each part of your trip is amazing. Absolutely amazing....

Thank you for the kind words! I'm about to post another set of updates. The kids have been asking to go back to Korea soon ever since we came back so it appears that it has made a decent impression on their minds. We'll have to figure out when would be the best time to take them back again.

 

[DaveinFallsChurch]

Monday, July 1st

If you’re wondering what happened to June 30th, I spent my day lounging at my parents place. We had originally planned to visit the Korean Folk Village this day but the heat was forecasted to reach above 100 degrees F and our legs were just about to turn to jello after a week long touring of two cities. We ended calling an audible and ditched the plans for the Folk Village. Instead, my mom took DW and DFIL to one of the famous shopping districts in Seoul for some Korean souvenirs while I stayed home with the kids and my Dad. Moving on to the next day!

We had another early morning start as we embarked on a 3 night 4 day trip to Jeju Island located in the southern end of Korea. It’s a volcanic island with subtropical climate and makes for a popular destination for both Korean and foreign tourists. As my DW called it, this was our vacation from our vacation.
We piled into two cabs to head to Gimpo airport. I have a lot of childhood memories of this airport as it used to be the main international airport for Seoul before they moved most of the international flights to Incheon Airport. As we headed to the airport, the topic of weather was discussed several times as it was forecasted to be rainy for the entire week for much of the Korean peninsula and we were hoping to maybe squeeze out one good day without rain during our stay in Jeju. Traffic to the airport was lighter than we had anticipated and as a result, we had a lot of time to kill prior to boarding our flight. My parents used their mileage membership status with Korean Air to get us all inside the lounge and we spent another hour before heading inside through security. Other than a minor hiccup where my name was incorrectly spelled on my boarding pass which required me running back to the check-in counter to get a re-issue, everything went fine. After a 50 minute flight, we arrived in Jeju and boarded the hotel shuttle bus.

We stayed at The Shilla Resort located near Seogwipo city. Shlla Hotels are owned by the Samsung conglomerate which also includes the electronic company that you’re probably more familiar with. I was extremely impressed with this resort. The level of customer service was one of the best and the resort itself is absolutely stunning. It’s perched on a cliff and right at the base of the cliff is a beach. As soon as we stepped off the bus, the front desk staff handed our room keys and welcome package while the bellhop service delivered our baggage to our room. When we entered our room, we were greeted with a gorgeous view of the ocean and a sunny sky. DS had fallen asleep in the bus so we let him continue his nap on the bed while the rest of us walked out to the balcony to fully enjoy the view.


IMG_3927 by DaveinFallsChurch, on Flickr


IMG_3922 by DaveinFallsChurch, on Flickr

DD didn’t want to waste any time heading down to the beach. So I started looking for her swimsuit in our suitcases but couldn’t find it. That’s when we realized we left behind all of our swim suits back at my parent’s place in Seoul. Earlier in the morning as we were getting ready to head out to the airport, we had to unpack our stuff from one suitcase to two smaller ones as we realized that we were over the weight limit. During that transfer, we forgot to move the swimsuits over. Of all the things we forgot to bring – this was going to be a problem but for the time being, DFIL and I took DD down to the beach just in her shorts so that she could play in the sand and wade her feet in the water.

The trek down to the beach turned out to take a lot more effort than I had thought. Since there was a cliff to climb down to get to the beach, the path involved a LOT of stairs. Going down to the beach was not too bad. Coming back up to the hotel – well, that’s another story.

The trek down

IMG_3931 by DaveinFallsChurch, on Flickr

Looking up towards the hotel one quarter of the way down

IMG_3937 by DaveinFallsChurch, on Flickr

Looking down towards the beach from the same spot

IMG_3939 by DaveinFallsChurch, on Flickr


IMG_3940 by DaveinFallsChurch, on Flickr


IMG_3941 by DaveinFallsChurch, on Flickr

When we finally arrived at the beach, we were greeted by one of the hotel staff at the resort’s beach house. Sadly, half of the beach house was going through refurbishment and remodeling so there was reduced service. Still, they had an indoor sitting area along with cold tea service. They also rented out sand toys for the kids and had a couple of row of beach chairs in front of the beach house. DD and DFIL rolled up their pants and dipped their feet into the ocean water. Although they only ventured in ankle deep, they eventually got soaked when that one inevitable high wave came crashing through. Nonetheless, DD was having a blast.


