The Seoul of Korea

Seoul is a heart. A pulsating, beating, heart. Blood comes in, and goes out, without hesitation. The heart is the most used muscle in the body. It works hard... It works fast... and it works efficiently.

The subway, buses, taxis, motorbikes, and commuter cars flow together like cells, never halting. Traffic weaves together... in, out, around. People pushing carts filled with the wares that provide their livelihood fill the crosswalk as soon as the lights change. For a brief moment, the streets change ownership. Unlike the haphazard mess that is called driving in India or Thailand, Korea actually has a method to the madness. Everything runs like a well-oiled machine...like a heart.

Similar to other large cities in this world, the people of Seoul are always in a hurry to get to where they're going. Being a tourist means being in the way. If you visit the heart of Korea, feel free to meander and peruse your surroundings, by all means... but be careful not to get in anyone's way! There is no such thing as personal space here, and many bumps and shoves will be accidental. Some, on the other hand, will be entirely on purpose. If you're in someone's way, they will not stop or slow down to give you your space. In truth, where you're standing is not your space. You just happen to be occupying it at the time!

Don't get me wrong - everyone I've met here has been extremely nice. In general, Koreans don't seem to be very tolerant of tourists. This is just in comparison to other places of course. I don't mean they are negative towards tourists, they just don't take the time to really go out of their way to make you comfortable in their city like the people of say, Siem Reap Cambodia, Bled Slovenia or Reykjavik Iceland. For a good comparison, you can think of Seoul being the New York City of Korea. Too many people in one place make the addition of more people more of an annoyance than a novelty.

The impact of the Korean War is evident today... Both through the memorials and the people. Sang, the minister at the local congregation I visited, is originally from North Korea. His family was able to leave and settle in the rural area of South Korea and he now lives in Seoul. He has family members that he never knew, because they were unable to escape from North Korea. Much like The Civil War of the United States, brothers fought against brothers. The war tore families apart, and with nothing truly resolved between the two countries, families were left asunder. A war memorial that depicts this in Seoul is called the Statue of Brothers. It shows an older brother, a North Korean officer, meeting his younger brother, a South Korean soldier, on the battlefield. Their embrace is a powerful example of reconciliation, love, and forgiveness. 

Statue of Brothers

The weather has been somewhat unexpectedly frigid. I firmly believe that 30° in Alabama feels far more warm than the same temperature in South Korea. I'm not sure why, because I never wanted to be a meteorologist, but I'm not too happy about it! Now, when people ask, "What is the coldest place you've been so far? " I'll have to say South Korea. Not Iceland... not Minnesota... South Korea. I know I'm whining but you have to understand that I've always lived in hot and muggy areas of the States. Never the less, I'm braving the cold in an effort to learn more about this thriving city.

When you go about your day today, wherever you may be... look around. Appreciate what makes your city special. Big or small, fast or slow... what would an outsider say about your town? Do something for a stranger today. You never know...they might be writing a blog about your area, and you might be the one person that changes how they see it. Get out there and make the world a better place!

Excuse to be as lazy as I want

I randomly woke up at 6 in the morning, and decided to cook breakfast. I know, Mom... thats a dangerous thing to do! Shane was so surprised to be greeted with bacon and pancakes. I can't guarantee they tasted good, but he ate it all with no complaints! After taking the time to sit down and eat with me, he was running late for work so off he went.

Shanes truck is being borrowed by a friend and he has the car, so I have the perfect excuse to be as lazy as I want.  Realistically, I probably would have stayed in bed all day anyways,  but now I can feel better about it!

Vacations are made for relaxing. So many people feel like if they're not out doing and seeing, that they're somehow wasting their vacation. That's definitely not my sentiment!

Shanes roommate, Craig, came home early and I mentioned being hungry. He hadn't eaten either so we ended up going to a local restaurant,  "The Whistling Kite." I ordered a weird type of burger, that tasted really different but wasn't necessarily bad. I guess it just wasn't what I was expecting. When we went to pay the bill, Craig refused to take my money. I've been spoiled by these guys this week!

Shane and I have gotten slightly addicted to playing Call of Duty: Modern Warfare. I must say, we make a good team! I've reestablished my old skill at these shoot em up games, and I can hold my own quite well. After a while of playing, we decided we wanted ice cream. After a quick rush to the store (we thought they were closing), we had chocolate chunk and vanilla ice cream with chocolate hard shell to drizzle (or pour) over it, and some cookies that tasted EXACTLY like thin mints to top it off. I always wonder how I gain weight when I'm traveling... I guess that mystery is solved.

Craig was watching The Walking Dead, and I haven't seen any of the new episodes since I've been traveling for a month. The 3 of us sat down and watched all the new episodes that Craig had recorded while destroying our huge bowls of ice cream.

I don't know about you guys, but relaxing in front of a TV with some ice cream is the perfect vacation. I never do that at home, just like I never play video games,  so today has just been an amazingly relaxing day.

I'm loving this life.

Cans. Cairns. Cans.

This day began on a plane, which seems to be my MO on this trip! My flight from Perth to Cairns (pronounced CANS) landed at 4:15 and I immediately made my way to the hostel. It felt great being on a domestic flight... no customs to go through!

The hostel was all locked up for the night, but luckily there were some guys drinking and playing pool that were able to let me in and wake up the night manager. He gave me a spare bed, and I was actually able to sleep for a few hours! That was almost a disaster though, since my alarm was on silent... I ended up sleeping 20 minutes past what I wanted, but I made it to the marina and jumped aboard the Tusa 6 diving vessel before being left!

