Our Journeys Within

Give Holiday Cards that Give Back

Posted in California Casual by April, Journeys Within Our Community with tags Christmas Cards, gifts that give back, Holiday on December 1, 2009 by aprilcole

This holiday I wanted to give my family and friends a gift that meant something very special, something that was more than just a gift in shiny paper. This year, I have opted out of the Black Friday shopping madness and have opted to make a donation to my favorite charity in honor of my family and friends. I did this because I wanted to give them a gift that reflected what the holiday means to me. To me the holidays are about family and they are about hope, joy and gratitude. I am so blessed to have such an incredible group of family and friends as well as the blessing of my health and well-being. This year, I wanted to share my gratitude by giving someone who isn’t as fortunate some hope and some joy.

By making a donation to JWOC’s Holiday Fund, I know that JWOC will provide children with an education. I can’t think of any better gift than that.

In the hopes of making a holiday card to give my family, the JWOC team and the students in the language schools put together these beautiful cards so that you can give a gift that means more too! With a donation of $25.00 you will receive 10 holiday cards to give to the people that mean the most to you.

To order the Christmas Cards click here http://www.journeyswithinourcommunity.org/jwoc-christmas-cards/

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Sprint to the Finish

Posted in Andrea's Adventures, Travel With Kids on November 3, 2009 by andreaross

I showed up at San Francisco Airport with 300 lbs of luggage! I was flying Asiana Air and I was sure that there were going to be disapproving stares at best and absolute refusal to help at worst. Turns out my sweet smile (a girl can dream) and my story about the school in Cambodia and a quick flash of toothbrushes and toothpaste was enough and we were on, luggage and all. I had been dreading the check-in for days, not that I am generally a light packer, but I try to have my luggage weigh less than the travelers! Anyway, with this initial hurdle cleanly jumped I thought we were good to go.

Until the plane was 30 minutes late leaving San Fran and there was “abnormally strong headwind”. Suddenly our hour and a half transit time was about 10 minutes! I debriefed the flight staff from my seat in the second to last row. I explained that I had a flight at 630pm and the information on channel one of my personal flight computer said we were arriving at 616pm. The first flight attendant suggested the following:

“As soon as the seatbelt sign comes on, run for the front of the plane, that way you don’t have to wait.”

Yea, okay lady, good in theory, but in practice I have two kids under the age of four, we all have at least one piece of carry on and some of us might have two. Not to mention that this plane is full of Koreans, lovely people, but they do not believe in the seatbelt sign and they are of the ‘shove right back’ ilk.

I called the kids into a family meeting and explained that we had ten minutes to get from this plane to the next plane or we wouldn’t be able to see their daddy tonight. I stressed that we all would have to run, that they needed to listen to mommy and that if we didn’t make the flight we would have to eat Kim-Chee for the next 24 hours.

As we landed and taxied people were, as I predicted, already up in the aisle. I don’t know if my mom taught me well or I have a weird premonition that one day one of my planes is sure to run into the terminal while attempting to be hooked to the arm-thing, but I refuse to take my seatbelt off until instructed to do so. As soon as the light went out I was up, I grabbed my hand luggage and the kids and we started down the isle…about 2 feet, and then we hit the wall of Koreans. As I saw my chances slipping away, the pretty, 100-pound-at-the-most flight attendant pushed past me and grabbed Callie’s hand (I had made Callie the engine while I was running clean up). In Korean she started yelling at people and shoving. I caught a glimpse of Callie’s eyes through the mix of elbows and hang luggage and told her to push and that I was right behind her. I gave Couper a slight knee-to-the-back in an attempt to convince him to plunge after Callie and away we went. We shoved our way from back to front and got off right after the business class passengers…victory number 1!!

When I had asked them on the plane to get us assistance at the gate I had stressed that one of those people-movers would be in order. In this case the people mover was a 100lb gate agent with a walkie talkie.

