Cambodia. I don't even know where to begin. My senses were bombarded at each moment I was in the country and I don't think they've had a chance to completely settle down and process yet. My experience in Cambodia was often a contradiction. From the moment we stepped over the border we were aware of how corrupt and impoverished the country is. Yet over the few (too few) days we spent there, we saw the beauty of the landscape, the rich historical legacy of Angkor Wat, and the infectious smiles of the people. I ended up loving a city that had turned me off and made me incredibly uncomfortable at first glance. I cursed the nagging tuk-tuk driver but then let my heart break looking into the pleading eyes of begging children. It was overwhelming but the lure of the country may be in its chaos.
Jake and I met in Bangkok and woke up at 5am to set out on the journey to cross the border into Cambodia. Little did we know how much of an adventure it would be. We took a train from Bangkok to the border city in Thailand. A tuk-tuk brought us to the "border" where casually dressed men told us they were the Immigration Officers and we needed to pay then $40 to get our visas. Luckily we didnt get sucked into the trap like the numerous people around us, and walked away to find the true border.
Unfortunately the attempt to scam us didn't end there. The border officers demanded we pay 1,000 Thai Baht (around $30) for the visa although a sign on the wall clearly said "20 USD." We had no option but to pay it and cross the border. Once there, the immigration officers told us to get on the "free shuttle" to the "public" bus station. We soon found out that there is no public bus in Cambodia and a private bus company pretty much runs a monopoly on buses from the border to Siem Reap. After overpaying for a ticket and being told we would be leaving w/in 30 minutes, we sat on a bus for a few hours. We realized they were waiting til they could fill the bus before they would go. Right as I was about ready to hitchhike my way to Siem Reap, the bus took off.
We were visiting Siem Reap for the purpose of seeing Angkor Wat (For info on it check out this link:http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Angkor_Wat ) . We arrived at night and immediately found a tuk tuk driver to bring us to Angkor Wat the next morning. We woke up at 5am to catch the sun rising over the ancient temples. Getting there so early ended up being quite nice. The sunrise was beautiful and we essentially had the place to ourselves for most of the morning. We got to see a lot of the temple complex before the crowds and the heat set in.
That evening we caught a bus to Phnom Pehn. We arrived after dark without a place to stay. At the bus stop about 30 tuk-tuk drivers were all screaming and hollering at us to ride with them. We picked a hostel out of Lonely Planet and asked the driver to bring us there. The area felt pretty shady so we looked around at a few others. We ended up finding a guest house we felt safe in, though we didn't love the city at all. We woke up early the next morning to catch a bus to Sihanoukville.
Sihanoukville is a beach city on the southern coast of Cambodia. It was not at all as developed as the beaches of Thailand, but the area has potential to bring in a lot of tourism. The beaches are quite beautiful. We stayed there for 2 nights, finally getting to relax and enjoy ourselves. Despite the pretty beaches and the attempt to create a "resort-like" feel, it was still very obvious we were in Cambodia. Every five minutes a child would come by, either trying to sell something or beg for money.
We decided to give Phnom Penh one more try, and went back there a day before my flight out. We found the nicer area of town and actually really enjoyed it. We stayed along the river and enjoyed just soaking in Cambodian culture. We spent the morning at The Killing Fields, a monument to the millions of people killed during the war. The Khmer Rouge murdered thousands of people during their reign, and a mass grave was uncovered in the 1980s. The skulls found were collected and put into a glass tower, to show the brutality of Khmer Rouge. It was difficult to see, but it gave more insight into the country. Cambodians are still struggling to recover after a terrible part of their history.
After the Killing Fields, we just wandered around the city for a bit, taking pictures of the markets and temples. I wish we had had more time there, as I was just starting to really get a feel for the country. While it was often uncomfortable and definitely not a glamorous vacation spot, I really enjoyed spending that time in Cambodia.
Thursday, December 17, 2009
Tuesday, December 8, 2009
Adventure: Northern Thailand
It has unfortunately been QUITE a while since I posted. I got caught up in my last few weeks in Korea. As most of you know, I decided to end my year in Seoul early and will be heading home by Christmas.
I finished teaching November 30th and am spending a few weeks in Southeast Asia before I fly back to St. Louis on December 19th.
The first leg of my journey was to Northern Thailand, to a city called Chiang Mai. It took 3 flights to get from Seoul to Chang Mai so I arrived quite late. Luckily I had a hostel picked out and was able to get there quite easily. I immediately signed up to go out on a trek the next morning.