IMG_3949 by DaveinFallsChurch, on Flickr


IMG_3944 by DaveinFallsChurch, on Flickr


IMG_3950 by DaveinFallsChurch, on Flickr

About 30 minutes later, DW and DS arrived and joined in on the fun. I decided to head back to the room to figure out a solution for our forgotten swimsuits. The hike back up was taxing to say the least. I had to stop at least a couple of times for a breather before continuing up.


IMG_3991 by DaveinFallsChurch, on Flickr

The hotel had posted some small signs along the stairs in an effort to help take the minds off the pure agony and shortness of breath from the climb – one example, halfway up there was a sign telling me how many calories I had burned at that point and that it was equivalent to a bar of chocolate. That’s great except I was pretty sure by the time I reached the hotel I would be too nauseous to eat anything for a couple of hours!! The swimming pool at the hotel was beginning to look like a more attractive option for future water plays.

Once I reached the hotel, I went to the concierge desk to see what our options were. First they directed me to their boutique shop where I found the choices very limited and extremely expensive. So I went back out to ask the concierge for alternatives. They told me that the fitness center rents out swimsuits. That just didn’t sound appealing……at all! So I asked him if there were any places off site. He recommended E-Mart (which is the Korean equivalent of Target) which was about a 20 minute cab ride away. I grabbed a cab and shopped at E-Mart. Not being familiar with the sizing scales in Korea for clothing, I had to entirely go by look and feel of the sizes of the swimsuits for the kids. When I returned back to the hotel, the kids, DW, and DFIL made the hike back up from the beach and was trying to recover from the climb. I put the swimsuits on the kids and they fit perfectly!

Our dinner was at the buffet restaurant which was excellent – think food quality of high end buffets at Vegas. Near the end of dinner, a bored DS starting trying out his Korean phrases out loud to the folks passing by our table which elicited a chuckle here and there. After dinner all of us took a leisurely stroll around the resort grounds as dusk crept in and appreciated the beautiful landscaping.


IMG_3999 by DaveinFallsChurch, on Flickr


IMG_4001 by DaveinFallsChurch, on Flickr


IMG_4007 by DaveinFallsChurch, on Flickr

This is what the resort called their "Glamping" site. Glamping as in glamorous camping. I'll show you more of this later since we had reserved one for lunch on our last day at Jeju.

IMG_4010 by DaveinFallsChurch, on Flickr


IMG_4018 by DaveinFallsChurch, on Flickr

Tuesday, July 2nd
I woke up at 5am without really trying. Everyone else was still sound asleep. Sunrise was suppose to be around 5:30am so I decided to go out for a little walk. As soon as I stepped out I knew I wouldn’t be seeing much thanks to the fog. I did see one cat so it wasn’t a total bust! I was the only one out and about and didn’t come across a single soul.


IMG_4035 by DaveinFallsChurch, on Flickr

We had breakfast at the buffet restaurant again. The resort package came with free breakfast so we had to make sure to take advantage of that. Plus, the food was very good so couldn’t complain about eating in the same place over and over again. After breakfast, DW, DFIL, and myself got our backpacks for our day long excursion to explore some of the natural sights of the island. I would have really like to have brought the kids but DW and I eventually decided against it because some of the things we were planning to do involved a good amount of hiking and didn’t think their little legs could handle it. My parents were also perfectly content to stay at the resort so they and the kids pretty much spent the day by the pool side including a lunch.

We hired a cab for the day to visit three places. Two of them were on the opposite side of the island and about a 70 minute drive each way. But before we go there, our first stop was at Jungbang falls which was about a 30 minute drive from the resort. This waterfall was unique in that it was emptying out directly into the sea which I thought was a pretty cool scene. There were tour buses galore when we arrived at the parking lot. After paying admission, we took the stairs down the cliff to reach the base of the falls.

The falls from the top of the stairs

IMG_4041 by DaveinFallsChurch, on Flickr

The weather was turning a bit misty so the colors around the waterfalls didn’t really pop but still a gorgeous sight.


IMG_4053 by DaveinFallsChurch, on Flickr


IMG_4055 by DaveinFallsChurch, on Flickr

The paved path ended at the stairs and then it was up to us to walk across rocks to get closer to the falls. To the left was the ocean.