She grabbed Callie’s hand and we started running. At first Couper ran, then he lay down and refused to go another step, so I loaded him onto his Trunki (www.trunki.com: check them out, they’re awesome). He sat on his, hunkered down, gripping the handle like his life depended on it and started the ride of his life. I pulled Couper with one hand, wheeled my carry on luggage with the other and tried to keep my shoulder bag on my shoulder with my teeth. All was going well with this method until we had to corner. At this point, the Trunki tipped over and Couper flew off, let the screaming commence! I scooped him and his trunki up and kept running.

Callie, who was still running her little heart out, holding the hand of the gate agent turned around, in full run mind you, and yelled, “run Couper, if you want to see daddy you have to run!”. I would have been telling Couper the same thing if I could breath!

We finally made it to transfer security and put our bags through, then it was back to running full-out. We made it to the gate, covered in sweat and breathing like I had run a marathon (Seoul Airport is big so it was at least a half marathon). Korean Air had kindly held the flight for us, so everyone got a good look at us as we struggled down the aisle sweating, with hand luggage at all angles and Couper still screaming.

Five hours later on arrival in Siem Reap, Couper takes off in a dead run out the doors of the terminal and into his daddy’s arms, Callie and I have a bit less gusto, but Couper obviously believes in a sprint to the finish. The 300 pounds of luggage, it didn’t run fast enough…they say it will arrive tomorrow.

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Leavin’ on a Jet Plane – response!

Posted in Andrea's Adventures, California Casual by April on October 27, 2009 by aprilcole

When Andrea was on her way to the States she wrote a blog post about all the fun times she had in Cambodia over the Winter. I responded to that post with a challenge to do more things in the States than she did over the winter in Cambodia. Well, now that she and the kids are on a plane back to Cambodia I’ve compiled a few photos from this Summer and I think I’m safe to say that we met the challenge!

June:

Attended Arienne’s wedding at Lake Tahoe, Went to Disneyland (was that June or another month??)

The JW Crew at Arienne and Ben's Wedding

Andrea and April at Arienne's Wedding

Callie with Princess Jasmine at Disneyland

July:

Just a quick trip back to SE Asia for Guide Training and Callie’s 4th Birthday

On the Mekong River in Laos

Andrea and April in Hanoi

The Birthday Girl

At Callie's Princess Birthday Party

August:

Celebrated Andrea’s Birthday in Reno and Took a fun day on the Truckee River

Out for Andrea's Birthday

April and Andrea out and about for Drea's Birthday

Steering the Boat!

Gavin and Couper in the boat

September:

I can’t even list all the places she visited in September. Narla was in the States for a whirlwind JWOC fund raising tour. They visited Truckee, San Franscico, Sacramento, Washington DC, Philidelphia, Rhode Island, New York, Los Angeles, Orange County… and those are just the places I can list off of the top of my head!

Narla speaking to a class in San Francisco

Nalra speaking to a class in San Francisco

At the FilmAnthropy Festival in Los Angeles

Taking a break to tour Philidelphia

October:

Winding down from the hectic summer, letting the kids play together and enjoy each other’s company before they head off again to another wonderful winter in The ‘Bodia.

Couper and Gavin in their Pumpkin shirt made by Andrea and Callie

Couper and Gavin in their pumpkin shirts made by Andrea and Callie

The Jack-O-Lantern Kids

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A picture says 1,000 words

Posted in Andrea's Adventures, California Casual by April, Lucky in Laos, Viva Vietnam with tags bangkok, hanoi, HoiAn, luang prabang, saigon, Vientiane on September 17, 2009 by aprilcole

Clearly, we are a bit behind in posting reviews from our fantastic guide training trip in July (Can someone please tell me where August and September have gone??) . While we’re still working on writing and adding full reviews, I thought I would quickly post my favorite pictures from each location to give you glimpse of our great trip. Enjoy!

In the Cu Chi Tunnels in Saigon

At the Reunification Palace in Saigon

At the beach in Hoi An

At the Friendship Bridge in Hoi An

Taking a Moto to an Organic Farm in Hoi An

Temple of Literature in Hanoi

Yep, Andrea really is checking her Blackberry while on a Cyclo tour in Hanoi.

