TravelStream™ news feed for member jjswitzer on TravelPod's free travel blogs service http://www.travelpod.com/syndication/rss/jjswitzer en-us Copyright ©2009 TravelPod.com Tue, 26 Sep 2006 19:10:25 -0400 http://www.travelpod.com http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/jjswitzer/korea_esl_2005/1158560280/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/jjswitzer/korea_esl_2005/1158560280/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/jjswitzer/korea_esl_2005/1158560280/tpod.html Tue, 26 Sep 2006 19:10:25 -0400 A man, a deranged plan, a subject I have no idea how to teach (Science would've been too easy), South Korea

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Edmonton, Alberta, Canada

Leaving Korea turned out to be much harder than I first anticipated. You can grow awfully familiar with a country, culture in one year to the point that it feels like a second home or extension of oneself. Getting on the plane, I think my mind had convinced itself it was coming back to Korea. It didn't.

Arriving at home it felt normal but distant, like you might experience in a dream. I guess, surreal, being surrounded by only a few of my closest family members. In some ways I expected my family to be truly excited to see me, they were happy don't get me wrong, yet I anticipated more. So it was a bit of a let down to realize to what extent people can move on without you; no band to play for my arrival. Sleep came easy that night. The next week passed in a fog, the kind you experience with jet lag but also with what was, I believe, reverse-culture shock. Its not that I can attribute it to one single mannerism or food or anything in particular; it was just a feeling of being outside one's own culture and looking in. I think I dwelled on a lot of the bad things that I saw for the first time in my culture. There certainly were two factors essential to the trouble of re-adjusting: understanding everything and isolation to constant companionship. You need to understand where I was in Korea: a rural, geographically isolated, non-english speaking community for 5 out of 7 days a week for a full year. By myself. Then suddenly transplanted into a place I could understand everything and be surrounded by people constantly was overwhelming at times. The responsibilities that come with ones native language..

So I mentioned some other factors that I had trouble adjusting to, and some bad things I noticed about my own culture. First, I had big issues with Korean fashion while I resided in Korea, sequins, cowboy boots (same in Alberta, just used oddly) and pink. Arriving here I realized the majority of North Americans weren't decidedly better fashionistos. Of course there was the food difference, going from generally healthy 2 Korean-style meals a day to the North American diet with its ease-of-access to high sugar, high fat and high calorie foods. That said, if you want, you can certainly eat like a North American everyday in Korea if desired - I just didn't. Then there was the flip-side of isolation, the independence allotted to me, that suddenly disappeared upon coming home. The freedom of spending my money where and when I wanted to, to zero income. The not having the constant freedom of travel I did every weekend and not seeing my friends, co-workers every weekend. The individuality, dressing and speaking without consequence; there were bonuses not speaking or understanding the language and culture of Korea. Perhaps the greatest difference were the minute culturalisms: how its impolite blowing ones' nose in public, how its acceptable to spit, how the eldest pays for dinner, how people sit after dinner, how we sit at dinner, how we don't use chopsticks. Little things you do and see everyday and suddenly they are not there anymore, or are completely different. Strange to was, how I was no longer the minority but the majority and the incorrect feeling of entitlement that allows; sometimes the prejudice of a euro-caucasian Alberta. The there was the feeling like there was no one to talk to, despite being surrounded very few people understood or bothered to ask involved questions. Continuing, how little things had changed here despite feeling that I had changed enormously. At times I feel that I am being pulling into my old ways, the rut I had before I left, which I think would be a great loss. I think I've experienced and learned a great deal that I can apply to my life, that change is not to be feared but actually essential to a fulfilling, satisfying life. This thing we call life here, the money, cars, RRSPs, isn't really what life is about. I don't pretend to be a guru, yet my year certainly opened my eyes and I don't want to lose that. Oh, and no Koreans. Not a single one since arriving home.

Now, there certainly are some advantages to being home. Get catered to for the first week was pretty nice, he he. Cheese, sweet merciful non-processed cheese definitely ranks near the top. Infinitely better, non-variable, non-lager beer. Golf at a reasonable, in a non-right handed orientation. The familiarity of family and friends. Comfort foods: muffins, chili, steak and many others. Proper, ground coffee. Lots of little things that you take for granted in daily life here.

Overall the adjustment hasn't been easy or smooth, strangely similar to my first month in Korea.

So with that comes the end of this travelogue. Its been an amazing experience, and I've been fortunate to have an audience to share it with. Thank you to the Travelpod community and moderators. Until next the next adventure...
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/jjswitzer/korea_esl_2005/1156160700/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/jjswitzer/korea_esl_2005/1156160700/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/jjswitzer/korea_esl_2005/1156160700/tpod.html Mon, 21 Aug 2006 08:04:04 -0400 A man, a deranged plan, a subject I have no idea how to teach (Science would've been too easy), South Korea

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Jeon Dong-Jin, Korea Rep.

5 weeks of summers camps... the most recently completed camps at Geochang and Boryeong. At Geochang I was greeted with possibly the most remote area I have yet visited. This isolation had it rewards, with Geochang harboring one of the most beautiful and non-polluted streams in Korea. Apparently you can drink it... safely. That said I'd like to reiterate that it was: remote, remote, remote. Being a full 30 minutes from a city or town of any sort is saying alot in such a densely populated country. Facilities were okay, students' skill levels okay but I managed to receive another dud homeroom class. And I again ran into weirdo teachers attracted to this country for the money, or other more unsavory reasons. The Koreans being rather non-confrontational I engaged in battle on their behalf with an out-of-control Japanese import teacher. Long story short, I kept the moral high ground while she resorted to racial slurs to leverage her point. That day she lost alot of respect amongst the teachers, Korean or otherwise. Another guy, who at first I thought was a serial killer but turned out to be nice, went by taxi into town every night for drinks. There were some gems in the rough among the students, teachers and the week did turn out for the better. Some highlights: the Frisbee skills shown by some of the students, the full moon skinny dip in the stream, e-mail requests from the students, the plays, the songs and the 'game' farewell party. It was an express return to, and resupply in, Jochiwon followed by a speedier trip to Seoul before heading to Boryeong County nestled beside Sea of the West in Chungcheongnam province.

