Has it really been six months since I’ve written up here?
Oh well, let’s just pretend like I never stopped, and we’ll just pick up with this weekend. Catching up is too big of a task to contemplate, so I hope that through my ramblings about our everyday life 2.5 months into our Turkish adventure, you can get a bit of an idea about what our lives here are like.
This weekend was a fairly mellow one- the lovely Istanbul fall and winter, which has so far been clear and pleasantly cool, turned rainy on us. Friday evening I had taken an epic bus journey (over TWO HOURS on a bus just to get to a business on the Asian side- that’s Friday night Istanbul traffic for you) to meet with some businessmen that were looking to learn English. The chat went well, and one of them gave me a ride back to the shore so I could catch a (much quicker) ferry back to the European side. The night was cool, but not so cold that I couldn’t huddle out on the benches in the open air, listening to some music on my i-pod and watching the lights of the European side approaching. Once there, I caught a cab to a party at a friend’s apartment- I got to spend the evening with about 20 of the lovely teachers I met at MEF, the International School I spent two weeks at. My friend had visited Russia for Bayram, the sacrifice holiday last week, so a vodka and borscht party was had It was a great group of people- Columbians, Americans, Canadians, Turks, New Zealanders… after the party, I split a cab home with three really fun Macedonians that are here working for a music booking company. Ace, meanwhile, was home recouping from another week of 12 hour days. Poor kid.
Saturday morning I took off for another meeting at a local Starbucks (sacrilegious, I know, but it’s my favorite place to study!) while Ace slept in. When I got back, we spent a pleasant afternoon lazing around the apartment- Ace graded papers and relaxed while I cooked a white bean and veggie soup. With no microwave, our quick foods are limited- which is probably a great thing, as it means pretty much no processed foods, and I’ve become a soup-cooking master- cheap, yummy, and healthy. Veggies are so gloriously cheap here that it’s hard to not to be inspired to cook with them. On that note, we’re also living without a dryer (normal for Turkey, and every other country I’ve travelled to), without a T.V. (we had one, but it was taking up the space where we wanted to put in the oven we bought, so it went into the closet- this is not normal for Turkey), but the dryer is the only thing I miss. Oh man, I will never stop missing clothes dryers. The rest of the world is missing out, I tell you. Saturday evening our good friend Erin came in. She’s the English Lit teacher at Ace’s high school, and she lives in the teacher housing waaayyy out in the suburbs, by the school. Her commute is much shorter than Ace’s, but our place is a lot more fun for the weekends, so she often comes out to hang out with us and crash on our futon on Saturday nights. We took her out to a late-birthday dinner at our favorite local restaurant, then we got a cheap beer - our apartment is only about 5 to ten minutes from the main restaurant, bar, and shopping area of Istanbul! We then bought some gorgeous Turkish rice pudding to go, came back to our apartment , smoked our hookah, savored our pudding, and watched the m ost depressing movie ever. “Disgrace”, with John Malkovich. Don’t watch it.
Sunday morning Erin headed out on her hour plus trip home, and Ace and I hit the market. Another great thing about our location is the Sunday market that invades the street across from ours every Sunday morning- it’s a ritual for us to load up on armfuls of gorgeous veggies and fruits. I bought 2 kilos of perfect tomatoes for two lira- about $1.50. Awesome. We then caught a ferry back across the Bosphorous to the Asian side- there’s a really nice district over there with lots of good restaurants, cute shops, and a used academic text market that we were wanting to check out. It was freezing, but we had a pleasant day roaming the streets, browsing through stacks of books in a shopping-mall-sized collection of bookstores, and eating yummy food and a fancy lokanta, one of my favorite kinds of places to eat here. We came back with some treasures, including a beginner’s Turkish textbook, a Barbara Kingsolver novel, some e.e.cummings poetry, and something in French for Ace. We were pretty chilled by mid-afternoon, so we took the ferry back, got some food on the way, and came home to drink tea, catch up on emails, and study Turkish together by the heater.
That’s it for now- I’ve resolved to start writing weekly, so stay tuned if I haven’t bored you too much yet!
Sunday, December 6, 2009
Monday, June 1, 2009
The little boy and the taxi driver
I just wanted to pass along a couple of small but fairly entertaining experiences I had last week. While I was waiting to catch a bus to the subway, a small boy and girl were playing with their mother near my bench. Before long, the boy approached me with a water bottle. He held it out to me with a gesture that implied that he either wanted me to open it for him, or he was offering it to me. Anyways, I said these few simple words in Korean: ahnyo, quinchuhnahyo, kahmsahmnida. (I'ts okay, no thanks.) Immediately, the boy looked completely stunned. He ran off to his mother shouting in Korean (He can speak Korean! He can speak Korean!) After suffering about 45 seconds of incredulity, he came back to verify if he was correct. He asked (Do you speak Korean?) And I replied (Yes, I speak a little Korean). And he ran back to his mother once again saying (He speaks a little! He speaks a little!)
On Saturday, I took a cab with my friend Rich after our hapkido test to meet with Kaitlin and some other friends in a different part of town. Once we got into the cab, we could immediately tell that the cabbie was a bit of a character. I didn't smell anything when I got in, but I thought that it was possible that this guy was just a little bit drunk. We sat in bewilderment as the man gesticulated wildly while he was talking, and every time he asked a question, he gave me or Rich a sturdy poke in the interior of our upper thighs (awkward). Once Rich and I exhausted the Korean phrases we knew, the conversation dwindled, and he communicated that the conversation was over by turning up the sound on the satellite TV. (All cabs are equipped with satellite TVs here.) Rich and I sat discussing inconsequential details in the back seat, when out of the blue, the cabbie rolls down the window, and hocks a huge loogie onto the warm asphalt. We barely broke conversation, though. However, when he lifted his right leg a bit and farted audibly, we both contained our laughter as much as we could. I know, it was likely the same reaction a middle school boy would have, but it just caught us by surprise.
Anyways, like I said, I just thought I would share.
*Note: this is not by any means normal behavior for cabbies.
:)
On Saturday, I took a cab with my friend Rich after our hapkido test to meet with Kaitlin and some other friends in a different part of town. Once we got into the cab, we could immediately tell that the cabbie was a bit of a character. I didn't smell anything when I got in, but I thought that it was possible that this guy was just a little bit drunk. We sat in bewilderment as the man gesticulated wildly while he was talking, and every time he asked a question, he gave me or Rich a sturdy poke in the interior of our upper thighs (awkward). Once Rich and I exhausted the Korean phrases we knew, the conversation dwindled, and he communicated that the conversation was over by turning up the sound on the satellite TV. (All cabs are equipped with satellite TVs here.) Rich and I sat discussing inconsequential details in the back seat, when out of the blue, the cabbie rolls down the window, and hocks a huge loogie onto the warm asphalt. We barely broke conversation, though. However, when he lifted his right leg a bit and farted audibly, we both contained our laughter as much as we could. I know, it was likely the same reaction a middle school boy would have, but it just caught us by surprise.
Anyways, like I said, I just thought I would share.
*Note: this is not by any means normal behavior for cabbies.
:)
Monday, May 18, 2009
Early-Mid May
Ace and I are enjoying a slower pace around here, for the time being. The weekend after the Lotus Lantern Festival, I headed back up to Seoul to pick up Rachel from the airport. It was great to have her here- Ace and I loved getting to share all the random bits of Korean insight we’ve picked up, showing off our weak Korean skills, introducing her to our favorite places and restaurants, and introducing her to our friends here. It was lovely to see her again, and a great excuse to visit places I’ve been to and loved, and places I’ve been meaning to check out. It really felt great to get to share everything I’ve learned over the last 9 months.
Unfortunately, we both developed a nasty cold or something in the beginning of the week. The doctor told me I had “cold plus allergy plus voice problem”, whatever that means, which was a bit of an understatement, seeing as I was completely unable to speak above a whisper when I visited him. It was pretty lame having to try not to talk with my friend here, but, on the bright side, I got the day off work and got to spend more time with her. Rach was feeling icky all week, but was still able to enjoy everything. I’d say some highlights were tandem biking around Gyeongju, the cool spas and whole-body-nibbly-fish-pool at Spa Valley, the local waterpark, and getting scrubbed within an inch of our lives, thrown around, beaten and then doused in cucumber and milk by the old ladies at the bath house we visited.
I took the day off on Friday to take Rach up to Seoul, which meant it was a 3 day workweek for me! It was really nice, though I still managed to exhaust myself. Ace met us up in Seoul in Saturday, and we enjoyed some good food, a live show, a night in a Korean traditional house, and a palace together.
Rachel left for Seoul that Sunday, and I spent most of last week catching up on little stuff, while still trying to work out, study Korean, and write in my journal. I had a phone interview with EF INST, my top choice for schools in Istanbul, on Monday. I think it went well, but they won’t be making offers until June, so now I just have to wait. There are a million uncertainties that are driving me crazy, but I’m trying not to dwell on them. What kind of position will they offer me, if they do offer one? How many split shifts and weekends will I have to work? What kind of students and classes will I teach? Will I have enough time with Ace? Will I get enough vacation and holidays to do some traveling in the area? What will my pay be like? What area will I work in? Will I be able to negotiate a 9 month contract? If they don’t offer me something, should I get a job with one of the less desirable schools, or just cruise on into Istanbul when I want and look for work there? Yuck. Anyone that knows me knows that I hate not having a plan, but I’m attempting to be patient.
This weekend was the first time in a month that I didn’t go up to Seoul! Saturday was one of our rare Daegu rainy days, so it was perfect for a lazy day around the house. Ace studied a lot of Korean, and I had a great time working on a photo book with our Turkey pictures, making banana bread, journaling, and getting myself organized. One of the bonuses about our situation is having apartments next to all of our friends, and we spend Saturday evening visiting three different friends’ apartments, all within a 15 minute walk.
Sunday I took myself shopping downtown, and Ace met up with me at night to see Star Trek. It was great! I’m not even remotely knowledgeable about the old stuff, but I still loved the movie. We had a late dinner at one of our favorite little restaurants, then headed home. It was a perfect weekend- just what I needed! It’s getting a bit late here-1:30 a.m.- and I think it’s time to retire with the good book I’m reading, A Prayer for Owen Meany. Goodnight!
