How many times can I look at Buddhas and temples?
Ordinarily, my tolerance isn’t high for seeing the same things over and over.
Variation is key.
For instance, living in Korea if you’ve seen one buddhist temple, you’ve pretty near seen them all. The architecture doesn’t change much and the buddhas wear the look of staunch, Fu Man Chu looking Confucianist. Thailand is different. Whether it’s a hundred Buddhas lined up in a row, (more…)
This post comes a bit belated, but in lieu of my recent visit to Korea, I have to do it for laughs. When I was teaching in Korea, there was something in my Korean public school johns. Take a look at the photos below and guess what it was…
The water was flooding panic into my goggles and stinging my eyes. I blew out sharply to clear my mask.
We were pulling ourselves down by the anchor rope, descending to the ocean floor. I was at the head of the group and the second in line. Going back up was not an option.
Was there a leak in my mask?
Word on the street is that you’ll get the best scuba diving deals in Southeast Asia.
I spent two hours on Khao San Road in Bangkok, bouncing from agent to agent, searching for a diving package to ring in my first solo birthday on the road . Finally, my four-day PADI open water diving certification program was booked at the jaw-dropping price of $320 (apologies, earlier I quoted $250 but was off). Travel gossip didn’t lie.
I’m not lucky enough to be one of those travel bloggers to score sponsored press trips nor am an ingenue haggler, but I don’t scold myself. I make up for it by being a queen hunter of basement bargains and cheap day tours of reasonably good quality!
What did my package include? Round trip transportation to the island of Ko Tao, a 4-night resort stay and 4 days of licensed training, confined water (more…)
Just to continue from my last post, I thought I’d share some of the things I learned about Moroccan culture. They’re really random facts I picked up from my guide at the time and it’s helped shape my appreciation for the culture and lifestyle.
There’s a secret to Morocco and I’m convinced it speaks through its spices! From scented oils, city-wide prayer calls and intricate Arabic/Berber craft work designs to maze-like streets bustling with the traffic of crowded souks and taxi-ing donkeys,..
A village home stay with an outhouse isn’t horrible in the light of day. But at night with no light? That’s a different story.
I have to admit, I love the Thai train! Compared to India, the bathrooms aren’t nearly as scary. However, I don’t like train bathrooms in general, for obvious purposes. It’s not about horrific appearances as it is horrific smells. As clean as the Thai try to be there’s almost always a tinge of smell or drips of urine lingering from the after effects of sudden jerks, shakes and rattling stops.
In Bangkok, all roads may not lead to Rome, but you’ll have many ways to get there.
One of my favorite things about Bangkok is its transportation. Skytrain, city bus, taxi, motorbike taxi, ferry boat,… each presents a unique way for getting around the city, while also presenting angles of Bangkok life.
Traveling for work. When I’m traveling as part of a TV crew, both my work and travel tends to be physically demanding. My work entails hauling heavy camera equipment and flashpacking technology as an addition to my personal luggage. Thus, my first aim is to come back carrying less than what I take up. Thus, all personal items need to belong to one or more of the 4 categories:
An inside peek on what it’s like to be a Bollywood extra: My Bollywood addiction started about 3 years ago. For me, nothing can rival the beauty and grandeur of Bollywood films- upbeat song and dance numbers,…
First Impressions- Morocco: Fez at night, lost baggage, finding your way through illegal guides and prayer calls.
When in a medieval city like Old Fez, one of my “must-dos” was to take a tour of a Moroccan tannery. Guide books will be-cry the relationship between the tanneries and “its smell” as a forewarning…
A summary of the good, bad and inevitable of a beginner solo traveler and leaks of my upcoming Grrrl Traveler challenge.
Souvenir gifting is often “a hit or miss” practice.
When a friend brings back a travel souvenir for me (and it’s not edible or chosen with my personality in mind), it can sometimes feel like, well,… junk! Likewise, I know there are times that I can be a “souvenir junk” gifter too! Perhaps I might occasionally nail a person’s personality with a souvenir; but most often, my gift souvenirs are flawed upon purchase. The reason?
