May 19/09...
May 18th was the longest day I've had in a looong time... through the wonders of time zones and the international date line, our plane actually touched down in Vancouver a half hour BEFORE it left Hong Kong! Sure didn't feel like it though.
We left Hong Kong at 12:15pm on Monday May 18th and had a relatively smooth 4-hour flight to Seoul, where we quickly transferred to another plane to go back to Vancouver... this flight was scheduled for just over 10 hours, but due to some favourable tailwinds we arrived in just over 9 hours... unfortunately, despite cold pills, gravols, melatonin strips and beers, I did not get one wink of sleep on this flight... but the beers did help me fight off a good case of the "lemme out lemme out lemme out's" about halfway through the flight.
Off the plane, and I was hoping straight onto another... however the cheapest flight from Van to Vic was coming on $200 (!!) so I sucked it up and joined my tourmates to split a limo to the ferry terminal and a walk-on.... got the 2pm boat and had a very excited boy and wife waiting for me on the other end... I tried to be excited too, but all the adrenaline in the world couldn't overcome how bloody exhausted I was, so I smiled and hugged and asked very nicely and quietly for them to get me home as quickly as possible.
I always find the time change worse coming home from the far east than going there... I was hoping to mitigate that somewhat by getting some shuteye during the flight, but I should've known better, I rarely sleep on planes. So, 4pm at home, in my comfy chair... handed out gifts to Mick & Steve, then enjoyed the chicken & 4-cheese lasagna they made as a welcome home dinner... but then try as I might to stay awake until normal bedtime, I was passing out by 6:30pm... went to bed, and woke up about 3:30am. So the plan is to have as normal a day as possible and force myself to stay awake until at least 10pm tonight... wish me luck.
Closing thoughts... this was a great tour... the best tour, really... I've been on quite a few over the years and always by the time we're done I'm glad to get the hell away from the group... although I was very anxious to see my family again, I was happy to pass around hugs and well wishes and be truly sincere in looking forward to seeing them again in September when I return as this choir's conductor.
There was some thought that perhaps Prima's touring tradition might go by the wayside when I take over... but clearly it is such an important aspect of this group that there's no way I could let it go... so I am really looking forward to learning a new set of skills as I add tour organizer to my list of conductor duties. Won't likely be an overseas tour this coming year, maybe a bus trip down into the U.S. or across our fine nation... but there will be a Prima Tour 2010! Thanks for visiting this blog, I hope you enjoyed reading about my adventures in southeast Asia. Signing off...
Cheers,
Wade Noble
Edit 2009-05-26... been home a week now, finally feeling like I've adjusted to home timezone. Going through pictures, what's posted to the blog is only a few of what I took. I used the iPhone for all of them, which resulted in some not-so-great shots, but you get the idea. If you'd like to browse through all of them, please visit http://photoshare.shaw.ca/gallery/wadenoble/
Tuesday, May 19, 2009
Monday, May 18, 2009
Hong Kong & Disneyland!
May 18/09...
The iPhone blogging software has been misbehaving and I completely lost Saturday's post, so am summarizing it in the beginning of Sunday's entry which I'm working on now (Monday morning).
Saturday was pretty uneventful, Rick & I took the subway to Mong Kok where there used to be excellent tech shopping, no longer though... still lots of tech shops here but the selection isn't what it used to be, and the prices were nothing special, so we didn't buy much.
We wandered around some more, checked out the Hong Kong Space Centre, and visited a bar we thought was a strip bar, but by the time we got to the bar we each had 4-5 women hanging off us and the bar clearly had a different purpose than just show... yoicks! We beetled out of there two steps at a time!
The rest of our Saturday was significantly less eventful!
So it turns out that Disney opened up a park in Hong Kong, so of course being the Magical Kingdom nut that I am, I had to go!
Rick, Andrew & I left around 7:30am for a 40 minute subway ride that involved two line changes. The final line change was clearly owned or at least funded by Disney as the train had mouse-shaped windows and character statues in the cars.
We arrived not long after 8am only to find the park didn't open until 10am, would have been nice if the hotel concierge could have told us this (isn't that his job to know stuff like that?) but we had a good time regardless hanging around listening to Disney music and chucking shyte.