Unfortunately, we both developed a nasty cold or something in the beginning of the week. The doctor told me I had “cold plus allergy plus voice problem”, whatever that means, which was a bit of an understatement, seeing as I was completely unable to speak above a whisper when I visited him. It was pretty lame having to try not to talk with my friend here, but, on the bright side, I got the day off work and got to spend more time with her. Rach was feeling icky all week, but was still able to enjoy everything. I’d say some highlights were tandem biking around Gyeongju, the cool spas and whole-body-nibbly-fish-pool at Spa Valley, the local waterpark, and getting scrubbed within an inch of our lives, thrown around, beaten and then doused in cucumber and milk by the old ladies at the bath house we visited.
I took the day off on Friday to take Rach up to Seoul, which meant it was a 3 day workweek for me! It was really nice, though I still managed to exhaust myself. Ace met us up in Seoul in Saturday, and we enjoyed some good food, a live show, a night in a Korean traditional house, and a palace together.
Rachel left for Seoul that Sunday, and I spent most of last week catching up on little stuff, while still trying to work out, study Korean, and write in my journal. I had a phone interview with EF INST, my top choice for schools in Istanbul, on Monday. I think it went well, but they won’t be making offers until June, so now I just have to wait. There are a million uncertainties that are driving me crazy, but I’m trying not to dwell on them. What kind of position will they offer me, if they do offer one? How many split shifts and weekends will I have to work? What kind of students and classes will I teach? Will I have enough time with Ace? Will I get enough vacation and holidays to do some traveling in the area? What will my pay be like? What area will I work in? Will I be able to negotiate a 9 month contract? If they don’t offer me something, should I get a job with one of the less desirable schools, or just cruise on into Istanbul when I want and look for work there? Yuck. Anyone that knows me knows that I hate not having a plan, but I’m attempting to be patient.
This weekend was the first time in a month that I didn’t go up to Seoul! Saturday was one of our rare Daegu rainy days, so it was perfect for a lazy day around the house. Ace studied a lot of Korean, and I had a great time working on a photo book with our Turkey pictures, making banana bread, journaling, and getting myself organized. One of the bonuses about our situation is having apartments next to all of our friends, and we spend Saturday evening visiting three different friends’ apartments, all within a 15 minute walk.
Sunday I took myself shopping downtown, and Ace met up with me at night to see Star Trek. It was great! I’m not even remotely knowledgeable about the old stuff, but I still loved the movie. We had a late dinner at one of our favorite little restaurants, then headed home. It was a perfect weekend- just what I needed! It’s getting a bit late here-1:30 a.m.- and I think it’s time to retire with the good book I’m reading, A Prayer for Owen Meany. Goodnight!
Friday, May 1, 2009
Festivals
One week ago, Kait and I went to Seoul to see the Lotus Lantern Festival that was a week-early celebration of Buddha's birthday. To give just a little background, the lotus flower is important in Buddhist beliefs because the flower grows in swamps, an example of beauty that flourishes amid the muck.
There were many Buddhists from around the world who were celebrating at this festival. I saw people from Sri Lanka, Thailand, Tibet, and many other Asian countries, but I also saw monks that were completely American, which was pretty cool to see.
The festival took place near the main walking street in Seoul, Insadong, so we all (me, Kait, Carolyn, Laura, and Sarah) enjoyed going from stall to stall to see the activities. The ladies all got their faces painted. Later, we had some traditional tea by sitting cross-legged in a stall while munching on some delicious rice cake. I and Sarah copied a sketch of a hand holding a lotus flower above a bed of clouds. Amid the stalls, there was a temple that we also checked out just off of the street. Many people gathered in this area to pray, pay their respects to the Buddha image, and to watch a slew of performances that were taking place just outside. After we got some delicious potato and pork spine soup and did a bit of browsing through the walking street, we checked out the main event: the parade.
This was definitely the highlight of the festival. The parade went on for roughly three hours, and consisted of hundreds - perhaps thousands - of people walking, dancing, or marching down the street. Also, we saw a bunch of awesome floats, depicting fire-breathing dragons, fire-breathing peacocks, a monk in a taxi, and Buddha in a helicopter -- along with a bunch of other floats that seemed more natural at a Buddhist celebration. Another thing to see was the costumes. Some of them were quite elaborate and beautiful.
Traditional food and drinks festival
Two weeks ago we went to a festival in Gyeongju that celebrated Korean traditional foods and drinks. For the most part, we saw barbecued meat and rice cakes for the traditional foods. The focus, however, was more heavily put on the traditional drinks...especially those of the alcoholic variety. Dongdongju, Maccoli, bamboo leaf wine, andong soju, and soju were all there, and, for a mere 2,ooowon, Kait and I each bought a small cup about the size of a shot glass that allowed us to go from booth to booth receiving free samples of drinks. [Dongdongju and moccoli are both similar versions of fermented rice drinks. Soju itself is a much harder version of fermented rice wine, and bamboo leaf wine is, well, bamboo-leaf flavoring mixed with soju.]
A mildly funny thing happened while Kait and I were approaching one of the stalls that gave out the drinks. There were many people with high-quality video cameras that were possibly filming for television purposes. Anyways, when we approached the stall, one such man and his reporter (equipped with a mike and everything) saw us coming. I saw these men see us as they started to get their camera/mike poised for us to approach. At this point I stopped Kait, and told her we might want to go to another stall, but just as I stopped, the men saw us stop, and they realized what we were doing, so they took some hesitant steps in our direction. Realizing that we were already committed to getting filmed drinking some free alcohol, we went ahead to the stall, which seemed to please the men very much. They asked us questions in English such as "How is the taste" and the like, so we were happy to answer them.
Herb Festival
Recently (yesterday) after our Korean language class at the local YMCA, Kait and I went to another very small festival that was celebrating the use of plants/herbs/roots/etc. We just kind of perused, and we decided that we wouldn't try the fried ginger root or pumpkin juice, though I was just a bit tempted. Also, the highlight of this festival was perhaps the giant, inflated vinyl artery (as in a human artery)that served as a play area and bouncy room for children; of course, we checked it out immediately. I am guessing that it was a random way to promote the health benefits of herbal medicines.
Anyways, that's all for now. We will post again soon, as there will definitely be a lot going on in the weeks to follow. Until then, we send our thoughts and love!
There were many Buddhists from around the world who were celebrating at this festival. I saw people from Sri Lanka, Thailand, Tibet, and many other Asian countries, but I also saw monks that were completely American, which was pretty cool to see.
The festival took place near the main walking street in Seoul, Insadong, so we all (me, Kait, Carolyn, Laura, and Sarah) enjoyed going from stall to stall to see the activities. The ladies all got their faces painted. Later, we had some traditional tea by sitting cross-legged in a stall while munching on some delicious rice cake. I and Sarah copied a sketch of a hand holding a lotus flower above a bed of clouds. Amid the stalls, there was a temple that we also checked out just off of the street. Many people gathered in this area to pray, pay their respects to the Buddha image, and to watch a slew of performances that were taking place just outside. After we got some delicious potato and pork spine soup and did a bit of browsing through the walking street, we checked out the main event: the parade.
This was definitely the highlight of the festival. The parade went on for roughly three hours, and consisted of hundreds - perhaps thousands - of people walking, dancing, or marching down the street. Also, we saw a bunch of awesome floats, depicting fire-breathing dragons, fire-breathing peacocks, a monk in a taxi, and Buddha in a helicopter -- along with a bunch of other floats that seemed more natural at a Buddhist celebration. Another thing to see was the costumes. Some of them were quite elaborate and beautiful.
Traditional food and drinks festival
Two weeks ago we went to a festival in Gyeongju that celebrated Korean traditional foods and drinks. For the most part, we saw barbecued meat and rice cakes for the traditional foods. The focus, however, was more heavily put on the traditional drinks...especially those of the alcoholic variety. Dongdongju, Maccoli, bamboo leaf wine, andong soju, and soju were all there, and, for a mere 2,ooowon, Kait and I each bought a small cup about the size of a shot glass that allowed us to go from booth to booth receiving free samples of drinks. [Dongdongju and moccoli are both similar versions of fermented rice drinks. Soju itself is a much harder version of fermented rice wine, and bamboo leaf wine is, well, bamboo-leaf flavoring mixed with soju.]
A mildly funny thing happened while Kait and I were approaching one of the stalls that gave out the drinks. There were many people with high-quality video cameras that were possibly filming for television purposes. Anyways, when we approached the stall, one such man and his reporter (equipped with a mike and everything) saw us coming. I saw these men see us as they started to get their camera/mike poised for us to approach. At this point I stopped Kait, and told her we might want to go to another stall, but just as I stopped, the men saw us stop, and they realized what we were doing, so they took some hesitant steps in our direction. Realizing that we were already committed to getting filmed drinking some free alcohol, we went ahead to the stall, which seemed to please the men very much. They asked us questions in English such as "How is the taste" and the like, so we were happy to answer them.
Herb Festival
Recently (yesterday) after our Korean language class at the local YMCA, Kait and I went to another very small festival that was celebrating the use of plants/herbs/roots/etc. We just kind of perused, and we decided that we wouldn't try the fried ginger root or pumpkin juice, though I was just a bit tempted. Also, the highlight of this festival was perhaps the giant, inflated vinyl artery (as in a human artery)that served as a play area and bouncy room for children; of course, we checked it out immediately. I am guessing that it was a random way to promote the health benefits of herbal medicines.
Anyways, that's all for now. We will post again soon, as there will definitely be a lot going on in the weeks to follow. Until then, we send our thoughts and love!
Monday, March 23, 2009
Cappadocia
As Ace mentioned, our time in Cappadocia was gorgeous. Getting there was frustrating (see Ace’s previous comment on going to the wrong airport and a very expensive cab ride- other highlights of the short trip included a non-existent shuttle pickup and several more expensive cab rides) but as soon as the terrain outside the bus changed from normal, dry hills into the exquisite, weird, beautiful rock spires, layered, multicolored valleys, and fairy chimneys, all of our tension melted away. We just felt overjoyed and incredibly fortunate to be in on of the most beautiful and interesting places on Earth. I really wish I had words to describe it, but I can’t- you’ll just have to look at the pictures.
