Here is a list of weird things that you regularly come across when you live in South Korea. Any other waygooks can probably relate to a lot of these and can probably add a few of their own. Enjoy.
1. I live in a country where children have perms and grown men have bowl-cuts.
2. I live in a country where SPAM is considered a legitimate food source.
3. I live in a country where cardboard is a cash crop controlled by grannies.
4. I live in a country wear couples feel the need to dress in identical sweaters in public.
5. I live in a country where the term "bed-time" does not exist.
6. I live in a country where coats are worn inside.
7. I live in a country of unnatural runners
8. I live in a country where the bigger the visor, the bigger the swagger.
9. I live in a country where every meal, they bring so many dishes that run into the same problem of running out of room on the table... yet no one has taken the time to figure out a solution.
10. I live in a country where the work days are longer and the productivity is lower.
11. I live in a country more obsessed with Tony Stark than his alias Iron Man.
12. I live in a country where life-jackets and hats are required at all times in waterparks.
13. I live in a country where khakis and jeans are acceptable beachwear.
14. I live in a country where the word election is pronounced erection. And it's hilarious.
15. I live in a country where it is socially acceptable to pass out anywhere, on any day, at any time.
16. I live in a country where sleeping with a fan on results in certain death.
17. I live in a country where every black man is Obama.
18. I live in a country where every building is like a House of Mirrors.
19. I live in a country where it is "Nice to meet you"...every....single....time.
20. I live in a country where it's more common to see people holding umbrellas when the sun's out.
21. I live in a country where Party Rock Anthem is also the National Anthem.
22. I live in a country where everything is written in English...terrible, terrible English.
23. I live in a country that thinks all we do in the West is sit in coffee shops and ice-cream parlours.
24. I live in a country where people own mirrors and cameras that can also make phone calls.
25. I live in a country where 80% of their vegetables are pickled.
26. I live in a country where talking on public transport is illegal.
27. I live in a country where the government decides your body temperature.
28. I live in a country covered in a neon lights and pondering how they are going to solve their "energy crisis"
29. I live in a country where every bus converts to a karaoke room at the flick of a switch.
30. I live in a country that finds it hilarious to stick their fingers up peoples' butts. *Dong-Chim*
31. I live in a country where everyone knows what really goes on in DVD rooms.
32. I live in a country where Jason Statham is a national hero.
33. I live in a country where men openly blow-dry and comb their pubic hair in bathhouses.
34. I live in a country where there are entire TV channels dedicated to broadcasting Starcraft.
35.I live in a country where traffic is controlled by mannequins.
36. I live in a country where the Taste of Africa at McDonald's is a six-pack of nuggets.
37. I live in a country where nobody jay-walks.
38. I live in a country that thinks Westerners eat pickles with every meal.
39. I live in a country where you only need a seatbelt in the front seat of a car.
40. I live in a country that thinks rain water makes your hair fall out.
Tuesday, July 31, 2012
Wednesday, July 18, 2012
It's been a while...
Today I taught my last class at Jisan Elementary School and I come away with a stack of adorable goodbye letters from my students and a mind distracted by the personal learning experience that has been the past year. Some readers may have noticed a distinct lack of blogposts in recent months. If you are disappointed, then allow me to apologize. The fact of the matter is, living and working in Korea has given me a unique insight into life here that you wouldn't get from simply passing through.
After four months, I was ready for a vacation, which I took in Vietnam. Returning to a bleak period of sitting at my desk in a cold classroom with nothing to do but ruminate on all of the things wrong with my situation, I hit a low. Once you get past the period where everything is new and seen through rose-coloured glasses, you begin to scratch below the surface of the culture. You find things that annoy you to no end, you find things you don't understand, and you find yourself comparing your life to a much rosier one "back home". Thus, I got to a point where whenever I went to write a blogpost, all I could think of were negative things to report back and essentially whine about. I couldn't get past it. This is NOT what I wanted my blog to become.
With just under a month left and another period of desk-warming ahead of me, I am looking back and realizing that while there are so many things that I think are ridiculous about this country, there have been some great times as well. After Louise left I fell into a great group of new friends with whom I've shared these experiences. Some of my best memories will be the times we all gather on the weekends and simply talk about what obscene thing happened at each others' schools that week. Having that to fall back on was a saving grace.