I learned something new about myself that I never knew before... Apparently, given the right conditions, I get sea sick. That was NOT a pleasant experience,  but at least now I know to take something before the boat takes off!

We made it out to the first stop, out on the Great Barrier Reef. The GBR is made up of a ton of smaller reefs and is the world's largest living organism. It can be seen from space! Norman's reef, our first stop,  was full of colorful anemone, fish, clams, and some people saw a shark, although my group did not. We hit the deepest point my certification allows, 18m. I actually went 18.3... oops! I was disappointed because yesterday, there was a sea turtle hanging out,  but today he wasn't anywhere to be seen. He must be out helping Marlin find Nemo!

We did two dives on Norman's reef,  and then had lunch on the boat. The ocean was ridiculously choppy, and the boat was heaving this way and that, causing people to drop things, and we were unable to really get up and walk anywhere. Finally we arrived at the second dive site, and the boat came to a halt. Everyone heaved a sigh of relief, and began preparing for the next and final dive.

Fish hole, our final dive site, hosted a variety of fish and enormous clams... There was a barracuda hanging out under the boat, just relaxing. The colors of the reef were absolutely stunning... brilliant shades of purple, neon green, and yellow are only a few of the myriad of colors that littered the coral of the reef. All my dive photos are on a CD and my tablet doesn't have a disk drive, so you'll have to wait until I get home to see them all!

At this point,  I'm just thoroughly exhausted. After a "short" nap (3 hours) I headed to the local Irish pub for which I had a meal voucher. I can't believe I ever forgot how amazing Australians are at making fish and chips... Ugh I am FULL, sleepy, and ready for BED.

Uncomfortable worship isn't worship

To keep me from walking into something unexpected,  Shane explained that the church he attends here in Australia is not like what I go to in the states. After researching the group, I decided against going. I tried to find a more suitable congregation to worship with, but all seemed ok were over an hour away by car, and I didn't feel comfortable taking the car on all kinds of highways.

Shane came home in the afternoon and took me to Safety Bay, a small community situated on a beautiful bay front with a small beach and all kinds of cool shops along the street. We bought ice cream and just walked around for awhile. The weather is much better today than yesterday,  but it still tried to rain on us. After a short run back to the car, we were on our way back to the house.

I honestly couldn't bring myself to tell Shane I didn't want to go to church, and it turned out better than expected. The lesson was good and thought provoking, but the congregation chooses to use a band in worship. I will never understand how the loud music that drowns out the praise being given to the Lord is preferable over a group of Christians just singing their hearts out together. Why are instruments even thought to be needed? I know I didn't worship, because if something is being done that you believe is contradictory to the scripture, then how can it be worship?

SavHannah and her mom, Leanne, invited Shane and I to their house for dinner, and that's when we realized we hadn't eaten lunch or dinner! They had a Mexican type chicken dish in the crock pot for everyone to wrap up in tortillas and... You guessed it, sweet tea. They all think it's funny how excited I get over sweet tea...

Some girls from a mission group are staying with the Crabtree family, and we all had some interesting conversation about American politics, abortion, and I don't even know what else. The topic was just jumping all over the place!

All in all, it was a good day, and getting to know people is always exciting!

Surfs Up Dude

I woke up early to get ready for my first attempt at surfing. That's right, I'm going to SURF. Or at least try not to drown... remember,  this is Australia so both are equally difficult. I had no idea who this girl was that I was heading to see, but my life revolves around meeting new people so I was excited!

I drove to SavHannah's house (without driving on the "American" side of the road once!) and met the Crabtree family. The family is actually from Texas originally, but are here in Australia so that Ken, SavHannah's dad, can work in the oil industry. They've been here a few years,  and have a little over a year left before being moved elsewhere. When I came in to the house, I was immediately offered breakfast and wait for it... sweet tea. Oh delicious sugary goodness, how I've missed thee.

After discussing the plan for the day, we grabbed the boards and walked to the beach. I quickly learned that my arms are half an inch too short to carry a surf board comfortably. Oh, the hazards of being little! Eventually we made it to the waters edge, and SavHannah gave me a quick briefing on how to surf. Unfortunately,  the weather wasn't great and neither were the waves. I was able to ride a few waves in on my belly, but they were never long or strong enough for me to attempt to stand. At least now I have some practice under my belt!

We got cleaned up and waited for SavHannah's friend Tyler to come meet us so he could go to Fremantle with us. Fremantle is a little coastal town with some awesome weekend markets,  and everyone agreed that it was somewhere I needed to see while in Secret Harbour (Shanes town).

We drove out to Fremantle and what I thought was going to be some sort of farmers market turned out to be an enormous set up of vendors. Part was outside, but most was actually in what appeared to be 2 giant warehouses. I guess once the end of the weekend rolls around, they can just shut it all up and await the next weekend!

I met a girl named Jacinta on my trip around Ireland last November, and she lives in Perth. Lucky for me, she has completed her trip around the world and is home. She invited me to an Australian Rules Football game: the Fremantle Dockers vs the Gold Coast Suns. Since Fremantle is on the way to Perth, I followed SavHannah to the train station nearest to Shanes house and left the car there. That way, I was able to catch the train from Fremantle to the game, but then come all the way back towards the house afterward. I got off the train in Perth and as I was calling Jacinta, the bottom of the clouds above me fell out. I'm talking hurricane style! The wind and rain came out of nowhere and it went down hill fast. Jacinta and I made it to the arena as the rain started to die down a bit. We got inside and as we were waiting to sit down, a football smacked me straight in the face. Jacinta said of all the games she's been to, she's never seen that happen. Apparently I attract all kinds of odd events!

