Just in case you ever go on a hike through Jirisan National Park with Koreans, here are some tips for you:
1. Don't.
2. There is not such thing as "it's downhill from here". If you say that, you've jnxed the whole group by having to walk another 6km uphill.
3. When someone says we only have to cross two mountains. What they are really saying is we have to cross two incredibly high mountains and many many small mountains. Get ready.
4. The scenery is the walking. No time for breaks.
5. Sometimes food comes last.
6. Bring a flashlight because the sun will go down when you still have another 7km to go.
7. When you pack, don't. Anything you bring, Koreans will already have waiting for you. You will likely return with much more than you came with.
8. If you do pack, remember it's not for you, it's for the group.
9. Remember there is a group, and you are a very integral part of it, no matter what.
10. You will be handfed food by many people. Especially the students. They will also take care of you if you ever need it. You look thirsty? There's a bottle of water in front of your face.
11. Students who don't speak in class, or speak very rarely will voluntarily strike up long conversations with you. Suddenly their English has become amazing.
12. Sleeping is for the weak. It just gets in the way.
13. The same cannot be said for eating. There will be a feast. It's not always good, but there is always plenty of food.
14. Stay away from the air-compressed ready made curry. Unless you like watered down sugar ketchup.
15. If it's 11:00pm and you've been hiking for 14 hours straight, there is not time to make a bed on the floor because it will get in the way of drinking soju with everyone during a barbecue feast.
16. Never say you like something. The amount you are given will never end.
17. One shot of any alcohol is never just one shot. Sometimes they will actually hand you the bottle, and if you don't pour, someone will.
18. If it's 2:30am and someone asks you a question in Korean and then follows with an English "Yes", never fall back on repeating yes. Yes, more often than not, turns out to be another bottle of whiskey.
19. Remember that Koreans are out to have a good time. Just roll with how they do things and you'll do just fine.
20. The more you complain, the more hindsight will kick you in the butt.
21. Even though the scenery may not be the key to Korean hiking, when you reach the top, your mind can't help but being blown.
22. Even though many Koreans will not stop for a break, take a stop at a lookout point and take it all in. When it hits you that you are completely isolated and scaling and entire mountain system, you may become slightly more humbled about the experience.
23. The sights may not be their prime interest, but Koreans love their natural heritage and love talking about it. Listen to them and you might learn a few things, albeit in Konglish.
24. Koreans love talking. And so should you. They will ask you questions, most of the time you will not know what it is, but try your hardest to answer.
25. Bring ear plugs. When you're in a room with 20 Koreans and trying to sleep, you might be better off outside.
26. This is the perfect opportunity to teach your students slang terms. They want to talk to you, but remember it's not school, and it should be fun. Joke with them and give them a few things that they can say to each other. They'll get a good laugh out of it.
27. Locals who are not part of your group will be very surprised to see a non-Korean hiking the trails. You will get stared at, but throw them an annyeonghaseyo and their curiousity or confusion changes into excitement pretty quickly.
28. It feels great to be able to stand on one of Korea's highest peaks. When you are at a peak after hours of trekking, try and hold back the "I'm the King of the World" shoutout, Koreans probably think you're weird enough.
29. It may be a long trek. Find out beforehand. If you go in blind, you may be surprised to find out that you still have another 30km to walk and might have to cross 6 or 7 mountains. But don't complain. The worst you can do is not soak it in. Remember everyone is going through the same thing. Being a Bitter Benny will only make things worse and will get you no where.
30. On second hand, you should go.
2012년 5월 22일 화요일
2012년 5월 1일 화요일
Oh hey there. Been a while. Yeah, it's been a while. It's been a while since I've shared some of my stories. I guess the last month and a half has been up and down. Following the St. Pat's adventures in Seoul came many many more trips up to Seoul. But, here's the first one. We travelled up to Seoul for some Seoul discovery and shopping because there just isn't enough in our province. Solid weekend out. Kept ourselves busy by exploring different sections of Seoul. I'm getting a real kick out of travel planning, seems I spend most of my time doing that now.
But, discovering the different parts of Seoul came with meeting some local celebrities too. We met two, both were on some random television shows I'd never heard of (not that I'm caught up on my Korean TV-watchings. One was selling women's clothes...as much as it made sense why he was selling it, it was as weird as it sounds. That was in Itaewon which is the international district of Seoul. My first time in the area I got a kick out it, and thought it might have been my favourite part of the city. Maybe I'm becoming too accustomed to Korea but that spot was a little too foreign-dependent. It's nice to go there and get what you need, but personally, I'd much rather spend my time elsewhere. It is convenient that there are a few foreign markets, so anything I could want that I can't find in Korea is likely in Itaewon. And I'm pretty sure I went on about the Rocky Mountain Canadian Tavern in another post? If not, it is exactly what i sounds, so it was nice to go back to Canada for an hour. After that, we dove into the shopping district of Myeongdong. I dig that spot. Even though I'm a small guy, it can actually be hard for me to find some thigns that fit. Dang those Koreans and their super lean bodies. But Myeongdong has the solution. I can see another shopping spree coming on in the next little while. After Myeongdong shopping, why not hit the night life. So we jumped around Hongdae. This is an area close to one University, so it has a super active night life, although this time around it seemed rather quiet compared to the last time I came out. Still a fun time and I know there are still a ton of places I need to discover. Just researched a bunch of cool cafes to check out like the Hello Kitty Cafe, not my thing but how often do you get to have a waffle shaped like Hello Kitty?