Some of the highlights of the past few months:
+ Going to Boryeong Mud Festival to wallow and swallow with big group of friends was a riot. The town in known for its mudflat and beaches. When the two are combined, it is a big tourist trap and we came in droves. Busloads of white people stormed the beach and establish a beer-soaked beachhead. Tubs of mud were smeared over every inch of your body and it was virtually impossible not to get in the spirit, even for the usually conservative Koreans. It was a debaucherous weekend capped off with skinny dipping in the sea at 1 am with big group of waygooks while the rain was pouring down. The "beach police" attempted to corral us but it was a feeble attempt and they actually seemed to be enjoying it.
+ Going to Busan to compete in the Busan Futsal Tournament proved to be a fantastic last outing in the colours of the Daegu Devils. Midweek training and weekend games got me through this year with a sound group of lads who all love football. When I signed up for the Devils back in September, I was really happy with the promise of banter and belonging with a competitive atmosphere to boot. The team did not disappoint.
The last tournament was a great example of this. A few of us went down the night before and the rest, in true Devils fashion, decided to stay in Daegu on Friday and travel in the morning. They were unable to resist the temptation of going to the exact same bar that they do every time and had to handle a day of football running on very little sleep. Our participation in the tournament hung in the balance until minutes before the first game as the last members of the team arrived in a cab, looking as fresh as ever and pulled on their kit. To our own surprise, we managed to make it through the group stages unbeaten. Next came a crossbar challenge where players had to hit the crossbar of the net from halfway. With all the participants looking on, I made it to the final round against a lad from Ulsan. I hit 4 out of 6 attempts but unfortunately that still wasn't good enough and my rival came away with a bottle of vodka for his team to enjoy. I was gutted but more focused on the next challenge; the quarter-finals. Two great games of football later, we found ourselves in the final against a strong team from Changwon. It took extra time and a goal form the tournament MVP to separate the two teams but unfortunately we came away as second-best. A night on the town in Busan followed and a day on the beach recovering the next day was the perfect hangover remedy.
+Sports day at school was a hilarious showcase of a generally unathletic populace and their strange idea of what constitutes exercise. A set of state-proclaimed warm up routines performed en masse in the school playground was a bizarre spectacle only topped by the amount of pomp and circumstance around the kick-off of the days events. some of the best events were; the crawling under bedsheets held down by teachers race, the kick an american football along the ground while holding a broomstick horizontally relay, the throw as many beanbags into a washing basket as you can in two minutes melee, and of course the large bouncy-ball rolled by ajummas (grannies) that showed up out of nowehere 100 metre dash.
+Going to see Korea vie for a place in the next World Cup versus Kuwait as well as staying out until the sun came up on several occasions in order to watch the European Championships and Champions League Final.
+Finding a stray dog on the street, naming him Kimchi, and cleaning him up was a highlight but having him reclaimed but some asshole that kept him in a wooden box was a low. When I went back the next day, Kimchi was nowhere to be found and I haven't seen him since. It was a really sad reminder that attitude towards dogs here is far behind where it is in Western countries.
Over the next couple of days I will be working on another blogpost entitled "I live in a country where..." that will hopefully outline the more comical parts of life in Korea that I've come across over the last year. Thanks for tuning in again and sorry it had been so long.
After four months, I was ready for a vacation, which I took in Vietnam. Returning to a bleak period of sitting at my desk in a cold classroom with nothing to do but ruminate on all of the things wrong with my situation, I hit a low. Once you get past the period where everything is new and seen through rose-coloured glasses, you begin to scratch below the surface of the culture. You find things that annoy you to no end, you find things you don't understand, and you find yourself comparing your life to a much rosier one "back home". Thus, I got to a point where whenever I went to write a blogpost, all I could think of were negative things to report back and essentially whine about. I couldn't get past it. This is NOT what I wanted my blog to become.
With just under a month left and another period of desk-warming ahead of me, I am looking back and realizing that while there are so many things that I think are ridiculous about this country, there have been some great times as well. After Louise left I fell into a great group of new friends with whom I've shared these experiences. Some of my best memories will be the times we all gather on the weekends and simply talk about what obscene thing happened at each others' schools that week. Having that to fall back on was a saving grace.
Some of the highlights of the past few months:
+ Going to Boryeong Mud Festival to wallow and swallow with big group of friends was a riot. The town in known for its mudflat and beaches. When the two are combined, it is a big tourist trap and we came in droves. Busloads of white people stormed the beach and establish a beer-soaked beachhead. Tubs of mud were smeared over every inch of your body and it was virtually impossible not to get in the spirit, even for the usually conservative Koreans. It was a debaucherous weekend capped off with skinny dipping in the sea at 1 am with big group of waygooks while the rain was pouring down. The "beach police" attempted to corral us but it was a feeble attempt and they actually seemed to be enjoying it.