Once we got in, we found it to be... well... Disney... lite. Hong Kong Disney is built on a much smaller scale than Anaheim, where we get our normal Disney fix. The castle is about 2/3 the size of the original...
... and there are far fewer attractions. The only thrillride is Space Mountain, no Splash, Matterhorn, or Big Thunder... no Indiana Jones or Star Wars... no Frontier Land, no New Orleans, no Toon Town... the list goes on... disappointing, but it was still Disney and it was in freaking Hong Kong! Would I visit Hong Kong just for Disney? Not on your life! Would I spend a day there if I happened to be in Hong Kong with some free time? Sure, why not, it was a fun day and crowds were as small as I've ever seen so even with multiple rides on Space Mountain it wasn't difficult to fit the entire park in a one day visit.
The staff were all Asian, the snack of choice was dried squid rather than churros and although the Disney princesses were white (except Mulan of course) they all spoke Cantonese! Whacky... but it still had that very clean "happiest place on earth" kinda feel to it.
We had to leave well before the closing fireworks as we had a tour dinner to attend, but it was a very full and enjoyable day!
The tour banquet is an important touring tradition, and a great way to close the tour. The highlight of the event is the Tour Awards, where a small representative community creates funny but kind "cheap shot" awards for everyone. Mine had to do with my uncanny ability to keep my wits about me in leadership situations even when under the influence of alcohol, I refer you to a past post about the Heritage Village in Sokcho, SK.
Was a great evening, but I was exhausted when it was done and went straight back to my room to get packed and off to sleep.
It's Monday morning now & I'm hastening to get this done before boarding the plane. I can't wait to see Mick & Steve again!
-- Post From My iPhone
The iPhone blogging software has been misbehaving and I completely lost Saturday's post, so am summarizing it in the beginning of Sunday's entry which I'm working on now (Monday morning).
Saturday was pretty uneventful, Rick & I took the subway to Mong Kok where there used to be excellent tech shopping, no longer though... still lots of tech shops here but the selection isn't what it used to be, and the prices were nothing special, so we didn't buy much.
We wandered around some more, checked out the Hong Kong Space Centre, and visited a bar we thought was a strip bar, but by the time we got to the bar we each had 4-5 women hanging off us and the bar clearly had a different purpose than just show... yoicks! We beetled out of there two steps at a time!
The rest of our Saturday was significantly less eventful!
So it turns out that Disney opened up a park in Hong Kong, so of course being the Magical Kingdom nut that I am, I had to go!
Rick, Andrew & I left around 7:30am for a 40 minute subway ride that involved two line changes. The final line change was clearly owned or at least funded by Disney as the train had mouse-shaped windows and character statues in the cars.
We arrived not long after 8am only to find the park didn't open until 10am, would have been nice if the hotel concierge could have told us this (isn't that his job to know stuff like that?) but we had a good time regardless hanging around listening to Disney music and chucking shyte.
Once we got in, we found it to be... well... Disney... lite. Hong Kong Disney is built on a much smaller scale than Anaheim, where we get our normal Disney fix. The castle is about 2/3 the size of the original...
... and there are far fewer attractions. The only thrillride is Space Mountain, no Splash, Matterhorn, or Big Thunder... no Indiana Jones or Star Wars... no Frontier Land, no New Orleans, no Toon Town... the list goes on... disappointing, but it was still Disney and it was in freaking Hong Kong! Would I visit Hong Kong just for Disney? Not on your life! Would I spend a day there if I happened to be in Hong Kong with some free time? Sure, why not, it was a fun day and crowds were as small as I've ever seen so even with multiple rides on Space Mountain it wasn't difficult to fit the entire park in a one day visit.
The staff were all Asian, the snack of choice was dried squid rather than churros and although the Disney princesses were white (except Mulan of course) they all spoke Cantonese! Whacky... but it still had that very clean "happiest place on earth" kinda feel to it.
We had to leave well before the closing fireworks as we had a tour dinner to attend, but it was a very full and enjoyable day!
The tour banquet is an important touring tradition, and a great way to close the tour. The highlight of the event is the Tour Awards, where a small representative community creates funny but kind "cheap shot" awards for everyone. Mine had to do with my uncanny ability to keep my wits about me in leadership situations even when under the influence of alcohol, I refer you to a past post about the Heritage Village in Sokcho, SK.
