So I know you were all wondering about how our trip to Pattaya went. Let me say that we got there fairly seamlessly. We purchased panchos from the front desk at our hostel, put them on over our packs and trekked it to the subway station. People starred since we were wearing them on the subway because they were too hard to take off, but we made it just fine and dandy. The only downside to our trip there was that the 2 hour bus ride turned into a 4 hour bus ride because all the roads were flooded due to the insane amount of rain. I'll post pictures on FB of that later cuz that was just cray. I was really worried for the cars and everything that were driving down rivers where there used to be streets. Apparently no one else was too worried though because as I've learned, this happens all the time. Who knew.
We made it to our hotel in Pattaya riding the Songtaews (which were quite fun) and then decided to go and try some food. Pretty typical along the beach (although no one was on it cuz of the rain) there were lots of shops and bars and restaurants. Everything was kinda covered with tarps because of all the rain.
Quickly did we learn the makeup of this city. Let me break it down for you:
1. White old men. Seriously, I've never seen a greater population of white old men in one place. I can't even describe.
2. Thai women to hit on said old men and keep them company, mostly only flirting.
3. Thai transgenders. They are women, but they have a penis. Don't judge, people, it happens. Some of them were very pretty. Some of them you could easily tell they were men. Some of them were about half way through their process change.
4. Gay men. There was an area called "boyz town" in which this was a place for many gay men to go.
5. Straight guys who wanted to watch go go dancers. There's an area called "walking street" (because no cars are allowed there) and it's just filled with clubs with go go dancers.
6. Couples...not sure why. But this happened as well.
That being said, you can see how Brigitte and I were a bit out of place in Pattaya.
Our personal escapade consisted of going to our hotel, getting dinner, going to a bar where there were old men with trannys hitting on them (unbeknownst to them) and enjoying ourselves watching the situation, going back to the hotel, trying a different road in the area, finding pretty much the same kind of bar but it had a live band and soccer, going to get food, then going home and going to bed.
The forecast said it was supposed to stop raining for a few hours in the morning so at 8 am when we saw the sun, we booked it to the beach. We sat in a nice lounging chair for a solid 2 hours then the rain rolled in. That's when we decided to check out and catch the bus home. Unfortunately, the next bus wasn't available for 2 hours so we waited at the bus station playing hangman for 2 hours (hangman really does make the time fly!) This time our bus ride home was only 2 hours, as it was supposed to be, and we arrived at our new hostel in time for dinner.
We walked along one side of the street which was very crowded with food vendors and shopping. Then we thought we'd cross to the other side and all those vendors were just setting up. We came back to the hostel because we weren't hungry, then we tried again and found that the side that was super busy before was now taking down all their stuff and the side that wasn't busy before was now super busy. We found some food, walked through another outdoor shopping area (we're trying REALLY hard not to buy stuff......until we get to Cambodia where I've heard it's cheaper...) and had a drink watching essentially the same exact thing that was occurring in Pattaya happen in Bangkok. The only difference this time was that all the shows these men were trying to get you to come see were "____ ping pong." Don't let your virgin eyes figure out what that is. I was just told and I don't ever wanna know.
Aaaaaanyways, we enjoyed that adventure and we're now sitting in our new hostel, meeting people, figuring things out and relaxing. It's a crazy world out there!
Thursday, October 17, 2013
Tuesday, October 15, 2013
Bangkok Part 2
Yesterday was Tuesday. The night before, people had told us about some places to go shopping so we decided to journey into shopping land. First we found the expensive shopping which wasn't what we were looking for. Then we found this magical place called MBK. I think the best way to describe MBK is that it's the biggest indoor, outdoor market you can imagine. It's kind of like a mall. 5 stories, and huge down and back. But it's like street vendors trying to sell you things. The best part about it is that it's air conditioned. That means we could pretty much do all the street shopping we wanted, but in an giant, air con facility.
The other really cool thing about MBK was the food. They had a huge variety of food (a little pricier than you might find on the street) but the food covered a huge span of countries. you could pretty much pick any "fancy food stall" (that's what I'm calling it) and get that countries food made for your right then and there. So we ate some delicious Indonesian food, and topped it off with Dairy Queen! That's right. I had a blizzard, which I haven't had since December. However this country still doesn't believe in cookie dough. That will be the greatest joy of going home still.
Once we were finished shopping at MBK (Brigitte and I made a few wonderful purchases) we headed back to the hostel to figure out our next step for the day and our next step for the next two days because we had nothing planned except that we maybe wanted to get out of town and go to a beach. But I'll come back to that.
We then went to Chinatown for dinner and more shopping. However when we got there, it was not at all what I had expected. I expected something similar to the Chinatown Ellen and I experienced in Malaysia. This was not the case. There were probably 2 dozen shark fin street stalls. At this point, Brigitte and I were starving and we thought we'd be able to eat when we got there. However the ONLY thing to eat apparently in Chinatown is shark fin or some other version of seafood. We did finally find a tiny restaurant on a side street that had other food, and it was quite good. However this is also where we saw our first rat and I'm still a little freaked out by that. But I'm trying to look past that and let it go because people eat around rats all the time, right? It's not like it was in our food or in the kitchen. And it's outdoors. There's bound to be some kind of wildlife.
