Well it's CHRISTMAS EVE but it doesn't feel like it yet because I'm STILL AT WORK at 8pm!! Aaah!! Oh well, it's been a fun day, the students are so excited about Christmas and I wore a Santa hat to all my classes which they thought was hilarious. Also it's test day so it isn't a very demanding day of work. Still I would much rather be in NJ, heading off to my uncle's house or heading to church with my family! Having had Christmas a bit early while I was home in NJ I thought I'd try to keep my head down once 12/25 came around. I figured if I didn't really focus on the holiday I wouldn't be as homesick. Turns out it's next to impossible to let Christmas go by unnoticed, even in Korea. So about 30 minutes into today I decided to abandon that plan and get totally excited about Christmas even though I'm not spending it the way I'd like to be. So in an hour I finish work, put on the most Christmas-y outfit I can find and head out with my friends to a Korean private singing room to sing Christmas songs all night! Not too late though because for our Christmas dinner tomorrow I'm in charge of the turkey, the (from scratch) stuffing and the dip for veggies. We already had a cookie making/decorating night so those are all done and ready to be consumed with gusto!
Then on Friday it's Get-ready-to-go-to-Cambodia-and-Vietnam-because-I-have-not-put-any-thought-into-this-trip-at-all-since-booking-it-and-I-haven't-even-started-to-think-about-packing Day!! Wooohoo and I leave on Saturday!!!
Wednesday, December 24, 2008
Sunday, December 21, 2008
Where I live and eat!
Here is a view of my apartment from across the street (it's the taller building in the back).
This is a picture of the gimbap nara (김밥 나라 ) by my house. Gimbap naras are small, cafe-style Korea eateries where you can get gimbap, bibimbap, kimchi jjigae and other everyday Korean dishes. They're small and have fast service so they're especially good if you're eating alone. This one is a minute from my house and I eat there several times a week as it's extremely cheap and food is so delicious!
Here's a picture of the menu and, yes, I can read it :)
Saturday, December 20, 2008
Twas the Week before Christmas...
The week before Christmas has been good, albeit not very Christmas-y. I did teach several of my classes some Christmas songs though! They mostly just hummed along through Jingle Bells except for when it came time to shout "Hey!". I'm hoping to get some video footage of them singing on Monday so I can post a clip on here - it's pretty darn cute!
In other news, I recently added a slow cooker to my modestly-equipped kitchen and I've had such a great time concocting things in it! Since I don't get home from work until after 9, it's great to come home to a ready-to-eat meal instead of having to come home and start cooking. Yay for crockpots!
So, let's see what else is going on... Most of my friends are traveling or have gone home for the holidays but the few of us who are still around have been trying to plan a Christmas celebration that will ease the bleakness of a holiday without family. We are having a girl's Christmas cookie making and decorating party on Monday night. On Christmas Eve we all work until 9 or later but we're planning to get together after work to sing Christmas songs! Then on Christmas Day three of us are cooking a traditional turkey dinner for the group. I'm feeling quite sad because I know it won't feel much like Christmas this year but at least it will be something. And then two days later I'll be on a plane with Tabi headed for sub-tropical Southeast Asia!! As I type this it's 82 degress in Cambodia...
Tuesday, December 16, 2008
My Christmas Party and New Phone!
On December 14th I hosted a Christmas party for 5 of my friends. I had it at one of their apartments since it's a bit bigger than mine and has more seating...
I decorated and made appetizers (mini pizzas, stuffed mushrooms, cocktail meatballs, deviled eggs, veggies and dips, cheese and crackers) and served wine and hot cocoa with Baileys. After we ate we all painted wooden and ceramic ornaments and decorated gingerbread men with icing and candy! We used supplies I brought back with me from the States. Afterwards, we played card and board games until the wee hours of the morning! It was a lot of fun, and everyone said they had a great time! Here are some pictures:
Painting and decorating...
Some sample Gingerbread Men!
The 3 Cranium Teams....
