Wow, home.

I was away for 16 months. I came home to a terrible snow storm, and it is only by a miracle that I cannot explain that I landed on time in Vancouver. Denise was not so lucky. She got stuck in Chicago, and then in Toronto for 4 days. She finally got a flight to Fredericton, and her mom had to drive from Halifax to get her, just in time for Christmas Eve. Poor Denise. I can't imagine.

The snow here is ridiculous. I have had a wonderful Christmas with my family. I sit here typing and there are eagles flying above the trees out of my window. Its weird to see TV and commercials again. Its nice to cook and eat familiar food. Driving around the city, there are so many things that have changed. New buildings. Old ones gone. Driving is very strange again. Especially since its only a truck that can be driven out of my parents cars because of all the snow. That truck is HUGE!

NO MORE SLEEPS LEFT!

Only a long day of traveling.

I left Manila, finally. I wasn't really impressed with the city. I found it too busy and dirty. Maybe I need to give it another chance, but there are other places I will go first. I arrived in Taipei for a layover. I went to the tourist desk for a map and some ideas of things to see. I got on a bus and headed downtown.

I didn't really want to go into the city, but I am sure glad I did. Mind you I was only there for a few hours and saw one small part of the city. It was clean and vibrant and beautiful. It was very diverse and the people were really nice. I spent time in some malls. I found one of my favourite stores in the world, which I found in Japan, and I think is only in a few asian cities and in the UK. Its like a department store. I took lots of photos and wandered through the streets and stores.

But I am almost home...only a few more hours.

Back to Manila

We left our beloved sedentary location to head back to Manila. We got to the airport. Denise wanted to have a "Tetanus" tournament with our Nintendos. That would be Tetris to the rest of us. Somebody got a bit to much sun.

Our flight was delayed by 3 hours. It sucked, but they gave us free fried chicken. At least they did something AIR CANADA.

We got into Manila and went back to our same hostel that we were at before. The next day though, we set out to find a nice, yet affordable hotel. Its our last night together on the road so why not! We deserve hot water, cable and air conditioning! Its a really nice place. We spent that day at the mall, getting "mani pedi botox" (Samantha Jones, 2002). Minus the botox. Denise bought a new dress. We drank wine in our room 'til late.

The next morning we had to leave. We had room service, extreme luxury. I still had one more night there so I moved all my stuff back to the hostel. Denise left for the airport. Goodbye Denise!

More Cebu, and doing nothing

We feel like we should be doing stuff, but we're too lazy.

I did have to go find an ATM the other day though, that was an outing. The whole experience had the potential for extreme disaster. First I was dropped off at the hospital, where there was an ATM, but it was out of order. My trike guy had already left, so I just walked down the road, hoping I would eventually find one. I asked a lady where I might find one, and she pointed me in the right direction. Amazing, since neither of us could speak each other's language. I did manage to get money and a taxi back to the hotel.

There is a good collection of National Geographic magazines at the hotel, so I have been going through all those, but only looking at the photos. I feel smarter just holding a NG magazine.

Been watching Seinfeld on my iPod and mastering some Nintendo games on my DS. I finished A Million Little Pieces by James Frey. Wonderful book, I don't care what Oprah says. I loved the way he wrote the story. I am now reading Shantaram, by Gregory David Roberts. Its 933 pages and chronicles his break out an Australian prison, arrival in India, and his life as an actor in Bollywood films, a devoted employee of the mafia and the founder of a free medical clinic in a slum. Fascinating story. Denise already read it now it is my turn. Although ask me what I am reading in a few months and it may still be this book.

There have been some carolers coming around signing Feliz Navidad. Oh yeah it's Christmas! It's nice, but I think they are only doing our street, in a circle. So its been going on for a few hours.

Loving Korea, in the Philippines

Funny, we left Korea months ago, yet in this small town we are in, there are Koreans everywhere, with restaurants and corner stores to boot! The prices are not as good, but Denise and I are pretty happy that we can get galbi, kimchi, soju and every side dish that we fell in love at our local places in Seoul. The people that are here left Korea years ago to start businesses, and if they have children, they are in English schools. I think that getting the kids to learn English here is a huge draw.

We've had a few Korean meals. A few Filipino ones at our hotel, which has mostly been fried rice. And beer. Lots of Koreans come here to scuba dive. There is a ton of scuba diving here. One night, there was a class of Koreans that had been learning to scuba dive over the last few days. They were celebrating by drinking soju shots out of scuba masks.

Other than this, we haven't done a lot. During the day, sitting by the pool, we have the pleasure of listening to the Karaoke bar next door. The machine is outside, right next to the fence. When they are not signing, they are leering at Denise and I. Sometimes a whole family will come up to the fence and leer together for about 10 minutes.

We walk to the market some days, and buy fresh mango. We changed room, from air conditioning to a fan. We're too cheap right now, and we're used to the heat. We went to one of the resorts next to our hotel, for a fee, and used the pool. Its mostly Korean families on vacation. The women dutifully wear their visors and SPF 60.

To Cebu

This morning, we flew to Cebu. Before we left our hostel, we went to the Starbucks across the street. It was 8am, but it was not open for business. According to the sign, it closed at 5.30am and opened at 9.00am. It was open for most of the day, except for the prime coffee-drinking, caffeine-requiring time. Very strangee.

The flight was short. We got to our hotel and ate Oreos for lunch, which Denise is now known to pack around all the time. Its become a bit of a meal replacement, especially on all the long bus rides. Our hotel is right on the beach, squeezed between two large resorts. Its the cheapest hotel on the island. It has a pool and a nice view, a beach and a restaurant. Its a place, and Denise and I are planning to do nothing but read, drink beer, sleep and swim while we are here. Its been a long trip.

Manila

We woke up early, when it got light out, because we were sleeping outside. I went to the bathroom, baby-wipe and changed my clothes. I'm ready for another day of traveling! I think my last shower was 3 days ago.

When we arrived in Manila, we arrived at a new airport that was built solely for discounted airlines. Its super inconvinient because this airport is 2 hours outside of the city. When we got out of customs and got our bags, we had to get on a bus that then went into the city. It would be like flying on WestJet to Vancouver, but its acutally the Coquihalla Highway and then you have to take a bus to the city.

The bus dumped us in the most sketchy part of Manila that could be chosen. I had no idea where were. But I knew we needed a taxi to get to our hostel. We were stood at the side of the road surrounded by kids that looked like they were going to rob us. There was garbage al over the streets and the stench in the air was horrible. I knew I had to just stay in the game and get out of there. An unmarked taxi came to pick us up, I showed him the address of where we needed to go, and we were off. We were dropped off at the hostel where Denise was staying and where we were meeting. It was Romi's last night, so she went to splurge on a nice hotel room with air conditioning and a hot shower. I checked in to the hostel and had a long overdue shower.

Denise was not there, so I went for a walk and got a sandwich, which was 90% mayonnaise. I went back and met Denise. It was so good to see her! We met Romi and went for dinner. We went back to her hotel and watched a little Oprah on tv. Then it was time to say goodbye. Romi was going home the next day and it was me and Denise for the last 9 days of our trip. I adore Romi and it was an amazing trip with her.

Kuta, Bali and back to Kuala Lampur

We got back to Kuta Beach and had about 20 hours before we had to be at the airport to catch a flight to KL. We went to the temple on the south coast of the island. Again, Romi got attacked by monkeys. They once again stole her water and then stole her camera case. Some guides in the area gave the monkey some food, and the camera case was rightfully returned. Romi really hates monkeys now.

We got a hotel room for the time we were there, but mostly to stash our bags. The room was gross, and we vowed to spend as little time there as possible. We went to a restaurant and watched a movie. We spent as much time as possible in an internet cafe. We walked around everywhere. Finally, I had to get some sleep, so I went back and crashed on the bed, but I had all my clothes on and was wrapped in my sarong to I didn't really have to touch anything.

We had to get up at 3am to go to the airport. We were walking towards the main road with our backpacks on and some drunks guys were coming back from the bar. They couldn't figure out why we had our packs and were convinced that we were just lost, and wanted to help us find where we needed to go. Pretty funny entertainment. The airport was closed still when we got there, so we just hung around. Thanks for telling us we needed 3 hours...

Our flight was good. We got into the airport in KL and I realized that I had lost my credit card. After going over the last few days, I was pretty sure that I had just left it in a bank machine in Ubud. It sucked. We put our bags in storage because we only had 12 hours in the city. There was no point of getting a hotel room because of the timing with the airport shuttle and when the flight left, blah blah blah. We took the bus into the city and went to an internet place to I could call the credit card company. Nothing was charged on it since I had lost it, so that was good.

On the way out and walking down the street, I had to squeeze between two scooters that were parked on the sidewalk. The inside of my left leg touched the tail pipe of one of the bikes, and the searing heat of the tail pipe burned my skin. The pain was so intense that my leg almost gave out on me and I almost fell down on the sidewalk. After swearing out loud for a good minute, I was ok to keep walking. I kept my eye on it, and soon enough, a huge bubble formed where the burn was. It was the size of two twoonies put next to each other, and it bloody hurt!

We went to the big mall to spend the rest of the afternoon. Romi wanted to get a hair cut so I just went to a restaurant and had some wine and read my book. I felt like a high school mall rat walking around. My clothes are feeling snug. Probably form all the cheap beer and deliciously fatty food I have been eating for the last 4 months. I have a backpack with big rip in the side. My hair is plastered down on my head because I can't be bothered to do anything with it. I am almost home and am so excited to start putting some effort back into the way I look.

My burn was getting worse. I had to go to a pharmacy and get some bandages and some antifungal cream. This is one of the most common injuries that travelers get in this part of the world. But its usually from getting off the scooter on the wrong side, and burning your right leg on the tail pipe. I was pretty proud that I didn't have this happen to me. Well, it did, but in another way, and I really did not want it to get infected.

We headed back to the airport on the last shuttle. We got our bags and were making a little camp spot in the airport. Then Denise walks by! I was so happy to see her. I knew she would be in the airport around the same time as us. We were going to be meeting in Manila anyway. She went off to catch her flight and Romi and I went back to our new beds in the airport. But we soon got kicked out because they were cleaning. We headed outside to some benches. I looped all the straps of my backpacks through my arms, curled up under my sarong, and went to sleep on a bench outside of the airport.


The monkey drinking Romi's water, again.