Boryeong: famous for the Mud Festival and Daecheon beach. By now I was running low on juice for the summer camps, this being the fifth and final week of the camp season. The camps pay well, particularly when you do 5 week worth of them, but the hours and responsibilities are greater. So on Monday, Brad and I headed out to the beach to confront the last camp. Fortunately Boryeong had excellent facilities, a well organized camp programme, a beach within walking distance and access to civilization. To top it off I received an excellent homeroom class, and generally the students were interested and relatively advanced English skills. I even met a few of the teachers from previous camps and one from the Ssang Nok resort training programme a full year ago. And no weirdos! Things were getting better and better. Sadly, despite the excellent organization of the camp, we were abandoned by our assigned Korean co-teacher for the entire week; even for the traditional camp dinner. Now the last statement might appear strange only for the dinner (they love dinners) but anyone who has spent time in Korea knows for your hosts not to eat with you is rude. That was the entire week; I could count on 1 hand the number of times a Korean teacher talked or helped me. Very strange! In addition the dinner was sub-par, an insult to proper sam gyup sal. It should have been seafood being near the ocean and all... hwei (raw fish) or cho gae gui (seashell BBQ). Its common for camps to showcase a food specialty for the region a camp is conducted in - like the dwei gi kal bi (pork BBQ) and oh ri goh gi (duck BBQ) in Geochang. Although they were worried about a seashell virus that had killed some people; live on the edge I say - pansies! Other highlights: did the famous mud bath at the sauna, road a mini bike around the beach, drank a bunch of beers on the beach with the teachers and a bunch of random Koreans and swam in what would normally be considered super dirty water but had fun swim. The week ended on a melancholy note, I was happy to be leaving the camps behind but proud of my students... there is hope. So with that it was home to Jochiwon again for resupply before a short vacation. Yes, that's right, no rest... never.

So all that week one of our teachers had been monitoring Tropical Storm Wukong, basically a typhoon, tracking over Japan towards Korea. At the end of the week the typhoon looked as though it was veering towards the west coast of Korea, or Seoul and Incheon airport. Saturday morning I was the unfortunate recipient of the news the typhoon was heading directly towards my intended vacation spot: a beach on the East coast of Korea, or Jeon Dong-jin. Regardless of the off weather it was still a nice vacation, with a beach and big-ass waves like in Hawaii. Swimming would've been a death sentence, so it proved to be relaxing with a nice view in spite of the rain. It was a really long train ride, though.

In other news, packing is heavily underway. How? With any spare moment I have been in Jochiwon. Its interesting how much more stuff I have than what I left with from Canada. Also the tying up lose ends is in progress: pension, camp payments, wire transfers, cleaning and organizing. Today I got hit with the fact that thew haven't deducted any taxes from my paycheck all year - so there goes a few thousand dollars. Oooo, exciting.

Seriously though, my decision to come home was clarified with a return to regular classes. Even with fun and exciting activities it is difficult to achieve any second language motivation. This isn't a trend unique to (English) second language acquisition. I had a discussion today with one of my Korean co-teachers and the frustration is palpable. Apparently the teachers have stopped giving, grading homework because parents are enraged with them when their children fail to achieve high marks. You need to understand this is a Korean culturalism: the saving of face before peers. This system has artificially inflated grades and students' success rates. Combine this with the no fail system in place in Korea and, generally, the students have no intrinsic motivation to succeed in school. The teachers are powerless to help. Its a bit too frustrating at times for me to handle for me to do another year now.

In hindsight I would've liked to do more traveling around Korea and in Asia. I'll leave it for the next time... and yes there will be a next time, whether teaching or otherwise, I'll be back.

PS Sorry for the false advertizing about the last entry being the last entry, I need to do this stuff while its fresh. I won't make that promise again :)
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/jjswitzer/korea_esl_2005/1153571160/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/jjswitzer/korea_esl_2005/1153571160/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/jjswitzer/korea_esl_2005/1153571160/tpod.html Tue, 01 Aug 2006 06:26:07 -0400 A man, a deranged plan, a subject I have no idea how to teach (Science would've been too easy), South Korea

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Cheonan, Korea Rep.

So the last few days of the regular school year came and went; not a moment too soon with the waning interests of my students. Then vacation began. Which incidently is not much of one for my students, who are forced to attend class.

So this last weekend I attended the Mud Festival. Boryeong, on the west coast of Korea, in the rainy season tends to create mud. Lots of mud. Somehow we managed to swing the only day there was no rain that weekend... lucky for us as it poured next day. Cloudy it may have been, yet somehow it managed to be hot as well. Thinking the mud would form a protective barrier also proved to be mistake. Lobster boy. To round out a trio of presumptions swimming did not include the docile waves expected but 7 foot swells, one of which claimed an innocent victim in the form of my glass lens. So one eyed, I went through the rest of the day... apparently vision improves with increased consumption of beer. This has been scientifically and empirically proven by the many shot-term relationships created in clubs, pubs and bars across the world. The only thing I missed out on was the seashell dinner served by the sea that I love so much... segeway, I wouldn't have minded missing out on the 16 people jammed into a small, 250 000 Won room at the polar opposite end of the beach from the activities.

I continued to peel into the next week as a result of the weak UV protective factor of Boryeong mud. As it happened this was the first week of summer camps, destination: Soon Cheon Hyang University, the Medical Building. Its located near Cheonan about an hour south of Seoul. I was assigned Class Yellow, or B class. Unfortunately as I discovered on the very first day I had 5 of the most ragingly pubescent teens; similar to those at home. 3 of these were girls and 2 boys, a recipe that invariably results in trouble makers. Boys showboating for girls. It was fun but it also turned into a huge amount of work, with 13 hour days and hall monitor nights. Again segeway, the teen girls I was discussing earlier were caught in an indiscretion which involved boys in there room late at night. Not as bad as it sounds, but Koreans are sexually conservative (disclaimer here) and this was a no-no. Proudly it was I that busted them! When 3 AM rolled around, I wasn't so impressed with myself.

To round off my predictions, I should have laid bets, the 2 boys in my class that I spoke about earlier got in a fist fight. 5 for 5. To top it off their English capabilities generally sucked and they had no interest in being there... but their parents want them to learn even during the holiday. Korean people have a serious problem really relaxing. That said I had some wonderful children in Yellow class, but my real saving grace came with the students of Class F (purple) who were spectacular. Most of them I had in the winter classes the year before, they really are passionate about English.

