I could write a lot about Holland and why it's so special but I only have time to mention a few highlights. One thing I like most about Holland is that it has all four very distinguishable seasons (though at times winter gets to be a bit long) and there is something unique to do in each season. The city is probably most famous for Tulip Time, an annual festival celebrating the town's Dutch heritage. Every year in May, the streets are lined with colorful tulips, there are parades, shows and nightly Dutch dancing performed by residents wearing traditional clothes. When I was in high school all the other girls and I went to Dutch Dance practice three times a week after classes to learn the steps - it was so much fun! I was also in the Holland High School Marching Dutchmen Band which plays, dances and marches in parades all while wearing wooden shoes!



The city is also known for its beautiful beaches and I feel lucky to be able to live so close to them. During the months of June, July, August and sometimes September we head to the beach to enjoy the clean, white sands and the refreshing waves. The lighthouse "Big Red" is especially beautiful and it is fun to walk on the pier and watch the boats travel to and from Lake Macatawa and Lake Michigan.



Some of my other favorite things about Holland is the downtown and all of the preserved natural areas like Saugatuck Dunes State Park and Sanctuary Woods park. Holland's downtown is clean, unique and always entertaining. There are fun little stores and delicious restaurants that are one-of-a-kind. I really like 84 East, 8th Street Grill, Alpen Rose, City Vu, Friccanos and Skiles Pizza. There are two main bars: the Curragh Irish Pub and New Holland Brewing Company that makes and sells its own brews. I have seen NHB's labels such as Mad Hatter even in menus outside the state. There is also JPs coffee and The Good Earth, two cafes excellent for coffee and bites to eat in the morning.



Holland is also important because it is the home of Hope College, the small, Christian liberal arts college that I attended. Hope is a small college doing big things. Many of the professors come from Ivy League schools and are there because they believe in the mission and purpose of the college. My experience at Hope as awesome and if you make a trip, you should stop in the Hope Geneva Bookstore and say hi to my mom, Deb!



But all of this is just the beginning. There is the incredible Farmer's Market every Wednesday and Saturday, the free Street Performers series on Thursday nights in the summer and outdoor concerts in the park. Growing up in Holland was idyllic; I feel lucky to have lived so long in such a cool and special place and am always anxious and happy to go back. Holland is town where people still wave and say hi to you even if they don't know you and everybody knows everybody. I hope that you get a chance sometime to visit and if you come, let me know and I'll show you around!

When we arrived at Krabi early the next morning we got on a van and two more ferries and a taxi before we got to the main town on Koh Lanta island. It was quite a trip! How did we stay sane? Lots of naps, snacks, books and air-conditioned buses. Although taking an overnight bus might sound crazy, it's an easy way to save time and money instead of paying for somewhere to sleep. The main thing that I remember about that trip is rabbits as I was completely immersed in the book Watership Down which I absolutely loved - the rabbits even have their own language!

We found bungalows on the beach at a place called Sanctuary and spent the rest of the afternoon napping in hammocks, swimming and walking around the island. Sanctuary is a cool (and cheap) resort that was populated (at least while we were there) with a fairly hippy crowd into yoga, vegan food, eco-tourism and music. Every morning there was a yoga class on the beach and the little beach lodge was outfitted in many sculptures of driftwood, beach glass and shells.

The evening brought many chases of hermit crabs, cuddling the many odd cats with short tails and indulging in spring rolls and the ubiquitous and delicious Thai banana pancake, a fried dough/egg mixture with bananas and covered with sugar and chocolate, for dessert. How can that not be delicious?

We spent our last full day on the island at the beach and most of us got a little too sun-kissed even though we slathered on the sunblock. The weather and the water temperature were perfect and it was really nice to relax on the beach, read and write postcards. I was amazed at some of the creatures we found in the ocean. There were many living sand dollars and fish to be seen and a couple of fish caught our attention. At one point Ken tried to pick up a piece of seaweed and discovered that it was a fish ingeniously disguised as seaweed. Another organism that looked to be a leaf also turned out to be a fish. Both looked so much like plants that I didn't believe Ken at first and had to try and catch them in my hand (which proved decidedly difficult) before I had to concede that he was right. Needless to say, the flora and fauna are quite different from the Lake Michigan that I am used to.

Later in the afternoon Peter, Sean and I decided to rent mopeds and cruise around the island to see what we could see. I was a little apprehensive of this as we would have to drive on the left and navigate up and down some steep hills. So, I left the driving to Sean and rode double on the back. As we were leaving, Daniel asked us what songs we wanted played at our funerals which wasn't too comforting (Sean chose Only the Good Die Young and I chose Brown-Eyed Girl). Don't worry, Mom and Dad, there were many people riding mopeds and we were very careful to be safe and take things nice and easy.

After one last walk on the beach we prepared for leaving the next morning. Ken, Daniel and Peter are going to Cambodia for a few days and Sean and I are heading down south to do some more island-hopping.