IMG_4057 by DaveinFallsChurch, on Flickr

You could see women called “Haenyeo”s which translates to women of the sea. Haenyeos are one of the unique elements of Jeju that goes back a couple of hundred years. They are professional women divers who collect shellfish and sometimes squids and sell them for a hefty profit and represents the matriarchal society Jeju created during the Joseon Dynasty in stark contrast to the mainland. You really can’t see as well on this picture but that orange thing is a buoy they use that serves as an anchor for them against the waves and also a way for them to store their catches as the continue their dives. No scuba gear. They are able to hold their breaths 2-3 minutes at a time. And according to the cab driver, they make a pretty good income.


IMG_4061 by DaveinFallsChurch, on Flickr

Continued in Next Post

 

[wiigirl]

Beautiful pics!

 

[DaveinFallsChurch]

Continued from Previous Post

Next, we drove to Seongsan Ilchulbong which translates to Sunrise Peak at Seong Mountain. This is a tuff cone created by a hydrovolcanic eruption approximately 5000 years ago. It’s about 180 meters high which translates to 590 feet. The crater is bowl shaped and the it is a popular location for visitors to view the sunrise on the sea horizon as the name suggests. Even without the sunrise, it’s a popular location to get a panoramic view with the ocean on one side and the island on the other. Given the weather pattern, we had decided to visit the peak during the day since our chances of seeing a decent sunrise were nil. In fact, even though we had arrived at close to noon there were low hanging clouds that obscured the view of the peak from the base. We didn’t think our view from the top would be all that great at this point but nevertheless set out on our hike. The cab driver warned us that the hike up is pretty strenuous and reminded us to take frequent breaks along the way.

View from the base

IMG_4077 by DaveinFallsChurch, on Flickr

The beginning of our trek. This isn’t so bad – the driver was exaggerating!


IMG_4075 by DaveinFallsChurch, on Flickr

Ok, now I see some steps but this is still pretty easy. I mean look how wide apart the steps are. And it’s pretty darn crowded with everyone that just got off half a dozen tour buses. My DFIL is apparently a celebrity. As we were walking up, a couple of Chinese college students struck up a conversation with him mostly because they wanted to try their English. One of them even asked for a photo! I couldn’t resist taking one as well. This hike is a breeze so far.


IMG_4080 by DaveinFallsChurch, on Flickr


Hmmm. Ok, things are getting a little steep. Wish the steps were wider but oh well. Still manageable.


IMG_4087 by DaveinFallsChurch, on Flickr

Taking a break after 15 minutes of climbing stairs. We should be getting close, right? It shouldn’t be that much longer. Uhhhh no.


IMG_4092 by DaveinFallsChurch, on Flickr

Ok it’s been 25 minutes since we left the parking lot. Surely we’re almost there. See how high we’ve come?


IMG_4103 by DaveinFallsChurch, on Flickr

So, the peak should be just around the corner…..son of a %$#.

IMG_4123-2 by DaveinFallsChurch, on Flickr

All kidding aside, this was pretty taxing. 30 minutes, 3 breaks, and 2 bottles of water later we finally reached the top. Even with the clouds and our obscured views, it was worth it. And we were reassured that it was a very good thing that we didn’t attempt to bring the kids along. At least now I could go back home and tell people what we did and exaggerate just a little that it was about a 1000 feet high. We sat there for about 20 minutes gathering our breaths and enjoying the scenery. Every now and then, the far edge of the crater would peak through breaks in the clouds which were swirling in and out of the bowl very fast.

That's security guard booth. While we were sitting there, one of his colleagues had brought him lunch from the base and the two were enjoying a friendly meal

IMG_4106 by DaveinFallsChurch, on Flickr


IMG_4118 by DaveinFallsChurch, on Flickr


IMG_4121 by DaveinFallsChurch, on Flickr

Also, did you notice how thinned out the crowds became as we got higher and higher? I would say about three quarters of the people that started out at the crowded base eventually gave up along the climb. So, at the peak it was not crowded at all.

We eventually started our way down. On the way down I couldn’t help noticing the expressions on the folks making their way up. They had the same expression I probably did on my climb – a mixture of agony and bewilderment.
Since the hike back down was a lot easier on our hearts and lungs, we were able to take in the scenery a bit more.


