Taking in Some of the Scenery (The Story Continues)

After a wonderful day on a motorcycle, we decided to bite the bullet and take a guided tour. One of my aunts has an incredible love for trains, and ever since I was a child some of the joy has rubbed off. With lots of family members I've enjoyed the ride on Cass' Scenic Trains. Because of all the great memories over the years I was naturally excited to take a scenic train ride north to a village called Kuranda.

Kuranda is surrounded by rain forest and has tons of shops and markets with lots of historical and cultural influence. Here's a link if you'd like to learn more.

We enjoyed milling around the village shops and bought some souvenirs, including an aboriginal print, then hopped on the SkyRail that takes you over the rain forest. We had beautiful weather and a wonderful, relaxing day.

After returning to our hostel later in the evening, we picked up our stuff and made our way North to Port Douglas, where we spent the next 3 days of our vacation. We'll show you some pictures and tell you some of those adventures in the next few days! Please keep reading!

Where to Begin?

Cory and I just returned from an amazing, blessed 3 weeks. We spent 11 days in Australia and 11 days in New Zealand. I am not able to wax eloquent, but want to begin to share our adventure with you. And what an adventure our lives have been!
Cory sure named this blog well!

We flew from Seoul to Sydney and then caught another flight up to Cairns. We really wanted to dive the Great Barrier Reef which is what led us to the Northeastern coasts. When we arrived at the airport we found a backpacker hostel, took a little walk towards town, and ended up sleeping most of the next day. Perhaps that was just catching up after a busy semester?

We had no specific plans or reservations on this trip - a very new way for me to travel - and decided to rent a Harley for a day. It seemed like a great way for us to explore the region we were in for just a few days - so Cory quickly adjusted to driving on the left side of the road and we were off exploring.

"In Front of Them All"

July 27, 1953 brought the signing of the infamous Armistice Agreement, but the world has yet to see peace and unification between North and South Korea.

We had the honor of visiting Panmunjom - the former farming village that now serves as the site of the United Nations Command, and where soldiers daily commit themselves to maintaining peace. The experience was humbling and gave me a new appreciation for those who serve in the military - for the freedom of fellow Americans as well as so many around the world. These soldiers truly stand "In Front of Them All."

We toured the DMZ, stepped onto North Korean soil in the MAC building where the official unfriendly and sometimes hostile meetings are held, and climbed through the 3rd tunnel found built by North Koreans in an attempt to infiltrate South Korea. Take a few minutes and check out the few pics we can share with you.