Finally, we decided that being wet just was not working for us and we left the game and headed to a local pub to watch the game there. We stayed until halftime but due to the rain, I think everyone had the same idea. There was nowhere to sit, and standing was getting annoying.

We drove to a tapas restaurant where Jacinta went a lot growing up. Apparently a tapas restaurant serves teeny tiny dishes at the cost of enormous ones. I was quite taken aback at the prices! They were the cost of a normal entrée,  except we shared 4 and were still hungry. We continued on to "Little Caesars" (not the same as the US chain!). They only have a few stores in the greater Perth area and I can tell that it will just take off over the next few years. The entire place was absolutely packed and the line out the door. Most pizza places have some desserts, but this place thrived on them. We ordered an AMAZING cinnamon apple pizza with 2 huge scoops of vanilla ice cream on the top of it. I'll just let the photo do the justice ok? Trust me.

By this point, we were actually pretty close to the main Perth train station so Jacinta dropped me off their and we said our "cya later's". It was absolutely amazing to meet someone in Ireland, and then hang out with them in Australia. That's why I travel. My friends and "family" are all over the world. Anywhere I go, I can call on someone! Next up, maybe Jacinta will go on a road trip in my tiny house...or maybe we will go to Iceland together. Who knows where, but it's only a matter of when.

Welcome to Oz - Part 2

I finally made it to Australia.  First off, I never thought I would be back in this beautiful country so soon! When studying abroad, we all said we'd be back "one day" and "eventually." The fact that I'm here after just 2 years blows my mind. Australia was the first country I went to as an adult. It's amazing that my first time traveling turned into an obsessive need to experience new places, people, and food. It feels like I've done some sort of rotation around the world. My life has changed so much in such little time... I wonder what the next 2 years hold in store for me!

I grew up in a military community in Southeast GA, and the Finck family were stationed there for a period of time as I was growing up. They came when I was probably 9 or so, and moved when I was about 16. Since then, I haven't seen any of them! Shane has been stationed in Australia for close to 2 years now. I found out he was here about a year ago and decided that I needed to try and go visit! I love to couch surf, but it's really cool when you can stay with people you know already! My last time in Australia was spent along the east coast, and Shane is all the way across on the west coast. Not only do I get to see an old friend, but I get to see completely different parts of Australia!

Shane had to go to work in the morning so he showed me where everything was and let me know that he actually would be away the whole weekend for a work trip.  Fortunately, he left me the car! He got back from work around 1 and then promptly left, but before leaving,  he got me in touch with a girl about my age, SavHannah. She and I are going to hang out tomorrow, so that way I won't be completely alone.

My day consisted of sleeping, talking to people on Facebook, and then some actual phone conversations. Shane has a magic jack so calls to the US are free! It felt nice to actually speak to people versus the usual Facebook messaging.

Here's where the fun part came in. I drove to the store (on the left side of the road of course), bought pizza and Coke, and then vegged out in front of the TV, playing some video games. I can't even describe how good that felt!

Tomorrow I'll be getting up early, but I won't tell you why just yet... good night America!  (And the odd ball from South America that keeps visiting my blog)

Malaysian Garden City

Kuala Lumpur in Malaysia is known as the garden city. As you explore the large, hectic, winding streets, you begin to feel like you're in a jungle that someone brought buildings to. Huge trees line the streets on both sides and down the median. They've decorated their street lamps to look like big plants, and have overall tried to let nature maintain its dignity within the confines of a big city. It was quite impressive for that reason, but for the most part, KL is just another huge city. I say that with utmost respect... kinda. I'm just not a city girl at all!

There are enormous buildings, a few of which boast of records for their height. The main building that people would recognize if they've ever seen Malaysia on the television (I'm pretty sure it was the starting point of The Amazing Race:Asia edition) would be the Twin Petronas towers. They're a major part of the Kuala Lumpur skyline, and rightfully so. They're downright impressive!

I arrived in KL late the first night, and just watched the news from my hotel room. The government has announced that the flight that's been missing for weeks now ended it's journey in the Indian ocean. The somber mood in the airport was enough to sober anyone. My typical excitement at being in a new country was just overshadowed by this tragedy.

The next day, I'm not going to lie... I slept all day. I left the room to walk around downtown a bit, and ended up eating at Outback Steakhouse, but then settled back into my bed for the remainder of the evening. I've hit a wall that seems to be preventing me from having any motivation whatsoever. It's a vacation though, so oh well!

My last day in KL, I got on the hop on, hop off bus, and made my way around the city. The weather wasn't great, so I was thankful to be under the cover of the bus instead of wandering around in the rain! As the bus came back around to my initial stop (it took about 3 hours), it was time for me to head to the airport. I showed my cab driver the e-ticket, and he said ok, KL international airport. We got to the airport and there was no sign for my airline. The driver talked to some other drivers and realized we were supposed to be at a different airport! By the time we got there, I was running late, but didn't think it would be too bad. The self check in computers were broken, so even though I had no luggage to check, I had to stand in a disastrously long line to get my boarding pass. The lines to get through customs and security were equally bad, and by the time I got to my departure gate, everyone was gone. A couple and I were frantically convincing airport staff to let us get on the plane. Finally, they said OK, run. Typically there is a bus that takes you out to the plane, but since we missed that, we had to run across the tarmac, passing plane after plane until we reached ours. I haven't been that out of breath in a LONG time. Running is one thing... But running with a heavy book bag is a completely different ball game! In the end, disaster was avoided, and my short stay in Malaysia was definitely memorable.