But this trip to Seoul also led me into a sickness I could not fully shake for a month. I managed to get better only for Easter, which naturally brought me back up to Seoul where we indulged in an epic buffet of ham, turkey, mashed potatoes, tomato and mozzarella salad and I made a banana bread. For an Easter away from home, it was spent well.
Following that came my second round of sickness. This was a doozy. There was no way I could have shaken it. Should have stayed home from work, but the stubborn guy I am I went into school. The school should have just been quarantined. Many Koreans don't bother covering their mouths when they cough or sneeze, so I am in a constant dodge of bacteria. It doesn't help. I spent a few days cooped up inside curled in my bed and feeling nothing but suffocation and dizziness. Great way to spend the weekend. Especially since it was about 30 degrees. But, again, my stubborness got the best of me, so I decided to kick away from the sickness and go for a hike. Not a good idea. I felt like death immediately afterward. And for the next week. Blah.
But luckily I was nearly back to normal come around my birthday. Like always, I don't tell people it was my birthday, so a small group of us went out to dinner. But, good thing I mentioned the peanut allergy because over half of the meal had nuts somewhere inside it. For a four course meal it was a delicious salad. But, got my first try at screen golf. This is actually really fun. You get a room to your group, and there is a screen and a stage in front of you, and you play it like you would play golf. You swing a regular club and hit a golf ball, but it's all to a screen. I'm terrible (actually, even that is an understatement) but it was a great time.
And then the celebrations continued into the next weekend for...can you guess? Another trip to Seoul. This time around we went on a hunt to discover Wolmido Island. We were in Incheon which has become my second (third?) home. So I took some people on a tour of Incheon, well a bit of Incheon. Wolmido is an "island" (no longer coined an island since 1989 when it was connected to the mainland) off Incheon Port. It's actually a really cool place. The island is set up like a beach resort. It reminded me of home. They have a street called Culture Street which is filled with bars, restaurants, stores and stands all along the water's edge. And they also have live performances along here. Then they have two amusement parks. If you get the chance to visit Wolmido I highly recommend getting on the Apollo Disco. You want a rocky ride? You got it. Plus, when it comes to the DJ controlling it, he's going for laughs, so he will pick on you and make you his bitch. Before I got on the ride I was pegged by him since I was the only non-Asian in the park. Basically the ride is a circle and you are sitting along the edges with nothing to hold you in but your own hands on the railing. The ride will spin slowly or fast and along the way the DJ makes the ride jump, so you are flying in all directions. It's one hell of a ride. And it's not like back home where even the long rides are about 3 minutes. Expect a solid 10+minute ride. Your arms will hurt, and part of you will want to ride again. Another thing I would recommend is the fresh fish. We went to a fish barbecue joint near the water. For less than $50 you get more than enough seafood and it's all super fresh. Then after that and a dinner and walkaround in Chinatown, off to Bupyeong, Incheon's nightlife district. First time here and it was a really cool spot. American soldiers put a damper on the night almost immediately, but we picked it up after putting them in their place.
That brings me to now. Well, the Korean is coming along. I can write it now, and I can understand a little bit more, but I'm still having a bit of trouble separating words from each other, especially since Jeolla province is known for speaking a highly different dialect than the rest of the country. But I can read it and translate it now, so that's a start. Maybe conversation will come soon. Not too bad for not having an actual course.
Well that's it for me. I could have said a lot more, but maybe I'll save it. My biggest dilemma right now is the renewing of the contract. Stay or go or stay or go. One week I have my answer, the next it's something different. Ahh. Still a couple months away though. Hope you're all doing great back home!
But, discovering the different parts of Seoul came with meeting some local celebrities too. We met two, both were on some random television shows I'd never heard of (not that I'm caught up on my Korean TV-watchings. One was selling women's clothes...as much as it made sense why he was selling it, it was as weird as it sounds. That was in Itaewon which is the international district of Seoul. My first time in the area I got a kick out it, and thought it might have been my favourite part of the city. Maybe I'm becoming too accustomed to Korea but that spot was a little too foreign-dependent. It's nice to go there and get what you need, but personally, I'd much rather spend my time elsewhere. It is convenient that there are a few foreign markets, so anything I could want that I can't find in Korea is likely in Itaewon. And I'm pretty sure I went on about the Rocky Mountain Canadian Tavern in another post? If not, it is exactly what i sounds, so it was nice to go back to Canada for an hour. After that, we dove into the shopping district of Myeongdong. I dig that spot. Even though I'm a small guy, it can actually be hard for me to find some thigns that fit. Dang those Koreans and their super lean bodies. But Myeongdong has the solution. I can see another shopping spree coming on in the next little while. After Myeongdong shopping, why not hit the night life. So we jumped around Hongdae. This is an area close to one University, so it has a super active night life, although this time around it seemed rather quiet compared to the last time I came out. Still a fun time and I know there are still a ton of places I need to discover. Just researched a bunch of cool cafes to check out like the Hello Kitty Cafe, not my thing but how often do you get to have a waffle shaped like Hello Kitty?
But this trip to Seoul also led me into a sickness I could not fully shake for a month. I managed to get better only for Easter, which naturally brought me back up to Seoul where we indulged in an epic buffet of ham, turkey, mashed potatoes, tomato and mozzarella salad and I made a banana bread. For an Easter away from home, it was spent well.