The rest of our time in Ubud

Since this book Eat Pray Love has come out, I think that this town has seen a rush of single women tourists. Romi and I didn't notice it until about the third day here, but all of a sudden, we like Elizabeth Gilbert a lot less and think that some of the people here are super flaky. Did you really come to this town because you want to find the same experience that she had? Her experience was about the journey, and she found a connection with this place. Just because people follow her to this place, doesn't mean they'll have the same connection or experience. Come on people!

We spent the rest of our time here doing yoga, hanging out by the pool at a nearby hotel, and riding scooters to the volcano north of Ubud. One yoga class I went to, I had the most surreal experience. The only other time I have had this feeling is when I have laid in bed after a night of drinking, and the room starts to spin when I close my eyes, and then I have thrown up. But I felt that same "room spinning feeling" from doing yoga and meditating. It was amazing. Is that what they call flow or nirvana? It was achieved by a lot of deep breathing and holding deep stretches, obviously. But I was so into it. The instructor for the class was named Uma and is from North Africa originally (I can't remember the country) and has lived here for 20 years. She is part Indian, beautiful, is probably in her mid 40s but looks 25. She was an excellent yoga teacher, very encouraging and inspiring. Romi said that she never really loved yoga, but Uma was so encouraging that it made her want to practice regularly. We were blown away, and I think Romi had a big girl-crush on Uma. Basically I could spend the rest of my days learning and studying yoga with Uma in Ubud.

We spent lots of time at a local restaurant that served delicious local organic food. We observed the weird women tourists that were trying to be Elizabeth Gilbert. Romi and I talked a lot about life and what it was going to be like going back to Canada. We're both super excited to go home.

Congratulations to Matt and Naomi who are engaged!

Yoga, Hindu temples and cheese

Once again, ok this is my favourite place!

We went to yoga this morning and it was pretty amazing to be surrounded by Indonesian jungle and rice fields. Its been a long time since I have done yoga so it was interesting to see how my body has changed. And by interesting, I mean sad.

Then we hopped on the back of some scooters and rode all around the area to see the rice terraces and to see a temple. The landscape is amazing. Palm trees, farm land, hills, rice fields. Everywhere. Plus there are some amazing houses. The temple we went to is a holy water temple. It was really old and every inch of stone was covered in moss. The water was very clear and it was overall so beautiful. At one point, I slipped on a rock near one of the pools and fell into the water. Oops.

We went to a huge waterfall. We saw a funeral procession along the road and followed it for a while. We met a local guy named OK (for real) that worked on Alaska Cruises out of Vancouver a few years earlier.

Then we found this deli that had cheese platters and it made my whole day complete. We ordered a plate and a bottle of wine and spent the rest of the night meeting a ton of expats that call this town home. They were much older that us, but left their lives in Australia or Scotland or the US to live here full time. We had a great night, we were feeling good by the end of it.

Bye Kuta, Hello Ubud

We left Kuta Beach and its almost good to be away from it. Its nuts, so much partying, food, dancing, people. But we saw some of the most beautiful sunsets I have ever seen and the people in Kuta are wonderful. We also said goodbye to our friend Matt, who we have been traveling with for a few weeks. He is going to the Gilli Islands and we are going to stay in Ubud for the next 5 days. He his heading to Sumatra and then maybe Australia after that.

We arrived in Ubud. We found a guesthouse that looks like a temple. From reading about Bali and talking to locals, I've learned the homes are treated like temples. They put out offerings of flowers in front of each house, or on a place on the ground where they believe that evil can come out of the ground. The home is spiritual place where ancestors are honoured, so there are beautiful statues and carvings throughout the home.

Jande is the young man who helped us find this guesthouse. He works for the family that owns the house. The grandfather lives here, and there are two sons, about 18 and 20. They both want to practice their english, so they talk to Romi and I lots and have lots of questions.Jande is really nice and wants to arrange motorcycle tours for us to the volcano and to the other temples in the area. He's a bit to touchy feely though and I've had to tell no to hugs and stuff. But he means well.

Today we walked around Ubud to get a lay of the land. We went to the Monkey Forest. That's what it is: a forest with lots of monkeys. But it is sacred to the Hindu religion. Romi was freaked out by the monkeys because they can be vicious. One stole her water and drank it. She was not impressed. See the photo below.

There are tons of spas and shops everywhere. The shopping would be great if I wasn't on the last of the funds to get me through the trip. There are lots of amazing hotels and restaurants. There is a yoga studio that we have bought a 5 day pass to. The studio is the upstairs of a barn, and it overlooks a beautiful ravine on one side and a rice field on another. The floors are beautiful wood and the are loft-style with exposed beams and a high roof. I love it here.

In the book Eat Pray Love, this is the city in Bali where the author spent the last stint of her trip. Romi and I both really like that book so we are inspired to be here.

Bali - Kuta Beach

Kuta Beach is the main place in Bali where everyone comes to vacation. Its total chaos. There are lots of young young YOUNG people, mostly Australian, and are here for a holiday. Ok, everyone isn't that young, but Romi and I aren't so yound anymore ourselves. For example, one night we went out partying and Romi danced with a 17 year-old. OOPS!

Otherwise it is a beautiful place. The people are so nice and laid back. Of course they hassle us to buy stuff but after 2 questions, they go back to what they are doing, or come up with some other ridiculous questions.

Balinese Man: Want a taxi?
Me: No thank you.
Balinese Man: Want to visit a temple?
Me: No thank you.
Balinese Man: Free ticket to the moon?
Me: No thank you.

We're staying at a nice hotel that costs us about $7 a night each. It has aircon, a pool with a swim up bar, hot showers and TV. It is luxury compared to places we have stayed recently. Our friend Matt also met us here in Bali and splurged for the hotel.

So basically our days are spent by the pool, drinking and eating, some shopping. I went surfing twice. I'm not very good but I've caught some nice waves and its been fun. Some of the local guys are amazing and catch every wave.

One crappy thing, for me, not in general, is that I can't ride a scooter because I don't have an international drivers license. Actually I don't have a valid drivers license at all. I guess if foreigners get pulled over by the cops, there is a $100 fine. Its not worth it at all. One day, Matt, Romi and I wanted to ride out to a temple at the southern tip of the island but couldn't cause of the scooter thing. It would be nice to get around like we did in Vietnam and Thailand, but c'est la vie.

Malaysia...And other random things

I'll start with the random things:
- I have eaten pad thai almost everyday since we have been back in Thailand.
- When I get into a new hotel room, my backpack looks like it threw up all over the place, while Romi and Denise's stay very neat and packed in one spot. It happens EVERY time.
- My ass has a chronic numb spot from sitting. On buses, ferries, in general.

We're in Kuala Lampur for a few days. Romi and I are really impressed with it, and say it feels like Toronto or Vancouver with its modernity and diverse ethnic community. Its a predominantly Muslim country so there are lots of women covering their heads. There are also lots of women covering their entire bodies, with just their eyes showing through the slit of scarves covering their head and face. The people have been unbelievably kind. For example, we went to the Patronas Towers and they let us go up to the sky walk even though it was technically closed. I feel very safe here too. Denise is here also, but is visiting a family friend so we won't see her. I'll be in the Philippines with her in on December 12 however.

We went to the national museum. One kid there asked me for my autograph. Yep, MY autograph. Not sure why, but hey, I'll give my autograph to anyone who asks. There is ridiculous shopping here too. Its really REALLY high end, like Louis Vuitton and Prada, all those ones. We just went to La Senza and bought new underwear, hung out in the Apple Store and used the free internet, things that most backpackers probably do. We also ate at Nando's Chicken 3 times in 2 days. That's embarrassing.

We visited the Patronas Towers both nights. Walking back from the towers the second night, this local teenage boy reached out and grabbed my boob as I walked by. Wow, was I PISSED! We chased after him, I was yelling and swearing at him and his friends as loudly as I could. I was hoping they were going to cut through the lobby of a nice hotel, so I could cause a big scene. We lost them and turned back. It felt horrible to have that happen, but also horrible that I couldn't give him a piece of my mind. I just live with the fact that he has some very bad karma coming at him one day.

Good-bye Phi Phi

Its time to leave Phi Phi and I am sad. Denise left a day before us however, so now it is Romi and I only. But then there is also Mike and Beth, Matt, and these Canadian guys, Mike and Bobby that we met in Laos.

Although this place is bad for my liver, it has been so much fun. Our last night there, had a nice dinner and then danced on the beach. Matt and Mike had the great idea of trying fire-jump and singed hair on their legs. There was also a fire limbo contest.

In talking to many many people on this trip, it is amazing the stupid and very dangerous injuries people get. We heard of one guy breaking his arm, and not doing anything about, he was just going to wait until he got back to Australia, which was still a few months away. People get serious burns from the tailpipe on scooters, people cut their feet or hands on god knows what and have to go to the hospital. Mostly there is so much partying everywhere and no rules to govern anything, like rope swings into rocky rivers. KNOCK ON WOOD, my friends and I have been fine. The only thing that has happened to me is me slipping on a boardwalk and scraping my shin. And I trip on everything. Denise does not know how I have made it through my whole life without breaking a bone.

The highlight of the night, for Romi and I anyway, was seeing a puppy named Tommy. We saw him at his home, which was a clothing store an Irish woman owned. We sat down to play with the puppy and talk to her. We asked her lots of questions about her life there and about the tsunami. She was scuba diving off the island of Phi Phi when the tsunami hit and was carried about 300 feet off course. They didn't really know what had happened but when they got back to the island it was completely ruined. She spent lots of time, weeks, helping to clean up the rubble in places on the island. She said it was incredible the damage that was done. Romi and I sat on the floor of her shop with our mouths gaping open at her crazy story.

We left Phi Phi the morning after. Mike and Beth stayed on, so it was Matt, Romi and I. Matt almost missed the ferry and would have entirely if I hadn't gone into his dorm hotel and wake him up.

We'll be in Krabi for one night then off to Malaysia.

Koh Phi Phi Lei

On Sunday, we hired a boat to take us to a small island close to Koh Phi Phi, called Phi Phi Lei. The island is uninhabited and the movie "The Beach" was filmed there. Its beautiful and deserted, the kind of place that you would HOPE to be deserted if you were deserted on an island somewhere.

The guy we hired took us around the island first. There were caves and massive cliffs shooting out of the water. Around the southern tip, Matt went cliff jumping off a 40 foot drop. I could never do that. Ever. Matt did it twice. But the water was so blue and clear. I could see all the way to the bottom. There were other boats with people that were scuba diving.