Indigestion in Indonesia.

After a full days worth of flights, I made it to Bali, Indonesia. In true Asian fashion, the roads are crowded with mo!tor bikes, and 2 lane roads are haphazardly converted to 4. My taxi driver was a younger guy, probably in his late twenties. We chatted back and forth on the long ride to my hotel, and the conversation ended up turning personal. "Do you have a boyfriend? Do you have kids?" At this point, I knew where he was going with this, but truly didn't expect what happened next. He abruptly said, "I like your body." Can you say, awkward? He then began to explain what he meant, by pointing out in broken English, "You big here (touched my thigh), small here (tried to touch my waist) and then big here (he smartly kept his hand near my shoulder instead of my chest)." After my experience in India, I seriously wanted to slap this fool across the face. In such a situation, you have to laugh it off because realistically, he could get really mad if he felt turned down, or had a stinging hand print on his cheek. With him in control of the vehicle, I couldn't act too offended. Let's just say I was happy to toss him some cash and get out of the cab!

Upon checking in, I was given a delicious mango drink (non alcoholic, MOM). Once I got to the room, I ended up just completely vegging out. Room service fish and chips, a cold Coke from the fridge, and some movies on my tablet. 

Then....it happened... In Mexico, there is Montezuma's revenge. In Bali, there is the Bali Belly. I thought my stomach was unhappy with the greasy fish and chips, but the longer it went on, the more I realized... I caught the bug that everyone who visits Asia fears. 

My. Luck.

Cat-Man-Do

Sita and I had an extra day that we weren't sure what to do with,  so we decided to go to Nepal for a day. When we showed up at the airport for our flight,  we were told we had to go on a later one,  but were not given much of a reason why. Waiting for a later flight severely affected us, since we were already working with a limited amount of time. Upon arriving in Kathmandu (pronounced Cat-Man-Do), we made our way through the bumpy, winding streets towards our hotel. Even as the biggest city in Nepal,  Kathmandu seems very small, and run down. The streets are covered in trash, stray dogs,  and the occasional monkey. The roads are in complete disrepair,  and with no red lights to be seen, traffic is a nightmare.

A redeeming factor of Kathmandu was the people. Everyone was kind, considerate, and talkative. The receptionist in our hotel told us to go to our room and relax, and to come check in when we were ready. I admit, this is my first trip staying in hotels, but I grew up staying in the occasional hotel,  and I've never seen that before! Most hotels make you get checked in before ever seeing the room, no matter how worn out and exhausted you may be!

After a few minutes of getting settled in, we headed out to walk around. The area of town we were in is called Thamel, and is jam packed with street vendors and stores with anything and everything for sale. I started getting pretty frustrated when some of the guys just walking around selling things would follow us for 5 minutes or more before finally giving up. Their price for whatever they were selling would be next to nothing by the time they stopped chasing. What I learned by this is that you never buy something right away! If you're ever walking around in a place like this, and you see something you like, just keep walking. These guys were cutting their prices by 90 percent before giving up!

After a bit of wandering, and a lot of souvenir purchasing, we happened upon a cool little pub called Tom and Jerry. Before walking in, we stopped at a little t shirt place. The elderly gentleman that runs the place said I could get any t shirt with any design embroidered on it for $5. I ended up asking him to do an outline of the world map with my blog title over the top. I'll be able to pick it up tomorrow!

Some local guys in Tom and Jerry asked us to play pool with them, and I really showed up. I was making some ridiculous shots! Of course I didn't tell the guys that I don't normally play that well ;).

After losing a lot of our time this morning, I'm happy with how the day turned out.

Holi Moli that was fun!

After sleeping in until 9, Sita and I crawled out of bed and went downstairs to eat some breakfast. We had a date at 11 with Himanshi (the little girl from last night) and her sisters. We were supposed to be celebrating Holi with her friends and family. The street was a war zone of color. People on the back of motorbikes would throw color at people as they walked, and children were running around with colored water in their toy guns,  spraying the unsuspecting tourists. Men and women were spread out along the side of the street with mounds of colored powder in front of them. We bought one bag of each color and commenced the attack. Many people were very respectful of us and asked if they could put color on us before doing so. Basically, you go up to someone,  say "Happy Holi!" and then smear color on both their cheeks. Then they do the same to you. It only got really rowdy when the children decided you needed to be a part of their war...

Himanshi had Sita and I sit down while the men hooked up big speakers in preparation for a long day of dancing. She brought out plates of food and would have force fed me if I had tried to refuse any! Apparently we needed to have food in our mouth and both hands in order for her to be content.

The day was filled with laughter, color, and overall silliness. The young boys had color fights,  while the teenage boys had dance offs... The women cooked and stayed off to themselves while the older men watched the activity and acted as body guards. We were in a wide alley way, and people (presumably drunk by their appearance) would try to join in. The men of Himanshi's family kept forcing people out, and wouldn't let many into our little party. It really seemed like they wanted us to be able to enjoy ourselves and not get harassed. One guy that kept trying to take pictures with Sita and I got led out into the street in the most unwilling manner. He was NOT happy! It impressed me that they kept those types of people away.

