Whirlwind Travels

Well hello everyone!!!!

Right now I'm sitting at a computer in a lovely Sauna/Spa/Restaurant, resort-like paradise spot near Incheon Airport in Korea. I'm waiting the much anticipated arrival of my girlfriend Flo to arrive from her long day of traveling from Newark, NJ. I've been really enjoying my day here today. Just lounging around in the hot bath tubs, steam rooms, saunas, sleeping rooms, internet cafe, etc. They have everything from massage services, eating place, coed hot rooms to relax in; and a men's only sleeping room. Right now there are so many cute Korean boys & girls running around having fun, playing games on internet. Some of them are saying, "Hi, How are you? Nice to meet you!" Really cute & endearing.

So I just back from 4 days in Thailand. Thailand was OK. But due to the fact that I had to fly into Bangkok, it made the trip as little less than desirable... Bangkok is the MOST disgusting city I've ever been too. It is SO DIRTY, smelly, crowded, filled with people who are constantly "in your face" trying to sell you something or take you somewhere. The smells of garbage, urine, food, perfume, incense, etc. wafting through the air made for of most unpleasant scenario. The first night I arrived very late on Friday, I went to a restaurant for soup, salad, and a young coconut shake... It was decent, but apparently didn't agree with my stomach because I became sick and was vomiting all next morning. Also that first night while walking back to my room, I saw the BIGGEST, most MASSIVE sized rat ever stumbling through the street. I don't know if this Rat was left over from the 2008 "Year of the Rat" celebration of few weeks earlier, but it was a most disturbing & gross sight to see nonetheless.
Bangkok was hot, and lil humid & muggy, and just way to crowded, filthy....oh and did I mention dirty??? It had no appeal, no charm, no niceness about it whatsoever. The only thing I enjoyed was going to a HOT Yoga class and a very nice, modern, clean studio, then I stayed in that part of town, went to the park to see some trees & grass. I also enjoyed watching a few hundred people doing dance aerobics in the park along the lake. That was a crazy site to see. I stayed in the park, rested on the grass and did some reading. At 6pm everyone (all the Thai people) stood up and stood at attention for 5-7 minutes to honor the King. This is something they do everyday at 6 o'clock in Thailand. I was in no rush to go back to my hotel which was 2 blocks away from the "famous" Khao San Rd. that they always talk about in books & movies (The Beach, Miss Saigon, etc). To me I felt like I was in a third world country. A cross between India (Bombay), Mexico, Pakistan, Morocco, etc. I've never been to India, Pakistan, or Mexico, but to me it felt as if Bangkok could have been anyone of these poorer countries.
Later that night, I went to the BIG, HUGE, modern shopping mall where I bought a ticket to see American Gangster. I had already seen most of this movie from a bootleg DVD my neighbors had in Miryang. The movie was so so great to see again, esp. on the big screen!!! Denzel did such a great job playing Frank Lucas, legendary mob boss who ran Harlem & most of NYC with major drug trafficking back in the 1970's during the Vietnam War. They showed many, many coming attractions which tested my patience and then before they actual movie started, everyone in the movie theater stood up as they showed a picture of the King & Queen. This is evidently a BIG thing in Thailand, showing constant reverence and homage to the king. I felt like I was in the moving "Coming to America" with King Jaffy Joffer from Zamunda, Africa. (Did anyone see that movie with Eddie Murphy & Arsenio Hall?) It was a pretty funny movie.
The next day I met up with my friend Christina & we took a "tuk tuk" (crazy 3-wheeled) taxi like car over to the Grand Palace. This was the other only nice thing to do/see in Bangkok. This Palace looked like it was something out of the Wizard of Oz, with it's ornate, golden tiled facade, it's unique, colorful statues, buildings, etc. To me it was a cross btw. the Wizard of Oz, the Kremlin & Willy Wonka's Chocolate factory. It was so ornate & over the top that it seemed almost fake in a way. It is such a high (holy) place of worship that you must wear long pants (no shorts) and not have sleeveless top. They gave me a pair of long pants to wear over my shorts as to be able to enter the palace gate. They loan it to you for a 100 Baht deposit which you get back when you return it. Christina was wearing jeans, sneakers, and a t-shirt & I was getting hot just looking at her. I had sandals, shorts, and a t-shirt. The Palace was nice, I really enjoyed