Anyways, yesterday we booked our hotel for Pattaya, which is a beach town about 2 hours from Bangkok. We were all stoked to get to the beach instead of just hanging out around here. Then in the middle of the night, it started thundering like no one's business. Literally shook my bed. And it hasn't stopped pouring since. So we've decided to still go, hoping and praying that it lets up tomorrow a bit. Or today a bit would be even better but I'm not holding my breath. So our current journey to this place, in a monsoon includes the following:
Walk to subway station (5 minutes outside)
Ride subway to skytrain station.
Walk to transfer from subway to skytrain (it's quite annoying that the forms of transportation are in very different ground levels)
Ride the skytrain to the bus terminal.
Walk to bus terminal (don't know how long and if it will be covered or not, I'm guessing not)
Ride 2 hour bus to Pattaya
Hop on a songtaew which is the back of a truck used to transport you around the area (may or may not be covered, we're thinking yes because it rains so much here, we're learning)
Have it drop us of (no idea how) at our hotel or close to it (no idea where that is either)
Walk to hotel (dunno how long that'll be outside)
So that's what our adventure is today, I'll let ya know how it goes! Hope for the rain to stop, because I know I am!
The other really cool thing about MBK was the food. They had a huge variety of food (a little pricier than you might find on the street) but the food covered a huge span of countries. you could pretty much pick any "fancy food stall" (that's what I'm calling it) and get that countries food made for your right then and there. So we ate some delicious Indonesian food, and topped it off with Dairy Queen! That's right. I had a blizzard, which I haven't had since December. However this country still doesn't believe in cookie dough. That will be the greatest joy of going home still.
Once we were finished shopping at MBK (Brigitte and I made a few wonderful purchases) we headed back to the hostel to figure out our next step for the day and our next step for the next two days because we had nothing planned except that we maybe wanted to get out of town and go to a beach. But I'll come back to that.
We then went to Chinatown for dinner and more shopping. However when we got there, it was not at all what I had expected. I expected something similar to the Chinatown Ellen and I experienced in Malaysia. This was not the case. There were probably 2 dozen shark fin street stalls. At this point, Brigitte and I were starving and we thought we'd be able to eat when we got there. However the ONLY thing to eat apparently in Chinatown is shark fin or some other version of seafood. We did finally find a tiny restaurant on a side street that had other food, and it was quite good. However this is also where we saw our first rat and I'm still a little freaked out by that. But I'm trying to look past that and let it go because people eat around rats all the time, right? It's not like it was in our food or in the kitchen. And it's outdoors. There's bound to be some kind of wildlife.
Anyways, yesterday we booked our hotel for Pattaya, which is a beach town about 2 hours from Bangkok. We were all stoked to get to the beach instead of just hanging out around here. Then in the middle of the night, it started thundering like no one's business. Literally shook my bed. And it hasn't stopped pouring since. So we've decided to still go, hoping and praying that it lets up tomorrow a bit. Or today a bit would be even better but I'm not holding my breath. So our current journey to this place, in a monsoon includes the following:
Walk to subway station (5 minutes outside)
Ride subway to skytrain station.
Walk to transfer from subway to skytrain (it's quite annoying that the forms of transportation are in very different ground levels)
Ride the skytrain to the bus terminal.
Walk to bus terminal (don't know how long and if it will be covered or not, I'm guessing not)
Ride 2 hour bus to Pattaya
Hop on a songtaew which is the back of a truck used to transport you around the area (may or may not be covered, we're thinking yes because it rains so much here, we're learning)
Have it drop us of (no idea how) at our hotel or close to it (no idea where that is either)
Walk to hotel (dunno how long that'll be outside)
So that's what our adventure is today, I'll let ya know how it goes! Hope for the rain to stop, because I know I am!
Monday, October 14, 2013
Bangkok So Far
First we need to take a moment to talk about our taxi driver our first night from the airport to the hostel. Many was bat shit cray. Not sure what he was high on, but boy did he put on a show for us. He really wanted us to listen and dance with him to American music as he was driving us here. He put on his Harley Davidson hat and bumped the jams. Oh, and he was like 60 something. Also, he asked us our names and where we were from multiple times but by the time we left him, he was convinced that I was Mona Lisa and Brigitte was Whitney which then transferred to Whitney Houston.
Our hostel is pretty decent, not too much foreigner interaction, which is a bit sad for me. However last night we met some fascinating foreigners and I think I got my fill for a little while. Man some people are crazy.
Yesterday we visited the Grand Palace and another temple...Wat Pom maybe? Thailand likes really shiny things. That's the coolest part about the temples and palaces. They're sooooo shiny and interestingly put together. You can check out pictures on Facebook.
We learn something new every time we go somewhere. We're trying reaaaaaally hard not to get ripped off. We kinda did once, we paid 40 bhat for a boat ride to the palace instead of 15. But once we figured out which boat we were supposed to be on we were pretty solid from there on out. Except for the one time when we got off a boat at the wrong time. Good thing we're never really in a hurry for the next 6 weeks. Also figured out the subway so that's good too. Like I said, each time we figure out more and more about where we're going and how to get there. Which exits and stuff like that.
Yesterday was a very touristy day. Literally tourists everywhere (which is fine and what we completely expected). Today we want to go SHOPPING! So that's totally happening!