In other news, I got a new cell phone! It's a pink Cyon slide phone and it's sooooo amazing and wonderful!!! Here it is:
I decorated and made appetizers (mini pizzas, stuffed mushrooms, cocktail meatballs, deviled eggs, veggies and dips, cheese and crackers) and served wine and hot cocoa with Baileys. After we ate we all painted wooden and ceramic ornaments and decorated gingerbread men with icing and candy! We used supplies I brought back with me from the States. Afterwards, we played card and board games until the wee hours of the morning! It was a lot of fun, and everyone said they had a great time! Here are some pictures:
The food buffet!
Painting and decorating...
Some sample Gingerbread Men!
The 3 Cranium Teams....
In other news, I got a new cell phone! It's a pink Cyon slide phone and it's sooooo amazing and wonderful!!! Here it is:
Friday, December 12, 2008
Have you eaten rice?
Yesterday I ordered Korean food and when the delivery guy came in and gave me my food he smiled and said simply, "Big Sock". At first I thought he was speaking Korean but then he said it again clearly. "Big Sock." Having absolutely no idea what he was talking about I giggled nervously, smiled, and said, "Oh! OK!".
Later that day as I left my apartment it became clear what he had been trying to say. I have a big red Christmas stocking on the outside of my front door. A big sock!
Speaking of Korean food, yesterday my kids and I were studying the food pyramid and nutrition and we had to make a list of all the food we ate this week. If there were any doubts about whether I've adjusted to the food here, stepping back and looking at what I've been eating lately put them to entirely to rest. Here are two days from my list.
Wednesday
breakfast - rice, vegetables, egg, seaweed
lunch - rice, vegetables, egg, hot pepper paste, kimchi
dinner - rice, chicken, vegetables
Thursday
breakfast - rice, vegetables, egg, seaweed
lunch - spicy pork, rice, vegetables and kimchi
dinner - kimchi & rice dumplings, kimchi
Can you tell I live in a country where the question is not IF you will eat rice, but rather what you will eat WITH your rice? In fact in Korea when one person asks another person whether they've eaten yet, the question is literally translated, "Have you eaten rice?"
Later that day as I left my apartment it became clear what he had been trying to say. I have a big red Christmas stocking on the outside of my front door. A big sock!
Speaking of Korean food, yesterday my kids and I were studying the food pyramid and nutrition and we had to make a list of all the food we ate this week. If there were any doubts about whether I've adjusted to the food here, stepping back and looking at what I've been eating lately put them to entirely to rest. Here are two days from my list.
Wednesday
breakfast - rice, vegetables, egg, seaweed
lunch - rice, vegetables, egg, hot pepper paste, kimchi
dinner - rice, chicken, vegetables
Thursday
breakfast - rice, vegetables, egg, seaweed
lunch - spicy pork, rice, vegetables and kimchi
dinner - kimchi & rice dumplings, kimchi
Can you tell I live in a country where the question is not IF you will eat rice, but rather what you will eat WITH your rice? In fact in Korea when one person asks another person whether they've eaten yet, the question is literally translated, "Have you eaten rice?"
Thursday, December 4, 2008
Cute
Yesterday my student was writing about some spicy food. He wrote, "It was so spicy that my mouse was on fire." Hmm I think he meant "mouth"...
Today I had 2 students write the sweetest diaries:
"Today is wonderful because today I saw Kayla! In one month I did not see Kayla teacher but today I did saw her. Kayla teacher is very wonderful, cute, beautiful, and fun. I want to study with Kayla and my friends!"
and as if one wasn't sweet enough...
"Oh today is my very happy day because today Kayla teacher is come back from the USA! I am so very happy! I love Kayla! When Kayla teacher goes to the USA I have Michael teacher. Michael teacher is kind but he is very tired. I think he is not very funny. Michael teacher is one month we played no games. But Kayla teacher is many games and many candy and many funny times. I was sad because Kayla teacher is go to the USA but today I saw Kayla teacher again so I'm very happy. I want to see Kayla teacher every day!"
Aww it's so nice to be missed! :)
Today I had 2 students write the sweetest diaries:
"Today is wonderful because today I saw Kayla! In one month I did not see Kayla teacher but today I did saw her. Kayla teacher is very wonderful, cute, beautiful, and fun. I want to study with Kayla and my friends!"
and as if one wasn't sweet enough...
