One of the great things I love about being an expat
(although I’m currently on expat-life sabbatical leave right now) is that I
love feeling my little world grow. It’s
like watching a little seed that sprouts into a wee seedling and eventually grows
into an old oak tree, full of life and branches and twigs and foliage. (The
branches would be roads, twigs – side streets and alleys, foliage – interesting
shops and cafes…hopefully you get the picture here, I’m shit at properly describing
it.)
When I first visit a new country, I’m usually pretty
nervous, maybe even a bit apprehensive while sussing out my new surroundings. I tend to frequent the same places, which are
not too far from my home base. But ever
so gradually, I venture further and further afield. Until after a few months’ time, I think back
at how I timidly started out my explorations and how far my, what was once
small, world has grown. It’s such a
fulfilling and confident feeling. What
once had seemed like an enormous city from the space of a few blocks, turns
into a small and easily accessible city in a country I want to explore more of.
For example, I remember the first times I had to take the
subway solo in both London and Seoul.
With complicated-looking maps, the process seemed so dubious (or just
terrifying). But once I figured it out,
it was simple and allowed me to build my world even more. It’s so silly to think that something like
taking the subway can be daunting at first, but when you come from a place
that, while growing up, had a lack of public transportation, it can be
anxiety-inducing.
The London Tube map...when you first see it, it seems pretty unreadable.
The Seoul Subway map is even worse...most of the time they're written in Hangul o_O
I think back on my time in Chiang Mai. I absolutely refused to try out a motorbike.
The drivers in Thailand were crazy as hell (of which my broken ankle can
attest to), I felt that the city had a crazy layout (it actually doesn’t), and frankly, I was just too
damn scared. When I went to Krabi, a
small city in the Thai peninsula, I bravely decided to try to learn how to
drive a motorbike. Easy. As. Pie. I still wasn’t sure about motorbiking-it
around Chiang Mai though. That took the
peer pressure of a friend I’d met in the islands to get me to do it. Once I did, though, the big city of Chiang
Mai shrunk and I was zooming myself about all the soi’s (streets) and back
alleys. Slowly, I ventured further out
of Chiang Mai and drove the Sameong Loop.
I loved to feel the polluted wind on my face (through my face-mask, of
course!). I loved speeding around and I
turned into one of those crazy drivers myself.
Not really. (For that I’d need
about 4 other people on my motorbike and, while I’m driving, I’m holding a baby
in one hand, mobile phone in another, with the person sitting directly behind
me holding an umbrella over my head, because in this scenario, it’s monsoon
season. Or I would be driving around
with a dog sitting on the back of my motorbike, wearing sunglasses). I became addicted to driving my motorbike…so
much so that I can’t wait to get one in Colorado.
I couldn't make this up if I tried. We saw this guy and dog (wearing sunglasses!) on our first trip up to Doi Suthep. At least the guy is wearing a helmet...that's rare!
I really love how my world has grown over the last ten
years. From discovering various
countries in Europe and Asia, it definitely gets easier the more you do
it. And once I’ve given my leg a proper
rest and let it fully recover, I can’t wait to grow my little world even
more.
Adventures on the horizon: Cuba (woohoo for opening up
Cuba to Americans!!), Iceland, Norway, and Kilimanjaro in December 2016.
Happy Trails!
While writing this blog, I kept singing the chorus to this song, which I haven't heard in AGES (and it makes me nostalgic for my Leicester days, for sure).
I've been rather blog-quiet recently. Mainly due to my move back to the homeland
last September.
After months and months of testing and interviewing, I’ve
finally landed myself a proper job here in my home state of Colorado. Considering what I’ve done for the past 10
years (moving overseas four times to foreign countries with no friends or
contacts), it terrifies the shit out of me to feel like I’m “settling” down at
home. It’s as ridiculous as it
sounds.
