Arrival at the resort, http://www.theparadise.biz/. Our room is on the hill on the left.
View of the surrounding hongs from the resort beach.
Infinity pool at resort, always was there when the 90 degree heat was unbearable. 
Palm trees lining the resort beach.
Our mosquito net over the bed. They decorated the bed and had a bottle of sparkling wine and fruit basket awaiting us in the room.
Sunrise from our bungalow bed (no photoshop used, it was like this every morning)
The resort spa, you arrive, go into their grotto steam room that has Thai aromatic roots mixed into the steam, then cool off in the garden pool with a waterfall. They then give you a cup of homemade tea before heading off to the treament room, a little bungalow with mosquito net walls where Erin and I had our massages together.
Elephant trekking near Krabi, Erin was an expert. 
Longtail boat arrival to Koh Hong island during our island hopping tour. 
The beach at Koh Hong, without a doubt the most beautiful place we have ever set foot on...crystal clear waters, 100 foot limestone cliffs, tropical fish we snorkeled with, and sands whiter than our Norwegian skin!
Swimming at Koh Hong.
Lagoon inside Koh Hong, your eyes deceive you, the boat isn't suspended in mid air, that is water it is on.
Erin, myself, Strauss, and Joe (Phone Boy) spent the weekend in Brussels. We got flights for €50; well worth it for the cullinary and beer mecca experience we indulged in. We got a 6am flight and were into Brussels at 10am following the 45 minute bus ride from the typical RyanAir in the middle of nowhere airport. We immediately hit the scene, picking up our first belgian waffles washed down with a Hoegaarden (rose for Erin and En Saison for me, two types of Hoegaarden only available in Brussels for the most part). We checked into our hotel, bought some chocolate (the third of the four Brussels sins (waffles, beer, mussels, and chocolate)). Most excellent indeed, from a world renowned chocolatier, Pierre Marcolini. We tried a bizarre combination ranging from thyme and orange to earl grey. We grabbed lunch at a ny times recommended restaurant on a cute little pedestrian restaurant street (similar to the Latin Quarter for those who have been to Paris, but the food in these restaurants has better quality). We then completed the quad-fecta within 3 hours of arriving by having some really nice mussels for lunch. After lunch, we arrived at the Mecca of beer, the Delirum Cafe, owned and operated by the makers of Delirum Tremens for those familar with their Belgians. THIS BAR HAS 2004 DIFFERENT BEERS ON THEIR MENU!!!! The menu has over 600 beers from Belgium alone. Although this bar, similar to the Brickskeller in DC which some of you have ventured into with Erin and I, didn't have a couple of our choices, the beers were unbelievable and half the price of those in Dublin (and at least twice the alcohol content). Got to try a couple Abbey and Trappist (those brewed by Benedictine Monks using traditional methods) beers that are not available outside the country that were very very good. These pics tell the story. 
After dinner we slowly made our way home, capping of the night at 3am with a salute to the Mannakin Pis (those who have gardens might have a statue of the little boy peeing in their yard), a glass of Leffe, and a fresh doner kebab, making it back to the hotel at 3:30am.....we definitely packed a days worth of fun in as you can see!
Stay tuned for better updates in the near future...Brussels, Thailand, Krakow!
One tourist staple that was open however, was the Guinness brewery at St. James Gate. T'was the perfect start to a great new years eve with my dad and wife! As everyone says, it is a very touristy experience, however, it's very well presented, gives a good history on the brewery and what goes into making the black stuff. You wander through the brewing process from malt to water, to hops, then go through the brewery's history and get a glimpse of the brewmasters.
After the marketing and logistics of the brewery, you head up to the sky bar and have a pint overlooking the city, it was pretty crowded when we got up there, but the views were indeed nice. The pic is at sunset in Dublin, at 4:15pm! 
After dinner we parted ways with Dad. Erin and I went to the Cellar bar, anamazing bar in the basement of the Merrion hotel. The cavernous arches and walls set a great ambiance. We had a bottle of champagne and then hung out with a couple from Dublin, who were very generous with their Tattinger Rose, c'etait mainifique!
A pint of Guiness in one of Dingle's 52 drinking holes (pretty good for a town of about 6,000)
We then made it to a bar called Dick Mack's, which was formerly a shoe store, then started serving drinks, then recently shut down the shoe operation and didn't really clean up that part of the store. Important to note that there are two bars, Curran's and Foxy John's, which still operate as an antique store and hardware store during the day before opening the taps at night. Dick Mack's was amazing; its the only bar that doesn't hire its live music and instead relies on local musicians to stir the criac. The guy playing the harmonica chatted us up all evening and sang Irish (Gaelic) during the improv. It was a very rare and amazing experience. Our Dingle pub crawl nearly began and ended there that night.
It ended here for this lad as well.
On the Dingle peninsula with the fam
Dingle fisherman's port, a true fishing village.
Dingle peninsula - the landscapes were utterly beautiful
Our castle (manor) hotel in Tralee, we had a very relaxing night here to catch up from the two furious previous nights.
Evidence from the previously described Cliffs of Moher experience, I am screaming while Erin managed a smile!
We did manage to get a half-decent photo of the huge cliffs before our cameraman fell off the cliffs;-)
At Ashford castle, in Connemara, absolutely beautiful!
USA popsicle colored sheep. You need a big freezer to hold a 12 pack of these guys. 
It was a great time spent with our dad, can't wait for our next visitors, James and Marissa!!! Thanks for everything Dad!!!!
