Korea is an intense experience. It's lonely in the deepest meaning of the word, many people cry to themselves and ache for some sort of human connection--any human connection. Then you meet some people you get along with and the world is awesome again. Until there's drama, and then it's aggravating but you still have some solid people in your life. Then you find a niche community of people you really, really click with, and it's time to leave.
All the relationships forged in the living abroad experience are strangely attached and non-attached. Some people cling to their new found friends and try to get them to move closer and work in their area, others are more free and understand that we're all parting soon but we can connect while we're in the same place. Most everyone in Korea is in transition, and that means that we have to build on a constantly shifting foundation. It makes for an interesting experience, one that mixes the difficulty of getting to know someone with whom you can open up with a time pressure that makes the soul-wielding occur at lightning speed or not at all. Friendships here can circle around meaningful or jump right in. Korea's got a time warp feel--it takes months to figure out where to go grocery shopping, but you can meet someone and within a week know their entire history and a list of their aspirations.
It makes it difficult for a person like me to focus on a single goal, I'm hearing about all these exciting things people have or are going to do and I've connected with some to an extent that I don't want that to disappear just because our respective contracts are up and our time has been served. I can't sit still for too long on one idea, but I want to dive into it all. For now, I'm committing to coming back to Southern California but my eyes and feet are looking at the road, rails and skies. Plotting the next adventure. I've had a taste of the world and I want more.
As I pack up, donate or sell off the winter clothes and items I don't need at the moment, I'm really glad I stuck it out and I'm thankful for everyone who reminded me that I was strong enough to do so.
I'm going to the Boryeong MudFest this weekend, so there will be updates with photos when I get back!
Cheers!
Showing posts with label travel. Show all posts
Showing posts with label travel. Show all posts
Sunday, July 10, 2011
Sunday, March 27, 2011
Trip to Cambodia-- Phnom Penh, Part 2 (aka "Don't look 'em in the eyes!")
More on Day One:
When we went looking for live music was pretty sad, we had just gotten terrible massages from Seeing Hands Massage and it was really awkward and the massage was not good. Despite what the reviews say, I would not recommend anybody go to this place. Wendy and I called ahead, to make sure they could take us and when we got there we had to wait (I should have known something was up given the odd vibes in the room, everyone seemed uncomfortable or anxious) we were separated--Wendy went upstairs and I went to this room in which three other people were getting massages, that's fine I thought it would be like a clinic at a massage school just in a room that looked like a prison shower or something like that. We were given loaner clothes to put on. I was told to put my belongings in a locker, but not told where to put the key, so I just kept it by my head. The massage therapist (they are all supposedly trained) didn't speak English so there was no, "What areas do you want me to focus on?" and since we couldn't gesture at each other to speak I just settled in to receive whatever I would get for my $7. The massage was okay, not great and not what I would expect from a trained masseur nor something that was raved about on websites all over the place. The massage therapists were chatting to each other as they worked on us folks, and occasionally someone would announce something over a loud speaker or come in and tell the Seeing Hands folks something (I'm assuming checking to see who would next be available as the guy working on me would check the time each interruption). At best, it was a subpar massage. At worst, an awkward way to spend an hour. So, not bad, but I wouldn't recommend it. Wendy had a more dynamic experience and would probably be happy to demonstrate the vigor with which she received massages in Cambodia. It's not pretty.
When we departed from the super weird massage place, we opted to check for the bar Equinox, which was advertised (yet again) on Lonely Planet's site as having live jam sessions. It was because of this recommendation that it jumped to the top of both of our lists. We got in a tuk-tuk, again thinking the driver would know where something was--especially since it was marked on a map--and were thankful that everything is a flat fee. The driver was asking directions and checking different streets for a while, before finally dropping us off at Equinox. When we got inside, it was dead. No music. >.< When we asked what time the jams started (on the Lonely Planet website it was listed as something like 6-9), the women working the bar informed us that the jam wasn't happening that night but the next night (the website had also said it was every night--it looks like it's been updated since). So we walked around the tiny street it was on to check out what else there was in the area--nothing. We followed the map we had toward a park we had passed on the way out. People were doing dance classes in the park! To crazy hip hop tunes! We had to check it out.
We bumped into two girls from Europe (one Russian and one German) who were looking for a restaurant in the area and we had to join forces to figure out where it was, the map wasn't that great, but I did figure it out for them. ^_^ And Wendy and I were off again to find the dancing crews.
We came to this large round about, I believe it was the Independence Monument or something, and couldn't figure out how to get across--there was no cross walk, no overpass nor underpass for pedestrians. We were stuck. Would we have to flag down a tuk-tuk just to get to the other side of the traffic circle? How did people do it?
