Mom and Dad Swing by Korea

Dad's big boy beer that he proceeded to spill all down the inside of his shirt- it's actually tricky when it hits a certain point to drink. The tables here also have refridgeration cups built in to keep it icy cold!

Cheeky beers with fellow Hwaj crew!

Reunited at last!

Introducing....SHABU SHABU!! Steaming hot, delicious soup you sneak those insanely thin slices of meat into, plus add udon noodles and at the end it wraps up with rice, veggies and egg crisped to the bottom of the bowl, not to mention the insane amounts of wasabi and soya I mix all in...heavenly.

Al and Sean getting good use out of the chopsticks

Didn't love sitting on the floor though-

$1.50 biggie ice cream cone in Myeongdong

Blue Brothers?

Tourists in the shopping area

Dad apparently didn't change his army cargo shorts-

@ LaFesta in Ilsan

Visiting the kiddies!

They are showing off the stickers and pencils my parents brought representing Canada- lovely gesture to which I'm still peeling off the stickers from random places around the classroom

Canada pinning which was brief- I was too nervous the parents might get upset if they saw a Canada pin through their kids $200 Burberry shirt- true story.

Dad impressing the kids- the kids LOVED my parents!

Three robots in Insadong

Shopping area in Insadong

Insadong

We went to see Nanta perform- a cooking-like show, similar to "Stomp" but in the kitchen. It was amazing and dad was chosen to partake....he looked ridiculously silly but it was fun to watch! He married the Korean girl on his right at the end of his little part in the show...amusing.

"Fly" on dad's hat, it was just acting, no words really, so no one really knew what was coming next!

They made him eat soup

Posers, stopped for a photo op without actually venturing into the palace...

@ Korean War Memorial in Yongsan- outside they have ships, tanks, planes...

In front of museum

Venturing into the DMZ exhibit featured there

Cute.

Mom and I in the entrance of museum

For three weeks in Sept./Oct. I was fortunate enough to have my parents come to visit me!! It was so great to see them- unfortunately I was really busy, but they got to see what goes on here and to be able to tour around Korea a bit! I was definitely excited to see them at the airport- lots of hugs and I even shed a few tears! It had been 7 months since seeing them in person- I missed them!! However, it seems like just yesterday I had this crazy idea to come to Korea and my mom promised me that they'd come for a visit in September....the time finally came!

When they first got here they were super tired from the 14 hour straight through flight- they didn't sleep at all and seeing as Korea is a completely opposite time difference, they were right messed up. I took them for dinner- which would have been their breakfast! First though, we got checked into a love motel- haha...they have them all over Korea. Cheap motels for couples to go to...to hang out I guess? There was a heart shaped light above the bed and everything...super romantic- sick. There was more to it, but I'll leave that to the imagination. Mom and dad were both super tired so it was a short night.

I had the Tues, Wed and Thurs off that week for Chuseok, Korean "Thanksgiving"- they don't eat turkey here...it gave my parents and I sometime to tour around, but a lot of stuff was closed. My mom and dad went for long walks each morning and sometimes night- I feel like they know my neighbourhood better than me now! They also only spent only one night in the luxurious loveeeee hotel before crashing my apartment. It was tight quarters for a week but we sucessfully managed without killing each other!

Throughout the week I tried to take them to a few places that I knew, shopping areas, Nanta performance, different places to eat. I guess I wasn't the greatest tour guide- I was also busy with monthly exams, marking and report cards. Mom and dad ended up heading down to Busan for a week- it's South of Seoul, at the other end of Korea and it's a beach town. While there they saw a really big fire....they seemed to enjoy it but were hesitant to really be adventurous with the food.

When they got back they toured around Ilsan and Itaewan a bit on a few days. They ended up feeling really comfortable with the subway- which is super easy to use. It's in English and you can't really mess it up! They went to the Seoul Grand Park Zoo which they claim to be the best zoo they've ever been to- I have yet to check it out myself.