One would think it would be more terrifying to move to a
foreign country, two of those countries were non-English speaking, not knowing
a soul, not much money in your pocket, no place to live besides the initial
hostel or two. It’s not terrifying. That’s what I thrive in. It’s what I know I’m
good at. I don’t know how or why, but I
can create a life out of nothing in a place I’ve never been. And I love that about myself. I love letting my world grow. Until now, I don’t think I’ve ever given
myself much credit for that. I would say
99% of the friends I made in school (before traveling) have said they could
never do what I’ve done. Funnily enough,
I’ve always felt that way about their
situations…I could never see myself settling down – getting married, buying a
house, raising kids. No offense to any
of you that live that kind of life, but the “settling down” life has always
bored the living hell out of me. There’s
nothing wrong with settling down, it’s just never been my style. But here I am now…starting that process by
getting a *real job, buying furniture, renting a house (albeit an adorable
house). I’m terrified, apprehensive,
anxious, and the nomad in me is saying “Kaycee, what the FUCK are you
doing?! There’s so much more world to
see and experience!”
After living in Thailand and Korea, I definitely needed a
break from the expat life. I’ve been
home for about five months now (and kind of thinking that’s all the break I
needed since it was during the entire **2014 football season), but I need to
give another form of lifestyle a go before I make any rash decisions (by
“rash”, I mean throw all of my newly bought furniture on the sidewalk, up for
grabs to anyone who passes by, allowing me to bugger off the States and just
country hop for the rest of my life).
I’m giving myself 2-3 years to figure out this life-settling
business. If I find it’s not for me,
then you can bet your buttons that I’m gone for good. Half of me wants that. Half of me wants the settling. It’s internally brutal, make no mistake about
that!
During those 2-3 years, I’m focusing on getting out of
debt and more importantly (ha!), training for Kilimanjaro. It’s going to be challenging as hell trying
to climb a mountain with a fused ankle, but I’ve now realized more people with
far worse disabilities haven’t let their disability alter their dream. If they can follow their challenging dreams,
I can too. It’s going to take a lot to
get there, but my goal is for a December 2016 summit.
Although I’m
settling down, I still consider myself an Expat Tribe member…just on sabbatical
leave ;) Which probably isn’t the best way to start off the “settling”
lifestyle – I’m not giving it a real chance from the get-go…however, you can
take the girl out of the nomad life, but you can’t take the nomad life out of
the girl.
So “settling”, here goes nothing!
Happy Trails!
*When I say “real” job, I mean a job that can turn into a
career…proper benefits, retirement, all those cookies.
** If I could be an expat between February – August every
year (which means I’m home for Bronco season), that would be just perfect. Seriously perfect.
Full disclaimer: This entry is not quite travel-related. If you want to stop reading now, I won't be heart-broken.
I'm a HUGE Game of Thrones fan. The books. The show. All of it. Last week, a fellow I follow on Twitter tweeted "Game of Thrones is to other TV shows like the Pats (Patriots) are to other football teams". That statement is absolutely false for two reasons: I LOVE Game of Thrones, and I HATE the fucking Patriots. I started thinking which houses/cities I would associate the Patriots and Broncos with if the NFL was based in Westeros. Once I started thinking about my reasoning for relating these two NFL teams, I started thinking about other teams and where they would belong to in Westeros...IF Westeros and Essos existed and IF the NFL was based out of Westeros and Essos.
Here is my (admittedly biased, but all in good fun) list of where an NFL team would be from if the NFL came out of Westeros and Essos.
Denver Broncos: Winterfell
First, Winterfell = cold and snow, like Denver...very fitting. Also, most fans of the show love the Starks, and the Broncos were recently named "America's Team"...again, very fitting. Finally, the Lannister's do a damn good job at Stark-killing...chopping off Ned's head, Robb and the dreadful Red Wedding...I compare this to ripping us to shreds at Foxboro every season. However, much to the Lannister's dismay, the Stark's have had a few good licks in as well...ex: Robb Stark capturing Jaime Lannister in the Whispering Wood. I liken that to the Denver Broncos Championship Game win against the Patriots last year. The Broncos have the ability to take out the Patriots, it's just really fucking difficult. Dear Patriots: Winter is Coming (which really doesn't effect you since you're used to it, but still...WINTER IS COMING!)