While pondering these cultural questions, a German(?) man in his 50s (?) came up and asked if we needed help. We said, yes and that we had no idea how to cross this lane that led into the traffic circle and we just wanted to get to the park. His advice? "Don't look them in the eyes." He went on to explain that the Cambodian driver mentality was that if you made eye contact you were going to yield, if you didn't make eye contact, it fell on the other person to work around you. This stranger basically told Wendy and me to blindly walk into traffic! Wendy and I laughed hysterically thinking he was joking. But, no, he was serious. We asked him to join us on this death inviting action, and he gladly did. Stepping off of the curb and into four lanes of oncoming traffic. We followed. (Dad, please breath, I survived)
Sure enough, the drivers didn't hit us--I have no idea how close they got since I didn't dare look up. I was too busy scampering across the road, mentally bracing for impact and laughing and shrieking from the absurdity of it all!
When we got to the park, the dancers were gone, so we got a tuk tuk back to the hotel and crashed (fell asleep, not automobile accident crashed).
Day Two! The day to tour the major sites of Phnom Penh. Wendy and I went down to breakfast and made sure our driver was on his way. The servers were so sweet, the coffee was good, the fresh fruit delicious, and there was this astounding homemade jam (my favorite was, surprisingly, watermelon- it had something like cinnamon making it more savory than sweet). After eating our fill, we gathered our things to be touristy and see the darker side of the history of Cambodia. Neither Wendy nor I had known anything about Pol Pot before coming to Cambodia, but we quickly learned how nearly everyone 30 years or older had been directly affected by the Pol Pot regime and those in their 20s had siblings, cousins or other family members who had either been murdered or tortured by The Khmer Rouge. Our driver had a brother who was taken, since his father was a professor (or maybe a secondary school teacher) in a village. He was lucky to be left alone, since even toddlers were brutally beaten to death by this regime, and that his father was allowed to live.
We started our day at Tuol Sleng Prison and Genocide Museum, which used to be a school but was converted into a prison during the Pol Pot rule.
The grounds were actually beautiful, there were magnolia and palm trees in the courtyard
and the skies were clearly visible and blue. The weather was warm and beautiful. The buildings felt out of place in the natural beauty of Cambodia.
Inside the rooms were photos of some of the victims, ranging in age from infants to the elderly, and in some rooms there were loops still sticking out of the tiled floor with bits of chains still attached (I kept tripping on them). Pol Pot killed an estimated 1.7–2.5 million people because he wanted to restart civilization, he chose these people as victims because they had shown some form of intelligence and free thought. All around the grounds where signs requesting people keep a somber mood (or that's what I'm assuming since I can't read Khmer):
In some of the rooms, there were cots and photos of how people were tortured and killed in the prison. Electrocution, burning, bludgeoning, bleeding and all sorts of forms of torture were used. Here's the (poorly translated) rules of the camp:
After this light-hearted affair, we went out of the city limits to visit The Killing Fields where trucks of people were brought to be killed and buried. There were many disturbing things in this area, the stupa
full of the bones
and clothes
of many of the victims found in the mass graves, the tree that was used to break the skulls of toddlers and small children, the ditches that were once full of dead bodies and the tree that was used to hold loudspeakers that would play music to drown out the groans and screams of the victims. We ran into the two Euro girls there, Phnom Penh has a small town feel if you're just hitting up the touristy things--like sites of mass murder.
Next, we headed back into town to see the Royal Palace, it was nice and big like palaces are, but I wasn't that into it. There was a Pagoda/Temple on the grounds that had silver tiles on the floor (This is the Silver Pagoda), but the tiles were mostly covered by rugs.Buddha told his followers not to make statues and riches in his name, but monarchs will be monarchs and they built this gaudy place to celebrate an aesthetic monk. Wendy nearly fell into a display case trying to stand in front of a fan, that was pretty awesome. ^_^ We were laughing pretty hard during the day--trying not to do so too much at the more somber locations, but not always succeeding.
Finally, we had planned on trying to take in The National Museum, but we opted for lunch then heading back to the hotel to try and catch the Apsara Dance performance again. We had lunch at a place that looked popular, again being underwhelmed with the food, not that it was terrible, the service was kind of shotty and they were really bad about the veggie thing.
We failed at going to the dance place, but we opted to go to a pretty awesome restaurant near The Tuol Sleng Prison and Genocide Museum, The Bodhi Tree. The Bodhi Tree had good food and good wine, it was directly across from Tuol Sleng, so that was a bit creepy at night, but the grounds themselves were beautiful and the service was pretty good. A little slow, but they were super chill and I think they were just hanging back to be non-obtrusive. They covered the tuk-tuk since I only had big bills ($10s and $20s) and neither the restaurant nor the driver could break them, and just added it to the bill. Pretty cool. I'd recommend this place to anyone looking for good food, it was a little pricier than other restaurants, but was delicious.