I must say that I am extremely fortunate to have such great parents to first off, be so supportive of my decision to come here in the first place. I'm also super lucky that they got to come here and visit me- I wish the time wouldn't have gone by so quickly! I feel like I barely saw them. They got to meet some of my friends, have some drinks with us and just take in a bit of Korea. They got a little taste of the ups and downs I've gone through- from language barriers to ajummas who will push you off the sidewalk on their way by. They also got to see why I love it here- my apartments, the kids I teach, all the crazy cool things I'm experiencing!
After the 3 short weeks it was finally time to part ways. I brought them to the airport where I felt like I just picked them up days before....we had our goodbyes where I refused to cry, and then they don't know this but I stood by, out of the way and watched them go through security, choking back tears. Despite all the times we butt heads over meaningless things my parents mean the absolute world to me. I wouldn't be who I am today without their love, support, and guidance through the years. I love you mom and dad!! xo

Seonyudo Life...Island Adventures!

THE CREW!!!

(Photo Credit Jean)

Biker babes

(Photo Credit Jean)

(Photo Credit Jean)

Set up camp

(Photo Credit Jean)

Bridges connecting the islands

(Photo Credit Jean)

A wee party on the beach

(Photo Credit Jean)

Our party

(Photo Credit Jean)

Card games, munchies, beer and Megan's poor scooter accident leg

(Photo Credit Jean)

Late night island walk

Killer crabs, HUGE beetles and insane grasshopper sightings

(Photo Credit Jean)

Lazy day on the beach

(Photo Credit Jean)

A long trip home...

(Photo Credit Jean)

DEEEElicious HOT noodles with clams

Late night party crew

What a view- right from our campsite

Amazing cold noodles- yes there is ice in there

Razor clam digging & Jenny

Step 1: Dig off a layer of sand & pour salt into the little holes you see

Step 2: When the little disgusting worm thing pokes out GRAB IT

Step 3: You're looking at it

A couple weeks ago I was fortunate enough to get an invite to venture out to an island off the East Coast of Korea called Seonyudo. It's a series of little islands all grouped together and it's GREAT! They are connected by bridges and extremely small. You pitch a tent on the beach and there's bathrooms and all for you to use (they even have toilet paper- a luxury in public bathrooms in Korea).
The island is small and really there weren't many people there except the locals. It was a nice little get away. The only downside was the travel time there and back- I feel like I took every possible mode of transportation to get there except horseback. We left the Hwaj after work and took the bus into Seoul to catch the KTX out to Daejeon to spend the night there at a friend's place. The KTX is this insanely FAST train in Korea...it was nice! We got up bright and early to get the slowww train out to where we needed to catch the ferry. Cabbed it to the ferry terminal and then ferried our way out to the island. Once there we took a little golf cart thing to the campsite. Phew. It was a nice and sunny weekend- HOT. That afternoon we grabbed some cold noodles and decided to rent scooters and zip around the islands. It was pretty amazing! The scenery was beautiful! I definitely didn't feel like I was in Korea- it was like a mini-vacay away from the city living!

Scootering was successful! We zipped around- I love the scooters! I managed to get amazingly burnt (my own fault). Later the day just took a nap while the others frolicked the beach and dug for razor clams. They were pretty cool/disgusting. Plan was to eat them later (which didn't end up happening and I wasn't really upset about that!) Later in the night we freshened up and went for dinner- mmmmm Kahl Gook Su!! It's these floury lovely noodles in a broth with clams (well we wanted clams)....so yummy! It's hearty and just wonderfly delicious! Clearly I would add to it the red sauce (which is somewhat like spicey ketchup)- to me it enhances the flavour...The kimchi there was great and I'm slightly ashamed to admit this (after having ranted about how HORRIBLE kimchi was when I first got to Korea...) I actually really like kimchi now! It's definitely a flavour you need to aquire but after having been in Korea for 6 months now- I fancy it. I'll probably even miss it when I get back to Canada- whenever that may be.