On the Mekong River in Luang Prabang

At the Kuang Si Waterfalls in Luang Prabang

Morning Alms to Monks in Luang Prabang

On tour in Vientiane

Being silly at the World Eco-Tourism Conference in Vientiane

At the Grand Palace in Bangkok

Jeab acting like a tourist in Bangkok

Last night of my trip, enjoying dinner with our fantastic Bangkok guides

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Jeab travels to Phuket during the rainy season

Posted in Waew and Jeab Thai it up on September 11, 2009 by aprilcole

I think the good things about travelling during the low season are;

1. Good prices for hotels and air tickets.

2. You have much time to enjoy facilities in the hotel because it’s rainy outside!

3. It’s more likely that you can get a room upgrade.

4. You feel you have more privacy on your trip sicne there are not as many tourists.

The hotel with very few tourists

We are glad that we decided to take a last minute trip to Phuket and Koh Phi Phi even though it was raining. We started our trip by visiting the Big Buddha which is in Phuket town and then went on an island excursion and climbed to thehighest view point of the island.

Big Buddha

After that our driver drove us to see Rawei Beach when we were there we found a good place to have local thai food. The restaurant is called “ Mae Klong Sea food” I had Somtum, grilled chicken and sticky rice! It was either really tasty or I was starving – I am not so sure! (These three things are like you having steak with ketchup, toast and sausage.) They also serve another thai dish there we had “Cashew nut fried with chicken” After that we had lots energy so we went to Promthep Cape. The atmosphere up there was so clean and fantastic. While there I breathed a lot of O2 but it would have been nicer if the sky was more clear.

Promthep Cape

The excursion ended at another view point from there we can see 3 beaches…Kata, Karon and Patong even though they were so far away!

View of Phuket Town

Then my day ended at the bar called Joe’s Downstairs but rained like crazy at Patong beach so no chance to show you the photo!

Have a good day!

Cheers!

Jeab

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Guide Training begins and a personal tour of the tunnels

Posted in Andrea's Adventures, California Casual by April, Guiding Lights, Viva Vietnam on July 28, 2009 by andreaross

11 Jul 09 Saigon – Cu Chi Tunnels / Dinner with Mr Nam
Breakfast meeting with the guides for guide training.
Take an afternoon excursion to the Cu Chi Tunnels. Arrive and descend into the Cu Chi tunnels where the guerilla fighters constructed an amazing underground base and meet a veteran of the Vietnamese/American war who will give you a private tour of the tunnels and recount his experiences as a tunnel rat. Finally, to end our trip, we will be taken to the private home of Mr. Nam where we will have dinner with him and his family.

Rookie Review:
I’m going to be perfectly honest, when I first saw Mr. Nam I was a bit intimidated. Here’s a man who I know was a veteran of the Vietnam/ American war, in addition he has a very noticeable and distinct war wound, a missing arm, which adds to the whole intimidation factor. In our first encounter we sat down for tea and I quietly sipped and sat without motion, wondering how the rest of the day would go. We made our introductions and quickly the intimidation faded away. He smiled and laughed, and cracked jokes and even though there was a language barrier, I could tell he was a man full of joy and he was enthusiastic to share his story with us.

After tea we walked over to a presentation area where Mr. Nam gave an overview on the Cu Chi tunnels and his daily life as a tunnel rat. He went into detail about how and where the tunnels were made, the rooms that they had, the different levels, the ventilation system, and so much more – it was extremely interesting information.

From there we went down into the tunnels. I was surprised at how big the rooms were and tried to imagine living there for 12 days, let alone 12 years as Mr. Nam did. Andrea and I crawled the whole way through and were, quite frankly, exhausted by the end of the hunched trek. Although we were exhausted, the experience of going through the tunnels was very memorable and I’m happy I did it.

Then it was off to Mr. Nam’s house for dinner. While I was really excited to visit the tunnels, having dinner with Mr. Nam’s family was what I was really excited about – and it actually managed to exceed my high expectations. It is hard to put into words exactly what made the night so special. The evening was filled with great company, incredible food as well as unique and interesting conversation.

To speak of the great company – At Mr. Nam’s home we met his wife whom he met while living in the tunnels, his daughters and his beautiful grandchildren. They were all so kind and welcoming, I felt as if I was joining an old friend for dinner.