While getting henna done last night, Sita quickly allowed herself to get wrapped up in the idea of getting a tattoo while in India. After relaxing a bit and getting some of the color cleaned off of us, we hired a rickshaw/tuk tuk and went off looking for the tattoo parlor she wanted to go to. We really should have realized this ahead of time, but all the shops were closed due to the Holi festival. We risked life and limb in that rickshaw for nothing! I'm all about new experiences,  but you can only almost get run over so many times before getting fed up. The driving etiquette in this place is terrifying absent. I'm thankful every time I can step out onto solid ground without injury!

Fish out of water, lion out of the jungle

We spent the majority of the day flying to Delhi, India.  It was late afternoon by the time we arrived at our hotel, so after a short time relaxing in the room,  we headed out to find some grub.  We weren't able to take 2 steps without a tuk tuk/rickshaw driver asking if we needed a ride.  I don't understand why people can't just take NO for an answer! It was even worse as we stood on a corner waiting to cross a busy street. Guys would pull up,  and after a few adamant "no's", they'd be replaced by yet another. One guy was more persistent than others,  and he put out his hand in the gesture of a hand shake. I'm typically a friendly person, and I decided to go ahead and shake his hand. He took it and kissed the back of my hand, and as I chuckled and looked at Sita, he decided to take me off guard. He grabbed me, pulled me to him,  and kissed me. I jerked back and he continued trying to kiss me. Another driver next to us started yelling at the guy as I shoved him away from me. The idiot was just laughing and thought he was the funniest thing ever. Instead of waiting for traffic to clear, I ended up pulling a "local" and just crossing in front of cars. I couldn't wait to get away from the guy.

On the other side of the street, we ducked into a tiny local restaurant. The owner didn't speak much English, but was able to help me pick something that wouldn't be spicy. Lucky for me, he was right! The chicken dish he chose was delicious. After eating way too much, we headed back towards the hotel. Along the way,  we saw a sign for a local henna artist. Sita wanted to check out the prices, and before I knew it, we were sitting down having brown goo squeezed out into elaborate patterns on our hands. I only got one hand done, but Sita decided to do both.

The husband of the henna artist told us that the Holi festival was starting outside, so as soon as we were finished, we headed outside to watch the festivities. Apparently,  the beginning of the festival includes dancing around a burning tree before finally pulling it down. A group of young girls invited us to come across the street the following morning to celebrate the 2nd day of Holi... The day of color! Before they let us go back to our hotel,  we had to promise that we'd be there. 

For our first day in Delhi,  I believe it was quite eventful! And here we were thinking we'd have a quiet night to relax.. This area is unlike anywhere I've been so far. I'm like a fish out water, unsure which way to flop next... like a lion out of the jungle, hunting for an adventure!

Angkor What??

Is 4:30am too early to wake up when you're traveling? Not when it means you see the sun rise over Angkor Wat! Due to our early departure, our hotel fixed us breakfast to go. Now I know how hard it is to spread jam on toast while riding in a tuk tuk!

We approached the temple in utter darkness, needing the use of flashlights to see where to step. Once we were in an area where we could sit, we began the waiting game. The sky began lighting up far before we ever saw the sun, but it outlined Angkor Wat, making it a giant shadow framed against the orange sky. Finally, the blood red Cambodian sun made its arrival.

Once the ohhs and ahhs took place, everyone began a torrential descent into the temple structure. The interior of Angkor Wat wasn't the impressive part in my mind... I enjoyed seeing the formidable exterior, but once we were inside, I was ready to move on.

We went to many temples throughout the rest of the morning, but I honestly do not know their names. At most tourist attractions like this, you see signs with the name and history of each specific area...but here, there was absolutely no help. Either way, exploring the winding paths of each temple was a new experience, as each turn led to more fascinating stone work and architectural feats. In many of the temples, nature has made its claim on the structure... These are the ones that I found to be the most interesting, as it proves that this world could run fine on its own without humans. Given enough time, nature can erase any impression man leaves on it.

I asked Chorm if I could drive the tuk tuk as we were leaving, and he let me... I had to turn it around to get out of the grassy area he had parked, and as the tuk tuk went over a big root, the weight surprised me enough that I ended up dropping the bike. Fortunately, due to how the bike is connected to the tuk tuk, it can't fall all the way to the ground, so the only thing hurt was my ego...and I ended up bruising my leg pretty bad. Chorm laughed, I laughed, strangers laughed. It was a good time!

At this point in the day, Sita and I didn't realize we were about to experience a lunch to be remembered forever. Chorm mentioned us seeing his home, and I thought he meant we would be driving past it on the way back into town. After driving around somewhere I completely didn't recognize, we came up to a long stretch of dirt road. Chorm stopped, got off, and said, "OK Emily, you drive?" After my previous failure, I didn't expect him to trust me to drive, but here he was offering me the bike. That was all the prompt I needed of course! I hopped on and we took off. Chorm constantly mentioned how good I was doing, which just made me more confident. For those of you thinking, "Of course she knows how to drive, she owned a motorcycle!", Let me just say that with the weight of the tuk tuk changes everything. This was truly an amazing thing for me to do...

After a while of bumpy tuk tuk driving, Chorm told me to stop, and he took my place. We turned down an even more bumpy road, and after almost falling out a few times, we made it to his house. Finally, I got to see how the typical Khmer person lives. He built the house himself, using wood from nearby trees for the structure, and the leaves from the palm trees in his yard as the siding. He also has a shed with equipment used in the production of rice. At this point, I thought I was experiencing something amazing... Little did I know we had another stop.