Some of the other real camp-like activities: the Golden Bell, the Bazzar, the Treasure Hunt, Play Production, Pop Song Production and Ultimate (Frisbee). The Golden Bell for those of you who don't know, well everyone I guess,is a survival quiz game. Very interesting. The play and pop song were done ad naseum over 5 days. It was far too much; my class did well with the song but really struggled with the play memorization. Ultimate was a wild-card, free-time activity in which I taught the students who wanted to learn rules and skills required for Ultimate. They absolutely loved it which really sped the week along for both the teachers and students.

In addition I met some great teachers: Elaine, Amy and Neiro. And some not so great ones: Andy. Unfortunately Korea tends to attract a wide variety of people because the money is good and the job is easy; some are really bizarre. He was one these, particularly with the adult Korean teachers. To his credit, he was wonderful with the students. It wasn't much of a party week despite having Brad at my side, with the mostly non-drinking female Korean staff. The women tend to be very religious in Korea, which includes an abstenation from alcohol. Never fear: the majority of Korean men more than make up for this deficit.

Saturday work is usually a taboo for me. I'm non-Korean in that regard... lazy too. I made an exception in this case: a field trip to the Korean folk village. The same one I visited almost one year ago, bringing the sum of a year's memories forth. Then it was back to the University for packing and farewell. Brad and I managed to miss the buses passing the time throwing the disc in the grass field (a rarity in Korea). Fortunately one of our co-teachers was kind enough to give us a ride to Jochiwon. And there ended the first summer camp of my year in Korea.

I'm now into my second summer 'camp' in Korea. Not so much a camp as extra classes to torture the students, a gruelling 2 weeks and 40 hours of lessons.... I can see the end. No not like that. I finish this Thursday for a long weekend, only to go to Geochang in the southern most part of Korea for a camp put-on by the national radio station, EBS (English Broadcasting Station).

Only a few more blogs in the 52 week saga that was my year in Korea. See you soon and thanks for following my exploits as my last blog may be written from Canada.

So I bid you 'Adieu'... until the next adventure.
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/jjswitzer/korea_esl_2005/1152579360/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/jjswitzer/korea_esl_2005/1152579360/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/jjswitzer/korea_esl_2005/1152579360/tpod.html Wed, 12 Jul 2006 10:55:19 -0400 A man, a deranged plan, a subject I have no idea how to teach (Science would've been too easy), South Korea

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Guemgangsan, Korea Dem Peoples Rep

So I ended up delaying the North Korea trip two weeks for Canada Day and look what happens, a missle crisis. Trust Jeremy to pull that one off. Three years of uneasy truce with North Korea and I pick the week everything goes to hell. So it was with that uneasy knowledge tha alot of quasi-nervous people boarded a bus on July 7th destined for North Korea. Arriving in Seoul at the express bus terminal at 11:30PM we departed for North Korea. A long bus trip, and almost an equally long stay at the staging area for documentation. Then across the DMZ to our first encounter with North Koreans and their immigration services. As a note the it was the most uncomfortable bus trip ever; freezing from 12-7 AM with a few rest stops to thaw out from the rampant air con.

Crossing through the DMZ was quicker than I imagined but it was certainly one of the most pristine areas in the world - with no human influence for the last 60 years. By the time we went through customs and immigration it had been another 3 hours to reach Guemgangsan North Korea. At least the crotch rot, requiring touching and scratching, of one North Korean soldier provided some entertainment along the way. Also the creepy Bear that greeted us... 'guem' means bear in Korean, so I suppose it was pertinant. Oh, the sloped communist hats. Then came our first real glimpse of North Korea: the deforested hills for fuel, sprawling hand-tilled rice fields and anti tank traps. Completely deforested compared with South with no tractors on the farms, quiet clean and beautiful. Oh, rocket launchers too... yes really. The road to Guemgangsan was lined with sloped-hatted North Korean soldiers holding red flags, and whistles. One had crotch rot, keep touching himself. They had orders to whistle if any photographs where taken from within the tour buses; what the consequences for errant pictures were was never revealed.

When we finally arrived where we were to stay it was no less than a compound, a complex of buildings within a highly monitored area. Soldier were stationed all around, but not in the town, to give the illusion of comfort but strict authority. The North Korean government wentto great tlengths to prevent the contamination of the surrounding towns by foreign ideology imported by tourist. Even the employees were mostly foreign nationals. There wasn't much time to observe the area, it was immediately to first hike. It was foggy, perpetuating the North Korean mystique, but not so much so that Guemgangsan couldn't be seen. Along the path were tons of carvings regarding the great leader, Kim Sung-Il(father), and the dear leader, Kim Jong-Il (son). We were warned of spies on the path to fine, monitor and listen to foreign conversations. Despite the cloak and dagger intrigues, it was a beautiful area with well maintained path. A long hike both up and down, combined with the arrduous bus drive, spelled exhaustion for everyone.

So it was back for a late lunch, which was good. We then checked in our hotel; it turned out to be the government-owned Guemgangsan Hotel. It was certainly very nice, but we were again warned against what to say. Got whistled at for trying to take a picture of kin Jong Il mosaic. Yes, thats right, a tiled mosaic of Kim Jong-Il and his father. I thought I was destined for a North Korean prison but they didn't do anything but whistled. It was to the North Korean Acrobactics show which was quiet spectacular; I guess with thte Mass Games there is no shortage of excellent acrobats in North Korea. Dinner was a great disappointment for the quality of the lunch. We made up for it with lots of beers. More drinking, North Korean whiskey made with seal penis and sesame cookies. The things you eat and rink when your drunk.... Then it was upstairs for a party, where I almost forgot the massage I'd booked for myself and was kindly reminded by a fellow traveller. The massage was just what the doctor ordered, done by a chinese migrant. She spoke some English and Korean, so we ended up conversing in both. This was followed by yet more drinking out on the patio. Returning from the massage I was informed that they had run out of the North Korean beer we were swilling; only the second time since the 1998 opening they ran out of beer. To make matters worse at midnight it turned 'Dear Leader Honor Day' so beer, food and everything else stopped. Providing a perfect excuse for bed at an early 2AM.