Was a great evening, but I was exhausted when it was done and went straight back to my room to get packed and off to sleep.
It's Monday morning now & I'm hastening to get this done before boarding the plane. I can't wait to see Mick & Steve again!
-- Post From My iPhone
Thursday, May 14, 2009
Last performace day
May 14/09...
Today was a long day... up at 5am in order to make it to the school by 7am. We didn't actually need to be there until 9am, but the school's about 10km out of town and the only real way pf getting there was to go in with our host student who has early class.
We had two shows at the school, one for the primary/intermediate students, then one for the secondary kids. Both were well met with much enthusiasm from both the audience and our ailing choir (by now most of the choir has caught the "tour cold"... I'm next).
We then bussed into town to the "old" school campus which now houses a large church, had a couple hours free time to eat/rest/wander, then our final concert of the tour, significant for two reasons as it was the last time Bruce conducted Prima. The concert went well, then Rick & I made our way home via skytrain & taxi in the pouring rain.
I think I'm catching the tour cold, had a few sneezing attacks and some tickling in my chest... we'll see tomorrow I guess, at least I got all our shows out of the way first.
When I got home the tux I ordered yesterday had arrived. Tried on the jacket & vest, they fit great and are very light, will make fine working duds.
-- Post From My iPhone
Today was a long day... up at 5am in order to make it to the school by 7am. We didn't actually need to be there until 9am, but the school's about 10km out of town and the only real way pf getting there was to go in with our host student who has early class.
We had two shows at the school, one for the primary/intermediate students, then one for the secondary kids. Both were well met with much enthusiasm from both the audience and our ailing choir (by now most of the choir has caught the "tour cold"... I'm next).
We then bussed into town to the "old" school campus which now houses a large church, had a couple hours free time to eat/rest/wander, then our final concert of the tour, significant for two reasons as it was the last time Bruce conducted Prima. The concert went well, then Rick & I made our way home via skytrain & taxi in the pouring rain.
I think I'm catching the tour cold, had a few sneezing attacks and some tickling in my chest... we'll see tomorrow I guess, at least I got all our shows out of the way first.
When I got home the tux I ordered yesterday had arrived. Tried on the jacket & vest, they fit great and are very light, will make fine working duds.
-- Post From My iPhone
Wednesday, May 13, 2009
Bangkok, home of the real tuktuk
May 13th/09...
We were out the door at 8am to meet the group at Siam Station... bit of confusion around where we were supposed to meet (Siam Station is pretty big) but eventually we all met up, not sure why we bothered, all we did was take the train to the river where we all caught a riverboat and then split up to do our own thing... coulda just done that from the start and not wasted an hour & a half waiting around... but such is the nature of the beast when touring in a herd.
Alex, Greg & I went off on our own to check out some Buddhas...
... we were taken under wing by a kindly Thai woman who told us she was vacationing from Chang Mai, but we were sure that was just her cover story and she was really on staff at Voglee Export Tailors where we ended up after a tuktuk ride to visit the white Buddha.
I ended up ordering a three-piece tuxedo (dinner jacket, pants, vest, tie plus 2 shirts), custom-made in Cashmere to my measurements not taken from a rack and altered, for the equivalent of $430 Cdn... easily a $2000 minimum at home. Can't really afford, but too good to pass up.
We had another pointless check-in, we thought for an organized dinner, instead it was a confusing train ride, a hot & wet 2 km walk to the night market and then we were on our own again... granted I was planning on going there anyway, but would also have liked to hit the MBK, a wholesale electronics market as well and would have had time if not having wasted it doing pointless herd stuff... oh well, that's enough bitching for me.
Rick and I had a great tuktuk ride from the night market to Siam Station...
... where we teed up with our host student and we made our way back home, had some enjoyable visiting time with him and his dad, then hit the rack for some much needed sleep.
Today I was up @ 5am, for a 6am departure for the school, where we're doing some performances & workshops, then a nighttime concert, probably won't post anything as what I've put here is pretty much the extent of our day.
-- Post From My iPhone
We were out the door at 8am to meet the group at Siam Station... bit of confusion around where we were supposed to meet (Siam Station is pretty big) but eventually we all met up, not sure why we bothered, all we did was take the train to the river where we all caught a riverboat and then split up to do our own thing... coulda just done that from the start and not wasted an hour & a half waiting around... but such is the nature of the beast when touring in a herd.
