Feb 2006

On Friday, our office was closed so all of us decided to go snowboarding at Mount Daisen. It was incredible!!!! It was my first time, so I was really scared and nervous. It actually took me about an hour to figure out how to even stand up on the board and keep my balance. We started at about 10 a.m. and by about 2 p.m. (with a lunch break thank you very much) I could actually do it. Now I'm really hooked and I want to go again in a couple of weeks!

After that we ate "Kimchi Nabe" at Calvin's house. Nabe is like a Japanese vegetable soup and Kimchi is a Korean cabbage salad. I know, it sounds really bazarre but it is sooooooo good!

To think about what I was doing at this exact same time last year, and then to think, sheesh, I just went snowboarding on a Japanese mountain... wow!

And finally, here are the last of my photos. Koh Samui is the larger of the two islands and much more touristy. This is the island that Bridget Jones's Diary was filmed on.

I tried parasailing and rode a jet ski and again, rented a motorbike and went all around the island. One day, I found a temple that had a "mummy monk" who had been dead for 20 years inside a glass case. I also went to a very exciting and REAL THAI BOXING MATCH!! It was so intense!

One of my favorite days of the whole trip was a tour of the islands on a large speed boat. We went snorkling and sea canoeing around several small, deserted islands, which were about an hour away from Koh Samui. On one of the islands was the Emerald Lake and I have just never imagined water could be that color. From these islands were the most spectacular views!!