We stayed in a lovely little village, Goreme. As it wasn’t tourist season yet, we had the place almost entirely to ourselves. We stayed in the Kelebek Pension, a cave hotel perched on the side of a mountain, with a terrace with a stunning view of the village. Come to think of it, pretty much all of the views in the entire region are stunning. We adored Kelebek- I don’t know how I’ll ever go back to dirty, cheap hostels now that I’ve stayed in a cave room carved out of solid rock in a fairy chimney that was still luxurious. Our room was awesome- windows, shelves and closets carved out of solid rock, Turkish carpets on the floor, and our own piping hot shower. The staff was lovely, and the main area was great- free apple tea, board games, a fireplace, and, in the mornings, the best hotel breakfast I’ve encountered. Ace and I stuffed ourselves with the cheeses, olives, veggies, breads, olives, dried fruits, and baguette French toast each morning. YUM! The stray dogs and cats in Goreme seem to have a very happy relationship with the locals, and happy, healthy dogs and cats roamed the terraces waiting for loving and snacks from visitors. Ace and I were only there for two whole days and nights (we got to our hotel about 10:30 Wednesday, and left at 6:00 a.m. on Friday) but we managed to pack a lot into our time there.
On Wednesday, we got settled, then headed out to nearby Uchisar for some hiking in the famous valleys. We clambered around on Uchisar castle, a huge, cave-riddled stone chimney which is the highest point in Cappadocia. Next, with the help of about a million helpful locals, we finally found the unlabeled Pigeon valley, which we could hike through until it returned us to Goreme. We enjoyed a very rugged, 2-hour-or-so hike through the valleys, which were riddled with ancient dwellings carved out of the rock. Most of them had little cubbies carved into the walls, which we later learned were pigeon houses- keeping pigeons and using their droppings for fertilizer was one of the most common ways of earning money there before good ‘ol tourism kicked in.
On Thursday-the most perfect day I can ever remember having- we got up at the crack of down to a van pick-up for our hot-air balloon ride. Cappadocia has a unique terrain that makes it very balloon-friendly- there’s very little wind- and hot air balloon tours are a popular way to enjoy the breathtaking views. I was obviously THRILLED, as I’ve been dreaming about hot air balloons constantly since I first went up in a tethered one with my brownie troop in elementary school. We rode about 30 minutes outside of the village, where we saw our inflating balloon peeking over the ridges. We got there just as it was filling up, and hopped into our cozy little basket with a few other tourists. The balloon lifted a few inches off the ground and cruised right over the very steep edge of the valley, and we were off. I was surprised at how steady the basket felt, and thoroughly enjoyed dangling my arms over the edge and snapping pictures. Watching the 20 or so other balloons in the air at the same time as us, while floating over such stunning, unique terrain, made it the loveliest thing I’ve ever seen. It was AWESOME! After we’d been in the air for about 45 minutes, our pilot announced that we were over a valley nicknamed “love valley”- and that’s when Ace proposed! He asked me to marry him, and of course I said yes. I was pretty shocked, as I wasn’t expecting that any time remotely soon. We returned to the ground very shortly after, a very happy engaged couple.
After our lovely balloon ride, we took several buses to a different area in the Cappadocia region- Kaymakli. It’s another small village, home to one of two major underground cities in the region. The first three floors were probably carved out by Hittites about 2000 B.C., and were later used and enlarged by early Christians who hid in them for months at a time to escape persecution. The city was pretty awesome- 4 stories underground of stables, churches, living rooms, wineries, etc. carved out of solid rock and connected by narrow, winding, sloping tunnels. While a tourist route was clearly market and well lit, Ace and I found ourselves wishing we had a flashlight so we could explore the numerous pitch-black tunnels that sloped off of the main drag. We loved seeing the place, but ceilings so low that at times we were crawling made me thankful that I’m not claustrophobic.
We returned to Goreme, and after a delicious lunch, we took a 1 kilometer walk on a small road towards the Goreme open air museum. We got distracted on the way by the stunning cliffs, caves, and valleys off the road, and took about a 2 hour detour from the road to climb up rock outcroppings, snap photos, explore caves and scoot down the steep valley walls. We felt like little kids on a giant, gorgeous playground. The most amazing thing is that the entire region is like that- the opportunities for awesome exploring and adventuring are virtually endless. We finally made it to the open-air museum, and checked out some really cool cave churches first used between the 300’s to 500’s. You could see different layers of decoration on the walls- really ancient red die in geometric patterns revealed where the “newer” frescoes had peeled off.
After such an eventful day, we were exhausted, so we headed back to a restaurant in the village to recline on huge cushions while we enjoyed an amazing dinner, orange tea, apple hookah, and Turkish rice pudding- perfect. We returned to Kelebek, played a few games of backgammon ( a very enthusiastic staff member helped us figure out the rules) and collapsed in bed.
The following morning, we returned to Istanbul to enjoy our last full day in Turkey.
The only thing left to mention is that Ace and I are now looking for teaching jobs in Istanbul. Needless to say, we absolutely loved the city. We were planning on spending another year in Korea, but the more we thought about it, the more excited we got about the prospect of experiencing another (totally different) country and culture. The city is gorgeous and fascinating, the people are really nice, the arts scene is great, and the history is just incredible. I would love to finally live in the same city as my dear friend again, too. Ace is particularly excited about the culinary prospects (surprise surprise ). Ace managed to squeeze in an interview at Malynda’s school on Friday, which he really enjoyed, and I’ve been scouring the internet for a decent language school ever since we returned to Daegu. Wish us luck!
Lots of love,
Kait
We stayed in a lovely little village, Goreme. As it wasn’t tourist season yet, we had the place almost entirely to ourselves. We stayed in the Kelebek Pension, a cave hotel perched on the side of a mountain, with a terrace with a stunning view of the village. Come to think of it, pretty much all of the views in the entire region are stunning. We adored Kelebek- I don’t know how I’ll ever go back to dirty, cheap hostels now that I’ve stayed in a cave room carved out of solid rock in a fairy chimney that was still luxurious. Our room was awesome- windows, shelves and closets carved out of solid rock, Turkish carpets on the floor, and our own piping hot shower. The staff was lovely, and the main area was great- free apple tea, board games, a fireplace, and, in the mornings, the best hotel breakfast I’ve encountered. Ace and I stuffed ourselves with the cheeses, olives, veggies, breads, olives, dried fruits, and baguette French toast each morning. YUM! The stray dogs and cats in Goreme seem to have a very happy relationship with the locals, and happy, healthy dogs and cats roamed the terraces waiting for loving and snacks from visitors. Ace and I were only there for two whole days and nights (we got to our hotel about 10:30 Wednesday, and left at 6:00 a.m. on Friday) but we managed to pack a lot into our time there.
On Wednesday, we got settled, then headed out to nearby Uchisar for some hiking in the famous valleys. We clambered around on Uchisar castle, a huge, cave-riddled stone chimney which is the highest point in Cappadocia. Next, with the help of about a million helpful locals, we finally found the unlabeled Pigeon valley, which we could hike through until it returned us to Goreme. We enjoyed a very rugged, 2-hour-or-so hike through the valleys, which were riddled with ancient dwellings carved out of the rock. Most of them had little cubbies carved into the walls, which we later learned were pigeon houses- keeping pigeons and using their droppings for fertilizer was one of the most common ways of earning money there before good ‘ol tourism kicked in.
On Thursday-the most perfect day I can ever remember having- we got up at the crack of down to a van pick-up for our hot-air balloon ride. Cappadocia has a unique terrain that makes it very balloon-friendly- there’s very little wind- and hot air balloon tours are a popular way to enjoy the breathtaking views. I was obviously THRILLED, as I’ve been dreaming about hot air balloons constantly since I first went up in a tethered one with my brownie troop in elementary school. We rode about 30 minutes outside of the village, where we saw our inflating balloon peeking over the ridges. We got there just as it was filling up, and hopped into our cozy little basket with a few other tourists. The balloon lifted a few inches off the ground and cruised right over the very steep edge of the valley, and we were off. I was surprised at how steady the basket felt, and thoroughly enjoyed dangling my arms over the edge and snapping pictures. Watching the 20 or so other balloons in the air at the same time as us, while floating over such stunning, unique terrain, made it the loveliest thing I’ve ever seen. It was AWESOME! After we’d been in the air for about 45 minutes, our pilot announced that we were over a valley nicknamed “love valley”- and that’s when Ace proposed! He asked me to marry him, and of course I said yes. I was pretty shocked, as I wasn’t expecting that any time remotely soon. We returned to the ground very shortly after, a very happy engaged couple.
After our lovely balloon ride, we took several buses to a different area in the Cappadocia region- Kaymakli. It’s another small village, home to one of two major underground cities in the region. The first three floors were probably carved out by Hittites about 2000 B.C., and were later used and enlarged by early Christians who hid in them for months at a time to escape persecution. The city was pretty awesome- 4 stories underground of stables, churches, living rooms, wineries, etc. carved out of solid rock and connected by narrow, winding, sloping tunnels. While a tourist route was clearly market and well lit, Ace and I found ourselves wishing we had a flashlight so we could explore the numerous pitch-black tunnels that sloped off of the main drag. We loved seeing the place, but ceilings so low that at times we were crawling made me thankful that I’m not claustrophobic.
We returned to Goreme, and after a delicious lunch, we took a 1 kilometer walk on a small road towards the Goreme open air museum. We got distracted on the way by the stunning cliffs, caves, and valleys off the road, and took about a 2 hour detour from the road to climb up rock outcroppings, snap photos, explore caves and scoot down the steep valley walls. We felt like little kids on a giant, gorgeous playground. The most amazing thing is that the entire region is like that- the opportunities for awesome exploring and adventuring are virtually endless. We finally made it to the open-air museum, and checked out some really cool cave churches first used between the 300’s to 500’s. You could see different layers of decoration on the walls- really ancient red die in geometric patterns revealed where the “newer” frescoes had peeled off.
After such an eventful day, we were exhausted, so we headed back to a restaurant in the village to recline on huge cushions while we enjoyed an amazing dinner, orange tea, apple hookah, and Turkish rice pudding- perfect. We returned to Kelebek, played a few games of backgammon ( a very enthusiastic staff member helped us figure out the rules) and collapsed in bed.
