adventure day

steven and i have been wanting to try

deep water soloing for years.

when we began planning this trip

we made sure to hit up places 

where we could try this extreme sport.

we booked a half day

trip with a local company on phi phi island

that takes you deep water soloing,

cliff jumping,

and snorkeling. 

it was a nice small group-

just steven and me,

two fun australian boys,

a rock climbing guru and a boat driver.

i didn't take many pictures with my nicer camera

so this post is a bit lacking,

but we got plenty of great videos 

which i'll try to post soon.

it was an epic day that i know we'll always remember...

-e

at the dock waiting to leave the island and find adventure

the rock here is horribly sharp so we all had to tape up.

crossing the sea from phi phi island to ko phi phi leh

that rock is begging to be climbed

the water in the cove where we went climbing

deep water soloing- steven just finished a route and is about to jump in. 40 feet up

cave

falling from 45 ft up

we all jumped together... shane got scared

after jumping 25ft

our group :: mitch, steven, shane, me

paradise

we landing in ko phi phi four days ago.

we booked a hotel room for two nights

but we haven't left yet.

since we both felt under the weather

our first two days

we decided we needed

to stay longer.

the main reason being

because our focus for this

part of thailand was climbing

and snorkeling,

neither of which we've been able to do yet

due to sickness.

so for now we're here

until we feel like leaving. 

which is never...

the first two days  it was pouring rain

but now the sun comes out every

morning and stays until evening.

the food is wonderful and cheap,

the people are welcoming,

and the beaches are plenty.

tomorrow we head out on a day trip

full of deep water soloing,

snorkeling at maya bay,

and playing with monkeys on the beach...

-e

goodbye rainy phuket

a rainy and rocky ferry ride over

welcome to rainy phi phi

there are cats EVERYWHERE are this island.

there are usually a couple of these friends hanging around during dinner

it's a party beach so there are lights everywhere

the cats eat the food offerings

cats love sun bathing on the beach too

had to

enjoying some fresh pineapple shake on the beach

phuket

finally!

a long overdue update

(with pictures)

of where we are...

THAILAND!

this is the part of the trip that

i've been most excited for.

warm beaches,

clear waters,

and tasty food.

we flew into phuket and

spent a couple days there 

adjusting to the new culture,

which was a bit far from our comfort zone.

a lot of haggling taxi drivers

and not many friendly people.

we've since taken a ferry to a nearby 

island called ko phi phi

where we're having an incredible time

and the people here are amazingly friendly.

can't wait to share more.

here are some pics from our

three days in phuket...

-e

the flight in from japan

we never drink soda at home- but the water here isn't great so we're having fun

curry chicken pizza.

the neighborhood where we stayed

thai tea. i try to have this at least once a day

street side crepes

they were so tasty. we had one for "before lunch"snack and one for "after lunch" snack...

the firsts sights of the first thai beach we went to in phuket

phi phi

no pictures this time as

our internet here doesn't have

enough bandwidth to upload.

just a note to say

how incredibly astonished i am

that we're here.

everyday a new beach,

each more stunning than the next.

today we arrived at ko phi phi.

as we docked we could see 

massive cliffs made of rock that 

we can't wait to get our little

climber hands on,

and a beach with water

the clearest blue we've ever seen.

there are no roads here,

meaning no cars or motor bikes.

just little ally ways covering the small

port town

full of dive shops,

food stalls,

and one souvenir shop after another.

i am really here...

-e

osaka castle

our friends in japan had us

sight seeing in osaka

until the moment we had to

board a train for the airport.

just hours before we flew out we were

exploring osaka castle.

it was large and

magnificent,

as you would imagine a castle to be.

the bottom 5 floors were

full of history and replicas

showing the many changes

this castle has been through during 

it's long and complicated history

(the first castle was constructed in 1597).

the top floor was a panoramic

city view of osaka

where we got to see just how

far the city stretches.

i'm really glad we took time to see

this incredible sight,

and we got to our flight with minutes to spare...

-e

this is not a photo bomb... it's our dear friend kaori

the tastes of osaka

while we were in japan

we ate some incredible food.

japan did not let us down yet!

one snack which turned out to be

one of steven's favorite meals 

was tako yaki ( fried batter with octopus).

usually we got this street food at 

a little stall while sightseeing,

but our friends in osaka knew of a place

where you could cook your own

tako yaki.

steven got a chance to 

practice his skills,

and we built some more

memories that will last a lifetime...

-e