Alex, Greg & I went off on our own to check out some Buddhas...
... we were taken under wing by a kindly Thai woman who told us she was vacationing from Chang Mai, but we were sure that was just her cover story and she was really on staff at Voglee Export Tailors where we ended up after a tuktuk ride to visit the white Buddha.
I ended up ordering a three-piece tuxedo (dinner jacket, pants, vest, tie plus 2 shirts), custom-made in Cashmere to my measurements not taken from a rack and altered, for the equivalent of $430 Cdn... easily a $2000 minimum at home. Can't really afford, but too good to pass up.
We had another pointless check-in, we thought for an organized dinner, instead it was a confusing train ride, a hot & wet 2 km walk to the night market and then we were on our own again... granted I was planning on going there anyway, but would also have liked to hit the MBK, a wholesale electronics market as well and would have had time if not having wasted it doing pointless herd stuff... oh well, that's enough bitching for me.
Rick and I had a great tuktuk ride from the night market to Siam Station...
... where we teed up with our host student and we made our way back home, had some enjoyable visiting time with him and his dad, then hit the rack for some much needed sleep.
Today I was up @ 5am, for a 6am departure for the school, where we're doing some performances & workshops, then a nighttime concert, probably won't post anything as what I've put here is pretty much the extent of our day.
-- Post From My iPhone
Tuesday, May 12, 2009
On the road to Bangkok
May 12/09...
At the Siem Reap airport, checked in and waiting to board the plane (not for another hour yet)... no internet signal so this will be posted later.
I managed a skype call to Dad before we left the Jasmine Lodge... Mom's catscan came up clear, so that's a huge weight off my chest.
Feeling a bit stressed from yesterday, will have to find something ridiculously fun to do when we land to let off some steam. I'm thinking it may be time to rent a motorcycle and get some proper wind in my face. .
Ok, we're in Bangkok now... Rick & I are rooming together at a high school senior's place by the name of Lucky. All of our homestays here will be quite wealthy people, as the host organization is a high-end private school. We're staying in an 8th floor condo (the entire 8th floor)... haven't met Lucky's folks yet, theoreticall will do so sometime before dinner @ 7pm. We were picked up by a chauffeur and when we got home we were brought a plate of guava slices by the... maid... this will be a new experience.
We went out for a walk to explore the area and soon found out that the residents probably don't go out by foot around here... at ground level, it's a pretty seedy area.
More later... ?
-- Post From My iPhone
At the Siem Reap airport, checked in and waiting to board the plane (not for another hour yet)... no internet signal so this will be posted later.
I managed a skype call to Dad before we left the Jasmine Lodge... Mom's catscan came up clear, so that's a huge weight off my chest.
Feeling a bit stressed from yesterday, will have to find something ridiculously fun to do when we land to let off some steam. I'm thinking it may be time to rent a motorcycle and get some proper wind in my face. .
Ok, we're in Bangkok now... Rick & I are rooming together at a high school senior's place by the name of Lucky. All of our homestays here will be quite wealthy people, as the host organization is a high-end private school. We're staying in an 8th floor condo (the entire 8th floor)... haven't met Lucky's folks yet, theoreticall will do so sometime before dinner @ 7pm. We were picked up by a chauffeur and when we got home we were brought a plate of guava slices by the... maid... this will be a new experience.
We went out for a walk to explore the area and soon found out that the residents probably don't go out by foot around here... at ground level, it's a pretty seedy area.
More later... ?
-- Post From My iPhone
Monday, May 11, 2009
Angkor Wat... helluva day
Well, today started early as I posted in my last entry... very quick busride to Angkor Wat... not just one temple but a whole archeological site.
Had a great time poking around the ruins spread out over three main sites.
The first site was very majestic, multi-level, in pretty good shape...
The second site is on a smaller scale, and is being restored by a team of international archeologists. Up on top was a group of women in Cambodian traditional outfits with a fellow offering to take pictures for a small donation.
There were also elephants here that one could get rides on going up the hill to another temple which is a popular place to watch the sun set.