New England Patriots: Casterly Rock
This is actually a compliment...I mean, the Patriots are a good team, just like the Lannisters have a lot of power. But, the only people who like the Lannisters are themselves. Pretentious, easily angered, and power hungry. They kill a lot of people as the Patriots have killed a lot of teams in the NFL. The Lannisters, well, they don't have a fan base that compares to the Stark's. Just like the Patriots' fan base doesn't compare to the Broncos'.
A sea of beautiful ORANGE!
Seattle Seahawks: Storm's End
The Seahawks are like the Baratheon's seated at Storm's End. Kings of the Seven Kingdoms, but not for long. They had their glory, now it's fading away. Just like the Baratheon's. Also, folks want to cheer for the Baratheon's, but in the end, they follow whoever sits on the Iron Throne. A bunch of bandwagoners.
Oakland Raiders: Iron Islands
Bless 'em. They try. Those pillaging fools. But they just. keep. losing.
San Diego Chargers: The Twins
The Frey's...Those back-stabbing sons of bitches. They have the power to do damage to the Starks, same as the Chargers have power to do damage to the Broncos.
Kansas City Chiefs: Dreadfort
Like the Bolton's to Starks, you think the Chiefs are friendly to the Broncos (you know, for having a few shitty seasons). But also like the Bolton's (Ramsay Snow), they have Jamaal Charles, who can flay the hell out of defenses. It's kind of fun, in a morbid way, watching the Bolton's torture their captives, same as it's kind of fun, in a morbid way, watching the Chiefs do well....only to be shut out by Denver. I shall re-name Jamaal Charles to Jamaal Snow, Bastard of Kansas City and flayer of NFL defenses!
Dallas Cowboys: Dorne/Sunspear
If you're only a watcher of the show and not a reader of the books, I would assume Dorne gained a big fan base after Oberyn Martell showed up in King's Landing with his poisoned spear and beautiful accent. The Cowboys have always had a huge fan base and have always been known as "America's Team". Dorne is also hot and sandy, and deserty. Like Texas. Also, the Prince of Dorne has a really bad case of gout. I think Tony Romo does as well.
New Orleans Saints: Riverrun
We like Riverrun. Like the Saints, they're not extremely powerful, but they get in there every now and then.
Minnesota Vikings: Beyond the Wall
C'mon, Minnesota? Freezing temperatures, a shit ton of snow? Just like Beyond the Wall. Also BtW, there are giants and grumpkins and mammoths, just what I picture in Minnesota.
New York Giants: Eyrie
The Arryns, they just stay out of everything, up there in their impregnable fortress, high in the mountains. Just like the Giants, bless 'em. Do they even know it's football season?
Green Bay Packers: Oldtown
The Packers are an old and wise team. Just like Oldtown, where the Maester's of Westeros are made and molded.
Miami Dolphins: White Harbor
Because basically, White Harbor sits on the coast and no one knows too much about them.
New York Jets: Deepwood Motte
Like the Glover's of Deepwood Motte, the Jets just aren't doing well.
Washington Redskins: Astapor
They're called the "Red"skins. Astapor is known as the Red City. Astapor also isn't faring too well, just like the Redskins.
Jacksonville Jaguars: Dragonstone
Poor Dragonstone. It's just poor and broken down. Similar to the Jaguars' season.
San Francisco 49ers: Lannisport
They're trying to be powerful. But the Seahawks are to the 49ers as the Lannister's are to the Reyne's of Castamere. Annihilators. Cue the violin...
Arizona Cardinals: Myr
The red priest Thoros comes from Myr. He has the ability to bring people back from the dead. The Cardinals, who are red, having been playing their 2nd string quarterback all season, and killing it. Now they're on their 3rd string quarterback. And Beric Dondarrion is dead. For real this time.
Indianapolis Colts: Highgarden
The Colts are up there in the power house race. So is Highgarden. Andrew Luck doesn't want to be just Luck. He wants to be THE Luck. Out of the shadow of one, Peyton Manning.
St. Louis Rams: Lys
Lys has sorcerers. The Rams like to play tricks. Sorcery-type tricks. Anyone remember the Seattle game?
Cleveland Browns: The Red Waste
Johnny Football. Need I say more?