When we went looking for live music was pretty sad, we had just gotten terrible massages from Seeing Hands Massage and it was really awkward and the massage was not good. Despite what the reviews say, I would not recommend anybody go to this place. Wendy and I called ahead, to make sure they could take us and when we got there we had to wait (I should have known something was up given the odd vibes in the room, everyone seemed uncomfortable or anxious) we were separated--Wendy went upstairs and I went to this room in which three other people were getting massages, that's fine I thought it would be like a clinic at a massage school just in a room that looked like a prison shower or something like that. We were given loaner clothes to put on. I was told to put my belongings in a locker, but not told where to put the key, so I just kept it by my head. The massage therapist (they are all supposedly trained) didn't speak English so there was no, "What areas do you want me to focus on?" and since we couldn't gesture at each other to speak I just settled in to receive whatever I would get for my $7. The massage was okay, not great and not what I would expect from a trained masseur nor something that was raved about on websites all over the place. The massage therapists were chatting to each other as they worked on us folks, and occasionally someone would announce something over a loud speaker or come in and tell the Seeing Hands folks something (I'm assuming checking to see who would next be available as the guy working on me would check the time each interruption). At best, it was a subpar massage. At worst, an awkward way to spend an hour. So, not bad, but I wouldn't recommend it. Wendy had a more dynamic experience and would probably be happy to demonstrate the vigor with which she received massages in Cambodia. It's not pretty.
When we departed from the super weird massage place, we opted to check for the bar Equinox, which was advertised (yet again) on Lonely Planet's site as having live jam sessions. It was because of this recommendation that it jumped to the top of both of our lists. We got in a tuk-tuk, again thinking the driver would know where something was--especially since it was marked on a map--and were thankful that everything is a flat fee. The driver was asking directions and checking different streets for a while, before finally dropping us off at Equinox. When we got inside, it was dead. No music. >.< When we asked what time the jams started (on the Lonely Planet website it was listed as something like 6-9), the women working the bar informed us that the jam wasn't happening that night but the next night (the website had also said it was every night--it looks like it's been updated since). So we walked around the tiny street it was on to check out what else there was in the area--nothing. We followed the map we had toward a park we had passed on the way out. People were doing dance classes in the park! To crazy hip hop tunes! We had to check it out.
We bumped into two girls from Europe (one Russian and one German) who were looking for a restaurant in the area and we had to join forces to figure out where it was, the map wasn't that great, but I did figure it out for them. ^_^ And Wendy and I were off again to find the dancing crews.
We came to this large round about, I believe it was the Independence Monument or something, and couldn't figure out how to get across--there was no cross walk, no overpass nor underpass for pedestrians. We were stuck. Would we have to flag down a tuk-tuk just to get to the other side of the traffic circle? How did people do it?
While pondering these cultural questions, a German(?) man in his 50s (?) came up and asked if we needed help. We said, yes and that we had no idea how to cross this lane that led into the traffic circle and we just wanted to get to the park. His advice? "Don't look them in the eyes." He went on to explain that the Cambodian driver mentality was that if you made eye contact you were going to yield, if you didn't make eye contact, it fell on the other person to work around you. This stranger basically told Wendy and me to blindly walk into traffic! Wendy and I laughed hysterically thinking he was joking. But, no, he was serious. We asked him to join us on this death inviting action, and he gladly did. Stepping off of the curb and into four lanes of oncoming traffic. We followed. (Dad, please breath, I survived)
Sure enough, the drivers didn't hit us--I have no idea how close they got since I didn't dare look up. I was too busy scampering across the road, mentally bracing for impact and laughing and shrieking from the absurdity of it all!
When we got to the park, the dancers were gone, so we got a tuk tuk back to the hotel and crashed (fell asleep, not automobile accident crashed).
Day Two! The day to tour the major sites of Phnom Penh. Wendy and I went down to breakfast and made sure our driver was on his way. The servers were so sweet, the coffee was good, the fresh fruit delicious, and there was this astounding homemade jam (my favorite was, surprisingly, watermelon- it had something like cinnamon making it more savory than sweet). After eating our fill, we gathered our things to be touristy and see the darker side of the history of Cambodia. Neither Wendy nor I had known anything about Pol Pot before coming to Cambodia, but we quickly learned how nearly everyone 30 years or older had been directly affected by the Pol Pot regime and those in their 20s had siblings, cousins or other family members who had either been murdered or tortured by The Khmer Rouge. Our driver had a brother who was taken, since his father was a professor (or maybe a secondary school teacher) in a village. He was lucky to be left alone, since even toddlers were brutally beaten to death by this regime, and that his father was allowed to live.
We started our day at Tuol Sleng Prison and Genocide Museum, which used to be a school but was converted into a prison during the Pol Pot rule.
The grounds were actually beautiful, there were magnolia and palm trees in the courtyard
and the skies were clearly visible and blue. The weather was warm and beautiful. The buildings felt out of place in the natural beauty of Cambodia.