The highlight of this first outing of the day was the third ruins which were not restored but left in their original state. The fascinating thing about this place are the huge trees growing through the ruins, which are in many cases actually supporting the temple.
From here we went back to the lodge to clean up and grab some lunch.
There was an optional trip to a silk factory which I skipped in favour of a quiet afternoon.
I phoned Powell River to wish my mom Happy Mother's Day, only to find that she has been admitted to hospital with a severe headache and is being shipped by ambulance tomorrow to Courtenay for a catscan to check if her cancer may have hit the brainstem. Suffice to say it was a difficult afternoon.
At 4:30pm most of us (28 of 40) bussed back to the Angkor Wat site where some walked up the hill the aforementioned sunset temple. With Mom in the hospital I couldn't not go via elephant so I bought a return ticket up the hill. Elephants move with a very rolling gate, so it was very difficult to get a decent picture.
Lovely shot of my foot on an elephant...
At the top of the hill, there were a ton of folks, I guess watching the sun set from that site is a popular thing. We gathered together and shared songs with a choir of Cambodian children, was a very powerful and moving moment.
I rode back downhill on my own elephant (shared with Rick on the way up) which gave me some much needed quiet time to reflect.
On our return to the hotel we were given 15 minutes to change then on the bus for a wrapup dinner for our Cambodian stay. Unfortunately the restaurant wasn't very good so dinner was somewhat anticlimactic.
Back to the lodge, several of our number had been drinking throughout most of the afternoon and were drunk enough to be a nuisance to the rest, and I was tasked with the responsibility of keeping order, oh joy.
I kept things relatively quiet and only had one particularly obnoxious drunk to deal with, then left them to their own devices not long after 11pm, been a long day.
-- Post From My iPhone
Had a great time poking around the ruins spread out over three main sites.
The first site was very majestic, multi-level, in pretty good shape...
The second site is on a smaller scale, and is being restored by a team of international archeologists. Up on top was a group of women in Cambodian traditional outfits with a fellow offering to take pictures for a small donation.
There were also elephants here that one could get rides on going up the hill to another temple which is a popular place to watch the sun set.
The highlight of this first outing of the day was the third ruins which were not restored but left in their original state. The fascinating thing about this place are the huge trees growing through the ruins, which are in many cases actually supporting the temple.
From here we went back to the lodge to clean up and grab some lunch.
There was an optional trip to a silk factory which I skipped in favour of a quiet afternoon.
I phoned Powell River to wish my mom Happy Mother's Day, only to find that she has been admitted to hospital with a severe headache and is being shipped by ambulance tomorrow to Courtenay for a catscan to check if her cancer may have hit the brainstem. Suffice to say it was a difficult afternoon.
At 4:30pm most of us (28 of 40) bussed back to the Angkor Wat site where some walked up the hill the aforementioned sunset temple. With Mom in the hospital I couldn't not go via elephant so I bought a return ticket up the hill. Elephants move with a very rolling gate, so it was very difficult to get a decent picture.
Lovely shot of my foot on an elephant...
At the top of the hill, there were a ton of folks, I guess watching the sun set from that site is a popular thing. We gathered together and shared songs with a choir of Cambodian children, was a very powerful and moving moment.
I rode back downhill on my own elephant (shared with Rick on the way up) which gave me some much needed quiet time to reflect.
On our return to the hotel we were given 15 minutes to change then on the bus for a wrapup dinner for our Cambodian stay. Unfortunately the restaurant wasn't very good so dinner was somewhat anticlimactic.
Back to the lodge, several of our number had been drinking throughout most of the afternoon and were drunk enough to be a nuisance to the rest, and I was tasked with the responsibility of keeping order, oh joy.
I kept things relatively quiet and only had one particularly obnoxious drunk to deal with, then left them to their own devices not long after 11pm, been a long day.
-- Post From My iPhone
Sunday, May 10, 2009
Angkor Amazon.... ?!
So I decided to go with the herd and bus out to the dinner show after all... was very much like the buffet/luau type show you get in Hawaii... food was varied, plentiful and very good (although I ate quite sparingly, am finding in the heat my body treats me much nicer if I graze rather than eat large meals). Once folks are given an hour to eat the show starts... an exhibition of historical Khmer dance... very beautiful, although for my tastes it was not as exciting as I had hoped as most of the dances moved very slowly... impressive control though!