A short sleep of 4 hours later, bringing the total for 2 days to 4 hours, the wake up call came at 6:20 AM. A crap breakfast was served, supporting my orginal analysis that the Hotel's food sucked. Another death hike followed. Met a girl along the path who I hiked with most of the time. She listened quiet atentatively to my hangover-induced lamenting. A North Korean guide directed us onto what we thought was the easy path, which was the hard path. After several open-sky, loose rock areas of path we did reach the top for an undramatic view in the ever present fog. Ate a cucumber some Korean gave us when we reached the top; apparently they are rehydrating. We watched waiting to see if a North Korean guide was going to fall to his death from a loose railing he was sittign on. That provided some drama. On the return we drank some de-aging spring water. Then tried to convince some of the North Koreans to allow us to have a picture taken with them... a futile effort. The it was back along the super narrow, winding road. For lunch I had some North Korean rice soup dish, which was better than breakfast. The Spa afterwards was even better. Sat naked outside for all the North Koreans in the surrounding hills to see. It was beautiful for the sore muscles and lack of sleep. Followed by a little shopping which almost caused me to miss the bus. It was then through immigration; the crocth rot solider was missing. DMZ and the civilian control line. Then back into South Korea, where I promptly forgot my bag on the bus. I did manage to get it back at the next rest stop. I think the bag was an omen of the harrowing 10-hour bus trip to Seoul. Construction. Followed promptly by a 2 hour taxi ride to Jociwon from Seoul, costing a mere 50 000 Won, as all the regular tranport stopped ceases around 12AM. Had to work in morning. All for the children.

4 hours of sleep later combined for a weekend total of 8 hours. The following morning I was bone tired and slept in teachers room. That evening I was sucked into drinking with the principle because I had denied him 4 times during the term due to extra classes. Got drunk in daejeon and stayed the night at his house. Needless to say this isn't what I needed.

Oh well, only a few weeks of real classes left. Then its home for a rest and hopefully some decisions on my next move. Until later.
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/jjswitzer/korea_esl_2005/1151283060/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/jjswitzer/korea_esl_2005/1151283060/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/jjswitzer/korea_esl_2005/1151283060/tpod.html Wed, 12 Jul 2006 08:31:48 -0400 A man, a deranged plan, a subject I have no idea how to teach (Science would've been too easy), South Korea

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Seoul, Korea Rep.

So Canada Day in Korea. A little earlier than the real day due to the monsoon season allowed for fine weather. No problem.

Finding the location near the 2002 World Cup Stadium in Seoul was difficult. The taxi drive took us on the freeway and couldn't get off; taxi drives in Korea in general get lost 50% of the time. Its the weird ass address system they have in place - no street or avenue numbers. I managed to salvage the ride by spotting the teepee setup by the Han Kang river. Quiet a few Canadians showed up for the festivities despite the somewhat high price. I didn't see Senem, but saw some of the other Canadaians from the Seoraksan and paint balling trips through Adventure Korea. More important, there was Molson Canadian bottled beer! In Canada this is not cause for celebration, but beer sucks over here... so it was great. Generally, this lead to a high incidence of sunburnt Whities like myself. Unfortunately, the food wasn't as good as at the CCCK Christmas Party but it was Canadiana. That's all you can ask!

It was a good low key time with lots of beer and reminiscing about Canada. Talk of Korea. Copious amounts of food. Great weather. Sub standard Canadian cover bands. The works. Even random make out sessions: caught a friend in the act of a alcohol induced kiss. As much fun as it was most people bailed early as the clouds rolled in and the wind picked up. Then as always back to reality in Jochiwon.

Most of you know I have some difficult decisions to make. Life stuff: travel, education, work or a gamble. Luckily this crossroad in life coincided with the schools' exams schedule and the end of extra classes; so being forced to come to school regardless is providing a lot of time to do just think.

Wish me luck.

PS I think this is my shortest entry ever.
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/jjswitzer/korea_esl_2005/1150553220/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/jjswitzer/korea_esl_2005/1150553220/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/jjswitzer/korea_esl_2005/1150553220/tpod.html Wed, 21 Jun 2006 09:38:55 -0400 A man, a deranged plan, a subject I have no idea how to teach (Science would've been too easy), South Korea

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Koh Phangan, Thailand

So it was onto the ferry to Koh Phangan, some Thai girls kept trying to speak to me in broken English and Thai. Alot of giggling, had me slightly suspicious. The ferry was late, so we arrived at around 5:30PM on Koh Phangan. I immediately rented a scooter despite the warnings; so many people have had accidents in Thailand on these things. I can understand why, its easy to accidentally gun the engine and Thai roads tend to have a significant amount of loose sand and gravel to help you spin out. My destination was a devil to find! I overshot the destination, then went too far back, overshot again - this was after asking for directions several times! Turns out I had only part of the name, coco bungalow, when the full name was coco garden bungalow. I finally found it, narrowly beating the rain after dumping my bags in the room and sitting down for dinner at the in house restaurant. Then it really howled; so it was an excuse to goto bed early in preparation for the full moon party the next evening.

In the morning I woke with a full-feeling ear; I wrote it off as water from the dive the day before, although it wasn't coming out very readily. So I decided to take a walk on in the tidal flats where some Thai people were catching their morning shells. I must have looked like a luny stopping every 5 meters to stomp my foot and cock my head to get the damn water out. I finally gave up and elected for a quick breakfast before heading out on my scooter to Bottle Beach on the opposite side of the island. It was a great day to be on the bike... that is if you can call a scooter a bike (sorry Hells Angels). There wasn't a cloud in sight after the previous nights rain. At one point I was jetting down the rode and hit a bump causing my water bottle to fly from the basket and explode on the ground behind me. Sorry to revisit it, but my ear, it was really bugging me so I attempted to remedy it with a solution from the pharmacy... it didn't work.