We continued on to Chorm's parents house, and he asked if he were hungry. The next thing I know, he's telling the women there to cook us lunch. We sat and watched Chorm's nephews and nieces play until the meal was ready. Watching these children interact made my day (even more so than driving a tuk tuk). They were just so happy, and content with what they have. For them, a game was to chase each other with mouthfuls of water in an attempt to get close enough to spew the water out onto the other boy. Compare that to the obnoxious video games kids in the US are obsessed with!

The meal itself was delicious, but I unfortunately cannot tell you what any of it was other than rice, pork, rice noodles and mango.the sauce that actually made the meal, were of unknown origins. My stomach wasn't very happy with me after the meal, although my tastebuds sure were thankful!

I thanked the women profusely for the meal, to which they just grinned whole heartedly and acted like it was no big deal. Chorm showed us around the farm a bit, and led us on a tour around the immediate vicinity where the rest of the family lives. Aunts, uncles, cousins, nephews (6), nieces (4), his mother, father... The entire family resides within walking distance of each other, not unlike my family in northern Alabama. The standard of living is higher, but the familial relations is comparable!

Once back at the hotel, we ended jumping in the pool for a few hours before heading back to my favorite temple, Ta Prohm. This is the temple near Angkor Wat that you've probably seen pictures of before. It really looks like humans had to built around the trees, because it seems there are more trees than structures!

This day has made such an impact on me.  I learn to appreciate what I have so much more when I visit countries like Cambodia! I hope you also can see how these wonderful people live, and can realize how lucky you are to live in a country as rich as America.

Snakes on a River...again.

Next up, Cambodia.

Upon arriving in Siem Reap, Sita and I immediately realized how different it would be than Bangkok. The airport was quaint, and we had to walk across what seemed more like a grocery store parking lot than anything else to get from the plane to customs. 

We got outside and found Chorm, our tuk tuk driver. This is the first time I've had someone waiting for me outside an airport with a sign! Ok, so my name is spelled wrong.... But it's the thought that counts!

To get to the hotel, we actually drove down some crazy dirt roads... All of that just made the hotel seem that much nicer! The most important part...

After a short while, Chorm picked us up to head downtown. We walked through what seemed like a flea market, and ended up finding all kinds of stuff to buy. I got some dresses for my niece, and the soon to be born niece. Right when I thought I was done spending money, we came across a stall full of the most beautiful paintings. I ended up getting one that was actually painted with a spoon! We met back up with Chorm after a few hours of exploring. Apparently he was our guy, and only ours. He dropped us off and then just hung out in the tuk tuk until we came back! It was definitely different than anything I've experienced before.

We asked Chorm what else we should do, and he said something about a lake. We had no idea what he was saying, but just kinda went with it. It turns out that the lake was Tonlé Sap, which translates to Great Lake. You get in a boat and at first it seems like the biggest waste of time...lt just looks like a dirty river, with nothing to see! After some driving, a beautiful sight emerges. There is an entire village, floating on the lake. Women washing clothes, children playing, dogs barking... It was absolutely amazing to see. We continued driving in between the houses. We were told about a school on the lake where orphaned children attend. The guide asked us if we would be willing to donate something to them, so we bought 3 cases of bottled water. When we went into the school to give the water, I looked at some of the children's notebooks that they were working in. Every one I looked at was covered in drawings. As I kept looking, I began to wonder exactly how legit this school was. It just seemed "off." I know it's cynical to believe people would so elaborately set up a scheme like that, but in the world we live in, tourists are targeted with such things. I'd honestly rather be cynical than naive! Naivety does nothing for you when you're traveling the world.

From the school, we headed to a barge that had food, drinks, souvenirs, a catfish farm, and a crocodile farm. They grow crocodiles to make wallets and purses out of. As we were walking around the little shop, we saw a little girl holding a python, asking people if they wanted to hold it. Of course I headed over! The snake really seemed to like me, and people began taking pictures of me holding it. I really should have charged per photo!!

We left the floating village, found Chorm, and made our way back to the hotel. Due to having to get up so early in the morning the next day, Sita and I were both ready to pass out. 

Cambodia is much more peaceful than Bangkok... People still drive crazy but its quieter overall. Hopefully the peace continues!

Snakes on a River

All over Bangkok, locals ride on motorcycles and mopeds. At every red light,  you see an army of them, because they drive through the line of traffic in order to be at the front when the light turns to green.  Sita and I decided to utilize this method of transportation, and it was well worth it! Normally traffic is stop and go but when you're on a motorcycle here, you don't stop.  If the cars in front of you are slowing down,  you just whip around them or between them. Everyone actually uses their horns correctly... They give a little "beep" as they come up along side you,  so that you know they're there.  In America,  a beep means "You're an idiot,  get out of my way."

We took the bikes into the city to meet up with our group to go to the floating market.  It turns out that there are a few markets.... Some real ones,  and then the one that the tourists are taken to.  The whole thing is an enormous tourist trap. Everything sold there had souvenir written all over it. You get to see how the markets operate though, which was nice. The stalls, or booths, are accessible by boat, and everyone cruises through the canal while looking at the wares.  Hawkers have hooks on a pole that they use to reach out and grab your boat, if they even suspect that you were interested in something. 

