Swensen's Creamery eh?

Phuket and all its glory

Hi from Patong, Phuket! It has been quite a rainy day which has left us not having much opportunity to wander the streets. We were able to take a moto drive this morning to go and see the "Big Buddha" which is considered the largest buddha in Thailand. It sits atop one of the highest mountains in the area with terrific ocean views. On the drive back through Kata and Karon Beach, we stopped at hotspot called After Beach for lunch. We were a little surprised to see that the entire restaurant was run by none other than the Thai "Lady Boys" the equivalent to a drag queen in the states. The view from the restaurant is stunning and I will include that video soon. This afternoon we returned to the guesthouse and relaxed while the rain came down for quite some time. Once it cleared we headed back out for dinner. I am having such a great time and we are probably going to go bungy jumping in the next few days!

Happy 23rd birthday to my beautiful sister, Katie! Hope you celebrate in full.

Mama, I miss you lots and please give Nellers a squeeze and kiss for me.

Daddy, Love you and hope all is well.

Below are a couple of videos we shot last night while walking around the bustling streets of Patong Beach.

Last day in Phi Phi... Headed for Phuket!

I've lost track of the day and therefore can only tell you that it is about noon here on the islands and we are sitting in a small bar/restaurant watching the rain and wind come down hard. Everyone is sitting underneath the shops and bars watching and waiting for the storm to pass. Our boat leaves at 230 for Phuket where we will stay for a few days and then head to the east side of Thailand.

Dusty and I spent the last 3 days diving and depleting ourselves of all our energy. He obtained his "Advanced Open Water" and I obtained my "Open Water" license. I spent a total of about 20 hours doing the theory (bookwork), the pool work, and the actual skill work in the ocean. It was quite daunting at first, as I was not the biggest fan of the ocean going into the training. But with lots of encouragement and a fabulous dive master from Zimbabwe "Benji", I successfully earned by certification after 3 long days. It's such a unique experience breathing underwater for such a long period of time (each dive we are underwater for approx 60 mins). There is a whole world that exists in the ocean and it was incredible to see the fish, sharks, jellyfish, coral, and plant life that flourishes at such great depths. Below I have included a short video of our afternoon spent on Maya Bay, the exact beach that the movie "The Beach" was filmed. I have also included a photograph Dustin took of my horrible mosquito-infested foot. The "mozzies" here are HORRIBLE! If it weren't for the healing Tiger Balm, I would be miserable all day everyday. The balm hepls with the itching but they are still a pain to deal with. Plus they make my legs and arms look horrendous. I suppose this is the price you pay for this wonderful life.

I am looking forward to seeing and wandering around Phuket for a few days. This trip has most definitely been life changing and we are only 2 weeks in.

Cheers mate! A

Amanda's kicking tail and getting her Open Water Diving License

After meeting an Irish dude (dive master) last night at our local on-the-sand beach bar and discussing some of the advantages of diving near Koh Phi Phi (as opposed to diving on the eastern side of Thailand at Koh Tao) we decided to start scuba a little early. After a few minutes in the pool for a "try dive" followed by lots of smiles and "yeah I definitely want to do this" Amanda decided to get her Open Water Diving License. I will be along side her the whole time and will be getting my Advanced Dive License simultaneously which entails some pretty wild dives like a 130ft deep dive, a night dive, and a dive at a ship wreck, mastering the dive computer, rescue divng etc. (6 individual advanced training dives and some book work). The cool thing is the Advanced certification is through PADI which is the dive standard worldwide and it will give me the ability to guide other open water divers when we get back home! It also bumps my credentials up so I can do more intense super deep dives and it allows the use of special air like nitrox for long duration deep dives. Check out the video below of Amanda's first experience with a regulator and fins at the most beautiful pool I have ever visited (you can watch them in HD if you have a fast fairly new computer). *Dustin

Check out the below videos of some of the last few places we have been. The first two are in Bangkok and the last one is a good video of this morning in Koh Phi Phi. Amanda is beginning to show signs of never wanting to leave the island :)

Phi Phi

Hello from Koh Phi Phi!

Greetings friends and family. We are on quite possibly the most breath-taking and beautiful island of the entire world sipping a blended frozen fresh mango mojito and munching on a ham, egg and cheese "toastie" which is more or less a grilled panini. Have you ever seen the movie "The Beach" with Leonardo DiCaprio? That film was shot on this exact island where the sand is white and the water is clear blue. Many professionals in the tourism industry would call this location "the" most beautiful place on the planet. It is a little after 8pm local time and the night in phi phi is just getting started. We are sitting beachfront looking out onto the water at a bar called "the Sunflower" and our bungalow is nearly 15 steps away. They are playing Coldplay music and Euros are shooting pool next to us. I am wearing my bikini suit as the weather is about 80 degrees and the water is near 95 degrees (practically too hot). Check out the videos below. They are a glimpse into the life we are living for the next 4 weeks. Love and miss you all.

Day 4 in Bangkok

Today is our last day in Bangkok and we are using it to take a private boat ride through some of the more obsure canals of the river. We will get a traditional Thai breakfast, visit the golden palace, the emerald buddha, and then catch the train to the western islands in the south of Thailand. The hotel we found in Bangkok worked out great with excellent air conditioning which is almost a necessity here to be able to sleep comfortably at night. Anytme day or night it feels like 100-110 degrees because of the extreme humidity and it never cools off. You walk outside after a fresh cold shower and you are instantly dripping with sweat. Somehow with all that discomfort we find ourselves smiling the whole time and having an amazing day/night.