Following that came my second round of sickness. This was a doozy. There was no way I could have shaken it. Should have stayed home from work, but the stubborn guy I am I went into school. The school should have just been quarantined. Many Koreans don't bother covering their mouths when they cough or sneeze, so I am in a constant dodge of bacteria. It doesn't help. I spent a few days cooped up inside curled in my bed and feeling nothing but suffocation and dizziness. Great way to spend the weekend. Especially since it was about 30 degrees. But, again, my stubborness got the best of me, so I decided to kick away from the sickness and go for a hike. Not a good idea. I felt like death immediately afterward. And for the next week. Blah.
But luckily I was nearly back to normal come around my birthday. Like always, I don't tell people it was my birthday, so a small group of us went out to dinner. But, good thing I mentioned the peanut allergy because over half of the meal had nuts somewhere inside it. For a four course meal it was a delicious salad. But, got my first try at screen golf. This is actually really fun. You get a room to your group, and there is a screen and a stage in front of you, and you play it like you would play golf. You swing a regular club and hit a golf ball, but it's all to a screen. I'm terrible (actually, even that is an understatement) but it was a great time.
And then the celebrations continued into the next weekend for...can you guess? Another trip to Seoul. This time around we went on a hunt to discover Wolmido Island. We were in Incheon which has become my second (third?) home. So I took some people on a tour of Incheon, well a bit of Incheon. Wolmido is an "island" (no longer coined an island since 1989 when it was connected to the mainland) off Incheon Port. It's actually a really cool place. The island is set up like a beach resort. It reminded me of home. They have a street called Culture Street which is filled with bars, restaurants, stores and stands all along the water's edge. And they also have live performances along here. Then they have two amusement parks. If you get the chance to visit Wolmido I highly recommend getting on the Apollo Disco. You want a rocky ride? You got it. Plus, when it comes to the DJ controlling it, he's going for laughs, so he will pick on you and make you his bitch. Before I got on the ride I was pegged by him since I was the only non-Asian in the park. Basically the ride is a circle and you are sitting along the edges with nothing to hold you in but your own hands on the railing. The ride will spin slowly or fast and along the way the DJ makes the ride jump, so you are flying in all directions. It's one hell of a ride. And it's not like back home where even the long rides are about 3 minutes. Expect a solid 10+minute ride. Your arms will hurt, and part of you will want to ride again. Another thing I would recommend is the fresh fish. We went to a fish barbecue joint near the water. For less than $50 you get more than enough seafood and it's all super fresh. Then after that and a dinner and walkaround in Chinatown, off to Bupyeong, Incheon's nightlife district. First time here and it was a really cool spot. American soldiers put a damper on the night almost immediately, but we picked it up after putting them in their place.
That brings me to now. Well, the Korean is coming along. I can write it now, and I can understand a little bit more, but I'm still having a bit of trouble separating words from each other, especially since Jeolla province is known for speaking a highly different dialect than the rest of the country. But I can read it and translate it now, so that's a start. Maybe conversation will come soon. Not too bad for not having an actual course.
Well that's it for me. I could have said a lot more, but maybe I'll save it. My biggest dilemma right now is the renewing of the contract. Stay or go or stay or go. One week I have my answer, the next it's something different. Ahh. Still a couple months away though. Hope you're all doing great back home!
2012년 3월 20일 화요일
The Post-St.Pat's Post
Been a while. The new semester is in full swing. This is my first full week of classes since December, so it's a bit of an adjustment getting into the pattern. Still a little confused and out of the loop with some things, and the days seem to go up and down with me knowing exactly what is happening. An example of this: I have afterschool classes with 20 higher level students on Tuesdays and Thursdays. What I wasn't told was that I also have one on Mondays. I found that one out by one of the students in the class who came to my desk and told me that they've been waiting to start class. My co-teacher forgot to tell me about this little bit of info. So walk into this 2-hour class with nothing. Nadda. I scramble, and manage a terrible lesson while the projector warms up. Awful. But luckily a few games are up my sleeve, so finish the last 40 mins off on a solid note. I've got the grade 1s on a great start, at least I think so. They hang onto my every word, which is way different than the other grades. I like this fresh start.
Also new are the divisions between higher level and lower level students. A great choice on the school. It's more class (nearly double), more work, way less prep time (almost zero) but I think it will pay off. So far the different goals set in the classes have been working. Plus, for the lower level students there is a new English teacher that I work with who speaks English incredibly well and she's my age so it's nice to finally have someone to talk to. I also got a replacement main co-teacher, but since she had back surgery in January she is out of commission for a few months. In her place, another young co-teacher around my age who studied in B.C. So the communication level has gone up this semester. Downside is how nervous she gets when she speaks English, so she doesn't seem to like speaking English too much. But it's still good. Found a bond over music, so now I've got a few ideas how to have fun lessons together. I'm also looking forward to the international afterschool classes I'll be having. My country school has gotten a little bigger with internationally-learned students. There's the one student who lived in Canada, one who studied in France (she is fluent in French, English and Korean, she's 15!), one from...I always mix it up, Philippines or Malaysia (I think Philippines), and I'm sure I'm missing another one. Should make for some good discussions.
My travels from the first three months have settled down. I have taken to more local outings. Suncheon and surrounding areas have been where I've stayed. Plus Seoul, but that's becoming my home away from home away from home. That being said, meeting new people is never out of the question. While waiting for a bus the other day a black car pulled over. At first I thought it was a taxi, so I said what the heck and jumped in. Turns out it isn't a taxi. So some stranger has decided to pick me up and I just went with it. As it turns out, it was a zen master from one of the Buddhist temples in Gurye. So it was incredibly nice of him to drive me home, and we had a nice conversation on the way. It's these little things that I love and will miss about Korea. You don't really get that back home, and it really never ceases to amaze me. Even the slight gesture of someone picking me up at the end of the long driveway to my apartment in spitting rain, still amazes me.