One last cultural note. If you are an older white male and you want a hot young wife, come to Thailand. I can't tell you how many adorable young Thai women I've seen with white older men. It's really blowing my mind a little and kinda grosses me out.
That's all. No pictures. Takes tooooo long on these slow computers. LOVE YOU ALL bye!
Our hostel is pretty decent, not too much foreigner interaction, which is a bit sad for me. However last night we met some fascinating foreigners and I think I got my fill for a little while. Man some people are crazy.
Yesterday we visited the Grand Palace and another temple...Wat Pom maybe? Thailand likes really shiny things. That's the coolest part about the temples and palaces. They're sooooo shiny and interestingly put together. You can check out pictures on Facebook.
We learn something new every time we go somewhere. We're trying reaaaaaally hard not to get ripped off. We kinda did once, we paid 40 bhat for a boat ride to the palace instead of 15. But once we figured out which boat we were supposed to be on we were pretty solid from there on out. Except for the one time when we got off a boat at the wrong time. Good thing we're never really in a hurry for the next 6 weeks. Also figured out the subway so that's good too. Like I said, each time we figure out more and more about where we're going and how to get there. Which exits and stuff like that.
Yesterday was a very touristy day. Literally tourists everywhere (which is fine and what we completely expected). Today we want to go SHOPPING! So that's totally happening!
One last cultural note. If you are an older white male and you want a hot young wife, come to Thailand. I can't tell you how many adorable young Thai women I've seen with white older men. It's really blowing my mind a little and kinda grosses me out.
That's all. No pictures. Takes tooooo long on these slow computers. LOVE YOU ALL bye!
Friday, October 11, 2013
One Year Koreaversary
The past week or so has been quite the emotional roller coaster of my love/hate relationship with Korea. Even just today, one second I was hating the 3 women in the line in front of me in the grocery store because they were still shopping and checking out and trying to find their point card while a huge line formed behind them but they didn't care at all, and the next second the lady behind me tapped me on the shoulder to inform me that the other cash register was now open (when usually a Korean would probably just snag the spot in line for themselves).
I'm even conflicted if I think I'd call myself a sentimental person or not. Part of me says no because I don't usually cry or get too upset about leaving things/people, but at the same time, those of you that know me really well know that I can't throw ANYTHING away...I often keep things "just in case" or because it has some sort of "sentimental value."
Regardless of this, I've been feeling quite nostalgic lately. I've been constantly thinking of all my "lasts"
The last time I'll be in Seohyeon
The last time I'll ride the school bus
The last time I'll eat (fill in the blank)
The list goes on...
And then there are the more important nostalgic/sentimental moments like the last time I'll see people such as my students or friends.
I had to say goodbye to my students on Tuesday and it, surprising, wasn't as hard as I thought it would be. Maybe I'm used to it as a teacher, or maybe I'm just not a dweller on things I can't control. Now don't get me wrong, there are a few students I can't BELIEVE I'm never going to see again and they may very well forget about me, but they won my heart in this country and it makes me very sad to know that I won't see their adorable little faces every single day, even if they are being a pain in my rear half the time. I'm also going to miss my third graders. They had a hard time understanding why I would leave them and I didn't really know what to say. Now THAT'S a hand-full of 5 students, good Lord, but I'll still miss the joy and humor they brought to me on their good days.
All of theses students in all of these classes and working at this school is a huge accomplishment, I think, to have in my belt as a teacher. I've learned a lot about teaching, I've learned a lot about students, and I've learned the most about patience. Hopefully never again will I have to be that random English Teacher who comes into a classroom for 30 minutes to sing songs, teach some words, do an activity and leave, with the most little respect possible. But did I learn from this experience? Yes I did. I learned that I REALLY want to be in my own classroom with my own students for the whole day. I learned that teaching is my passion and for all the reasons that teaching in America has to offer. I want to get to know a group of students, call them my own, help them learn things, and form bonds with them. Shoot I'll even take a class of 30+ kids on my own because there's no way they can be as challenging as what I've come across in this country.
On the other hand, I'm also feeling very nostalgic about being back in the good ole PNW. The other day I was sitting in Starbucks and I was like "man, this is some Seattle type music, drinking my warm coffee on this fall day" and I realized how badly I can't wait to be back in America. I'll be able to see my friends and family, eat many kinds of delicious food (I've had at least 5 food dreams that I can remember), and do cool typical "American" things like eat thanksgiving dinner, watch sports, and have people understand what I'm saying and what I want.
That being said, I'm also scared out of my MIND to go back to America. A year isn't that long, but a lot can, and has changed in the past year. Almost every single one of my friends (if not all) have some pretty intense professional jobs. And every single one of them is spread either across the state or across the country. When I left, we were all in the same little town hanging out at each others houses 5 minutes apart. That's not the life anymore and it's scary. I also will be living at home (love my mom and dad but that doesn't mean it'll be easy after living on my own for the last 6 years). I also will be living in Spokane (not my number one place of choice to reside). And the real kicker is I'll have to find a job! YAY! One of the huge perks of going to Korea was that a job was just handed to me...now I'll have to seek one out in a really intense manner.