At 9am, a hooded pick up truck with two long benches in the back picked me up at my hostel. The trek was led by a man from the Lahu tribe, a hill-tribe located a few hours outside of Chiang Mai. Eleven of us were piled into the back of the truck and driven to the hills.
Our first activity was elephant riding. Originally, I was very excited about the idea of getting to ride an elephant. I purposely sought out a trek that involved riding elephants that were treated well. I saw no visible signs of abuse, but it didn't seem like the elephants were really respected or treated as well as the advertisement led me to believe.
After elephant riding, we set off on a 3 hour hike to a mountain peak where the Lahu people live. (for more information on the hill tribes, check this out: (http://www.1stopchiangmai.com/culture/hill_tribes/). The hike was absolutely beautiful! I'll be sure to post pics as soon as I get a chance to load them.
When we arrived in the village, we were brought to our accommodations for the night- a bamboo hut. We slept on mattresses under a mosquito net. It was actually quite pleasant, though I'm not quite sure what it would be like during the rainy season. The bamboo of the roof did not cover everything and I am sure if it rained we would've been soaked!
Though it was interesting to see the tribal village, we didn't really get to interact with the Lahu people beyond them trying to sell us massages and jewelery. It felt a bit intrusive to be staying on their land, though I understand that allowing us to do so is a major source of income for an impoverished people.
The next morning we woke up and starting hiking back down the mountain. Halfway down we stopped to swim in a gorgeous waterfall. After another hour we came to a river where we were able to white water raft and bamboo raft. I am sure the white water rafting was not nearly as intense as it is elsewhere, but it was a really fun first-time experience. When the water became very calm, we climbed onto long bamboo rafts and peacefully floated down the river.
After the rafting, we ate lunch and got back into the truck to head back to Chiang Mai. All in all, it was an amazing experience. I felt that it was a bit "canned,"as many travel agencies organize treks like this, but given the short amount of time I had in Northern Thailand, it was the best way to see as much as possible in a short time.
My last day in Chiang Mai I woke up early to take a Thai cooking class. We got to go to the market and learn how to choose the vegetables and food we would be using. Afterward, we were taught how to make three dishes. I chose Pad Thai, Spring Rolls, and a Coconut Milk soup. It was really fun to learn and we were given cookbooks so hopefully I can recreate some of the delicious food at home (hopefully...).
After the class, I spent a few hours wandering the town. I wanted to get a traditional Thai massage but was debating where to get it done. I found out that the Women's Prison has a rehabilitation program involving massage. Inmates who are scheduled to be released within 6 months are taught the art of Thai massage. They have a center next to the prison where the women give massages. All the earnings are saved for when they are released. This way, they are trained and have a legal profession and some money to start a good life when they are released. I thought this was a cool cause, so I went in for a massage. For $5, I got an hour long full body massage. It was fantastic and I'm debating if I'm going to be able to leave Southeast Asia and the wonderful and inexpensive massages.
That evening I caught a flight to Bangkok where I met up with Jake. We stayed there one night and head out on quite an adventure the next morning to cross the border into Cambodia.
And that is a story for the next post!
I finished teaching November 30th and am spending a few weeks in Southeast Asia before I fly back to St. Louis on December 19th.
The first leg of my journey was to Northern Thailand, to a city called Chiang Mai. It took 3 flights to get from Seoul to Chang Mai so I arrived quite late. Luckily I had a hostel picked out and was able to get there quite easily. I immediately signed up to go out on a trek the next morning.
At 9am, a hooded pick up truck with two long benches in the back picked me up at my hostel. The trek was led by a man from the Lahu tribe, a hill-tribe located a few hours outside of Chiang Mai. Eleven of us were piled into the back of the truck and driven to the hills.
Our first activity was elephant riding. Originally, I was very excited about the idea of getting to ride an elephant. I purposely sought out a trek that involved riding elephants that were treated well. I saw no visible signs of abuse, but it didn't seem like the elephants were really respected or treated as well as the advertisement led me to believe.
After elephant riding, we set off on a 3 hour hike to a mountain peak where the Lahu people live. (for more information on the hill tribes, check this out: (http://www.1stopchiangmai.com/culture/hill_tribes/). The hike was absolutely beautiful! I'll be sure to post pics as soon as I get a chance to load them.
When we arrived in the village, we were brought to our accommodations for the night- a bamboo hut. We slept on mattresses under a mosquito net. It was actually quite pleasant, though I'm not quite sure what it would be like during the rainy season. The bamboo of the roof did not cover everything and I am sure if it rained we would've been soaked!