The following morning, we returned to Istanbul to enjoy our last full day in Turkey.
The only thing left to mention is that Ace and I are now looking for teaching jobs in Istanbul. Needless to say, we absolutely loved the city. We were planning on spending another year in Korea, but the more we thought about it, the more excited we got about the prospect of experiencing another (totally different) country and culture. The city is gorgeous and fascinating, the people are really nice, the arts scene is great, and the history is just incredible. I would love to finally live in the same city as my dear friend again, too. Ace is particularly excited about the culinary prospects (surprise surprise ). Ace managed to squeeze in an interview at Malynda’s school on Friday, which he really enjoyed, and I’ve been scouring the internet for a decent language school ever since we returned to Daegu. Wish us luck!
Lots of love,
Kait
Sunday, March 22, 2009
Impressions of Turkey
For any who didn't hear, Kait and I took a vacation to Turkey just over a week ago, so here are my impressions of our visit there, including some of what we did and saw.
ISTANBUL:
Landscape-
Perhaps the first thing I noticed was how Istanbul stood out when looking at the cityscape. There was one area near central Istanbul in particular - just across the Golden Horn River - that was definitely the most beautiful sight in Istanbul. When you see it, it is a collection of normal-looking buildings (such as apartments, city buildings, etc.,) but there are also incredible, large mosques and churches that usually have a bulbous main building with some spires that go high in the air. The main buildings of course are where people go to worship, and the spires are for broadcasting the call to prayer (more on this later). So in the area across the Golden Horn, there are several mosques and churches with similar construction, so the cityscape is one with breathtaking beauty. The construction of many of these buildings are impressive, to say the least.
Call to Prayer-
This is a regular practice that mosques broadcast over loud speakers from their spires so surrounding neighborhoods can hear it and begin their prayer. The call to prayer is done several times a day at regular intervals, and it is done in a distinct, harmonious, chant-like voice that sounds something between singing and talking.
People-
In Istanbul we found the people to be so friendly that we we were actually a little bit surprised. Often Kait and I would be a little lost, and someone would just walk up to us and to ask us what we were looking for. At first I thought such people would try to scam us somehow or sell us something because this was a very common occurrence in Thailand, and it was very hard to avoid. However, if someone came up to us to help us find our way, that is exactly what they did.
There was actually one instance I remember when Kait and I were looking for a cab, and a guy called us over to a line of parked cabs that were waiting for customers. We knew the guy who called us over would probably get some of the profit from our fare, but so we were sure to be careful. Sure enough, the driver told us that our 5-minute destination would cost a lot of money because there was a "traffic problem." He mentioned that he would cut us a deal by charging us a set fee of roughly 35 lira (which is like 21 dollars or something). Luckily, we just looked at each other and politely left the cab because we knew that when anyone offers to give you a flat fee on cab fare, they are usually trying to rip you off. Anyways, once we got out of the cab, the guy who was standing by the cabs asked us what was wrong, and we told him what the driver told us. It was here that I thought he would try to make us get back into the cab, but instead, he told us how to get to our destination by using the public metro. We were very surprised that even someone who was definitely trying to make money off of us had the kindness to show us our way around, and we walked away feeling a little better about the situation.
Malynda-
(Kait's friend who has lived in Turkey for over a year)
Definitely one of the biggest highlights of our trip was someone who knew the city and could show us around a bit: Malynda. It was not merely her wonderful knowledge of Istanbul that we appreciated, however; we appreciated even more her determination to ensure that our stay there was as pleasant and smooth as humanly possible. She did many things such as pay for some of our meals while we were out; she invited us to stay at her house to save on hostel prices; she came with us to the Grand Bazaar to ensure that we got fair prices on things; she took a day off from work in order to show us many of the main parts of the city; she set us up for a couple of nights at her sister's place near downtown; and she even paid for a museum ticket for Kaitlin, herself and me. (I could go on.) All of these things she seemed to do with the utmost joy at simply having us there, and for that we were very grateful. Thanks Malynda!
The Grand Bazaar/Spice Bazaar-
This was a covered (mostly) market in Istanbul that contains over 1,000 shops that sell anything from clothes to jewelry to food. It was here that Kait and I wandered around for a good part of one day just looking for things we might like to take home. True to it's name, the Spice Bazaar specializes in spices and herbs, such as those used both for cooking and for tea. This is where Kait and I bought a whole bunch of dried fruit, some teas that we definitely could not find in Korea, and a hookah.
We originally looked for hookahs in the Grand Bazaar, but we found that the prices ranged considerably higher than at the Spice Bazaar. Plus we found a very unique hookah with a turquoise-colored, ceramic base; after shopping around, we realized that this was quite the find because we did not find another one like it at any of the other shops.
Turkish Delight (or Lokum)-
This was a sweet that neither Kait nor I had ever tried before, and much to our joy, we found that at local markets and at the Grand Bazaar, this was given away as samples for us to try. The texture is very marshmallowy, and it can come in fruit, honey, nut, chocolate, and coconut flavors (many of which are mixed, of course). The outside is covered with a powdered sugar. The fruit flavors in particular are almost like a gummy. Needless to say, it was very delicious.
The Bosphorus-
This is a river that is indeed a wonder. It is literally on the brink of Europe and Asia, so if you asked which continent Istanbul was on, you would get these two answers. We only crossed over from Europe to Asia twice - both under unfortunate circumstances. We crossed over the first time when we accidentally took the ferry boat instead of a boat that takes people out to touristy islands. The other time, we crossed over when we had to take a VERY expensive cab ride to an airport. (We were running low on time because just before that, we went to the wrong airport...I don't want to talk about it...)
Also worth mentioning is the Golden Horn River, which branches off of the Bosphorus. We crossed over this several times when we were touring around Istanbul. It has fishermen who line up and presumably fish for a good amount of time during the day, but when you look at the fish they have caught, they are no longer than 10 inches long...It also has a place just off of the river where you can sit down and have a fish sandwich - fresh caught from the river! Delicious.
Food-
After coming from Asia, our west-acclimated taste buds celebrated with joy with all of the foods Turkey had to offer. Surprisingly, Korea does not have a ton in the way of just salad, unless we really go out of our way to buy all of the ingredients (at least half of which go to waste because they come in such large quantities) and mix them ourselves. We also enjoyed all of the "village" cheese, butter, and yogurt, which are all actually made in a village outside of Istanbul. (Malynda said they were made in the old style - by hand/churn/whatever.) The cheese was a white cheese akin to Brie or Camembert, and the yogurt tasted very un-messed with, like Nancy's Yogurt back home. There was also an abundancy of western dishes in general such as pasta and sugar-dense desserts. (Korea has rice cake, which is like cooked, ground rice that is very lightly sweetened - but not much - and it has the consistency of marshmallows. So we sometimes do miss a nice, sweet dessert.) Baklava was easy to come by, and we definitely took advantage of that fact while we were there.
Teas were also in abundance. It is a sort of Turkish custom to invite people into your house for tea, and Turks drink tea in the outdoor markets, in the airport, and even in a large square where you can find vendors walking around with large thermoses and plastic cups for you to use. The most common was black tea, but apple tea was also very popular. We took some apple, mint, cinnamon/clove, mixed fruit, and rosehip tea with us before we left.
We were delighted to find a large amount of fruit and nuts there. We even picked up a good deal of dried fruit, like figs, apples, dates, apricots, and more. Walnuts and almonds could be found for very cheap.
Well, that's all I can think of for now. I did not cover Cappadocia, so expect a post soon from Kait about what we did there. It was gorgeous and VERY fun!
ISTANBUL:
Landscape-
Perhaps the first thing I noticed was how Istanbul stood out when looking at the cityscape. There was one area near central Istanbul in particular - just across the Golden Horn River - that was definitely the most beautiful sight in Istanbul. When you see it, it is a collection of normal-looking buildings (such as apartments, city buildings, etc.,) but there are also incredible, large mosques and churches that usually have a bulbous main building with some spires that go high in the air. The main buildings of course are where people go to worship, and the spires are for broadcasting the call to prayer (more on this later). So in the area across the Golden Horn, there are several mosques and churches with similar construction, so the cityscape is one with breathtaking beauty. The construction of many of these buildings are impressive, to say the least.
Call to Prayer-
This is a regular practice that mosques broadcast over loud speakers from their spires so surrounding neighborhoods can hear it and begin their prayer. The call to prayer is done several times a day at regular intervals, and it is done in a distinct, harmonious, chant-like voice that sounds something between singing and talking.
People-
In Istanbul we found the people to be so friendly that we we were actually a little bit surprised. Often Kait and I would be a little lost, and someone would just walk up to us and to ask us what we were looking for. At first I thought such people would try to scam us somehow or sell us something because this was a very common occurrence in Thailand, and it was very hard to avoid. However, if someone came up to us to help us find our way, that is exactly what they did.
There was actually one instance I remember when Kait and I were looking for a cab, and a guy called us over to a line of parked cabs that were waiting for customers. We knew the guy who called us over would probably get some of the profit from our fare, but so we were sure to be careful. Sure enough, the driver told us that our 5-minute destination would cost a lot of money because there was a "traffic problem." He mentioned that he would cut us a deal by charging us a set fee of roughly 35 lira (which is like 21 dollars or something). Luckily, we just looked at each other and politely left the cab because we knew that when anyone offers to give you a flat fee on cab fare, they are usually trying to rip you off. Anyways, once we got out of the cab, the guy who was standing by the cabs asked us what was wrong, and we told him what the driver told us. It was here that I thought he would try to make us get back into the cab, but instead, he told us how to get to our destination by using the public metro. We were very surprised that even someone who was definitely trying to make money off of us had the kindness to show us our way around, and we walked away feeling a little better about the situation.
Malynda-
(Kait's friend who has lived in Turkey for over a year)
Definitely one of the biggest highlights of our trip was someone who knew the city and could show us around a bit: Malynda. It was not merely her wonderful knowledge of Istanbul that we appreciated, however; we appreciated even more her determination to ensure that our stay there was as pleasant and smooth as humanly possible. She did many things such as pay for some of our meals while we were out; she invited us to stay at her house to save on hostel prices; she came with us to the Grand Bazaar to ensure that we got fair prices on things; she took a day off from work in order to show us many of the main parts of the city; she set us up for a couple of nights at her sister's place near downtown; and she even paid for a museum ticket for Kaitlin, herself and me. (I could go on.) All of these things she seemed to do with the utmost joy at simply having us there, and for that we were very grateful. Thanks Malynda!