On our return Rick & I hit the racks, I was asleep not long after 9pm... good thing since wake-up this morning was 3:45am in order to fit in a Skype call (or voicemail message as it turned out) to my Mom and Mick.
We're leaving shortly for Angkor Wat in order to catch the sunrise there. More later...
-- Post From My iPhone
On our return Rick & I hit the racks, I was asleep not long after 9pm... good thing since wake-up this morning was 3:45am in order to fit in a Skype call (or voicemail message as it turned out) to my Mom and Mick.
We're leaving shortly for Angkor Wat in order to catch the sunrise there. More later...
-- Post From My iPhone
Hello Monsoon season!
Holy cow, we've got ourselves a genuine monsoon going on right now! This time of year it's common to have short but very intense thunderstorms between 4-5pm.
This one's a BOOMER!
Earlier on, Rick & I took a tuktuk to the main drag and hit the open market and did some shopping, then tuktuked back to the Jasmine, I dropped off some laundry and went back to the rooftop lounge, just in time for the boomer to start, it's a great relaxing time.
-- Post From My iPhone
This one's a BOOMER!
Earlier on, Rick & I took a tuktuk to the main drag and hit the open market and did some shopping, then tuktuked back to the Jasmine, I dropped off some laundry and went back to the rooftop lounge, just in time for the boomer to start, it's a great relaxing time.
-- Post From My iPhone
Ancient bridge
So about 50 km short of Siem Reap we stopped to check out this bridge, it's 800-900 years old. Note the lack of traditional arches in the support structure.
-- Post From My iPhone
-- Post From My iPhone
Saturday, May 9, 2009
Cambodia, Day 6 - to Siem Reap
This day started early... 5am scheduled bus departure for Siem Reap... stopped for breakfast (fried noodles with meat... not one of the most stellar meals) along the way.
Siem Reap seems nice... not nearly as smelly and crowded as Phnom Penh... also very hot, but less so than Phnom Penh, so things are more bearable. Siem Reap seems much more tourist oriented, with the Angkor Wat ruins being the main tourist draw to Cambodia... probably both a good and bad thing... prices here are a bit higher than Phnom Penh, but still dirt cheap compared to the rest of the world.
We're staying at the Jasmine Guest Lodge, well most of us are... they screwed up the room assignments, so the four old farts (me, Rick, Greg & Alex) who were supposed to get single rooms were instead assigned double rooms... no big we thought at first, but when Rick and I got into our rooms, it was ONE bed only, with no room on the floor to sack out on. There's just no way that close to 500 lbs of human being are going to share a double bed... not gonna happen. So Rick and I were given a room with two single beds in another building down the road owned by the same people... bit of a shithole and it lacks all of the "jungle colonialism" charm of the Jasmine, but it's a place to lay our heads at night.
There was an organized trip to a local lake (manmade lake that used to be a rock quarry)... but several of us decided to decline and just hang around the Jasmine's rooftop lounge. I for one have had enough of the bus for the day and am happier hanging out with a few friends rather than being herded about with the main part of the group.
There is free wifi at the Jasmine, although the connection to the internet is sloooow, I managed to have a decent skype call with Mickie albeit with some old-style delay... Hi.... .... .... ... Hi! type stuff. So I should be able to manage a call to my mom tomorrow on Mother's Day (actually today here, but it's now past midnight at home, so too late to call).
That's about it for now, am just hanging out, drinking beers and generally relaxing in the heat.
Siem Reap seems nice... not nearly as smelly and crowded as Phnom Penh... also very hot, but less so than Phnom Penh, so things are more bearable. Siem Reap seems much more tourist oriented, with the Angkor Wat ruins being the main tourist draw to Cambodia... probably both a good and bad thing... prices here are a bit higher than Phnom Penh, but still dirt cheap compared to the rest of the world.
We're staying at the Jasmine Guest Lodge, well most of us are... they screwed up the room assignments, so the four old farts (me, Rick, Greg & Alex) who were supposed to get single rooms were instead assigned double rooms... no big we thought at first, but when Rick and I got into our rooms, it was ONE bed only, with no room on the floor to sack out on. There's just no way that close to 500 lbs of human being are going to share a double bed... not gonna happen. So Rick and I were given a room with two single beds in another building down the road owned by the same people... bit of a shithole and it lacks all of the "jungle colonialism" charm of the Jasmine, but it's a place to lay our heads at night.