Also new, I spontaneously made a little purchase. While visiting Suncheon one weekend, I was about to leave, and found I had an hour to kill before my train arrived. So I'm in E-Mart, which is like a Zellers or WalMart, and I'm staring at the pet section. After three minutes of physical deliberation while my mind was made up, I walk out with a little hamster. I named him "DwuiDa" which means "jump/lunge" because he jumps from everything. Yep. Little apartment is a little more crowded. Not to mention all the plant life I've been given.
Well I hope everyone enjoyed their St. Pat's!
Also new are the divisions between higher level and lower level students. A great choice on the school. It's more class (nearly double), more work, way less prep time (almost zero) but I think it will pay off. So far the different goals set in the classes have been working. Plus, for the lower level students there is a new English teacher that I work with who speaks English incredibly well and she's my age so it's nice to finally have someone to talk to. I also got a replacement main co-teacher, but since she had back surgery in January she is out of commission for a few months. In her place, another young co-teacher around my age who studied in B.C. So the communication level has gone up this semester. Downside is how nervous she gets when she speaks English, so she doesn't seem to like speaking English too much. But it's still good. Found a bond over music, so now I've got a few ideas how to have fun lessons together. I'm also looking forward to the international afterschool classes I'll be having. My country school has gotten a little bigger with internationally-learned students. There's the one student who lived in Canada, one who studied in France (she is fluent in French, English and Korean, she's 15!), one from...I always mix it up, Philippines or Malaysia (I think Philippines), and I'm sure I'm missing another one. Should make for some good discussions.
My travels from the first three months have settled down. I have taken to more local outings. Suncheon and surrounding areas have been where I've stayed. Plus Seoul, but that's becoming my home away from home away from home. That being said, meeting new people is never out of the question. While waiting for a bus the other day a black car pulled over. At first I thought it was a taxi, so I said what the heck and jumped in. Turns out it isn't a taxi. So some stranger has decided to pick me up and I just went with it. As it turns out, it was a zen master from one of the Buddhist temples in Gurye. So it was incredibly nice of him to drive me home, and we had a nice conversation on the way. It's these little things that I love and will miss about Korea. You don't really get that back home, and it really never ceases to amaze me. Even the slight gesture of someone picking me up at the end of the long driveway to my apartment in spitting rain, still amazes me.
Also new, I spontaneously made a little purchase. While visiting Suncheon one weekend, I was about to leave, and found I had an hour to kill before my train arrived. So I'm in E-Mart, which is like a Zellers or WalMart, and I'm staring at the pet section. After three minutes of physical deliberation while my mind was made up, I walk out with a little hamster. I named him "DwuiDa" which means "jump/lunge" because he jumps from everything. Yep. Little apartment is a little more crowded. Not to mention all the plant life I've been given.
Well I hope everyone enjoyed their St. Pat's!
2012년 3월 5일 월요일
The Slow Process of Adjusting
Well the honeymoon is officially over. It's four months in now, so no longer a fresh face to Korea. Vacation is over and the new semester has started. The rest of deskwarming was better than expected, managed to go for some lunches and talk with teachers I didn't get the chance to talk with before so it was nice getting a Korean perspective on some things. Plus tried some new dishes.
My cooking is getting better over here. Now that the travels have settled down and I have put a bit of a hold of my lack of stasis I have finally settled into my apartment. Took a long time but I am no longer using the bare minimum as a result of my lack of shopping and stocking the new apartment. Which means I actually have food int he fridge that doesn't simply consist of pasta or prepackaged curries and other similar foods. Now I am actually experimenting with my Korean foods. So far I think it's a win, although I'm sure the locals would disagree. Successes have been inari sushi, kimchi fried rice wrapped in egg, bibimbap (the legit kind), ddeok beokki. Not to mention I've officially stocked up on my barista necessities. I've made homemade syrups and have an ample stock of espresso. I didn't think I could drink more espresso than I did back home but somehow I'm managing it.
But, with the settling in came the realization that I am officially in Korea. With all the travelling and lack of actual teaching (November and December almost felt like a breeze since it was all post-exam and I had free-reign on everything, not to mention the amount of classes that were cancelled, then two months of vacay) it felt like I was on an extended vacation. But not it's finally starting to settle in and I think I'm getting my first actual dose of culture shock. I think that mixed with the mostly downer weather we've been having has been a little bit of an adjustment. Once I get past this middle period of the contract I'm sure everything will be golden again. Always some humps right?
I think I might start growing a garden. Since I live on a farm and am one of the few people actually living on my property, I might try growing some vegetables outside and get some herb pots. Might make for some good foods. Hopefully I can get in on some of the persimmon, lettuce and rice batches that the local farmers are growing in the fields around my house. With all that combined, might make for some delish homegrown meals.
Still confused with the start of the new semester though. Not entirely sure what's going on. It was a holiday on March 1, then class on the 2nd (well, they said there were classes, I didn't have any and it didn't look like anybody else did either, and there were the entrance ceremonies which somehow I missed) and then Monday the 5th was another holiday (why they couldn't just make it a 5-day, I have no freaking clue). And now it's the 6th and I'm still royally confused. My main co-teacher was at the end of her contract so she switched schools. I had another co-teacher who would act as my main, so I met her for about twenty minutes on the Friday before March, but then I find out she's taking time off (which is definitely understandable, she had back surgery in January) but as to who my other co-teacher would be, I was confused. Met one replacement English teacher, but I have no idea if she's taking over the duties or what is going on. Plus no classes again, keep getting a "Maybe" response.