The Grand Bazaar/Spice Bazaar-
This was a covered (mostly) market in Istanbul that contains over 1,000 shops that sell anything from clothes to jewelry to food. It was here that Kait and I wandered around for a good part of one day just looking for things we might like to take home. True to it's name, the Spice Bazaar specializes in spices and herbs, such as those used both for cooking and for tea. This is where Kait and I bought a whole bunch of dried fruit, some teas that we definitely could not find in Korea, and a hookah.
We originally looked for hookahs in the Grand Bazaar, but we found that the prices ranged considerably higher than at the Spice Bazaar. Plus we found a very unique hookah with a turquoise-colored, ceramic base; after shopping around, we realized that this was quite the find because we did not find another one like it at any of the other shops.
Turkish Delight (or Lokum)-
This was a sweet that neither Kait nor I had ever tried before, and much to our joy, we found that at local markets and at the Grand Bazaar, this was given away as samples for us to try. The texture is very marshmallowy, and it can come in fruit, honey, nut, chocolate, and coconut flavors (many of which are mixed, of course). The outside is covered with a powdered sugar. The fruit flavors in particular are almost like a gummy. Needless to say, it was very delicious.
The Bosphorus-
This is a river that is indeed a wonder. It is literally on the brink of Europe and Asia, so if you asked which continent Istanbul was on, you would get these two answers. We only crossed over from Europe to Asia twice - both under unfortunate circumstances. We crossed over the first time when we accidentally took the ferry boat instead of a boat that takes people out to touristy islands. The other time, we crossed over when we had to take a VERY expensive cab ride to an airport. (We were running low on time because just before that, we went to the wrong airport...I don't want to talk about it...)
Also worth mentioning is the Golden Horn River, which branches off of the Bosphorus. We crossed over this several times when we were touring around Istanbul. It has fishermen who line up and presumably fish for a good amount of time during the day, but when you look at the fish they have caught, they are no longer than 10 inches long...It also has a place just off of the river where you can sit down and have a fish sandwich - fresh caught from the river! Delicious.
Food-
After coming from Asia, our west-acclimated taste buds celebrated with joy with all of the foods Turkey had to offer. Surprisingly, Korea does not have a ton in the way of just salad, unless we really go out of our way to buy all of the ingredients (at least half of which go to waste because they come in such large quantities) and mix them ourselves. We also enjoyed all of the "village" cheese, butter, and yogurt, which are all actually made in a village outside of Istanbul. (Malynda said they were made in the old style - by hand/churn/whatever.) The cheese was a white cheese akin to Brie or Camembert, and the yogurt tasted very un-messed with, like Nancy's Yogurt back home. There was also an abundancy of western dishes in general such as pasta and sugar-dense desserts. (Korea has rice cake, which is like cooked, ground rice that is very lightly sweetened - but not much - and it has the consistency of marshmallows. So we sometimes do miss a nice, sweet dessert.) Baklava was easy to come by, and we definitely took advantage of that fact while we were there.
Teas were also in abundance. It is a sort of Turkish custom to invite people into your house for tea, and Turks drink tea in the outdoor markets, in the airport, and even in a large square where you can find vendors walking around with large thermoses and plastic cups for you to use. The most common was black tea, but apple tea was also very popular. We took some apple, mint, cinnamon/clove, mixed fruit, and rosehip tea with us before we left.
We were delighted to find a large amount of fruit and nuts there. We even picked up a good deal of dried fruit, like figs, apples, dates, apricots, and more. Walnuts and almonds could be found for very cheap.
Well, that's all I can think of for now. I did not cover Cappadocia, so expect a post soon from Kait about what we did there. It was gorgeous and VERY fun!
Saturday, February 21, 2009
Thanks to Ace for updating for me! I’ve been slacking. We did indeed have a really nice Valentine’s day, though Ace wasn’t entirely truthful when he said we didn’t buy any couplewear. There was definitely some couple-socks purchasing action. They’re pretty adorable. There’s a stick figure boy on his sending hearts over to the stick figure girl on mine. When we put our feet together the picture is completed….hey, stop gagging! I have to admit, the excessive cuteness in this culture is starting to grow on me. You have to appreciate a country where it’s perfectly ok for officers in uniform to hold hands and for super-tough middle school boys to have fuzzy stuffed animal pencil cases and wear SpongeBob Squarepants backpacks. Yay Korea!
This week has flown by, as usual. With the same schedule and same classes every week, the weeks seem to just roll past us. Everything has been pretty uneventful at work- I don’t have any major discipline problems at the moment, and I’m really getting to know and enjoy some of my kids. I seem to alternate between being annoyed by and amused by my more rambunctious classes, but like I said, no major discipline problems- just a few hyperactive, good-hearted kiddos. The repetition does get a bit much if I think about the fact that I’ll be teaching in the exact same format for the next six months, so I try not to think about it. If I take things a week or a month at a time, it’s no problem, and fortunately I’m still certain that this is the best job I’ve had.
I just got back from the swing club. I’ve been taking jitterbug classes (that’s where I met my friend Rosemary). It’s a little strange being the only foreigner in the class- it’s taught in Korean, and only a few people speak a bit of English- but it’s already been a great way to make Korean friends. As long as I’m feeling confident enough to be the one person in the room not laughing when a joke is cracked, I have a really good time. Tonight we had class (it’s a bit easy, but I’m looking forward to the lindy hop classes starting soon), some open dancing, then went to a nearby bar and had a few drinks.
As Ace mentioned, I went to the animal shelter for the first time on Tuesday. I recruited 3 friends to go with me, and we all had an awesome time. The shelter (KAPS) has been run by a woman named Sunnan for the last 25 years or so- she bought the property with her own money, and says that it was the first animal shelter in Korea. I believe it, as some of my Korean friends didn’t know that animal shelters exist- Rosemary thought I was talking about volunteering in a pet shop That’s unfortunate, as I get the feeling adopting abandoned animals is pretty uncommon (at least in Daegu). KAPS is really different from the US shelters I’ve been to. It’s much less sterile- in good ways and bad. The kitties have two communal outdoor shelters where they can roam about as they please. I’m sure kitty colds get passed around more this way, but it’s so nice to see them all moving about freely, climbing stuff, scratching and socializing 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
The place seems to be patched together with a lot of love- you can tell the few staff members really love the animals and are really doing the best they can with what they have. In one room, I saw cats perched in cupboards and on shelves on Sunnan’s old armoire. All the cat trees and scratching things seem to be homemade. Sunnan mentioned that she has multiple litters of kittens in her apartment right now- she keeps them there until they are strong enough for the shelter. There’s also a ton of adorable little doggies, and the staff was happy to let us take out armfuls of puppies and play with them all together. A lot of them are really in need of a good bath, some brushing and some play time- Sunnan really just wants people to come play, and give them treats and/or baths. My friends and I are so excited to go back. We’ll be going every Tuesday for a few hours. I’m especially excited because it seems like the kind of place where you can really make a visible difference.
Besides Tuesdays at the shelter, we have a lot of other great stuff to look forward to. This Wednesday is our two year anniversary, and to celebrate we’re spending the weekend in Seoul. We don’t have any big plans, other than staying in Itaewon, eating lots of foreign food, and doing some shopping and wandering around. Itaewon isn’t very Korean, as it’s the foreigner district of Seoul, but it’s a great change of scenery. The following weekend is our vacation…to Turkey! We’re THRILLED to be taking a week of vacation, visiting Malynda and her sister, and getting to know Istanbul and Cappadocia. We’ll be staying with Malynda for most of our trip, but we will be flying to Cappadocia and staying in a cave hotel for two nights. Awesome!
This week has flown by, as usual. With the same schedule and same classes every week, the weeks seem to just roll past us. Everything has been pretty uneventful at work- I don’t have any major discipline problems at the moment, and I’m really getting to know and enjoy some of my kids. I seem to alternate between being annoyed by and amused by my more rambunctious classes, but like I said, no major discipline problems- just a few hyperactive, good-hearted kiddos. The repetition does get a bit much if I think about the fact that I’ll be teaching in the exact same format for the next six months, so I try not to think about it. If I take things a week or a month at a time, it’s no problem, and fortunately I’m still certain that this is the best job I’ve had.
I just got back from the swing club. I’ve been taking jitterbug classes (that’s where I met my friend Rosemary). It’s a little strange being the only foreigner in the class- it’s taught in Korean, and only a few people speak a bit of English- but it’s already been a great way to make Korean friends. As long as I’m feeling confident enough to be the one person in the room not laughing when a joke is cracked, I have a really good time. Tonight we had class (it’s a bit easy, but I’m looking forward to the lindy hop classes starting soon), some open dancing, then went to a nearby bar and had a few drinks.
As Ace mentioned, I went to the animal shelter for the first time on Tuesday. I recruited 3 friends to go with me, and we all had an awesome time. The shelter (KAPS) has been run by a woman named Sunnan for the last 25 years or so- she bought the property with her own money, and says that it was the first animal shelter in Korea. I believe it, as some of my Korean friends didn’t know that animal shelters exist- Rosemary thought I was talking about volunteering in a pet shop That’s unfortunate, as I get the feeling adopting abandoned animals is pretty uncommon (at least in Daegu). KAPS is really different from the US shelters I’ve been to. It’s much less sterile- in good ways and bad. The kitties have two communal outdoor shelters where they can roam about as they please. I’m sure kitty colds get passed around more this way, but it’s so nice to see them all moving about freely, climbing stuff, scratching and socializing 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
The place seems to be patched together with a lot of love- you can tell the few staff members really love the animals and are really doing the best they can with what they have. In one room, I saw cats perched in cupboards and on shelves on Sunnan’s old armoire. All the cat trees and scratching things seem to be homemade. Sunnan mentioned that she has multiple litters of kittens in her apartment right now- she keeps them there until they are strong enough for the shelter. There’s also a ton of adorable little doggies, and the staff was happy to let us take out armfuls of puppies and play with them all together. A lot of them are really in need of a good bath, some brushing and some play time- Sunnan really just wants people to come play, and give them treats and/or baths. My friends and I are so excited to go back. We’ll be going every Tuesday for a few hours. I’m especially excited because it seems like the kind of place where you can really make a visible difference.