Later after dinner we met up with 2 guys that were working there that were friends of friends...they didn't speak great English (one not at all)...but it was enough to get by. We also had Korean speaking girls along with our crew so it made for a great time! We bought big bottles of Hite, grabbed munchies and hit the beach. There were even some sparklers involved. We played games, drank and laughed. Some of the others hit the sack and a couple of us decided to hit up the ocean for some late nite swimming- the most breathtaking thing ever happened. One of the guys told me he wanted to show me something...put my hands under the water and wave them around frantically- all of a sudden it was like my hands were glowing this beautiful purple colour!! The plankton was lighting up! It was insane!!! I couldn't stop moving my hands- as lame as this sounds it was magical!!! I felt like a little kid! Here is a little explanation I copied from a website:

"Certain creatures both on land and sea can produce light through chemical reactions taking place within their bodies known as Bioluminescence. The bioluminescence results from a light-producing chemical reaction also called chemiluminescence. Certain types of chemicals when mixed together produce energy which ‘excites’ other particles on vibration and generate light which causes the glow. The group of chemicals involved to make plankton glow are broadly termed luciferins and the light is produced by a series of oxidation reactions set off by a catalyst called luciferase. The bioluminescence in plankton is very high in several forms of Plankton and is a form of cold light or luminescence.
Plankton consists of any drifting organism (plant or animal) that inhabit the oceans and provide a vital source of food to larger aquatic organisms such as fish. A vast range of plankton, both zoo plankton and single-celled animal plankton are known to be bioluminescent. Bioluminescent plankton occur in all the world’s oceans.The most common of these are Dinoflagellates which are tiny unicellular marine plankton also known as fire plants.
Dinoflagellates are the most common source of bioluminescence in our oceans and the chances are the sparks flying off your oar, the bow or wake of your boat are billions of tiny dinoflagellates or copeopods. These creatures get their name by their ability to swim by two flagella, which are movable protein strands attached to their bodies.
Bioluminescence is used to evade predators and acts as a defense mechanism in dinoflagellates. Dinoflagelletes produce light when disturbed and will give a light flash lasting a fraction of a second. The flash is meant to attract a predator to the creature disturbing or trying to consume the dinoflagellate. The light flash also surprises the predator causing it to worry about other predators attacking it, making the predator less likely to prey on the dinoflagellate.
However the experience of swimming in the midst of these amazing creatures is something that must be witnessed at least once by every scuba diver or avid snorkeler. Several Dive Operators offer special bioluminescent plankton dives or snorkeling expeditions, in seasons when plankton is at its peak brought by ocean currents. These swims would usually be in absolute darkness to witness the both the starry skies above and the starry seas below."

http://aquaviews.net/bioluminescent-plankton-what-makes-it-glow/

After the late night swim I decided that the best bet was to sleep in a motel- more room and air-con. The tent we had fit 6 people and there were 7 of us so some of the other girls got a motel room...Next day got up, showered and hit the beach. I attempted to stay away from the sun- burnt BURNT from the day before. We hung out for a bit and then got a ride back to the ferry in a truck- an offer from one of the boys from the night before. The guys we hung out with were super nice- it was all in all a great weekend. We left the island at 3:15 and with all the different travelling stops and methods made it home around 10:30...exhausted. No matter though, it was an extremely memorable trip I was fortunate enough to have experienced with good company and good times!! xo

BALI BABY!!!

Exactly what the sign says: WELCOME TO BALI!!!!

A little fresh pineapple on the beach

First night out @ Sky Bar....hole through the floors for a lovely show

Still so white- first night FISH BOWLS! :)

Balinese traditional dance show- interesting to say the least!

My little hustling boyfriend who got me to buy a million bracelets- atleast he threw in the kiss too!

Heading over to Gili- AMAZINGGG Island- 4 hours by slow boat

On the boat- little slice of heaven!

Making friends with locals- Wayan

Everyone in Bali was so insanely friendly! This was in Ubud @ a little Jamiacan bar

Bluest waters I've ever seen- amazing!!

Swimming off of Gili!

Large Bintangs- loving life/playing cards/watching the storm outside

@ Monkey Forest where the monkeys run wild!

Rented a scooter- THANK GOODNESS Carrie was somewhat experienced with them- driving on the wrong side of the road, getting lost, a million and one scooters to share the road with, no stop signs, monkeys running out in the road- just to name a few hazards!!

Goa Gaja- carved into the side of a cave

We had to wear the lovely sheets because there was a temple there

@ Monkey Forest hanging with the little fellas!

You could buy bananas and bring them in with you but run the risk of getting jumped all over by monkeys- I passed.