Saw an elephant trekking location on the way. At the beach I lay there trying the solution for my ear once more, while lounging in the sun. Still didn't work. Back on the scooter, I scooted around a bit more of the island before heading back to the bungalow. On the way back the ride was considerably less smooth than the one out to the beach; I stopped several times to exam my scooter, the inspection revealing nothing. While riding back I noticed a sign for home-made ice cream... perfect. There I had a great lunch (Pad Thai) and finished off with some ice cream in a coconut. As I was leaving the restaurant I noticed the problem with my scooter: a flat rear tire. Called. They tried to rip me off to fix it, so I refused. He eventually repaired it but threatened me about ever renting again on the Thai islands. Don't burn bridges is my motto; so I haggled and we made a deal for only 100 baht to repair the tire. I wasn't pleased about the situation but it was resolved. I now need a massage; which I got. By now my ear was really bothering; I felt like it was the beginning of an infection. So after a quick dinner at a restaurant down the beach I went to the pharmacy before the full moon party. Got some drugs for the ear and did a quick treatment to get me through the party night. Sacrifices must be made when traveling :)

With the ear in check, a taxi arrived at the bungalow.... A potentially deadly taxi ride with 14 people in the bed of the truck, not including the cab. It was frightening with all the hills the truck had to negotiate, climb and descend, to get to the destination beach. Alcohol was now an order, after that ride. Arriving we weren't disappointed; there were alcohol buckets galore lining the street for less than $5. That and a raging party, debauchery and general lunacy all around. All I can say is you have to experience it: music, alcohol, drugs (if your brave enough), a full moon, a bunch of strangers, a beautiful beach and ocean. One great party. If you need a reference as to how good the party was: I was there until sunrise at 7 AM. For those of you who know me, not many parties can keep up until the break of day. If you in Thailand around the full moon, its worth a visit just to experience it.

I woke the following day in the afternoon... with a cold and one functioning ear. So I simply relaxed, took my medication and waited for the ferry that afternoon. Not exaggerating, I think I was in the best shape out of everyone from the night before. Despite my ear, cold and lack of sleep. Hangovers were the name of the day. I didn't take long, the afternoon whittled away by meandering chats with total strangers. So I returned the bike to the not so pleased owner of the scooter shop; my passport returned to me in one piece, thankfully. The ferry was clearly on 'Thai-island time' arriving an hour later than expected but I got to Koh Samui no problem. Half an hour later I arrived on Koh Samui, jumped in the airport shuttle and was off. I expected the airport to be a fair distance... it wasn't. My flight not being until 11PM I walked back to town to get a look at Koh Samui, have dinner and bid farewell to Thailands' Islands. I browsed through a Thai market and had a dinner on the beach: a delicious steamed, Thai-seasoned red snapper. A read a little and watched the sun set, then walked back to the airport. There I paid yet another airport tax and played with the airports' psychotic dog. After checking in, I fell asleep on a bench and was very fortunately woken by the staff of the airport so I didn't miss my flight. She was cute,; asked if the reason I was so tired was the full moon party the night before. Then off to Bangkok.

There I slept in the airport, on the floor, as it was 1 AM and my flight to Taipei at 6:30AM. It was damn cold with the air conditioning (25C) compared to the 35C outside. As a Canadian this normally would be a non-issue, 25C is not cold, but when acclimatized to 35C... it is. Same issue on the plane to Taipei! Damn cold. In Taipai I had another dumpling lunch. The ear was still bothering me, so I made a call to a doctor in Taiwan; it was OK to fly but get checked when I arrived in Korea. So off to Seoul. On the flight I talked with a fellow teacher/traveler on the way. We shared our knowledge of Korea and Koreanisms; it was nice to have someone understand what I talk about in my blogs! Damn customs, again. Korea was partying when I arrived in preparation for their first game of the World Cup. Off to Jochiwon. Watched most of the Korea game, but of course when I went to store they scored. Ugh.

Here ends the trip that shouldn't have been. Hehe, score.
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/jjswitzer/korea_esl_2005/1151130240/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/jjswitzer/korea_esl_2005/1151130240/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/jjswitzer/korea_esl_2005/1151130240/tpod.html Tue, 20 Jun 2006 01:25:59 -0400 A man, a deranged plan, a subject I have no idea how to teach (Science would've been too easy), South Korea

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Seoul, Korea Rep.

First off, I need to address an earlier entry in which I spoke about Korea and their football spirit: I was wrong. Korea's soccer spirit was benign in all facets and I count myself lucky to have witnessed a nation's pride in success. When you consider the Korea of 60 years past, it is an amazing feat they have accomplished in this country. It is also no wonder that you see such a clash of old and new, a society of contrasts. Think of Korea in this light: give it 5000 years of struggle to maintain identity between the regional superpowers, add a recent repressive occupation by an arch-foe, throw in a devastating and divisive civil war, add technology and a crash introduction to the 20th century. It is simply amazing they can even field a football team; it speaks to the Korean spirit and nation. How many other countries have done this?

So it was a great disappointment when Korea was defeated by the Swiss on Saturday morning. A whole nation was introspectively mourning; then a quickly they recovered and went on with life. It is amazing to watch these events; it happened with the disgraced Korea stem cell scientist, Hwang Woo Suk. Everyone spoke about him until the scandal, then the denial that he was disgraced, introspective mourning and... nothing. That's it. It's like it didn't happen, no one discusses it; the same with football. Perhaps this distance or denial, call it what you will, has allowed Korea's success as a nation in the recent past. Its a fascinating place.

Their chant, Dae Han Min Kook (Korea!), will always be with me. Cool.

Before Korea's defeat on the pitch they did win some. So rewind with me, to the night I arrived back from Thailand. Arriving in Jochiwon I was forced to make a visit to the hospital being concerned about my ear. Clearly the couldn't have been more disinterested when I arrived, with the Korea versus Togo match being televised nationally. I did get attention shortly, with the consultation being equally short so as to return to the football match on TV. I was rewarded with a prescription for ampicillin and a vague order to goto the ENT clinic tomorrow. Oh... and a needle in the ass. Now the doctor spoke English fluently and he failed to mention this treatment in the consult; I think it was punishment for interrupting his football. For his patience though, the doctor was rewarded with a Korean victory against Togo.

As tired as I was the next day, the return to school wasn't difficult. Except for the borderline deafness in one ear. Come the end of the day I didn't need encouragement to revisit the hospital. Now the night before the doctor said to come back to the hospital, I was to goto an ENT clinic. ENT doctors are rare in Canada, so I thought Daejeon; no, no, no they have an ENT specialist in Jochiwon. Actually 3. I think that's half the total number at the U of A hospital, serving 1 million people. Anyway this guy spoke perfect English and told me he wanted to practice in Canada... He also told me I had barotitis media, fluid in the middle ear caused by pressure stress (diving), as a result of undiagnosed allergic rhinitis. Well... ok then. More drugs were issued with an order to be patient. Two weeks later its still not 100%.