I guess overall what I'm trying to say is I'm very grateful for my experience in Korea. I've learned a lot, I've seen a lot, I've done a lot. I now appreciate other cultures but I also appreciate my culture a lot more as well. I've experienced love, heartbreak, and the ever revolving "wheel" that is Korean expat life (one of the biggest downsides of this country, if you ask me). I've tried so many new things, from food to activities, and I've grown a lot as a person (I hope). I also now have a strange accent according to my sister although I strongly disagree. Number one phrase I use in this country..."Oh Korea...."
Anyways, those are my current thoughts. I have a lot running through my mind about what will happen when I get home, but in the meantime I'm about to go on a 6 week long adventure to Southeast Asia! That itinerary includes the following:
Bangkok, Cambodia (Siem Reap and Phenom Phen), Vietnam (Ho Chi Mihn, Hanoi, Halong Bay), Laos (Luang Prabang), back to Thailand (Chaing Mai, Ko Tao, Krabi, Ko Phi Phi, Phuket) and finally down to Bali.
Pretty FREAKING excited for that, so I'm going to go ahead and let my thoughts be consumed by that instead of the stress/joy that awaits for me at home.
P.S. I WILL BE HOME IN 45 DAYSSSSSSS!
I'm even conflicted if I think I'd call myself a sentimental person or not. Part of me says no because I don't usually cry or get too upset about leaving things/people, but at the same time, those of you that know me really well know that I can't throw ANYTHING away...I often keep things "just in case" or because it has some sort of "sentimental value."
Regardless of this, I've been feeling quite nostalgic lately. I've been constantly thinking of all my "lasts"
The last time I'll be in Seohyeon
The last time I'll ride the school bus
The last time I'll eat (fill in the blank)
The list goes on...
And then there are the more important nostalgic/sentimental moments like the last time I'll see people such as my students or friends.
I had to say goodbye to my students on Tuesday and it, surprising, wasn't as hard as I thought it would be. Maybe I'm used to it as a teacher, or maybe I'm just not a dweller on things I can't control. Now don't get me wrong, there are a few students I can't BELIEVE I'm never going to see again and they may very well forget about me, but they won my heart in this country and it makes me very sad to know that I won't see their adorable little faces every single day, even if they are being a pain in my rear half the time. I'm also going to miss my third graders. They had a hard time understanding why I would leave them and I didn't really know what to say. Now THAT'S a hand-full of 5 students, good Lord, but I'll still miss the joy and humor they brought to me on their good days.
My one dearest and truest love, Ian.
Iguanas (3rd Graders) not in their normal habitat.
This is how they usually behave and you can see my reaction quite clearly.
My baby 5's. Click on their picture to see them sing all adorable like.
Saying goodbye to one of my 7's class. They thought it was hilarious to sing me happy birthday in the way we usually sing to them so that's whats happening. Click on the picture to see them attack me as I'm trying to leave the classroom. Also, here is the link to this group of kids singing and dancing their rendition of a youtube song:
One of the darling girls I've had for the entire year, even when she was a 6 year old.
My other 7's class of goofballs.
My immersion class that I will miss EVER so much!
All of theses students in all of these classes and working at this school is a huge accomplishment, I think, to have in my belt as a teacher. I've learned a lot about teaching, I've learned a lot about students, and I've learned the most about patience. Hopefully never again will I have to be that random English Teacher who comes into a classroom for 30 minutes to sing songs, teach some words, do an activity and leave, with the most little respect possible. But did I learn from this experience? Yes I did. I learned that I REALLY want to be in my own classroom with my own students for the whole day. I learned that teaching is my passion and for all the reasons that teaching in America has to offer. I want to get to know a group of students, call them my own, help them learn things, and form bonds with them. Shoot I'll even take a class of 30+ kids on my own because there's no way they can be as challenging as what I've come across in this country.
On the other hand, I'm also feeling very nostalgic about being back in the good ole PNW. The other day I was sitting in Starbucks and I was like "man, this is some Seattle type music, drinking my warm coffee on this fall day" and I realized how badly I can't wait to be back in America. I'll be able to see my friends and family, eat many kinds of delicious food (I've had at least 5 food dreams that I can remember), and do cool typical "American" things like eat thanksgiving dinner, watch sports, and have people understand what I'm saying and what I want.
That being said, I'm also scared out of my MIND to go back to America. A year isn't that long, but a lot can, and has changed in the past year. Almost every single one of my friends (if not all) have some pretty intense professional jobs. And every single one of them is spread either across the state or across the country. When I left, we were all in the same little town hanging out at each others houses 5 minutes apart. That's not the life anymore and it's scary. I also will be living at home (love my mom and dad but that doesn't mean it'll be easy after living on my own for the last 6 years). I also will be living in Spokane (not my number one place of choice to reside). And the real kicker is I'll have to find a job! YAY! One of the huge perks of going to Korea was that a job was just handed to me...now I'll have to seek one out in a really intense manner.
I guess overall what I'm trying to say is I'm very grateful for my experience in Korea. I've learned a lot, I've seen a lot, I've done a lot. I now appreciate other cultures but I also appreciate my culture a lot more as well. I've experienced love, heartbreak, and the ever revolving "wheel" that is Korean expat life (one of the biggest downsides of this country, if you ask me). I've tried so many new things, from food to activities, and I've grown a lot as a person (I hope). I also now have a strange accent according to my sister although I strongly disagree. Number one phrase I use in this country..."Oh Korea...."
