jeju-do

it has been years, and i do mean, YEEEEEEEEEEAAAAAAARRRRRRSSSS, since my family has had a vacation together. the last time we traveled together was to my brother's graduation in 2003, 5 years ago. and while it was nice to see pomona's beautiful campus and to hear my brother speak (he's good, REAL good!) at his commencement ceremony, it wasn't necessarily a vacation.

now, jeju-do is a tropical island south of korea's peninsula. it's labeled as THE honeymoon destination--it's true, you can spot the newlyweds in their matching (barf) "couple" outfits--due to its beautiful beaches and close proximity to seoul--it takes only an hour to fly to jeju. my parents locked us into a guided tour, which, we the children at first scoffed. luckily, it turned out to be quite enjoyable. our tour guide was animated, we ate tasty meals and while some of the spots we visited were a bit overrated, i was with my family and that's all that mattered.

we've arrived to jeju-do airport, ji hong maps it out:

clear blue water, refreshing air:

jin with the most common jeju statue:

our hotel:

ji hong asleep, mom chuckling:

brother perfects the asian squat:

topiary admiration:

dad hams it up, for real!

the chongs:

blue skies, palms:

sunny day, sweaty hike:

we three, adopt the korean serious expression:

we three, reveal our true selves:

on the road again:

beachside, dusk: