Seoul to Kuala Lumpur

Our original plan to fly from Seoul to Bangkok was changed when we found a flight for $200 bucks less by flying to Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Air Asia, we love you! Your cheap flights, charges depending on which seat you choose, your ridiculously expensive plane food and your tiny a** seats, in the end we still love your prices.

I can’t really think of a better way to end the adventure that was Korea besides sleeping on a bus terminal floor, catching the earliest train to the airport, taking numerous wrong trains and sprinting to the boarding area just before the plane doors shut! Korea, overall, was a great experience. Living abroad and seeing the world changes people. You expose yourself to new people and situations and it all forces you to grow. In the end it all seems worth it. We are excited to see the world! 

The first stop on this new journey is Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia! Thank goodness we had our Lonely Planet and some helpful advice from a new transplant to the city/old friend from home. We stayed at Wheelers Guest House in Chinatown. Each guest house in the area has a representative luring people inside to show what they have to offer. After viewing a few different places and hearing their prices, we knew Wheelers was the best deal in town. We paid about 45 ringgit a night ($15). That is not bad for Kuala Lumpur but a pretty penny compared to the other countries in this area. We met this particular rep outside of Reggae Bar. Why wouldn’t we follow a young lad whom we’ve just met up three flights of stairs in a grimy, old building? Exactly our thoughts. Wheelers turned out to be more than we could have asked for. We were greeted by a hippie Santa Claus with a Malaysian twist. The type that could of hailed from the backpacking streets of Southeast Asia himself. The lobby/dining area was filled with fish tanks and cages with all sorts of creatures including a long-necked turtle, an alligator gar and snakehead fish! “YES”, my insides screamed, this place is the perfect match.

Wheelers Guest House

The last few days have been a blur, filled with numerous street stall meals, bargain shopping in night markets, and the detox from what has been the last year of life. We arrived on a Saturday and spent that night exploring our area. Chinatown has a great bustling night market, filled with more fakes than you can imagine. The main street is called Jalan Petaling, and you can’t miss it from the main street. I had to hold out on this one; I’ve heard what Bangkok has to offer. We were told Malaysia has some of the best food because of the mix of cultural influence. No complaints here. It was all amazing! Jalan Alor was another good food street and supposedly the most famous in KL.

Day two was spent making our way out to the Batu Caves. Only a 45 minute bus ride and we were dropped off in front of 272 steps to enter the cave. We were greeted by a giant Hindu statue. The monkeys made the steps look easy! The caves were breathtaking. There is something to be said about a place that takes the words from your mouth and the thoughts from your mind. After being blessed by a monk, we walked out as if we were floating! It was another successful day of this amazing adventure!

Batu Caves

Monkeys all over the stairs!

Day three and four didn’t involve as many steps, but an equal amount of exercise nonetheless.  We spent most of these days eating ourselves into a coma. It was heaven! We gave ourselves one last taste of consumerism  with a trip to BB Plaza before hitting the beaches of Thailand. A friend from Seattle happens to be living and doing business out here in Malaysia. To see a familiar face felt so good. What a great way to start our trip! Drinks were had along Changkat Bukit Biritang and the laughter was intoxicating. I hope this is what the next couple of weeks hold for us.

Now we’re on the fourth indefinite delay of our train departure. Part of travel is the experience, so here’s to wrapping yourself in a good book and using your pack as a pillow. Until next time…..

I can't believe we haven't blogged since July! We have finished our contract with Avalon and are on our Southeast Asia travels! Had to get in a few pictures with my students before we headed off! Korea has taught me so many things, but most of all to mold yourself to your situation and thrive in it. The rewards are endless with a little bit of hard work and dedication!

Sometimes you have to learn to just have fun!

Youngsters Chelsea and Tenny!

The most advanced students at our campus spent a  term learning how to write a  research paper! Great job Alex, Bella, Isabel, Yuri and Alice! 

Self-timer perfection!

GOODBYE KOREA!

July 4th and Pierrot Strike

In true American style for July 4th we found a patch of cement, grabbed some beer and enjoyed blowing s%&# up to celebrate. We ended up having a decent group of Americans to spent it with and even our favorite Scotsman!