"Oh today is my very happy day because today Kayla teacher is come back from the USA! I am so very happy! I love Kayla! When Kayla teacher goes to the USA I have Michael teacher. Michael teacher is kind but he is very tired. I think he is not very funny. Michael teacher is one month we played no games. But Kayla teacher is many games and many candy and many funny times. I was sad because Kayla teacher is go to the USA but today I saw Kayla teacher again so I'm very happy. I want to see Kayla teacher every day!"
Aww it's so nice to be missed! :)
Tuesday, December 2, 2008
Good To Be Back
After a wonderful and fun-filled month in the States I am finally back in the Land of Morning Calm (Korea). If feels wonderful to be home. The trip here was very long but it went smoothly. I still feel very jet lagged unfortunately. I wake up full of energy very early in the morning and then feel like crashing mid afternoon, shortly after I get to work. I come home from work and go right to sleep. I really need to force myself to stay up longer after work so I don't wake up so early.
Speaking of adjusting, my body is certainly glad to be back to Korean food! I didn't even realize how accustomed I had become to the rice, meat/fish and veggies diet. It really makes a difference when your diet includes little to no cheese or greasy food. Although I enjoyed going out to eat and having many delicious meals prepared for me while back home, my tummy was quite displeased with my food intake during the entire trip.
Going back to work on Monday was a lot of fun. My students were all glad to have me back and were anxious to report that the teacher who subbed for me played absolutely no games with them the entire month. They were so indignant over this blatant injustice that I indulged them with some games my first day back which not only appeased them but helped me ease back into the classroom routine as well. The "welcome back" gifts were many and numerous, consisting of stickers, knickknacks, and drawings (one involving a girl with a sad face listening to the substitute teacher with an imagination bubble in which I'm teaching and everyone is smiling). One student even gave me a rose! Aww...
Still working on unpacking as I'm trying to give the apartment a thorough cleaning before settling in. The jet-lagged energy levels are making this a slow process so far. Right now it seems that going to work is about all I have energy for... So it's off to the gym now to try and jump start my energy before work! Tonight is Euchre night with friends and this weekend I'm working on getting my visas for the Vietnam/Cambodia trip and then Saturday night is a birthday/going away party for a friend. Sunday is church (visiting a new one!) and then in the evening I'm hosting a small Christmas party for my closest friends. So much to do before then!
Speaking of adjusting, my body is certainly glad to be back to Korean food! I didn't even realize how accustomed I had become to the rice, meat/fish and veggies diet. It really makes a difference when your diet includes little to no cheese or greasy food. Although I enjoyed going out to eat and having many delicious meals prepared for me while back home, my tummy was quite displeased with my food intake during the entire trip.
Going back to work on Monday was a lot of fun. My students were all glad to have me back and were anxious to report that the teacher who subbed for me played absolutely no games with them the entire month. They were so indignant over this blatant injustice that I indulged them with some games my first day back which not only appeased them but helped me ease back into the classroom routine as well. The "welcome back" gifts were many and numerous, consisting of stickers, knickknacks, and drawings (one involving a girl with a sad face listening to the substitute teacher with an imagination bubble in which I'm teaching and everyone is smiling). One student even gave me a rose! Aww...
Still working on unpacking as I'm trying to give the apartment a thorough cleaning before settling in. The jet-lagged energy levels are making this a slow process so far. Right now it seems that going to work is about all I have energy for... So it's off to the gym now to try and jump start my energy before work! Tonight is Euchre night with friends and this weekend I'm working on getting my visas for the Vietnam/Cambodia trip and then Saturday night is a birthday/going away party for a friend. Sunday is church (visiting a new one!) and then in the evening I'm hosting a small Christmas party for my closest friends. So much to do before then!
Friday, October 31, 2008
13 months later
13 months of teaching English in Korea are finished and here I sit at the airport, waiting for my flight home. I can't wait to relax and just visit with people and of course not work for a month! But I will actually miss work I think. Honestly, I can't even express how much I love my job. Yesterday one of my Korean co-teachers shared with me that my students' parents have all told her that they love me and that they look forward to my class and that I'm their favorite teacher. And when I told my students I wouldn't be here next month and that they'd have a different teacher in November, they all groaned! But their faces lit up when I told them I'd be coming back. It made me so happy!