There was an organized trip to a local lake (manmade lake that used to be a rock quarry)... but several of us decided to decline and just hang around the Jasmine's rooftop lounge. I for one have had enough of the bus for the day and am happier hanging out with a few friends rather than being herded about with the main part of the group.
There is free wifi at the Jasmine, although the connection to the internet is sloooow, I managed to have a decent skype call with Mickie albeit with some old-style delay... Hi.... .... .... ... Hi! type stuff. So I should be able to manage a call to my mom tomorrow on Mother's Day (actually today here, but it's now past midnight at home, so too late to call).
That's about it for now, am just hanging out, drinking beers and generally relaxing in the heat.
Friday, May 8, 2009
Cambodia, Day 5 - last day in Phnom Penh
The Tilley has returned!!! I guess over the past few days I've become enough of a fixture at La Croisette, the bistro I've been visiting for meals & wifi signal, that when I walk in the waitress is now greeting me at the door with an open bottle of orange fanta (my quencher of choice). Anyhow, just as I was leaving yesterday, the manager came out with my hat which I had thought lost for good! Made my day, I love that hat!
Was up early today, 5:30am again, left the hotel around 7 for a walk around the market, bought some sunscreen... been avoiding the sun by wearing long shirts and pants, but the heat is just too much, I've got a heat rash radiating out from the bend of both arms, not bothering me too much, and definitely better with air exposure, but now I need sunscreen.
Chantavouth & Hirotenah took me out on a tuktuk ride in search of traditional Khmer tattoos, but still denied. Will try once more in Siem Riep, but then give it up as fate (or maybe a higher power trying to keep me from bringing home a case of Hep C).
We have a concert today at 3pm, a repeat of last night's show, but for poor & disabled folk who normally couln't attend such an event. Although the Prince (the King's brother) is planning to attend.
Other than that I expect that the day will be mostly free with whatever organized events being optional. I'd be interested in seeing the Royal Palace if possible, otherwise a day of relaxing and maybe another visit to the spa down the road may be in order.
Will write more later...
-- Post From My iPhone
Was up early today, 5:30am again, left the hotel around 7 for a walk around the market, bought some sunscreen... been avoiding the sun by wearing long shirts and pants, but the heat is just too much, I've got a heat rash radiating out from the bend of both arms, not bothering me too much, and definitely better with air exposure, but now I need sunscreen.
Chantavouth & Hirotenah took me out on a tuktuk ride in search of traditional Khmer tattoos, but still denied. Will try once more in Siem Riep, but then give it up as fate (or maybe a higher power trying to keep me from bringing home a case of Hep C).
We have a concert today at 3pm, a repeat of last night's show, but for poor & disabled folk who normally couln't attend such an event. Although the Prince (the King's brother) is planning to attend.
Other than that I expect that the day will be mostly free with whatever organized events being optional. I'd be interested in seeing the Royal Palace if possible, otherwise a day of relaxing and maybe another visit to the spa down the road may be in order.
Will write more later...
-- Post From My iPhone
Cambodia, Day 4 - Phnom Penh
Today started early for me as I couldn't sleep past 5:30am. I lounged about in our air-conditioned hotel room until about 7, then went out to explore. I took a great panormamic shot of the view from our hotel room...
Behind the hotel is an extensive street market where I bought a bunch of local bananas and a floppy hat to replace my beloved Tilley which went missing yesterday.
My next stop was a restaurant nearby the hotel that offered free wifi... not only did I get three days of blog posts uploaded and some email read & answered, the connection was good enough to support a skype call with Mick & Steve - I miss them so much, and it set me up for a great day being able to talk with them.
Some Primates joined me for breakfast and I spread the joy by letting them use my phone to make quick skype calls to their loved ones.
The group events started at 10am with a walk to the National Museum, a great exhibition of Cambodian artwork dating back to a thousand years. We weren't allowed to take pictures inside, but I got some shots of the grounds, including a couple of elephant shots for Ma...
)
Next was a walk down Artists' Row, a street beside the Museum where a lot of the paintings and sculptures sold at the various markets are made...
