New Pictures!

I have filled my Flickr, so Christa opened up an account and you can check out all the latest Island pictures there!!


HERE

-M&C

VIDEO IS UP!

Here is the link to the first Thailand video!

http://vimeo.com/1312509

Enjoy!
We Did!!

On Monday morning we went to the airport early. Thanks to Tip, Sue and Chris, we had a taxi ready and waiting for us at 5:30 AM. We arrived at the airport with tons of time to spare, so Mikey edited for a couple hours while I played solitaire on the cold airport floor. Once we arrived in Surat Thani, we took a shuttle bus to Don Sak Pier, then a 2 hour ferry ride to Koh Samui. The ferry was slow, but relaxing. Mikey and I watched rainstorms over the other islands and figured we would soon be experiencing the same... we were right! Once our ride (from Seashore Bungalows) picked us up, we were stuck in a HUGE tropical storm for the next 40 min. Our driver wasn't phased by it, he kept to 60 MPH the whole time, driving up onto sidewalks and swerving through the road. It was exciting to say the least!
Our place at Seashore Bungalows was great- secluded, quiet and very quaint. We had our own private bungalow directly on the sand with our own private deck and hammock. That day and the next we explored the area- took a LONG walk on the beach, went to Angela's Bakery for some good old American food (and baked good for me of course) and then relaxed at Roma Restaurant for Italian food and cocktails...
Without the help of Tip, its hard to get motivated to go to Thai restaurants, since we have absolutely no idea what to order!

The next morning we checked out from Seashore Bungalow and our friend Charles took us down the rode to catch a mini bus for another part of town- Chaweng. We stayed on the rickety bus for about an hour until we reached Chaweng. We finally found our destination: Montien House, at the end of an alley full of shops. The Montien House is GORGEOUS! The grounds are lush and green with "old school hawaii" style bungalows and a pool overlooking the ocean. For only $45 we get a room that would be worth at least $400 in the States! Mikey and I LOVE it here!!!

C&M

River Kwai

Today was yet another incredible day. Our train ride to the Bridge over River Kwai was breathtaking. The train ride was 2 hours full of canals lined with dilapidated tin roof homes, rice patty fields, miles and miles of palm trees, and tropical jungles. In fact, the terrain is so overgrown and lush that Mikey got whipped a few times by vines that popped their way in through the train window. It was the perfect way to see Thailand's countryside. We first stopped in a small city to see the world's largest pagoda and then took the train to River Kwai. The Bridge over River Kwai was built by American P.O.W's of WWII. We took a boat ride under the bridge to a P.O.W. memorial camp, then ate a delish thai feast on the boat while we sailed to the P.O.W. cemetery. Next up, a hike to a limestone cave with very small tunnels, but the reward was well worth the trek... then we sailed back home.
All of the jungles that lined the water, bamboo huts, and "boat homes" were so awesome to see. And the very few drops of rain made the afternoon absolutely perfect. The entire day, I felt as though I was living out an article from National Geographic.

Ayuthaya

Today was the BEST Fourth of July ever!!! We woke up early and took a taxi to Tip's Aunt's school. The school was only about 20 km away yet it took us an hour and a half because of rush hour traffic. What did all that time cost us? Less than $7 US. Amazing! Tip's Aunt was kind enough to let us use her private driver for the day. He drove us first to Ayuthaya's ancient's ruins of old Thai temples. After that we went to an awesome restaurant right on the river. It was one of the prettiest views we've seen yet. Next... more Thai temples. This time they were even more ancient, from the 1600's, built all from bricks. (See pictures for the amazingness!)
Last but not least, we... are you ready for this?! Ride elephants!!!! This was my (Christa) number one thing on my list. I've wanted to ride an elephant since forever and it surpassed all my expectations! Mikey and I were on one elephant and Tip got one all to herself. We rode around an ancient temple and through rice patties. After the ride was over we had a photo op with the cutest little baby elephant and one that picked us up with his trunk. Those animals are so amazing!
We have already done and seen so much and we have only been here two days. We are so blessed to have such good company and to be staying with such a hospitable family :)

THAILAND!

Hello all, this is Christa here! Well, we finally made it to Bangkok after 24 hours of traveling. Although the flight was extremely long, we felt like we were flying first class... Korean air is amazing!
Uncle Chris and cousin Tiffany (aka Tip) met us and took us straight to their estate on the outskirts of Bangkok. Next day we woke up and had an unusual but delicious feast of curry beef for breakfast. Michel surprisingly cleared his plate :)
Chris took us to see the private all-boys school where he teaches, which is nicer than ANY school or college I've seen in the U.S.. After that we exchanged our currency and left the bank feeling like millionaires with 33,000 ($1000 US) Baht in our pockets. Next we took a tuk-tuk (SO cute!!!) to the Royal Palace. We saw the emerald Buddha, multiple temples and shrines all covered in gold and ornate jewels. Words can't describe how beautiful it was!
Next we walked the streets of vendors and made our way to the largest reclining Buddha in the world at Wat Pho. It was big...really big.
Tip took us to lunch a small local restaurant where we had pork and egg noodles covered in something delicious. Michel loved it, another surprise! All three of us ate for the equivalent of $2.90.
After a satisfying lunch, we took the ferry across the river and a mini bus* the rest of the way home.
Our damage done for the day for both Mikey and I... including all food, transportation and admission fees was... 900 Baht ($26.30 US). I could get used to this!

*Minibus: An old school Toyota pick-up with benches in the back.

PS. Its HOTTTT but humid, which is nice.
PSS. PLEASE CHECK THE FLICKR FOR PICTURES!