This month while I'm in the States I'll be flying out to Pittsburgh to visit my best friend and her family and also flying up to Massachusetts/Connecticut to visit my sister's family and then my brother's family. In between I'll be soaking up time with other family and friends and celebrating a wedding, a birthday, and Thanksgiving. I have a feeling that before I know it the month will be over and I'll be back at this airport. :(
I am looking forward to this next year in Korea with anticipation though. Kicking things off with a tour of Vietnam and Cambodia certainly helps! So does having a job you love and a great group of friends.
Time to board...
This month while I'm in the States I'll be flying out to Pittsburgh to visit my best friend and her family and also flying up to Massachusetts/Connecticut to visit my sister's family and then my brother's family. In between I'll be soaking up time with other family and friends and celebrating a wedding, a birthday, and Thanksgiving. I have a feeling that before I know it the month will be over and I'll be back at this airport. :(
I am looking forward to this next year in Korea with anticipation though. Kicking things off with a tour of Vietnam and Cambodia certainly helps! So does having a job you love and a great group of friends.
Time to board...
Thursday, October 16, 2008
In December I Will Be Traveling to...
Cambodia & Vietnam! That's right! It will be more of exotic Southeast Asia for me come Christmastime! I'll be traveling with my good friend Tabi and we'll be going from Seoul to Hanoi Vietnam, onto Siem Reap, Cambodia, and then back to Saigon, Vietnam. It will be a week long trip, leaving on December 27th and returning on January 2nd. I'm SO EXCITED!
When I tell people that's where I'm going they usually ask the following questions so here is some information in case you are wondering the same things...
Q. What's in Cambodia??
A. ANGKOR WAT!
Q. What is Angkor Wat?
A. Angkor is an ancient city that still stands in Cambodia. It's most popular structure is the magnificent "Angkor Wat" - a magnificent temple complex built in the early 12th century and said to be the Ancient World's equivalent to The Vatican. The Smithsonian has named Angkor Wat one of the 28 places to see before you die, alongside The Pyramids, The Great Wall, and The Taj Mahal. Angkor Wat is just one of thousands of ancient structures built in Angkor between the 9th and 15th Century. It is said to be the world's largest single religious monument.
In 2007 an international team of researchers using satellite photographs and other modern techniques concluded that the ancient city of Angkor had been the largest preindustrial city in the world with an urban sprawl of 3000 square kilometres - that's roughly the size of Los Angeles. Angkor was abandoned after Siamese invasions and the great city and temples remained hidden by the forest until the late 19th century when French archaeologists discovered them and began a long restoration process. Here are some photos - these are just of the temple, not the rest of the city which is HUGE!
Q. What's in Vietnam?
A. Saigon! Also known as Ho Chi Minh City. It's home to excellent museums, beautiful gardens, breathtaking waterways, as well as elaborate temples, pagodas and churches. There is so much history and beauty, it's incredible!
One site we will be visiting there are the tunnels of Củ Chi - an immense network of connecting underground tunnels that underlie not only Ho Chi Minh City but most of the rest of the country as well. They were used by guerrillas as hiding spots during combat, as well as for communication and supply routes, hospitals, food and weapon storage and living quarters for numerous guerrilla fighters. The tunnel systems were critical to resisting the American troops and eventually persuading them to withdrawal.
We also plan to visit the Reunification Palace where the joining of North and South Vietnam was made official. Our itinerary gives us a free day in Ho Chi Minh so we are currently doing lots of research as to what will "make the cut" on that day.
Here are some pics of Ho Chi Minh.
A fruit market
Most people travel by motorized scooter
The reunification palaceI'll write more about these places and preparing for the trip in the coming months. For now, I'm working on getting through a busy 10 days before I'm back in NJ!
Wednesday, October 15, 2008
2 Weeks From Friday!
I'll be home that soon!
Here are some pictures of my apartment since I got new furniture and some other random ones!
The hall outside my apartment - elevators are to the right, my apt is the first door on the left
Taken from my foyer
The "Living Room" - I heart my new bookcase!
The "Kitchen" - look Mom all my dishes are washed and put away! :)
The "Bedroom" - I heart my new queen size bed!
