Donna and Dustin

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Donna and Dustin's Travels

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Seoul, South Korea 2001-2003

I was stationed in Seoul, South Korea from August 2001 to November 2004. I was stationed in one of the "better" places in Korea. Korea has a lot of history and is very beautiful from the air. It was difficult to get through the language barrier and getting around town. Learning the subway system made getting around much easier. Shopping is everywhere and good deals are everywhere, especially if you haggle with the prices. We went around and saw all kinds of temples, tombs, and palaces. You can see military pictures of Korea in the Army Photos section of this site.

Beijing, China 2002

China Photos

In June of 2002, we decided to jump the Yellow Sea west of Korea to visit Communist China. It was one of the best trips I have ever taken. Not only did we see Tiananmen Square, the Forbidden City, Summer Palace, Shop at the Russian Market, the Lido Market, and the Pearl Market, but we saw and climbed the Great Wall of China. The same wall that can be seen from space. I don't care how many pictures you see, stories you've heard, or articles that you've read NOTHING, short of seeing this for yourself, does it any justice. It is huge and massive, and to think that nearly primitive humans constructed this is amazing.

Tokyo, Japan 2002

Bangkok, Thailand 2003

Bangkok Picture

In February 2003, Donna and myself ventured out to experience Thailand. We got on the plane in South Korea when the temperature was 38ºF and got off the plane in Bangkok with a temperature of 98ºF. We went from heavy coats to shorts in a 5 hour flight. Bangkok was our first stop and it was beautiful. After finding out the currency (baht) and changing some we had to find out how to say "Sawadee ka/krup" (hello, females end the phrase with "ka" and males end it with "krup"). We saw the palace from the real 'King and I.' We saw temples and went on a boat ride and saw more temples. After the boat ride Donna and I went out in search of Hard Rock Cafe, Bangkok. During our search for the place Donna slipped on an uneven step and sprained her ankle. She waved it off and we found the cafe and shopped the local market that evening. She woke in the middle of the night with intense pain in her ankle and we called a doctor to the room that night. An Ace bandage, some cream and some Tylenol was all we got, except a $124.00 bill and the enigma of if our health Insurance covered it. It did...The Insurance actually sent us a check in South Korea in "BAHT," we sent it back and got dollars sent to us!

Chaing Mai, Thailand 2003

Chaing Mai Pictures

After our stay in Bangkok, we traveled to Chaing Mai, in the upper portion of Thailand. Chaing Mai means "New City." After getting there, we went to a "Khantoke" Dinner. (Khantoke means a pedestal tray used as a small dining table.) The next day we went to Chaing Dao (City Star) and fed and rode the elephants. They took us to a local tribe in the forest. Afterwards, we had dinner and a raft ride down a river. The next day we went to "Wat Phra That," a temple with a green glass Buddha statue. It was a wonderful trip.

Phuket , Thailand 2003

Phuket Pictures

Phuket is pronounced with a "P" not an "F," and is a coastal city in lower Thailand. Off the coast of Phuket is Phi Phi Island (also pronounced with a "P" not "F"). Phi Phi island is in several movies including the movie "The Beach" with Leonardo DiCaprio. We stayed at a beach resort and went to Phi Phi Island one day, and a show called PhantaSea the following night. The rest of the time we laid around the pool or on the beach. It was how life was meant to be. Sadly, Phuket was one of the towns devastated by the Asian Tsunami of 2004. Many of the films from the disaster were from Phuket since it was a large tourist resort area.

Hawaii, USA 2003

Hawaii Photos

In November 2003, Donna and I returned from Seoul, South Korea, and decided to stop in Oahu, Hawaii for a few days. We had never been in Hawaii before. We arrived at 7:00 am Hawaii time, after being on an airplane for over 9 hours, and immediately tried to go to see the USS Arizona and Pearl Harbor. Once we go to the USS Arizona Memorial, jet lag set in. We became so tired we went back to the Hale Koa Resort and fell asleep for a few hours, but we enjoyed the memorial. We went to the Polynesian Cultural Center, Diamond Head, North Shore, Waimea Falls, Pali Lookout, Dole Plantation, and the Waikiki beach.

Tucson, Arizona 2003

Tucson Photos

As we drove across America, our first real destination was Tucson, Arizona. We saw a lot of things but we didn't rest from driving until we got to Tucson. We did see New Mexican sandstorms. In Tucson we saw Dustin's aunt, uncle, and cousins. We also went to the Desert Museum. It was good to see them, the last time they were all together was during Dustin's grandmother's funeral in 1995.

Grand Canyon, Arizona 2003

After leaving Tucson, we drove north to the Grand Canyon. Donna nor I had had seen this Wonder of the World before. We got to the grand canyon with about 4 hours of daylight to spare. We stopped at each and every outlook down the way. I recently got a new medium format camera and was looking forward to using it at the Grand Canyon. After about 6 stops, I realized something was wrong with the camera, it had yet to run out of film. I knew I had taken about 50 pictures and the film only holds 30. So I pulled the camera back off and exposed the film to realize I loaded it right, but I had a lever pushed the wrong way causing it not to advance the film. I fixed that, but we ran out of daylight. Not wanting to waste the time we had because I messed up the camera opportunities, we stayed the night at the Grand Canyon. The next morning, we woke up to snow.

Las Vegas, Nevada 2003

We arrive in Las Vegas. We had 2 nights reserved at Treasure Island, overlooking the Pirate Show. I had been to Las Vegas before, but this was Donna's first time there. We walked the strip and Donna seemed to find all the Coach, Gucci, Neiman Marcus, and Burberry Stores. And, of course, she found the Disney Store. We saw The Riverdance Show at the Bellagio. After doing a timeshare promotion we got free tickets to Zumanity, The Cirque du Soliel for adults. Very interesting. We lost some money to the machines. Donna won $15.00 once, and that was the most we won. Unfortunately, the slot machines not longer drop coins into the money receiver at the bottom, making the loud cha-ching sound anymore. Instead they print out a little piece of paper you take to the cash cage to get your winnings. I realize it may be easier for the casino, but it erases some of the audio memories of the culture.

Disneyland, California 2003

Well, it all started with a mouse...but the Disney amusement park empire started here. We stayed at the Disneyland resort and decided it is a little outdated compared to the Disney World Resorts. While we were there, we also went to California Adventures. It is another Disney Theme Park that focuses on the movies. Think of it as a California version of MGM. (Even though the most realistic version of MGM is the MGM studios in Hollywood, just north of Disneyland.) Just to show how small the world actually is, Donna and I ran into my former First Sergeant from Korea just outside of the Disneyland Resort. He was stationed in Colorado at that time and I was on my way to Alaska and we met in California, by coincident. Donna and His wife were real good friends, so we stayed together with them most the day at California Adventures....♫...it's a small world after all..♪..

Seattle, Washington 2003

The locations for Frasier, and the birthplace of Nirvana, and every other "grunge" band of the '90s. Actually the space needle is cool, and they got some neat photography stores there, and that's about it. (later we found out that there is a lot more to do and see compared to Fairbanks, AK). We stopped there to get my Nissan Xterra winterized before heading to Canada and Alaska. They didn't have a clue how to winterize a car. They had a book and they followed it, and it cost us $600.00 for 2 things (battery blanket, and a block heater). In Alaska it's $250.00 for 4 things (battery plate, block heater, oil pan heater, and transmission oil heater). We did meet some nice people in Seattle and Bellingham, Washington.