Korean Folk Village, South Korea

Here we are, sitting on our front porch in Korea.   Living in Korea was a great family experience that we will never forget.

Here are the boys at the Korean Folk Village in Suwon.
If one wants to know how life was in the past, then visit the Korean Folk Village in Suwon, a 2-hour journey by train and bus from Seoul.  On display are old houses and their furnishings, that vary depending on the resident's occupation from a lowly farmer to a rich aristocrat.  The "villagers" are in period costumes, and activities include a colorful music and dance performance by farmers, a tightrope act, a traditional wedding ceremony and a display of equestrian skills.  The tightrope act was impressive, especially the old guy that slowly walked out to the middle of the rope stretched across the crowd about 20 feet in the air.  Once in the middle, he sat down and became completely motionless in a meditative trance.  He held the position for long enough to make it clear he had entered a state of complete balance.

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Date Taken: 4 May 09

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Place Taken: Suwon, Republic of Korea

Arusha National Park, Tanzania

February 4, 2008, I visited Arusha National Park, Tanzania.  I had arrived on Superbowl Sunday at Kilimanjaro International Airport.  The rest of my co-workers would trickle in over the next few days.  I flew in one day early to have a chance to see the local attractions.  The hotel we would be operating from, Ngordoto Mountain Lodge, was about halfway between the airport and the town of Arusha.  It was built on the grounds of an old coffee plantation.  I was picked up at the airport by a representative from the US Embassy in Tanzania.  The vehicle, an old Toyota Landcruiser, was configured with a roll-back top for use on safari trips to the local parks and wildlife refuges.  I asked if it would be possible to go into Arusha National Park the next day and the driver said he would be available and suggested he pick me up around 8:00 a.m. 

After spending an interesting night with bats flying around my hotel room, and listening to the loud, shrieking animal calls in the forest nearby, I met my driver and we started a personal safari drive through the park. 

The park entrance was only about two miles away from the hotel. 

We spent the day touring the crater lakes and forest that surrounded Mount Meru, an impressive volcano that geologists say would have been taller than Mount Kilimanjaro fifty miles to the East Northeast had Meru not blown its top like Mount Saint Helens did back in 1980. 

Meru's explosion took place millions of years ago, and left half the mountain missing.  I got to hike on the foothills of the mountain with my guide, Dominque, armed to protect us from Cape Buffalo herds that we passed on the way.

Polynesian Cultural Center

There are a few favorite places on Earth that I will always enjoy visiting.  The Polynesian Cultural Center in Laie, Oahu, Hawaii, is one of them.  Spending an afternoon visiting with the representative islanders from the different cultures and attending the evening Luau with my family meets the definition of a "perfect day."

Luau at the Polynesian Cultural Center, Hawaii

Posted By: David Vetter

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Date Posted: Oct 23, 1999

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Description: We met a couple from Pennsylvania during the dinner. The man took this picture as his wife videotaped with our camcorder. The Polynesian Cultural Center was fantastic.

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Date Taken: 4 August 1999

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Place Taken: Polynesian Cultural Center, Oahu, Hawaii

David Vetter - Jan 27, 2003 Here's the Vetter Family, Dave, Amber, and seven month old Dallin, at the Polynesian Cultural Center Luau. Look at how we've changed, except for our wardrobes.

David Vetter - Oct 1, 2004

Amber and I wore the same shirts to our visit this last Monday. As soon as I can get online, I'll post our most recent family portrait taken at the Polynesian Cultural Center Luau.

Hiking out from Hanauma Bay

Posted By: David Vetter

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Date Posted: Oct 23, 1999
Date Taken: 6 August 1999

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Place Taken: Hanauma Bay, Oahu, Hawaii
I asked a Japanese tourist to take this picture of Amber, Dallin, and I as we left Hanauma Bay on Oahu.

David Vetter - Jul 4, 2001 This was the first photo uploaded to the Vetter Family website. It was taken on Amber and Dave's first, and only, trip to Hawaii. Dallin was only 7 months old when we made the trip from Altus, Oklahoma, to Honolulu, on an old C-141 cargo jet

Dave and Seth in Zion

Dan and Heidi moved from Boston in July, 2011, to the eclectic, diverse universe of South Orange County, California. In the process of cleaning out their apartment, Heidi discovered my favorite hat, which I had reconciled to having lost. Here is my hat at Zion's National Park, Utah, in July, 2009. Amber, Dallin, Seth, and I make an annual pilgrimage to Zion when we visit St. George, Utah.