Anyways, those are my current thoughts. I have a lot running through my mind about what will happen when I get home, but in the meantime I'm about to go on a 6 week long adventure to Southeast Asia! That itinerary includes the following:
Bangkok, Cambodia (Siem Reap and Phenom Phen), Vietnam (Ho Chi Mihn, Hanoi, Halong Bay), Laos (Luang Prabang), back to Thailand (Chaing Mai, Ko Tao, Krabi, Ko Phi Phi, Phuket) and finally down to Bali.
Pretty FREAKING excited for that, so I'm going to go ahead and let my thoughts be consumed by that instead of the stress/joy that awaits for me at home.
P.S. I WILL BE HOME IN 45 DAYSSSSSSS!
Monday, September 23, 2013
The Reed Family Comes to Korea!
My darling family arrived to Korea on Wednesday! Late at night. Much past my bedtime. But I waited and waited for them outside with my little sign welcoming them to Korea!
On Thursday, I forced them to come see all my kiddos at school. If you don't already know, or maybe you forgot, I teach a half an hour class of 30 5 year olds (American age, 3 or 4), then two half hour classes of 30 7 year olds (American 5 or 6). Then I have a short 20 minute break and then go teach an hour and a half of 20 of those 7 year olds. After that, I teach 2 hours of 3rd graders. I think my mom had a good time. I think my sister also had a good time (I forced her to sing some songs she knew with us) and my 3rd graders fell in LOVE with her...not just one of the boys, but one of the girls. The next day they were bragging about how they "snuck" pictures of "Jessica Teacher" when she was on the elevator. She totally knew. You're not that sneaky, guys. Anyways, we did some fun songs, made some pirate hats and eye patches (totally related to the theme) and hand some nice question and answer sessions from my 3rd graders. For dinner I took my family to Korean BBQ. They greatly enjoyed it and the drinks were on the house because I frequent that place waaaay too much. Yikes. Exposed my parents to soju. Quite a joy as well.
Friday-Sunday you can read about in the previous blog.
Monday night I went and met up with my family with Brigitte. I believe Brigitte took them to see the fish market and a temple during the day. When I got off work I met up with them and we went to dinner then ventured to Namsan Tower which is a mini Space Needle. We took the gondola to the top and when we got there the actual tower was closed :( But the view of the city was absolutely gorgeous! And there's this thing where couples come up there and place a lock on the fence somewhere. You're supposed to come back years later and find it and see if your wishes and hopes and dreams have come true or something like that. Thousands of locks. So crazy! We ventured back down and back home for the night.
Tuesday my family did the city bus tour. They got to see more things in Korea than I have probably seen. They went to the war memorial and saw the palace and such. Not really sure. When I got off work, I went and met up with them for dinner. Then we just relaxed in the hotel room and watched a movie. Nice family bonding time.
Wednesday we got up and I wanted to do some cafes like a cat cafe, dog cafe, sheep cafe, and a cafe where the fish eat your feet. So we ventured to Myeongdong and found that the cat cafe was closed so we went to the fish eat your feet cafe. We did that and that was the most bizarre thing I have ever done. The whole thing was only 20 minutes but I couldn't keep my feet in for more than 5 seconds for the first 10 minutes. The feeling was so weird. It tickled SO bad. I was literally screaming. Someone probably thought I was dying. Once I kind of got used to the feeling, it just felt like my feet had fallen asleep and they just nom nom away on your dead skin. After that, we went back to Insadong, which my family had briefly seen the day before and wanted to see again. We did a little souvenir shopping there and then tried the cat cafe again. Still closed. So we went back to Gangnam and found one a block from their hotel. We only had a short time because we had to go catch a baseball game, but we got to see the little kitties in the cafe. For my sister, probably not that big a deal since she saw hers like a week ago, but for me and especially Brig, we were like, whoa KITTIES!
Then we went to a Korean baseball game. Maybe you've read my other blog about Korean baseball, but going to a game is NOTHING like what you experience in America. Cheerleaders, loud crowds....it's like what you'd expect at a college football game. But what was cute was that the cheerleaders were wearing mini Hanbok (traditional Korean clothes) for the first few innings. I thought it was adorable, but then naturally as the innings went on, they had many a wardrobe change.
To end the night, Brigitte and I took my sister to one of my favorite bars, Bunker. There were very few people there because of Chuseok, but we still had a good time! We played some Jenga and this one game where you stick some sticks in the side of this barrel and when the head pops out you lose. Fun times indeed!
Thursday was actual Chuseok and for this day, we headed to the Han River. We wandered for a while trying to find the bike rental place. We finally found it but then decided to go on a boat tour. Found out when we got on the boat that it was more a fun tour type thing for kids, not so much a river tour. But we got to see the city from the river and some adorable kids and some creepy mascot things. When we got off the boat, we found the bike rental place and rode down the river the other direction. Jess and I tried out a tandem...not that easy, not that easy. REALLY hard actually, until you get the hang of it. We probably almost crashed like 5 times.
