Thursday, October 18, 2007

Vacation???


We have had many great vacations since we've been married.  This was not one of them.  But it wasn't all bad...



We left for Sorakseon National Park on Tuesday afternoon.  Adeline did great in the car, and we made it there without problems.  We were able to walk around a little bit that evening, and took some pictures.  Wednesday, it poured...all day.  We decided to be troopers.  We bought a raincoat (well, it was a glorified plastic bag with a hood and sleeves), put Adeline in her Bjorn, and headed off with our one umbrella.  We hiked towards one of the attractions, a huge rock that teeters on the edge of a cliff.  It was supposed to be a 3.3 km hike.  We hiked, and hiked.  It said, 1 km.  We carried on.  Now, our shoes are soggy, our pants are wet, and our attitudes are a bit less chipper than when we started.  We finally made it to some tents where they were selling food, drinks, etc.  We went inside to dry out a bit.  I (Lynn) insisted on going a bit farther because I couldn't stand the thought of being this close and missing the main attraction.  Patrick and Adeline stayed in the tent.  I'm not even sure if I made it to the attraction.  I hiked some more, and made it to a rock where they were taking pictures.  However, there was another sign pointing still farther up that said 1 km.  We headed back, cold, wet, and irritated.  Adeline gave up and went to sleep in the Bjorn.  


When we got back to the hotel, Adeline was not herself.  She felt very warm, but we couldn't find our thermometer.  We gave her some Tylenol and she slept.  Patrick decided we needed to leave.  We were 4 1/2 hours away from an American hospital, and if Adeline got worse, he wanted to be closer to home.  The hotel was kind enough to only charge us for one night.

We are on our way home, making great time, and Adeline was doing really well for not feeling well.  Then, there is smoke, and a noise coming from our car.  We are 15 min from home and our car dies.  We glide down the ramp to just before our last toll plaza.  Our car has overheated, there is oil all over the back of it, and no one around speaks English.  We call some friends, put water in the radiator, add some oil, and make it home.  Adeline is finally sound asleep in her bed three hours past her bedtime.


So, we can choose to remember this as the rainy vacation where Adeline got sick, we left early, and had a broken down car.  OR, we can see it as an adventure where we survived in another culture, made it home safely, and managed to get a few great pictures.  We'll choose the latter.

2 comments:

Short Stop said...

I love the pictures...and your positive outlook despite the circumstances. Having traveled back home 11 times since we moved here (12 hour car ride each way!), we have had similar traveling adventures. But, we've found it's all in the way you choose to look at it, and a little laughter goes a long way! :) Poor little A...I hope she's feeling better now!

Mary@notbefore7 said...

Always a matter of perspective, huh?