Oh and the food? All I can say was that when I left there was certainly not a scrap left on my plate. Although, I guess I could have gone without the second “taste” of the homemade rice whiskey Mr. Nam insisted on pouring.

For the conversation, we discussed more about his experiences during the war and also went more into how he feels now about the war and also Americans. I found it very profound when he explained how he didn’t chose to fight simply to fight – he choose to fight to protect his family and his country. He went on to say that he has no ill will towards Americans and he hopes that anyone faced with the choice between war and peace, would chose peace. Having never personally had to make that choice, I found it special to hear that someone who had once had to make that difficult decision did it not to fight, but to protect what he loves most. It opened my mind to something I had never really thought about in true depth and it is something I will remember forever.

Expert Edition:
Guide training was fantastic! It was great to be able to introduce April to all the guides and they had some great new suggestions for tours and when we discussed family travel they were really interested to hear our suggestions on how to make the whole family happy. I love that I know all of our guides and I know that they will take wonderful care of our guests, which is so reassuring to me. We had breakfast and lunch with the guides and had some good laughs, a great start to our guide training this year!

Our afternoon trip was also a great start to our tour. I met Mr Nam 5 years ago while leading a group of high school students through Vietnam. I was having trouble getting through to the students and it seemed that for them the Vietnam War was ancient history…Mr Nam made them sit up and pay attention. He joined the guerilla forces at the age of most of the students and he fought and lived underground for years. Seeing Mr Nam again was a joy and I love hearing about his first-hand experience in the tunnels and the way but he answered all our questions so matter-of-factly that sometimes it was easy to forget the difficulties he lived through.

I had never been to his family home before and loved seeing the photos of him as a younger fighter and hearing his opinion on the past as well as the future. I asked a lot of questions as I wanted to make sure that he would be comfortable if our guests really wanted to know as much as they could. He took all of my questions in stride and was a pleasure to talk to. It was so fun to be a part of his family for the evening and I thanked him and his wife for all the meals they had cooked for our guests. He told me that he enjoyed the company and meeting Americans and I believe he genuinely is honored to be the host and show off his beautiful family. It made me proud that I can offer this amazing experience to guests and with that pride and the rice whiskey I drove back to the hotel glowing!

Guide training in Saigon

April in the tunnels

Yo! (Cheers in Vietnamese)

With Mr Nam and his family

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We’re Back!

Posted in Andrea's Adventures, California Casual by April, Viva Vietnam on July 27, 2009 by andreaross

So April and I didn’t do well at posting updates during our trip, but in our defense, we were really busy and got so much done AND, we are going to make up for it now with a day-by-day recap of our whirlwind trip…what we liked, what we didn’t like, new hotels, our favorite parts and photos galore.

Starting with:

10 Jul 09 Saigon – Arrival and City Tour
April arrives at 1005am
Andrea arrives at 10pm
Arrive in Saigon where you will be met and transferred to your hotel. In the afternoon enjoy a City Tour.

Rookie Review:
Did someone just turn the volume up? Cars and motobikes are speeding by, vendors are busy selling handicrafts and bootlegged DVDs, people are sipping iced coffee and celebrating the easily accessible WiFi at café street tables – I am certainly in Saigon. I’m not sure what exactly makes the pace of this city so fast and so vivacious, if it is just the enthusiasm of the people or all the caffeine in those iced coffees, whatever it is it makes Saigon the city that it is.

Today my guide Mr. Khoa took me on a tour of this amped up city. Khoa’s calm and intelligent demeanor was not what I expected, but it balanced the buzz of the city quite well. He crossed the crazy streets without a second thought, and insisted that I couldn’t visit Saigon without riding a motobike (I disagreed with this one!). We visited historical landmarks and museums and I was able to get a deeper understanding of this busy city.

I must admit I didn’t last long on today’s city tour having just stepped off of my overseas flight. I went back to my hotel with a full belly of fresh spring rolls (yum!) and settled into my bed. The honking, talking and buzzing of the city was able to hush away and a full night of very needed sleep was the end of this great day.