Then we went around to the main part of the island, a huge lagoon called Maya Bay. The sand was white and the water was completely clear. Its was very surreal being in such a perfect place. I snorkeled and then explored the island with Romi. We all lay in the sun on the perfect sand.

We were there for a couple of hours and then had to leave, because our driver was probably bored and we were hungry. Sunday was also Romi's birthday.

Back on the main island, Phi Phi, we went for dinner and out for drinks to remind Romi that she is 28. The night was a great time and we ended up meeting up with tons of people that we met in Laos and other places in Thailand.

On Monday, we didn't have much brain power or energy to do anything, so we went to a restaurant that showed movies. It was also raining so staying indoors was a guilt-free experience. We spent a couple of hours in there, watched "Napolean Dynamite" and "Superbad", both of which I've seen several times but never get old. The whole place is dedicated to tourists, I can't believe it. They just serve food and play movies ALL THE TIME. Being on the road for this long now, 3 months, its really nice to have that familiar feeling of watching a movie on a sofa and doing nothing, in Thailand to beat.

Its a tiny world

When I was in Japan in July, I was in a hostel in Hiroshima using a computer in the lounge. I remembered seeing a British girl there and I remembered her tattoo, a cluster of snowflakes behind her ear. I didn't talk to her at all, I just remembered what she looked like.

In Vang Vieng, Laos, tubing on the river, 3 months and 7 countries later, I saw the same girl again. I recognized her tattoos so I went up and talked to her, asked her if she has been in Japan in July. She didn't remember me, but remembered that hostel. It was the same person. She has been traveling all over Asia this whole time.

Koh Phi Phi

Ok,THIS is my new favourite place. Its beautiful. And its where the 2004 tsunami hit particularly hard. Actually it wiped out almost the whole island. There is a lot of construction everywhere still, but the people that live there are very kind and very patient with all the drunken and crazy backpackers that visit.

This is how to travel...

Today Matt and I snuck into the pool at the Hilton. We walked in like we owned the place. No one questioned us. There was a slide and a waterfall and a canal that I swam around. I'm going to try and do this everywhere I go now.

Like in Phuket

After the 12 hours in Bangkok, we caught the 12 hour bus to the island of Kho Pangnan. This is where the full moon party is. Its a massive party with about 8000 people, on the beach, all night long. We booked a bungalow resort for 4 nights. Everyone on the ferry was going for the party, so it was packed with young backpackers.

We got to our bungalow, which was a dive. It had cold showers and a non-flushing toilet, which we quickly clogged. Normally I don't mind cold showers, but on the ferry ride over, it rained and I was sitting on the deck. Then it proceeded to rain for the first 2 days we were there. The beach was very murky and the prices were way too high for what we were getting. But whatever, we were there for the full moon party.

The party was amazing. There were so many people, drinking and dancing. There were fire-throwing-twirling dancer people which were awesome to watch. I lost all my friends within the first 5 minutes, but found others shortly. I wandered all the way down the beach and back. Then I found my friends and we danced for several hours. Then I lost them again. I needed a nap, but lord knows why I didn't just go back to the hotel. I wanted to make it to sunrise. After my nap, I wandered down the beach a little longer. It was morning now so I got in a tuk-tuk and went back to the hotel. I went to sleep for the whole day. I didn't drink very much, but every drink has Red Bull in it and it has so much sugar, which made me feel gross. So the day was wasted by sleeping. I found Leesa, Denise and Romi at the hotel and we spent a few hours later that night recounting our stories.

On the last day on the island, we rented scooters and went exploring on the island. Romi doesn't like riding a scooter so she rented an ATV and looked really cute on it. She is shorter than me, so picture her driving a giant machine like that.

The island was beautiful. We found some nice beaches and a beautiful bar that overlooks the entire side of the island, and watched the sunset. We hung out with 2 guys we met, Ryan from the UK and Matt from the US. We had a great day, but were ready to leave the island and all its touristy things.

We left the island early in the morning, on Saturday, on a ferry. It took us to the mainland, where we caught a bus to Phuket. The bus was supposed to be 5 hours, but it broke down three times. The last time it broke down, the driver told us to get off, and onto another bus that was heading to Phuket. However this bus was already full. I had to stand in the aisle of the bus for 2.5 hours. It sounds bad, but I practiced my yoga stances and it made the time more pleasant. The whole experience was a complete shit show which got us in Phuket about 4 hours late.

We stayed on Patong Beach for 3 nights. Our room had no windows, so we called it the Bomb Shelter. But it had air conditioning and a hot shower, so we were happy. I didn't care for Patong too much, with the lady boys everywhere and party girls looking for a rich white man to "hang out" with for a week or so. I think its gross. Every older man was with a very yound Thai woman/girl. And if there were any solo men, those men were learing at all the young Thai women in the bars and restaurants. It is what it is. Patong was also hot very hard by the Tsunami in 2004. While walking around the town, I couldn't imagine how scary that would have been to be there for it. There were lots of vendors selling cds of photos of the tsunami and its destruction.

We spent two days laying on the beach and swimming. When it was too hot, I went swimming. When I got too chilly in the water, I went back to lie in the sun. And on and on for 2 days.

Today, we got in a cab for 15 minutes to head to the next beach down the coast, Karon Beach. I also spent today alternating between lying in the sun reading and swimming in the ocean. The water is the clearest I have ever seen in my entire life. Bright turquoise and the whitest sand.

But the sad thing is that Leesa left us today. She bought a plane ticket to Singapore, to see visit her sister who lives there. She's sick of beaches and that's what we're going to be doing for the bext 2 weeks. I miss her tons already, although we only had another 2 weeks with her anyway. Leesa lives in Tsawassen so I will see her when I get home. Now it is Romi, Denise and I, then Ryan and Matt, whom we met in Kho Pangnan. Its a good crew, but not the same without Leesa Leroy.

Bye bye Laos, hello again Thailand

No more Laos, me sad. We left on the slow boat from Luang Prabang. And is it ever slow. Its a two day ride west on the Mekong River, but a few more hours each day than we expected. The second day, we arrived in whatever the name of the town is about an hour too late to catch another ferry into Thailand and then to cross the border. We had to stay in this town overnight and get the boat and then another bus the next day. I was hella cranky at first, but we met a really cool couple from Holland and had dinner with them.

We spent 2 days in Chiang Mai, in the north of Thailand. We did a one day Thai cooking course, a definite highlight of my trip. We learned how to make 8 different dishes and got a market tour. It is so easy. Its really all about having the right ingredients. We had the class to ourselves and our teachers were so funny. There was also a litter of puppies at the house nearby so I couldn't have been happier. One of the puppies was a wooly little Golden Retriever named Fat Boy (just a nickname). Romi and I really lose our minds when we see puppies. Leesa and Denise lose their minds more when they see babies. Babies, no thanks. Get me a puppy.

Chiang Mai was a cool city, a lot bigger than I expected. And there are a lot more lady-boys than I thought too. Its seems to be a huge part of the culture. And it seems to very accepted, just from talking to people. I gather that it is something that is accepted as a person grows up. Its just interesting.

After the cooking class, we got dropped off at a tattoo parlour cause Denise was thinking of getting one. I got one instead. Oops! Its really cute and I wanted it for over a year, 3 little stars on my wrist. We also explored the night bazaar. The next day Denise and Leesa went to the long-neck hilltribes for the day and Romi and I got massages and ate middle eastern food. Last night we took a 12 hour bus ride back to Bangkok, where we are now.

We've been here since 5.30 this morning, just loitering anywhere we can. Romi is coming down with a flu and Leesa has had stomach problems for the last 3 days. All the moving around is taking a toll on us. So tonight we are heading south to the islands. I can't believe we are already at that part of our trip! The first stop is Kho Pang Nan for the full moon party. Then I want to visit about 5 other islands, do some scuba diving and kayaking.

Over and out.

Luang Prabang

Detox lasted about 48 hours. Its impossible not to drink while on vacation with your best friends.

Luang Prabang is defnitely my favourite city so far. It has beautiful french architecture. The people all over Laos are so kind genuine. Its a nice change to not have "Lady you want to buy something?" or "Madame, you like t-shirt? You like bracelet?" No, I don't like any of the crap you are selling so please leave me alone. In Laos, A tuk tuk driver MIGHT ask if we want a ride, but that's only if he's awake and looking out of his hammock.

Another example, when we were arriving here 2 days ago, I realized I had left my camera on the minibus. I hopped onto the back of a scooter and rode to the bus station. The bus had already left, but another driver was there and called a bunch of other drivers to see if they had found the camera. None of them had. I was almost about to cry when a bus pulled into the station and low and behold my camera was on the front seat. Do I have horseshoes up my ass or what? If that had happened in Cambodia or Vietnam, I never would have seen my camera again.

Today we went to an amazing waterfall and swam underneath it. Tomorrow we are taking a boat along the river into Thailand. It takes 2 days. I am really going to miss this country.

Detox

Whoever said that the best cure for a hangover is more alcohol, is a liar. It just makes the next day's hangover even worse.

We arrived in Vang Vieng 2 days ago and as soon as we got off the bus we were at an irish bar getting free lao lao (Lao whiskey) shots poured down our throats. It smells and tastes a little like rubbing alcohol. We checked out the town and then went back to the irish bar for dinner, where we got a free bucket of whiskey and sprite, and more free lao lao shots. After dinner we went to a bucket bar, called the Bucket Bar and just kept on drinking, all night. I also fell out of a hamock.

Yesterday, I woke up, ate some breakfast and then went back to sleep for a while. I was very hungover. At noon we rented tubes to float down the river. And this is when it started to get ugly. Picture hundreds of foreigners, tubing down the river, getting out of the river every 10 meters to hang out at a bar. There are rope swings and zip lines. And lots of free lao lao. The first bar we had a beer, then just got buckets of whiskey, red bull and sprite, for the rest of the day. There were mud pits at some of the bars, and a slide at another. This is how we spent the rest of the day. Some bars you can get mushroom shakes, and some offer free joints. Needless to say, it was a shit show. Leesa fell out of her tube through some rapids and got pretty beat up. I went of a roap swing, but let go too soon and landed on my stomach. I have many strange bruises today.

We got out of the river just after it got dark, went home, showered and then went back to the Bucket Bar. And today, I am in detox. I've said that many times but today I'm serious. The only reason I left my bed today was to eat. This town is bad for my health, so tomorrow we are leaving.

Loas

The S is silent, so its pronounced Lao. The French screwed everything up adding that S.