And now I'm out of clever quips...but here's the rest of my list:
Tennessee Titans: Moat Cailin
Philadelphia Eagles: Horn Hill
Detroit Lions: Braavos
Chicago Bears: Pentos
Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Tarth
Carolina Panthers: Maidenpool
Atlanta Falcons: Qarth
Pittsburgh Steelers: Saltpans
Baltimore Ravens: Yronwood
Houston Texans: Yunkai
Buffalo Bills: Acorn Hill
Here's hoping a Stark, I mean Snow (cough, cough) will soon sit the Iron Throne. And the Lombardi trophy will be housed in Denver! Go Broncos!!
Happy Trails!
P.S. If you're wondering why I've left out the Targaryens, well, Daenerys moves around quite a bit until she "settles" in Meereen. Also, there is no NFL team worthy enough to be a Targaryen. Not even Denver.
Hey y'all. I know it's been quite a while since my last post - four months, to be exact! I'm still alive and kickin', just not living abroad anymore. I left Korea at the end of August to head back to the Motherland to take a break from living the expat life...and to really give my ankle a chance at healing all good and proper ;)
There is nothing exciting happening in Colorado...unless you want to talk to me about the football season, particularly my Broncos. Still hunting for a job. Still hunting for a dude. Being lazy while I can. Spending money I don't have. Enjoying watching shows on a television and not a computer screen. Loving trips to the cinema without Korean or Thai subtitles. You know, all the things that go with changing your lifestyle for the umpteenth time.
Anywho...I've been meaning to get back into blogging the Photo of the Day. Photo of the "Day" never really took off for me (or was I doing "Week"?...either way, like Anakin to Obi Wan, I have failed you). So after a long ass wait since Changgyeonggung Palace...a photo blog (which is actually a full photo BLOG, not just Photo of the Day), here's my attempt at jumping back on the Photo of the Day...Week? train.
I've had The Wombats - Tokyo (Vampires & Wolves) stuck in my head all morning. It's a good earworm to have...I'm not gonna lie. But it has me reminiscing about Japan, and I'd love to go back there someday. I never made it to Tokyo, I spent my time in Kyoto and Osaka. So, here is one of my favorite photos from that trip - taken on my iPhone, not even my full camera.
These "mush-mush" carts (a name I gave them) are all around in the quiet area of Arashiyama - a neighborhood of Kyoto. I really loved Arashiyama, which is full of beautiful temples surrounding a peaceful bamboo forest. If you ever go to Kyoto, I recommend a trip to Arashiyama. I meant to have an hour long wander through the bamboo forest, then head back into the city...instead I spent my entire day wandering around Arashiyama - it's really lovely :)
I'll try to get back to posting a photo a week of places that I've been...but I'm not promising anything!
Happy Trails!
And for your earworm today...if you're wondering why I'm wanderlusting for Japan:
As I am soon (in two weeks) ending my stint in SK, I thought I would send out helpful places for anyone needing some expat guidance. It's not nearly as fun as my Colorado list or Chiang Mai Top 12 list (I came here for the money, not the party...and my ankle kind of got in the way of extensive exploring, but with the way things are going on that front, there will be much and more of adventures - non-South Korean ones - to come!).
So, without further adieu, here is my helpful/useful South Korea list - for those of you who want to AVOID Itaewon and it's higher, foreigner prices:
Gringos Burritos!
I first have to give a shout out to Gringos Burritos. As a Colorado native, I know Mexican food pretty damn well. I'm convinced that my ma filled my baby bottles with green chili and salsa. Saying that, living in Asia, it's difficult to find some authentic Mexican goodness. That's where the Gringos guys come in. One hails from my native Colorado. One hails from Canada and is a sport nut. Good guys making good burritos. They're based out of Ilsan, but they ship glorious burritos all over Korea. They spend the weekdays teaching the Common Tongue (like myself) to wee ones, and spend the weekends making burritos (not like myself). The burritos come frozen to your door! (Lucky me, they hand deliver mine as I live quite close to them...so we get to chat up all things sports and all things Colorado). They offer breakfast and lunch/dinner burritos, and also sides like re-fried beans (which are great!), salsa (yum!), and red bean chili (some of the best red bean chili I've had...admittedly even better than my own, and I pack a mean red bean chili...). Check out their menu and find them on Facebook. If you're craving some Mexican...these dudes are the closest you'll get to it in Korea! Thanks Mike and Mark for satiating my Mexican appetite over the last year!
