La Familia en la República Dominicana: A lot changes in 3 years, but the important stuff stays...

Dominican Republic, 2012

Last week, the month of August brought me to Punta Cana, Dominican Republic, for a family vacation.  With all the time I spend on the road, it's hard to believe this was the first real "do nothing" vacation I've had in over two years!  Three years ago, in 2009, my cousins Mary and Nancy invited me to join them and their respective families in Cancun, Mexico for an all-inclusive vacation.  Mexico was so memorable, that everyone, including my Aunt and Uncle, have always talked about doing another family all-inclusive vacation as an encore, which we finally did last week in Dominican Republic.  To share with you the highlights of this family vacation in Dominican Republic (D.R.), I've decided to do it with a twist, that embodies the spirit of my family, as well as some reflection.  Thus, bringing me to the title of this posting...As I was flipping through my album of Dominican Republic pictures, a light bulb went off in my head to take a look back at my 2009 pictures from Mexico!  As such, this posting will highlight my time in Dominican Republic by doing a "what's changed, what's still the same" comparison of Dominican Republic (Now, 2012) versus Mexico (Before, 2009).

So, what's changed?  To state the obvious, the location!  This time, we stayed at "The Dreams" Resort in Punta Cana, and before we were at the "Marina El Cid" in Cancun.  Both properties were nice, but the general consensus from the family was that the beach and the overall layout at the El Cid in Mexico was better.  There was no suite option this time, so we missed having the extra space of a living room to congregate.  And, this time around we were facing the Atlantic side of the island, so the waters were a bit choppier than the Gulf of Mexico.  However, the primary buffet restaurant at Dreams had better food and more selection than what we had in Mexico.

Punta Cana (2012)

Cancun (2009)

Next most obvious change?  We have a new addition to the family!  4 month-old Ayden joined the gang to make us a group of 13 in total in Punta Cana -- as I've been saying, it was the "Asian invasion of D.R."  So, my Aunt & Uncle now have 6 grandchildren between Mary and Nancy's families, while there was only 5 in 2009...Look how fast the 5 older kids have grown!

6 grand-kids in 2012

5 grand-kids in 2009

This time around, the swimmer-in-training in the pool was Ayden.  Before, it was Brady.  Ayden can say his first trip was at 4 months old, while Brady was slightly over a year-old when we took him to Mexico.  Still just as cute...

Ayden (2012)

Brady (2009)

Nancy & Mike's family has gotten bigger....

Team Kam in 2012

Team Kam in 2009

Mary & Eric's family has grown, too....as in, grown older & wiser (both parents & kids) hehe....

Team Lo in 2012

Team Lo in 2009 (with 2 "adopted" Kam kids)

Ryan's no longer "Mommy's Baby," being replaced by Ayden, hehe...

"Mommy's Baby" (2012)

"Mommy's Baby" (2009)

I have a new "little man" to take pictures with...different baby, but they're in same swimmers...

Me & Ayden (2012)

Me & Brady (2009)

Perhaps I've aged a little, too...you can't see it here, but I know I see more grey hairs in the mirror every morning than I did 3 years ago...

Dominican Republic (2012)

Mexico (2009)

That's a lot of change in a span of 3 years!  So, what stayed the same (or close to staying unchanged)???

First off, my family's continued sense of adventure, especially as it pertains to water activities.  Apparently, we have an infatuation with taking boats into open water...I love how my 60+ year-old Aunt is at the forefront in dragging us to do all these things...Being just an okay swimmer, few people could talk me into doing these things, my Aunt being one of them.

Banana Boat (2012)

Kayaks (2009)

We're still a competitive bunch.....

Family Water Volleyball Game (2012)

Family Water Volleyball Game (2009)

For an "old married" couple, Mary & Eric are still love birds...

Old Married Couple (2012)

Old Married Couple (2009)

Kelly seems to have a certain "luck" of having encounters with sea creatures that result in injury.  On our last day in Dominican Republic, she managed to step on a sea urchin and got the spikes stuck on her foot.  The medical staff at the resort couldn't get all the splinters out and wanted to take her to a local clinic, but we saw how third-world it was outside the resort from our ride to the property, we told her to suck it up for the 24 hours until we would arrive home, as we didn't want to risk her contracting some sort of infection from being treated at who-knows what kind of clinic.  It was deja-vu of her jellyfish sting in Mexico....We couldn't have planned this even if we wanted to!

