To-do List Update: Saturday Night

Here's the original:
1. Finish Grad School Applications
2. Visit Freda in Gimcheon Sunday
3. Get Pants Tailored
4. Have a Meal with Mi Hyang
5. Clean Apartment
6. Go Grocery Shopping
7. Finish Budget for Trip
8. Start Sorting Belongings (things to pack, things to throw away)
9. Do Something Active (swimming, hiking, walking, ride a bike)
10. Do Laundry

This is what's left:
1. Finish Grad School Applications
2. Visit Freda in Gimcheon Sunday
3. Get Pants Tailored
7. Finish Budget for Trip
9. Do Something Active (swimming, hiking, walking, ride a bike)

Little *extras* accomplished:
11. Yell at Landlord about Decrepit Building and then Fix Shower Drain
12. File FAFSA
13. Found Lost Hiking Photos and Put them on Facebook and Picasa
14. Established Contact with Sister and Aunt

That 'grey' area:
3. (Can I cross this off if I decide to just get rid of the pants?)
9. (I cleaned my butt off all day and now it's 9 PM and I'm exhausted. Does cleaning count as "something active?")

Will do tomorrow:
1. Finish Grad School Applications
2. Visit Freda in Gimcheon
10. Do Laundry (load #2--darks)

What probably won't happen this weekend:
7. Finish Budget for Trip

A well managed Saturday, I think. Can I go to bed now?

Auntie Kortney!

I just found out that my sweet sister, Stacy, just had her second child--a girl!--on Wednesday this week! I'll hold off on revealing her name until my sister updates her blog (wouldn't want to beat her to it!) but stay tuned! Hopefully I can snatch a photo or two from her too! Hurray for babies!

To-do List

It's been nearly two months since I've spent a weekend home (talk about busy!) and now that I've got one, I think a to-do list is in order.

1. Finish Grad School Applications
2. Visit Freda in Gimcheon Sunday
3. Get Pants Tailored
4. Have a Meal with Mi Hyang
5. Clean Apartment
6. Go Grocery Shopping
7. Finish Budget for Trip
8. Start Sorting Belongings (things to pack, things to throw away)
9. Do Something Active (swimming, hiking, walking, ride a bike)
10. Do Laundry

Sports Day at Mung Yeoung Sae Jae

Yesterday was sports day at Mung Yeoung Sae Jae and the entire girls school was bused up there for a full day in the sun.

A couple of girls with their class flag.

This girl is really funny. She gave me hell at the beginning of the semester but I've won her over to my side and now she adores me. :D

Super chicks. :)

Super silly girls. The one in the middle is one of my favorites.

One of the day's activities was jump roping. You had to get I think 10 people over the most times to win.

It was so hot out! Probably about 90 degrees and I was unfortunately without one of these hats! I had burnt arms by the end of the day!

The PE teacher is a real wacky guy. He won the shoe kicking contest and really ate up the glory. So funny!

Mr. Hong (sometimes referred to as The Gentleman) also did the shoe kicking contest and though his shoe came in second, he kept this same gruff look on his face the whole time, even amid all the cheering students!

Who loves Mung Yeoung Sae Jae? Always beautiful.

One of the events was a hike up to the second gate. Some classes were led by their teachers. This one in particular was super funny. He proudly led with their flag, wearing the class costume, while students marched along behind him.

Phew! Finally reached the second gate!

The last event was a dance battle where each class choreographed their own moves and performed on stage. It was ridiculously hot and I eventually had to abandon my perch with the kids on the grass and seek the shaded teacher's shelter where I eventually fell asleep. lol. I missed nearly half of the dance routines!

Seodaemun Prison

Been busy a little busy lately but wanted to get these photos up so you all could enjoy them. I took a little side trip to the Seoul Seodaemun Prison a couple weeks ago. The prison was used by the Japanese during their occupation of Korea in the 1900's as a sort of concentration camp. Really crazy stuff. They had several very graphic displays of torture techniques in one building's basement as well and "vertical coffins" (used to torture prisoners) for tourist to try out. Most prisoners kept at the prison were rebel fighters and protesters--mostly young university students. The Japanese even had a special underground detention center where they kept and tortured young women "freedom fighters." If any of you ever make it to Seoul, I really encourage you to visit this museum. Koreans are very outspoken about their distaste for Japan--so much so that you'll easily tire of it and start defending Japan!--but this one stop will definitely change your mind and garner a little more sympathy for the hermit nation.

Where three cell blocks converge.

Solitary confinement cells.

Cell number outside the cell block, under the window.

A monument to those who lost their lives at Seodaemun.

Kathmandu...