My tip for heating the burritos - I will thaw the burrito in the fridge overnight. Once it's fully thawed, I put it in a frying pan on low heat, turning it every few minutes and slow cooking it so it gets hot in the middle. When it's hot, I'll crank the heat up for about a minute or two while turning it so the outside gets slightly crispy. Nomnomnom...
My favorite from the Gringos...Carnitas oozing with cheese!
(FYI: That's not their salsa...that's my salsa)
Lucy Hair!
Ladies...I know you can relate to this one. Where in the hell can a foreign chick get a "foreign chick" haircut in Korea? I had yet another disaster (not nearly as bad as the one in Chiang Mai) with my hair when I went to Juno in Ilsan. I had read on a Facebook group that a stylist at Juno spoke English and did a good job, so I decided to check her out. First of all, she barely spoke English. Second of all, she treated my "white girl hair" like "Korean girl hair". So basically, she fried the living shit out of it. I wanted my hair darker, I ended up with near platinum blonde locks so dry they made straw seem moist and lovely (the only upside...the cut was really good). After a few months of sporting dry, weak, seriously damaged hair - and trying EVERYTHING I could think of to get the moisture back in it, I decided to chop it all off to start over again. I heard about Lucy Hair in Sinchon from a co-worker. Lucy was trained at Tony & Guy in London, speaks near perfect English, and most importantly knows how to color the hair of foreign chicks and dudes. Ladies, if you need your hair done...I highly recommend Lucy. Check out her Facebook page.
Awesome cut. Awesome color.
EZ Shop Korea!
I don't know if you know this, but I love cheese. And good cheese is hard to come by in Asia. Therefore, when an acquaintance with a car offered to take me shopping at Costco, I didn't pass that up...
Costco = America = giant blocks of cheddar cheese!
If you're in Korea for a while and have access to a car, getting a Costco membership is plausible. Although I've been here for over a year, I don't have a car and didn't fancy flagging down taxis to get home from Costco. That's where EZ Shop Korea comes in. They have many Costco products - and you don't need a Costco card to shop with them - and they deliver it to your door. The delivery costs can get pricey, especially if you're ordering refrigerator items, but it saves with the hassle of getting there and back, and like I said, you don't need a Costco card to shop with them. Also, they have Lucky Charms. Giant boxes of Lucky Charms and giant blocks of cheddar cheese. (Also you can get a giant bag of delicious tortilla chips to help you consume your Gringos salsa!)
Cine in Korea!
I'm a film nut. Lately I've been completely crazy about the magic of Marvel films. Recently, I've been thinking of our species as homo-sapiens and how obsessed we are with entertainment. I often wonder what other, non-Earthly entities would think of us if they observed us from afar with our entertainment obsessions. I think they would think we were weird...Anyways, I digress. Koreans also love the cinema. If you want to see a film, you're pretty much shit outta luck if you show up to the cinema to buy your tickets in person, and 30 minutes before the film starts...you know, like humans used to do pre-Internet days. Therefore you English-speaking-and-reading person, I suggest you head on over to Cine In Korea for all of your cinema needs. They have all the show times at all of the cinemas, and you can buy your tickets online, from the comfort of your bed, without worrying about only finding seats in the first row of a giant screen and that neck-ache you'll encounter afterwards.
Yonsei Severance Medical Center
If you're in need of an international clinic, Yonsei Medical Center has a great one! The GP's are good and very thorough. The GP at YMC told me more about what was wrong with my ankle than the actual orthopedic surgeon I saw in the emergency room in Chiang Mai. She referred me to YMC's ankle specialist - who I didn't actually like and I ended up going with my surgery at Samsung Medical Center. But saying that, the International Clinic and YMC is great if you're needing a doctor that is guaranteed to speak English. They also have volunteers in the clinic to help you get around...YMC is massive, so they hooked me up with an English-speaking volunteer to take me around for X-rays, MRI's, orthopedics...you name it, they helped with it (something that wasn't offered at Samsung MC).
