Thai photos

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So Long Koh Hong

We are back to reality after our honeymoon to Koh Yao Noi, an island in Phang Nga Bay off the coast of Phuket, Thailand. It went by fast, but was the trip of a lifetime. The resort was amazing. We will do additonal posts later, but wanted to give the high-level summary sooner rather than later. Hope everyone is well!

Arrival at the resort, http://www.theparadise.biz/. Our room is on the hill on the left. View of the surrounding hongs from the resort beach.Infinity pool at resort, always was there when the 90 degree heat was unbearable.

Palm trees lining the resort beach.

The outdoor portion of our bungalow including a view. Not shown, the outdoor shower from which this photo was taken.

Our mosquito net over the bed. They decorated the bed and had a bottle of sparkling wine and fruit basket awaiting us in the room.

Sunrise from our bungalow bed (no photoshop used, it was like this every morning)

The resort spa, you arrive, go into their grotto steam room that has Thai aromatic roots mixed into the steam, then cool off in the garden pool with a waterfall. They then give you a cup of homemade tea before heading off to the treament room, a little bungalow with mosquito net walls where Erin and I had our massages together.Elephant trekking near Krabi, Erin was an expert. Longtail boat arrival to Koh Hong island during our island hopping tour. The beach at Koh Hong, without a doubt the most beautiful place we have ever set foot on...crystal clear waters, 100 foot limestone cliffs, tropical fish we snorkeled with, and sands whiter than our Norwegian skin!Swimming at Koh Hong.

Lagoon inside Koh Hong, your eyes deceive you, the boat isn't suspended in mid air, that is water it is on.

Bruxelles

Mussels and Brussels, alive-alive-O!! Erin, myself, Strauss, and Joe (Phone Boy) spent the weekend in Brussels. We got flights for €50; well worth it for the cullinary and beer mecca experience we indulged in. We got a 6am flight and were into Brussels at 10am following the 45 minute bus ride from the typical RyanAir in the middle of nowhere airport. We immediately hit the scene, picking up our first belgian waffles washed down with a Hoegaarden (rose for Erin and En Saison for me, two types of Hoegaarden only available in Brussels for the most part). We checked into our hotel, bought some chocolate (the third of the four Brussels sins (waffles, beer, mussels, and chocolate)). Most excellent indeed, from a world renowned chocolatier, Pierre Marcolini. We tried a bizarre combination ranging from thyme and orange to earl grey. We grabbed lunch at a ny times recommended restaurant on a cute little pedestrian restaurant street (similar to the Latin Quarter for those who have been to Paris, but the food in these restaurants has better quality). We then completed the quad-fecta within 3 hours of arriving by having some really nice mussels for lunch. After lunch, we arrived at the Mecca of beer, the Delirum Cafe, owned and operated by the makers of Delirum Tremens for those familar with their Belgians. THIS BAR HAS 2004 DIFFERENT BEERS ON THEIR MENU!!!! The menu has over 600 beers from Belgium alone. Although this bar, similar to the Brickskeller in DC which some of you have ventured into with Erin and I, didn't have a couple of our choices, the beers were unbelievable and half the price of those in Dublin (and at least twice the alcohol content). Got to try a couple Abbey and Trappist (those brewed by Benedictine Monks using traditional methods) beers that are not available outside the country that were very very good. These pics tell the story.

Afterwards we went to another amazing bar where they serve a house beer in stone jugs; then we wandered into a less touristy neighborhood and ate at the most amazing restaurant. We made a couple friends from Vienna in the Delirium Cafe who joined us for dinner, and the woman was fluent in French, which helped when we realized we had made a reservation at another similarly named restaurant. We had to wait 30 minutes, just enough time to have a Chimay in very cool nearby restaurant. The dinner was very very very good, one of the best bistro meals I have had. Escargots and Rabbit were my dishes, and they were the best of both I have ever had! It was an amazing ambiance as well and we all enjoyed ourselves. After dinner we slowly made our way home, capping of the night at 3am with a salute to the Mannakin Pis (those who have gardens might have a statue of the little boy peeing in their yard), a glass of Leffe, and a fresh doner kebab, making it back to the hotel at 3:30am.....we definitely packed a days worth of fun in as you can see!

The following day, Erin and I walked around the neighborhoods, had breakfast in a furniture store (yummmy), walked through gardens, checked out shops, and just walked and walked, working off the calories consumed the day before. It was a terrific weekend and we loved every minute of Brussels.....this city should not be overlooked, everything was terrific!