One important thing I learned is that they mark the items up ridiculously.  A woman wanted 400 baht for an item which is the equivalent of $12.50. A man in our boat offered 100 baht ($3.3) and as the woman brought the price down,  he never came up. He just kept saying 100 and our boat operator would start to leave.  The woman got frantic trying to make the sale and finally sold it to him for 100 baht.  Now, economics say that if she weren't making any money,  she wouldn't have sold the item. I was flabbergasted at the markup on stuff! I know to barter in countries like this,  but from 12.5 bucks to 3?

As we were leaving, a small booth indoors with teak products caught my eye. I decided to buy a hand made set of the game "Jenga." The woman wanted 550 baht ($17) and I got her to do 220 ($7). I was quite proud of myself!

On the way back to Bangkok, we stopped at a snake exhibit and watched men avoid the bite of very poisonous snakes,  one of which happened to be a cobra.  The guy was amazing... One second, the snake is trying to kill him,  and the next,  he's able to calm it down with slight, rhythmic movements of his head. It was quite impressive.

While there, I was able to hold a beautiful python. He seemed comfortable on me, while on other tourists, he was moving all around trying to get down.

Instead of taking us back to the hotel, we had the driver take us to "downtown." Here, that word doesn't really mean what you would think. We ended up in the hustle and bustle of rush hour on super busy streets, surrounded by malls. We've had so much rice and noodles, that we are starting to get tired of it. We saw an A&W and decided to grab dinner there instead of from a street vendor. I know, I know... So "American."

As we were wandering around, making our way back to the sky train (the train runs above all the cars), I started getting cramps, and quickly realized that I was dehydrated. I bought a bottle of water and on the ride back towards our hotel, I sipped and sipped until I felt better. I still had a killer headache, and we ended up just staying in the hotel room for the rest of the evening.

I'm not used to having to "make sure" I drink water. I mean, I'm from a hot part of the US, so it's not like I'm a newbie when it comes to staying hydrated! Somehow, I guess I just wasn't thinking about it, and when almost the whole day out in the sun without drinking anything!

Elephants, Tigers, and Bears!

Go ahead, come out with it.... You know you just thought "oh my!" as you read this title! Don't be embarrassed.

The day started at 3:30am. Sita and I had to be downstairs by 4 to meet up with the driver from the tour company we were going to the Tiger Temple with. The drive out to the temple is about 3 hours so in order to participate in the mo"rning program, we had to be up and out WAY before the sun comes out to play. I'm not even going to try to make you feel bad for me, cause it was WORTH IT. I'll let pictures explain.

 

We got to play with cubs, feed some 8 month olds, walk adult tigers, and then play in the water with the adults. The experience was something I'll never forget! 

At one point, while we were playing in the water, a tiger ran over to everyone's shoes, snatched mine up, and carried it into the water. There's a video where you can hear me yell, "Hey that's my shoe!" Here are some screen shots from the video as he's taking my shoe...

Another part of the day was to see the bridge over the river Kwai. In World War 2, this railway bridge was used by the Japanese, and the US tried to bomb it on a few occasions. A movie starring Nicole Kidman (The Railway Man) just came out about the terrible conditions prisoners of war were forced to endure as they labored to construct the railway. Thousands of people died trying to build the railway across Thailand... 

Last, but not least, we spent some time some elephants! We rode them through part of the woods/jungle, and then out into the water along the coast line. They enjoyed being fed bananas afterward!

My today is your tomorrow

The religion in Bangkok, and probably all of Thailand, is around 93-95% Buddhist. Buddha is everywhere! There are beautifully crafted temples that are hundreds of years old... And the city has slowly crowded it's way around the temples so that they are boxed in on every side by modern buildings and fast paced roads. I find it quite odd that these devoutly religious people are using their holy places as tourist attractions to make money. I honestly don't see how charging entrance fees to a temple fit in with the type of lifestyle Buddhists are supposed to live.

We visited a few of the main temples; Wat Pho, the temple of the reclining Buddha, and Sukhothai. In the outer cloister of Wat Pho, there are over 128 statues of Buddha. A few are in the process of being restored, which if you know me, you'll know that interested me far more than people bowing to Buddha. On the base of each statue, there are thousands of glass pieces that are cut and fit into different patterns. Each piece is hand cut, and placed in a specific spot to create these beautiful works of art.

After seeing some of the temples and part of the downtown area, we went to the mall (that's right, I went to a mall). The mall here is set up as what we would consider an indoor flea market in Alabama. Each "stall" had its own vendor, so you could find the same thing for a different price if you looked hard enough. I bought some pants that you'll see in pictures over the next few weeks. They're typical dress for this culture, and are made to help out with the heat!

In Bangkok, the city train system runs in the "sky" above the main roadways. They refer to it as the sky train. I've seen a lot of people utilizing the system, but I'm constantly flabbergasted at the number of people on mopeds and motorcycles. At any given red light, 30 mopeds will have woven through cars to get to the front of the line by the time the light turns green. As soon as the green light hits, they take off. They are used for personal use, but there are also a lot used as cabs. There are always a crowd of mopeds waiting for someone to need a ride... I've seen young children on the backs, women holding infants, people with their dogs... Anyone and everyone will hop on the back of the moped and take off!

I'm 12 hours ahead of you all in Alabama... My today is ending, as your "tomorrow" is beginning. Enjoy your day... I hope you can find something new that excites you, and that you make every moment count.

It's not really "Day 1" if you don't leave airports right?

For this journey, I actually have a traveling buddy! My friend, Sita, took 2 weeks off work and is going to roam around Asia with me. We've completed 2 out of 4 flights, and are now just spending 5 hours in the Amsterdam airport waiting for the flight onwards to Delhi, India. The 7 hour flight from Chicago to Amsterdam was absolutely brutal. I love Delta, but KLM actually operated the flight... Lets just say I'll pay more attention to who is operating the flight in the future!