State-wide fireworks on New Year’s Eve are an annual ritual in Hawaii adopted from the Chinese tradition of playing of “firecrackers” as a symbolic act of chasing evil spirits away and inviting good luck, fortune and prosperity. Meanwhile, the Japanese community adds flavor to New Year’s Day celebrations with mochi…
Two Tips for dealing with everything in “traveler-scary” from mosquitos, bed bugs, head lice, etc…
10 Things you didn’t know about Korean Public Schools – some of them will surprise you!
What does a vegetarian do when they find a vegan restaurant in Korea? (gasp!)
They fall to their knees and thank the Korean Christian god above- I have never been so grateful for a restaurant in my life! A block and a half away from Kyodae subway stop & the Daegu National Education University, there it stood- was my first vegan restaurant in Korea.
So you live in a new country, you’ve got a new job, you’re working out the variables of navigating new food, new work relationships, cultural and communication barriers… so why are you depressed? Welcome to culture shock. Nothing you do can prepare you for what you think you will or won’t experience when you move abroad.
People ask me what I love about living in Korea. One of the many things I’m always amazed by are the state-of-the-art things which make living there feel more efficient, easy and pretty darned cool.
Sometimes, the cultural differences of working in the Korean classroom can be a real trip for a westerner! Either you’re left open-mouthed at every corner or you’re still trying to understand the Korean logic…
Back in March when I first arrived here, I was just uncovering my new environment (Read”10 surprising facts about my Korean school”). Today, it’s become a routine; yet as much as I live the daily idiosyncrasies and tics of my kimchi habitat, some of this stuff still boggles the mind a bit.
For all you travelers and expats looking to tour Korea on the cheap, a friend once mentioned staying overnight at a jjimjilbang as a way to hurdle hostel and budget hotel costs (which may run anywhere from a low $18-40); since then, the jjimjilbang culture has been a phenomenon to me.
As a traveler trekking all around on foot, there are times you get to feeling like a bit of a rag doll Cinderella. If you’re like me and possess backpacker-explorer mentality, you’re on your tootsies from sunrise to midnight. Your feet probably wears some serious Grrr and looks like it to!
Attention all Mac and Apple fans, you can get your Apple fix in Korea too!
When I first arrived to Korea and realized I needed a converter plug for my Apple Powerbook, I was given an apologetic look and an explanation that there weren’t many Apple stores here. I was told there was one store in Seoul called Frisbee.
there are more stores than I was led to believe… Korea has two certified Apple Reseller stores– Frisbee and a# .
For a weekend traveler living in Korea, Seoul makes my blood race. Sometimes there’s an ongoing list of things of events taking place or sometimes, I just have to create my own ways of having fun.
For the female solo traveler, Vietnam shouldn’t be an intimidating or scary country to travel. While the country is still developing, it’s no longer as ‘off-the-beaten path’ as one might like to think or romanticize; and while large, Vietnam strives to make travel easy for the tourist. Commuting between main cities is easy and cheap via public transportation. And if it’s an attraction, you can bet there’s a budget tour for it, as tour operators are everywhere, vying for your business and ready to assist your travel needs.
Being an expat in Korea, I experience many situations where important facts are inevitably, lost in translation. Whether it’s a co-teacher not wanting to explain something thoroughly, decoding content labels on a bottle or trying to converse with other Koreans, the gap of misinterpretation can be well… wide.
Korean culture is often a dynamic and fun to observe. Most of the time, from a foreigners viewpoint, it offers interesting quirks which might leave you either scratching your head or speechless.
10 Mysterious things I’ve Learned about Koreans:
When posting my main travel stories, I realize there are many others which get lost in the shuffle. Unfortunately, sometimes there’s just no place for them in a flow of writing. So what do you do when you come to those moments which feel seemingly sentimental yet brief?
Jeju Island is touted as the Korean Hawaii (and the honeymooning capital of Korea) and being a Hawaii native, I’d say it’s in the running realm of consideration. A tropical climate, beaches, inactive volcanoes and a little bit of a laid back way (compared to mainland Korea), Jeju presents the island way…Korean style.