IMG_4082 by DaveinFallsChurch, on Flickr


IMG_4102 by DaveinFallsChurch, on Flickr


IMG_4151 by DaveinFallsChurch, on Flickr

The low clouds were also starting to dissipate so we got a better look of the cone.


IMG_4162-2 by DaveinFallsChurch, on Flickr


IMG_4130 by DaveinFallsChurch, on Flickr

Fishing boats

IMG_4135 by DaveinFallsChurch, on Flickr

Down there was a cove with a dozen or so Haenyeos in the water and a restaurant at the edge serving fresh seafood some of which I’m sure came straight from the Haeneyos catches of the day.


IMG_4144 by DaveinFallsChurch, on Flickr

Our final stop was Manjanggul which is lava tube cave that was formed 200,000-300,000 years ago during a period when Hallasan, the volcano located in the center of the island and responsible for the formation of the island, was still active. The cave is what was left behind after one the lava streams bursts through the surface of the land during an eruption. The entire tube is a little over a mile long. The section open to the public is about 2/3 mile long and comprises the middle section of the tube. I had brought my tripod all the way from Seoul just for this single visit hoping to capture some decent pictures. Our driver took us through the coastal and scenic route.


IMG_4167 by DaveinFallsChurch, on Flickr

Can you see the two kids playing in the water?

IMG_4169-2 by DaveinFallsChurch, on Flickr

Parts of the shores were lined by black volcanic rock which provided a nice contrast to the blue ocean.

IMG_4171 by DaveinFallsChurch, on Flickr

Once we entered the cave, it was very cool. Cooler than airconditioning. I don’t know why but I was quite expecting such a rough terrain along the cave. Of course, it became a duh moment once I thought about it more. There were a lot of puddles and water dripping from the ceiling of the cave. Some parts of the path was very irregular. It was a very interesting sight indeed. I tried my best to find the best spots to set up my tripod that had a relatively flat surface and that didn’t have water dripping down on it. I ended up using 30 second exposures because of the extremely low lighting available so you can see some of the “ghosts” as people walked in front of my shots.


IMG_4181 by DaveinFallsChurch, on Flickr


IMG_4183 by DaveinFallsChurch, on Flickr

Lava flow track marks on the wall

IMG_4187 by DaveinFallsChurch, on Flickr

My best capture - found a 30 second window where no one was walking through

IMG_4191 by DaveinFallsChurch, on Flickr

The tour path ended at the famous lava column which is considered to be one of the largest and tallest in the world.


IMG_4198 by DaveinFallsChurch, on Flickr

As we exited the cave, DW and DFIL’s glasses immediately fogged up as the rush of humid and warm air hit our faces. I had tucked and zipper-sealed my camera away in my backpack before we climbed out of the cave to avoid condensation on my lens. We drove back to the hotel which took about an hour from the caves to regroup with the kids and my parents.

 

[DaveinFallsChurch]

Beautiful pics!

Thank you! I'm nearing the end of the TR for our trip to Korea. Got one more set of updates left which I'll probably post on Friday.

 

[khertz]

That is a LOT of stair climbing in one update!! Just reading about it brought back unpleasant memories of hiking to the top of the Diamond Head volcano in Hawaii. It just kills your whole body, but it's so worth it once you get to the top. Glad you all made it in 1 piece!

Okay, that's just too cute about the Chinese girls practicing their English on your FIL and taking a picture with him!

Great pictures!!

 

[DaveinFallsChurch]

That is a LOT of stair climbing in one update!! Just reading about it brought back unpleasant memories of hiking to the top of the Diamond Head volcano in Hawaii. It just kills your whole body, but it's so worth it once you get to the top. Glad you all made it in 1 piece!

Okay, that's just too cute about the Chinese girls practicing their English on your FIL and taking a picture with him!

Great pictures!!

That's so funny that you mentioned Diamond Head. Last week I began working on some preliminary planning for our Hawaii trip for summer of 2014 and came across online guides describing Diamond Head and I thought to myself "Hmmmm. Sounds awfully familiar to what we just did in Jeju"

 

[emmysmommy]

Hi Dave! I'm back and finally caught up! It is late here but I couldn't stop reading your updates.... kinda like a book you can't put down! From the king who partied too much and was fired to the beautiful performers to the fabulous resort and correctly guessing your kids bathing suit sizes - well done!! It is just such a beautiful country and your photos capture the beauty so well!