The "Office"
My kitchen food cupboard - I found fruit loops last week!
My dishes cupboard
Here are some pictures of my apartment since I got new furniture and some other random ones!
Below: My door/foyer/hallway/closets/fridge/bathroom to the left!
The hall outside my apartment - elevators are to the right, my apt is the first door on the left
Taken from my foyer
The "Living Room" - I heart my new bookcase!
The "Kitchen" - look Mom all my dishes are washed and put away! :)
The "Bedroom" - I heart my new queen size bed!
The "Office"
My kitchen food cupboard - I found fruit loops last week!
My dishes cupboard
Monday, October 13, 2008
Recent Pictures
Here are some recent pictures from around here. There are some from the last regular season Korean baseball game and then some from my friend Pip's going away party.
Vendors outside the stadium - if you can't tell, that's dried squid and gimbap (Korean sushi) behind the drinks
Waiting in line to buy tickets!
Tabi and Drew - Who's excited about baseball??
We were an hour early to the game so this is me watching one team take batting practice. Right after this was taken the guy batting hit a ball that came just to my right and I caught it in my glove (I'm standing in left field)!
This was me right after I caught the ball! I was so excited!
Enjoying the game
The scoreboard - sadly, our team lost.
With Tabi and Pip at Pip's going away party
Dinner before the party with Tabi and Sarah
Vendors outside the stadium - if you can't tell, that's dried squid and gimbap (Korean sushi) behind the drinks
Waiting in line to buy tickets!
Tabi and Drew - Who's excited about baseball??
We were an hour early to the game so this is me watching one team take batting practice. Right after this was taken the guy batting hit a ball that came just to my right and I caught it in my glove (I'm standing in left field)!
This was me right after I caught the ball! I was so excited!
Enjoying the game
The scoreboard - sadly, our team lost.
With Tabi and Pip at Pip's going away party
Dinner before the party with Tabi and SarahOctober
Not too much happening lately...
I've been making some new friends lately which has been nice. One girl Tabi and I have been hanging out a lot, she's from Toronto. We get along well and are thinking of traveling together in December. This Thursday one of my friends is having a Mexican dinner party and another friend is having a formal party on Saturday. I'm trying to put together a party for foreigners in my building the following weekend since there are so many and I have yet to meet most of them as I only see them in passing and we live on different floors.
I made Canadian Thanksgiving Dinner this weekend! It's actually the 2nd Monday in October but we celebrated on Sunday evening. I went import shopping on Saturday to get all the ingredients and then had the wonderful task of cooking all the food with only one stove burner. It all turned out great, though, and everyone enjoyed it. I am very lucky to get to go home for Thanksgiving this year but most of my friends won't be able to so I wanted them to be able to celebrate here.
I'm still considering India for Christmas but am now also considering a tour of Vietnam & Cambodia instead. I'll keep you posted on what I decide.
I've been watching all the most recent Phillies games here since they show post-season MLB and the World Series on Korean TV. I wasn't able to watch any of the regular season games so it's nice that the Phillies have made it this far. It's a tiring hobby though as the games are very early in the morning here (one was at 5:30am last Saturday!!) but it's been really fun to watch.
I had a very sad experience on Saturday. I was waiting for the subway and a man came up to me and said, "America?" and I said yes. He started yelling and cursing at me in Korean and saying what a bad country America is and telling me to go back there. Nothing like that has ever happened to me here, people have never been anything other than kind toward me so this was really upsetting. He has clearly a jerk and we got away from him as quickly as possible. :(
On a happier note, I'll be home in NJ for a visit two weeks from Friday! I hope to see many of you then!
I've been making some new friends lately which has been nice. One girl Tabi and I have been hanging out a lot, she's from Toronto. We get along well and are thinking of traveling together in December. This Thursday one of my friends is having a Mexican dinner party and another friend is having a formal party on Saturday. I'm trying to put together a party for foreigners in my building the following weekend since there are so many and I have yet to meet most of them as I only see them in passing and we live on different floors.
