The Been Briefing

Jeju Island pictures, cont'd....

the fresh air was revitalizing, and the water was beautiful - not the turquoise blue i see in postcards or pictures of more "tropical" islands, but just blue and clear enough to remind me that i wasn't at virginia beach. :)

a great shot of lauren on the ferry. this submarine outing was just perfect for her :)

so cool to see the fish, the coral, the anemone swaying in the water... i was content that i wasn't swimming in it, actually. it was just right.

so.. a diver and his friend the shark. eeeeeek. nemo fills my thoughts. poor nemo! would this shark be his friend or enemy?

the volcanic cliffs and rocks were absolutely breathtaking.

i had a hard time deciding which sunset shot to pick. i must have taken 10 of them... oh, the sun was this great red circle in the sky. just brilliant.

mrs. kim and her son shared a room, while lauren and i shared another. i cannot describe the level of service.. it was so good. i can see why the shilla hotel is the best on jeju island. and the continental breakfast... i told emily today that i think it is what heaven must be like. a buffet-style breakfast with every good thing: scrambled eggs, bacon, fresh fruit, pancakes, waffles, bagels, muffins, croissants, yogurt, cereal, fresh tangerine, orange, and grapefruit juice, milk, the most beautiful place settings, and kind waiters walking around asking if i'd like more coffee. "yes, please!"
the lobby was one of the most beautiful places in the hotel: excellent live music, a wonderful cafe where lauren and i spent saturday night over a viennese coffee and kiwi drink and slices of pie and cheese cake. the violinist was truly captivating.
for the sake of lauren's hard work in getting this shot, please notice the monk sitting in the bottom of the picture. he is holding a cell phone and had another guy try to get a picture of the musicians with it. LOLOL!
then there's me and "Woman" ... i thought it a rather ingenious sculpture, but i also think i don't have an adequate appreciation for modern art and wouldn't know quality in that realm if it was staring me in the face.


and then there's me bonding with a giant vase down the hall from the main lobby and cafe. right before lauren, mrs. kim and i went to a singing room. what great fun!!










mrs. kim took lauren and me to go riding on traditional jeju island ponies. it was hilarious and ridiculous.. and great fun! we are not talking purebred, 18hand thoroughbreds.
these ponies, bless their dear hearts, were so conditioned to their trainers' commands, they didn't even respond to our commands. mine was particularly adventuresome, and he kept ignoring my lead and walking right back to our guide. loooooooooolol. poor guys. (rebekah, the conditions made wintergate farms look like a quality facility.) ALSO.. please notice the coats. only in korea would they offer Denver Broncos superbowl jackets simply because the mascot was a horse. LOOOOOOOOOOOL
my first time near a real palm tree. according to mrs. kim, the trees are not native to jejudo, but have been imported and thrive quite well in the climate. there were big ones, miniature ones, thin ones, fat ones.... and all were quite marvelous.

these shots are of lauren and me as we were waiting for the limousine bus to take us back to the jeju airport, where we met mrs. kim and "boy" and headed on home. it was a great weekend. hope you enjoyed the pictures!