Sun, Sand and Elephant Kisses

This Thanksgiving we traded Turkey around the table to Tuna Steak on the beach with my first trip to Thailand. Adam had been to Thailand on business before but never to the beach destination of Phuket. It was just a short stay but as usual we managed to pack a lot in.

We stayed at The Laguna Beach Resort which is just one of the hotels on the Laguna property. At first glance I thought our resort was too tourist-y as the beach front was blocked by shacks run by locals selling gifts, food and drinks. But even they couldn't spoil the clear blue sea and sandy white beach. In the end, the locals being so nearby was a great money saver as you could get a beer for 60 Thai Baht(US$1.80) from the locals and walk a few steps back to the resort pool where they were selling the exact same thing for 150 Thai Baht (US$5)... you all know how I appreciate a bargain!

The best part of the Laguna property is that you have access to all of the resorts regardless of where you are staying. The properties are connected by a large lagoon, giving all guest water front rooms. Free shuttles and ferries carry guest from one resort to another so we had the opportunity to check out the other hotels. We popped over the the Dusit Tani for dinner on Thursday night and enjoyed the relaxing sound of the waves just a few feet away as we dined.

The next morning I met Meena the baby elephant and fell in love. She was so tiny and well behaved. While I don't generally like animals being in a tourist environment, she seemed to be very well taken care of and liked the attention.

We spent the remainder of Friday relaxing on the beach and by the pool and had some good Tom Yum soup for dinner. We also checked out the Sheraton hotel where I met another baby elephant. She was a bit older and more forward. The trainer told her to give me a kiss and she wrapper her little trunk around my head and literally give me a kiss on the mouth with the end of her trunk! Haa haa! She gave Adam one too. Wish we would have had our camera then.

The hotel beach, Bangtao, had a good number of people on it but I hear that it is much less crowded that the very popular Patong beach just a few miles away. Adam wanted to explore outside the resort a bit more, but I was hesitant to go at night. After seeing town area again in daylight, I wish we would have taken more time to explore. The local life reminded me of a more developed version of the part of India that I saw mixed with the trashy beach areas of Florida, but there were some good parts of town to explore.

Saturday we signed up for a boat tour and snorkeling around Phi Phi Island (pronounced pee pee). Snorkeling is amazing. It was my first time and I loved every second. After about an hour ride by speed boat, we stopped in an area that was enclosed by the towering jagged rock islands. Even with other boats around it was very peaceful. We then went to the beach where they filmed The Beach with Leonardo DiCaprio, but it wasn't very exciting as it was overrun by tourists.

Our next stop was Monkey Island, as you can guess there were monkeys on shore, but this was also our first chance to snorkel. This was defiantly one of those times when I thought, I'm going to tell myself, I'm not scared and just go for it. I'm convinced that I saw Jaws at too young of an age as I cannot remember a time that I wasn't terrified of a shark sneaking up on me. I even regularly checked for them in pools as a kid, so swimming in the big ocean was a bit nerve racking for me. I strapped on the life vest and was ready to go, but let a few others jump in first, just in case any hungry creatures lurked nearby ;P Adam held my hand and as we swam around and I began to relax.

After about 20 minutes it was time to head to another island for lunch, hey I was just starting to get the hang of this snorkeling thing and it's time to go? But Bamboo Island, where we were given picnic lunches and plenty of time to relax, was probably the most beautiful beach I've ever visited. We swam in the surf a bit and just enjoyed the scenery. Lines that marked the evacuation route in case of a tsunami were a harsh reminder of what people in this region had been through just a short time ago. I couldn't help but think, was it a gorgeous, perfect day like this only a few minutes before the tsunami hit?

Our final destination was one of the best experiences of my life. We stopped in the middle of the ocean, with just a few other boats around, where the water was crystal clear and the coral reef was amazing. Sharks were really on my mind here, but I ditched the life jackets and let the water rock me into a blissfully relaxing state. The scenery was so breathtaking and I felt so weightless in the cool sea water. Colorful tropical fish swam all around and I even dove down a bit to take a closer look. We were very lucky that the weather was cooperating as we would have missed out on the part of the tour had the water been too choppy. (More Pictures)

I can't wait to go back to Thailand again.

Next stop: Illinois!! Where the harsh winter weather is going to kick our little tropical butts. But I can't wait for the warm hugs from the people we love most.