I made Canadian Thanksgiving Dinner this weekend! It's actually the 2nd Monday in October but we celebrated on Sunday evening. I went import shopping on Saturday to get all the ingredients and then had the wonderful task of cooking all the food with only one stove burner. It all turned out great, though, and everyone enjoyed it. I am very lucky to get to go home for Thanksgiving this year but most of my friends won't be able to so I wanted them to be able to celebrate here.
I'm still considering India for Christmas but am now also considering a tour of Vietnam & Cambodia instead. I'll keep you posted on what I decide.
I've been watching all the most recent Phillies games here since they show post-season MLB and the World Series on Korean TV. I wasn't able to watch any of the regular season games so it's nice that the Phillies have made it this far. It's a tiring hobby though as the games are very early in the morning here (one was at 5:30am last Saturday!!) but it's been really fun to watch.
I had a very sad experience on Saturday. I was waiting for the subway and a man came up to me and said, "America?" and I said yes. He started yelling and cursing at me in Korean and saying what a bad country America is and telling me to go back there. Nothing like that has ever happened to me here, people have never been anything other than kind toward me so this was really upsetting. He has clearly a jerk and we got away from him as quickly as possible. :(
On a happier note, I'll be home in NJ for a visit two weeks from Friday! I hope to see many of you then!
Tuesday, September 30, 2008
One...Whole...Year!
I have officially lived in Korea for a whole year! Can you believe it? It seems like it was a totally different Kayla who, a year ago, decided to go for it, leaving everything behind, job, family, car, boyfriend... and boarded a plane headed halfway across the globe, nearly as far away as possible, with nothing but 2 suitcases and a desire for adventure. A year seemed like such a long time to be in Korea and yet it has passed so quickly.
A year ago I had never lived in a foreign country, I had never been to Asia, and I couldn't have identified the Korean language written or spoken. I had never lived on my own let alone lived in a city. I had never tasted kimchi or relied on public transportation. I had never taught a day in my life. Now, I am getting ready to start a second year in Korea. I live here - Here in the 7th most populated city in the world, bigger than New York, Tokyo, or Shanghai. I know where things are and how to get there. I don't have to use a subway map and when signs aren't in English it's ok because I can read Korean. I know enough words and phrases to get my point across. I teach about 100 students, know all their names, and what their English skills are like. I know my school's procedures and curriculum like the back of my hand and have become the person new people come to with questions or for help.
I love living here and this month has kind of been like a Korea "Renaissance" for me. I had been in a pretty set routine of hanging out with the same people and doing the same things week to week. But things have been changing and I've been meeting a lot of new people lately and trying to shake things up a bit. I think my second year will be different than the first and also better. There are some things I want to do differently - save more money, meet more people, travel more, exercise more, get more involved at church, and start volunteering somewhere. I feel exactly right about deciding to stay and am really looking forward to what this next year brings. I have grown and changed so much over the past 12 months and I believe there is plenty more of that to come during my time here.
I will be back in NJ from October 31st until November 29th. In there will be a wedding, a birthday (Meri's!), Thanksgiving, and mostly just time spent catching up with family and friends. When I come home it will have been 9 months since I was in the States and 13 months since I lived there. Strange...
In other news, teaching is better than ever. I'm at such a comfortable place with all of my classes. I've been teaching the majority of my students for somewhere between 8 months and a year and we've settled into a nice rhythm. Teaching comes naturally to me now, in a way I could never have imagined a year ago. I mean, in some ways it makes sense, I do enjoy speaking in front of people and I tend to be a leader rather than a follower. But, still it's hard to believe that a couple of years ago I was sitting in lecture halls, daydreaming about weddings, and now here I am in Asia, living on my own and teaching as though it's my true calling.
I am giving a lot of thought right now to where I'll be going at Christmas time. I'll be quite alone at Christmas since most of my friends will be away in various corners of the world. I have 10 days off of work though so I plan on using that time for some kind of incredible adventure, even if it is by myself (don't worry, I'll join a tour so I'm not completely alone!). Right now I'm considering Northern India. No plans yet, just looking into it. Every inquiry gets me more and more excited though, and I'm really starting to think it could work out. I'll keep you posted as things unfold...
Still can't believe it.
A whole year.
:)
Wednesday, September 17, 2008
Hong Kong
Wow, Hong Kong was amazing! I had such a wonderful time.