Saigon2

Expert Edition:
My day was made up of airplanes and airports, but there’s no complaining here! Vacation! That’s what I call a 24 hour flight without kids. No one spilled anything on me (spilling on myself doesn’t count), no one cried, the person sitting next to me got really drunk (sure I’ve been tempted to booze up the kids, but so far I’ve resisted), and no one sat on my lap! I watched movies, I read two books, I slept, I ate my snacks and didn’t share, it was awesome!

I arrived in Saigon without a hitch…even got a pretty good meal in the Hong Kong Airport…and I walked out of that airport and the noise and heat and Asianess hit me all at once and I felt like I was home! Even at 11pm the Saigon airport is chaotic and I am always struck that for our guests arriving for the first time it must be a bit overwhelming. Of course I was then met by our guide Khoa and I felt taken care of instantly. We caught up on the way back to the hotel, his daughter is a few months younger than Couper so we compared notes and discussed strategy.

Saigon has become so sophisticated since my first visit seven years ago. The streets are cleaner now, there are cafes and trendy shops on every corner and Khoa pointed out the new Gucci store when we hit downtown. I’m happy that Saigon is booming, but at the same time, I know it makes it harder for our guides and drivers to afford life in the city…for all the positive steps, there are always some downsides.

I found April completely out and snuck around getting ready for bed. It felt great to get horizontal and enjoy the blast of the AC, I never sleep as well without that reassuring hum.

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Ready Set Go, Go, Go! We’re leaving for guide training!

Posted in Andrea's Adventures, California Casual by April, Lucky in Laos, Viva Vietnam on July 8, 2009 by aprilcole

At 01:20am tomorrow morning our guide training trip to Vietnam and Laos begins! Andrea and myself will be taking this trip together, focusing this year’s guide training on family travel. Ironically, this will be a trip with out husbands or kids – we’ll be far too busy!! I’ve outlined our itinerary below, because there is just no way you will believe how busy we will be until you see the itinerary.

10 Jul 09 Saigon – Arrival and City Tour

April arrives at 1005am

Andrea arrives at 10pm

Arrive in Saigon where you will be met and transferred to your hotel. In the afternoon enjoy a City Tour.

11 Jul 09 Saigon – Cu Chi Tunnels / Meet with Vets

Breakfast meeting with the guides for guide training.

Take a full day excursion to the Cu Chi Tunnels. On the way to the tunnels, visit Tay Ninh Cao Dai Great Temple, a unique religion worshiping Jesus, Confucius and Buddha! Enjoy lunch at Ngoc Tuyet restaurant in Tay Ninh. Arrive and descend into the Cu Chi tunnels where the guerilla fighters constructed an amazing underground base and meet a veteran of the Vietnamese/American war who will give you a private tour of the tunnels and recount his experiences as a tunnel rat. Finally, to end our trip, we will be taken to the private home of Mr. Nam where we will have dinner with him and his family.

12 Jul 09 HoiAn – Arrival

You will be picked up and taken to the airport for your flight to HoiAn.

You will be met at Danang airport and driven to HoiAn

Dinner meeting with the guides for guide training.

13 Jul 09 HoiAn – City Tour Half-day

After breakfast your guide will meet you and take you on a walking tour of HoiAn. Visit the Ancient Town including the beautiful Chua Cau, or roofed bridge, Hoi Quan, the ancient meeting places, some ancestral family homes and some of the lovely and hidden pagodas. Have lunch at a local restaurant.

Drive to Danang where you will transfer to the airport for your onward flight to Hanoi.

Arrive at Noibai airport Hanoi, where you will be met by your guide and transferred to your hotel.

14 Jul 09 Hanoi – City Tour

Your guide will meet you and will discuss with you what you would like to see. There are so many options that we like to leave it up to you and your guide to decide what suits you best. Some interesting highlights are the Hanoi Hilton, where John McCain and other prisoners were held during the war, it now houses a museum. Or head to the Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum where you can see Uncle Ho laid out to rest. If you like art you can visit the Fine Art Museum or see which local galleries are offering shows. The Temple of Literature is always a nice place to stroll through and is a great stop before or after lunch as you will be having lunch at KOTO, a restaurant benefiting at risk youths. Your guide will be with you all day so discuss what suits you and then have fun. Dinner meeting with the guides for Guide Training.