Ahh the change of seasons, never smooth sailing is it? I'm hoping that with the combination of the coming warmer weather, the settling of the schedules, the delivery of my piano, St. Patty's Day, Seoul and some other trips everything will fall back into place again. It's all about adjustment right?
My cooking is getting better over here. Now that the travels have settled down and I have put a bit of a hold of my lack of stasis I have finally settled into my apartment. Took a long time but I am no longer using the bare minimum as a result of my lack of shopping and stocking the new apartment. Which means I actually have food int he fridge that doesn't simply consist of pasta or prepackaged curries and other similar foods. Now I am actually experimenting with my Korean foods. So far I think it's a win, although I'm sure the locals would disagree. Successes have been inari sushi, kimchi fried rice wrapped in egg, bibimbap (the legit kind), ddeok beokki. Not to mention I've officially stocked up on my barista necessities. I've made homemade syrups and have an ample stock of espresso. I didn't think I could drink more espresso than I did back home but somehow I'm managing it.
But, with the settling in came the realization that I am officially in Korea. With all the travelling and lack of actual teaching (November and December almost felt like a breeze since it was all post-exam and I had free-reign on everything, not to mention the amount of classes that were cancelled, then two months of vacay) it felt like I was on an extended vacation. But not it's finally starting to settle in and I think I'm getting my first actual dose of culture shock. I think that mixed with the mostly downer weather we've been having has been a little bit of an adjustment. Once I get past this middle period of the contract I'm sure everything will be golden again. Always some humps right?
I think I might start growing a garden. Since I live on a farm and am one of the few people actually living on my property, I might try growing some vegetables outside and get some herb pots. Might make for some good foods. Hopefully I can get in on some of the persimmon, lettuce and rice batches that the local farmers are growing in the fields around my house. With all that combined, might make for some delish homegrown meals.
Still confused with the start of the new semester though. Not entirely sure what's going on. It was a holiday on March 1, then class on the 2nd (well, they said there were classes, I didn't have any and it didn't look like anybody else did either, and there were the entrance ceremonies which somehow I missed) and then Monday the 5th was another holiday (why they couldn't just make it a 5-day, I have no freaking clue). And now it's the 6th and I'm still royally confused. My main co-teacher was at the end of her contract so she switched schools. I had another co-teacher who would act as my main, so I met her for about twenty minutes on the Friday before March, but then I find out she's taking time off (which is definitely understandable, she had back surgery in January) but as to who my other co-teacher would be, I was confused. Met one replacement English teacher, but I have no idea if she's taking over the duties or what is going on. Plus no classes again, keep getting a "Maybe" response.
Ahh the change of seasons, never smooth sailing is it? I'm hoping that with the combination of the coming warmer weather, the settling of the schedules, the delivery of my piano, St. Patty's Day, Seoul and some other trips everything will fall back into place again. It's all about adjustment right?
2012년 2월 15일 수요일
GDC Disbands
The next day I find myself walking through life with a mild haze as we finish off the temple tour and look at Ta Prohm which is a temple so intertwined with nature that pictures cannot do it justice. To see the petrified trees acting as an extension of the temples is to not do it any justice. When you look at the scope of the temple itself and the history they have both come from, it's just unbelievable. A great way to finish off our temple days.
I wish that continued. As we wait for our midnight bus to arrive, I want nothing more than to sleep off life for a few hours so I look forward to getting on a bus and catching some sleep until the morning. We were also told it would be a straight 11 hour bus ride down to Sihanoukville. Well...
I find some little comfort on the bus, but sitting at the front, everytime i got comfortable I felt someone pushing my foot. Yep. Someone was sitting on the bus steps, I guess thinking that my flip flop would fall (I'm assuming) and they kept pushing my feet. Little creepy, not going to lie, so sleep did not come. Then 6:30am rolls around and we're back in Phnom Penh where they're telling us to get off the bus. So we're off and find out we have to switch buses, but it doesn't come for two hours. So we wait, and we end up getting split up with the minibuses that take us to the actual terminal. After a sketchy ten minutes leading to us leaving, we're on an oversold bus, I'm sitting beside all of the luggage, there's an odd smell coming from everywhere, and no one is comfortable. Maybe some sleep? Nah, that would make things a little too nice. I don't really know if it's possible to ever sleep on these busses. Honestly. When they're not simply dodging cows, children, cars, bikes, cyclists, they are constantly honking. Most of the time the driver is honking at nothing. And it's an unbelievably sharp honk. I think one thing I miss about Canada is its lack of honking. I miss silent drives. It definitely didn't help that I was sandwiched between the luggage and an incredibly twitchy older guy who tried to look out over the seats everytime the driver honked his horn. The count must have been upwards of 150-200 lean overs, and it started making me anxious so sleep never came. Surprise.
But all that being said, after about 14 hours of discomfort, we arrive in Sihanoukville. The beach resort that actually did remind me of home. Picture the main end with not even close to as many people, bars that you actually want to be in, and food and drink prices that won't stick it to you when you're feeling a little peckish. Not to mention all the massages and fresh fruit you could ever want. You could really get used to that kind of place.
So plan for the week: relaxing by the beach and soaking up the sun. What I loved though about the are is the cool breeze that came off the gulf so at night, it was cool rather than hot as hell so being out and about was brilliant. Excited for a week of relaxing!