Inside the rooms were photos of some of the victims, ranging in age from infants to the elderly, and in some rooms there were loops still sticking out of the tiled floor with bits of chains still attached (I kept tripping on them). Pol Pot killed an estimated 1.7–2.5 million people because he wanted to restart civilization, he chose these people as victims because they had shown some form of intelligence and free thought. All around the grounds where signs requesting people keep a somber mood (or that's what I'm assuming since I can't read Khmer):
In some of the rooms, there were cots and photos of how people were tortured and killed in the prison. Electrocution, burning, bludgeoning, bleeding and all sorts of forms of torture were used. Here's the (poorly translated) rules of the camp:
After this light-hearted affair, we went out of the city limits to visit The Killing Fields where trucks of people were brought to be killed and buried. There were many disturbing things in this area, the stupa
full of the bones
and clothes
of many of the victims found in the mass graves, the tree that was used to break the skulls of toddlers and small children, the ditches that were once full of dead bodies and the tree that was used to hold loudspeakers that would play music to drown out the groans and screams of the victims. We ran into the two Euro girls there, Phnom Penh has a small town feel if you're just hitting up the touristy things--like sites of mass murder.Next, we headed back into town to see the Royal Palace, it was nice and big like palaces are, but I wasn't that into it. There was a Pagoda/Temple on the grounds that had silver tiles on the floor (This is the Silver Pagoda), but the tiles were mostly covered by rugs.Buddha told his followers not to make statues and riches in his name, but monarchs will be monarchs and they built this gaudy place to celebrate an aesthetic monk. Wendy nearly fell into a display case trying to stand in front of a fan, that was pretty awesome. ^_^ We were laughing pretty hard during the day--trying not to do so too much at the more somber locations, but not always succeeding.
Finally, we had planned on trying to take in The National Museum, but we opted for lunch then heading back to the hotel to try and catch the Apsara Dance performance again. We had lunch at a place that looked popular, again being underwhelmed with the food, not that it was terrible, the service was kind of shotty and they were really bad about the veggie thing.
We failed at going to the dance place, but we opted to go to a pretty awesome restaurant near The Tuol Sleng Prison and Genocide Museum, The Bodhi Tree. The Bodhi Tree had good food and good wine, it was directly across from Tuol Sleng, so that was a bit creepy at night, but the grounds themselves were beautiful and the service was pretty good. A little slow, but they were super chill and I think they were just hanging back to be non-obtrusive. They covered the tuk-tuk since I only had big bills ($10s and $20s) and neither the restaurant nor the driver could break them, and just added it to the bill. Pretty cool. I'd recommend this place to anyone looking for good food, it was a little pricier than other restaurants, but was delicious.
Monday, March 21, 2011
Trip to Cambodia-- Phnom Penh, Part 1
Lunar New Year, the halfway point (nearly) of my contract! I had been looking forward to this trip to Southeast Asia since I found out the dates of available vacation time (and that I wasn't, contrary to the assumptions of all teachers here, able to just choose when I would go) and the plans were in the works! My plan left Incheon at 11pm, so I went home and dumped my work stuff, baked some no-sugar, hemp protein pumped banana bread and headed to the airport.
On the longer flight to Malaysia (all Air Asia trips are routed through there), I had planned to sleep, and did for a bit but the plane was super bright for a lot of the trip and everyone else seemed to be awake. I was sitting near a Russian family, so I was trying to eavesdrop and decipher their conversation in between naps. Oh, the exciting travelling I do.
Landed in Malaysia at 5 something in the A.M., and walked through their super low security airport, found a Starbucks--it didn't have chai in any form WTF?--the heavens opened and I grabbed a latte. For whatever reason, the woman checking passports in the line I was in, was super slow and five people in the longer line would pass by the time she opened the book of one person in ours. Whatev's. I got on the plane to Phnom Penh on time. On this shorter leg, I sat next to a couple of Aussies on their first trip abroad--they were 17 and pretty cool.
We landed at 7 or 8am--I felt like it was closer to 3pm, and I parted ways with my plane buddies. Despite Phnom Penh being the capital of Cambodia, its airport is super tiny--not many tourists hit up this city. I was picked up by a driver from the Le Biz Hotel (Wendy graciously made the hotel arrangements ^_^, so I was already pumped because I wasn't going to have to deal with potential hostel drama--rare as it is) and relaxed into the beauty of the surrounding area.
Then we hit the city. Holy crap. The traffic! It seems there are no rules in Cambodia with driving, but I still feel safer than in Korea because folks drive much slower and will stop if someone doesn't seem to be paying attention (more on that later). So many motorbikes and tuk-tuks (a motorcycle with a 4 person trailer on the back)! It was a sea of people and pollution. The skies were blue, the air was warm and everyone was beautifully brown. I felt like I was home.
I got to the Le Biz and they were touching up the breakfast spread, and they had an espresso machine! Oh the joy! After settling in, showering of the travel funk (in the simultaneously future and aggravatingly not separated from the rest of the bathroom shower with voyeur window), and doing a quick taking of the room, I went down stairs for coffee, fruit and baguette. I didn't need a parka. I didn't need thermals. I didn't need long sleeves. It was 80* at least. So nice, when I left Korea it was just below freezing. I sat outside in a skirt and tee shirt! Checked my Facebook and email using my iPhone and the hotel's wifi and waited to set out and collect Wendy that afternoon.