Lovin' Life @ Gili Trawangan- absolutely amazing time!!

Party time with some Aussies!

Carrie and I having an amazing time- My last night- the night of 2 parties I'll never forget in my life!!

So Bali- where to begin. Let's put it this way- I didn't want to leave and actually considered NOT getting back on the plane- but I would have left my lap top in Korea and well...I can't do without it. That being said, you can get internet virtually ANYWHERE in Bali for pennies a minute...so perhaps coming back to Korea for my lap top was a foolish decision? Oh ya...I guess I have a job too....lame.

Until Bali I never really had the desire to become a beach bum of sorts. I know people from University who after graduating went off to Australia to just hang out and do some odd jobs while touring around- never struck me as something I'd be interested in, until I got a little taste of it- adventure!!

Carrie picked me up from the airport, we proceeded to hop into a "transport"- not a cab. All the locals scoot people around for a couple bucks- I died a little thinking we would be swooped up, taking to a back alley and well...ya. However, it's totally legit there- everyone does it. You walk down the streets and everyone shouts at you, "transport, transport, you need transport?!" You also get a lot of, "You want a massageeeeeeee"...haha...became a little joke after hearing it all day, everyday for a week.

After a little freshen up, we hit the town- obviously. It was a great night! Ran into someone I knew from Windsor- in Bali- yep! What are the chances! Carrie and I partied it up, fish bowls in hand and had a great first night....which then led to a "not so great" first morning. Us girls laid on the beach for a couple hours where I got burnt- badly. Who knew I'd get so burnt being virtually on the equator?! Well after a couple hours in the sand we grabbed food and napped. It was much needed. After that- yep, party times!! Visited places from the night before and continued to have great times out!!

The next day we packed up and moved. We went to Ubud which is about 1 1/2 hours from Kuta (where we were the first 2 nights). Ubud is more "artsy" area, not on the beach. It has a lot of good little places to eat- which dining out in Bali is CHEAP!!! Seriously- HUGE GOOD MEALS for $2-$7. Blown away. However, drinking is roughly the same as home....meh. Although you can get large Bintangs for $2 some places- sounds good to me!!

When we got to Ubud we got ready and it was already getting late. This is when we saw the dances. There were many different ones. They played traditional Balinese music- it's instrumental- it's kind of soothing like it would put you to sleep. The dances were really nice to watch- it takes a whole lot of coordination to do what they did and the details they put into their moves was really fascinating! They moved their eyes in super creepy ways though like they were possessed- which then after that, whenever I would hear Balinese music that's all I could see. Nonetheless- it was a great performance! After that we headed for a great meal! I ate some traditional Balinese food- Mie Goreng (I think that's what it was called). Basically Raman noodles in a yummy sauce with lots of vegs, chicken, shrimp and other stuff...haha...it was really good! I loved the Balinese food and surprisingly I didn't get sick the whole trip- until I got off the plane which was good because I didn't waste any of my trip sick!

After dinner Carrie and I walked back, Denise and JP scootered back. (Side note: I know Denise and Carrie from living outside of Exeter- they both were working in Taiwan teaching and then decided to travel for a month before going home. Bali was their last stop before heading back to Canada- they had been there for a couple days before I met up with them! Denise's boyfriend JP met up with them in Bali before I did and so pretty much Carrie and I toured around and Denise and JP toured around- we met up with them from time to time!) On our walk back we could hear loud music playing- I actually believe it was the Killers!! We decided to check it out- turns out there were 3 Balinese guys playing acoustic and it was great!! It was at this little bar, we hung out there for a bit, the show ended and we continued on our way. Again, we heard a live band and decided to check it out- Reggae!! It was this little bar that sure had personality! Posters of Bob Marley hung all over the wall, along with Eminem, 2 Pac I believe...haha it was great! It was a little Jamiacan jem in the heart of Ubud- good times! We hung out there, met a local- Wayan who charmed us with his ability to whip up some sweeeeeet card tricks! I was uber unimpressed because I hate not knowing what's going on!! Met a few other people too- hung out there til early morning hours and then headed back. Carrie and I went for a little late night swim in our pool- glorious! It was a full moon- or close to it! Loved it!