We had originally planned to take a river cruise to celebrate my birthday, but the rain would not let up. After some searching, I found a place called Pierrot Strike in Apgujeong. We love to explore new places and don't mind dragging other foreigners along! This place was a bit pricey and the service was a bit off, but the darts, pool and disco bowling made up for it! A game of bowling was 5,000 won per person and the shoe rental was 1,500 won. They didn't offer Cass, but did sell Bud on tap for 7,000 a glass! Get in early because we waited over 3 hours for a lane! It was a very good birthday overall!





Great form Serg!

My birthday buddy, Dickie!

Samcheong dong

The countdown to departure has begun! One rainy afternoon, we dusted off some of our travel guides (thinking we should try and make the most of our last few weekends), and searched for a new spot to tuck into. Lonely Planet Seoul provided a very detailed walking tour in between the palaces. We stumbled upon Samcheong dong and loved it! It is just up the road from the tourist haven that is Insadong. Samcheong is filled with art galleries, cafes, boutiques and the super chic. This area has a very interesting juxtaposition of old and new Korea. Most of the buildings are part of the Bukchon Hanok Village. These traditional houses are called 'hanok' and date back to the Joseon Dynasty (1392-1910). While the exterior seems traditional, the interior boasts of something modern and innovative. One coffee shop we stumbled into was truly an experience. We were given the menu and first asked to pick a bean. The list was from all over the world, including Kenya, Costa Rica, and even Yemen! After that, we were asked to choose the brewing method. Of course the menu was all in Korean, so pictures helped a lot in this bit. Neither french press nor a traditional espresso machine were choices. Here they pictured all sorts of single-serve methods, each accompanied with an astronomical price! The coffee was delicious and well worth the twenty minute wait!

The menus were all written by hand. 

Strolling through the streets we noticed the overabundance of Italian restaurants. While they had plenty of traditional Korean food, every other door seemed to read  'Wine, Pizza, Pasta, Salad'. We tried one called Flora, which they advertised as belonging to a Korean chef with loads of awards under his belt. The red wine was wonderful, the fried mozzarella life changing and the spinach smoked cheese pasta was to die for! Living so much out of our normal element, it sure was nice to have a meal where the courses were separate and our water glasses were...well, glasses... and not paper cups. Samcheong you have won us over!

Old...

... meets new!

To get there go to Anguk station exit 5 and walk to the first corner. Take a right and follow the stone wall until it opens up to shops and restaurants. Enjoy!

Old Tea Shop, Insadong

The rainy season is upon us here is South Korea. Being from the Pacific Northwest we thought we had seen all types of rain, but we were wrong. It rains sideways here! We set out for one of Korea's most famous tea shops. All of the traditional tea shops are located in the tourist area of Insadong, but we were surprised when we found this spot to be a hidden gem full of birds flying around! It is called the Old Tea Shop. Hidden down one of Insadong's many side streets was a creaky old staircase leading to a little piece of Korea we will never forget. We tucked ourselves away in one of the corners, watched the rain fall, tried to talk to the birds and sipped on pear tea just like the Joseon kings would. We left feeling we had experienced a bit of Korean culture we had been craving since our arrival.

The bathroom with rocks at your feet and an open bowl with some fish swimming around. Reason enough to make a visit.

Hwaseong Fortress, Suwon

One of our favorite Saturday afternoon activities in walking around the Hwaseong Fortress in Suwon. It is a UNESCO World Cultural Heritage Site and is the only fully intact fortress wall in all of Korea! This weekend we jumped on the 66-4 bus (the 66 and 10 also make this journey) with some of our new friends, Meredith and Stuart from Portland! Pacific Northwest- woohoo! The fortress is about 5.52km around, and houses many military facilities from the Joseon Dynasty (1392-1910). The story of why it was built is an interesting one...

The wall was built in the late 18th century by King Jeongjo of the Joseon Dynasty to honour and house the remains of his father Prince Sado, who had been murdered by being locked alive inside a rice chest by his own father King Yeongjo having failed to obey his command to commit suicide.



