First I need to apologize for how long it took me to write this blog! We have made it home safe and sound and have been enjoying some much needed quality time with our family and friends! We are feeling insanely blessed to be welcomed home by so much love and support. We have been enjoying catching up with everyone, playing in the snow, and taking advantage of as much snuggle time with our nieces and nephews as we can! I will do my best to fill you all in on what we have been up to since my last post.
We will start back in Thailand! After Chiang Rai we made our way to Phukett which is a southern island of Thailand. We spend a week here exploring various beaches and coastlines. It was much hotter than Chiang Rai and too hot for us! We attempted to do a couple of walks but never made it very far in 100 degree weather with 90% humidity. We spent most of our time at the ocean, in AC, or pool-side. We splurged and stayed at a very nice resort! We were able to do yoga every day, enjoy the pool, and enjoy the on-sight restaurant!
We did an island hopping excursion and explored 7 different nearby islands. The water was gorgeous and our favorite part was snorkeling! We were super close to the coral and the fish and the colors were amazing. Dan has never snorkeled before and I only have in California over ten years ago, so we were really glad to be able to enjoy the WARM ocean water of Thailand. In New Zealand the water was always really cold so we appreciated swimming here so much more! It was great to be able just relax, soak up the sun, and not have a busy schedule to adhere to!
Unfortunately the end of our time in Thailand was plagued with some awful food poisoning. Despite not feeling the best, we made our way back to Bangkok to catch our flight to Tokyo for the final chapter of our journey home. We loved Tokyo! Our time was short but we had a wonderful experience. Our first day there we did a full day city tour. We visited many of the famous shrines, the imperial gardens, and the skytree tower. The clouds moved in at the tower but we still had good views of the city. We were really impressed with how clean, organized, and respectful the city and people were. The public transportation was insane and we enjoyed exploring (and getting lost) in the subway station. We also did a harbor cruise at sunset which was amazing! We were able to see the city by bus, from the air in the tower, and by boat on the river.
We also took a tour to Mt. Fuji! It was a long but scenic drive to the mountain and we were blessed with a quick view of the peak before the clouds rolled in. It was fun to get out of the city and into the country side. Part of our tour involved a gondola ride up to a famous temple. We rode right up into the clouds which gave the entire area a very eerie Halloween feeling. Before departing the clouds gave way enough to witness the start of a gorgeous sunset!
In Tokyo we also went to the robot restaurant which was quite the experience. It was a very intense, action filled show with various robots, actors, and many lights, fireworks, etc. Lots going on all at once but as Dan likes to sum it up, it is exactly what I expected in Tokyo! We also found many arcades and spent a few yen so that we could relive some childhood memories!
The other wild thing in Tokyo is the vending machines! They are everywhere and offer you about everything you could want! They have hot and cold beverages as well as soup! They also have machines for cigarettes and alcohol.
We stayed in a traditional Japanese Inn with bamboo mats, paper doors, and very small that Dan had to duck most of the time. It was a very nice place and the host was so nice and helpful!
Even though our time was short in Tokyo we took in a lot of the city and had a wonderful experience. We hope to get back there someday to see other parts of Japan as well. On Valentines day we started the final leg of our journey home to MN. It was an 11 hour flight from Tokyo directly to MSP. We left Tokyo at 4:30 pm and arrived in MSP at 12:30pm the same day! Essentially we had one very long Valentines day and were able to share at least six meals together! (that is definitely a new record)
The best meal of the day was the last one when we got to share it with family! They surprised us with Ken's famous fish! Minesnowta has tons of snow so we have been enjoying skiing, snowshoeing (and shoveling). It is an old fashioned winter and I am loving it! We are slowly getting back into the swing of things and figuring out what happens next.
Life is all about change and transitioning back home has been a major one. We are taking our time though and trying to embrace every moment and opportunity. This last year has been an incredible one and we have made memories to last a lifetime. We know we are not done traveling but will need to figure out how to incorporate it into a life in MN. Thank you all for your support this last year and we look forward to sharing our continued adventures with you!
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