15 Jul 09 Luang Prabang – Arrival

Transfer to Noibai airport for your onward flight – Vietnam AirlinesVN869 departing at 09:00 & arriving at 09:55

Upon arrival in Luang Prabang you will be met and transferred to your hotel. In the afternoon meet with JWOC Scholarship students. In the evening, visit the night market. April to go out to dinner with friend honeymooning in Luang Prabang!

16 Jul 09 Luang Prabang – Day in the Life

Today you’ll escape the tourist hubs in town and see Luang Prabang through the eyes of a local. First, you will drive up the Mekong to visit the small village of Ban Mueng Keo, known for its production of Lao whiskey. Here you will receive a demonstration of the whiskey-making process by a local Lao Lao producer. And if you’re up for it, sample the finished product for an early morning punch! From here board a small boat and take a tour of the local fishing area, checking traps with the fisherman along the way and collecting any fish you might find. Return to Ban Pak Ou, where the former village chief and his family will cook you a Lao-style lunch and you’ll learn about dining customs and etiquette. After lunch, drive to the small weaving village of Ban Phone Xay, where you’ll receive a weaving demonstration and have a chance to purchase handmade items directly from the source. Learn the story behind who really makes the beautiful textiles sold at the night market! You’ll be the only tourist in town who knows the real story behind the boffles of Lao Lao, the grilled Mekong fish and the night market stalls. Dinner with guides for guide training.

17 Jul 09 Luang Prabang – Sunrise to Sunset

Wake up at sunrise to give monks morning alms. You’ll be accompanied by your guide who can demonstrate the proper method of alms giving and explain this daily Buddhist ceremony. Return to your hotel for breakfast, after which your guide will take you on a tour of the city, including visits to The National Museum, Wat Xieng Thong, Wat Visun and Wat Sen. Enjoy lunch in town at a restaurant of choice. After lunch your guide will meet you and you’ll continue your tour, finishing with a hike up Mt. Phou Si in the late afternoon to see a sweeping view of Luang Prabang and watch the sunset.

Transfer to Luang Prabang airport from your hotel in time for your flight to Vientiane. Arrive Vientiane where you will be met at the airport and transferred to your hotel.

18 Jul 09 Vientiane – World Ecotourism Conference

Attend the World Ecotourism Conference.

19 Jul 09 Vientiane – Departure

You will be transferred to Vientiane Airport in time for your onward

flight to Cambodia. You will be met by a Journeys Within representative and taken to Journeys Within Bed & Breakfast. (Andrea)

You will be transferred to Vientiane Airport in time for your onward flight to Bangkok (April). You will go on to Bangkok to visit Jeab and have dinner with the guides.

20 Jul 09 Bangkok – Departure (April)

21 Jul 09 Saigon to Phu Quoc (Andrea)

Arrive in Phu Quoc where you will be met and transferred to your hotel.

22 Jul 09 Phu Quoc – Day at Leisure

Have a free day to explore on your own.

23 Jul 09 Phu Quoc to Saigon and departure

While we will be very busy touring, training, inspecting, checking emails and working – this trip will still be a lot of fun too. Andrea and I will be sure to make time to buy trinkets for our families, enjoy the fantastic food and maybe even fit in time for a massage. What can I say, my job is tough ; )

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Top Ten Reasons You Know Daddy Didn’t Plan this Trip.

Posted in California Casual by April with tags father's day, travelling with dad on June 17, 2009 by aprilcole

#10. We have all needed airplane tickets, passports and an itinerary.

#9. We are not checking any oversized bags, stuffed with surfboards, golf clubs or skimboards.

#8. When the child has a breakdown he will be given a granola bar, not a Snickers Bar.

#7. We’ve only used the phrase “We’ll just wing it” twice.

#6. We didn’t book the super suite that comes with ice cream in the room and the bathtub overlooking the ocean.