So the ear problem resolved for now, I had some catch up to do with work. Lesson plans, summer camps as well as the typical last minute surprises from my co-teachers. Also requiring attention: the blog. Funny... I am writing in the blog, about writing in the blog. Blogging for me takes a long time, being cursed with a long-windedness. Sorry.

Other than that things are winding down in the second semester. Almost all my extra classes are ending, term finals are in next week, then summer camps and vacation time. Home to Canada is in sight... it'll be very strange leaving my second home for the foreseeable future.

Only a few more blogs left! The torture is almost at an end.
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/jjswitzer/korea_esl_2005/1150626180/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/jjswitzer/korea_esl_2005/1150626180/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/jjswitzer/korea_esl_2005/1150626180/tpod.html Sun, 18 Jun 2006 10:46:33 -0400 A man, a deranged plan, a subject I have no idea how to teach (Science would've been too easy), South Korea

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Koh Tao, Thailand

Arriving on the island was a return to the art of haggling. Immediately off the pier taxi divers descended like a pack of ravenous wolves. I thought this was a remote island?! Or at least remot-ish. Ah, the power of the market economy! Driving profit-seekers to remote islands since 1776. After agreeing on a 50 Baht fee to the lodging, it was off in the back of the taxi-truck bed. Let me tell you I learned to fear God that day, in the back of that truck, while it sped over the dangerously uneven parts of dirt road. I felt a need to kiss the ground like the Pope does when he flies to different countries; which leaves me wondering if his pilot is like the Thai taxi driver. Now the beach was definitely worth the wait, and danger, being so secluded and stunningly beautiful. Exactly like the hollywood personification, with huts nestled against the beach and people lounging carefree in the sun. I wanted nothing more than to dump my bags and sit back in the sun and wind. So that's exactly what I did. The weather was almost identical to that in Hawaii: hot, with an ocean breeze to cool. And there I settled in for several hours before even attempting to motivate myself to inquire about the diving lessons I was pondering taking. It not difficult to just let the hours slide by on 'island time'.

Eventually I did get up and got myself enrolled for the following days' Carabao diving school. 9000 Baht, $250 CDN, or approximately half the cost of a North American dive school. Not a hard decision. Now you might ask why when you are on holiday would you study? I like the beach but I'm not big on just sitting around without something to do. So this was a happy medium; no temples or museum to visit, but activity in the sun and water. By the way, I still think the ocean is really, really salty. I know, I'm a nutter. After the exertion of enrolling, less than a half hour of mostly chatting, I entered the water. I had to retreat quickly finding myself in a rising tidal flow. So scorned by the ocean I once again retired to the beach, this time with a bottle of beer and a deck chair to help myself feel better about the tide ^^ I then went for a Thai massage; it wasn't torture, but I couldn't help laughing from all the borderline yoga we were doing.

Before doing anything else, I needed to do my diving course homework. Yes, there was homework. Interrupted by an afternoon siesta. For dinner that night it was going to be my first foray into an established Thai restaurant, destination: Famous House. It was simply phenomenal; I ate so much. I had a 'gold bags' appetizer, coconut milk chicken soup with Thai rice and a mango fruit shake. As it gets hotter I eat less I find... but not that night. Then it was to the beach front bar near the dive school that night where I met a couple of it was the beach bar. I met some stellar travellers, a few of whom were on my dive course as well. There is nothing like enjoying a few drinks on the beach, under the moon light with good conversation.

Next morning was the introduction video to diving, which was an exact replica of the book I had just read for homework. To its defense though, it was a good visualization of the learned material. After 2 hours we were free for the rest of the day; that's the beauty of a sport in the tropics, they know how to relax too. So I elected for a short, hot hike to a more remote island beach. It beautiful. Lived in local huts, immaculate beaches, crystal-clear water and isolated from high traffic tourist traps. I spent the greater part of the day here, trying not to step on sea cucumbers while swimming about. Then it was back for the last 3 chapters of homework for class. Another meal at the famous house. Another night at the beach bar.

Morning came and the homework was due. Our group was first informed that one of the members of the group had been struck by a drunk Thai local driving a moped - fortunately not too seriously hurt. Then we reviewed the book and procedures of diving ad nosium; that said, it is amazing how dangerous diving can be without the proper knowledge. As it turns out, even as prepared as you are in the course for a dive it can't always protect you [foreshadowing]. In the afternoon it was our first snorkel-dive at Japanese Garden diving area. First though, the traumatizing experience of boarding our boat at the main harbor. There they had about 6 diving boats lined up beside each other; ours was the furthest out away from the dock and we were forced to jump boat to boat to reach our destination. Did I mention a lot of diving is done on the island? Anyway, at Japanese Garden we learned the basics through experience: buoyancy control, weighting, breathing, equalization, snorkeling, recovery of mask and regulator, depth readings, air reserve readings and other dive skill. Even learned some catchy acronyms: BWRAF (or, bruce willis ruins all films) BouyancyControl Weights Regulator Air Fins, SORTED Signal Orientation Regulator Time Equalize Descend. Sorry, that was more for me. Early alzhimers, you know. When we finished basic training in the shallows, nicknamed the kiddie pool, we engaged in our first dive to 9 meters. 9 meters! Not spectacular visibility, or technique on my part, but my first dive... yah!

That night we went to have fresh fish (I had an amazing Thai seasoned fish) out on the pier restaurant, which was attached to the beach by a long causeway. A huge number of people, friends and friends-of-friends, turned up at the restaurant. Of course because we were out on the water separated from the beach by a long distance, the weather decided to break. It absolutely poured for about 3 hours... so we drank there instead of the beach bar. No homework that night!

Next day: more classroom work, followed by an official dive to 12 meters. So again with the boat jump to load our gear. Again to Japanese Garden for snorkeling and the kiddie pool, for review and a test of diving skills. Then it was official dive time to 12 meters! This time it was a lot harder to equalize my ears [more foreshadowing] with the more rapid descent. I definitely felt the pressure on the ears! Overall the skills came much easier; especially finding neutral buoyancy with less weight and more practice. Visibility was still touch-and-go and the aquatic life wasn't as good as in the shallows. That said, it was an amazing experience to be weightless in the water and its quiet amazing how water improves my vision. One problem I had: the instructor warned us of having less than 50 PSI of air... I had 30 PSI. This wasn't entirely my fault as I informed the assistant dive instructor but he misunderstood my hand signal. Oops! Good thing it wasn't deeper!