After breakfast Sarah and I went to Lantau Island to see the Big Buddha there. It took us an hour on the ferry and then 30 minutes on a bus going up a windy, bumpy road to reach the monastery which was up in the mountains. Once there we climbed 268 steps to go up to the largest Bronze Buddha in the world. It was huge and the views from the top were breathtaking.
That night we ate at a wonderful Egyptian restaurant that had the most amazing falafel and I ordered the grilled lamb which was cooked so well it practically melted in my mouth. Just thinking about that meal is making me hungry again! After dinner we took the hour ferry right over to Macau to experience the casino scene there.
Macau brings in more revenue than Vegas and has 28 casinos including The Venetian which is the biggest casino in the world and the third largest building (sq. ft.) in the world. We mainly just wanted to experience the scene and walk through the Venetian - it is an incredible building, renaissance themed, and indescribably luxurious. It has actual canals running through it with gondola rides. The total size of The Venetian in Macau is equivalent to 56 football fields. It's big enough to park 100 Boeing 747 jumbo jets. Anyway it was incredible to see and we got the last gondola ride of the day. Our guide was from Northern Italy and he sang songs to us in Italian. It was lovely. We visited a few other casinos before heading back on the ferry. The next day we just finished up some last minute shopping and headed to the airport. It was a really fun, relaxing trip and I'm so glad I went. Hong Kong was such a fun place!
Sarah and me in front of a lantern display
Skyline
Hong Kong Cultural Center - it completely lights up and changes colors at night
View from the ferry to Kowloon
Light Show at night
Busy streets
Night Market stall
Night Market
Shopping!
Dinner at a Thai Restaurant
Light Show again
Dinner at an Italian Restaurant
On the way to dinner
Sarah and Marie
Love the reflections in the water
glow sticks
Lantern Festival
Waiting for the subway on the way to Lantau Island
At the bottom of the Big Buddha stairs
At the top
Gorgeous views from the top
The trip started early Saturday morning, when I met my friends Marie and Sarah at the airport. I have never traveled with them before so I didn't exactly know how it was going to go. Just because you're friends with people doesn't mean they are necessarily good travel buddies - you might have different tastes, schedules, and priorities on the trip which could get messy. Thankfully, the girls were really easy going about everything and we all had the same basic idea of what we wanted to see and do on the trip.
The flight to Hong Kong from Seoul took about 3 1/2 hours. We arrived in Hong Kong at around 2pm and got to the hotel around 4. We took a bus from the airport to our hotel. We stayed in an area called Wan Chai which was a really central location. Hong Kong's main areas are Hong Kong Island, Kowloon Peninsula, Lantau Island, and the New Territories. We didn't visit any of the New Territories as they are farther north, closer to China, and there was nothing of interest to us there.
So, we stayed on Hong Kong Island, right in the middle of everything. The first thing we did was settle into our hotel which was really really nice. It was less than $100 a night per room (we got 2 rooms for the 3 of us and took turns having our own room) and it had a lot more than I expected which was great. After we got settled we went and bought Octopus Cards which are the transportation cards for the city. They're called Octopus cards because you can use them for so many different things which we quickly found out was no exaggeration. The money you put on them can be used for the subway, bus, ferries, trams, boats, and even at some tourist attractions throughout the city. You can even use them at convenience stores to make purchases.
We quickly found out the public transportation system in Hong Kong was incredible. The subway systems in Hong Kong were so clean - even cleaner than Korea which is impressive and they were significantly easier to navigate than they are here as well. I have to say, Asian public transportation systems put Western ones to shame. They are so much cleaner, easier to use, and more logically laid out from what I've seen. You'd really have to work at it to get lost in Hong Kong, I think.
The first thing we did was a bit of exploring. We took the ferry to Kowloon and saw some of the buildings over there like the Hong Kong cultural center. We walked along the bottom of the peninsula which is where the Avenue of the Stars is. The entire walk affords you a spectacular, panoramic view of the Hong Kong Island skyline. On the Avenue of the Stars we saw lots of Hong Kong actors and actress's names including Jackie Chan, Jet Li, Bruce Lee, and Chow Yun Fat.