Kelly soaking her feet due to sea urchin spikes (2012)

Kelly had Kyle pee on the jellyfish sting on her back (2009)

I still love my time with the kids playing in the pool....though, they don't always stay so little.  Hopefully, I'll still have Ayden around as the baby next time around...

Poolside 2012

Poolside 2009

I'm grateful everyday for the bond I have with my cousins Mary and Nancy -- we have different parents, but they've been sisters to me in every way that counts...the closest I can get just shy of the "real" thing....

3 Musketeers in Dominican Republic (2012)

3 Musketeers in Mexico (2009)

So, as I stroll down memory lane for both family trips, my conclusion is that a lot can change in 3 years' time, but the important stuff all stays the same.  But, the thing that sticks out most, is how much we've all grown.  From the kids to the adults, you can see through the pictures we've all grown and matured both physically and through our demeanor, intangibly, as well.   And, not to be forgotten in these highlights, we know how to have fun!  

Taking a look back at both family vacations, I'm reminded how fortunate I am that my Aunt & Uncle, along with Mary & Nancy, have really "adopted" me into their family.  With my mom's fragile health, it's impossible for me to convince my folks to take family vacations, so I'm even more grateful to Mary & Nancy's family for inviting me to be apart of their vacations in every aspect -- never making me feel like an "outsider."  

And, as an added bonus, the kids have really become a fixture in my life.  Although they make me feel my age when I'm around them, I also get to see how much I've been able to grow, alongside with them.

6 fixtures in my Life (2012)

Dominican Republic 2012 was a successful sequel to Mexico 2009.  Question is, will we turn it into a trilogy someday???  I sure hope so!  It would be interesting to see how we will have changed in another 3 years....That said, to be continued....

Dominican Republic, 2012

München: A Maß of Beer is a lot of Beer!

At the Hofbrauhaus

This past weekend, July brought me to München (Munich), where I got to learn that a Maß (Liter) of beer is a lot of beer, and I got the full experience of what it really means to drink from a very heavy beer mug!  After visiting Frankfurt, Germany several times in the past year for work, I decided the beer lover that I am should finally make a pilgrimage to the beer capital of the world: Munich!  No beer boondoggle would be complete without an accomplice, and of course, I had to ask my good friend, Lisa, to come along with me as my beer partner-in-crime for a weekend in Munich.  If there’s anyone out there who could possibly love beer as much as me (or maybe even more than me, which is hard to imagine possible), it would be Lisa.....So, if I were to summarize Munich, it would be as follows….

First, the historic sights and ornate architecture of the city.  Prior to the trip, I made sure to research all the top sights around Munich and while we weren’t able to squeeze in everything in a weekend, we managed to see a lot (albeit via lots of walking and getting well-acquainted with the public transit system).

 

Site of Oktoberfest Grounds

Second, would definitely have to be the Biergartens, of course!  From the get go, this was my primary purpose of paying a visit to Munich, and it’s definitely an experience that no other city can offer.  There are so many Biergartens all over Munich, and we managed to make it to four of the most popular Biergartens.  Each one offered a unique experience, but they all shared the same buzz amongst the crowds and a sense emulating from everyone that it’s okay to indulge in beer and food.  With the communal tables and self-service food stations, everything was just about the simple way of life.

Chinesischer Turm

Hofbrauhaus

Hirschgarten

Augustiner-Keller

Speaking of food, that is worth of its own category.  I had heard a lot about Bavarian food via colleagues and through books, but nothing can prepare you for how heavy it really is.  An iconic dish of Munich is the "Schweinshaxe" (a.k.a. pork knuckle) -- it's this huge piece of pork from a portion of the pig's leg.  They offer it at all the Biergartens, and picking at just one knuckle was enough to have Lisa and I feel like we were on meat-overload the whole weekend.  We were both a bit disappointed that the city didn't offer more variety of food other than heavy meats and potatoes.  

 

 

With beer gardens, there's of course beer - lots and lots of it.  I came to Munich looking for beer:  mission accomplished.  I'll always remember the gigantic Maß beer mugs and how I could barely even grasp one without my arms hurting.  And, I’ll never forget the sense of “accomplishment” after emptying one of those Liter glasses.  I still can’t believe all the empty mugs us two tiny Asian girls were able to go through….

 

 

Last, but not least, probably the best part of the weekend was just being able to enjoy good beer in the good company of one of my best friends….So, while the food lacked variety, the tourist sights a little exhausting to get to, and encounters with some not-so-hospitable locals, the beer and the presence of a near-and-dear friend more than compensated for the shortcomings.  And, for that, I’ll always have fond memories of my weekend spent in München….Cheers!