+ Going to Busan to compete in the Busan Futsal Tournament proved to be a fantastic last outing in the colours of the Daegu Devils. Midweek training and weekend games got me through this year with a sound group of lads who all love football. When I signed up for the Devils back in September, I was really happy with the promise of banter and belonging with a competitive atmosphere to boot. The team did not disappoint.
The last tournament was a great example of this. A few of us went down the night before and the rest, in true Devils fashion, decided to stay in Daegu on Friday and travel in the morning. They were unable to resist the temptation of going to the exact same bar that they do every time and had to handle a day of football running on very little sleep. Our participation in the tournament hung in the balance until minutes before the first game as the last members of the team arrived in a cab, looking as fresh as ever and pulled on their kit. To our own surprise, we managed to make it through the group stages unbeaten. Next came a crossbar challenge where players had to hit the crossbar of the net from halfway. With all the participants looking on, I made it to the final round against a lad from Ulsan. I hit 4 out of 6 attempts but unfortunately that still wasn't good enough and my rival came away with a bottle of vodka for his team to enjoy. I was gutted but more focused on the next challenge; the quarter-finals. Two great games of football later, we found ourselves in the final against a strong team from Changwon. It took extra time and a goal form the tournament MVP to separate the two teams but unfortunately we came away as second-best. A night on the town in Busan followed and a day on the beach recovering the next day was the perfect hangover remedy.+Sports day at school was a hilarious showcase of a generally unathletic populace and their strange idea of what constitutes exercise. A set of state-proclaimed warm up routines performed en masse in the school playground was a bizarre spectacle only topped by the amount of pomp and circumstance around the kick-off of the days events. some of the best events were; the crawling under bedsheets held down by teachers race, the kick an american football along the ground while holding a broomstick horizontally relay, the throw as many beanbags into a washing basket as you can in two minutes melee, and of course the large bouncy-ball rolled by ajummas (grannies) that showed up out of nowehere 100 metre dash.
+Finding a stray dog on the street, naming him Kimchi, and cleaning him up was a highlight but having him reclaimed but some asshole that kept him in a wooden box was a low. When I went back the next day, Kimchi was nowhere to be found and I haven't seen him since. It was a really sad reminder that attitude towards dogs here is far behind where it is in Western countries.
Over the next couple of days I will be working on another blogpost entitled "I live in a country where..." that will hopefully outline the more comical parts of life in Korea that I've come across over the last year. Thanks for tuning in again and sorry it had been so long.
Monday, March 5, 2012
Custom-fit for the Hell of It
Here is the latest leg of our Vietnam trip. As usual, a link to the pictures is at the bottom. Enjoy.
Since we were flying back to Korea out of Hanoi in the North, we had to cover a good deal of ground in a short amount of time. In the run up to Tet Chinese New Year celebrations, urban citizens flee to visit families in their home towns and people rush to the cities to stock up on fireworks and bright red trinkets. Ask ten people when Tet is celebrated and you will get a different answer from each person. The holiday is stretched into a week of celebration in the run-up followed by a few days to take stock. Nonetheless, the holiday did cause some issues with booking adequate transportation. The night sleeper buses were often fully booked, and travel companies took the opportunity to jack up the prices.
We took the bus to Dalat, a small town in the mountains known for its adventurous offerings. The "no rules, no problem" attitude towards road safety carried beyond the hustle and bustle of the cities and made the drive a hectic one. Often we were treacherously passing in the face of oncoming traffic while handling a cliff-side hairpin turn. On one occasion the bus ahead of us had their luggage compartment open, leaving a trail of suitcases and cardboard boxes like a scene from Mario Kart. But alas, we made it to our destination and again, we were pleasantly surprised by the beauty of our surroundings. The French influence could really be felt in Dalat, especially in the architecture of the houses. We found a cheap hotel and had the rest of the afternoon ahead of us. We asked around and managed to find rides to an elephant sanctuary on the back of a motorcycle. The drive was a thrill as we passed lakes and went over bridges in the mountains. When we got to the sanctuary we had the place to ourselves and met Mr. Blue, our elephant companion. We had never been this close to one before and were blown away by the size and grace of him espcially as he skillfully husked his own banana trunk before stuffing it in his mouth. We were treated to a ride on his back along a path that followed the lake's edge. Across the water you could see the unfortunate effects of foreign investment as out-of-place resorts were being built en-masse. They left an unfortunate and lavish scar on the otherwise untouched scenery before us. The evening was passed wandering the street markets, people-watching and grabbing some dinner and beers at a food stand.