Phnom Penh seems most comparable to a touristy city in Mexico, lots of street vendors selling food, trinkets and such. Buildings not quite up to any code, teeming with life, clothing out to dry, cars and noise everywhere. I wondered around the area by my hotel, immediately felt that this area wasn't as safe as Korea but that I would be okay in the daylight. There were monks in saffron robes with yellow umbrellas weaving through the traffic of the streets to go pray and beg for food or money at the hotel and surrounding restaurants. There were several auto repair shops in the area, and lots of bakeries but nothing really worth checking out, so I went home after wondering down an alley that had tiny stands and shops. I accidentally walked through some sort of Buddhist (I'm assuming) ceremony (there were monks sitting on one side of the alley and a restaurant on the other with people folding fabric while others watched--I hope I didn't ruin a wedding).
I napped for a bit after working out in the room, then headed out to the airport to meet up with Wendy.
Wendy had had quite a trip already, and was telling me all about her adventures through Laos and Thailand--it all sounded pretty cool, and I'm hoping to be able to experience the massages and food of Thailand come August. ^_^ The hospitality of Thailand sounds like something I'll really enjoy, and other vegans have told me that Thailand is one of the easiest places to be vegan in the world.
We got back to the hotel and made a plan to take in the Apsara dance show after dinner, so we set out to find the recommended restaurants by the Mekong river. We couldn't find the restaurants that were on the map (later during the trip we did, but it turns out our tuk-tuk driver didn't know where anything was) so we just went to this huge restaurant on the side by the river with an extensive menu. I handed over the list of things I don't eat and they said "no problem," then brought out spring rolls with shrimp in them. Grr, shrimp was on the list. They switched them out (or removed the shrimp, I don't know) and Wendy and I dove in. The food was okay, the wine was alright but the company made the meal!
After eating, we flagged down a tuk-tuk and tried to get a ride to the Apsara Dance Academy touted as amazing in Lonely Planet, but unknown by any of the people at the hotel as well as this tuk-tuk driver. He didn't tell us he didn't know, he just drove around asking everyone for directions. It ended up being too late for the show anyway, so we went back to the hotel (or maybe this was the night we tried to find the live music, but I think the music search happened the next night or later).
So far, not the best tourist experience, but it was warm and I had a familiar face near me! I was enjoying myself despite the hiccups.
On the longer flight to Malaysia (all Air Asia trips are routed through there), I had planned to sleep, and did for a bit but the plane was super bright for a lot of the trip and everyone else seemed to be awake. I was sitting near a Russian family, so I was trying to eavesdrop and decipher their conversation in between naps. Oh, the exciting travelling I do.
Landed in Malaysia at 5 something in the A.M., and walked through their super low security airport, found a Starbucks--it didn't have chai in any form WTF?--the heavens opened and I grabbed a latte. For whatever reason, the woman checking passports in the line I was in, was super slow and five people in the longer line would pass by the time she opened the book of one person in ours. Whatev's. I got on the plane to Phnom Penh on time. On this shorter leg, I sat next to a couple of Aussies on their first trip abroad--they were 17 and pretty cool.
We landed at 7 or 8am--I felt like it was closer to 3pm, and I parted ways with my plane buddies. Despite Phnom Penh being the capital of Cambodia, its airport is super tiny--not many tourists hit up this city. I was picked up by a driver from the Le Biz Hotel (Wendy graciously made the hotel arrangements ^_^, so I was already pumped because I wasn't going to have to deal with potential hostel drama--rare as it is) and relaxed into the beauty of the surrounding area.
Then we hit the city. Holy crap. The traffic! It seems there are no rules in Cambodia with driving, but I still feel safer than in Korea because folks drive much slower and will stop if someone doesn't seem to be paying attention (more on that later). So many motorbikes and tuk-tuks (a motorcycle with a 4 person trailer on the back)! It was a sea of people and pollution. The skies were blue, the air was warm and everyone was beautifully brown. I felt like I was home.
I got to the Le Biz and they were touching up the breakfast spread, and they had an espresso machine! Oh the joy! After settling in, showering of the travel funk (in the simultaneously future and aggravatingly not separated from the rest of the bathroom shower with voyeur window), and doing a quick taking of the room, I went down stairs for coffee, fruit and baguette. I didn't need a parka. I didn't need thermals. I didn't need long sleeves. It was 80* at least. So nice, when I left Korea it was just below freezing. I sat outside in a skirt and tee shirt! Checked my Facebook and email using my iPhone and the hotel's wifi and waited to set out and collect Wendy that afternoon.