Next morning we got up and toured Monkey Forest! Interesting...monkeys everywhere!! Chose not to feed them- I was a little leery about doing this! Not so keen on having monkeys crawl all over me?? I was afraid of being bitten! Stayed there for a bit. We then decided to rent a scooter and set off on an adventure. We wanted to go tour Goa Gaja- carvings in a cave. Well we weren't really sure how to get there but was told to turn right off of Monkey Forest Road (where we were staying) and just ask people along the way- easy enough right? Well...we drove far. Finally stopped to ask someone and they turned us back around. We started stopping more often to ask people- seems they all told us "1 kilometer down the road"- that was what about 3 people said- the others didn't really speak English. It was a great little adventure! We finally found it after numerous stops! On the way back, again, got lost. Someone pointed us in the other direction we came and said it would be faster to go that way....not so sure he knew where we were heading though after we got lost. After awhile we found our way- thanks to Carrie's great scooter skills and the $2 tank of gas...haha...it was a joke! I think it literally cost me $1.50 to fill up our scooter.

We got back- safe and sound and in one piece! Went out and had dinner- it was pouring rain- so weird! It just all of a sudden BUSTS OUT RAIN and then will stop there- tropical rain I guess? We ended up back at the little Jamaican bar- played lots of cards, chatted with some new people and had a nice, chill night. Next day we made another move to GILI ISLAND!! It took us an hour bus ride and then 4 hours on a boat...slowwww boat. It was HOT and SUNNY! I was still hurting from my burnage days before. I had a bad case of ADD on the boat and couldn't sit still- doesn't make for the fastest 4 hour ride. When we got there we needed to find a place to stay. Asked around and ended up with a really nice little hut like cottage place- biggest bathroom ever and SALT WATER SHOWER! It was GLORIOUS! Carrie and I got ready and went for dinner- a devastating dinner that is. Carrie got something in her eye, which very well could have been a burning ash from the little fire they kept smoking around- it was killing her. I felt horrible for her! Her eye swelled up and was super red- we stayed in that night and caught up on some sleep.

Next day her eye was really swollen- we went to the clinic on the island- please keep in mind this "island" that we're on is SMALL- no cars, no scooters, only horses and pedal bikes. Not really sure what the clinic was going to be- personally I was a bit nervous, but it was legit (well I don't know the guys credentials but it was a nice, new building on a resort). He gave her some drops and meds to help the swelling- it was still killing her though!!

For a good part of the day we ended up lounging around- I soaked in the ocean- I couldn't get out! The water couldn't have been anymore perfect!!!! I was in HEAVEN! Carrie chatted it up with some guys from Chile who invited us to go bike riding with them. We did. It didn't end well. The main "road" is very short and then leads to a sand road- ever rode a bike in the sand? Mmm....NOT fun. Especially when it's about 120'F outside and the sun is beating down on you- SWEAT CENTRAL!!! We didn't last long! Headed back- Carrie chilled for a bit, I took a walk. I couldn't get enough of the island- it was perfect!! I wanted to soak up every ounce I could! The views were spectacular! I didn't want to leave!

Well this was my last night....Carrie and I had dinner on the beach and then went to the bar- probably a little too early but this allowed for a double trouble party night- details of which I'm not obligated to share. I'll put it this way- best night of my life hands down. So much randomness, fun, crazy times happened I could write a novel just on this one night!! It made for a TERRIBLE 2 hour fast ride the next morning- I sat at the back of the boat getting soaked by the splash back, TRYING my best not to get sick. The guys on board gave me some meds- no idea what they were, but I kept drifting off and would wake up grabbing for something in front of me- haha...slightly embarassing but I'm sure entertaining for the people back there watching me.

Carrie and I, after docking, got a ride back to Kuta. She had to find a place to stay for the next couple of nights. We had dinner and then a nap before I headed back to the airport- what a short trip! I definitely would loved to have been able to stay another night or two in all places- Ubud, Gili and Kuta. Bali was a blast! I can only really thank Carrie for being an amazing travel buddy!! She knew where she wanted to go- I followed along for the ride! Priceless memories were made! This trip has definitely planted in me the need to travel more. There is so much beauty out there to be seen- can't wait to see where my next adventure takes me!! xo