#5. We’re not going on the Flight of the Gibbins tour with the plan of holding the kiddo in the front carrier while flying over the jungle canopy. Nor skiing with him in the front carrier either, Nor sky diving, Nor any other crazy adventure activity you can come up with!

#4. We actually have a plan as to what we’re doing for the day. The plan does not include taking a tractor out to a farm with no electricity which is a 7 hour drive away on a very lonely a dirt road. (this one’s for you Brandon :)

#3. We are not stopping at every single local stall to try out every food item and then finishing with McDonalds soft serve ice cream for dinner.

#2. We’re not renting a moto bike in Siem Reap and seeing how many people we can fit on it and still be able to drive.

#1. We’re probably not having as much fun as we could be if Daddy did plan this trip!

This is for my hubby, who always reminds me about the adventure of life. Happy Father’s Day!

xoxo,

April

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Arienne’s Honeymoon!

Posted in Living and Laughing in the 'bodia on June 9, 2009 by aprilcole

Everyone in the office is gearing up to take June 22nd off for Arienne’s wedding. Arienne has worked as the nanny for the kiddos and has now taken the leap into working in the Journeys Within US office. We had the pleasure of planning her honeymoon to Thailand and Cambodia and I have asked her to write a blog about what she’s most excited about for her upcoming trip.

Enjoy…

In less than TWO weeks we will be married!!! We’re running around like crazy making sure every little detail is done! We have an amazing wedding planned for the start of our new lives together. For our honeymoon we wanted to have an UNFORGETTABLE trip that we would always remember. Andrea had mentioned Thailand for a honeymoon and it sounded amazing I talked it over with Ben My fiancé and the more we thought about it the more it just fit. Once we had seen our rough draft Itinerary we definitely decided we had to go! It’s just something we knew we wanted and wouldn’t be able to get here in the states. The fact that we also love Thai food and could have a fabulous trip planned for us was just a bonus.

We are unbelievably excited to go on our honeymoon! The beginning of our trip is going to be a bit crazy after our reception we drive down to San Francisco about 3 hours and park our car at my brother’s house and ride the train to the airport another hour. From the airport we will catch the shuttle to our hotel for the night. Cars, Trains and buses, than set off for the 11 hour plane ride! We fly into Tokyo Japan where we plan on eating real sushi! One more shorter plane ride (6 hours) and After all of that we will FINALLY be there.

There are 3 tours that we can’t wait to go do. Were so excited to see the Kanchanaburi Tiger Temple, Where else could you walk a tiger on a leash and pet his belly? It’s something you could never do in the states and is sure to be amazing! I am defiantly an animal lover and having the chance to touch a tiger will be like the coolest thing ever. I can’t believe even half way across the world I can pet a Tiger! How EXCITING!

In Chiang Mai we are doing the Flight of Gibbon I absolutely love high ropes courses I did them as a kid in summer camp. This one looks huge! I can’t wait to see the jungle from the canopy of the rainforest. My fiancée hates rollercoaster’s and he is even willing to try this, just for the amazing view! He has never done anything like this so it’ll be fun to see what he thinks about it too.

The thing we are looking forward to most is in Phuket, The hongs by Starlight tour. My fiancée loves kayaking and spends much of his free time in Tahoe doing it. So Kayaking in the ocean through caves is sure to be an unforgettable moment of our trip. It sounds incredibly sweet and romantic to send our krathong to float for luck in the starlight. It was great to have a Southeast Asia expert plan our trip too so we could make sure we got what we wanted without hours of research, especially since we have a whole wedding to plan. We have never done anything like this together and are excited to experience it for the first time as husband and wife.

-Arienne

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Our Journeys Within

Give Holiday Cards that Give Back

Sprint to the Finish

Leavin’ on a Jet Plane – response!

A picture says 1,000 words

Jeab travels to Phuket during the rainy season

Guide Training begins and a personal tour of the tunnels

We’re Back!

Ready Set Go, Go, Go! We’re leaving for guide training!

Top Ten Reasons You Know Daddy Didn’t Plan this Trip.

Arienne’s Honeymoon!

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