going inside to view the Temple of the Emerald Buddha. That is one thing there is no shortage of in Thailand, Buddhas, temples, elephants, and pictures of the King. After being in Thailand, if I don't see another Temple or Buddha, I'd be fine.... It was also quite amazing to see how loved, revered, honored and praise the King of Thailand is. He's been on the Throne for over 61 years now, and is turning 80 years old this year. Literally on every corner (practically) you can see a picture of the King, sometimes with his wife (the Queen); but many times just of him (often times he's pictured with a camera around his neck (he must be an avid photographer).... I've seen Thai people driving in their cars and they would salute (with their hands in prayer position just under their nose) while driving by a picture of the King. At firs this was kinda odd to me that they would be so fanatical, but as time went on, I got a feeling that the maybe the King really is a great guy after all.
Anyway, after 2 nights in Bangkok, I was yearning to leave for destinations further south to head towards a beach. I took a 4 hour local bus to Hua Hin which is supposed to be the neatest, most tidy town in Thailand. So I was most looking forward this destination. Well, needless to say it was no bargain either (not like Boca Raton FL, Avalon, NJ or Sea Girt....) it was more like Point Pleasant or Seaside Heights....rather touristy, with lots of shops and overpriced restaurants. The only difference was that that had Thai Massage Parlors on every corner. Maybe that's a "new" untapped market for NY/NJ to tap into...these cheap as dirt Thai massage places where they charge you anywhere from $3-$9 for a 1 hour massage!!!! I got one the first night I was there in Hua Hin. I was ok, more like stretching & twisting than deep relaxation. The hotel I stayed at said it was apropos of Brighton Beach, very outdoorsy, open-air deck, right on the ocean. Again, it was OK, considering I paid only $10.50/night for a room that didn't have a flush toilet, and barley had a normal sink. I was kinda appalled at first with the shocking fact that I had to fill up a bucket (pail) of water to "flush" the debris down the toilet. This, coupled with the fact that their were tons of ants crawling around on the floor near my bed, didn't really give me feelings of "clean & tidy". But after 2 days, I got used to toilets that didn't flush, and going to the bathroom with no toilet paper and having to use water to wipe myself.... Needless to say I was most delighted to leave Bangkok at the grueling time of 1:40am. I now consider this cruel time departure to be harsh & crude. I barely slept on the flight, and just when I began to fall fast asleep, they turn all the lights FULL BLAST to serve us breakfast at 4:30 am....This is so unfair... To wake me up to serve my eggs, a muffin, fruit & yogurt....My eyes were burning, my head was aching, etc. When we landed at 6:45am Thai time (8:45am Korea time) I hopped a bus and went immediately to a Jim Jil Bang which I am now convinced is the GREATEST contribtution Korea haas given man/womankind!!!! Forget LG, Samsung, Kia, Daewoo, Hyundai, kimchi, bulgogi, etc....to me it's gotta be these 24 hour, open all night, all year, round the clock lil mini resort villages. To me at 8:45am it was a lil slice of paradise!!!!! I took a deliciously hot shower, soaked in a steaming hot tub/sauna & then changed into shorts & a t-shirt for a wonderful 3 hour power nap. There is something so relaxing, special & fun about being in one these place all day. With the internet, a restaurant, massage room, massage chairs, hot "green tea" & jade rooms, etc....You can make yourself very comfortable. They should have these places at every Holiday Inn in America. (another new idea that is sure to be very popular in America).

OK now for a brighter update on my former trip to Japan. Now visiting Japan was a real treat, honor, and privilege. It was so nice, so modern (ultra-westernized), new, clean, professional, etc. It is a very "smart" country. Tokyoites are very hip, cool, chill, laid back people. They are very fashionable, sophisticated, unique, alive, dynamic & expressive people. This was honestly a breath of FRESH AIR for both Christina & I because Korea (in comparison) is SO SO quite, calm, reserved. So conservative, prim & proper, homogeneous, boring, dull, plain vanilla. Honestly to me, being in Korea in 2008 is like being in America in the 1960's. Things are just a lil slow, and old-fashioned here. I have not been to Seoul yet, but I'm hoping to see if it has a lil more flavor, color & self-expression than the rest of Korea. I will be spending 4 days here with Flo and will let you know.