Check out what it's like to stay in a Korean hospital (Samsung MC) here.
Dentist
This one is specific to the Goyang area of Seoul (however, I've seen another branch of this dentist at Digital Media City, so perhaps it's a chain). The Zi & Mi Clinic in Hwajeong is great! I first went to the US Dental clinic near the Yongsan Army Base as I had heard good reviews...but I thought it was shit. It was really dirty in my opinion and although the hygienist was good, the main doctor was not very gentle and put me off returning for a cavity filling. A friend in Hwajeong recommended Zi & Mi. The doctor speaks English, although most of the staff do not. I ended up needing a root canal (which cost me a grand total of $18...thank you, Korea National Insurance!), and further needed a crown on a tooth I chipped. The doctor was very gentle and explained EVERYTHING he was doing. If you're in Hwajeong, his office is in the Lotteria building (next to McDonald's) on the 4th floor.
Chiropractor
I've always suffered from lower pain and need a good snappin', crackin' and a-poppin' from time to time. Saying that, I've had a very difficult time trying to find a proper chiropractor anywhere in my area. They all tend to be some kind of needle-poking acupuncturists, which do fuck all for my back. After spending 6 months hobbling around on crutches, I needed a proper adjustment and this eastern remedy shit was NOT cutting it. I could no longer avoid going to Itaewon. After my trip to Singapore a few weeks ago, I've been suffering with some pretty horrible back pain. A friend of a friend recommended Itaewon Wellness. Again, I think there is a lot of traffic of Army dudes there as it is relatively close to the Yongsan Army Base. I've gone 3 times in the past week and my back is finally starting to feel better. It's a bit pricey, 50,000 won per session, but I honestly haven't been able to find any other chiropractor around...not a place that poses as a chiropractor, then sticks you with a bunch of unhelpful needles.
That's all I've got for you for now. If I think of anything else, I'll add it to the list. Hopefully this will help any of you foreign lads and lasses in, or coming to, South Korea.
This is what I've learned: China is whack. Like the daddy mac. If at all possible, I will never, EVER transfer through this whack place again.
Perhaps I've been fortunate during my travels and had never previously encountered flight problems before. But every flight I've had this trip to and from Singapore has been delayed. Coincidence? No, I think it's just whacky China.
First, I get up at the ass-crack o' dawn to catch my flight to Singapore via Shanghai. I had a 10 hour layover in Shanghai, so I was planning on exploring the city to pass the time. When I get to Inchon, the line to check in is horrendously long. No on-line check-in, no self check-in. After about 30 minutes (the line moved surprisingly fast considering), I get to the counter, only to be told my flight is delayed and to come back...and stand in line again...after 2 hours. WHY someone didn't think to tell the people in line that ALL flights to Shanghai were delayed because of military training at the Shanghai airport is beyond me. So after 2 hours, I'm back in line again. This time the line is moving much slower because the flights were no longer delayed. After going through security and making it to the gate, we're told that the flight is delayed AGAIN. After we finally board, (can you guess what I'm going to say?), we were delayed on the Tarmac for another bloody hour! For fuck's sake!!
So we finally made it to Shanghai after a 6 hour delay. Most of the folks on my flight who were transferring had already missed their connections. Lucky I had that 10 hour layover. Unlucky because my day exploring Shanghai was now shot.
Shanghai airport is shit. The signs are misleading and confusing, the workers unfriendly, and most of the time it looks like you're walking through a fucking underground bunker to get to your gate. AND ONCE AGAIN, my flight is bloody delayed! They finally called for boarding. As I'm standing in line, (5 minutes after calling first boarding) they call "final" boarding and start rushing everyone through...only to be DELAYED ON THE TARMAC AGAIN!!!! Aye yei yei!! Seriously, what the fuck?
I FINALLY made it to Singapore...which was completely lovely (I'll write proper blogs on Singy later...for now, let's keep talking about how shit China is to transfer through).
