A School Night

It has arrived...another school night which means that our three-week break for Christmas is over. Although I admit I'm not ready to go back, I had a fantastic break. Three teacher friends and I went to Thailand for the first two weeks. We took off right away on December 20th and returned on January 4th. The trip began in Phuket where we stayed at a resort not far from two popular beaches. Besides sitting on the beach we took a couple speedboat tours to nearby islands, saw a show, had a few massages (they are so cheap there!), and shopped...a lot. Even though I couldn't get in the ocean because of my cast, I was still able to do most things. My favorite part of the trip was the sea kayaking. I have posted some pics; to see them click here.

The second leg of our trip took us to Chiang Mai in the north. We left Phuket on Christmas day and a taxi ride, flight, another taxi ride, and a 15 hour train ride later, we finally arrived to our destination. In Chiang Mai we stayed at a place called the Juniper Tree and it was amazing. Not only was it beautiful and we had a large space, but they also provided meals and did our laundry. I think Chiang Mai was my favorite place because of all there is to do there. We shopped at the large night market; visited silk, jewelry, and umbrella factories; rode elephants; went whitewater rafting; and ATVed through the jungle/mountains. It was so fun! Everyone thought I was crazy when I first showed up and doubted that I would be able to with a broken leg, but I didn't let it slow me down too much. It did prevent me from doing the zip line adventure which I have been wanting to do for a long time, but I know I will do it someday. Chiang Mai pictures

After our time in Chiang Mai we took the train back to Bangkok. Some of Sarah's friends picked us up and took us to another friend's house where we stayed for the next few days. Our time in Bangkok was really relaxing. We visited the Grand Palace one day and took a tour to a floating market and cultural show another, but besides that we spent time resting and going wherever we felt, which usually took us to a mall (even though we were extremely shopped out by the time we arrived). My favorite part of our time there was the last day when we just hung out with our new Thai friends all day. Some of the girls came over to make us lunch and then in the evening everyone came over to "our house" and played cards, slept for a few hours, and then saw us off at 3:00 AM. Follow the link for more pictures.

Upon returning to Korea I headed straight to Seoul to meet Alicia. She and a friend spent the week here and it was wonderful to have them. We did some sightseeing in Seoul before coming back to Daejeon to shop (what else! :-P) and experience some of the local culture. We also took a daytrip to Daedunsan, a nearby mountain. It was really nice and I plan to go back there when my leg heals as well. On Friday night we caught a bus back to Incheon since their flight left early Saturday morning. The visit was too short, but really good. Pictures will be coming from that, too.

And that brings me to today. Winter is here and it is COLD...so I'm trying to get acclimated to the temperature (Thailand had perfect weather). I also went in to school and worked for a couple hours to prepare myself for tomorrow. Hopefully the week isn't too busy, but I have a feeling it will be with a swim meet coming up this weekend. Not to mention the 4-hour season premier of American Idol. :)