We took a bus from Hanoi to the capital city, Vientiane. Everyone we talked to had horror stories about this 22 hour bus ride. We looked at flying, but it was way too much money. SO we bought lots of food, charged all our toys and made sure we had sleeping pills and gravol.

We arrived at the Vietnam - Laos border at about 6.30am, after 12 hours of being on the bus. We had to get stamped to leave the country, and then walk to the entry to Laos. This is where Denise realized that she had left her passport at the hotel in Hanoi. She handled it so calmly, whereas Leesa and Romi were pretty sure that they would be having a nervous breakdown. Anyway, Denise left with our guide from the bus and then we just assumed she got back on the bus to Hanoi. Turns out she just stayed at the border in a sketchy communist hotel, called Beth and Mike who were still in Hanoi, and had them bring her passport for her when they came through the border. Leesa, Romi and I continued on to Vientiane and just hoped that it would all work out. It did, we met up with Denise last night, 24 hours after we left her.

Our bus ride was not that bad at all. Beth and Mike were not so lucky. Their bus was smuggling opium through the border, and everyone on the bus was smoking opium. But I am sure that they are ok now that we are all in Vientiane because it is such a beautiful city. This is my favorite place so far. It is so laid back and chill. Unlike Vietnam, Cambodia and Thailand, no one harasses us to buy jewelery or to hire a tuk tuk. Its very refreshing and we are loving it. We celebrated the end of the bus ride by drinking way too much at a martini bar. Then yesterday we found a spa and got massages and pedicures. Life's rough but someone has to live it.

Tomorrow we head to Veng Viane. where there is river tubing and caves to explore. Almost everyone I know that has been here said its their favourite place in SE Asia, and I can see why.

Leaving Vietnam

The rest of Vietnam was so much fun. We went to Ha Long Bay on a boat tour for 3 days. I normally hate tours, being herded around and told what to do, and this tour reinforced all that. But the scenery was amazing, with huge rocks just shooting out of the ocean.

In Hanoi, it was nice to just walk around and look at beautiful architecture. There were lots of cafes and restaurants. I went to Hoa Lo Prison, which was for Vietnamese Independence fighters during the French occupation. Then during the Vietnam War, this prison held US POW's that were captured, including John McCain, the guy who will not become president (hopefully).

We also had to say goodbye to the two Euro guys that we have been traveling with since Cambodia. Vallerio flew to Thailand and Jonathon was went to China to continue studying Buddhism. It was great to travel with them, we had lots of laughs.

Vietnam is an amazing country with very kind people and lots of things to do. There were some things that we had to cut out because of time, like a motorcycle trip all over the Northern part, and then trekking in Sapa. I'll just have to go back one day.

My Favourite Day So Far

Today I rented a scooter and rode all around Hoi An. Its south of Danang. We went to China Beach and then rode along a road in the mountains. I have never ridden a scooter before but it is my new favourite thing in the world. I want to buy one when I move home. So far in Vietnam, I have seen about 50 cars and 2 million scooters. Everyone has a scooter. And becuase it cost $2.50 to fill the tank today, I can see why.

A word on honking. In North America, we use the horn as a defensive tool. If someone cuts us off, we usually lay on the horn and call someone an asshole. Or we use it just before someone plows into the front fender or something. However in Asia, it is use as a communication tool, as in "I'm coming to get you, so look out." This is the way it is in Seoul also. It makes for a noisy city, but a pleasant drive, expecially when on a scooter and wanting everyone else on the road to know you are there.

On the way back from the beach, I stopped at the tailor where I ordered a new wardrobe yesterday. I spent $350 and got a wool coat, 2 pairs of shorts, a pair of trousers, 3 dresses, 4 shirts and a pair of custom made leather boots. Yeah, I haven't been that excited in a long long time. So today when I went to the tailor, I had a fitting and made sure everything was just so. And it is. I pick it up tomorrow and then send it all home. I want to wear it all now, but a wool coat and 35 degree weather don't really go together.

Good Morning Vietnam!

We've been in Vietnam for 4 days. We crossed the border from Cambodia on a bus. It was the easiest border crossing in the world. The whole time being on the bus, I had lines from 'Good Morning Vietnam' stuck in my head. 'Oh my god its Hanoi Hannah! Oh wee oh...Ho Chi Minh. Follow the Ho Chi Minh trail, follow the Ho Chi Minh trail.'

We spent 2 days in Ho Chi Minh City, which is beautiful. I loved the feel of it there. The architecture is beautiful. There are more scooters than cars and it is insane. The first day we walked around the central city area. Our group has grown to 8 people and it is getting on my nerves. Its hard to make plans and I feel like I am waiting all the time. So after about an hour of wandering with a large group, Denise, Romi, Leesa and I went off on our own.

We went to the War Remnants Museum, which is all about the Vietnam War. Its pretty horrific. I was certainly happy to not be American while I was going through. Mostly the information about chemicals, the use of Agent Orange and napalm made me almost nauseous. There were lots of photos of Vietnamese people who had been born with deformities and then stories of American and Australian GIs and the problems a lot of them had during the years after the war. Anyway, I'm really glad I saw it and I am really happy to be Canadian.

When we were leaving the museum, we ran into 2 girls that we were friends with in Seoul. Total coincidence. It was so great to see them so we hooked up for drinks that night. They have been to all the places we are going so it was good to hear their stories and get some info.

Yesterday, Romi and I went to the Blind Institute in HCMC and got massages for $2.50. It was very strange. There was a lot of slapping and too much head scratching. The lady who was doing my massage left for a while. Whatever, it relaxed me.

Then last night we caught a sleeper bus to where we are now, Nha Trong. Its a beach town with lots of tourists. The bus ride was 11 hours and was surprisingly comfortable. Our group is still 8 people, but I have stopped waiting around and now go off and do my own thing. We got into the town this morning at 6.30. We got to our hotel and had some morning beers. Good attitude Denise!

Just an update from Nepal, one of the guides that we were hiking with on the trek was named Santosh. He was a guide from another company that was with our friends Hannah and Stewart. I just got a message that he was on the plane that crashed in Lukla last week. He was only 20.

Plane crash in Nepal kills 18

http://www.cbc.ca/world/story/2008/10/08/nepal-crash.html

Cambodia - Siem Riep and Angkor Wat

We arrived in Cambodia via minibus for 4 hours, which brought us to the border. After a very sketchy visa process in which I trusted no one and hoped the girl on the scooter taking my passport to the embassy for me would come back, we crossed into Cambodia and were told that the rest of the bus would take 10 hours, or we could take a taxi for 2 hours and $70. We got the taxi. Later we found out that of course they lied and the bus was only about 5 hours. What's done is done.

But what a beautiful country! The drive into Siem Riep was gorgeous. There were lots of scooters with little baby pigs in cages riding on the back. The town is very cute and far more developed than I expected. The architecture is very french and there are massive hotels everywhere. There is also Korean everywhere: restaurants, hotels, shops. I think that Koreans invest overseas heavily, and this is one of the places. Anyway, this is the city where the Angkor Wat temples are.

We bought a 3 day pass. The first day we rented bikes and we ran into Dale at the ticket booth. The bikes were fun, except mine had 2 flat tires so it was really hard to ride, obviously. We saw the main temple and then rode on to Bayon, the one with all the faces. Its all absolutely amazing and humbling to see.

The rest of the time here we took tuk tuks back and forth to all the different temples, of which there are over 1000. My favourite temple was the one with trees growing over the walls and that are covering the entire temple. It was like being on a movie set, hard to believe that it is all real and over 900 years old. Unfortunately I got really sick in Siem Riep, probably some mild food poisoning, so I was rushing to find a bathroom most of the time.

It was great to be with Dale again, although we'd only been apart for about 3 days. We all partied at a pub in SR together on Dale's last night. It was like being in Korea all over again. Dale is going back to Thailand after this and then home to Halifax in the middle of October.

The nice thing about Cambodia and its tourism is that it seems to be very socially conscious. There are banners everywhere about the benefits of tourism for impoverished countries and communities. The downside is that the hassling from the children is horrific. We try not to buy anything from kids because it encourages them to keep selling things, like books and souvenirs, on the streets and then not go to school. But these kids are awful! They want to know our names and then call after us when we don't buy anything. One kid even called Leesa a liar because she didn't buy water from him. Get a life, kid. The morning I went to Angkor Wat for sunrise, I went to the bathroom and a small boy, about 5 years old, followed me there asking for money. I said no the whole time and when I got to the bathroom stall, he put all his weight on the door to stop me from closing it, yelling "pay me! pay me!". I had to physically push him away. He was an aweful kid.

I spent a lot of time in bed being sick when I wasn't out seeing the temples. I watched a lot of BBC news and the discovery channel. I didn't have TV in Korea either so I am getting my fix. I'm also very sweaty all the time and have a really gross heat rash.

Bangkok

We've spent the last couple of days in Bangkok. It's Denise and I. Romi and Leesa arrived on the 1st, and then Dale has gone to Cambodia. Beth and Mike, also were teachers in Korea and they are here too. We'll all travel together for as long as we can, through Cambodia and Vietnam.

We're staying in the main tourist area, Khao San Rd. The last 6 days have been occupied by shopping, massages, pampering and eating delicious and cheap street food (smoothies, pad thai, fresh fruit). We went to the Grand Palace and the Emerald Buddha which were beautiful. The detail on all the buildings was incredible. Inside the Emreald Buddha temple, we commited the most horrific crime, unknowingly, by pointing our feet at the buddha. My sincere apologies to all the people around us that we offended.

We also took a boat around some of the canals in Bangkok. There were tons of houses and temples along the river. We saw a lizrd/dragon animal thing swimming in the water which was a bit creepy. We also went to a ping pong show (if you don't know what it is, well lets just say that there is no actual ping pong game, just the balls, and its really gross and degrading). Romi fell asleep during the show. It was really sad actually and the girls are very young. But its an industry that is well supported by tourists. Unfortunately.

I keep having dreams about home. Mostly that I am at home and I have to get back to Asia to see my friends.

Nepal - Pokhara and Kathmandu

Alas my time in Nepal has come to an end. After Chitwan, Dale, Denise and Elron (who we met on the trek) went to Pokhara, in the west and another major trekking area. The mountain range is called the Anapurnas and they are stunning.