Besides Tuesdays at the shelter, we have a lot of other great stuff to look forward to. This Wednesday is our two year anniversary, and to celebrate we’re spending the weekend in Seoul. We don’t have any big plans, other than staying in Itaewon, eating lots of foreign food, and doing some shopping and wandering around. Itaewon isn’t very Korean, as it’s the foreigner district of Seoul, but it’s a great change of scenery. The following weekend is our vacation…to Turkey! We’re THRILLED to be taking a week of vacation, visiting Malynda and her sister, and getting to know Istanbul and Cappadocia. We’ll be staying with Malynda for most of our trip, but we will be flying to Cappadocia and staying in a cave hotel for two nights. Awesome!
Tuesday, February 17, 2009
Valentine's Day and more
On Valentine's Day, Kait and I had very nice day just going downtown and hanging out. We wanted to buy "couple wear," but nothing struck our fancy. (Couple wear is when a couple - as in two people who are dating, etc. - buy the same pair of clothes together. Sometimes, however, the design on the clothing is split between the two pieces, so you must have somebody else wearing the other half in order for it to make sense.) So we wandered around downtown for a while just checking out shops and immersing ourselves in the Korean fashion - though not taking a part in it just yet. From there we went to the arcade and played a bunch of games for less than 5,000 won ($3.50) and got our pictures taken in one of those small photo booths. We also went on a fun, simulated "roller coaster" ride downtown. We wore 3-D glasses and sat in a fake roller-coaster seat that was set up with hydraulics and air hoses that blew air into your face during the "fast" parts of the simulation. We had fun. We finished the night by going out to one of our favorite restaurants in our neighborhood and watching a movie at home. (The movie was "Milk" and we thought it was great - one of the best movies we have seen in a while.)
Two weekends ago, Kait and I traveled with Kait's friend Rosemary (whom she met in a dance class) to go to nearby Gyeongju. Since Rosemary has a car, we were more than happy to accept her offer to drive. We had lunch and dinner together. One dish was a delicious "kimchi chigay," which is basically a kimchi stew.
Just yesterday (Tuesday,) Kait went with some friends to an animal shelter to volunteer and play with the cats and dogs. Kait mentioned that the shelter was started at the very grassroots level with close to zero funding. Apparently it was actually the first animal shelter in all of Korea, and the woman who created it is a bit of an advocate for people to stop eating dog. (I will let Kait post more on this later, as she went there herself.) Next week I will also start volunteering there as well, and I definitely look forward to it.
Just this last weekend Kait and I decided that we needed to cook more because we were going out to eat almost every day, so we prepared dinners such as a ginger stir fry and an Indian curry dish. We have been feeling much better about this and hope to keep it up as time goes by.
Other than that, I am just starting to look for a job next year at a university here in Daegu so that I can be happier with my level of autonomy in the classroom. I just started looking, but I think I have a decent chance, so I will give it a go. Anyways, Kait and I wish all of you at home the best from our part of the world. Regards, Ace
Two weekends ago, Kait and I traveled with Kait's friend Rosemary (whom she met in a dance class) to go to nearby Gyeongju. Since Rosemary has a car, we were more than happy to accept her offer to drive. We had lunch and dinner together. One dish was a delicious "kimchi chigay," which is basically a kimchi stew.
Just yesterday (Tuesday,) Kait went with some friends to an animal shelter to volunteer and play with the cats and dogs. Kait mentioned that the shelter was started at the very grassroots level with close to zero funding. Apparently it was actually the first animal shelter in all of Korea, and the woman who created it is a bit of an advocate for people to stop eating dog. (I will let Kait post more on this later, as she went there herself.) Next week I will also start volunteering there as well, and I definitely look forward to it.
Just this last weekend Kait and I decided that we needed to cook more because we were going out to eat almost every day, so we prepared dinners such as a ginger stir fry and an Indian curry dish. We have been feeling much better about this and hope to keep it up as time goes by.
Other than that, I am just starting to look for a job next year at a university here in Daegu so that I can be happier with my level of autonomy in the classroom. I just started looking, but I think I have a decent chance, so I will give it a go. Anyways, Kait and I wish all of you at home the best from our part of the world. Regards, Ace
Friday, February 6, 2009
The Great Wall of China, Tienanmen Square, and The Forbidden City
While on our China trip, in order to get to the Great wall of China, we first had to get up very early (about 6am) to meet with our tour group in the morning. It was totally worth it to get up even a little earlier so we could beat the crowd down to the full-service breakfast that had so much good food. So after feasting like kings on French-style pastries, fresh fruit, baguette French toast (delicious!), bacon, and other breakfast foods, we met with the bus to leave for the Great Wall of China.
The area we went to was actually a very refurbished section of the wall, so it was very tourist-friendly. However, many of the steps were fairly uneven, some higher, longer, or steeper than others. So it was a very beautiful part of the great wall, and a fairly non-challenging hike. Once we got there, Kait and I decided to book it up to the top so that we could beat the crowds of people that would come before very long. This way, we could do our photography and videos on the way down. Once we got to the top, we felt like out-of-breath heroes (because apparently, according to the tour guide -- and Chinese legend -- only heroes hiked all the way to the top).
All along the wall were several guard towers that were no doubt constructed to fend off Mongolian invaders. It was clear that some of these were for show in that there was no actual roof access to them, which would have been a major design flaw with any defensive building like that. But it was okay because we could get on top of at least a couple of them, albeit by taking some very steep, narrow stairs. Also on the way down, we noticed a sharp difference in the willingness of the tourist shops to barter with you. Kait wanted to buy a t-shirt that said something to the effect of "I climbed the Great Wall of China," but the first shop we went to refused to lower his prices to something that was actually reasonable. (He wouldn't go below US $25 or so for a regular, screen-print t-shirt.) So we went to a tourist shop that was just a little further down the hill, and found the same shirts for roughly half the price, which seemed a little weird to us, but we just rolled with it.
Once we met back up with the bus, we were ready for a lunch in another tourist-trap restaurant that sold, well, vases. That's right, we got a tour of a vase shop, which was neat and all to see, but probably not altogether worth our time (in my humble opinion). During the lunch, we had what I like to call "hero juice," a kind of liquor that, apparently, only heroes drank. It was a 56% alcoholic drink that burned like crazy and had a particularly awful taste. I just had one small shot, then I dumped the rest of the contents of the bottle into a glass (no one else wanted it either,) and pocketed the cool-looking bottle as a souvenir.
Later we went to the Forbidden City. This is where the emperors and their numerous concubines lived. It has immensely high walls, and it has several different layers of walls inside. Apparently, one emperor lived in the inner court while the outer court was allowed for public use for a period of time. Sadly, we did not have much time with our tour group to spend in the Forbidden City, so we walked in a straight line from the entrance to the exit, taking pictures along the way. There were still a lot of cool things to see, like giant water vases used for fire, giant bronze lions and other animals, and giant incense burners as well as stone carvings all throughout.
Once we were finished here, we went straight to the Tienanmen Square, which is located directly south of the Forbidden City, a 5-10 minute walk. It was here that we found ourselves in the middle of more people per square foot I have ever experienced in such a large area. Once we were in the square, we took a bunch of pictures of Mao Tse Tung's mausoleum, the national museum, and the parliament building that surrounded the square. On the gate to the Forbidden City, there is a large picture of Mao, left as a memorial to his period in office and the changes for the better that he made for the Chinese people. While on our tour, the guide spoke nothing about the atrocities of Tienanmen Square nor those of Mao himself; he spoke nothing about these things because even if he were aware of them, it would be illegal for him to talk about it. I read online that most of the youth in China today don't know about the uprisings that took place in Tienanmen Square.
Once finished with this day, we went back to the hotel to get a good night of rest - after some sauna action - before our very early flight in the morning.
All in all, we had an excellent trip. The best thing was that we really didn't have to worry about anything; it was completely low stress. The bad part was that we were taken to a lot of random places that we really didn't care to see all that much, and that were total tourist traps. These include the jade and pearl markets, a tea house, the vase shop, and a "kung fu" show that we went to. It would have been nice to have used this time at the end of each day to go to someplace - perhaps an open air market or a row of authentic restaurants - where we could just wander around and actually experience a place in China that had local Chinese people in it who weren't directly connected to any tourist service. (This is something that we really did not do throughout the whole trip!) So in hindsight, I think it will be a while before we do any kind of tour like that again, but at least we had a very good time.
While on our China trip, in order to get to the Great wall of China, we first had to get up very early (about 6am) to meet with our tour group in the morning. It was totally worth it to get up even a little earlier so we could beat the crowd down to the full-service breakfast that had so much good food. So after feasting like kings on French-style pastries, fresh fruit, baguette French toast (delicious!), bacon, and other breakfast foods, we met with the bus to leave for the Great Wall of China.
The area we went to was actually a very refurbished section of the wall, so it was very tourist-friendly. However, many of the steps were fairly uneven, some higher, longer, or steeper than others. So it was a very beautiful part of the great wall, and a fairly non-challenging hike. Once we got there, Kait and I decided to book it up to the top so that we could beat the crowds of people that would come before very long. This way, we could do our photography and videos on the way down. Once we got to the top, we felt like out-of-breath heroes (because apparently, according to the tour guide -- and Chinese legend -- only heroes hiked all the way to the top).
All along the wall were several guard towers that were no doubt constructed to fend off Mongolian invaders. It was clear that some of these were for show in that there was no actual roof access to them, which would have been a major design flaw with any defensive building like that. But it was okay because we could get on top of at least a couple of them, albeit by taking some very steep, narrow stairs. Also on the way down, we noticed a sharp difference in the willingness of the tourist shops to barter with you. Kait wanted to buy a t-shirt that said something to the effect of "I climbed the Great Wall of China," but the first shop we went to refused to lower his prices to something that was actually reasonable. (He wouldn't go below US $25 or so for a regular, screen-print t-shirt.) So we went to a tourist shop that was just a little further down the hill, and found the same shirts for roughly half the price, which seemed a little weird to us, but we just rolled with it.