Korean Wine Train

Some friends invited us along this weekend on our first trip to a Korean winery. The tour started with a train ride through the countryside with unlimited wine! The tasting started at 10am- yes, you read that correctly, 10 IN THE MORNING! After a few hours on the train, we were bused to an lunch buffet with more unlimited wine. The afternoon was spent touring the "winery" and relaxing in a "wine foot spa". The website advertised this "wonderful and relaxing foot spa" to be in some type of special "healing wine". They thought they could fool us drunk foreigners! It was a tub painted dark purple on the inside and filled with hot water!! We are not that tossed my friends! You can't fool us - drunk googles or not!



Wine foot spa-HA!


The Chataeu Mani Winery was pleasant enough, though it did not rival Napa or anything. It was sure nice to get out of the city. On the way back to the train station we took a stop at a museum with traditional Korean instruments and the world's largest drum (according to our guide). The train ride back had more unlimited wine and by 9pm we were finishEE!

Wine and Cinema Train



The extent of our winery tour




World's Largest Drum (they claim it is in the Guinness Book of World Records)



Visit Korea is the tourist organization that put together our day! LOVES

Lately..

It has been far too long since the last post. No excuses. I clearly need to get back on the horse!


Here is a bit of what we have been up to.

 1) Discovering where the Korean weirdos hang out. Finally, I am home.

Saturday Hongik University Art Market=EPIC

2) A soundless stroll through Seodaemun Prison.

 3) War Memorial of Korea. Both educational and a bit humerous. Nothing like Korean children climbing around in war wreckage.

 4) Newspaper pom poms and orange plastic bag-hats at a Lotte Giants game. I've never seen fans more dedicated.

 5) Swallowed up by the masses at the Cherry Blossom Festival

 8) Group cutting of the cake at a Korean wedding

7) Motivational words from a Korean backside during my first race

 8) Endless nights at the noraebang

 9) Tandem biking the Han

 10) Women's Race at the World Cup Stadium

11) Running a 10K with a Scotsman in a kilt

 11) Weekend trips across the world to attend a wedding

Alex and Megan Gonzalez 5.22.2011

 12) $5,000 burgers at Korea's only greasy spoon

 13) Mozzarella balls at Namsan Tower for our anniversary



It has been an eventful few months. We only have a few more months in Korea. Our next destination? Southeast Asia.

Demilitarized Zone Tour

At last, we made our way to the DMZ (Korean Demilitarized Zone) that separates the North from the South. We went on a tour through the USO and are glad we did! We've heard Korean drivers can't actually take you into the DMZ, but with the USO we were transferred to a US Military bus and were taken to the Joint Security Area (JSA), Conference Row, one of the tunnels and a few other observatory stations. When we arrived we were given a briefing by a US solider at the JSA building. This gave us a short history and current detail of the situation between the North and the South. From there we were taken to Conference Row where we saw soldiers (from both sides) standing guard with a few blue buildings separating them. These buildings were established to house talks between the two sides. 

After that you are taken to an observation point where you can see North Korea's peace village, Kijong-dong. Both sides have peace villages; however with modern technology the North's has been found to be more of an illusion. It was built to appear as if it was a bustling city! With buildings closely together, propaganda pouring from the speakers and their flag waving proudly on the world’s second-tallest flag pole standing 525 feet (160 m) high (the flag itself weighs 595 lbs), they obviously wanted life to seem normal and modern. In reality, the buildings are far apart, without window glass or interior rooms, the lights are turned on and off at random times electronically and there are only few who seem to maintain the upkeep of the public spaces.

After a quick lunch we headed to the tunnel portion of our tour. The tunnels were built by the North to aid in their planned invasion of the South. With our hard hats on, we made our way down the Third Tunnel of four discovered by South Korea. This one was discovered based on information given by a North Korean defector. After that we went on to see Dorasan Station. This is the only train station that, one day, will connect the South to the North. South Korea's construction of this site hopes to send a message of future reunification and peacetime between the two.

Having been untouched for the past 50 years, the space between the North and South seems to have fostered one of the most well-preserved temperate habitats in the world. There are many endangered animals and plant species living in the DMZ. The flourishing biodiversity should continue to be preserved well after unification. Overall, it was an educational experience and one I will never forget! This visit gave me hope for Korea's future, but reminded me of the very real threat of division.



Our briefing from the US Military.



ROK soliders inside the DMZ.

At the Third Tunnel site.