Friday was Everland day! Everland is a theme park in Korea. We heard that during Chuseok, there would be significantly less people there so we thought we'd try it out. There was also a foreigner discount so instead of paying 45 bucks, we only paid 25. We rode a GIANT viking ship. Biggest one I've ever seen, and highest I've ever seen one go. That was fun. Then we did a upside downy roller coaster, that was fun, waited for probably half an hour for that one (not bad). Then we thought we'd go to Safari Land which is what all my kids RAVE about. It's like THE reason to go to Everland, apparently. However the line for that was like 2 hours long, so we passed on that one. We waited like half an hour for a water rafty type ride. Typical Korea, they have tarps to cover you and they squeegee off the seats. Pretty fun. My mom got drenched (only one). Then we hit the animal section. Saw some animals in very confined spaces when they should have much more room than they had. A little depressing and made me glad we didn't go on the safari because that may have been even more depressing. Last was the T Express. Hugest and most bestest roller coaster of my life. Although we waited in line for an hour and a half, it was worth the wait because it was epicly awesome. We decided to call it a day after that because we're getting too old for all this waiting around.
Saturday we had a laid back day. My daddy made eggs and bacon for breakfast! SO YUMMY. Then we went to the Suwon Fortress. Our original plan was to ride the train up to the top, but that was sold out until 4 and it was noon so we voted against that and just wandered around until 130 when we got to do some arrow shooting. This was my second time doing and I actually hit the board for half of them, as opposed to last time when I hit the board zero times. When we got home, we walked around cafe street a bit, then headed to Brigittes home area called Suji. We had some dinner and soju there, played a little darts, and then my family experienced Koreas Norebang. This is karaoke, but in a small room with just the people you're with. Pretty awesome because you can choose any songs you want and you're usually quite comfortable with said people since they're generally your friends.
Sunday morning dark and early, I walked my parents to the bus stop, said byebye, and sent them on their long journey home.
Overall, I had a great time with them and saw a lot of touristy things I probably wouldn't have done if they hadn't visited and I do believe they had a splendid time as well.
On Thursday, I forced them to come see all my kiddos at school. If you don't already know, or maybe you forgot, I teach a half an hour class of 30 5 year olds (American age, 3 or 4), then two half hour classes of 30 7 year olds (American 5 or 6). Then I have a short 20 minute break and then go teach an hour and a half of 20 of those 7 year olds. After that, I teach 2 hours of 3rd graders. I think my mom had a good time. I think my sister also had a good time (I forced her to sing some songs she knew with us) and my 3rd graders fell in LOVE with her...not just one of the boys, but one of the girls. The next day they were bragging about how they "snuck" pictures of "Jessica Teacher" when she was on the elevator. She totally knew. You're not that sneaky, guys. Anyways, we did some fun songs, made some pirate hats and eye patches (totally related to the theme) and hand some nice question and answer sessions from my 3rd graders. For dinner I took my family to Korean BBQ. They greatly enjoyed it and the drinks were on the house because I frequent that place waaaay too much. Yikes. Exposed my parents to soju. Quite a joy as well.
Friday-Sunday you can read about in the previous blog.
Monday night I went and met up with my family with Brigitte. I believe Brigitte took them to see the fish market and a temple during the day. When I got off work I met up with them and we went to dinner then ventured to Namsan Tower which is a mini Space Needle. We took the gondola to the top and when we got there the actual tower was closed :( But the view of the city was absolutely gorgeous! And there's this thing where couples come up there and place a lock on the fence somewhere. You're supposed to come back years later and find it and see if your wishes and hopes and dreams have come true or something like that. Thousands of locks. So crazy! We ventured back down and back home for the night.
Tuesday my family did the city bus tour. They got to see more things in Korea than I have probably seen. They went to the war memorial and saw the palace and such. Not really sure. When I got off work, I went and met up with them for dinner. Then we just relaxed in the hotel room and watched a movie. Nice family bonding time.
Wednesday we got up and I wanted to do some cafes like a cat cafe, dog cafe, sheep cafe, and a cafe where the fish eat your feet. So we ventured to Myeongdong and found that the cat cafe was closed so we went to the fish eat your feet cafe. We did that and that was the most bizarre thing I have ever done. The whole thing was only 20 minutes but I couldn't keep my feet in for more than 5 seconds for the first 10 minutes. The feeling was so weird. It tickled SO bad. I was literally screaming. Someone probably thought I was dying. Once I kind of got used to the feeling, it just felt like my feet had fallen asleep and they just nom nom away on your dead skin. After that, we went back to Insadong, which my family had briefly seen the day before and wanted to see again. We did a little souvenir shopping there and then tried the cat cafe again. Still closed. So we went back to Gangnam and found one a block from their hotel. We only had a short time because we had to go catch a baseball game, but we got to see the little kitties in the cafe. For my sister, probably not that big a deal since she saw hers like a week ago, but for me and especially Brig, we were like, whoa KITTIES!
Then we went to a Korean baseball game. Maybe you've read my other blog about Korean baseball, but going to a game is NOTHING like what you experience in America. Cheerleaders, loud crowds....it's like what you'd expect at a college football game. But what was cute was that the cheerleaders were wearing mini Hanbok (traditional Korean clothes) for the first few innings. I thought it was adorable, but then naturally as the innings went on, they had many a wardrobe change.
To end the night, Brigitte and I took my sister to one of my favorite bars, Bunker. There were very few people there because of Chuseok, but we still had a good time! We played some Jenga and this one game where you stick some sticks in the side of this barrel and when the head pops out you lose. Fun times indeed!