The next day we headed on an adventure tour that took us canyoning down a series of waterfalls. All the equipment, training, picnic lunch at the foot of a waterfall for the equivalent for $30. It was a little colder in the mountains but it didn't stop us belaying into the swirling eddies, being carried down rapids in our life-jackets, or leaping blindly into white water from 30 feet up! It was amazing!
The next leg of our journey was a long one so we hopped on an internal flight up to Danang due to overbooking and sheer length of the bus ride. Danang is a cab-ride away from Hoi An, our eventual destination; so we paired up with a couple we met at the luggage carousel in the airport. Their names were Shannon and Jochem and we ended up spending the next couple of days with them, having a laugh and relaxing. Hoi An is known for its textiles and tailors but what really impressed us is the French architecture coupled with urban decay that gave the town a really unique and old-time feeling. All the buildings are painted a mustard yellow and the main streets are filled with tailor shops where you can get any item of clothing custom-made in a few hours by simply pointing to a mannequin or showing them a picture on your iPhone. We took a late supper at a local restaurant and stuck around to drink and chat afterwards. The restaurant owners took a liking to us and when they closed the restaurant they asked us to stick around and join their own celebration of the owner's wife's birthday. The beers were flowing and the good times rolling as we learned how to say Cheers! in Vietnamese. They agreed to show us to a good-quality tailor the next morning and eventually drove us home to our hotel!
The next day Jochem and I both splashed on tailored suits and Louise and Shannon got dresses made. It was really the first day that we didn't have an agenda so we took the afternoon to stroll around the town at our own pace, taking pictures, getting ice-cream and simply relaxing while our items of clothing were being prepared. After some dinner, we wandered back to the tailor for our final fittings as our purchases arrived on the back of a motorcycle after a quick call to their tailors. You never see where the clothes are being made or who is making them but there is no questioning the quality of the work. After agreeing to a few adjustments, they were sent off again to be altered. I think we all came away happy with bags full of souvenirs and gifts for our folks back home. Of all the towns, I think we would have liked to spend a little bit more time in Hoi An, but we had to get north and we had tickets booked on the bus the next day to Hue, our next port of call.
Here are the pictures...these ones are doozies
Since we were flying back to Korea out of Hanoi in the North, we had to cover a good deal of ground in a short amount of time. In the run up to Tet Chinese New Year celebrations, urban citizens flee to visit families in their home towns and people rush to the cities to stock up on fireworks and bright red trinkets. Ask ten people when Tet is celebrated and you will get a different answer from each person. The holiday is stretched into a week of celebration in the run-up followed by a few days to take stock. Nonetheless, the holiday did cause some issues with booking adequate transportation. The night sleeper buses were often fully booked, and travel companies took the opportunity to jack up the prices.
We took the bus to Dalat, a small town in the mountains known for its adventurous offerings. The "no rules, no problem" attitude towards road safety carried beyond the hustle and bustle of the cities and made the drive a hectic one. Often we were treacherously passing in the face of oncoming traffic while handling a cliff-side hairpin turn. On one occasion the bus ahead of us had their luggage compartment open, leaving a trail of suitcases and cardboard boxes like a scene from Mario Kart. But alas, we made it to our destination and again, we were pleasantly surprised by the beauty of our surroundings. The French influence could really be felt in Dalat, especially in the architecture of the houses. We found a cheap hotel and had the rest of the afternoon ahead of us. We asked around and managed to find rides to an elephant sanctuary on the back of a motorcycle. The drive was a thrill as we passed lakes and went over bridges in the mountains. When we got to the sanctuary we had the place to ourselves and met Mr. Blue, our elephant companion. We had never been this close to one before and were blown away by the size and grace of him espcially as he skillfully husked his own banana trunk before stuffing it in his mouth. We were treated to a ride on his back along a path that followed the lake's edge. Across the water you could see the unfortunate effects of foreign investment as out-of-place resorts were being built en-masse. They left an unfortunate and lavish scar on the otherwise untouched scenery before us. The evening was passed wandering the street markets, people-watching and grabbing some dinner and beers at a food stand.  |
| Cocky Canyoner |
The next leg of our journey was a long one so we hopped on an internal flight up to Danang due to overbooking and sheer length of the bus ride. Danang is a cab-ride away from Hoi An, our eventual destination; so we paired up with a couple we met at the luggage carousel in the airport. Their names were Shannon and Jochem and we ended up spending the next couple of days with them, having a laugh and relaxing. Hoi An is known for its textiles and tailors but what really impressed us is the French architecture coupled with urban decay that gave the town a really unique and old-time feeling. All the buildings are painted a mustard yellow and the main streets are filled with tailor shops where you can get any item of clothing custom-made in a few hours by simply pointing to a mannequin or showing them a picture on your iPhone. We took a late supper at a local restaurant and stuck around to drink and chat afterwards. The restaurant owners took a liking to us and when they closed the restaurant they asked us to stick around and join their own celebration of the owner's wife's birthday. The beers were flowing and the good times rolling as we learned how to say Cheers! in Vietnamese. They agreed to show us to a good-quality tailor the next morning and eventually drove us home to our hotel!