The one morning we had there, we went for a mini hike up a mountain to a stupa (temple, pagoda). We started on a trail. Halfway up we got attacked by leeches. Elron was wearing sandals and had them all over his feet. Dale had blood all over his ankles and Denise had leeches trying to get through the mesh of her running shoes. After fighting them off for a while, we continued on the trail, but then lost it and were in the middle of the forest. We could see the stupa through the trees above us, so decided to keep going and bushwacked our way towards it. We got attacked by leeches again, on more than our feet because we were in the thick bush. Denise fell and slid on her ass down some mud. We FINALLY made it back to the trail. Leeches were everywhere! Elron got out his lighter and burned them off Denise's ankles then used his Leatherman pliers to pull a bunch out of her runners. I escaped relatively unharmed, with one leech bite on my ankle.

This all happened before 11am. We headed back to the town and got lunch. Then we lounged around our guesthouse for the afternoon. It was hot and it was the first day that really felt like vacation. I read my book in a hammock. Our guesthouse had a pomegranate tree. Never seen one before.

We spent 2 nights there and then got the bus back to Kathmandu. Elron was flying back to Vancouver and Dale, Denise and I were on our way to Bangkok. The 2 days in Kathmandu involved a lot more lounging and eating. We met up with Christofer from Sweden, aka Swedish Meatball or Swedish Sensation, from our trek. We visited the Monkey Temple, which was spectacular. Lounged around more and ate more.

We flew to Bangkok with Royal Nepal Airlines. Our flight was schduled for 8am. I went to their offices the day before to confirm our flights. Not on the phone or online, but in person. It had been delayed 3 hours. Their printer was not working so we did not get new tickets. RNA doesn't issue e-tickets either. On the day of our flight, we arrived at the airport on time, to learn that our flight had been delayed another hour and a half. Once we got checked in and to the gate, the plane didn't leave until another 45 minutes after it was supposed to. For us, it didn't matter because we had no connection in Bangkok. But I can't imagine how the delays might have screwed up other peoples' days.

Now we are in Bangkok. Leesa and Romi are flying in from Seoul in a few days. Our other friends Beth and Mike, who also taught English in Seoul are here too. After a few days here, we'll go to Cambodia.

Nepal - Chitwan National Park

After the trek, we stayed with the large group of people that we met. One girl, Alex, has been a volunteer teacher in this area for a few months and encouraged us all to come and stay with her. She lives in a hotel, so we got on a bus a few hours after landing in Kathmandu and headed to Chitwan National Park.

This are was beautiful and feels like an entirely different country from the mountains we were in for the last 2 weeks. As the bus was pulling into the lodge, we saw elephants wandering through the fields. The horizon looked like we were in Africa, not Nepal.

The next morning, we got up super early and went with our guide, Gopal. He took us on a canoe down a river, where were saw crocodiles, amazing birds, and water buffalo. We went swimming in the river and bathed with the elephants. That was one of the coolest things ever. The elephants would lie down in the water and we scrubbed them. I was able to climb onto the elephant by grabbing onto its ears and getting hoisted up by the trunk. Some of us would stand on an elephant and then it would sit down and throw us off. Pretty awesome.

We also went to an elephant breeding center. I was a little disturbed by it at first, because the elephants were chained to poles. But after talking to Alex about it more, I have an appreciation for it. The community that raises and takes care of the elephants are so respectful and caring for these animals, and having the breeding center keeps the elephant population healthy.

I also did and elephant safari. It sounds like fun, but it is very uncomfortable to sit in a box on an elephants back for 3 hours. But we saw rhinos and they are cute.

In a short time, we sure did see and do a lot in Chitwan. Tragedy struck the village when we were there though. Nepal is very poor, and in this region, people live in mud huts along the side of the roads and then tap into the electrical wires from there. One of the kids that she teaches got electrocuted by a wire in the house and suffered burns to over 70% of his body. He was rushed to the nearest hospital but he ended up dying shortly after. He was only 9 years old. Alex was really upset by the whole thing, understandably. In a small village like this one, everyone was affected.

The next morning, after some bird watching in the fog, we hopped on another bus to Pokhara. We had to say goodbye to everyone which is never fun. Kimi, Stewart and Peter were all staying in Chitwan with Alex, Aaron had to go back to the US because it was time to work again. Christofer was heading back to Kathmandu and then India. Dale, Denise, Elron and I headed to Pokhara together.

In Nepal

I have been in Nepal for almost 3 weeks now. I did a succesful trek through the Mount Everest region to the base camp and back for two weeks. It was exhausting but wonderful. My friends and I met tons of new people and then travelled with them from Kathmandu to Chitwan National Park for a few days. I am now in Pokhara, in central Nepal and going back to Kathmandu in the morning. Denise, Dale and I leave for Bangkok on the 29th.

I have loads of stories and will get them up in the next few days. I just wanted everyone to know that I am healthy and doing well.

Miss you all!

Day 15 - FINALLY back to Kathmandu

We left Lukla at 6.30am. Since the runway goes downhill it was the craziest take off EVER. Dale and I just looked at each other with nervous laughter as we barrelled down the hill.

I have not showered in 15 days. I have been wearing the same outfit, including underwear, for the last 3. I have only cleaned myself with baby wipes. I feel skinny from the trek, but I really smell bad. All of the clothes in my bag are gross and half of them are going in the garbage.

Now we are going to Chitwan National Park, in the south of Nepal, with all the people we met on the trip.

Day 14 - Back to Kathmandu, until our flight got cancelled

We got up at 5am this morning to get to the airport for our 6.30am flight back to KTM. We were scheduled on the second plane back. It was clear in the morning.The first plane arrived, unloaded, reloaded and took off. 3 more planes from other carrieres came and went. Then nothing. After killing 4 hours in the airport, which was deserted, we went for lunch and then found out our flight had been cancelled. Although the sky was clear near the airport, they cancelled it.

Although we were annoyed that we had to stay another night in Lukla, we made the most of it. We mostly just bought a lot of alcohol and sat in the back of this guy's store and watched Animal Planet. It was Denise, Dale and I. The couple from San Fransisco, Thor and Myling, were there and the Dr. Anna from Germany was there too. At least we had each other.

Day 13 - Almost finished

We arrived back to Lukla early because we wanted to change our flight to leave a day earlier. This hike is so easy! Our flight did get changed and I am so excited to get back to Kathmandu and clean some clothes and have a shower!

Day 10 -12

The hike down is a different kind of exciting. "I'm done and now I want to get out of the mountains!"

We got stuck in the rain on day 10. Even though I had on a gore-tex jacket, I was soaked from the rain dripping off my hair and going down my neck, soaking my shirts. The whole group was soaking, so when we got to our guest house, we peeled all the stinky wet clothes off and took over the living room, drying them around the fire. The man who owned the guest house was a guiding sherpa. He led groups to the summit. He has summitted 6 times, in 21 separate expeditions. He charges US$35,000 per person for an expedition to summit Everest, that lasts a few months and does not include gear or airfare to Nepal.

Yesterday we hiked to Namche Bazaar. We met a great couple from San Francisco, Myling and Thor.

Today was an easy downhill day. The air keeps getting thicker and thicker. When I do go up a hill, I don't need to take a break and I am not breathing heavily once I get to the top. Its great. I did cough up some blood today however, which is the remnants of coming down from high altitude and the horrible cough I developed. My guide said that its nothing to worry about.

Still no shower, but I did wash my face again and then soaked my feet in warm water.

Day 9 - Kala Pattar (5550m)

As if yesterday wasn't hard enough, today was going to be another day of challenges. We woke up at 5am because we were hiking to Kala Pattar. This is a peak near the base camp where the views are the best in the whole area, whithout going up to a ridiculous elevation.

We were to ascend 400m. The reason why we had to go so early is because the weather in mid-morning and the afternoon is really bad. When we woke up, the sky was completely clear. We could see the moon in the west against a vivid blue sky. All the snowy peaks around us were clear. So we started the gruling climb up the hill.

I had to take 2 breaths for every step. My body or muscles did not hurt, but more I felt that my heart was going to explode right out of my chest. The group was ahead of me. They all got to the top, but I couldn't do it. I finished about 20m from the top. But I was ok with that, because when I looked around, I could see Mt. Everest above with the sun rising behind it. I did it! I was in the prescence of the tallest peak in the world. I took photos and ate a snickers bar, without which I would have died. My camera battery died soon after, but I got lots of pictures and just sat on a rock looking at the peaks around me.

Then my friends came down and we headed back to the lodge. I had to go to the bathroom (#2) so I was almost running.

We packed and left Gorak Shep. Now begins the quick descent back to oxygen.

Day 8 - Baby steps to Base Camp (5140m)

Today was the hardest day EVER!

We woke up really early to get to Gorak Shep, which is the highest point to stay unless you are part of a summiting expedition. We hiked for 2 hours. We got rooms in the lodge in Gorak Shep and then had lunch. Lunch took too long, which then delayed the departure for the hike to the base camp, which was 6 hours total.

Normally, hikes are supposed to shorter coming back, but this was not. As we walked towards the base camp, it seemed like we were supposed to be getting closer, but it never came. We hiked over a glacier with rocks and streams and small crevaces all over. It was very challenging. Ever step we took was treacherous.

We got to Everest Base Camp (EBC) after 3 hours. There was one expedition team setting up and one that had been there for a few days. The one that was already set up was a South Korean team. One guy brought out some popcorn and tea for us. Alex and Elron brought whiskey to drink, and then gave some to the South Korean. It was really cool talking to them. They were going to be there for 2 months. One guy had summited the year before also. They even said we could stay at their camp for the night. We really had to leave though because it was still a 3 hour return hike and the sun was also going to go down in 3 hours. We said goodbye to the SK team, got some pictures and left.

The hike back was awful. Again over the ice and rocks, but with an empty belly and the stress of knowing it was going to be dark soon. Every step took so much energy. We finally got back to the lodge as it got dark. I inhaled a snickers bar cause I was going to pass out. Denise was so out of it and tired that she couldn't make a complete sentence. Elron, Christofer, Hannah and Kimi all got sick too from the elevation. I went to bed fully clothed and without brushing my teeth. It was so friggin cold.

Day 7 - Labouche (4910m)

We are so high above sea level right now. I can't believe it.

We hiked for maybe 5 hours today. Everything looks like the moon. There is rock everywhere and very little vegetation. We went through a memorial area that has plaques for people that have died climbing Everest. It was cool to see, and very sad. People are from all over the world.

Our expanded group is quite a lot of fun. At night, we sit around the lodge telling stories and jokes. I havn't laughed this hard in a long time.

I finally washed my face today. It felt amazing.