I think I'm going to Kathmandu.
That's really, really where I'm going to.
If I ever get out of here,
That's what I'm gonna do.
K-k-k-k-k-k Kathmandu.
I think that's really where I'm going to.
If I ever get out of here,
I'm going to Kathmandu.

I got no kick against the west coast.
Warner brothers are such good hosts.
I raise my whiskey glass and give them a toast.
I'm sure they know it's true.
I got no rap against the southern states.
Every time Ive been there it's been great.
But now I'm leaving and I can't be late
And to myself be true.

That's why I'm going to Kathmandu.
Up to the mountains where I'm going to.
And if I ever get out of here,
That's what I'm gonna do.
K-k-k-k-k-k Kathmandu.
That's really, really where I'm going to.
If I ever get out of here,
I'm going to Kathmandu.

I've got no quarrel with the Midwest.
The folks out there have given me their best.
I've lived there all my life;
I've been their guest.
I sure have loved it, too.
I'm tired of looking at the TV news.
I'm tired of driving hard and paying dues
I figure, baby, I've got nothing to lose.
I'm tired of being blue.

That's why I'm going to Kathmandu.
Up to the mountains where I'm going to.
If I ever get out of here,
That's what I'm gonna do.
K-k-k-k-k-k Kathmandu.
Take me, baby, cause I'm going with you.
If I ever get out of here,
I'm going to Kathmandu.

I ain't got nothin gainst the east coast.
You want some people where they got the most!
And new york city's like a friendly ghost;
You seem to pass right through.
I know Im gonna miss the USA.
I guess I'll miss it every single day.
But no one loves me here anyway!
I know my plane is due.
The one that's going to Kathmandu.

Up to the mountains where I'm going to.
If I ever get out of here,
That's what I'm gonna do.
K-k-k-k-k-k Kathmandu.
Really, really, really, going to.
If I ever get out of here,
If I ever get out of here,
If I ever get out of here,
I'm going to Kathmandu.

Yes, I've decided. I'm going to Nepal and India after Korea--not forever though. :) The plan is to arrive in Kathmandu sometime in the first week of September (or the last week of August if I can swing it) and begin my 4-5 month traveling adventure. When I finish traveling, I'm going to Australia for grad school. I know that I've previously said that I would be coming home between the two journeys, but after looking at the costs of flights from India-home and then from home-Australia, I've decided that the trip home isn't worth the cost of those two flights. I would rather use that extra $4,000 or $6,000 to travel and/or put towards grad school. So, sorry folks! I'm a nomad. What did you expect? However, you are all welcome to come see me anytime, anyplace. Australia will be very convenient for you first-time travelers. India and Nepal for those who want an exotic experience. Korea for those who want to see me in a more settled lifestyle and desire a more structured vacation.

I know that my decision is going to really make some people mad but please consider my interests, my life and my money before you start begging me to come home. This is the perfect time for me to travel--just before grad school, the best seasons to visit these countries and I'm not tied to a job anywhere. I have no family to support. I have no major bills to pay (loans can be deferred). I have the money to do what I want. I truthfully don't see myself ever coming back to Washington to live--will always love it, but will never live there again. In fact, I don't see myself living stateside for a long time. My place is out there. I have to be selfish for change. I can't take care of my family. I can't take care of my friends. You all have to take care of yourselves just as I need to take care of myself; the best way for me to do that is to pursue my interests and passions without letting other people hold me back.

Anyway, so there you have it. I'm leaving on a jet plane and don't know when I'll be back again. (Such a musical day!) Happy trails!!

Culture Club

Efficient Korean soap dispensers. Strange, eh?

Lately, my boys in class 1-7 have been surprising me every Friday with a chalk board filled with requests for pizza. I've been occasionally springing a contest on the boy students where the first class to not speak Korean for 50 minutes wins a pizza party. These boys are super cute about it too. I'm going to let them have a second-go tomorrow and hopefully they'll win. I really want them to. (Notice that my name isn't Kortney but rather Copani. lol.)


Another interesting fact about Korea is that EVERYONE is a professional photographer--or at least thinks they are. I've mentioned before how Koreans are obsessed with top of the line equipment (the most materialistic people I've ever met!) and that extends beyond hiking gear and into the camera world too. You will never see a point and shoot camera. Only SLRs. One day I managed to sneak a photo of four people, all in a row, bragging about their gear to each other. Chances are that none of them know how to even use those cameras--it's all about the way you look when holding it. :)

Spam. It's everywhere in Korea. They love it. We're talking LOADS and LOADS of Spam. If Spamalot exists, Koreans live there.