The next day Jochem and I both splashed on tailored suits and Louise and Shannon got dresses made. It was really the first day that we didn't have an agenda so we took the afternoon to stroll around the town at our own pace, taking pictures, getting ice-cream and simply relaxing while our items of clothing were being prepared. After some dinner, we wandered back to the tailor for our final fittings as our purchases arrived on the back of a motorcycle after a quick call to their tailors. You never see where the clothes are being made or who is making them but there is no questioning the quality of the work. After agreeing to a few adjustments, they were sent off again to be altered. I think we all came away happy with bags full of souvenirs and gifts for our folks back home. Of all the towns, I think we would have liked to spend a little bit more time in Hoi An, but we had to get north and we had tickets booked on the bus the next day to Hue, our next port of call.
Here are the pictures...these ones are doozies
Thursday, February 23, 2012
Bikes and Boats Off the Beaten Track
We find booking onto a tour is always a gamble when travelling, as the quality of your trip depends quite heavily on your guide as well as the company you keep. It is never fun to feel like you are being herded around like cattle since the more you look like tourists, the more you will be treated as such. We knew this going into Vietnam but decided to roll the dice anyways because the trip sounded exactly up our alley. We told ourselves that no matter what situation we ended up in, we were going to make the best of it. Luckily, we hardly had to lift a finger in making the tour incredible; all we had to do was bike 90 km.
The first day of our tour proved to be the most relaxing of the three. We met with our small group of 7 and tour guide, Viet - fitting, no? - in the morning and began travelling south to reach the gateway of the river delta. Turns out our first stop was the hometown of our guide who, whether in his hometown or not, was a wealth of anecdotes and information throughout our trip. Here, we boarded our own boat which afforded us close-up views of floating fishing villages and canal boat traffic as we headed to one of the many islands that are home to farmers and roosters alike. No sooner did we step foot on the island, that we were swiftly shown onto a farmer's front porch and had plates full of fresh pineapple, dragon fruit, rambutan and bananas directly from the neighbouring fruit orchards put before us. One form of hospitality flowed right into another as we were guided to small river boats - similar in construction to gondolas and propelled with one long oar - and spent the better part of an hour meandering down a quiet, secluded river that was nested in a tropical forest. Needless to say, we soaked in the 'off the beaten track' element that we had hoped to find. The day ended with a leisurely bike ride down a maze of rural paths which led us to the boat that took us to our accommodations for the evening. On the shore of an island, sleeping in a sturdy gazebo on stilts, was where we were dropped off for the evening; not to see our boat again until the next morning. Long hours of sleep were few and far between on this island, as we learned the hard way that the nearby roosters can be quite nocturnal.
The next day of our tour was dominated by biking the delta peninsulas, covering 60 km throughout the day. This allowed us to soak up the scenery as we pleased, passing fruit orchards and field upon field of rice paddies. I couldn't take my eyes off the rice fields. The endless green cast under a clear blue sky made for breath-taking views everywhere you looked. I was convinced Crayola had based the colour green off these rice fields. Seeing as Tet - the Vietnamese celebration of Lunar New Year - was fast approaching, many of the small communities we biked past were visibly preparing for the festivities with yellow Mai flowers in their yards and at their entrances. We also observed many families preparing national foods or special candies as they geared up for the holiday. Our biking days involved frequent stops at hammock cafes, trying sugar cane juice freshly pressed on the spot, eating fried banana en route, witnessing artisanal crafts being weaved and put together, and saying "hello" approximately every 2 minutes as we biked by the homes and schools of rural Vietnamese children. The biking paths were incredible in and of themselves. Often only a metre wide, with frequent make-shift bridges arching over the the braided waterways, and wedged between combinations of colourfully chaotic looking rural homes and tropical forest.