But Tokyo was SO DYNAMIC, so metropolitan, very trendy, clean city. We went to the 5th Ave equivalent of Tokyo, visited lots of high-end shops, toured the Toyota & Sony rooms. Went to old Temples, museums, etc. Went to the downtown areas with all the glitzy neon & bustling crowds of people. Ate Soba noodles, tempura, sushi, crepes, etc & drank Sapporo, Asahi beer & warm Sake...... It was a very high-end city, classy & unique with some parts that resembled Paris. All in all Tokyo & Japan was an exquisite & enjoyable experience.

But with all this traveling I've been doing over the past 4 weekends, I'm definitely ready for a break and am looking forward to being able to staying home in my quite lil town of Miryang and not doing much of anything (except riding my bike around town, hanging out by the river, going to the local bath house, etc). So simple, fun, quiet & relaxing.

Tales from Winter Camp

Well, well, I must say that I am rather excited to finally be able to share with everyone all the amazing experiences we had during the intensive Winter Camp in Changwon (the capital of the province where I live).
Being an instructor at Winter Camp allowed me to really get to know and understand a lot more about Korean culture, lifestyle, attitude, philosophy, etc. It was really rather funny and amusing to learn about some of their traditions, customs, beliefs, etc. For example, do you know that Koreans believe there are 2 rabbits pounding on a Chulgu (big bowl for making rice cakes) on the moon. It's apparently an old legend/story that the Koreans tell their children when they are young. My group actually got to "act out" this story as a skit on stage about this story. The story tells a tale of two powerful "farters" that decided to have a Fart Competition to see who's farts are the strongest. (I swear this is really a true Korean folk story) I know, I know, I could hardly believe it myself, but it's true. So one day the one Fart Woman comes over and farts on the other Farter's child (played by me). My mom gets mad and decides to aim this huge Chulgu (big bowl) at the other Fart Woman....then the other woman takes aim & shoots (farts) it back toward me & my mom, back & forth they go until finally they let out one final last SUPER FART at the same time and with that blast, the Chulgu shoots up to the moon where the 2 rabbits start to play (pound) on it. Please don't ask me how/why or what the 2 rabbits got on the moon in the first place.....that make be another story in itself.
OK, that is just one of many silly myths (urban legends) that they believe. Some others are as follows:

• They believe in "Fan Death" which says that if you fall asleep in a room with the windows and door shut and you have an electric fan running, you will choke (b/c of lack of oxygen) and die. This is a ridiculous fallacy that some Koreans really believe is true because they "saw it on the news" Come on please. You can even do a search for "Fan Death" on Google or You Tube to see more info. on this. It's really silly.
• They believe that you should never clip your toe/finger nails at night because if you do, mice will come out when you are sleeping and will eat your nail clippings and they will eventually turn into a clone (copy) of you. And no one will be able to tell the difference between the real you and the clone. What a serious predicament to be in huh??? So do you know how these clever Koreans solve this unique dilemma??? Yup, you guessed they get a cat to see which person it chases, and the one it chases is "obviously" the copy b/c cats love to chase mice!!! I'm serious folks, these were grown adults that were (proudly) telling me these stories of their people's folk tales
• Another story says that if you find/bite into a stone while eating your rice, you should keep it and put it in the shoe of someone you like. This will eventually cause them to think of (be attracted to) you, and allow you to marry them. OK, now I can see the sweetness, the cuteness, and the innocence of the mythical legend. I'm sure we have plenty of silly, ridiculous, off-the-wall myths, legends, and superstitions that we believe in back home.
• They also believe in the strict need to rest for at least 21 days after giving birth to help their bodies and their bones heal & repair. They are advised not take a shower (only a sponge bath) b/c the cold air will weaken their bones; They are so radical that they believe you should not leave the house for the first 7 days. All kinds of weird notions like this.
  