Day 6 - Acclimatization Day in Dingboche

I've been having lots of strange dreams thanks to the malaria medication I am taking and all the sleep I am getting. Lots about Frank, old jobs and friends, dreaming that I am in Canada when I am supposed to be in Nepal.

Today we stayed in Dingboche to acclimatize. We did a day hike that took us up to 5000m. I quit part way up the hike because I had no energy and wanted to save it for the next day. I made it up about 200 m and then turned back. I sat in the sun and read my book. I also watched the lodge owner try and hook up a radio antenna.

I'm also losing my appetite. I hardly ever finish all my food at meals. I pass my leftovers on to the boys in the room and it gets eaten anyway. The altitude sickness medication is also giving me tingly fingers and toes. I really miss my chiropractor. I need him to realign my hip and knee.

The people we have met on the trip are awesome. There is Alex from England, Aaron from Washington DC, Christofer from Sweden, Kimi from Toronto, Elron from BC and Peter from England. Tonight we sat around the lodge talking. Christofer has the best questions for Aaron, the american. He loves the movie Borat. Aaron is a lawyer and was talking about the death penalty and how the US just stopped killing kids and retards. Christofer misunderstood and thought the US just stopped killing retards and children all together.

Day 5 - Baby steps to Everest (Dingboche 4410m)

This morning we woke up and went to the Monastery to watch the monks pray. Women were not allowed in the monastery without permission, so a few of us had to wait outside until we got the word.

Inside there were about 20 monks sitting on benches facing the middle of the room. They were praying together and it sounded like chanting. Listening to them all together was very hypnotizing and melodic. They prayed for an hour and had tea. After, one monks stuck around and answered some questions for us. This was on of my favourite things on the trek.

After packing and eating, we hiked for a few hours and then had lunch. I developed a horrible headache at this point. It felt like my head was in a vice, and then I started to feel nauseous. We made it to Dingboche, the next stayover and I just got in my sleeping bag and fell asleep for a few hours. When I woke up my headache was gone.

After eating dinner, I had to go back to bed.

Day 4 - Tengboche 3860m

Another day of uphill hiking. Today I learned that going slow is easier on my heart and lungs. Small lesson to learn, took a few days though. It was inspired by a 54 year old woman named Sharon from Ireland who was going really slow but set the pace for us.

We hiked to Tengboche. We arrived at the lodge just in time to miss the rain. We settled into the living area and met some people. There was a group of girls from the US that were doing a guiding course and had all sorts of books about wilderness medicine and stuff. They were camping up to this point too. It was interesting to talk to them. One was an EMT, one was a backcountry ski guide, the other was a ski instuctor in Colorado. They had all sorts of cool stories.

One girl from the other group that went through the same trekking company, Alex, bought a bottle of whiskey and wanted to party. The EMT from the guiding group wanted to take her blood pressure to see how alcohol and altitude would affect it. It was all very entertaining.

Day 3 - Hanzel...so hot right now

Today was an acclimatization day in Namche Bazar. Its important for us to take our time getting higher or else we'll get sick. We did a day hike to get higher.

I started feeling nautious partway up so I started taking altitude sickness medication called Diamox. Its more for prevention.

We hiked to a hotel that was up on a ridge, and is the first place one can see Mt. Everest. It was too cloudy so we just sat on the deck and had some snacks. Hanzel showed up too and we learned that he summited Everest in 2005. We went to the highest airstrip in the world, at 3720m.

We went for lunch, hiked back down to Namche, did some shopping. I felt pretty beat and was in bed by 7pm.

Day 2 - to Namche Bazaar 3440m

I woke up early, 6.30. We ate breakfast, packed and left for the trail.
Denise started having problems with her boots right on the trail. She had some hot spots yesterday but didn't treat them in time and ended up with open blisters. She had to take her boots off and hike the rest of the way in our guides flip flops. This was a long day of hiking also, climbing 800m in elevation.

After lunch, we had a very difficult uphill hike. It took about 2 hours. Along the way we met a Spanish TV show crew. The host guy looked like Hanzel from Zoolander, blond hair, tanned, rugged. That bacame his name for the rest of the trip.

Dale also received this horrible skin rash that we called leprosy, on a sleeper train in India. It looked like a spider bite that had spread all the way accross his neck. He had the name of some local plant that would clear it up, titi pati, so our guide made a paste and appllied it to his neck. It looked much better a few hours later.

We arrived in Namche Bazaar in good time. It was cold and foggy. We changed our clothes and wandered around the area. Denise and I were pretty tired, her more of a write-off than me. Hiking for 6 hours in sandals can do that to a person. I couldn't finish my dinner. The altitude and exhaustion were starting to affect me.

Everest Base Camp Trek - Day 1

I arrived in Kathmandu last night, exhausted from flying and trying to sleep in the Bangkok airport. Denise met me at the airport which was an awesome surprise. We got my bags and headed to the guesthouse her and Dale were staying at. We had to leave right away though because we had to meet our trekking company people. We met our guide, got some rental sleeping bags and then got some dinner. I was too tired to take in anything around me, although the area of Thamel in Kathmandu seems pretty cool.

Back at the guest house, I unpacked, repacked, redistributed. Denise and I decided to share one pack for the trek. It was off to bed because we had to leave the guest house for our 6am flight the next morning.

In the morning, our guide, C.B., met us at our hotel and we went to catch a shuttle to the airport. On the shuttle was another group of trekkers that were going through the same company as we did. There were 5 of them and they were around the same ages as us.

We got to the airport and waited around for our flight to leave. We were flying to Lukla, which is about 9000 ft. above sea level. This airport is pretty famous because the runway goes uphill and is just long enough to land the kinds of planes we were in. The flight was beautiful. I could see the Himalayan peaks in the distance and terraced fields below. Then as we approached Lukla airport, I looked out the front of the plane and saw the mountain with a small runway in the middle. It was pretty scary, but so exciting. Dale, Denise and I were all looking at each other in nervous laughter as the plane touched the tarmac and then slammed on the brakes.

Lukla was moist and cold. The air definitely felt thinner. We collected our bags and met our porter, Shree, and then went for breakfast. Our porter carried Denise's and my bag, Dale's pack and then his own. He strapped them all together with a bungee cord and then had a peice of fabric that he put accross his fore head for more balance. Not the best system, but it worked for him.

After breakfast, we had a short walk to our first night's stay in Phakding. It only took 2.5 hours and the elevation was lower than that of Lukla. The idea behind acclimatizing is to train high and then sleep low.

We had lunch, went for a small walk down to the river and then came back to the lodge when it started to rain. After dinner, Denise and I were ready for bed and it was only 7pm. In the mountains, once the sun goes down, its pretty much just time for bed.

Day 1 of the real vacation - Inchon Airport

Being the genius that I am, I didn't check the flight information before I came to the airport. So when I got here, I found out that my flight had changed and was going to leave 2 hours later than originaly. So I have 3 more hours to kill before I have to get on the plane to Bangkok. Awesome. However, this is an awesome airport to be stuck in. I'm at a free internet lounge. There is amazing shopping and great food places to choose from. Its a nice aiport all around. I'm also nursing a hangover so having great food options is helpful.

I had a good last night in Seoul. I saw lots of friends and had lots of drinks. I was sad to say goodbye to people but so not sad to say goodbye to Korea.

And what is my plan now? I am going to Nepal to trek to the Mount Everest Base Camp with Denise and Dale, who have been in India for the last 5 weeks. On September 29, we are flying back to Bangkok and meeting Romi and Leesa. Dale is going home. Denise, Leesa, Romi and I are then going to Cambodia, Vietnam, Laos, back to Thailand, then to Malaysia, Singapore, Bali and the Philippines. Leesa is staying in Singapore to visit her sister, who lives there. Romi, Denise and I all fly home from the Philippines in December. I'm flying back to Vancouver on December 21. Life's rough eh?

Day one of vacation

I moved out my apartment today. Yippee!! I left my place with my daypack and 3 bags and I felt like a bag lady. I really could've used a shopping cart. So I spent the day wandering around the city and eating by myself. All my friends were working so I was all alone. I hiked up to Seoul Tower. I sweated a lot. I ate some indian food.

Last night, I left work for the last time and the owners didn't even say good-by to me. Ass holes. My friend told me about a website that I can go on and blacklist my school. I'm thinking about it but its not really my personality.

Here's to 3 months and 19 days more of vacation!

My Legacy

It was a tough year, no doubt. I had an open mind coming here and the years served me very very well. I worked much harder than I thought I would. It goes to show that every single teaching experience is diferent when teaching ESL. My school was a slave driver, other schools are more like daycare. My advice to anyone thinking about coming is do it! But what you hear from people will be diferent from others and from your experiences.

And how will my students benefit from my period of sojourn? Well, several of them can now succesfully quote certain (appropriate) lines from the movie Borat. They now know that Sam is a girl's name as well as a boy's. They know what a farmer tan is. Hopefully they'll remember the diference between RICE and LICE. I got some really sweet letters from a lot of students which really made my time here worthwhile. I will really miss my students.

How did I benefit? I'm really good at photocopying. I can drink any Korean under the table (its not hard). I can run a classroom. I can navigate new cities and meet new people. What a cool place to live for one year. But not cool enough to stay forever. I will miss the conviniences like 24 hour restaurants and buying beer at any corner store. The transportation system is amazing and I will miss it. Korea, you are a pain in my ass and I will miss you.

Its my last day...

ITS MY LAST DAY AT WORK!!
I can't believe its over! I have 3 classes to teach today, but no sweat. I got paid my final check and my bonus so I have a fat bank account ready for traveling. I'm leaving the school at the perfect time because all the new teachers got a new set of assholes yesterday. I think that this year of work might shave off a few years of their lives.

I had a nice weekend. Romi and I went to Suwon to see a large fortress wall. It was pretty interesting. We just explored. In the cab on the way to the subway station, the cabbie hit an old man on his bike that was going to cross the street in the wrong place. This poor old man was getting yelled at, and his bike's wheel was all bent. Romi and I snuck out of the cab during the yelling match. On Sunday, I went out with the people I did private lessons with for the last few months. Yeah, I taught private lessons. I'll be open about it now because my contract is over. I DID PRIVATE LESSONS. I made good money and got to know this awesome couple. They are married and have a 1 year old daughter. Anyway, they wanted to take me out for the day and for dinner. We went biking around some islands by the airport and spent the whole day together. We went for lunch at his parents house and then out for an awesome seafood dinner. It was so spicy and I had some pretty bad heartburn afterwards. I think spending time with them and talking to them was one of the best parts of the year because I got to ask them questions about Korea and see how they live. I will really miss them.

