End of August

As August comes to a close, I have to say I am not sorry to see it go. It was hard coming back from a paradise vacation in Thailand to a crowded, polluted city, where I had to teach 10 hours a day! 10 hours is a lot of time to spend in front of kids - I'm glad to be back to my regular schedule this week. Also, August has been very rainy - it seems like it's been sunny all during the week and then when the weekend comes and I have lots of outdoor plans, it rains! Probably the thing I least liked about August was the fact that the Korean Baseball League was on hold because of the olympics! Now, granted, I had an amazing time watching Korea go undefeated in baseball and win the gold medal! But, I guess I've been spoiled going to professional baseball games every weekend this spring and summer - I really missed the outings! Anyway, the league is back in session and I am heading to a game tomorrow and a game on Saturday! My team is 7 games back from a play off spot but there is still time!

Speaking of play-offs, I have to give a congratulatory shout-out to the Philadelphia Phillies, my home baseball team, for coming from behind to beat the Met's last night in a 5 hour, 13 inning game! It was a crucial win, and now the Phillies have a half game lead on the Met's for first place in the National League East. Anyway, I woke up early to listen to the game here online and was glad I did - it was one of those games that reaffirms why I love baseball so much: your team can be down by 7 runs and still come back and win!

I am working on plans for my Hong Kong trip next month - it's coming together nicely. People keep telling me what a fun and vibrant place Hong Kong is! I am going there with two girl friends, Marie and Sarah, they are both from England. And, I just realized, we are going to Hong Kong during the mid-autumn lantern festival - it is the 2nd biggest festival in China, after the Chinese New Year! This means the city will be packed and there will be things going on everywhere, exhibitions, performances, and....a gigantic fireworks competition! I promise to take lots of pictures and bring back all the excitement for you!

With August ending, it's an exciting time of year for several reasons... Autumn is coming and it's my favorite season, my trip to Hong Kong is getting closer, my 22nd birthday is in one week, and both my baseball teams are working hard for a place in the post-season! Also, I'm getting closer to my much-anticipated month off in November when I will be back in the States, voting for our next president, eating Thanksgiving dinner, and spending time with the people I care about most!

I'm Going to Hong Kong!

Ok, since Beijing fell through, I've booked a trip to Hong Kong/Macau. Before I came to Korea I knew almost nothing about Hong Kong. I didn't even know whether it was actually a part of China or not. Until I came here and talked to many world travellers, it was never even some place I wanted to visit. However, I've now talked to enough people who have travelled all over Asia and so many people have recommended visiting Hong Kong that it was an easy choice between there and Tokyo when Beijing fell through. Now, I do want to visit Japan at some point. However, Tokyo is SO expensive. I can stay in Hong Kong for 3 nights for the price of 1 night at the same class hotel in Tokyo. Also, I am drawn by the fact that Hong Kong is WARM and has BEACHES. And, right now, I don't feel like leaving the 2nd most populated city in the world (Seoul) to go to the #1 most populated city in the world (Tokyo). I'd rather go somewhere with boats and beaches! And Macau has overtaken Vegas as the world's top gambling destination with 23 casinos including the biggest casino in the world. It's a short ferry ride away from Hong Kong. The Venetian Macau is not only the biggest casino in the world it is actually the third largest building in the world! It's something I want to experience! (Not the gambling just the city itself!).

So. A little lesson for those of you who, like me, didn't know much about Hong Kong before now. Hong Kong and Macau are two special administrative regions of China. You don't need a visa to visit either Hong Kong or Macau as a tourist. Hong Kong was a territory of the United Kingdom from 1842 until 1997. In 1997 it was returned to China under the condition that it would have a designated level of autonomy for the next 50 years (i.e. until 2047). So Hong Kong is a part of China but it operates completely separately in most respects. For example Hong Kong has its own legal system, currency, immigration laws, etc. However, the Chinese government is responsible for Hong Kong's defense and foreign affairs. Interesting set-up, isn't it?

So, since it was a UK territory for so long and is still a very separate system from mainland China, Hong Kong has a very unique culture. A blend of East and West, Modern and Ancient. It is in many ways a very Western City. I hear you can find Chinese herbal remedies and shark fin soup on one corner and then an English pub or Catholic church on the next. I have also heard it is one of the most beautiful cities in the world, with an absolutely stunning skyline. I also have information regarding a place in Hong Kong where I can find an actual reuben sandwich. I can't tell you how much I want a reuben sandwich after 8 months away from home!

Hong Kong is a port city and one of the world's leading financial centers. Since it's located all the way off the southern coast of China, just south of the tropic of Cancer, it's climate is "sub-tropical" with very hot sunny summers and mild, snowless winters.

Did you know that Hong Kong has been ranked as the most free economy in the world in the Index of Economic Freedom for 14 consecutive years? The things one learns from Wikipedia!