That night, my dive friends asked me to come to dinner with them but I declined. I was on a mission to go to another famous Koh Tao restaurant, Tukta. It was entirely worth it! And I was even able to join the other divers for drinks at the beach bar afterwards. Genius, pure genius! It was all great including the first game of the World Cup to watch. Until the lady boy made her (his?) move in the early morning hours... she... he... groped me without permission. AHHHHHHH!!! Needless to say a perfectly good evening had been torn asunder. Unfortunately the incident had been witnessed by others in my dive class, as well as bystanders. Lets say I never heard the end of it.

So the day before we received the explicit instructions not to drink copious amounts of alcohol the night before a dive. Especially a double dive. Of course I didn't listen. So home at 3AM, dive at 9AM with a hangover; all rules violated in a single go... good job. So boat jump again. First dive was to White Rock, complete with the James Bond water entry off the boat. Rather than a free dive we executed an anchor descent, complete not only with bad ears again but the hangover. Now aside from the initial discomfort this dive was simply amazing! Visability. Aquatic life: trigger fish, clown fish, multi-colored manta ray, moray eel, crown of thorns, anemone, angel fish and many more. Here we did our final test of dive skills and some tricks for the underwater photographer that was with us. To top it off, or bottom it out (?), we finished with a maximum depth of 17 meters. We then returned to the surface for our interval time to the next dive... here is where the combination of pineapple, large waves, a hangover and a serious lack of sleep caused serious nausea. By the time the next dive was about to start, one of my dive partners had feed the ocean and I was barely hanging on. So I pleaded to go first because being in the ocean eases the nausea over being on the boat. James Bond'd into the ocean and floated there while the others geared up. Then it was down again, this time to the Twins to a depth of 12 meters on free descent. This site was no less spectacular than White Rock, making for a wonderful dive experience when everything wrapped up. The instructor was exceptional, the divers great.

Its unfortunate that that day everyone needed to leave Koh Tao; no parties. We shared lunch near the main pier, exchanged e mails and boarded the ferry going our separate ways. So that was the end of Koh Tao! Almost a week and not long enough; so relaxing compared to Bangkok.

Last thing: if your going do your intro to diving, do it here.
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/jjswitzer/korea_esl_2005/1150360860/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/jjswitzer/korea_esl_2005/1150360860/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/jjswitzer/korea_esl_2005/1150360860/tpod.html Thu, 15 Jun 2006 10:16:01 -0400 A man, a deranged plan, a subject I have no idea how to teach (Science would've been too easy), South Korea

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Bangkok, Thailand

As sexually loaded as the title of this blog is it has absolutely nothing to do with that side of the city. It is undoubtedly the Amsterdam of Asia, though. Second hand knowledge of course. So this entry will be brief encompassing my time in Bangkok only.

You know it seems inevitable; immigration and customs is a pain in the ass across the world. I must have filled out 10 immigration and customs cards for the 2 countries (3 if you include South Korea) I visited. I even needed two to return to Korea! The nerve. Immediately after clearing the gestapo in Thailand, I noticed the heat and humidity of the country. An astronomical 31 C at 10PM. Summer in Canada is hot, Korea is hotter... Thailand's on a level of its own.

Here I was greeted by my friend Raylene, who happened to be teaching Engliah and traveling in Thailand. It was then on the bus, with Raylene, through the traffic of Bangkok for well over an hour. En route I observed Bangkok traffic, which is like any other major city in the world: fast, ruthless, noisy and polluting. Except with the tuk-tuk, a small fast little tin can death trap. There all over the place. Second thing I noticed was all the lights and decorations throughout the city which evidently was in preparation for the King's 60th coronation the coming week.

Arriving at the destination, Khaosan road, was like stepping into a western city; similar to Iteawon in Seoul. Foreigners everywhere. Its a nice way to adjust to new surroundings but doesn't really let you experience the culture. Regardless, got into the room and headed out for a beer at the local gas-station-by-day-outdoor-bar-by-night. Not particularly reassuring with all the smokers around... but then they don't turn off their cars when refilling the tank, so I guess it can't be that dangerous. Here we had Chang, a cheap Thai beer which wasn't bad. Then I was informed the brewing process uses formaldehyde... we kept drinking it though. It was onto bed then, as tomorrow we we're doing a crash tour of Bangkok followed by a 12 hour bus-ferry ride south to Koh Tao island.

Morning started with a brisk walk down to the pier on the river Chao Phraya, running through central Bangkok. A common form of transit through the city is the boat taxi, which was to take us to our major destination for the day: Wat (Phrachetuphon) Pho. Now after sleeping in until 10AM, it was the in the height of the heat of the day that we headed into Bangkok. Which was about 37C, not including the humidity. Copious bottles of water were an order. When we finally arrived at the dock for Wat Pho, I had already consumed an entire liter (only about 20 cents at 7-11 corner store). So now we have a total of 3 companies plaguing the planet: Wal-mart, Starbucks and 7-11. Though I hate to admit it, 7-11 is great for getting little needed Western products. I digress though, back to Wat Pho. Wat Pho is one of the largest, most important Buddhists temples in Bangkok and the country; arguably the most beautiful too. Wat Pho is also the burial site of the Thai monarchy, specifically the King, and presently contains the remains of the last 5 King's in special tombs. It was then back onto the river taxi, viewing the city from the confines of the water before heading back to Khaosan road for lunch. I elected to eat from one of the street vendor trollies, enjoying a refreshing but spicy Thai salad. Then some Thai noodle mixture that rocked. Bonus: I didn't get sick! I'd been warned to avoid the Bangkok restaurant around Khaosan road. So then it was off to the TAT (Tourism Authority Thailand)office which provide trustworthy, reliable by tuk-tuk. The tuk-tuk didn't fit into this equation being by nature untrustworthy, unreliable... also unsafe. I must say I actually felt pretty safe, both about the method of transport and trustworthiness of the driver (after settling on a price). At the office both the transport and accommodation issues were solved and paid for, leaving the details of the trip settled and off a mind that should, and would, be on the beach.