Tonight I have to clean my apartment and then move out tomorrow by noon. I don't leave until Sunday so I have a few days to be a bum around the city. I will be a homeless bum. I'm staying with Romi and Leesa. I'M FINISHED WORK!!!!!!

Childhood Memories

Yesterday, I punished a kid by sending him out into the hallway to face a wall and hold his hands above his head until I was ready to let him back into the clasroom. I usually do this for about 15-20 minutes, long enough to make their arms hurt. Yesterday, the principal was walking by and decided to give Tom (the kid) a verbal lashing. I opened the door just in time for all the other kids to hear this, so they were all frightened into submission. After the class, the head teacher came up and to me with a message from the principal. He said that I can punish kids however I want to, but don't make them face the wall. It leaves them with bad childhood memories to face a wall.

HUH?? I read journals from other kids whose mother's beat them with shoes or slap them if they don't study hard enough. One of my students was sick, and called her mom to come home. Her mom said no, keep learning English. I'm not a childhood psychologist, but seems to me that these things, beatings and constant slave driving in school, would leave kids with bad memories. Dunno, just throwing it out there.

Ok, I'm going to Nepal.

I talked to Denise on Skype for the last little while. She is in Goa, India. We were talking about her experiences so far being in India and Oman. I had a million questions. Last week I was really lonely without her. When we hung up, I got on Google Earth because I wanted to look at the Mount Everest Base Camp area. I am so excited I can hardly type. I only have 3 more weeks and then I will be there!

From Google Earth, the area looks like the moon. There is no vegetation, there are one or two buildings here and there in the villages, there is a river going through the valley we will be hiking through. Hundreds of people have posted photos on GE and there are temples, prayer flags and prayer rocks all along the way and it looks so beautiful! Up to this point, I think my mom was more excited about this part of my trip than I was, but now I am so excited and feel so lucky that I am going there. Also, I was a bit nervous about the physical challenge of the trip and the risk of altitude sickness. As long as we are safe and respect our limitations then we will be fine.

20 sleeps left!

I'm sooooooo done

Today was interesting. Actually it was the worst day of my working life. The head teacher yelled at us (foreign teachers). I cried. I went to the doctor and I have another bladder infection from stress. The doc told me to stay off my feet as much as I can because lying down is better for it. Well, working for 12 hours a day doesn't really help that, so too bad for me.

The 12 hour days are rough. I like the morning classes because they are more fun. But after that, the marking, marking, marking, photocopying, entering things into the computer, having the boss tell me to hurry to class (EFF off), is getting to me. So today I had enough. On MWF I have no break, which reduces the amount of time for marking all the extra stuff we have to do. Whatever, details. Friday is a holiday so I'm not going to get everything done with one less day. Anyway we got yelled at because we don't know how hard it is to be Korean and work so hard and blah blah blah. I know they work hard, too hard in my opinion. But its not my fault. They shouldn't put up with it. Like I've said before, we give an inch and they take a mile.

I am sooooo ready to leave this job! I was almost worried about getting fired today, which wouldn't be a surprise here. With 3 weeks left, I could get fired and they wouldn't have to give me my bonus. For the next three weeks, put my head down, hurry to class, speak english, bend over for the school. And THEN I can leave.

JPG Magazine

I created a photo essay of my trip to Japan. Check it out on a site where I post photos.



PS I also have uploaded photos to Flickr. FINALLY!

I miss Japan

As I go through photos day after day (getting them ready to post), the feelings I had when I was at some of these places come back to me and I really miss that place! Everyone was so kind. No one tried to run me over in a crosswalk, the drivers were good, there was no spitting, people held doors for me, the streets were so clean. There was no rotting garbage smell anywhere. The people were different from one another. Japanese people have amazing style. They express themselves through fashion and hair and piercings and tattoos. I want to go back!

Korean Massage

I went to the sauna the other night. Its a public bath and it is the best thing about Korea. I got a massage and a scrub too. Now the term "massage" should be not be used. There was a lot of slapping and punching. I doubt that the lady doing it was an actual masseuse.

I love going to the sauna. You go in, scrub down, get clean and then enjoy the hot and cold pools, the massaging jets and just relax. I try to go as often as I can. This time I splurged and got the massage too. So I am totally naked, and this older bigger Korean woman in her bra and underwear is my masseuse. I lie down on something like an examination table and she scrubs my whole body. She scrubbed so hard I thought she was trying to take the ink right off my tattoos. Then she douses me in baby oil and proceeds to "massage" me. It was painful. When she wasn't slapping or hitting me, she was pulling my arms and legs. Its a wonder I didn't slide right off that table! Plus being naked made me feel even more awkward. Then she runs her forearm down my calves and give me the biggest charlie horse. I yelled and she stopped but in the mean time I have this horrible muscle cramp in my leg. I limped for a while afterwards it was so bad.

I was done with the sauna after that. They give you a set of shorts and a t-shirt so you can hang out in the public areas afterwards. The public areas have hot and cold rooms, a real sauna, a restaurant, mats to sleep on, a computer room, a dvd room and an esthetician. I got my nails done and befriended the lady who did them. She didn't really speak english but we managed to have a conversation. Through it all, we made a date for me to come back and get some of her homemade kimchi.

Hiroshima, Miyajima and Fukuoka

I have been home for 4 days and I have caught up on sleep. I had to work on Friday. Only Friday. I had Monday through Thursday off for vacation. Yes, work on Friday. That's the Korean way.

I really miss Japan! Its my favourite country now. People were so kind and considerate. They stopped at crosswalks. They didn't run red lights. They held the door for me. They didn't spit. There were no motorcycles on the sidewalks.

After Kyoto, I went to Hiroshima for 2 days. I back tracked a little and went to Himeji Castle. It was old and beautiful. I went to the Peace Memorial Museum and the A Bomb Dome in Hiroshima. It was interesting. I didn't feel as much as an impact after I visited the Hollocaust Museum in Washington DC. Its hard to explain, but Hiroshima did not affect me strongly the way I thought it would.

I hooked up some friends at my hostel too. Romi had just arrived from Korea and some people she knows had been in Japan the same amount of time I had. We had dinner. It was nice to talk to people again.

The following day I went to an island called Miyajima. There are wild deer everywhere and this island has the famous gate build out on a mud flat, so when the tide comes in, it looks like the gate is floating. It was beautiful there. I bought a round trip ticket on this gondola thing cause I was feeling lazy. I got to the top and there were monkeys everywhere. I walked to the other peak and took tons of pictures. The skies were getting dark though and I could hear the thunder. By the time I got back to the tram, they had postponed service because of the lightening. I waited for about 30 minutes and knew that it wasn't going to be soon. So I started walking down. It was pretty easy. However the skies opened and I got poured on. It was the same in Jeju. I looked like I had gone swimming in my clothes. I had just given my umbrella to a girl I met at the hostel that morning, thinking it won't rain. That's the problem in Asia, it can change so fast.

So I was soaking. I stopped for some food and then sat in the sun (which had just come back out conviniently enough) to try and dry my clothes off. I even went into the bathroom restaurant, took off my shorts and top and rung them out into the sink. I was too cold to stay there so I headed back to the mainland. I really wanted to see the gate with the tide in and get more pictures. I was just a series of unfortunatly timed events.

This was my last night in Japan so I had to get back to Hiroshima station, retrieve my backpack from a locker and change. Then I got on the train to Fukuoka. I wasn't really excited about going to this city because it didn't seem to have a lot to do.

I ended up renting a bike on my last day. I rode around Fukuoka and went shopping. AMAZING shopping FYI. I found this one store, sort of like a department store, IKEA style, but they sold everything. Appliances, food, bikes. But everything they had was gorgeous and simple. I jsut bought some tea cups, traditional Japanese style ones but they are way more modern. And they were $3.50 each as opposed to the $35 ones I had seen at other pottery stores.

I was sad to get on the ferry and head back to Korea. I truly had a wonderful trip and I was pleasantly surprised with how much I enjoyed traveling by myself. I did what I wanted when I wanted. The only crappy thing about traveling solo is that there was no one to put sunscreen on that middle part of my back that no matter how I bend my arms I can never reach. Having a friend around would have been nice for that.

Kyoto - Attempt #2

I'm in the hostel in Hiroshima. Its 100 degrees outisde. I'm also waiting for Romi because her and some of her friends are coming here tonight!

Kyoto was awesome. Everyone told me that it was beautiful and it absolutly was. I walked everywhere, saw the palace, walked around the touristy areas, and lucked out by seeing 4 geisha. Some people I met said they have been in Kyoto a few times or for a few days and have never seen one. Lucky me! Kyoto is one of the only places in Japan that really has a Geisha scene today.

I walked and walked some more. I developed a blister on my foot and some unpleasant chaffing in some unpleasant places. It was so hot there, about 35. Some people said it was cooler that day than the day before.

The other thing about Kyoto that I loved was the architecture. The best part of walking everywhere was seeing people's houses with the little gardens in front. Then rounding a corner and there is a huge shrine or temple, all original. One temple, I took off my shoes and walked around for a while, then lay down on the tatami mats and let my mind go blank while looking out at a small pond. When I decide to build a house, I want one from Japan.

The next day I had to check out so I got all my stuff and left my bag in a locker at the station. I headed to the Golden Pavillion which is one of the most popular places to visit in Japan. It was so beautiful. I got there early enough to avoid the crowds, becuase when I was leaving, it was packed around the main area.

Then I went to a shrine/temple are where there is an amazing bamboo grove. Then the rains began. Monsoon rains, with thunder and lightning for hours. Not a passing storm but hours of it. I hid in a temple for as long as I could but then I realized I was wasting valuable time and risked getting soaked. I was also starving, so I went to first restaurant I could find, deciding I could handle whatever food they served.

As an aside, Japan cuisine is amazing. Its not just the sashimi and sushi, but all the veggies they have too. I ordered a pot of tofu and I got all this crazy stuff with it. Onions, rice, sesame seeds, wasabi, soy sauce. Actually not that amazing but put all together it was really good. The other thing about Japanese food is that there are no mystery meats or mystery fish. Korean, Chinese food, if I get a plate of meat or fish, I can never be certain what animal it has come from. But Japanese food (so far) has been mystery free.

After eating, I wandered around the bamboo grove and took lots of photos in the rain then decided it was time to go. I was cold, and I had to catch the train to Hiroshima. The train ride was about an hour and a half. The top speed of the train is about 300KM.