Boating and First Hair Cut

We had a new adventure yesterday on The Oriental Dream, a 40 foot wooden junk boat (the only one in Singapore) built in Hong Kong in 1978. One of our friends organized the journey which took us out on the strait between Singapore and Malaysia. We were on the boat for 7 hours but it went by so quickly we couldn't believe it was time to head back to shore. Adam and a few others jumped in the water (from the top of the boat) and took a swim to the nearby island. Little did they know it would take them more than twice as long to swim back to the boat with the current working against them, but they still had a blast.

A speed boat also accompanied the large boat and groups took turns having a try at wake boarding. We'll have to head out on the water and try that again. Bella even came along and loved all the attention. All in all it was a relaxing afternoon with great company and food.

Little Miss Bella was in desperate need for her first hair cut, especially after her first ride on the high seas. She's 4 months old now and about twice the size she was when we got her, which is still tiny but she seems big to us now. She's a getting to be a snuggle bug but still wants to chew on everything. She is learning her manners though:

Yes, we're obsessed with our little furkid. Here's some new pictures of her pre and post grooming.http://picasaweb.google.com/kateandadam09/OurNewestFamilyMemberBella?feat=directlink

New Adventures in Korea

Last week, I found myself back in the Republic of Korea (South Korea) for an International Astronautical Congress, which is in other words, a nerdy meeting of rocket scientists. Granted, I am not truly equal to the academic elite who frequent these events, but I represent a company of real rocket scientists and was pushing some new capabilities we're offering to help prevent satellites from crashing into each other.

Anyway, in addition to presenting a paper on space surveillance, I attended a lot of meetings and exhibitions of the world's space agencies. South Korea, Japan, India, China, and even countries like Indonesia, Malaysia, and Singapore are all taking major steps into space, and it is great to see it up close. Here are some pictures from Korea's Space Festival: MORE KOREA PICTURES

From Expoloring Korea 09 (IAC and DMZ)

And after my long week of work, I had a bit of a wait before my flight back home to Singapore. So I was lucky enough to get a local friend and chaperon from our business partner to take me on a tour with his family to a destination that fascinates foreigners about the Korean Peninsula... The De-Militarized Zone, or DMZ between North and South Korea.

So a bit of history: After the Japanese invaded then vacated the Korean Peninsula following WWII, a power vacuum was filled by two competing ideologies: Communism from the Soviets in the North, and free-market Republican Democracy from the US in the South. The division sparked a fratricidal civil war that divided the country in two and never really ended, but resulted in the longest standing armistice in modern history.

Both sides still long for unification, but neither is willing to give up on their ideology, so the stalemate continues.

Anyway, one of the most interesting attractions of the south side of the DMZ are the North Korean Invasion Tunnels! Lemme e'splain. After the cease fire was signed and a 2 km DMZ buffer was built on either side of the border, the North was still determined to invade the South. So the North Koreans embarked on an ambitious plan to dig miles of tunnels under the entire DMZ so troops could march from North to South towards the Southern Capital, Seoul.

4 of these tunnels were discovered between the 70's and 90's although it is believed that there are up to 20 somewhere under the border! Here are some videos I took as I explored the tunnels and got within 170 meters of the Korean border 200 feet underground! (Don't worry, it has been sealed off by 3 concrete barriers for years).







So while the communitst North is stifled by a strict, communist military regime, the South enjoys a flourishing free political and economic system that has shown such impressive growth that it has become part of our daily lives probably without you knowing it. Brands like Samsung, LG, Kia Motors, and Hyundai are all Korean companies that have gone global and are everyday names in the States. South Koreans don't even think twice about making a video call on their Samsung phones. I never ceased to be amazed by the innovation possible where business is encouraged.

Ironically, these tunnels are not regularly visited by Koreans. They consider Korea one country that just happens to have been split up by a crazy totalitarian leader and his henchmen. Most Koreans still have family across the border, and they are just waiting for the time when the fences come down, and the country is unified. I think the most telling sign of this was literally a sign. The last stop on the train line that runs the entire length of the Peninsula clearly marks Seoul (South Korean capital) in one direction and Pyongyang (North Korean capital) in the other even though now the trains do not cross the border... Hopefully someday in the near future this train can finally reach both destinations with no borders to cross...

PICTURES

No Earthquakes in Singapore

Hey all. I thought I'd make a quick post to let you know that everything is fine here in Singapore. The earthquakes in Indonesia and Tonga and Samoa this week were really pretty far from where we are.

Singapore is very much in the middle of a plate and far removed from the faults where the Earthquakes occur (see the map below from the Wall Street Journal)

Also, Singapore is pretty sheltered by Indonesia, Malaysia, and the Philippines from any Tsunami-type activity. The seas around here are very calm (one of the reasons Singapore is such a nice shipping hub).