So it was back to Khaosan road by tuk-tuk. Fortunately a round trip had been negotiated to and from the TAT office for 50 Baht, or we wouldn't have gotten back. No tuk-tuks, no taxis. As a consequence of this knowledge the driver kept harassing us to see the silk, suit and jewelry shops... for a small few of 20 Baht. Somehow we managed to avoid the shops, first by polite declining then by insisting forcefully.

Once on Khaosan road we wanted to go for a massage; it was getting close to our bus departure time. So we went our separate ways, one for a shower and me for a beer and some shopping on Khoasan road. After the shopping I found I still had a little over an hour before the bus departure. So I went for a massage. Being leery of the Thai massage after reports of borderline torture (dramatized for effect :), I elected for the Swiss-oil massage for a half-hour. It was great and only 200 Baht! I even had time for a shower after, although I wasn't supposed to - oil had to absorb apparently. What am I a piece of wood furniture?!?

Anyway it was then to the bus. We ended up waiting on the bus for over 1 1/2 hour for the bus to leave once seated. Fortunately I brought some locks for bags, as I think they might've been rifling through them. I been warned about the buses at great length... we finally got moving and met some other cool travellers from England and Scotland. We slept. We talked some more. We switched to the ferry and about 12 hours later we arrived at Koh Tao...

Last note: personally Bangkok is avoidable. It is big, noisy and polluted with a lot of big city features you can find anywhere. That said it's still worth a short visit, for the temples, sites and culture.
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/jjswitzer/korea_esl_2005/1150258980/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/jjswitzer/korea_esl_2005/1150258980/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/jjswitzer/korea_esl_2005/1150258980/tpod.html Wed, 14 Jun 2006 09:56:08 -0400 A man, a deranged plan, a subject I have no idea how to teach (Science would've been too easy), South Korea

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Taipei, Taiwan

First, I should address the title I have chosen: "Machiavellian: Sick Leave". I chose this title because this vacation was not authorized or endorsed in any manner. It was a complete deception. I went on the premise I was headed to Canada, not Thailand. I don't feel particularly good about it... but then I don't feel particularly bad either. Simply I came to Korea with the intention of traveling to some other parts of Asia. This was my way of doing so.
So with my intricate deception in place, it was off to Thailand. First though Taipei, Taiwan: 1 day layover en route to the final destination.
Arriving at airport in Taiwan, it was a quick trip through customs as Canadians have a 30 day visa. It was then to Delight Hotel, which I hoped wasn't as dodgy as it sounded, on the airport shuttle bus. After being in Korea with the psychotic bus drivers, Taiwan was sterile. Very orderly driving, adherence to speed limits and no alarming swerves on the highway. That said the trip was decisively longer than one of the same distance in Korea. Go Korea! After a tentative inspection of the destination hotel, I deemed it safe to check-in. Now the search for the hotel, combined with the crappy airplane food, had me hungry. So it was off to find the Dim Sum recommended by the hotel staff.
First thing I noticed was how clean Taipei is compared to Korea. No trash... none. Second thing I noticed was the amount of scooters and bicycles. Almost exclusively, people choose one of these two forms of transport, followed distantly by public transit and taxis. So after that I found the dim sum, which was a delicious and welcome change from the spiciness of Korean food. It was a great meal! Then it was to the local bar for a drink; as it turns out the local bar in closest proximity to the dim sum was a foreigner hangout called the Brass Monkey. It was okay, but obviously a foreign English teacher hangout... non-inclusive of new people. Strange how people get like that in a foreign country; they know more than anyone how lonely it can be at first in a new country. Just one of those observations I can make now that I've done it.
After a pint it was off to try and find the local night market... in my flip flops. Bad choice. After a futile and lenghty search, the only reward was large blisters on my feet the following morning. Of note I walked for about 2 hours until 2:30 AM to try and find a night market. So I either missed them or was looking in the wrong place, or at the wrong time. Damn.
Next morning got up for the inclusive western breakfast, which was great. Did the e-mail thingy. Then out into the rain armed with my umbrella. Yes, that's right I had the forethought to bring my umbrella... I know I'm an old man. Which I then promptly left in a taxi later that day, so any impression I made just now is out the window.
First, I need to navigate across a city filled with Chinese characters. Fortunately the metro system is very English friendly and getting to my first destination was no problem. Lo(u)ngshan Temple. In the rain it was elegant and mysterious, an amazingly intricate work of art. While still functioning as a living, frequently used temple. Only knock on it was its urban setting, taking away from its ambience.
It was then to the Peace Park. Nice little park with some historical significance and architecture. There I witnessed a decimation of classical rock pieces by Taiwanese high school students... in English. Just imagine Guns n' Roses "November Rain" with 'R' and 'L's mixed up. To give credit though one of the girls was fantastic. Then I visited the museum, which wasn't historical whihc is what I was hoping for, but more modern about whales and stuff.
Then it was to the traditional handicraft market. Which I couldn't find. In my search I came across a huge plaza, Chiang Mai-Shek Memeorial plaza, filled the national museums, playhouses and conservatories. I was on the hunt for the traditional crafts though, so it was left behind. I also wanted out of the rain. I did find it, filled with all sorts of interesting things.
I got hungry so it was off to the world famous Din Tai Fung restaurant on the recommendations of the staff at the Handicraft store. Grabbed a taxi and this is where I left my umbrella. There was a que at the restaurant... all the way outside. It didn't take long to get in though with seven floors in the restaurant. It was worth the wait for the quality of the dumplings, steamed buns and beer. UMMMMMM.
I then decided to try and walk to Taipei 101, the tallest building in the world. I should have known from physics that parallax error made it look a hell of alot closer that it was. 45 minutes later, I stopped instead briefly at Daan Park and then into the Chinese market under the overpass. I was pleased with the market as it had more Taiwanese than foreigners and a lot of unique items. Time was tight though, with my one day layover, so I left the market and settled for a few distance shots of Taipei 101 as a sacrifice for the stops. Then it was off to the airport.
While playing Big 2 on the plane I realized that both countries I was traveling to begin with a T. Strange.
With that last introspection comment it was off to Thailand!
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