I got to my hostel, dumped my stuff and then went for a walk around the A-Bomb Dome Peace Park. It was really nice at night, everything was lit up. It was hard to grasp the magnitude of what I was looking at in the moment however.

I went to a sushi restaurant and gorged myself on sashimi, came back to the hostel and went to bed.

Kyoto

I was in Kyoto for the last 2 days and it is an amazing city. It was one of the few cities that wasn't destryoed in the war so a lot of the old shrines and temples are still standing. It is a beatiful city also. I walked around everwhere, saw geisha, took so many photos. I can't actually remember what I did right now. The days have blended together a little and I just drank a beer.

I just arrived in Hiroshima. So far on the trolley ride to the hostel, there is not as much standing history as Kyoto, because it was all wiped out by an atomic bomb.

Of course as soon as I start writing, my mind goes blank. But here is some of it in point form:
- I love bullet trains
- I love Japan

Blank brain again. I'll try again tomorrow.

Happy birthday Heather and Andrew! And Ricky J.

On my way to Japan

Tomorrow morning, well actually in a few hours, I will be on my way to Japan. Its summer vacation and I need to get out of Korea. I decided to go a few months ago via the ferry. I'm taking the train to Busan then getting the ferry to Fukuoka. I'm taking the bullet train to Kyoto once I arrive tomorrow afternoon. I'm also going by myself. I started shitting my pants about a week ago because of this. If I get lost or eff up, its up to me to get out of it. I feel confident with my travel skills however and Japan is fairly easy to travel in, based on my December trip. I'm really excited to see Kyoto and Hiroshima. There was a large earthquake in Japan a few days ago, but it was in the northern part, far from where I am going. Please, no one worry.

Work has been rough lately. I have nothing good to say about it so I guess that is why the lack of communication. We started morning classes on Monday and they are not that bad. I teach for 2 hours, then have a bit of a break. The crappy part is Denise's last day was today and the new teacher is starting for 2 more weeks, so her classes were delegated to the other foreign teachers. It has increased my workload and I won't have any breaks on Mon, Wed or Fri. It was a really long week and I know the rest of the summer is going to be exhausting. So yippee for vacation! Denise and I said goodbye tonight. No tears, no hugs, just a see you in 6 weeks in Nepal. I'm glad it was a simple goodbye.

Some news form home. My best friend Briana had a baby the other day. Mya Alexis was born July 23. Everyone is doing well. Bri and I lived together in Prince George for 3 years. Bri, I wish I could be there with you!

Random Thoughts for the week of July 14

I hate doing dishes and laundry. I encourage my students to use a word other thatn "hate" when converying dislike. But I hate dishes and laundry. If I had to choose one over the other, it would be laudry over dishes, probably because it still involves a machine doing the work for me. Because I don't want to do dishes, I don't even want to cook now. But its hard to get the required fruits and vegetables everyday without having to cook at home. So alas, I must still cook and suffer with the burden of doing my dishes.

The other night, instead of using eye make-up remover on my eyes, I used nail polish remover. They're in the same style of bottle. Luckily I didn't get any in my eye.

I've been pretty lazy lately. Two mornings this week I have rolled out of bed at noon. When I'm not sleeping, I'm catching up on TV shows from the internet, or movies. (I highly recommend The Wire and Rome). I also play lots of Nintendo, and take photos, and doodle in my drawing book. I don't really put things away on my apartment. I just move piles from one side of the room to another.

I do have some pretty important things to get done these days though, like banking and medical stuff. I have to get several shots and perscriptions before travelling. Typhoid, dyptheria, Japanese encephalitis, malaria. I also need to get anti-diahrea medication, parasite meds, altitude sickness medication, and anything else that might cure anything I get while travelling. I have to do this all tomorrow morning because next week I start teaching "intensives", the extra seesion for students during their summer vacation. So I'll work 12 hours days for the next 5 weeks. It's extra money, so I don't mind. But that will probably change after one week.

9 sleeps left until Japan. But also 9 sleeps left until Denise and I depart from each other for 6 weeks. We have spent everyday except for maybe 7 together out of the last 10 and a half months. It will be strange without her.

Coming to the end of it...

Before I came to Korea, my friend Jonathon told me, "don't be like other English teachers and let yourself go while you're there". Unfortunately I feel like this has happened. I need new clothes but I don't want to buy anything. First, I want to save money for travel. Second, anything new I buy I will just have to send home or carry with me through SE Asia. I have lots of t-shirts that are just good enough to travel with and then throw out. So in the mean time, being in Seoul, I wear my "worthy of travel and not much more" clothing to do my day to day things.

Yesterday, I caught a reflection of myself in the mirror at the subway station (mirrors are everywhere in public places so Koreans can admire their beauty) and I looked like a bag of poo. I also dress like a boy. I had on skate shoes, capris and a golf shirt. The humidity does a job on my hair, and I constantly sweat. Korean women don't sweat, they always wear heels and cute dresses. Or short shorts to show off their immaculate long legs. So here I am, short, feeling frumpy, sweaty and dresses like a boy. When I came home, I put on a dress, some better jewelry, emphasized the boobs a little more (something the Korean women can't do, ha!) and went out again and felt much better about myself and my lack of new clothing.

Humidity

Call me crazy, but I love humidity. I've always loved steam rooms and hot places. Right now, Seoul is sweat country. The Korean summer has officially arrived. The air smells like the amazon gallery at the Vancouver Aquarium. On the walk to work today, it was so humid, my earphones would not stay in my ears.

Island Life Part 2

The next morning, a little hung, but happy that it wasn't rainy, we all got up and meandered out of the hostel. Although it wasn't raining, it was cloudy. I skipped bringing my bathing suit and sunscreen also.

We caught a bus from the airport that went to the other side of the island from where we were staying. The roads are like those on Maui, so the combination of that and the night before made me feel quite sick.

We made it to this resort area where all the big hotels are. We walked through a small trail and then we saw the ocean from a hill top. The sky cleared and it was sunny! I saw surfers out in the ocean. I found the path to the beach and booked it. We met up with Stephanie again on the way and headed down to the beach. There was a swimming area and lots of her friends that she was with had surf boards. Of course though, I didn't have my bathing suit. But having no shame, I went into the ocean in my tank top and underwear. It was so nice. I was truly happy in that moment. It would have been nice to be surfing, but the waves were too big for me.

About an hour and half later, we were hungry so we left for lunch. We had the greated pub food I've had since Canada.

For the rest of the day, we got in and out of taxis and went to different waterfalls along the south side of the island.

We had to leave the next morning and go back to Seoul. I really did not want to leave. The island folk were just like island folk anywhere else. Nice, relaxed, generous. They stopped their cars at crosswalks to let the pedestrian have the right of way. They smiled and spoke surprisingly good english. I miss all of it. Except for the ridiculous rain from the first day. Now I miss island life! Romi is now considering coming back to Korea for another year to and teach on Jeju. The thought crossed my mind also.

I'll take Island Life for 100, Alex - Jeju-do, Day 1

Last weekend, my posse (Romi, Dale, Denise) went to Jeju Island. Its a small island off the south coast of Korea. Its like the Hawaii of Korea. The flight there was an hour. I was soooooooo excited to visit this place because I had heard so many great things. I also really wanted a tan, and to swim in the ocean. The weather forecast said rain all weekend, but I kept up my hopes. Every vacation I have been on while here (North Korea, Japan, China, Muiido, Busan) have been really cold and/or rainy. My expectations weren't really too high.

We left early early Saturday morning. I didn't sleep the night before because I had to meet Denise at 5am anyway. I slept on the flight but woke up while the plan was making its first approach at the airport. The wind and rain were so ferocious that they had go back up and re-attempt the landing. During the loop back around to the airport, we experienced the worst turbulence I've ever been through in my life. I've flown enough to make that statement. It was actually scary and my mind raced back to news about the last plane crash I could remember. In the mean time, Denise was sitting next to me with he head between her knees and barfing into a bag. She filled one and then started on the second. I never ever get motion sickness and I alsmost (almost) felt sick myself.

Once we got on the ground, it was ok. Denise still looked green. We got in a cab and headed to our hostel. The rains were coming down so hard I think Noah was about to make a comeback. We got to the hostel and I fell asleep right away for about an hour. This was 8.30 in the morning by the way so we had already had quite a big day. Mostly I wanted to wait out the rain a little. Romi wanted to get out and do stuff, which was good because I probably would have slept all day otherwise. So we went to the "#1 tourist attraction" on Jeju. It was a shrine with some holes in a grassy field. It was also monsoon raining. My shorts were SOAKED right through within 15 minutes of being outside. Truly, it was as if I had gone swimming in them.
We went for lunch after that. We went to a department store that was supposed to have a good food court. It didn't.

As an aside story, before this vacation I had developed a bladder infection from being on antibiotics from the last time I had bronchitis. Following me? I tried to rid it with cranberry juice and it worked for one day. But by the time we got to Jeju, I had to do something. I went to a pharmacy in the department store. No one spoke any english (usually pharamcists speak english because they are very highly educated), so I whipped out my cel phone and opened up the english/korean dictionary. I looked up BLADDER and then Dale used his phone to look up INFECTION. We showed both phones to the pharmacist but they just looked from one to the other, back to the first one. We ended up mimming the action of what was hurting and finally they got what we were trying to tell him. I got some meds and we were on our way.

We got some noodles for lunch and then went to a sauna, the naked kind. As it was raining that hard, there was nothing else for us to do. Our clothes were soaked, we were tired and hella cranky. Dale and Romi had never been to one before. So Dale went off on his own to the male one and we went to the female one. It was perfect. We warmed up, showered, dried our clothes, had some snacks, got a foot massage, had a nap, went into a steam room. All for $9.

That night, we went to meet a friend that Dale went to high school with. Her name is Stephanie and we all hit it off. She's only been in Korea for one month, but she sure is smart to pick Jeju to live.

Our activity for the evening was Jeju Love Land. This is an outdoor adult themed art park. Its just what I said. There are statues and pictures and sculptures of people doing it. Doing it alone, with someone else, with a few other people. You name it, this park had it. It wasn't gross though, it was very well done. I guess some art students from Seoul came up with this idea and the only place that it was ok to build it was on Jeju. Koreans are not the most sexually liberated people. So to the island it goes!

That night we drank at Stephanie's house and then went to a foreigner bar called the Blue Aguava. It was seedy. We got drunk and then we to McDonalds.