Farming in Vietnam is the foundational livelihood for most people who inhabit the River Delta region, and with that many farmers they have designed creative alternatives to city markets - the floating markets of the Mekong. Farmers of everything from pineapple to rice load up small to medium sized boats with their goods and travel the long chains of waterways to reach one of the larger bays that host daily markets. Since the journey is long, farmers tend to live on their boats on the water for 3-4 days at a time, or until they have sold their goods, and then return home to repeat it all over again. These bays are inundated with boats and so strategy of where you are able to anchor is integral to successful sales. The merchants fight for spots and poach customers by whirring around with a deft control of the rudder that could only be learned from a life on the water. We were afforded the opportunity to climb aboard of of the merchant boats and have some pineapple cut up for us to enjoy and get an aerial view of the waterworld before us.
This leg of our trip was full of action and really set the tone for the rest of the journey. If we had gone home after those three days we would have been satisfied but we still had a stretch of ground to cover and several things to knock off our to-do list. Click Here for the photos. Onwards!
Sunday, February 5, 2012
Vietnam: Saigon and Mui Ne
Louise and I just got back from two sensational weeks in Vietnam that were abounding with adventure and anecdotes, bereft of boredom. Now we face the issue of how we are going to blog about it all. We have decided to split up the work into four separate blogposts - two each - to really do justice to the amazing things we saw and did. A link to our photos is at the bottom.
I have been charged with portraying the hustling, bustling, madness that was Saigon. It is no easy task without seeing it for yourself. Navigating to our hostel, we found ourselves tucked away in a charming building in one of the many vibrant alleyways of Saigon; a stone’s throw away from the heart of the backpackers district. We awoke on day one and decided to trek to the CuChi Tunnel System. The first thing we noticed was the sheer number of motorcylces on the road. Crossing the street was an intimidating experience that involved shuffling hand-in-hand at a slow and steady pace, allowing for the bikers to move around you. When crossing the street you put a lot of faith in the driving abilities of the Vietnamese people which becomes somewhat stretched when you see four people packed onto a single motorcycle (including a nursing child) or a refrigerator balanced on the back. You know the saying "everything but the kitchen sink"? Yeah, that didn't even apply in Vietnam because I actually saw someone carrying a kitchen sink on the back of a motorcycle; except it was still attached to the kitchen counter-top and was standing vertically in the air and held in place by the passenger's chin. For what it's worth, you would expect to see more accidents on the streets but it seems to just work. It's like organized chaos or a school of fish where one moves and the entire system reacts.
I have been charged with portraying the hustling, bustling, madness that was Saigon. It is no easy task without seeing it for yourself. Navigating to our hostel, we found ourselves tucked away in a charming building in one of the many vibrant alleyways of Saigon; a stone’s throw away from the heart of the backpackers district. We awoke on day one and decided to trek to the CuChi Tunnel System. The first thing we noticed was the sheer number of motorcylces on the road. Crossing the street was an intimidating experience that involved shuffling hand-in-hand at a slow and steady pace, allowing for the bikers to move around you. When crossing the street you put a lot of faith in the driving abilities of the Vietnamese people which becomes somewhat stretched when you see four people packed onto a single motorcycle (including a nursing child) or a refrigerator balanced on the back. You know the saying "everything but the kitchen sink"? Yeah, that didn't even apply in Vietnam because I actually saw someone carrying a kitchen sink on the back of a motorcycle; except it was still attached to the kitchen counter-top and was standing vertically in the air and held in place by the passenger's chin. For what it's worth, you would expect to see more accidents on the streets but it seems to just work. It's like organized chaos or a school of fish where one moves and the entire system reacts.
We took a local bus out to the tunnels which are just a portion of a massive network used by the Viet Cong during the Vietnam War. The tunnels stretch and spider out almost to the Cambodian border and played a huge role in stagnating US troops. It was very eye-opening to see a Vietnamese perspective when we were shown a propaganda video profiling certain war heroes praised for how many Americans "white devils" they killed. The highlight of this visit was definitely the opportunity to squeeze down into the tunnels, not for those who have the slightest fear of claustrophobia, and literally shuffle through history. The tunnel system was cramped and dark but really showed you the home-field-advantage that tilted the war in the Viet Cong's favour. The bamboo booby traps were grim evidence of this. We were shown array of virtually undetectable entrances and “chimneys”, which are disguised as rocks and are strategically placed miles away from the underground homes they are ventilating, all of which would have been otherwise invisible to our eyes. We met an Australian couple and spent the day touring around with them followed by lunch on a river. On the bus back to Saigon we got our first reality check. Our Lonely Planet guide had warned us of bus drivers that try to scam foreigners by overcharging for tickets. So, when the ticket collector made his rounds and informed us that it was 7000 dong (about 34 cents) as opposed to the 3000 we were expecting (15 cents....) our tourist guards instantly went up and immediately questioned the validity of this bus company. "Woah, woah, woah buddy. We're onto you". Only after we turned over the 68 cents for the 40 minute bus ride did we take stock and actually laugh at ourselves for the typical tourist idiots we were.