It’s all too easy for a foreigner like myself, to point a camera and say, Ewww to foreign foods I’m not culturally raised with nor understand. That’s why in this post, I’d like to applaud Korea for is its proud aspiration towards healthy and FRESH foods. And …to say, Ewww.
You don’t have skydive out of a plane in order to be a daredevil. You don’t have to eat strange bugs or worms to be an adventurist. Sometimes, adventure and danger can fit into the simplest things; and if you’re a solo traveler, occasionally it’s the simplest things that can feel the most dangerous!
In lieu of my solo travel anniversary with India, here’s some photo faves of a subject I loved discovering…Delhi, India. Dilapidated havelis, winding souk-like streets congested with workers, rickshaws and merchant shops which sell anything imaginable from saris to electrical appliances– Chandi Chowk is the bustling heart of a 16th century Delhi. The “chowk”, reknown as one of the oldest and busiest markets of Delhi, still survives on legacy practices such as the what I call, The Human Plow. Cows, considered sacred in India, laze about as men do the mule work, literally strapped to the yoke transporting mountainous cargo through the streets. As productive as worker bees, each man is a vital player to the demands of commerce–under the promise of a few rupees a day!
When backpacking- I accept that everything will be both, an adventure and culture shock. I want to experience the culture, meet the people and participate in the local lifestyle so I steer clear from big hotels. This means- anti-luxury, anti-porter, anti-hotel-ease. A complete 180 degree turn from my work trips! In addition to my packing list of essentials (read the my Essential list), I am now packing a home within a backpack, knowing there will be times I’m roughing it.
Well deciding to teach English abroad can feel like ordering a mail order bride. You’ve got a description and a list of hopeful expectations; yet you can’t see what you’ve got until the day arrives. How will you know what you asked for will be what you wanted? Honestly, sometimes even when you’ve crossed over to seeing your prize, things can still seem a bit veiled; but at least you’ve tackled the biggest hurdle… making it happen!
Recently friends and readers have asked me about my experiences in the ESL classroom and how they can teach English abroad too. I’ve decided to make it a three part series. This is general Q&A I’ve gotten.
One of the biggest things I love about Bangkok? It’s never boring. Cheap massages and motorbike taxis to food and fruit vendors on the streets, each day presents a stunning visual array of sights and activities to keep your camera clicking and your wallets opening for budget vacation splurges .
From old world and dilapidated to freshly modern, you may be partially confused as to which way the city leans. The city juggles a persevering history of old wats, floating markets, a loving devotion to the king and a gateway into the future of modern convenience!
Fortunately for avid K-drama fans, you don’t have to waddle up the steep cash for a tour guide. The Korean Tourism Organization helps Korean drama addicts connect to the film locations of their favorite show.
Korea has one-stop shopping giants, similar to Target and Kmart…
with one major difference– Korea knows how to make shopping an experience!
Sometimes life throws you a condition that isn’t even satisfactory. Your overnight sleeper train is noisy, seats are cramped, it’s an 11 hour ride and the AC is making you hypothermic. This is the worst ride of your life! What do you do?
… Whatever you can.
If anyone thinks tromping through India will be like traveling any other country, think again. Here are some things I found useful on my trip. Here are 5 Travel Must-Haves for India:
Digital times has reduced the power of paper; yet, my eyes don’t enjoy the constant absorption of LED light from computer screens and hand-helds. I want paper… I want my guidebook.
But I resent taking paperweighted guidebooks with me…
In Laos, it seems that you’ll always have a place to lay your head. Even if it’s peak season. That’s certain.
Taking advantage of Laos’ budget accommodations is where the backpacker’s fun is at. But awesome digs at a quarter of the cost takes real shopping. The pads I slumbered down in might give you a fair idea of the budget median you’ll find in Vientiane, Nong Khiaw, Muong Ngoi and Luang Prabang.
These days I enjoy trekking where it’s possible. Aside from a great workout, I like visiting mountain life, its lush and pristine settings of streams, hills and rice paddy fields and simple, hardworking and content inhabitants
My first impression of Vientiane?
Dust. Dirt. Dry.
I had just a restless night on an uncomfortable train, crossing from Thailand into Laos. I was wanting to be impressed.