We were there during the Mid-Autumn Lantern Festival so we saw some giant displays of lanterns in all shapes and sizes. In Kowloon there was an ocean display with lanterns in the shape of sea animals, kelp, bubbles, etc. It was really beautiful. We walked a long way north in Kowloon, taking in the city and scouting out potential restaurants. After months of Korean food and limited choice of Western fare, the one thing we knew on this trip was that everything we ate would be something we couldn't get (at least not easily) in Korea. We discovered an outside night market in Kowloon which took us hours to walk through and contained tons of local people selling literally all kinds of things: from art and clothing, to DVDs and toys. It was very busy and very hot - we decided to come back the next day to do our shopping.
That night we went back to Hong Kong Island and ate a delicious Thai dinner at a restaurant close to our hotel. It was amazing - they even had my favorite type of Thai curry. We called it a night early, planning to get a good start the following day to do some shopping. The next day we went from mall to market to market stopping for a smoothie or cold coffee drink here and there, in between. The outside markets were my favorite, they took hours to walk through, were full of sweaty people haggling for goods and we found lots of great deals. I got presents for my family which I had a lot of fun picking out and haggling for. My haggling skills have improved significantly since I first came to Korea - I had a hard time at first because I kept thinking I was doing something wrong, or ripping them off, but now I realize it's all part of the business and people aren't going to sell things to you at a price they're not making a profit on so I don't worry anymore.
That night we ate at an amazing Italian restaurant in an area called SoHo which is where a lot of the good restaurants and nightlife are. It was so nice to have real Italian food. There are some mediocre Italian chains in Korea but the food is "Koreanized" and not authentic which is disappointing. After dinner we went up the peak on Victoria Mountain which is a big tourist attraction in Hong Kong because you can see the entire skyline on both sides of the water from the top. We took a taxi up and a tram down, both of which were terrifying experiences. After the peak we went to Causeway Bay, an area West of Wan Chai where they had a Lantern Festival Carnival. We saw a variety of impressive lantern displays in the park there.
The next day we found a place that made real breakfast. Eggs, bacon, sausage, toast, omelets. There is no place in Korea that serves anything like that except maybe right in Central Seoul which would be over an hour away, a ridiculous trip to make for breakfast. We really enjoyed that meal!
After breakfast Sarah and I went to Lantau Island to see the Big Buddha there. It took us an hour on the ferry and then 30 minutes on a bus going up a windy, bumpy road to reach the monastery which was up in the mountains. Once there we climbed 268 steps to go up to the largest Bronze Buddha in the world. It was huge and the views from the top were breathtaking.
That night we ate at a wonderful Egyptian restaurant that had the most amazing falafel and I ordered the grilled lamb which was cooked so well it practically melted in my mouth. Just thinking about that meal is making me hungry again! After dinner we took the hour ferry right over to Macau to experience the casino scene there.
Macau brings in more revenue than Vegas and has 28 casinos including The Venetian which is the biggest casino in the world and the third largest building (sq. ft.) in the world. We mainly just wanted to experience the scene and walk through the Venetian - it is an incredible building, renaissance themed, and indescribably luxurious. It has actual canals running through it with gondola rides. The total size of The Venetian in Macau is equivalent to 56 football fields. It's big enough to park 100 Boeing 747 jumbo jets. Anyway it was incredible to see and we got the last gondola ride of the day. Our guide was from Northern Italy and he sang songs to us in Italian. It was lovely. We visited a few other casinos before heading back on the ferry. The next day we just finished up some last minute shopping and headed to the airport. It was a really fun, relaxing trip and I'm so glad I went. Hong Kong was such a fun place!
Sarah and me in front of a lantern display
Skyline
Hong Kong Cultural Center - it completely lights up and changes colors at night
View from the ferry to Kowloon
Light Show at night
Busy streets
Night Market stall
Night Market
Shopping!
Dinner at a Thai Restaurant
Light Show again
Dinner at an Italian Restaurant
On the way to dinner
Sarah and Marie
Love the reflections in the water
glow sticks
Lantern Festival
Waiting for the subway on the way to Lantau Island
At the bottom of the Big Buddha stairs
At the top
Gorgeous views from the top
Last dinner in Hong Kong - it was the most amazing Egyptian food!
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