Our Honeymoon: Part 2-Phuket (the long post)

After three days in Bangkok, Ashley and I flew to Phuket for some much needed relaxation. Phuket was incredible! I mean, words can't describe what is possibly the most beautiful place we have ever been. After checking in to our resort, we explored the place we would call home for the next nine days. From the pools and the landscaping, to the baby elephants and giant lizards walking around the resort, we couldn't believe our eyes.

For those of you who don't know, Ashley and I ran a half marathon while in Phuket. Because of the run, we decided to take it easy for our first few days in Phuket. The half-marathon was a wonderful experience, but not something I would recommend doing on a honeymoon!

After our run, Ashley and I got Thai massages and took a milk bath. Although everyone we met raved about the Thai massages, we definitely thought they were overrated. We were also unimpressed about the milk bath as we got bored about three minutes into it.

While our days in Phuket started off slow and relaxing, we found ourselves trying to fit more and more in each day as our time in Phuket drew to a close. We didn't do too much before the marathon as we wanted to be fully rested and healthy for our run. Our first excursion was the one thing Ashley was most looking forward to experiencing on our honeymoon: elephant riding. Our elephant adventure started with a lecture on Thai elephants. Afterward, we met up with our elephant, Chumpoo, and her mahout (elephant trainer) to begin our 45 minute trek through the Chalong highlands. Ashley and I then rewarded Chumpoo by feeding her a basket full of fruit. Finally, our tour ended with a baby elephant show. It was amazing!

The next adventure was a day of island hopping. We went to the two Phi Phi islands. The smaller island was made famous by the movie, "The Beach" starring Leonardo DeCaprio. Our day started off with snorkeling followed by a Thai lunch (thankfully Ashley had the foresight to bring breakfast bars and other food), a hike on Phi Phi Don island and ended with some R & R on an island so small we were able to walk the perimeter in 15 minutes.

The day before we headed back to Bangkok, Ashley and I took another guided tour, The John Gray Sea Canoe Experience. This was definitely our favorite day! We traveled by boat to various caves and lagoons around Phuket. At each stop, we met up with our "friend for the day", Golf, to canoe around the caves. Golf took Ashley and I through some tiny cave openings in an inflatable canoe. Luckily, he did all of the work so we could just enjoy our surroundings. Words cannot begin to describe all of the amazing things we saw so I will simply post pictures.

On our final day in Phuket, Ashley and I finally braved the ocean at our hotel. Unfortunately, the red (no swimming) flag had been up the entire time we were there. Even though it was still displayed, we knew we would be disappointed if we didn't play in the ocean. The undertow and waves were out of control. Ashley was even knocked over and lost her sunglasses. She was crushed about her sunglasses!

Our Honeymoon: Part 1-Bangkok

The morning after getting married, Luke and I boarded a plane to begin the biggest trip either of us had ever taken. After 9,000 miles and 26 hours of traveling, we arrived at our hotel in Bangkok, Thailand. Since it was after midnight (and dark outside), our first impressions were rather limited. Seeing as the 12-hour time difference gave us an extra jolt of energy at two in the morning, we decided to walk around Bangkok. Unfortunately, I am a "scared little girl", so our walk abruptly ended when a Thai prostitute propositioned Luke outside of a gas station. Although the city never shuts down, I decided it would be best to wait to venture outside again until daylight.

We spent the first three days of our honeymoon in Bangkok, which is the largest city in Thailand. It is about 1,500 square km with over 12 million people living within the city limits. Sadly, this overpopulation, along with subpar plumbing systems, results in an undesirable stench throughout the city. Since Bangkok is the "hottest city in the world", this smell is intensified during the day.

Our most memerable adventure while in Bangkok was the private city tour we took. Highlights of our excursion include visits to the flower/fruit market, The Royal Grand Palace and the Temple of the Emerald Buddah. Luke and I agreed that The Grand Palace was the most incredible place we had ever visited. Unofrtunately, no amount of words or pictures can even begin to do the sites justice, but we will post some anyway.

Luke couldn't convince me to try a duck head, liver, blood or foot.


No matter where you looked while at The Royal Grand Palace, there was something to amaze you!


The Royal Grand Palace, while not used by the current King, was occupied by his father and is now used to host visiting diplomats.



While in Bangkok, we didn't just do the typical "tourist" things. We kept our American ideals and headed to the one place that would make us feel at home, the mall. This isn't just any mall. It is seven stories of capitalistic greatness. One floor even had auto showrooms for makes such as BMW, Ferrari, Spyder, Audi RS, Lamborgini, and Maserati. The mall is topped off with a stunning movie theater showing the latest and greatest that hollywood has to offer. Since it was the middle of June 2008, I was anxious to see "Sex and the City" so Luke and I decided to try out the Thai movie theatre. Aside from the five minute prelude to the King of Thailand, the theatre was the best I had ever experienced! In reality, the mall was so overwhelming that it quickly lost its appeal. We did have a great pizza and some alcoholic ice cream!


Central World. Seven stories tall and there were two other malls this size on the same block.

Luke loved our seats at the movie theatre!

Our First Post

Well, here it is, our first post. The purpose of this blog is to keep everyone up to date with regard to what we are doing and how our lives are progressing. The past six months have been very busy for us and we both can't wait for it to slow down. On June 6, we got married at Windows off Washington in St. Louis, MO. We had a wonderful wedding and enjoyed being able to share our special day with family and friends. Our wedding was a perfect reflection of Ashley's and my personalities. Other than the monsoon-like rain and loud thunder as she began her descent down the aisle, the wedding was fairly uneventful. The following morning we headed to the other side of the world to ride elephants, lie on the beach, and run a half marathon!