A couple of nights in Saigon only allowed us a taste of what the city has to offer and unfortunately we weren't able to visit the war museums that sounded so interesting. It did, however, allow us to taste the nightlife and get back into the backpacker mindset. Huddled around low plastic tables drinking fifty cent beers and chatting with fellow travelers was a great welcome back to the lifestyle we so dearly missed. There was a trailmix of nationalities, each with identifiable approaches to their travels. Some have itineraries and deadlines, some do not. Some stick out like a sore thumb, some look like seasoned veterans of the global trend that is traveling. One thing that we noticed was the high level English competency in the locals. Paired in stark contrast to the level of English we have become accustomed to in Korea, it was pretty evident that tourism itself has driven the Vietnamese to be more adept as well as confident in their conversational English. The millions of Korean Won that are being poured into a strict education system by a proficiency-obsessed culture are not having the same results as having millions of backpackers pass through a country on a daily basis.
From Saigon we headed north on a night bus to a seaside town called Mui Ne. We knew we would be arriving late at night so we agreed to allow the bus company to book us a place for $15 each. When we got there, we were led to our own bungalow. We noticed that the crash of the waves sounded very close so we excitedly hurried to our balcony. We were right, the waves were very, very close. They were crashing right below our window! At high tide the erosion had pushed the beach back so far that it gave a new meaning to sea-side bungalow. It was an awesome sound to wake up to. We had the chance to check out the beach the next day. The conditions were perfect for kite-boarders who showed up in droves and littered the sky with sails to the point that you wondered how more didn't become entangled. The waves were ripe for body surfing and we jumped at the chance to be tossed about by the violent sea. After a dip and a delicious lunch on the beach, we were picked up by a tour guide who took us in a 4x4 to these massive sand dunes in the area. They were definitely an unexpected highlight of our trip. For Louise it was a totally new experience and for me it took me back in time to "dune-bashing" in Dubai and Bahrain with much nostalgia. I had forgotten what it felt like to take three steps and only move two feet. We watched the sun go down on the sand-dunes with a couple of beers as our tour guide patiently waited in the car. Our tour that day also included a leisurely stroll down a gorge surrounded by red clay cliffs on one side and a lush forest on the other. Needless to say, the sights in Mui Ne were both unexpected and breath-taking. Since we were bound by time and had to get North, we weren't able to stay in Mui Ne any longer but we definitely would have if time allowed. But alas, it was time for the next leg of our journey....but that can wait until next time.
For a photo summary capturing some of the more vivid moments of this leg, check out my flickr account set for a slideshow at this link: http://www.flickr.com/photos/75862272@N08/sets/72157629195840743/
Monday, December 19, 2011
Pre-Koristmas
I think a lot of who I am as a person (as opposed to what, Dom?) can be attributed to my somewhat uncommon upbringing. When you look at it ; born in England to Scottish/Irish parents, soon moving to Malta before hopping around between Dubai and Bahrain a few times and finally settling in Canada- it becomes very apparent that my family has become used to a very transient lifestyle. Each one of the Fegan kids went to boarding school at one point in their youth as it provided a sense of stability and opportunity among the surreal elements of ex-pat living. Thus, "coming home for the holidays" was something that we all looked forward to as a family, something we craved, something we didn't take for granted as we knew that it would only be a short time before we would be split up again. I think this has a lot to do with our family dynamic. Nowadays, I am in South Korea, Roisin is in Switzerland, Mairead is moving to London to be with her husband Andrew who is working at the Olympics, and Matt and Heather have settled in Halifax, a short drive from Mum and Dad in St. Margaret's Bay. Day to day, I'm certainly not consumed by longing for my family, it's become a feeling I am used to and I sometimes forget to acknowledge it. But, this year will mark the first year that our family won't be together for the holidays and it makes it that much harder when you live in a country that doesn't share that warm and fuzzy feeling towards Christmas. And to think, all it took was watching Macauley Culkin in Home Alone for me to come to this sublime realization.