Though it was interesting to see the tribal village, we didn't really get to interact with the Lahu people beyond them trying to sell us massages and jewelery. It felt a bit intrusive to be staying on their land, though I understand that allowing us to do so is a major source of income for an impoverished people.
The next morning we woke up and starting hiking back down the mountain. Halfway down we stopped to swim in a gorgeous waterfall. After another hour we came to a river where we were able to white water raft and bamboo raft. I am sure the white water rafting was not nearly as intense as it is elsewhere, but it was a really fun first-time experience. When the water became very calm, we climbed onto long bamboo rafts and peacefully floated down the river.
After the rafting, we ate lunch and got back into the truck to head back to Chiang Mai. All in all, it was an amazing experience. I felt that it was a bit "canned,"as many travel agencies organize treks like this, but given the short amount of time I had in Northern Thailand, it was the best way to see as much as possible in a short time.
My last day in Chiang Mai I woke up early to take a Thai cooking class. We got to go to the market and learn how to choose the vegetables and food we would be using. Afterward, we were taught how to make three dishes. I chose Pad Thai, Spring Rolls, and a Coconut Milk soup. It was really fun to learn and we were given cookbooks so hopefully I can recreate some of the delicious food at home (hopefully...).
After the class, I spent a few hours wandering the town. I wanted to get a traditional Thai massage but was debating where to get it done. I found out that the Women's Prison has a rehabilitation program involving massage. Inmates who are scheduled to be released within 6 months are taught the art of Thai massage. They have a center next to the prison where the women give massages. All the earnings are saved for when they are released. This way, they are trained and have a legal profession and some money to start a good life when they are released. I thought this was a cool cause, so I went in for a massage. For $5, I got an hour long full body massage. It was fantastic and I'm debating if I'm going to be able to leave Southeast Asia and the wonderful and inexpensive massages.
That evening I caught a flight to Bangkok where I met up with Jake. We stayed there one night and head out on quite an adventure the next morning to cross the border into Cambodia.
And that is a story for the next post!
Monday, November 9, 2009
Simple Pleasures
Every once in a while I find myself really craving Western comforts. Seoul is a very modern city and in general it is quite comfortable here, though there are always going to be things that are not quite the same. Over the months I've really started noticing what things I take for granted in the States and how excited I get when I get those things here. For example:
1. Cheese. Good cheese is not exactly a common food here. I'm able to find cheddar and pepper jack, but you have to pay a decent price for it.
2. Showers. Most bathrooms in Korea have a shower head that just hangs in the bathroom and drain in the middle of the room. It's really not too bad to shower, but the bathroom is soaked for the rest of the day.
3. American breakfast food. A typical breakfast in Korea includes rice and kimchi. For this reason, I eat a lot of cereal. However, this weekend we found a restaurant serving eggs, bacon, pancakes, waffle, hash browns, etc. I was actually giddy with excitment.
4. COFFEE. While Koreans drink a lot of coffee, they drink instant coffee. Everywhere you go you find little packets of instant coffee mixed with an obscene amount of sugar and cream. The American restaurant had drip coffee, and though it was $4 a cup and far too weak, it was heavenly.
5. Toilets. Many public bathrooms in Seoul have squat toilets rather than toilet seats. This may seem to be an old thing, but even brand new bathrooms are built with squatters.
6. Throwing toilet paper in the toilet. While on the subject of toilets, most of the plumbing in Korea was not built to deal with toilet paper. For this reason, you have to throw your toilet paper i the trashcan.
7. Stars. With all the lights and pollution of a huge metropolis Seoul, seeing a star is an impossibility in the city.
8. Liquid soap. While liquid soap is available here, it is very common to have public bathrooms with bar soap. While its exciting enough to find a public bathroom with soap in general, I'm not a huge fan of sharing a bar of soap with hundreds of people.
1. Cheese. Good cheese is not exactly a common food here. I'm able to find cheddar and pepper jack, but you have to pay a decent price for it.
2. Showers. Most bathrooms in Korea have a shower head that just hangs in the bathroom and drain in the middle of the room. It's really not too bad to shower, but the bathroom is soaked for the rest of the day.
3. American breakfast food. A typical breakfast in Korea includes rice and kimchi. For this reason, I eat a lot of cereal. However, this weekend we found a restaurant serving eggs, bacon, pancakes, waffle, hash browns, etc. I was actually giddy with excitment.
4. COFFEE. While Koreans drink a lot of coffee, they drink instant coffee. Everywhere you go you find little packets of instant coffee mixed with an obscene amount of sugar and cream. The American restaurant had drip coffee, and though it was $4 a cup and far too weak, it was heavenly.