Here's what Lonely Planet says about Hong Kong:

Hong Kong has enough towering urbanity, electric streetscapes, enigmatic temples, commercial fervour and cultural idiosyncrasies to utterly swamp the senses of a visitor, and enough spontaneous, unexpected possibilities to make a complete mockery of any attempt at a strictly organised itinerary.

So, with that in mind I'm planning my trip as follows: a day tour of Hong Kong island, a beach day where I explore the surrounding islands, an afternoon and night over in Macau, and a day for tying up loose ends, shopping, etc.

Only 22 days to go!

No Beijing for this American - yet

So, I won't be going to China next month, despite the fact that I went through a travel agent and already booked my round trip flight. China won't grant me a visa even though all of my documents are in order and I was going with a tour. Apparently everyone is having problems getting visas right now with the Olympics happening. Usually it's fine but with Olympics security is really tight, and a lot of people are being turned down. It's a shame, because I really was looking forward to the trip but I'll just wait and go on my 4 day break in February - things will be calmer then and I'm told I should have no problem getting a visa once a few months go by. Luckily I was able to get a refund on my ticket and now have to quickly decide where I want to go for those four days. My options are pretty limited so, I've narrowed it down to Hong Kong or Tokyo. I'll keep you posted!

Thailand Pictures

Hot Town, Summer in the City

Well, the Seoul summer is at its peak with temperatures in the mid to high 90's and mid 80's at night. The temperatures are very similar to those back home but there's more rain here. One thing I dislike about living in Seoul right now is that its difficult to get to the beach. I love the fact that in NJ you can be at a beach in 2 hours if necessary. The coast isn't really any farther here but without a car, I have to take a train and get a hotel and it can end up being a hassle. There's a great beach city (the 2nd biggest city in Seoul) about 3 hours south east of where I live and I hope to get there before the end of the summer if money and time allow.

Even though I just got back from Thailand I am already getting ready for another trip. Next month (9/13 - 9/16) is Chusok, the Korean harvest festival. You can kind of compare it to the American holiday of Thanksgiving. We get 4 days off from work so I'm taking that opportunity to do a trip to Beijing, China! I am very very excited about the opportunity to see the Great Wall and Tiananmen Square, etc. Also, it will be exciting because it will be just a few weeks after the Olympics.

Speaking of the Olympics, I have to say I am incredibly happy for how well Korea is doing this year. Obviously I am rooting first and foremost for the US but it's really fun cheering for Korea as well. Right now they have the 3rd highest gold medal count, second only to China and the US, two of the top 3 most populated countries in the world. That is pretty impressive in my opinion. My kids are so excited and all they want to talk about is the Olympics.

As many of you know, I spent a lot of my free time this Spring and Summer cheering for my Korean baseball team, the Woori Heroes. I have autographed balls from 2 of the players and I've danced on the dugout during the 7th inning stretch twice. Anyway, right now the Korean baseball league is not playing because the Olympic baseball team is made up of players from the league. Two players from my team are on the Olympic team. One of these players is Lee, Tae-Gun, the DH for the Olympic team and one of the players whose autographed ball I have! Last night, I watched the US vs Korea baseball game. I was torn between cheering for the US and cheering for Korea since I knew so many of the players on the Korean team. I decided that since The US wins so many medals and probably will end up medaling in baseball anyway, that I would cheer for Korea and the Woori Heroes players in this game. I was glad I did because it was a really really good game. Korea was down by 2 runs going into the bottom of the ninth. Then Lee, Tae-Gun hit in the tying run, stole 2 bases, and scored the winning run on a sacrafice fly. I was so excited!

I am, of course, extremely proud of how well the US is doing in the Olympics as well. Gymnastics was a bit disappointing but swimming has been very exciting with Michael Phelps. It's nice being in the same time zone (1 hour ahead) of the Olympics! I was able to watch the Opening Ceremony live during prime time. It was a bit difficult because the commentary is in Korean but it was good practice for me to read the names of each country in Korean as they appeared on the bottom of the screen.

I've been working on my Korean a lot lately. Classes haven't really been practical with the busy-ness of summer but I can read Korean perfectly and I can do money and count and I know a lot of classroom phrases. I am hoping to start another regular class sometime this winter.

Which brings me to the fact that I am officially staying in Korea after my year is up! I am very very excited about this decision. The main reasons are that I want to continue to travel more and I love my job so much. I will be coming home for a visit from 10/31 to 11/29. Sadly I won't be home for Christmas this year but I plan to use the week off to go travel somewhere exciting. (take the survey)

Well, I have a class to teach in 20 minutes so I'm going to go get ready. I'll write more soon!