Anyway, please use your thoughts and prayers for those in Indonesia and the Pacific Islands, and know that all's well here. Our puppy is growing and somehow finding more reserves of energy and follows us wherever we go. Kate's really busy at work, and we're finally making progress with my work. All around things are going well.

Miss you all!

We Got a PUPPY!!!

This story isn't about travel, but it is news for us. If you know us, you know we're both animal lovers. I can't count how many time Kate has wanted to stop into pet stores just to get an animal fix.


Well, a few weeks ago we were in a Singapore mall and stopped by a local pet shop... We were both instantly striken by an adorable maltese puppy. We went home to talk it over and think about everything it would entail considering our schedules, our travel, and the training it would require.... but we were both still hooked.
So this is the newest member of our family, Bella. She is just about 2 lbs now and will probably only grow to 5 or 7 lbs fully grown.


She is an energizer bunny of playfulness, but she is just as happy to cuddle up and make us feel human again in the midst of the daily grind.

She's already doing well in her puppy toilet training, and we've only had this little 3-month-old pup for 3 days. The family just got a little bigger. :)

You can see some more pictures of Bella here: MORE PICTURES OF BELLA

Taipei, Taiwan - Day 2

I'll keep this short because we have a lot more to talk about.

Day two of Kate's visit with me in Taiwan was a lot of fun too. We visited the famous National Palace Museum. This is cool because when Japan invaded China in WWII, the republican government of China took all of the ancient imperial art and moved it into hiding. After 10,000 miles the government took the treasure with them when they retreated from the new Chinese communist party to the Island of Formosa (Portugese for Beautiful Island), aka, Taiwan.

So this museum has the single largest collection of ancient chinese art (8,000 years worth) even though it isn't "technically" in China. (although China would disagree).

Anyway, enough history. After wandering through awesome sculptures, paintings, porcelean, etc, we took a blind adventure to one of Taiwan's many natural hot springs. We were able to find some in the city, but it is still summer, so getting into hot water didn't sound too inviting. Like Kate said, we'll definately have to explore the mountains in the winter some time.

Finally, we explored the Gongguan night market. Another exciting culinary adventure, Gongguan is more spread out down side streets and therefore less crowded (it was also a sunday). But the food was delicious, and we enjoyed this market as well.

The rest of the Day 2 pictures are here: MORE PICTURES

Crash Course Taiwan Day 1

A long weekend in Singapore means time to explore a new country. As Adam was in Japan for work and needed in Taiwan on Monday, I met him in Taipei on Saturday. The rushed trip proved worth the hassle of flying through Manila and we had a wonderful time.

We started the trip with the obligatory visit to Taipei 101, the tallest building the world...we'll see how long that title lasts. The Sears Tower and Empire state building were among the top ten highest listed, but the real race seems to be in Asia. I'm not a fan of elevator rides but the trip to the top took about 40 seconds and the elevator put on a little show, lighting up like stars on the ceiling and letting you track your speed and floor on a display. The top offered great views of the city as well as the mountains. It was mighty windy at the top...

Next we wondered around the city and came across a street fair with local delights. There was even some nice live music.

Next door there was an event run by the SPCA. There were some dogs with some crazy hair styles. Dogs are very popular in Taipei. I lost count of the number of pups we saw being carried around the city in bags and riding on scooters. Even cats went around with their owners.

Then it was time for the Night Markets!! AKA - Heaven for foodies like Adam and me.

We had a blast exploring the tiny alleys and seeing what culinary creation we could find next. The key to finding the best food? Long lines. If locals are lined up it will be worth the wait. We joined lines and had no idea what we would get until we got to the front but were never disappointed. The language barrier was more prevelant in Taipei than in Singapore where most people speak English. This trip I wished I new more Mandarin other than Hi and Thank You. But the universal point to "I want that thing" and showing how many with your fingers worked well.

One item that I wasn't even temped to try was stinky tofu.

We enjoyed the Shi Lin Night Market the best but the adventure of going to snake alley at another market was exciting/terrifying. There was a cobra just sitting on top of a cage ready to strike. These scaly creatures were not just for show, they were to eat. Needless to say, one walk through and I couldn't get out of there fast enough. I managed to snap one picture of a boa but the shop owners don't like pictures to be taken. I couldn't help but think that PETA would have a hissy fit here.

Here's everything in pictures.

I'll let Adam tell you about Day 2. We stayed in the city for this trip but I'd love to go back and explore the mountains.