 

[chattadisser]

Thanks for the advice about Williamsburg, I am going to go back and read that TR.

More beautiful pictures! Yea! The view from your resort is just breathtaking! What body of water is that? I love that the hotel posted little signs along the stairs back from the beach, a little acknowledgement that they too knew the walk back was exhausting.

Eeew..renting swimsuits? I’m sure they wash them between but still…

Way to go making it up all those stairs! We’ve had hikes like that and it does give you a little pleasure seeing others faces going up when you are on your way down. Let’s you know that it is hard for them too!

Christine

 

[DaveinFallsChurch]

Hi Dave! I'm back and finally caught up! It is late here but I couldn't stop reading your updates.... kinda like a book you can't put down! From the king who partied too much and was fired to the beautiful performers to the fabulous resort and correctly guessing your kids bathing suit sizes - well done!! It is just such a beautiful country and your photos capture the beauty so well!

Hi Brenda! Welcome back and thanks for staying up late to read up on my updates! Looks like you were up at midnight.

I have to say that I think I learned and rediscovered Korea more on this trip than I had done in any of my past trips in 20 years. We're trying to figure out when it would be a good time to make another visit but may not be for another couple of years. My dad wants to do a visiting professorship/sabbatical at Stanford starting next summer so they will be living in Cali for about a year. But, I am starting to plot a vacation out in California that will not include the Bay Area but also Southern California. Hmmmm, I wonder what's is in Southern Cal that would be of interest to us.

Thanks for the advice about Williamsburg, I am going to go back and read that TR.

More beautiful pictures! Yea! The view from your resort is just breathtaking! What body of water is that? I love that the hotel posted little signs along the stairs back from the beach, a little acknowledgement that they too knew the walk back was exhausting.

Eeew..renting swimsuits? I’m sure they wash them between but still…

Way to go making it up all those stairs! We’ve had hikes like that and it does give you a little pleasure seeing others faces going up when you are on your way down. Let’s you know that it is hard for them too!

Christine

Hi Christine! The view from our room was the Pacific Ocean looking south. I couldn't get enough of it although it did get more cloudy during the second half of our stay.

Yes, I had the same reaction as you did about rental swimwear.

 

[abbybeth]

Goodness, I slip away for a couple weeks and come back to all of this! I so enjoyed getting caught up on your South Korea TR. Your pictures are incredibly stunning and I am fascinated by all of the history and facts that you shared. I had no idea that South Korea was so gorgeous, though I shouldn't have been surprised. I had the opportunity to travel to China for work in 2008 and had similar reactions there - the culture, architecture and traditions were so rich and the country had such gorgeous scenery that was very different than what I knew here in the US.

Thank you for putting together such a detailed accounting of your trip - I'm loving every single post and pixel!

 

[afwdwfan]

Ok... as I was reading along in the previous updates, I was thinking you were really doing a LOT and it had to be tiring to go at such a pace all day everyday. When you said you took a day off just to stay at your parents, I thought it was a good idea.

Now seeing all this climbing and walking you did after taking that day off, I think it is the best idea you've ever had.

The "vacation from vacation" island looks beautiful. Too bad you had some fog and cloud cover to deal with, but you still managed to capture it well.

 

[DaveinFallsChurch]

Goodness, I slip away for a couple weeks and come back to all of this! I so enjoyed getting caught up on your South Korea TR. Your pictures are incredibly stunning and I am fascinated by all of the history and facts that you shared. I had no idea that South Korea was so gorgeous, though I shouldn't have been surprised. I had the opportunity to travel to China for work in 2008 and had similar reactions there - the culture, architecture and traditions were so rich and the country had such gorgeous scenery that was very different than what I knew here in the US.

Thank you for putting together such a detailed accounting of your trip - I'm loving every single post and pixel!

Happy to hear you're enjoying the TR! I haven't been to China yet but hope to someday.

Ok... as I was reading along in the previous updates, I was thinking you were really doing a LOT and it had to be tiring to go at such a pace all day everyday. When you said you took a day off just to stay at your parents, I thought it was a good idea.

Now seeing all this climbing and walking you did after taking that day off, I think it is the best idea you've ever had.

By the time we got back to the hotel, my legs were done! I had some serious issues going up stairs for the next couple of days.