Phnom Penh seems most comparable to a touristy city in Mexico, lots of street vendors selling food, trinkets and such. Buildings not quite up to any code, teeming with life, clothing out to dry, cars and noise everywhere. I wondered around the area by my hotel, immediately felt that this area wasn't as safe as Korea but that I would be okay in the daylight. There were monks in saffron robes with yellow umbrellas weaving through the traffic of the streets to go pray and beg for food or money at the hotel and surrounding restaurants. There were several auto repair shops in the area, and lots of bakeries but nothing really worth checking out, so I went home after wondering down an alley that had tiny stands and shops. I accidentally walked through some sort of Buddhist (I'm assuming) ceremony (there were monks sitting on one side of the alley and a restaurant on the other with people folding fabric while others watched--I hope I didn't ruin a wedding).
I napped for a bit after working out in the room, then headed out to the airport to meet up with Wendy.
Wendy had had quite a trip already, and was telling me all about her adventures through Laos and Thailand--it all sounded pretty cool, and I'm hoping to be able to experience the massages and food of Thailand come August. ^_^ The hospitality of Thailand sounds like something I'll really enjoy, and other vegans have told me that Thailand is one of the easiest places to be vegan in the world.
We got back to the hotel and made a plan to take in the Apsara dance show after dinner, so we set out to find the recommended restaurants by the Mekong river. We couldn't find the restaurants that were on the map (later during the trip we did, but it turns out our tuk-tuk driver didn't know where anything was) so we just went to this huge restaurant on the side by the river with an extensive menu. I handed over the list of things I don't eat and they said "no problem," then brought out spring rolls with shrimp in them. Grr, shrimp was on the list. They switched them out (or removed the shrimp, I don't know) and Wendy and I dove in. The food was okay, the wine was alright but the company made the meal!
After eating, we flagged down a tuk-tuk and tried to get a ride to the Apsara Dance Academy touted as amazing in Lonely Planet, but unknown by any of the people at the hotel as well as this tuk-tuk driver. He didn't tell us he didn't know, he just drove around asking everyone for directions. It ended up being too late for the show anyway, so we went back to the hotel (or maybe this was the night we tried to find the live music, but I think the music search happened the next night or later).
So far, not the best tourist experience, but it was warm and I had a familiar face near me! I was enjoying myself despite the hiccups.
Friday, January 21, 2011
Post Korea Decisions
Even though I'm only halfway through my contract here, I find myself trying to figure out what to do with myself after I'm finished. I want to travel to Chile to teach English so I can learn Spanish fluently and experience South America--a goal I've had for a long time--but I don' t know what I will do for the time between September and January (the earliest I would be willing to leave the States).
I have no job prospects at the moment. The biggest commitments to the States I have are: Eric, my family and my friends. And they are spread all over the place.
I have made a couple really awesome friends here, and one of them teaches at a university 2 hours away from Seoul in a quiet town with a beautiful mountain near by. She's trying to tempt me into staying on another year in Korea (though, I know she's not trying to really persuade me one way or another as she knows what a difficult call that would be). A university position would be the only way I would stay on here. They get two months off in winter and two months off in summer. Which means, I would be able to go home for the holidays and not miss the epic party season. Though it would mean missing people on a day to day basis. And it would mean procrastinating my time in Chile another year. Which means my Spanish would be getting weaker unless I took classes and actively pursued it here. Same for the violin. I need a teacher, and at the moment I really want to go somewhere with my violin playing. I want to go back to school and major in music (along with my green business plans).
As I already had plans to teach in another country, the time I'd be spending in Korea is not time I would be spending in the US. It's just time in a country I'm not as interested in as Chile or Argentina or France. I'd also have to learn more Korean if I were staying on another year.
I will not be able to pay off the debt that I thought I would at the onset of this venture, mostly because I spent far too much money on living expenses and ordering things online. But, if I stay another year I would be able to pay off a bigger chunk since I'd be saving on cost of living start up stuff--oven, space heater, fan, etc.
Santiago is closer than Seoul by 1000 miles, and the time difference is much more manageable. But, I would have to start all over and figure out what to do for the time before I was willing to leave the states again. I was looking into Americorps, since there contracts are only 9 months-1 year.
If I'm good, I could go back to school for music and take online classes while I'm in Chile.
I also want to be able to take my sister to Europe after she graduates from high school in 2012. And then I think it would be epic if she moved in with me for a bit so she could start to find her feet as an adult.
So much to think about. What says you, internet?
I have no job prospects at the moment. The biggest commitments to the States I have are: Eric, my family and my friends. And they are spread all over the place.
I have made a couple really awesome friends here, and one of them teaches at a university 2 hours away from Seoul in a quiet town with a beautiful mountain near by. She's trying to tempt me into staying on another year in Korea (though, I know she's not trying to really persuade me one way or another as she knows what a difficult call that would be). A university position would be the only way I would stay on here. They get two months off in winter and two months off in summer. Which means, I would be able to go home for the holidays and not miss the epic party season. Though it would mean missing people on a day to day basis. And it would mean procrastinating my time in Chile another year. Which means my Spanish would be getting weaker unless I took classes and actively pursued it here. Same for the violin. I need a teacher, and at the moment I really want to go somewhere with my violin playing. I want to go back to school and major in music (along with my green business plans).