• Some other things that Koreans believe in (swear by) is the potency of their rare, exotic, unique and different types of food and delicacies. For example they like to eat "Bo shin Tang" which translates into "healthy body soup" This soup is actually made with dog meat!!!!!! Yes, that's right it is supposed to be very good for your throat and is cooling in summer time. But keep in mind that the types of dogs they eat are completely different from the domesticated types of dogs we raise as pets. They breed a certain kind of "field dog" that they raise like sheep, cows, or any another livestock. Because they were such a poor country and never really had access to much meat.... they decided to copy the Chinese and raise dog for food. It just cracked me up to hear that they call dog soup "healthy body soup" Who knows, I just may need to try it this summer!!

Everything in Korea is either good for your health, or good for stamina (in case of a man). Like they eat "bon day gee" which is silk worm larvae. I personally think it's kinda gross, it smells awful...but it is supposedly "good for men's stamina". They drink this hot black colored tea from the root (bark) of a tree that tastes God awful, but it's supposed to fight off colds.
There is another rumor (fact?) that Raspberry Wine gives a man stamina b/c of the story of a man who drank lots of it in the winter time & went to pee in the pot (metal or ceramic) which was outside and his pee was so strong, that it actually shattered to pot!!!! Come on now people!!! I guess if it was really cold, and his pee was really hot, this could happen, right? So no matter what type of Korean foods you eat or drink, most will undoubtedly say: "Oh yea, ...... that's "good for your health" or in case of man: "good for stamina".
Just too funny. These are just some of the preliminary incidents I can recall from Winter Camp. I will be back next time with some more anecdotes.
Until Next Time,

LIVE with PASSION!

Japan Here We Come!!!

Yes, that's right, because we have a 5 day weekend for Chinese (Lunar) New Year, my friend Christina and I decided to take advantage of these 5 days and booked a flight to Nagoya Japan. Does anyone find it ironic that I'm going to Japan for "Chinese" New Year?? Oh well, I guess I could think of stranger things...While planning our itinerary, as to where to spend our 4 nights, we considered, Nagoya, Kyoto, Osaka & Tokyo. Since Nagoya is on the eastern part of the country (the archipelago as it's called) we decided it best to take a train or bus (5.5 hours) from Nagoya to Tokyo where we will stay for 3 nights. We already have reserved a place to stay for only 29,000 Yen ($29 per person/night) what a friggin bargain, esp. for Tokyo!!! I am so excited to be going to Japan and especially to have to excitement & pleasure of being in Tokyo. I've packed my bathing suit because they have over 3,000 natural, hot springs (Onsen) there!!! Some are co-ed, some are segregated. I wanna make sure I'm completely prepared for this trip!!!

I have so much to write to catch you up on the WONDERFUL time I had teaching at an Intensive English Camp for Korean HS & Middle School teachers. We worked long, hard hours each week for the entire month of January. Starting with our first class at 9am, and ending the last class each day at 8:30pm. We would teach each teach about 8 - 9 50 minute classes per day!!! But it was so much fun b/c I got to teach English to grown-up adults who actually WANTED to be there. I mean, these teachers voluntarily "gave up" their entire month long winter break to enroll themselves in this INTENSIVE English course to help improve their English. I tell you, this was most intriguing, impressive, and admirable thing to see & experience. To see the extreme dedication, commitment, and focus these teachers have to improve their English speaking and to help them gain the confidence that they need to be effective English teachers. This was quite a unique privilege, honor, and treat for me to be a part of this process. I feel very lucky,grateful, and appreciative (once again) to have been selected (1 of 8 Instructors) to teach at this camp. We even made it onto the evening News Channel KBS one night which featured the nature of the English we were teaching at. I am becoming even more of a celebrity in Korea these days because people from all over town are recognizing me from the TV News report. Who knows, I just me run for mayor of Miryang one day!! I will write more on this experience with my next entry. Right now I need to head off to bed b/c I have to catch a train to the airport tomorrow morning. HAPPY LUNAR NEW YEAR EVERYONE!!!!!

2008 - Year of the Rat!!!!!