Once we met back up with the bus, we were ready for a lunch in another tourist-trap restaurant that sold, well, vases. That's right, we got a tour of a vase shop, which was neat and all to see, but probably not altogether worth our time (in my humble opinion). During the lunch, we had what I like to call "hero juice," a kind of liquor that, apparently, only heroes drank. It was a 56% alcoholic drink that burned like crazy and had a particularly awful taste. I just had one small shot, then I dumped the rest of the contents of the bottle into a glass (no one else wanted it either,) and pocketed the cool-looking bottle as a souvenir.
Later we went to the Forbidden City. This is where the emperors and their numerous concubines lived. It has immensely high walls, and it has several different layers of walls inside. Apparently, one emperor lived in the inner court while the outer court was allowed for public use for a period of time. Sadly, we did not have much time with our tour group to spend in the Forbidden City, so we walked in a straight line from the entrance to the exit, taking pictures along the way. There were still a lot of cool things to see, like giant water vases used for fire, giant bronze lions and other animals, and giant incense burners as well as stone carvings all throughout.
Once we were finished here, we went straight to the Tienanmen Square, which is located directly south of the Forbidden City, a 5-10 minute walk. It was here that we found ourselves in the middle of more people per square foot I have ever experienced in such a large area. Once we were in the square, we took a bunch of pictures of Mao Tse Tung's mausoleum, the national museum, and the parliament building that surrounded the square. On the gate to the Forbidden City, there is a large picture of Mao, left as a memorial to his period in office and the changes for the better that he made for the Chinese people. While on our tour, the guide spoke nothing about the atrocities of Tienanmen Square nor those of Mao himself; he spoke nothing about these things because even if he were aware of them, it would be illegal for him to talk about it. I read online that most of the youth in China today don't know about the uprisings that took place in Tienanmen Square.
Once finished with this day, we went back to the hotel to get a good night of rest - after some sauna action - before our very early flight in the morning.
All in all, we had an excellent trip. The best thing was that we really didn't have to worry about anything; it was completely low stress. The bad part was that we were taken to a lot of random places that we really didn't care to see all that much, and that were total tourist traps. These include the jade and pearl markets, a tea house, the vase shop, and a "kung fu" show that we went to. It would have been nice to have used this time at the end of each day to go to someplace - perhaps an open air market or a row of authentic restaurants - where we could just wander around and actually experience a place in China that had local Chinese people in it who weren't directly connected to any tourist service. (This is something that we really did not do throughout the whole trip!) So in hindsight, I think it will be a while before we do any kind of tour like that again, but at least we had a very good time.
Thursday, January 29, 2009
Lunar New Year in Beijing!
Ace and I just got back from our vacation in Beijing! It was Chinese Lunar New Year, a major holiday in Korea as well, so we got Monday and Tuesday off from work. We booked a 4-day whirlwind tour of Beijing through a local English-speaking travel agency, and on Saturday morning, we took off for Beijing with about 50 other local English teachers, including 4 good friends; Brent, Grete, Ed, Bopha, Laura, and Carolyn.
After a very quick 2 hour flight to Beijing, we hopped on our tour bus and headed to the Temple of Heaven. This temple is where the Emperor would come on the winter and summer solstices to talk to his father, God. God would supposedly descend from heaven to have a chat with the Emperor in this beautiful, brightly colored round building.
Next, we had dinner- all of the meals on the trip were family style meals in huge restaurants, with several plates brought to each table that we could pick and choose from. All of the food was pretty yummy, but I have to say I think I like Korean food better. We did enjoy peking duck a few times, of course- it was very nice in small quantities.
After dinner we hit our big, beautiful, wonderful, glorious hotel. It was a five star hotel called Loong Palace Resort. I’ve never stayed anywhere so nice- we all reveled in the enclosed showers (not just a tiled bathroom with a hose coming out of the wall!), big bathtubs, comfortable beds and big fuzzy towels. The hotel included a bowling alley, nightclub, singing room, swimming pool, spa, sauna, hot tub, a million restaurants, etc. etc. etc. Our room had floor-to ceiling windows on the fifth floor that gave us a lovely view of the city- the downtown area is quite flat, so we could see a long ways- perfect for fireworks viewing.
The next day was filled with markets- Jade, Pearl and Tea markets- which were definitely tourist traps. I could have done without those. Just one downfall of a group tour, I suppose. We did, however, hit a large, indoor market that Ace and I really enjoyed- it was five floors packed full of fake backpacks, purses, “designer” clothes, and tons and tons of souvenirs. Ace and I bartered like crazy, and ended up buying large backpacking backpacks for about $30 each, a lovely hand-painted wall hanging, some really cool brass incense burners, and a few other souvenirs. It was Ace’s first time really bartering, and he did great! I think it was a good warm-up for our trip to Turkey.
Next up was definitely one of the biggest highlights of our trip- the fireworks. All evening as we were driving around, we’d seen huge fireworks being shot off downtown, from the street, bridges, between huge office buildings, etc. At about 10 o’clock, though, the city really got going, and Ace, Carolyn, Laura and I sat in our rooms and watched in wonder as the show got better and better for the next two and a half hours. The city doesn’t have an organized show of any sort, and pretty much every family just buys gigantic mortars and shoots them off together from the nearest street. It was STUNNING- like an average fireworks show was going off from every single block in this huge city, all at the same time, nonstop for at least 3 hours. There are really no words to describe how beautiful it was. We were all totally awestruck; it definitely makes my top 10 list of Most Beautiful Things I’ve Ever Seen. Ace will be putting up videos soon, just to give you a glimpse, though of course they can’t fully capture the experience.
Ace has promised to split blog-duties for this trip with me, so I’ll let him fill you in on the Great Wall of China, Tien’amin Square and the Forbidden City. Lots of love! Kait
After a very quick 2 hour flight to Beijing, we hopped on our tour bus and headed to the Temple of Heaven. This temple is where the Emperor would come on the winter and summer solstices to talk to his father, God. God would supposedly descend from heaven to have a chat with the Emperor in this beautiful, brightly colored round building.
Next, we had dinner- all of the meals on the trip were family style meals in huge restaurants, with several plates brought to each table that we could pick and choose from. All of the food was pretty yummy, but I have to say I think I like Korean food better. We did enjoy peking duck a few times, of course- it was very nice in small quantities.
After dinner we hit our big, beautiful, wonderful, glorious hotel. It was a five star hotel called Loong Palace Resort. I’ve never stayed anywhere so nice- we all reveled in the enclosed showers (not just a tiled bathroom with a hose coming out of the wall!), big bathtubs, comfortable beds and big fuzzy towels. The hotel included a bowling alley, nightclub, singing room, swimming pool, spa, sauna, hot tub, a million restaurants, etc. etc. etc. Our room had floor-to ceiling windows on the fifth floor that gave us a lovely view of the city- the downtown area is quite flat, so we could see a long ways- perfect for fireworks viewing.
The next day was filled with markets- Jade, Pearl and Tea markets- which were definitely tourist traps. I could have done without those. Just one downfall of a group tour, I suppose. We did, however, hit a large, indoor market that Ace and I really enjoyed- it was five floors packed full of fake backpacks, purses, “designer” clothes, and tons and tons of souvenirs. Ace and I bartered like crazy, and ended up buying large backpacking backpacks for about $30 each, a lovely hand-painted wall hanging, some really cool brass incense burners, and a few other souvenirs. It was Ace’s first time really bartering, and he did great! I think it was a good warm-up for our trip to Turkey.
Next up was definitely one of the biggest highlights of our trip- the fireworks. All evening as we were driving around, we’d seen huge fireworks being shot off downtown, from the street, bridges, between huge office buildings, etc. At about 10 o’clock, though, the city really got going, and Ace, Carolyn, Laura and I sat in our rooms and watched in wonder as the show got better and better for the next two and a half hours. The city doesn’t have an organized show of any sort, and pretty much every family just buys gigantic mortars and shoots them off together from the nearest street. It was STUNNING- like an average fireworks show was going off from every single block in this huge city, all at the same time, nonstop for at least 3 hours. There are really no words to describe how beautiful it was. We were all totally awestruck; it definitely makes my top 10 list of Most Beautiful Things I’ve Ever Seen. Ace will be putting up videos soon, just to give you a glimpse, though of course they can’t fully capture the experience.
Ace has promised to split blog-duties for this trip with me, so I’ll let him fill you in on the Great Wall of China, Tien’amin Square and the Forbidden City. Lots of love! Kait
Sunday, January 11, 2009
Another cultural difference
While eating out tonight at a wonderful Indian restaurant in a different part of town with Kait and friends, I couldn't help but take note of an interesting cultural difference between western culture and Korean culture (and perhaps East-Asian cultures at large). The difference is eating, or rather, how we eat. While having a discussion after we finished our delicious dinner, we had to laugh a bit about some Korean diners who were seated at a table near us; they were what I like to call "smackers." By that I mean, they "smack" their lips very noticeably - and unapologetically - when they eat. I can remember when I was in fourth grade, I instantly developed an antipathy toward someone simply for their propensity to smacking. This just goes to show how deeply it is ingrained in the average western person. But here, I think that it is generally believed to enhance the taste of a given meal. We had a discussion about how the smacking perhaps causes the air from your mouth to waft up to your nose, giving you more of a smelling sensation when you eat, or maybe the smacking itself causes people to enjoy the sound of eating, adding another sense to the dining experience. In any case, we all know that the Korean diners were not being impolite (this is not the first time we have noticed this), it is just their way of eating. However, knowing that doesn't necessarily prevent the sound from getting under one's skin... I guess it's one of those differences that are bound to exist between people of two cultures.