As I already had plans to teach in another country, the time I'd be spending in Korea is not time I would be spending in the US. It's just time in a country I'm not as interested in as Chile or Argentina or France. I'd also have to learn more Korean if I were staying on another year.
I will not be able to pay off the debt that I thought I would at the onset of this venture, mostly because I spent far too much money on living expenses and ordering things online. But, if I stay another year I would be able to pay off a bigger chunk since I'd be saving on cost of living start up stuff--oven, space heater, fan, etc.
Santiago is closer than Seoul by 1000 miles, and the time difference is much more manageable. But, I would have to start all over and figure out what to do for the time before I was willing to leave the states again. I was looking into Americorps, since there contracts are only 9 months-1 year.
If I'm good, I could go back to school for music and take online classes while I'm in Chile.
I also want to be able to take my sister to Europe after she graduates from high school in 2012. And then I think it would be epic if she moved in with me for a bit so she could start to find her feet as an adult.
So much to think about. What says you, internet?
Thursday, November 11, 2010
Money and Time Management Decisions
While I've been putzing around on the internet looking for good ideas for my upcoming (and definite) trip to Cambodia with Wendy Sue Rosloff: baker and drummer extraordinaire and all around awesome, fun woman, I've been trying to think more about how much money I actually have. This was also inspired by the crushing realization that Eric and I would not be able to do Thailand as I originally thought due to budgetary concerns.
This wouldn't be a problem and easy to do if I weren't concerned with getting out of credit card debt ($2,000ish) and paying off my private student loan ($5000ish), but alas, I would rather get that all cleared up so I can start living on the money I actually have and not leaking interest out every pore. So I made a rough financial plan, and I can do it--pending no extreme surprise expenses. But, I have to decide what's important to me for post contract adventuring. And that sucks.
It's just a matter of when and if I can do it all before I go back to the grind (hopefully, a more fulfilling and allowing of vacations with friends and family kind of grind). Getting an Asian Air Pass would make traveling Asia in August a do-able course of action, but I don't know if I'll get to see all the places I want to: Russia, Japan, the Philippines, Nepal, Tibet (I would settle for Nepal only), Thailand, Viet Nam (I heard a podcast on the Pho of Hanoi and the food of Saigon and I really want to go now, not to mention the natural beauty) and Bali (not really necessary) with possible Mongolia but I'm not really interested in that immediately. I have to remember that I can probably come back, as land masses and countries are usually stable (at least the ones I really want to visit).
Staying with friends and finding temp work in Tucson would make that month totally doable and make the savings requirement on my end a lot less (I could always sell my soul to a call center for the training period and then quit, again...) and while in AZ I'd have to hit up the Grand Canyon and Sedona as I've never been to either place. I'd love to do a siblings and friends camping trip while I'm in AZ--and that means planning around my brother and sister's social and school schedules. A manageable feat, I think.
As far as travelling California and Oregon, I could always break that up into mini-trips since I refuse to work another job that takes my weekends away like the Baker did. So, Yosemite gets priority on this one, since I've never been and it involves seeing a couple of wonderful people whom I haven't seen in over a year now. I can swing by Sacramento to see my Aunt Evelyn either before or after the trip then meet up with the Fiddaments (cousins, aunt, uncle and grandparents Karen and Dave) and go to Grover Beach to see my Aunt Sandy on either the way up or the way down then hit up Ridgecrest to see my grandparents (henceforth known as Nanny and Papa, not to be confused with Grandma Karen and Grandpa Dave in Northern California). I'd also want to see San Francisco as I was only there for a crappy 5ish hours before and I didn't get to do anything I was really interested in. The real hiccup would be Eric's schedule since he has a job to consider in all this, but there is always the possibility of some sort of splitting off, in which case we would have to figure out what we're bringing on the camping trip vs what Chis and Bey would be supplying (Chris is really into backpacking and has a ton of supplies--you should check out his blog on his adventures all over the West Coast, it will make you want to go Muir on the landscape). More logistics, do they ever end? Not for the travelling soul, not at all.
It's already looking pretty booked, and that's just the beginning. Maybe Oregon will have to wait for a mini-trip time later on, after I have money from a job, but who knows, maybe I'll come into a mystery surplus.
So it's a matter of figuring out the best way to get a car, if at all, really. If the whole point of coming to Korea was to get out of debt while strengthening my character, I can't really see the wisdom of signing a car loan (if I can get one), but I don't want to spend money on a crap car that I'll just have to pay on to keep running. I'm actually comfortable with the idea of not having a car upon my return, but it brings up more questions of logistics--how do I get the stuff my parents are storing in Tucson back to L.A.? I could always rent a truck, though that's pretty pricey. Or borrow a car from someone. Hmm.