5. Toilets. Many public bathrooms in Seoul have squat toilets rather than toilet seats. This may seem to be an old thing, but even brand new bathrooms are built with squatters.
6. Throwing toilet paper in the toilet. While on the subject of toilets, most of the plumbing in Korea was not built to deal with toilet paper. For this reason, you have to throw your toilet paper i the trashcan.
7. Stars. With all the lights and pollution of a huge metropolis Seoul, seeing a star is an impossibility in the city.
8. Liquid soap. While liquid soap is available here, it is very common to have public bathrooms with bar soap. While its exciting enough to find a public bathroom with soap in general, I'm not a huge fan of sharing a bar of soap with hundreds of people.
Thursday, October 29, 2009
Hiking Adventures
After joining two hiking groups in Seoul, I've spent the last two weekends on hiking trips. Two weeks ago I went on a 24 hour trip to Mindungsan. We left at midnight and drove through the night. We started hiking around 4:30am and hiked til about noon. The hike was supposed to be quite beautiful, but unfortunately we did not have great weather. We got to the peak and could only see about 10 feet ahead of us. I took a picture of the sign showing what the view should've been (notice what the view actually was).
Although the view was a disappointing, the hike itself was still a good workout and we enjoyed ourselves. After the hike, we went to the town of Jeongseon for a special market. The group leader created a scavenger hunt for us and we had a great time trying to get pictures of everything we needed to find. It was particularly fun because it created the opportunity to connect with Koreans. For example, one item on the list was to get a picture drinking makkoli (rice wine) with ajussi (old Korean men). We found a table of them and gestured that we wanted to get a picture with them. A few of them spoke English and they shared their homemade wine and were happy to help with our scavenger hunt.
Although the weather wasn't great, the trip was a success and we had a great time.
This past weekend I went on a slightly longer trip to one of the highest mountains in Korea, Seoraksan. We left at midnight, drove through the night, and got up to hike around 6am. The trip was split into two groups- a group doing the whole hike in one day and staying at a motel that night, and a group hiking to the peak in one day, camping on the mountain, and coming down the next morning. Since I don't have any camping gear here (and the idea of sleeping outside in sub-zero temperatures didn't sound too appealing), I decided to join the group hiking the mountain in one day.
This was definitely the most challenging hike of my life. We hiked 18km in 12 hours. We took the shorter route to the top (4 hours) but it was very steep. At one point I was hiking by a Korean ajumma (old woman) who was using her hands and feet to get up the mountain. She looked at me and cried "oh my goddddd." I don't think she spoke any more English than that phrase, but it made me laugh for a good 10 minutes.
When we reached the peak, we were met with another disappointing view. It was absolutely freezing so we moved through quickly and stopped for lunch in a heated shelter. We then started on the 8 hour trek down the mountain (we took a different route than we took up). The views on the way down were spectacular. The changing fall colors were absolutely gorgeous.
Thursday, October 15, 2009
adventure: bungee jumping
After my wonderful trip to China, I was prepared to deal with the not so wonderful side effect: "quarantine." My school decided that since I was putting myself at a greater risk for H1N1 by traveling abroad, I would not be allowed to work for a week after my return. I was pretty upset about this, given the loss of income. I sat down with my boss with facts, showing that there are more cases of H1N1 confirmed in South Korea than in China, and I'm really at no greater risk traveling than I am taking the subway here in Seoul. However, H1N1 is not something to be messed with here.. so the decision remained.
Another coworker, Jake, traveled to Japan over the holiday, so we decided to take the week to do things in Seoul we don't often get the chance to do. We went to a university one day to have lunch and see what campus life is like, we hiked a bit on a mountain in the city, and best of all: we went bungee jumping.
Bungee jumping has always been on the "things I want to do" list, but I am not sure why. I was terrified by the concept and honestly, still am. I'm not sure I ever would've sought out the opportunity to do it, but a lot of my friends have bungee jumped here in Seoul and its relatively inexpensive. We went on a gorgeous day, and from the ground, the platform didn't seem too bad. I was excited as I was putting on my harness and getting ready to go. Once I was in the elevator to the top, and saw how high up we were going, I started shaking.
I reached the top, listened to the instructions, and walked to the end of the platform. Once there, I looked down, and decided there was no possible way I could do it. The concept of jumping was an impossibility. I looked at the guy and said "sorry.. I can't." He didn't speak much English, but he responded with "I go to count from 5: 5....4...3....2...1" and I jumped! I'm not sure what came over me, but I was able to do it.