That is until the second day when surprise! I got violently ill. Started at about 4am. Good way to bring in the day on the beach. But because I'm stubborn and have a fear of missing out, there's no time for bedrest. So we check out another beach. Well, I check out the sand between my feet as my head rests between my knees, but it was a nice place. Not going to sugarcoat, not the greatest day. Should have packed some Gravol or something (travel advice) to soothe the stomach. But I guess I'll stick to the water that won't stay down.
Anyways. Luckily it was only a 24-hour thing and it passed by the next morning. So we're all feeling good. Until about 3:30 when Graham gets sick. Then about 5:00 when Mike gets ill. Apparently I started a domino effect because the next morning Ellen is ill. So it was definitely something we caught, not sure from where, but clearly something got in. So the week was a scattered mess of illness, but a blast nonetheless. We all took it like champs.
To finish off the week we decide to grab a boat tour that takes us snorkeling and to a beach where you can do a river walk and quick hike through the jungle. Ahh, great way to finish off vacation, could not have asked for better.
So it was sad to say goodbye to it all, really did fall in love with Cambodia while we were there. And I really think we lucked out. Illnesses aside (which really could have been worse) everything seemed to work in our favour and everything seemed to fall in place.
Oh Cambodia...until next time.
I wish that continued. As we wait for our midnight bus to arrive, I want nothing more than to sleep off life for a few hours so I look forward to getting on a bus and catching some sleep until the morning. We were also told it would be a straight 11 hour bus ride down to Sihanoukville. Well...
I find some little comfort on the bus, but sitting at the front, everytime i got comfortable I felt someone pushing my foot. Yep. Someone was sitting on the bus steps, I guess thinking that my flip flop would fall (I'm assuming) and they kept pushing my feet. Little creepy, not going to lie, so sleep did not come. Then 6:30am rolls around and we're back in Phnom Penh where they're telling us to get off the bus. So we're off and find out we have to switch buses, but it doesn't come for two hours. So we wait, and we end up getting split up with the minibuses that take us to the actual terminal. After a sketchy ten minutes leading to us leaving, we're on an oversold bus, I'm sitting beside all of the luggage, there's an odd smell coming from everywhere, and no one is comfortable. Maybe some sleep? Nah, that would make things a little too nice. I don't really know if it's possible to ever sleep on these busses. Honestly. When they're not simply dodging cows, children, cars, bikes, cyclists, they are constantly honking. Most of the time the driver is honking at nothing. And it's an unbelievably sharp honk. I think one thing I miss about Canada is its lack of honking. I miss silent drives. It definitely didn't help that I was sandwiched between the luggage and an incredibly twitchy older guy who tried to look out over the seats everytime the driver honked his horn. The count must have been upwards of 150-200 lean overs, and it started making me anxious so sleep never came. Surprise.
But all that being said, after about 14 hours of discomfort, we arrive in Sihanoukville. The beach resort that actually did remind me of home. Picture the main end with not even close to as many people, bars that you actually want to be in, and food and drink prices that won't stick it to you when you're feeling a little peckish. Not to mention all the massages and fresh fruit you could ever want. You could really get used to that kind of place.
So plan for the week: relaxing by the beach and soaking up the sun. What I loved though about the are is the cool breeze that came off the gulf so at night, it was cool rather than hot as hell so being out and about was brilliant. Excited for a week of relaxing!
That is until the second day when surprise! I got violently ill. Started at about 4am. Good way to bring in the day on the beach. But because I'm stubborn and have a fear of missing out, there's no time for bedrest. So we check out another beach. Well, I check out the sand between my feet as my head rests between my knees, but it was a nice place. Not going to sugarcoat, not the greatest day. Should have packed some Gravol or something (travel advice) to soothe the stomach. But I guess I'll stick to the water that won't stay down.
Anyways. Luckily it was only a 24-hour thing and it passed by the next morning. So we're all feeling good. Until about 3:30 when Graham gets sick. Then about 5:00 when Mike gets ill. Apparently I started a domino effect because the next morning Ellen is ill. So it was definitely something we caught, not sure from where, but clearly something got in. So the week was a scattered mess of illness, but a blast nonetheless. We all took it like champs.
To finish off the week we decide to grab a boat tour that takes us snorkeling and to a beach where you can do a river walk and quick hike through the jungle. Ahh, great way to finish off vacation, could not have asked for better.
So it was sad to say goodbye to it all, really did fall in love with Cambodia while we were there. And I really think we lucked out. Illnesses aside (which really could have been worse) everything seemed to work in our favour and everything seemed to fall in place.
Oh Cambodia...until next time.
Biking Through A Dream
Back with part two. I think I'm going through vacation withdrawal as I'm adapting back into Korean winter. No motivation lead me to not posting this, but I'm deskwarming and there's only so much Facebook, Korean course, lesson planning, travel planning, shopping and reading that you can do in one week. So I'm bringing in the blogging.
Day two of our temple tour was phenomenal. Rather than tuk tuk it out, we rented a couple bicycles to ride out to the temples. Way cheaper. Not going to lie, was a little bit sketched out at first with the thought of riding in the roads with all the tuk tuks, motorcyclists and cars, but it really wasn't bad and I wish we could have actually done more of it. So we biked out to the temples which seemed to take less time than it did to ride the tuk tuk out. Off to Angkor Thom!