I'll be living in Los Angeles which is totally car-crazy, but I'll be living in an area with more available public transit and I'll have a bike--another purchase I'll have to make.
Well, the time to go teach is nearing. I must retire these thoughts from my mind for the next four and a half hours, then I can resume working it all out on my way to Seoul. Costco card and dinner with my new vegan friend Caroline!
~Sarah
This wouldn't be a problem and easy to do if I weren't concerned with getting out of credit card debt ($2,000ish) and paying off my private student loan ($5000ish), but alas, I would rather get that all cleared up so I can start living on the money I actually have and not leaking interest out every pore. So I made a rough financial plan, and I can do it--pending no extreme surprise expenses. But, I have to decide what's important to me for post contract adventuring. And that sucks.
It's just a matter of when and if I can do it all before I go back to the grind (hopefully, a more fulfilling and allowing of vacations with friends and family kind of grind). Getting an Asian Air Pass would make traveling Asia in August a do-able course of action, but I don't know if I'll get to see all the places I want to: Russia, Japan, the Philippines, Nepal, Tibet (I would settle for Nepal only), Thailand, Viet Nam (I heard a podcast on the Pho of Hanoi and the food of Saigon and I really want to go now, not to mention the natural beauty) and Bali (not really necessary) with possible Mongolia but I'm not really interested in that immediately. I have to remember that I can probably come back, as land masses and countries are usually stable (at least the ones I really want to visit).
Staying with friends and finding temp work in Tucson would make that month totally doable and make the savings requirement on my end a lot less (I could always sell my soul to a call center for the training period and then quit, again...) and while in AZ I'd have to hit up the Grand Canyon and Sedona as I've never been to either place. I'd love to do a siblings and friends camping trip while I'm in AZ--and that means planning around my brother and sister's social and school schedules. A manageable feat, I think.
As far as travelling California and Oregon, I could always break that up into mini-trips since I refuse to work another job that takes my weekends away like the Baker did. So, Yosemite gets priority on this one, since I've never been and it involves seeing a couple of wonderful people whom I haven't seen in over a year now. I can swing by Sacramento to see my Aunt Evelyn either before or after the trip then meet up with the Fiddaments (cousins, aunt, uncle and grandparents Karen and Dave) and go to Grover Beach to see my Aunt Sandy on either the way up or the way down then hit up Ridgecrest to see my grandparents (henceforth known as Nanny and Papa, not to be confused with Grandma Karen and Grandpa Dave in Northern California). I'd also want to see San Francisco as I was only there for a crappy 5ish hours before and I didn't get to do anything I was really interested in. The real hiccup would be Eric's schedule since he has a job to consider in all this, but there is always the possibility of some sort of splitting off, in which case we would have to figure out what we're bringing on the camping trip vs what Chis and Bey would be supplying (Chris is really into backpacking and has a ton of supplies--you should check out his blog on his adventures all over the West Coast, it will make you want to go Muir on the landscape). More logistics, do they ever end? Not for the travelling soul, not at all.
It's already looking pretty booked, and that's just the beginning. Maybe Oregon will have to wait for a mini-trip time later on, after I have money from a job, but who knows, maybe I'll come into a mystery surplus.
So it's a matter of figuring out the best way to get a car, if at all, really. If the whole point of coming to Korea was to get out of debt while strengthening my character, I can't really see the wisdom of signing a car loan (if I can get one), but I don't want to spend money on a crap car that I'll just have to pay on to keep running. I'm actually comfortable with the idea of not having a car upon my return, but it brings up more questions of logistics--how do I get the stuff my parents are storing in Tucson back to L.A.? I could always rent a truck, though that's pretty pricey. Or borrow a car from someone. Hmm.
I'll be living in Los Angeles which is totally car-crazy, but I'll be living in an area with more available public transit and I'll have a bike--another purchase I'll have to make.
Well, the time to go teach is nearing. I must retire these thoughts from my mind for the next four and a half hours, then I can resume working it all out on my way to Seoul. Costco card and dinner with my new vegan friend Caroline!
~Sarah
Wednesday, September 15, 2010
Disappearing from the Forbidden Network
I'll be going to Beijing for the Chuseok vacation. China blocks Google, and therefore Blogger and Gmail. I'm not sure about Yahoo, so you may be able to get a hold of me there. Facebook is also blocked. So, I'll pretty much be out of touch from Saturday at noon until Saturday the 25th (my birthday!) at noon--this is all Korean time, so add 8 hours and make them Friday for Los Angeles.
I'll be staying at Leo's Hostel, it was recommended by Lonely Planet and had decent reviews on Hostelworld.com. I would have preferred one of the other hostels with higher ratings, but the more affordable ones were all booked up. Let's hope this one is as good as the awesome reviews and not as damp as the negative reviews say it is.
I'll probably post again before I leave, but wanted to give a heads up.
Sarah
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