When I arrived in the Laotian capital, I was still waiting…
When it comes to hospitality and service, the Thai certainly know how to do it right!
There are many ways to travel Thailand, such I”ve made it my mission to move and shake it around Thailand in many ways I can. River boat, to scooter, motorbike taxi, Skytrain, metro…. I’ve enjoyed them all. But my favorite transport by far, is the Thai sleeper train.
When I took the overnight train into Laos, that was the start of my adventure with Laos transportation. Getting around in Laos isn’t hard but it can occasionally be interesting. Check your expectations at the door and go along with the fun.
I’ll be honest– finding a place to crash is one of my ugh parts of traveling solo in India. It’s literally draining.
Budget cradles here spell the need for an open-mind, with a crowbar of willpower and let’s face it– India is not as cheap as it used to be and the room you get doesn’t always match the higher rupee you’re paying!
Obviously, the rules of the game and standards of house-keeping are different here.
Finally, rooted to a month of purpose!
I’ve been in Dharamsala for the past week, hiking, learning to cook Tibetan food, meeting people, exploring the Dalai Lama’s temple and my surroundings; but today, I got to drop my bags!
I have my own “apartment”. I like to call it that.
For the next month of my Yoga Teacher Training Certification program, I’ll have a room with a mini kitchen, a spacious bedroom with a TV and dressers, a lounge area and an outdoor balcony. It’s quite a swank pad!
Best of all, I finally get to root down!
The vibe in the Indo-Himalayan air of Dharamsala was electric.
Walking back from the Dalai Lama’s temple, a large crowd was gathered around a local shop. Cellphone cameras were out clicking, digital cameras flashing… people were jumping up up to tip-toes to get a better view.
Could it be… the Dalai Lama?
As an American, I’ve lived most of my life in a shiny glass bubble…
So for me, traveling is my time to experience bold new adventures and broaden the glossy sheen of my bubble. One of the greatest thrills for me in visiting Asian/Southeast Asian countries, is encountering the unique culture shock or Fear Factor (see my Korea post here) of its different cuisines.
In India, purchasing bottled water doesn’t always ensure safety.
When I entered a guesthouse cafe in Hampi it was filled with fellow travelers. Food-wise, I felt a little safe. I walked past an employee sitting off to the side, with a line of empty water bottles and what did I see?… He was filling the bottles with tap water and recapping them!
What photos have the most meaning for you and does having your picture taken, have meaning for you?
I was wandering through the town when a moustached Indian gent recognized the camera strapped around my neck. He wanted me to take a picture of him in front of the town’s central bathing ghat, so I did.
“Amoebic Dysentry”.
Sitting in Dr. Marwah’s office, a stone’s throw from the Dalai Lama’s estate I stared at the picture he drew before me This was my diagnosis. I had a parasite in me– no wonder I’d been feeling like I was eating for two people!
After a month long yoga bootcamp at Himalaya Yoga Valley in Dharamsala, I finally graduated. Woot! Muscles aching, belly battling waterborne parasites, while hurdling through two asana classes a day and intensive schedule of studies and teaching practicums… It was a lot! Along the way, you accept your body’s shape-shifting as your foreign environment molds you– injury happens, bad diets take form (carb-loading cause you can’t eat veggies), India initiates you with horrible toilet habits.
But good things come from it as well…
At 6 AM. the morning fog was lifting off the lake. Devotional music poured joyously over the loudspeaker of a neighboring temple and echoed eerily, as fly-by birds bore life to the serene setting. Sitting in silence I felt the sun spreading it’s rays across my body with an exquisite orange and gold. I inhaled….OM.
What does the idea of “a solo woman traveling in India” surface for you?
When I met Chiaki, we were both, waiting for the local bus to our yoga ashram. A Japanese waif of gentle yogic smiles, she challenged my notions about what it is to be a solo female traveler in India. Chiaki didn’t boast the extensive list of a world traveler nor was she avoiding the challenges of navigating the local terrain in the way a native would; yet, she was tackling India solo doing it in calm stride.
How the hell was she doing it?
Can elephants paint?
A year ago, a friend showed me a funky abstract painting she had bought at a charity fundraiser in New York City. She told me the artist was an elephant. What?! Since when were elephants art stars?