Leaving Singapore, I had no problems...but I was looking at 2 transfers through bloody China on my way back to Seoul (hey, the tickets were cheap and I'm a poor, wanderlusting lass). I get to my first transfer...of which we're NOT changing planes - 1 hour layover - you'd expect to just sit on the plane, right? That's what I thought because I've done that before. Nope. Get off the plane, go through immigration, security and the likes, then told the flight is delayed. Should I really be surprised at this point?
I finally make it to my second connection in Qingdao, where it's now 11am and they're shooting fireworks (or gunfire...) outside of the airport. Why?? There is no signage for international transfer anywhere. Information folks are a joke. I try to go for a coffee and when I walk in, one of the workers held her nose and went to the other end if the bar. Yeah, I probably smell a bit, but that's your fault China, for delaying every fucking flight to and from your country and ultimately delaying my well-needed after-travel shower. So lady in the coffee shop, go fuck yourself.
Also China, you need to figure out your pollution problem...cause damn! We were flying into a brown bubble of dirty China nastiness.
That blue-ish strip between land and sky is haze. Nasty haze.
Haze and green sludge in the ocean (which I really hope is algae...)
Hazy, brown Qingdao.
Sorry if this blog is negative, but I had a negative experience transferring through China...so much that it put off any small desire I had to ever visit the country. Maybe I will one day, but China has dropped to the bottom of my list.
At least it wasn't enough to put a damper on my trip to Sunny Singapore. Blogs on that wonderful wee country coming soon!
Two weeks ago, I had my first crutch-free post-surgery adventure in Seoul: Changgyeonggung Palace. Changgyeonggung has a secret garden that I had been wanting to explore.
If you want to see the secret garden, be warned you have sign up for a tour and the entrance price is extra at 8,000 KRW (about $7.50). Unfortunately, you can't explore the garden on your own and you're stuck in a large group of people, but I just hung out towards the back of the group to grab photos without people in them. The secret garden tour is about 1.5 km and takes a good 90 minutes to get through. It's also up and down some steep, un-paved, bumpy roads (which was interesting on my leg...I got my first real workout in a good 6 months, but I survived :) It's well worth the going through (I'm not a group tour type of person); the garden is really beautiful and shouldn't be missed...I can imagine it's probably really beautiful in the spring with flowers in bloom, or in autumn with the changing trees.
So, without further adieu, here is my photo blog of Changgyeonggung Palace. I highly recommend a visit if you're in Seoul!
Crossing the bridge to the entrance of Changgyeonggung Palace
Going through the first gate, it opens up into a large courtyard.
I have a thing for interesting doors.
...and rooftops. The creatures on the top of the roofs are all Korean mythological creatures, like guardians.
A mini door.
Entrance into the secret garden
Walking through the first part of the secret garden
The secret garden
The old library of the secret garden
The heat was turning us into zombies...
Aww, my friend pointed out that the trees needed crutches, too. We all need a little help now and again :)
One of the courtyards in the secret garden
So beautiful and green!
A beautiful day, with beautiful people!
A few flowers in bloom, but not many. These lilies are quite frequent around Seoul.
I had to take a break after climbing a big hill...these designs are all over the ceilings of the temples, beautiful!
Heading down...it's a LOT steeper than it looks!
The worker's quarters
Some kind of rock statues...not sure of their importance. I wasn't really paying attention to the tour.
About this time, my camera battery decided to peter out on me...so the rest of these photos are from my iPhone...
Beautiful buildings walking down from the exit of the garden
After we the garden tour, we went back to the main building of the palace, perfect timing as the crowds had died down
These are names of political leaders in Korea
Changgyeonggung and Namsan Seoul Tower
I love the colors and designs of the rooftops
Sunset after a lovely, tiring, crutch-less adventure :)
You can take a moonlight tour of the palace between April-November during the full moon. The cost is 30,000 KRW (roughly $28). You have to sign up early, and if there are signs of rain, the tour will be cancelled.
To get to Changgyeonggung Palace, you can take the subway Line 3 (orange line), exit 3 of Anguk Station. Walk about 5 minutes and you're there!