I was rather unlucky to find myself shoved into this one subway train. There must have been around 200 people in there. I had to take a picture and show you just how crowded Korea can be. Imagine squeezing the state of California into Idaho... That's Korea. I had to stick my camera phone up above the crowd and twist around to get this shot.

Thailand Days 13-14: Bangkok and The Tiger Temple

Man! It's taken me sooo long to get this far! I've been dying to blog about this part of my trip! Well, where did we leave off? We left Koh Lao Lieng in the middle of a storm--a big one. In fact, we were stuck on the island in heavy wind and heavy rain for nearly 5 extra hours because our boat escort didn't think it was safe to take the two hour boat ride back. But when it became quite obvious that we could be stuck there for an extra day in the rain, the packed the boat and shoved us on. Glad to know safety was of the utmost importance.

The ride back to Koh Sukorn was a rocky one. When our boat reached the top of 6 ft swells, the wind would whip us sideways and it was a massive fight to keep our boat from entering the next wave diagonally (which would of course flip us). There were a couple moments when people screamed. I was lucky that I sat in the back; I didn't get the full force of our up-and-down journey. I did, however, get to witness the perilous angle in which we road up those waves on and that was enough to keep me holding hands with the girl next to me!

Thankfully we arrived in one piece on the beaches of Koh Sukorn, safely back at our beloved resort. Taking advantage of the restaurant and running water, we all headed into the bungalows for a quick shower before grabbing lunch and one last pina coloda. Then it was back to the boat. :S The trip back to the mainland wasn't quite as harrowing as the wind had significantly died down while we relaxed on Koh Sukorn, but the rain hit us double force and our bags were consequently soaked. They might as well have been dumped in the Adman Sea.

Once we got off the boat, it was a mad dash to the mini-bus and a two hour drive to the train station. When we got there, we walked around in the rain a little bit looking for food and ended up buying some truly amazing sandwiches from a great little Australian owned dagwood shop. Yum! Then it was goodbye to some of our friends--Rosie and James both left us here and went on their way to Koh Phangan (the big party island in Thailand). The rest of us boarded our train for an overnight trip back to Bangkok.

Once we got back to Bangkok, we checked back into our original hotel, went out for food, got a nice massage, and hit the city for a little shopping. Though Bangkok has become a sweltering city of pollution, corruption and scum of every kind (I'm not too fond, can you tell?), I must praise it for it's nice selection of western sized clothes.

The next day was departure day and I still had a few things to do. I needed to visit the Tiger Temple in Kanchanaburi. I heard about this temple from a few friends and that it was a wild place where monks take in orphaned tiger cubs and raise them by hand, thus making them tame enough for tourists to hold and pet. I HAD to check it out!

It was a little complicated getting there. I didn't want to join the full tour bus group and pay for someone to take me to stores and pressure me into scams so I just paid for the transportation at a tourist office down the street from our hotel. Ha. The bus never came. I was sitting there waiting long after the scheduled departure time with nothing to do but wait for the office to open up. In the meantime, I chatted up some tuk-tuk drivers and shared my iPod with them. It was funny. They were so curious about me. :)

When the office finally opened, the got me on another mini-bus headed to the Tiger Temple with a bunch of other people who missed the first one. Who would have known it would take so long. That was the longest ride of my life in a sweltering bus of stinky, sticky people! However, I did meet a nice guy from Germany named Sebastian that was more than happy to spend the day roaming around with me (too bad I didn't take a picture of him). First stop: The River Kwai Bridge.

I can't really remember it's significance. Something about the Japanese invading and never being able to conquer this bridge and lots of people dying here... Something like that. I couldn't really care much less but hey, we got out of the stinky mini-bus and that was okay with me!

One of the cool things was this little train that carried tourists from one side of the bridge to the other. Nothing else uses this track though which makes it all a little too touristy for me. I didn't have the time but would have otherwise loved to have taken the train across. :)

Next stop: the Tiger Temple. Oh, I had no idea what I was in for!! Upon entering, we had to sign waivers saying that we do acknowledge that these animals are all wild and capable of harming people. Any damage to your person or property is your own responsibility. A little unnerving. Made me think twice about doing it. And then I thought: "But I can hold a tiger!!" and I was quick to sign.

Once you entered the temple complex, you were surrounded by wild, free roaming animals: wild boar, peacocks, oxen, water buffalo, cows, deer, chickens, birds of all types, pigs, dogs, everything!! At one point I had a cow follow me quite a ways, begging me to pet him. It was so cute. Wish I could have taken a photo but at this point my camera battery was dead and I was taking pictures with a disposable which meant limited photos. I had to save those for the tigers and I'm glad I did.