There are times dealing with currency in India made me want to bark and growl with feverish frustration. It’s urked me so much I decided doing a post might relieve me and toss a head’s up to fellow travelers.
Here are 3 annoying ways India deals with money…
No matter how much you’d like to selfishly keep good places from changing, development in the name of progress is inevitable. With growth and the popularizing of travel comes the stampede of crowded tourist buses, over-worn backpacker routes, souvenir shops clamoring for the sell and then comes the irritating habits of tourists…
I’ve cheated you, my dear readers. I haven’t been good at taking you with me on my travels. Sorry. So here’s an update on my travels: Where have I been after India? Without giving away all my stories just yet, here’s a summary of highlights and places I’ve been to.
Living in Korea, it often feels like you’ll never see a fat Korean (…okay, they are exceptions; but it’s rare)! Obesity is not a chronic problem in Korea as it is in the west. One big theory is how healthy Koreans are when it comes to what they eat. Koreans do however, occasionally like their meals served simple, cheap and pali! pali (fast)!
Before I moved to Korea, I couldn’t imagine how much the today-me would want to congratulate myself for getting an Apple iPod Touch. Flash forward to a year abroad and nine countries later and I believe, it’s the only hand-held choice for a traveler.
o you’re on the road and your luggage is loaded with spanking new travel gear. Now is the time to see if what you bought really works! Will you revise your load if it doesn’t work the way you imagined? One of the items I least care to pack is a towel.
Muong Ngoi Neua is a beautiful cove of a village, one hour away from Nong Khieuw on the scenic Nam Ou River, accessible by boat. An authentic Lao village, hidden by towering mountains, it’s a serene haven for frazzled travelers to kick back or launch into trekking.
What does Bangkok inspire for you? For me, it’s generally floating markets, monstrously serene Buddhas, assorted hawker food carts of delectable cuisine and throngs of smiling Thai. I don’t exactly think of two-headed cyclops babies, the corpses of infamous murderers and a display case of unusually, large human testicles.
On this past trip, I made it my goal to see the city via one of the simplest and archaic carriages westerners can think of, the public bus! To sum up my city bus excursions in Bangkok: I got lost, got off at wrong stops, took the wrong bus and rode it in circles; at times, I even jumped on buses to see where they’d take me. In essence, I had a fabulous time!
7 important things to know about taking a bus in Bangkok:
200 baht, 200 baht! I give you deal. Buy one drink and you see all the acts! You not get this kind price from anyone else.
The skinny Thai man quoted, whipping out a standard laminated menu: 1. Pussy shoots ping pong,…
At the heart of Northern Laos sits Luang Prabang. As a UNESCO World Heritage site, the small city blends old European colonial architecture with a Lao urban structure and has a little bit of everything. So with all there is to see, what should you actually do?
After writing my Top 5 things to do in Luang Prabang, you’d think I’d be done; but then one of my readers asked me what my Top 5 things to do in Laos were. For a country you don’t often hear about, you can never have too many lists.
Long-term solo travel. I wouldn’t call it easy. Being homeless and living on the road is hard work!
By my sixth month, my travel enthusiasm began fluctuating. I was still thrilled by the unending travel adventure I was living; but also, starting to feel run down from shouldering the constant responsibility of it.
The Dar Seffarine. What was it like to stay at a Moroccan riad?
Why get frazzled when things don’t meet your pre-planned expectations? Take for instance, having your baggage not arrive with you on the flight over to Morocco!
8 ways I stay warm during winter in Korea
My narrow escape from Bangkok's Ping-pong sex show scams
GRRRL Goes Whimpery in Her New Korean Location
Getting my hair done at the Korean beauty salon
10 funny quirks you didn't know about Koreans
8 Places to Make you Fall in Love with Seoul
Naked in a Korean Bathhouse!
Atrocities of Tourism: 6 annoying habits of tourists
Long-term solo travel and three mistakes I wish I avoided
Is Korea a state-of-the-art country?
My Top 3 Travel Secrets for Travel (and Korea)
Fear Factor Korea! Foods Which May Make You Cringe (Pt I)
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