Thursday was actual Chuseok and for this day, we headed to the Han River. We wandered for a while trying to find the bike rental place. We finally found it but then decided to go on a boat tour. Found out when we got on the boat that it was more a fun tour type thing for kids, not so much a river tour. But we got to see the city from the river and some adorable kids and some creepy mascot things. When we got off the boat, we found the bike rental place and rode down the river the other direction. Jess and I tried out a tandem...not that easy, not that easy. REALLY hard actually, until you get the hang of it. We probably almost crashed like 5 times.
Friday was Everland day! Everland is a theme park in Korea. We heard that during Chuseok, there would be significantly less people there so we thought we'd try it out. There was also a foreigner discount so instead of paying 45 bucks, we only paid 25. We rode a GIANT viking ship. Biggest one I've ever seen, and highest I've ever seen one go. That was fun. Then we did a upside downy roller coaster, that was fun, waited for probably half an hour for that one (not bad). Then we thought we'd go to Safari Land which is what all my kids RAVE about. It's like THE reason to go to Everland, apparently. However the line for that was like 2 hours long, so we passed on that one. We waited like half an hour for a water rafty type ride. Typical Korea, they have tarps to cover you and they squeegee off the seats. Pretty fun. My mom got drenched (only one). Then we hit the animal section. Saw some animals in very confined spaces when they should have much more room than they had. A little depressing and made me glad we didn't go on the safari because that may have been even more depressing. Last was the T Express. Hugest and most bestest roller coaster of my life. Although we waited in line for an hour and a half, it was worth the wait because it was epicly awesome. We decided to call it a day after that because we're getting too old for all this waiting around.
Saturday we had a laid back day. My daddy made eggs and bacon for breakfast! SO YUMMY. Then we went to the Suwon Fortress. Our original plan was to ride the train up to the top, but that was sold out until 4 and it was noon so we voted against that and just wandered around until 130 when we got to do some arrow shooting. This was my second time doing and I actually hit the board for half of them, as opposed to last time when I hit the board zero times. When we got home, we walked around cafe street a bit, then headed to Brigittes home area called Suji. We had some dinner and soju there, played a little darts, and then my family experienced Koreas Norebang. This is karaoke, but in a small room with just the people you're with. Pretty awesome because you can choose any songs you want and you're usually quite comfortable with said people since they're generally your friends.
Sunday morning dark and early, I walked my parents to the bus stop, said byebye, and sent them on their long journey home.
Overall, I had a great time with them and saw a lot of touristy things I probably wouldn't have done if they hadn't visited and I do believe they had a splendid time as well.
They made it.
First Korean BBQ
I tried Kimchi...it was ok.
Photo Bomb
Subway
Namsan Tower
Locks for days
fish eating my dead skin. So tickly.
Cat Cafe
My new kitten friend.
Korean Baseball
Balloon headband. All day son, all day. Ticket to the tour boat. No joke.
Giant viking ship
Mom and dad shoot some arrows.
So does Jess
Norebang, Korean Karaoke.
Jeju-do Vacay
Our Jeju Journey began on Friday. Our flight was leaving from Gimpo at 12:20. So we thought we'd catch the shuttle around 9. We figured an hour on the shuttle, and we would then be approximately 2 hours early to this airport. So we get to the shuttle stop, and the bus doesn't come for like 45 minutes. Then we get stuck in LOTS of traffic. Who knew there would be so much traffic on a random Friday mid-morning. But there was. Brigitte and I start figuring out what we're going to do if we miss our flight because it's now about 11:30 and we're still sitting in traffic (quite a stressful time for my poor mother). Fortunately, we arrive at the airport, run to check in, and the guy says to be to the terminal before 11:50. I look at my watch only to see that it's 11:45 and we haven't gone through security yet. The good news about Gimpo airport is that it's tiny. We get through security in about 5 minutes and run to the terminal. TIME TO SPARE. My family had time to pee. We filled up our water bottles. Psh, what were we even worried about. Brigitte and I maintain that that's what we intended to happen the whole time!
We get to Jeju after a short 1 hour flight and find our hotel. Unload, take a breather, and then decide to walk towards the water. We could see it, but it was probably a kilometer away. We got to the bottom of the hill and saw a nice little place that said "coffee and beer" and decided it's in our best interest to stop on in there. The guy there was REALLY nice and spoke wonderful English. He recommended us some places to eat and we made our way to the beach. After a quick dip for my parents and sister, and some feet dipping for me and Brig, we decided to make a journey to find some kind of food. The struggle here was that my mom is vegetarian (although she still eats fish) and I prefer not to eat fish. Fortunately we struck gold and found a place that served both fish and pork. Come to find out half way through our meal that the pork is the black haired pork, famous on Jeju, and to prove that you're eating the pork, they leave the hairs in the meat that is cooking on the grill in front of you. Brigitte's mental breakdown about the hair alerted the cooking attendant to ever so gracefully cut the hairy part off. The meat itself was quite good. Glad I tried a Jeju delicacy. We then stalked up on groceries from the local 7-11 and headed back to the hotel for some rest.