Our plan from here is to spend some time on the western side of the islands where we will visit Koh Phi Phi, Phuket, Krabi and Ko Samet. From there we will venture to the eastern side of the islands and visit KohTao, Koh Samui, andKoh Phagnon. The western side is the more developed "Hawaii-like" area with mega resorts and lots of tourists. The eastern side is very undeveloped, third world where there are no tourists in sight. I'm looking forward to some of the most amazing scubadiving on the face of the planet. :) *Dustin

Bangkok Day 2

Friday, July 16th (in Thailand)

Good morning! The sun is shining here in Bangkok and we have just finished breakfast. Yesterday was a full day of market shopping and vendor bargaining. After dinner we took a cab down to Pat Pong to walk through the famous night market and red light district. This was my first exposure to the very popular Thai brothel. Although we did not participate, we were able to look inside to see about 50 girls standing on stage in skimpy bikinis waiting for old creepy white men to select them.

Today we are going to see some of the temples and wander around town. Tonight will be our last night here and then we are going to take a train down to the islands. I cant wait for the white sand beaches and clear blue ocean water. Love and miss everyone back home!! Mom, we are going to ship a box of goodies today so be looking out for that!

Lots of Love,
A

Khao San Road, Bangkok, Thailand

wow! we are in thailand and it is soooo amazing. We arrived early this morning around 2am local time and stayed in one of the most popular areas called Khao San Road. It is one constant party with live music, bars, street vendors, food carts, tuk tuks, and lots of Europeans. The weather is REALLY humid with electric storms almost nightly. It rains for a few mins now and then but it feels great with the heat. Thais are wonderful people. We had a traditional Thai full body massage this morning and it was the most incredible massage experience I've ever had. The most amazing part... it only cost $5! The guest house we are staying in tonight is only 400 Baht which equates to about $12/night. WOW! Alright must go but love and miss all my friends and family. Cant wait to see more of this truly unique country.

Tokyo - Shibuya, Ginza, Shinkjuku, Inaricho, & Tsukiji

Day 2 & 3

Konichiwa! It is currently about 8am local time here in Tokyo and we are getting prepared to start the day. Yesterday we did lots of walking and subway riding in and around the many districts of the area. We decided to check out of the Sakura Hostel and stay somewhere new just for a unique experience. For Y10,000 (approx. $100) you get a very small room with a bed, a tv, and an airplane-sized bathroom. The hotel we stayed in last night was in an area called Shinkjuku. Shinkjuku is a southern area full of entertainment. The best meal we've had yet was at a small authentic shoeless restaurant that was tucked away from the tourists (see video). I think the nicest part about Tokyo is the public transportation system. The trains and subways are well marked and easy to follow.

Yesterday we went to Ginza which is similar to 5th Ave in NYC. It is considered a flamboyant district for sophisticated adults. From here we walked down to the Tsukiji Market which is the largest central wholesale fish market in Japan. Here the fishy smell is nose-piercing, the ground is sopping wet, and fishermen crowd the small alleys driving motorized fish carts. I had to watch my back every moment because if I didn't I would have been run over!

From here we took the subway over to Shibuya that is quite possibly my favorite area of Tokyo. The streets are filled with young trend-setters and girls with

Day 1 (Tuesday in Tokyo, Monday in USA)

CLICK ON THE VIDEOS ABOVE TO SEE OUR FIRST IMPRESSIONS OF TOKYO! Good morning! I think it is just now hitting me that we are on the other side of the world. We got into Tokyo airport at 5pm local time yesterday, took the train and subway to Asakusa (a small district outside of central Tokyo) to find a hostel for our first night of stay. My first impressions upon exiting the subway station... looks a lot like NYC... expensive and bustling.

We wandered for a little while and came upon the Sakura Hostel, a place recommended by a person back home that is pricey for a "hostel" but safe and legitimate. After checking in, we walked a few blocks to a local sushi bar and were laughed at by a couple of older Japanese men for accidentally putting green tea powder in the soy sauce (thinking it was dry wasabe) oops!

Woke up at about 5am local time this morning and came downstairs to have some breakfast in the hostel. For 315 yen you get toast, soup and coffee/tea. The money exchange is tricky. I am carrying around close to 30,000 yen which is a little less than USD300. Everything here is quite expensive which means I will probably be spending more here in the 3 day stayover, than I will during the month we spend in Thailand.

The part of town we are in right now is densely populated and everyone rides beach cruisers around with little baskets in front. I feel like I'm in some sort of "anime toon town" because there is so much cartooned writing and characters on buildings and signs. People are friendly and I'm excited to spend the whole day exploring! We will post some video from last night!! -A

Here we gooooo

12:30pm
So tomorrow is the first day of travels. 20 hour flight to Tokyo... hmm not sure what I will do with myself. I did buy 2 books at Borders which will still leave me a good 12 hours or so of free time. Good thing Dustin is bringing the laptop with movies galore. I am overwhelmed with emotions right now as we get ready to leave in exactly 24 hours. I hope to write everyday and can't wait to see the other side of the world. Crossing my fingers there won't be much turbulence! :)

8:35pm
Just made one last delicious "American" meal... my famous spicy chicken tacos. We just finished filling our backpacks with the essentials and I jumped excitedly around the house with my backpack strapped around my waist. I doubt much sleep will transpire this evening as my nerves are really setting in. Look for a plane post tomorrow sometime. I wonder if most of the Japanese will speak English... and hope that we can find a cheap hostel in Tokyo for night one.