The temple was unbelievable. The detail on these temples were incredible. This particular temple has over 150 faces carved into the temple structures as well as other detailed pieces. Just seeing it in person blew my mind. I don't think I can really describe it, but walking through these temples and knowing that they were built almost 1000 years ago with none of the equipment that we have, it's just mind boggling. And the fact that the religion is still alive there within the temple walls is a little surreal. So different from the west where religion is generally hush hush unless you're prepared to get some sort of backlash, here you are walking through a spiritual landscape that is held so highly amongst its people. It was just unreal to be a part of it for a little while. We got to climb a high tower that was easily 70 degrees minimum with no steps, only the rocks that hold it up, and on top was a Buddhist shrine with a monk where you can make prayers. So there you have the 360 degree view of the temple underneath your feet and a prayer shrine, just unreal.
After visiting a few other temples surrounding Angkor Thom we bike back to the hostel before the sun goes down. But we take the scenic route that goes around almost all of the temples. I will never be able to shake the sight of us biking passed Angkor Wat as the sun is setting behind the temple peaks while bouncing off the surface of the moat. You want to feel like you're living in a dream? It's right there waiting for you. The first night I was a little bummed out that we didn't get to check out the sunset on top of the temple, but after witnessing this and getting to bike beside the moat all the while the sun is setting made all those trivialities disappear. This was definitely one of the greatest highlights of my life, hands down. No regrets.
We top off the night with dinner and then off for some Australian Day celebrations at Angkor What? where the drinks are cheap and you get a t-shirt...some regrets.
Day two of our temple tour was phenomenal. Rather than tuk tuk it out, we rented a couple bicycles to ride out to the temples. Way cheaper. Not going to lie, was a little bit sketched out at first with the thought of riding in the roads with all the tuk tuks, motorcyclists and cars, but it really wasn't bad and I wish we could have actually done more of it. So we biked out to the temples which seemed to take less time than it did to ride the tuk tuk out. Off to Angkor Thom!
The temple was unbelievable. The detail on these temples were incredible. This particular temple has over 150 faces carved into the temple structures as well as other detailed pieces. Just seeing it in person blew my mind. I don't think I can really describe it, but walking through these temples and knowing that they were built almost 1000 years ago with none of the equipment that we have, it's just mind boggling. And the fact that the religion is still alive there within the temple walls is a little surreal. So different from the west where religion is generally hush hush unless you're prepared to get some sort of backlash, here you are walking through a spiritual landscape that is held so highly amongst its people. It was just unreal to be a part of it for a little while. We got to climb a high tower that was easily 70 degrees minimum with no steps, only the rocks that hold it up, and on top was a Buddhist shrine with a monk where you can make prayers. So there you have the 360 degree view of the temple underneath your feet and a prayer shrine, just unreal.
After visiting a few other temples surrounding Angkor Thom we bike back to the hostel before the sun goes down. But we take the scenic route that goes around almost all of the temples. I will never be able to shake the sight of us biking passed Angkor Wat as the sun is setting behind the temple peaks while bouncing off the surface of the moat. You want to feel like you're living in a dream? It's right there waiting for you. The first night I was a little bummed out that we didn't get to check out the sunset on top of the temple, but after witnessing this and getting to bike beside the moat all the while the sun is setting made all those trivialities disappear. This was definitely one of the greatest highlights of my life, hands down. No regrets.
We top off the night with dinner and then off for some Australian Day celebrations at Angkor What? where the drinks are cheap and you get a t-shirt...some regrets.
2012년 2월 4일 토요일
I Make Change
Like always, left packing far too late and yet again got very little sleep before heading out to Cambodia. On a plus side note, finally did some online Korean shopping and think it just might be a little too addictive. Super cheap and super easy and quick, order two separate items on two different nights a few days before my flight, and they both came in around dinner the day after I ordered them. I will definitely be jumping on that bandwagon. Anyways, off to Cambodia! Met Ellen in Gwangju to bus it up to the Incheon Airport for our evening departure. Bit of a long day of travelling that started around 8am, got into Cambodia around 11pm, but that's how she goes. Anyways, we rolled into Phnom Penh and we're off to the hostel, little place called Me Mates Place. We lucked out, at first the five of us were going to be in split rooms but the group hostel opened so we had the bigger room, plus a patio and rooftop terrace.
I'm just going to throw it out there that Phnom Penh is not my favourite city out there. There is so much poverty, and compared to the other cities we travelled through, it seemed awfully heightened in P.P. You couldn't stop to get gas without being surrounded by people asking for money and trying to sell you things. It's so sad to see, but impossible to help everyone over there. So there was definitely some culture shock getting into the city, which as it stands is actually pretty nice. Not a whole lot going on, but nice enough to spend a couple of days. We (Ellen and I, the other three arrived the night before us) had two nights and one day in P.P. so we jumped at the chance to see the local sights. The guy working the hostel tried so hard to convince us to go to a shooting range to fire some machine guns and, given $450, a rocket launcher. I would have been game for shooting a gun, but then reality sunk in with where we would be shooting it. Not exactly the safest location and the weapons were sketch, and to put into context with the rest of the day, I'm sure we all would have felt pretty awful if we had taken the opportunity. Our first stop was The Killing Fields. I made the mistake of not reading up on too much Cambodian history before travelling so everything was pretty fresh, but the Killing Fields were definitely depressing to walk through, and after going through that tour we went to S-21, which was a Prison used during the Khmer Rouge Communist Regime. It was a bit of a heavy day, I almost feel bad saying it was a great way to learn about Cambodian history, but it definitely makes me want to read more on the country. Day was topped off on a lighter note by visiting the Royal Palace and the Silver Pagoda.