Whew.... Now, after 38 hours of traveling, we are relaxing in our hotel in Bangkok. The only thing we did before hibernating was find a place to eat. All I know is that the little Thai lady was stirring stuff in a big pot, and that it was $1.70 for a big bowl of it with a Pepsi. Whatever it was, it was delicious! Sometimes the best food is the unknown pot of.....?

From here on out, each day will bring amazing, new experiences, that I can't wait to share with you all!

Worst Person to Sit Next to on a Plane

I was THAT person today. You know, the person who coughs the whole flight, looks like death, sounds all hoarse and well... sounds like they're dying? That was me.

From London to Orlando, FL, I tried my best to keep sucking on lozenges and sip water, in hopes of quieting my cough. It worked, somewhat. Still, I don't even want to know what the people around me must have been thinking!! I ended up on a Virgin Atlantic flight since they are now partnered with Delta. I really enjoyed the flight (as much as a dying person can). There were tons of movies, music, and TV shows. I'm used to having that on Delta flights, but VA has a much wider selection.

In Orlando, I had a short layover before my flight onward to Atlanta, GA. As I stood in line talking to my friend Nicole (today's her 22nd birthday!) she asked me how sick I was. I explained that I thought it was just a cold, but that maybe it had turned into an infection of some sort. As these words came out of my mouth, I realized that I was in line to get on a plane, and all the passengers around me could hear me talking. Talk about AWKWARD. I got a few of those "if you get me sick, you will die" looks, but they really didn't bother me cause I was already dying anyways right?

I'm sorry for all the death jokes, but seriously this is the first time I've felt so terrible with a cold!! The exhaustion + being cooped up on a plane = worst headache/sore throat/mucus filled body/about to pass out person EVER.

My mom picked me up from Atlanta, and drove me home. My little brother had no idea I was coming home, and literally lost his mind when he saw me. Such love brought me back from the brink of death, to the normal state of exhausted world traveler. 42 days, 10 countries, 10 hostels, 8 hosts, 7 flights and only ONE run in with the police later... I'm home.

Next up... Asia?

Kilaloe

I spent my day in Kilaloe with Russ Gipp today... We sat in the living room for a long time just talking about life, which was such a drastic difference from the "go go go" pace this week has been set at. I woke up with a cough and some congestion so I just relaxed with a hot cup of tea while we talked.

He took me out for lunch to a local place that had some really good fish n chips before taking me on a drive through the Irish countryside. We ended up on a back road winding between acres of pasture and farm land. Supposedly, it's a two way street, but Russ' car barely fit on it! It got quite interesting whenever cars came from the opposite direction.

After exploring the area around Russ' little town, we had to go get my bag and head to the airport in Dublin. This is it... I'm finally beginning the journey home. I'm sitting here with the food bought with whatever Euro I had left, waiting for my flight. I'm excited folks.

Now it's 11pm... I've tried going to sleeping and it's not really working out. My cold has gotten worse, and we all know how uncomfortable airport chairs can be. Wish me luck!! Until the morning...

Sláinte

From beginning to end...

"Alright, me troopers..."

Today was the final day of the Paddywagon 6 day tour of Ireland. I've met such a good group of fellow travelers, and I look forward to seeing them again in the future.

For the majority of the day, we were in the bus, except for a few pit stops along the way. Once we arrived in Dublin, we went to the Guinness factory. Although it isn't a place I'd really want to go, the entrance fee was included in the price so I made the most of it. The history of Guinness itself was interesting to read about. I didn't know exactly how popular it was in Ireland until this week. I knew it was Irish made, but in Ireland, Guinness isn't a beer... Guinness is a lifestyle. Sláinte, in Irish, means "to good health." I'm not sure how healthy any alcohol is, but the Irish sure think it is! As part of the tour, everyone gets a free pint fresh made at the factory. We got our pints, said, "Sláinte!" and I tried Guinness for the first time ever. I took a sip to see what it tasted like, and although it isn't as absolutely repulsive as other beer, it's still rather gross. I passed it to a member of our tour, who seems to just love the stuff.

We said our sad goodbyes to Seanie, and to each other. Everyone ran around with their cell phones out exchanging emails and Facebook information, so hopefully we will see one another again someday. With that, I waved goodbye and headed out to the bus stop where I caught a bus back across the country to Limerick, where Russ Gipp, a friend from church back in Georgia, was awaiting my arrival. He is in Ireland for 12 weeks working.

I got to the bus stop, and couldn't find Russ anywhere... The only way of communication we had was Facebook, so I found some Wi-Fi and just waited. I knew (or hoped) that he would do the same and eventually, we were able to connect online and figure out what went wrong. He was waiting at the second to last stop, and I got off at the last stop... Oops!! I hailed a taxi, and had him drive me over to where Russ was, as that was easier than Russ having to find me. Finally, there he was! The big, bearded teddy bear that everyone loves. I was so happy to see a familiar face!! After a big, warm hug, we hopped in his car and headed to the little town he lives in, Kilaloe. There, we went out to dinner and just talked and talked. It was great!!!

Once at Russ' apartment, we watched TV, talked more, and just enjoyed each other's company. He's missing his family back in Gerogia, and I'm missing mine, so it was cool to have someone from "home" to talk to.

Goodnight me troopers.