Newlyweds going Asian!!: Festivals, Medical Issues and Vacations!!

Annyeonghasayo everyone,

At lot has happened since we last posted. This is Halloween week and boy has the weather changed. Its still nice during the day but its getting very cold at night and in the morning. I am no fan of cold weather to say the least. However, we are still having too much fun to complain. We are looking to forward to Christmas for more than the normal reasons. We booked an amazing vacation from December 26-Jan 1 in Cebu, Philippines. We are leaving the crowded tourist areas and heading off the beaten path a bit. We arrive at like 1:30 am and will be taking a 5:00am bus, three hours north. From there we will be taking a ferry to a small island and staying at an amazing resort. This place is like a postcard- white beaches and crystal clear water. We have the option of riding horses on the beach, kayaking, diving and fishing and many more things. Its all very cheap and we plan to take advantage of it all. We are going during the peak time and its still only like 40 dollars a night. Victory! Below is the website of our lodgings. Feel free to check it out.

http://www.stafebeach.com/

There has been a great deal of amazing festivals lately and we have been taking advantage of them. At the beginning of October we took a bus about an hour north to a place called Jinju. This was the site of the Jinju Lantern Festival and one of Korea's best festivals. Words and pictures dont do justice to the sights, lights and beauty of this. There are hundreds of lit up decorations in the river, miles of games, food vendors and events, and handmade tunnels of lanterns hand created. We even rode a boat on the river to really take it in. The city also has an ancient fortress that was amazing. The city was attacked and under siege for two years in 1591. Loved the place. We have attached a few pictures in the hope of showing you.

Busan also had its two largest festivals of the year in October. First was the International Film Festival in which many movies are screened, including movies that show at the Cannes Film Festival. I bout tickets online the minute they went on sale and many were sold out in between 40 seconds and 2 minutes. We got lucky and got tickets to the winner of the Cannes Film Festival called "Blue is the Warmest Color" and a movie with Robert Redford called "All is Lost." I highly suggest seeing them both. They have red carpets all over town, festivities and lots of fun. Quentin Tarantino even came to visit. I wish we could have gone to see him though. The Busan Fireworks festival was also held on October 26. This takes place at the beach 5 minutes behind our house. Over 3 million US dollars are spent on fireworks and over a million people come watch. Its easy to see how much tourism comes to the city as a result. It was packed but amazing. The entire show was basically a grand finale.

As of writing this, tomorrow, on Halloween, I will be having long overdue shoulder surgery. Its called an acromioplasty. The doctors will cut a bone in my shoulder in half so that it will stop the friction on my muscle. I have not been able to workout at the gym in four months and have trouble lifting heavy items. If I didnt enjoy working out and being active in my PE classes, I probably wouldnt have it done as it doesnt interfere with my daily activities. However, I am doing it for the future and hope for a smooth recovery. Im told like 6 weeks I will be good but it will be like 4-5 months before I can do heavy weights and things. Im pretty competitive so Ill see if I can beat those tables!

We miss everyone and hope all is well. Say a few prayers for us. Have a great Halloween and Thanksgiving.