I kind of expected the jump to be terrifying but the fall itself to be amazing. That wasn't exactly the case. Free falling was an intense feeling. After I got back to the ground, it took about 20 minutes for me to fully calm down. Afterward, I was exhilarated. I had faced a fear and survived it.
Now that I conquered that one- I really want to sky dive next :)
Another coworker, Jake, traveled to Japan over the holiday, so we decided to take the week to do things in Seoul we don't often get the chance to do. We went to a university one day to have lunch and see what campus life is like, we hiked a bit on a mountain in the city, and best of all: we went bungee jumping.
Bungee jumping has always been on the "things I want to do" list, but I am not sure why. I was terrified by the concept and honestly, still am. I'm not sure I ever would've sought out the opportunity to do it, but a lot of my friends have bungee jumped here in Seoul and its relatively inexpensive. We went on a gorgeous day, and from the ground, the platform didn't seem too bad. I was excited as I was putting on my harness and getting ready to go. Once I was in the elevator to the top, and saw how high up we were going, I started shaking.
I reached the top, listened to the instructions, and walked to the end of the platform. Once there, I looked down, and decided there was no possible way I could do it. The concept of jumping was an impossibility. I looked at the guy and said "sorry.. I can't." He didn't speak much English, but he responded with "I go to count from 5: 5....4...3....2...1" and I jumped! I'm not sure what came over me, but I was able to do it.
I kind of expected the jump to be terrifying but the fall itself to be amazing. That wasn't exactly the case. Free falling was an intense feeling. After I got back to the ground, it took about 20 minutes for me to fully calm down. Afterward, I was exhilarated. I had faced a fear and survived it.
Now that I conquered that one- I really want to sky dive next :)
Friday, October 9, 2009
adventure: China (part 2)
Alright, one final post on the trip to China.
Our last day and a half in China included shopping at the Silk Street Market, seeing a Chinese Acrobats show, and visiting the Temple of Heaven.
Our last day and a half in China included shopping at the Silk Street Market, seeing a Chinese Acrobats show, and visiting the Temple of Heaven.
I found myself noticing a lot of things about China and differences between China and Korea during those last days. I found China to be a lot more laid back than Korea is. Women in China are not constantly in heels, as Korean women are, and there is more of a sense of ease in Beijing than there is in Seoul.
One of the most interesting things I noticed was kind of odd.. Chinese toddlers do not wear diapers. Instead, they wear pants with a giant slit through the crotch so they can relieve themselves wherever they are. Walking down the street it was very common to see a child squatting and we learned to avoid the puddles all over the city.
All in all, Beijing was a great experience and I am so glad I had the opportunity to go.
adventure: The Great Wall of China
On Saturday of our trip, we woke up bright and early to head to the Great Wall. There are a few options of portions of the wall to see, but we decided to go to the farthest one away from Beijing. This part of the wall (hiking from Jinshanling to Simatai) isn't quite as touristy as the parts closer to Beijing, and the wall isn't restored.
A bus picked us up at 6am and we drove 4 hours to Jinshanling. From there, we took a cable car up to the Wall and set off on the four hour hike to Simatai. I was blown away as soon as we stepped foot on the wall. It was like nothing I've ever experienced. It was absolutely gorgeous, stretching miles into the mountains. It also was just awe-inspiring to be standing in a place you've read about since childhood.
The hike was definitely not easy. It was very steep and parts of the wall are falling apart. It was worth every second of it though. We ran into some friends while hiking, and even saw the couple from Missouri we had met on the flight! We took a "Missouri" picture of all of us: 2 from MU, 1 from Stephens, 1 from SLU, and 1 from Truman.
A bus picked us up at 6am and we drove 4 hours to Jinshanling. From there, we took a cable car up to the Wall and set off on the four hour hike to Simatai. I was blown away as soon as we stepped foot on the wall. It was like nothing I've ever experienced. It was absolutely gorgeous, stretching miles into the mountains. It also was just awe-inspiring to be standing in a place you've read about since childhood.
The hike was definitely not easy. It was very steep and parts of the wall are falling apart. It was worth every second of it though. We ran into some friends while hiking, and even saw the couple from Missouri we had met on the flight! We took a "Missouri" picture of all of us: 2 from MU, 1 from Stephens, 1 from SLU, and 1 from Truman.
At the end of the hike, you could either walk back down to ground level, or take a zip line. Although I was a bit nervous, I did the zip line and it was awesome. My friend Kristina and I went down together, and she took a video of it. As soon as I get it from her, I'll post it on here :)
Basically the whole experience was absolutely wonderful and definitely is up there on the list of best travel experiences ever.
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