Amazing Thailand

Well, I've been back for week and am still trying to get out of vacation mode. Having to go right back to teaching 10 hours a day really speeds that process along! It's summer camp time at my school which means I teach 2 additional hours a day...not that much, but I'm really feeling it especially in contrast to a week of total relaxation and fun!

Thailand was even better than I imagined! It's hard to blog it because words can't begin to convey the breathtaking beauty of The Land of Smiles as it's often called. The nickname is certainly not a misnomer - every Thai person I encountered was oozing friendliness and grins. Often, they were attempting to rip me off (did a LOT of haggling in Thailand!) , but still, at least they were doing it with a smile.

A little background. Thailand is, as I'm sure you know, a country in Southeast Asia which shares borders with Laos, Burma (aka Myanmar), and Cambodia and to the South is Malaysia. The capital is Bangkok, it's about the size of California, and 95% of the population are Buddhists. Thailand used to be called "Siam" and is the world's biggest exporter of rice. Thailand has one of the largest monarchies in history but there are coups quite often. Most recently in 2006 there was a military coup and the military still controls the government.

The 2004 Southeast Asia tsunami caused a lot of destruction on many parts of Southern Thailand. The earthquake which caused the tsunami was the 2nd largest ever recorded! The tsunami wiped out everything on one of the islands I stayed on (Phi Phi Island) but it was remarkable to see how quickly it has been rebuilt. There are many reminders of the tsunami however, mostly in the form of Tsunami Evacuation Route Signs which was everywhere you turn.

So I arrived at Bangkok on 7/26 and took a flight down to Phuket, a big island in the south of Thailand. I stayed one night there and then took a boat to Phi Phi Island, about a 2 hour ride. After several days on Phi Phi I took another boat to a place called Railay Bay.

The weather was really good, it only rained for 10 minutes during my time there! There were a few cloudy days but mostly it was hot and sunny!

Ok, so on Phi Phi island I booked a nice bungalow overlooking the beach. Phi Phi is a tiny island, popular with backpackers. There are no paved roads or cars, just dirt roads, lots of bikes, and tons of 20 somethings. It was kind of a bohemian beach-party kind of place. One night my friends and I sat on the beach sipping Banana Coladas, listening to some guy in a bandanna jam on a guitar with the waves crashing in the background. My resort had a cascade pool looking out over the beach. Mainly I hung out in the pool, read/slept on the beach, wandered the streets and explored little shops, and ate a ton of AMAZING Thai food.

On one day my friends and I rented kayaks and paddled to a remote island beach which turned out to be a LOT farther than we expected (still sore!). It was more than worth it though with some amazing views! Later that same day we hired a long tail boat (a wooden boat driven by a local, powered by a used car engine - with no roads at either of the locations I stayed, I had to travel by long tail boat quite a bit). We took the boat to nearby Monkey Island which is exactly what it sounds like: a remote island whose only inhabitants are monkeys! We did some snorkeling there in between playing with the monkeys. It was my first time snorkeling (other than in a pool!) and I loved it.

After a few days the backpacker vibes of Phi Phi island got to be a bit much so we left and headed to the tiny, exclusive, paradise-on-earth, popular with wealthy families and couples destination of Railay Bay. Railay was the opposite of Phi Phi - it was even smaller, but the resorts were luxurious, the beach even whiter, the ocean bluer, and the views more spectacular. There was only one bar on the beach, a big contrast to Phi Phi island. The bar was very laid back, playing Van Morrison and Santana at a pleasant decibel and arranging bamboo mats on the beach at sunset so that you could sit there and enjoy a drink while looking at the ocean. Only 3 upscale resorts get to be located on the fabulous beach front at Railay, each with its own beach front restaurant (I ate at each one at least once - hard to get tired of eating fresh seafood cooked anyway you want or delicious Pat Thai right next to the ocean!). And when I say beach front, I mean quite literally that when I was eating breakfast and the tide was all the way in, the water was two feet away from me. Amazing.

So, one of the coolest things I did at Railay Bay was take a Sunset Snorkeling and Island hopping tour. A local Thai man took a group of 8 of us by long tail boat to 3 tiny, remote islands where we snorkeled all the way around each one. I have never seen so many amazing fish! I even saw a reef shark and some seahorses! It was indescribable. The water was so clear, and there were so many fish. It was like Finding Nemo but better! We were the only ones there and could take our time. Each time we got back into our boat after snorkeling, the guide had fresh fruit waiting for us - he brought a whole pineapple and sliced it up for us while we were in the water! After the snorkeling he took us to a tiny island with a beach and cooked us a fresh seafood dinner over a fire, right there. It was incredible. I'm running out of strong, positive adjectives to describe this trip!

Thailand was incredible, especially Railay Bay and I didn't want to leave :( I have more to write and I'm sure you're wondering where the pictures are. For some reason I have been having trouble uploading them. So I decided to just post this and I'll work on getting the pictures up asap!