I'm Back!

Hi Everyone!

Here we go! I have decided to blog again! Below there are many pictures of my most amazing trip to Jeju Island! One of the best of my life! I had such a wonderful time. Not only were the things I did fantastic, but also the people I traveled with were such great company. So here are the highlights.

For one, we went there with no plan which led to so many great moments. The first day, we used taxis and buses to get around and had a blast ATVing, exploring a beach, and going to Jeju's sex museum (created by a group of art students). In such a conservative country, this is a rare thing. Then came Mez's and my favorite part; we rented these little scooters to travel around the island. They were so fun!!! Haha, rhe little things that make us happy. Anyways, we had to stop every 30 minutes to let the scooters rest! But these breaks led to great memories. We would stop and walk on the beach. We would also stop in the middle of no where and just relax. But the best was when we went to see our friends who were staying on the north part of the island (we were on the south). We left them at 1am and took a road that goes around/over the mountain in the middle of the island. Here, deer would run across the road right in front of us, and we drove to an elevation of 100 meters. At one break, we just lay in the middle of the road and looked at the stars. It was such a clear night and so magnificent. We were almost level with Orien's Belt and could see countless stars. These are moments you can't plan for but ones to remember forever; I had that feeling of peace and wonder that I can't force to happen but get as a gift every once in a while!

Another highlight was the hike the next day up that mountain. It was a 19.2 km hike in total but the view from the peak was breathtaking! The pictures I posted don't quite capture it as I am sure you can imagine. The mountain used to be a volcano so there is a crater at the top. But the best part was that we were above the clouds, but also could see the ocean beyond them! The view all around was something to just take in for a while. Mez and I got up there quick and had an hour and a half to just take it in.

SCUBA diving was ok. It was nothing compared to what I did in Florida but I am glad I went. The current was really strong and I went the deepest I have ever been (25 meters!) so it was a good experience for me in diving (don't worry Mama and Faygie, I was safe and was buddies with the dive master so I was taken care og). But my favorite part of diving is seeing wild life and there was not that much down there. I did get to see some beautiful fish though but it is too bad I do not have an underwater camera to share pics with you.

Besides that the whole trip was just wonderful. We laughed a lot and just went on adventures. The people I was with really made the trip and I am truly grateful for that. One last funny story. The moped I was on showed a full tank of gas but was broken! So we ran out in the middle of a drive. Luckily a gas station was near by, maybe .5 km, so I didn't have to push it long. I am so thankful it happened then because there were plenty of other times where we were not so close to one haha! That would have been an adventure.

Besides that, I have been enjoying myself here on Korea's mainland. Baseball has been so fulfilling as usual. We won our last two regular season games so we are in the playoffs! I am in a bit of a slump hitting which is frustrating but knocked a decent single today so hopefully I will find a groove for the playoffs. And yesterday I got to pitch! It was only a practice game so I asked if I could and they let me start! I struck out 3, picked a guy off, and only gave up 1 run and 1 hit! I walked too many guys though haha. Even though the team wasn't that strong it still was incredibly fun to be on the mound; I hadn't pitched since I was 10 years old!

Well that's all for now. I plan to blog more in the near future. I want to have these wonderful memories written down for the future so this is a great way to do it. Only 3 months left; gotta enjoy each moment! Miss all of you tons and don't forget to email me. I love hearing from you all!

Peace,

Dave