Saturday, January 10, 2009
Korean friends
Yesterday afternoon, Kait and I met up with two of our co-workers to go downtown Daegu together. We started off by going to what is called a DVD room, a place where you can go and choose from several DVDs to watch right then and there. We had been to one of these in Thailand, and it was just a small room with a few cushions and a TV/DVD player. But this was definitely different: after we had all met up, we went straight to the DVD bang (room) and we remarked that it felt like we were walking in to a movie theater. In a sense, we were. Once we chose our movie (The Bucket List, a good movie, we all thought afterwards,) we headed to our room after having purchased some snacks at the front counter, and I had to chuckle a little after what I saw: teddy bears. That's right, I walked in and saw a very comfortable lounge bed (for a lack of a better description) that was covered with pillows and three medium-sized teddy bears. (Only in Korea would this be commonplace.) Also, it was not a TV we watched, but a small screen that used a projector that we had in our own room, so it was basically a small, private movie theater where a person could watch an out-of-theaters movie whenever s/he would want. Pretty cool, I say.
After that, we went to a very nice Vietnamese restaurant and had a great dinner together. I was worried most of the time that there would be some awkward silence between us all - as there often is when we are with Korean people due to the cultural differences - but we all got along just fine. (Both of our co-workers are near-fluent in English.) The restaurant itself was very beautifully designed, and the servers were wearing some cool traditional Vietnamese garb.
During dinner, they asked us if we had ever been to a tea house in Korea yet, and we replied no, even though we wanted to while we were in Seoul. So after dinner, we went to the tea house. It was in a small pocket tucked away from downtown, and it seemed to be pretty traditional. On the exterior were stone steps and various plants that gave it a rather ambient vibe. Inside, we sat on the floor around low tables where we could sit and have our tea. Again, we sat and talked together for so long - I think about two hours or so - that we decided to skip out on salsa class. And for those of you who know Kait, that means we were having a pretty good time. Although we didn't have a camera, we know where it is so we can take pictures to put on our photo page.
After that, we went to a very nice Vietnamese restaurant and had a great dinner together. I was worried most of the time that there would be some awkward silence between us all - as there often is when we are with Korean people due to the cultural differences - but we all got along just fine. (Both of our co-workers are near-fluent in English.) The restaurant itself was very beautifully designed, and the servers were wearing some cool traditional Vietnamese garb.
During dinner, they asked us if we had ever been to a tea house in Korea yet, and we replied no, even though we wanted to while we were in Seoul. So after dinner, we went to the tea house. It was in a small pocket tucked away from downtown, and it seemed to be pretty traditional. On the exterior were stone steps and various plants that gave it a rather ambient vibe. Inside, we sat on the floor around low tables where we could sit and have our tea. Again, we sat and talked together for so long - I think about two hours or so - that we decided to skip out on salsa class. And for those of you who know Kait, that means we were having a pretty good time. Although we didn't have a camera, we know where it is so we can take pictures to put on our photo page.
Sunday, January 4, 2009
A trip to Seoul
Ace and I just got back from a lovely weekend in Seoul. We decided on a whim on Thursday that it was time for a little adventure, so first thing Saturday we hopped on the KTX (fast train) and we were in Seoul in just an hour and 40 minutes, even though Seoul is pretty much on the other side of South Korea! I tried to stay conscious for our speedy trip, but I slept through most of it. Ace said I didn’t miss anything too scenic- except for some farms, the trip was cities and towns everywhere.
Once we got into Seoul, we took the subway (there are 12 different lines, but it’s amazingly user-friendly, considering) to a market crammed with everything from socks and $5 jeans to wooden masks, tea sets and ginseng candy. I was thrilled to find a hippie shop (I haven’t found one in Daegu) so I could replace my very ratty Thailand purse and get some fun earrings. After enjoying the sights, crowds, and pungent smells of cooking silkworm larvae, we headed to the antiques market our lonely planet guide recommended.
Wandering around Seoul was a very welcome change of scenery- it was great to see a skyline other than the lego-landscape of Daegu, and there were lots of lovely fountains, art installations, etc. I definitely think it would be fun (but expensive) to live there- it seems like there’s tons of interesting art exhibits, concerts, and cultural things going on.
I had a heyday at the Antiques mall- it’s a good thing most of the shops are closed on weekends, or who knows how much money I could have spent. The mall consisted of two or three old buildings absolutely stuffed with old trunks, carved wooden windows, tea sets, carved tables, Chinese medicine cabinets, buddhas, etc. I was thrilled to see some traditional stuff- it seems like Korea is so modern that it’s hard to find any souvenirs more interesting than cell-phone danglies and 4-inch heels. Everything in those musty buildings was gorgeous and interesting. I left with a red-cloth lantern, an red antique Chinese jewelry box with birds painted on it ( a present for someone), and, my favorite, Ace and I’s first piece of art. It’s actually Thai, a framed painting on cloth of a view from the river of Wat Arun, a temple in Bangkok that we visited. with a dragon boat passing in front of it.
After the mall, we lugged our stuff to a very cheap and blah, but clean, little motel. We dropped off our treasures and wandered around our area in search of some non-Korean food, just for a change. We settled on Outback and had a very homey dinner, then searched in vain for a jazz club I really wanted to check out. I think the cabbie dropped us off in the wrong district, cause it was nowhere to be found, but we did stumble across a board game café, which was brilliant. Funky chairs and tables were filled with young people sipping tea and coffee and playing rented games. The lettering on all the games was in Korean, though, so we settled on Jenga.
Then we headed to a theater and watched “Love in the Clouds”, which was ok; it was really nice watch a movie on the bigscreen, though. We haven’t done that since our first weekend in Daegu! I also enjoyed the fountain Coke Zero in the concessions stand- the only place you can get that around here is Costco , and if you know me at all, you know how I feel about diet fountain colas After a night in our little room, we got up and headed to Itaewon, which is the foreigner district. We hit some import grocers and loaded up on little luxuries that we can’t find here- couscous, real oatmeal, tomato soup, edemame, mac and cheese, decent incense, etc. I’m pretty thrilled with all of those finds. Ace was also able to find some shoes there that fit him, which was exciting. There were people from all over the world and an amazing variety of restaurants- Middle Eastern, Moroccan, Italian, Mexican, African, Indian… I definitely want to go back soon and do some serious eating.
After spending a small fortune at the grocery stores, we went to the best-preserved palace in Seoul- it’s a world heritage site, and was occupied by members of the royal family until the 1980’s, I believe. It was lovely, but I was freezing during the hour and a half outdoor tour. One interesting part was seeing how the original floor heating system worked- a sort of crawl space beneath the building where charcoal was lit, and a serious of vents that carried the hot air around under the rooms, with a little door at the opposite end where you could scoop the ashes out. Brilliant! After the tour, we had dinner at a little Italian place and took the fast train home. All the getting lost and wandering around that I didn’t bother to write about made it a very tiring trip, but we had a great time. It was also nice to do the backpacker tourist thing for just a night- we ran around like crazy but knew we’d be sleeping at home on Sunday. We’re definitely hoping to go back soon.
Once we got into Seoul, we took the subway (there are 12 different lines, but it’s amazingly user-friendly, considering) to a market crammed with everything from socks and $5 jeans to wooden masks, tea sets and ginseng candy. I was thrilled to find a hippie shop (I haven’t found one in Daegu) so I could replace my very ratty Thailand purse and get some fun earrings. After enjoying the sights, crowds, and pungent smells of cooking silkworm larvae, we headed to the antiques market our lonely planet guide recommended.
Wandering around Seoul was a very welcome change of scenery- it was great to see a skyline other than the lego-landscape of Daegu, and there were lots of lovely fountains, art installations, etc. I definitely think it would be fun (but expensive) to live there- it seems like there’s tons of interesting art exhibits, concerts, and cultural things going on.
I had a heyday at the Antiques mall- it’s a good thing most of the shops are closed on weekends, or who knows how much money I could have spent. The mall consisted of two or three old buildings absolutely stuffed with old trunks, carved wooden windows, tea sets, carved tables, Chinese medicine cabinets, buddhas, etc. I was thrilled to see some traditional stuff- it seems like Korea is so modern that it’s hard to find any souvenirs more interesting than cell-phone danglies and 4-inch heels. Everything in those musty buildings was gorgeous and interesting. I left with a red-cloth lantern, an red antique Chinese jewelry box with birds painted on it ( a present for someone), and, my favorite, Ace and I’s first piece of art. It’s actually Thai, a framed painting on cloth of a view from the river of Wat Arun, a temple in Bangkok that we visited. with a dragon boat passing in front of it.
After the mall, we lugged our stuff to a very cheap and blah, but clean, little motel. We dropped off our treasures and wandered around our area in search of some non-Korean food, just for a change. We settled on Outback and had a very homey dinner, then searched in vain for a jazz club I really wanted to check out. I think the cabbie dropped us off in the wrong district, cause it was nowhere to be found, but we did stumble across a board game café, which was brilliant. Funky chairs and tables were filled with young people sipping tea and coffee and playing rented games. The lettering on all the games was in Korean, though, so we settled on Jenga.
Then we headed to a theater and watched “Love in the Clouds”, which was ok; it was really nice watch a movie on the bigscreen, though. We haven’t done that since our first weekend in Daegu! I also enjoyed the fountain Coke Zero in the concessions stand- the only place you can get that around here is Costco , and if you know me at all, you know how I feel about diet fountain colas After a night in our little room, we got up and headed to Itaewon, which is the foreigner district. We hit some import grocers and loaded up on little luxuries that we can’t find here- couscous, real oatmeal, tomato soup, edemame, mac and cheese, decent incense, etc. I’m pretty thrilled with all of those finds. Ace was also able to find some shoes there that fit him, which was exciting. There were people from all over the world and an amazing variety of restaurants- Middle Eastern, Moroccan, Italian, Mexican, African, Indian… I definitely want to go back soon and do some serious eating.
After spending a small fortune at the grocery stores, we went to the best-preserved palace in Seoul- it’s a world heritage site, and was occupied by members of the royal family until the 1980’s, I believe. It was lovely, but I was freezing during the hour and a half outdoor tour. One interesting part was seeing how the original floor heating system worked- a sort of crawl space beneath the building where charcoal was lit, and a serious of vents that carried the hot air around under the rooms, with a little door at the opposite end where you could scoop the ashes out. Brilliant! After the tour, we had dinner at a little Italian place and took the fast train home. All the getting lost and wandering around that I didn’t bother to write about made it a very tiring trip, but we had a great time. It was also nice to do the backpacker tourist thing for just a night- we ran around like crazy but knew we’d be sleeping at home on Sunday. We’re definitely hoping to go back soon.
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