This might be a good place to add that we stayed in a typical pension, where we sleep on the floor. No beds. This was quite surprising and alarming to my parents.
The next day (Saturday) we arranged to pay a flat fee for a taxi to take us around the island all day to all the places we wanted to see.
Our first stop was the "popular" beach, whose name I forget. It was pouring all morning but stopped just in time for us to get to the beach! YAY! We didn't swim, but we walked around a bit and enjoyed the sights.
Our next couple of stops were two of the waterfalls on Jeju. both were very pretty. The second one is the only waterfall that flows fresh water into salt water. Pretty cool I guess. Very pretty to see a waterfall on the edge of the ocean.
Then we headed to a couple of craters. The first was a huge "hike" where we climbed up a TON of stairs (I think my sister counted 707 or something like that). The view from the top was gorgeous. Out one side, you could see the ocean, out the other side was the city and the tallest mountain in Korea, Hallasan. The second crater was significantly less cool. It was really just a big hole in the ground.
Our last stop was to the famous (or if you're my mother, infamous) Jeju Love Land (don't worry mom, I won't post the pictures). But to paint a picture of what this place includes, imagine a park, filled with phallic things. This park originally started as university art project. Then it gradually got added to and became a nice place for couples to visit to (according to the guidebook) "get inspiration" or to "become educated." Side note: Jeju is a pretty big honeymoon destination for Koreans because it's called the "Hawaii of Korea" as it has nice beaches and nice weather. Anyways, my parents opted out of this visit but Brigitte and Jessica and I had a grand old time walking around the park. I'm pretty sure Korea is the only place in the world to make a park of such things.
The last day we had in Jeju we decided to go to Hallim Park which is a park with a little bit of everything Jeju has to offer. Our first stop was the lava tubes, which is pretty much what it sounds like, a tube made from lava. There were 3 tunnels so that was pretty neato. Then we walked through the botanical garden and the bird sanctuary. Last we stopped by the mini folk village, got some lunch, and then headed to the beach. We ended the day just hanging out on the beach and swimming. We had to head up to the hotel around 3 to begin the process of catching our flight home, which was flawless (totally on time!).
That was our greater Jeju experience. Quite fun. I'm glad I was able to go in my time here!
First Beach
First waterfall
Second waterfall that flows into salt water.
First crater. So green!
The inside/view beyond the crater
View from the other side...Hallasan in the background
Crater number 2. That light green stuff down there is the bottom. Significantly less cool.
Tuesday, September 3, 2013
A Pirate's Life
This weekend, Sara and I embarked on a pirate journey. We left Seoul on Friday night at about 11 pm and arrived at port at 5 am. This meant sleeping on the bus. Not easy. AND it meant we were forced to stay on the bus and sleep, or sleep outside when we arrived at port at 5 am until we could get on the boat at 9 am. Rough night, all in all about 3 hours of sleep. Then we got on the boat and took off on our pirating adventure. I'll give you some highlights from the trip, but not all the details because some things, well, ya just don't need to know about.
1. We had a makgeolli boat come and meet us and deliver us like 60 something bottles of makgeolli for the boat. That was pretty fantastic.
2. We went to an island that had dinosaurs on it at one point and you could see the dino tracks in the rocks.
3. We sailed around and jumped in the water.
4. We docked for the night on a different island than normal because of the typhoon headed towards Japan. It was making the waters a bit rougher than expected.
5. We went to try and explore and find another beach, failed. Whatever, still an adventure.
6. We bbqed delicious meat for dinner with our new friends.
7. There were games played that were quite enjoyable and help you get to know new people really quickly.
8. There were a couple rap battles.....although it was a bit of a fail on a couple of the battlers parts. But still humorous and entertaining none the less.
9. The next day we set sail again.
10. Swam some more
11. I got a LOT of sun this weekend.
I think this weekend was potentially the most fun I've had on a weekend in Korea. It's hard to say, because I've had many fantastic weekends. But this was definitely a cherry topper to the summer and to my trip in Korea. I met many new people, bonded with some old friends, and just had an overall grand ole time!
1. We had a makgeolli boat come and meet us and deliver us like 60 something bottles of makgeolli for the boat. That was pretty fantastic.
2. We went to an island that had dinosaurs on it at one point and you could see the dino tracks in the rocks.
3. We sailed around and jumped in the water.
4. We docked for the night on a different island than normal because of the typhoon headed towards Japan. It was making the waters a bit rougher than expected.
5. We went to try and explore and find another beach, failed. Whatever, still an adventure.
6. We bbqed delicious meat for dinner with our new friends.
7. There were games played that were quite enjoyable and help you get to know new people really quickly.
8. There were a couple rap battles.....although it was a bit of a fail on a couple of the battlers parts. But still humorous and entertaining none the less.
9. The next day we set sail again.
10. Swam some more
11. I got a LOT of sun this weekend.
I think this weekend was potentially the most fun I've had on a weekend in Korea. It's hard to say, because I've had many fantastic weekends. But this was definitely a cherry topper to the summer and to my trip in Korea. I met many new people, bonded with some old friends, and just had an overall grand ole time!
This is my darling friend, Sara, and her cat pillow.
We had the option of sleeping in a tent on the cement, or on the boat, we went for boat.
New friendsies.
Yummy bbq dinner and soju.
The Koreana
Dino print!
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