Now that the start of my blog sounds like a Coldplay song, I'll fill you in on what we have been up to recently. With our trip to Vietnam booked, we realized that our weekends in Korea were limited so we had to try and pack in as much as we could before Louise leaves on February 1st. Last weekend we took a bus to the city of Gwangju. Since it is pretty far away from Daegu, by the time we arrived in the city we could only manage to squeeze in a visit to the art museum and then watch TinTin at the movie theatre before attempting to find a local "love motel". These places are all over Korea, you really only need to look up to find the glow of the neon and you will have found a place to stay. It is very hit and miss though. Judging by the fact that some of them rent rooms by the hour, you can get a sense of their intended use for a few of their patrons. But alas, the one we found in Gwangju was nothing fancy: no spinning beds or mirrors on the ceilings and served as our shelter for the evening. Rising early, we took a bus to Boseong which is the area known for its green tea plantations.
Since Louise worked at David's Tea in Canada, she has a real interest in seeing where some of their products come from and the methods used to grow and produce their teas. The perfect rows of bushes hugged the landscape and climbed up precarious slopes. You could picture them using the same methods of growth and harvest hundreds of years ago and could sense the tradition surrounding the area. After walking around the plantations and buying some green tea powder, we went in for a taste of their product. Being close to the ocean, the tea tasted quite salty to me, although I had just had a bag of salt and vinegar chips so that might have had something to do with it. Louise, the real expert, confirmed my sentiments and we came away very satisfied with our experience. I thought to myself; "if only I could take a bath in a large cup of green tea... that would probably be really good for my skin!" And lo and behold, the next town we visited had just that; a bathhouse with special green tea baths overlooking the ocean. It was a great end to a weekend that saw a noticeable drop in temperature and our first sights of snow while driving to Gwangju. It was also here, that I decided to partake in some personal upkeep and trim my nipple hair. So, after inspecting in the mirror and coming away satisfied, I got the thumbs up from two old Korean men that were rubbing their nipples and pointing at me. This was followed by uproarious laughter from the other gentlemen bathing at that time. Great, I thought I had been very inconspicuous about it but I guess not. Needless to say, the concept of "manscaping" is one that hasn't really penetrated into South Korea just yet.
Gearing up for the "Holiday Season" has been rather eye-opening. The stores put on sales, there are lights on the trees downtown, coffee shops have their Christmas drinks on offer, and many teachers are planning Christmas lessons as an excuse to sing carols and draw reindeer under the pretense that the kids are learning. All sounds pretty familiar, right? But to be honest, it all seems a bit forced. Christmas isn't about family or giving here and much less about the birth of Jesus Christ. Asking my co-teacher if she has finished her Christmas shopping, she said that no one really does Christmas shopping here...so why all the banner ads in the store windows? It's weird but it almost seems like they are only doing it because they think people in the Western World celebrate Christmas like this and so they are supposed to too. Nonetheless, Louise and I have all of our presents wrapped under the tree that we made of empty rice-wine bottles and we have listened to Bing Crosby's Christmas crooning several times already. Our advent calendar is dwindling and we are gearing up for what we hope to make a special day for the two of us while we are miles away from where we would rather be; solving the Christmas crossword puzzle in front of the fire surrounded by our loved ones. If only, right?
Thanks for reading, and Merry Christmas folks.
D
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| Soju Bottle Christmas Tree |
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| Boseong Green Tea |
Since Louise worked at David's Tea in Canada, she has a real interest in seeing where some of their products come from and the methods used to grow and produce their teas. The perfect rows of bushes hugged the landscape and climbed up precarious slopes. You could picture them using the same methods of growth and harvest hundreds of years ago and could sense the tradition surrounding the area. After walking around the plantations and buying some green tea powder, we went in for a taste of their product. Being close to the ocean, the tea tasted quite salty to me, although I had just had a bag of salt and vinegar chips so that might have had something to do with it. Louise, the real expert, confirmed my sentiments and we came away very satisfied with our experience. I thought to myself; "if only I could take a bath in a large cup of green tea... that would probably be really good for my skin!" And lo and behold, the next town we visited had just that; a bathhouse with special green tea baths overlooking the ocean. It was a great end to a weekend that saw a noticeable drop in temperature and our first sights of snow while driving to Gwangju. It was also here, that I decided to partake in some personal upkeep and trim my nipple hair. So, after inspecting in the mirror and coming away satisfied, I got the thumbs up from two old Korean men that were rubbing their nipples and pointing at me. This was followed by uproarious laughter from the other gentlemen bathing at that time. Great, I thought I had been very inconspicuous about it but I guess not. Needless to say, the concept of "manscaping" is one that hasn't really penetrated into South Korea just yet.
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| Merry Christmas! |
Thanks for reading, and Merry Christmas folks.
D
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