Capped the night off with some dinner and meeting a few new faces, then some rooftop soccer and then prepared for our early morning departure into Siem Reap. Found enough of us so that we could rent a private van to drive us up there rather than take a bus (that little adventure will come later). It was a bit of a long drive up to Siem Reap. It took about six hours, but we made it. The guy from our other hostel set us up at the No Problem Villa so we already had a couple of rooms waiting for us. After settling in, off to Angkor Wat to watch the sunset. Underestimated just how busy it would be at that time, so we didn't get prime location to watch the sunset, but we got to glimpse it and check out a little bit of the temples area before heading back to the hostel and exploring the area. We lucked out and were in a fairly prime location, everything was pretty centralized and we could walk everywhere. Plus, we were close to the markets and Pub Street, so we had a little bit of everything.
We had a tuk tuk take us out to Angkor Wat again the next day to we could actually explore the temple. It still boggles my mind that we were walking through the temples only a couple weeks ago. It was so surreal to be in there. We heard it through the grapevine that most people leave the temples around 11 and return around 3-ish to escape the hottest times of the day, so naturally we made that our time to explore. I'm glad we did, the temple was not that busy, and it definitely enhanced the experience to be able to walk down some of the long corridors with nobody else. And it was definitely a lot bigger than I had anticipated. It looked big from the outside, but it seemed massive from the inside. Definitely a beautiful place to be, if I had a pretty good camera, I could easily spend hours on hours walking through there. Not to mention the monkeys. I've never seen a monkey in the wild, so it was pretty cool to see them just chillin at the side of the paths, or on the temple walkways. Great first day through Siem Reap.
The poverty in Siem Reap wasn't as bad as in Phnom Penh, but it was still fairly significant. But the whole city had a different vibe than how Phnom Penh felt. And I think I ran into one of the greatest swindlers I've every met. And I think she's only about 7 maybe 8. She definitely coaxed us into buying some bracelets. We tried the simple "Ah no money," but she knew how to work a sale and with a smirk and the line "I make change" she ended up getting a sale out of each of us. Was worth the dollar just for the entertainment value of it all, she spoke and understood English so much better than 90% of the kids I'm teaching.
Well I'ma break this trip down a bit, part two will come later.
I'm just going to throw it out there that Phnom Penh is not my favourite city out there. There is so much poverty, and compared to the other cities we travelled through, it seemed awfully heightened in P.P. You couldn't stop to get gas without being surrounded by people asking for money and trying to sell you things. It's so sad to see, but impossible to help everyone over there. So there was definitely some culture shock getting into the city, which as it stands is actually pretty nice. Not a whole lot going on, but nice enough to spend a couple of days. We (Ellen and I, the other three arrived the night before us) had two nights and one day in P.P. so we jumped at the chance to see the local sights. The guy working the hostel tried so hard to convince us to go to a shooting range to fire some machine guns and, given $450, a rocket launcher. I would have been game for shooting a gun, but then reality sunk in with where we would be shooting it. Not exactly the safest location and the weapons were sketch, and to put into context with the rest of the day, I'm sure we all would have felt pretty awful if we had taken the opportunity. Our first stop was The Killing Fields. I made the mistake of not reading up on too much Cambodian history before travelling so everything was pretty fresh, but the Killing Fields were definitely depressing to walk through, and after going through that tour we went to S-21, which was a Prison used during the Khmer Rouge Communist Regime. It was a bit of a heavy day, I almost feel bad saying it was a great way to learn about Cambodian history, but it definitely makes me want to read more on the country. Day was topped off on a lighter note by visiting the Royal Palace and the Silver Pagoda.
Capped the night off with some dinner and meeting a few new faces, then some rooftop soccer and then prepared for our early morning departure into Siem Reap. Found enough of us so that we could rent a private van to drive us up there rather than take a bus (that little adventure will come later). It was a bit of a long drive up to Siem Reap. It took about six hours, but we made it. The guy from our other hostel set us up at the No Problem Villa so we already had a couple of rooms waiting for us. After settling in, off to Angkor Wat to watch the sunset. Underestimated just how busy it would be at that time, so we didn't get prime location to watch the sunset, but we got to glimpse it and check out a little bit of the temples area before heading back to the hostel and exploring the area. We lucked out and were in a fairly prime location, everything was pretty centralized and we could walk everywhere. Plus, we were close to the markets and Pub Street, so we had a little bit of everything.
We had a tuk tuk take us out to Angkor Wat again the next day to we could actually explore the temple. It still boggles my mind that we were walking through the temples only a couple weeks ago. It was so surreal to be in there. We heard it through the grapevine that most people leave the temples around 11 and return around 3-ish to escape the hottest times of the day, so naturally we made that our time to explore. I'm glad we did, the temple was not that busy, and it definitely enhanced the experience to be able to walk down some of the long corridors with nobody else. And it was definitely a lot bigger than I had anticipated. It looked big from the outside, but it seemed massive from the inside. Definitely a beautiful place to be, if I had a pretty good camera, I could easily spend hours on hours walking through there. Not to mention the monkeys. I've never seen a monkey in the wild, so it was pretty cool to see them just chillin at the side of the paths, or on the temple walkways. Great first day through Siem Reap.
The poverty in Siem Reap wasn't as bad as in Phnom Penh, but it was still fairly significant. But the whole city had a different vibe than how Phnom Penh felt. And I think I ran into one of the greatest swindlers I've every met. And I think she's only about 7 maybe 8. She definitely coaxed us into buying some bracelets. We tried the simple "Ah no money," but she knew how to work a sale and with a smirk and the line "I make change" she ended up getting a sale out of each of us. Was worth the dollar just for the entertainment value of it all, she spoke and understood English so much better than 90% of the kids I'm teaching.
Well I'ma break this trip down a bit, part two will come later.
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