Once we arrived at the tiger complex (while all the animals run free, for obvious reasons the tigers are kept separate--though they are pretty much domesticated, they are still hunters), we had two options. The free option: take a few photos with a few tigers as the tiger boys (workers) led you around. The 1,000 Baht option (like $20): take a photo SITTING with all the tigers, with their HEADS in your LAP, get a cool tiger claw belt (it was fake), postcards, and some literature on the temple. Obviously I chose the B1,000 option. I'll let the photos tell the story.

My first photo. I had just sat down and the tiger boy lifted this guy's head, stuck my hand under his jaw and left me there. Shock and awe. My face says it all. Pardon my language but I was scared shitless. That tiger's head was so big and so heavy. I knew that instant that he could have swallowed me whole. What a humbling reminder of my meager existence.

I don't know if you can tell, but my left hand was BARELY touching this guy's back. I could feel his heaving back moving up and down under my hand and I thought: "Oh my God. He's not stuffed. This thing is alive. My hand is under his jaw. What the hell am I doing with a live tiger in my lap?!"

And then I started to relax. This is my favorite photo.

And then I started to have fun. "Rarrr!"

This is my little friend Hobbes.

Check out those teeth!

Eeenie, meanie, minie, moe...

Perhaps the best part was playing with the tiger cubs though. What a joy! They were so cute!

CUTE!!

When we left the Tiger Temple, we were in for a pretty wild ride back to Bangkok. I thought I was for sure going to miss my flight. Bangkok traffic is ridiculous. Third world all the way. Think of Hanoi and add a couple million more people. Far crazier than China. We passed massive wrecks, drove on shoulders, nearly had a head-on collision, and passed sangtheaws packed with people not only under people, but with people on the roof. It was so late by the time we made it back to the hotel. I had only an hour to make it to the airport and it had taken me probably about two hours to go from the airport to the hotel when I arrived. I was sure I wouldn't make it on time. But I did and I met my Aussie friends there for one last goodbye. The flight back was the best flight I've ever had. I fell asleep before take off and didn't wake until after we landed. I've never slept so well or so hard in my life.

Thailand was certainly a trip to remember and one worth taking again. I highly recommend touring the southern islands and trying to get out to the less travelled ones in the far south. Krabi and Phi Phi were both beautiful, but nothing compares to the seclusion of beaches south of Phuket. Next time I go, I'll go alone, but if you're not up for a solo journey, I highly recommend Intrepid. They were great. The itinerary was well thought out, the included meals were good, the tour guide was funny, the experiences were amazing, the price was right, and the group fun. I would definitely travel with them again. If you're interested in traveling with them yourself, click on the link on the right side of my blog under "Make Your Own Path."

And that concludes my trip to Thailand! There are more photos here and more videos here if you want the full story.

Buddha's Birthday

On May 4th, I headed out to Seoul with the Hot Aussie in hopes of catching the Night Lantern Parade in celebration of Buddha's Birthday. (If you haven't guessed yet, yes, I'm dating someone.)

Bosingak Temple: We thought this place was the starting point of the parade but soon realized our mistake--it was actually the finishing point.

Outside the temple, the entire temple complex lay under a sky of lanterns.

I think this Buddha looks like a cartoon character.

Another beautiful door. What is it with me and door decorations?

A monk banging a really big drum.

We saw some really fantastic lanterns at the festival.

Caught in the rain and still waiting for the parade to begin, we ducked into McDonald's for a little bite to eat after almost choking on some truly disgusting chicken-ball street food. When we emerged, the parade had already began and we were able to get a spot on the street for all the action.

Ajumas are sort of the terror of Korea. An Ajuma is an old woman who thinks she is queen and will take no notice if you are in her way. I once heard a story about an ajuma who pushed a bride and stepped on her train when she barged her late self into the middle of a wedding. I've had a few run-ins myself. This picture makes me think of Seoul's ajuma un-dead, roaming the streets at night with lanterns as they search for souls to eat. Muwahaha!

One some-what frustrating part of the festival parade was the constant route changes. We think the parade entries were being separated by vehicles/floats and walking groups as the parade moved toward the temple because one set seemed to continue down the same street while the other turned the corner and moved toward Bosingak. Consequently, we were constantly on the move. But that wasn't too bad I guess. We did get some exercise and it did keep us warm since the night was a little chilly.... This particular float (pictured above) was really cool. The dragons shot flames from their mouths!

A really big elephant lantern. There were also dinosaurs. :)

It was a pretty fun evening but we were beat by the end. There was a lot to see and a lot of running around too. But we did run into a few friends and had a good time observing one of Korea's special cultural traditions.

Hot Aussie in the flesh with your's truly. :)