We got on the bus next for a trip to the Khmer Women's Voice Centre... not a singing group but an organization that works towards education of women and equalization of gender rights.
They made us a great lunch of a mild yellow curry (way yum!) and gave us a presentation of what they do. Of course, we sang a xouple of songs for them (Primates always sing for their supper).
We went back to the hotel for a quick shirt change (mine was soaked through with sweat) and to drop off those who did not want to participate in our next event, a visit to Tuol Sleng, a former primary and secondary school converted to an interrogation and death camp by the Khmer Rouge, and now preserved as a museum of genocide. This is very difficult to write about. Of the 20,000 inmates of this prison over the years of Pol Pot's reign of terror, only 7 survived. We saw the classrooms converted to torture chambers, the dormrooms subdivided by brick walls into cells barely large enough to stand in, the children's rope climbing apparatus used as gallows, and a display of skulls of several victims with various gunshot and blunt object holes. It was positively horrifying, the evil that occured in this place... I could feel death permeating every wall, every object on display... it was near unbearable. I took some pictures, but I can't bring myself to post them here.
After a very sober busride back to the hotel, I had a cold shower, changed into a tanktop & shorts and walked down to the internet cafe to check mail and post this blog entry.
We have to be ready shortly for this evening's concert. Thankfully it's early, giving me hope we may be back home with enough time to do a few other things before hutting the rack, but we're only one of several acts on the programme so it could yet be a loooong evening. I must admit at this moment I don't feel much like Tanzen und Springen, but once I suit up I'm sure I'll be fine. Over & out for now...
-- Post From My iPhone
Behind the hotel is an extensive street market where I bought a bunch of local bananas and a floppy hat to replace my beloved Tilley which went missing yesterday.
My next stop was a restaurant nearby the hotel that offered free wifi... not only did I get three days of blog posts uploaded and some email read & answered, the connection was good enough to support a skype call with Mick & Steve - I miss them so much, and it set me up for a great day being able to talk with them.
Some Primates joined me for breakfast and I spread the joy by letting them use my phone to make quick skype calls to their loved ones.
The group events started at 10am with a walk to the National Museum, a great exhibition of Cambodian artwork dating back to a thousand years. We weren't allowed to take pictures inside, but I got some shots of the grounds, including a couple of elephant shots for Ma...
Next was a walk down Artists' Row, a street beside the Museum where a lot of the paintings and sculptures sold at the various markets are made...
We got on the bus next for a trip to the Khmer Women's Voice Centre... not a singing group but an organization that works towards education of women and equalization of gender rights.
They made us a great lunch of a mild yellow curry (way yum!) and gave us a presentation of what they do. Of course, we sang a xouple of songs for them (Primates always sing for their supper).
We went back to the hotel for a quick shirt change (mine was soaked through with sweat) and to drop off those who did not want to participate in our next event, a visit to Tuol Sleng, a former primary and secondary school converted to an interrogation and death camp by the Khmer Rouge, and now preserved as a museum of genocide. This is very difficult to write about. Of the 20,000 inmates of this prison over the years of Pol Pot's reign of terror, only 7 survived. We saw the classrooms converted to torture chambers, the dormrooms subdivided by brick walls into cells barely large enough to stand in, the children's rope climbing apparatus used as gallows, and a display of skulls of several victims with various gunshot and blunt object holes. It was positively horrifying, the evil that occured in this place... I could feel death permeating every wall, every object on display... it was near unbearable. I took some pictures, but I can't bring myself to post them here.
After a very sober busride back to the hotel, I had a cold shower, changed into a tanktop & shorts and walked down to the internet cafe to check mail and post this blog entry.
We have to be ready shortly for this evening's concert. Thankfully it's early, giving me hope we may be back home with enough time to do a few other things before hutting the rack, but we're only one of several acts on the programme so it could yet be a loooong evening. I must admit at this moment I don't feel much like Tanzen und Springen, but once I suit up I'm sure I'll be fine. Over & out for now...
-- Post From My iPhone
Thursday, May 7, 2009
Cambodia, Day 3 - Phnom Penh
Thurs May 7...
The Cambodian leg of the trip has been sponsored by the Cambodian Support Group, a charitable organization headed up by Victorian musician Arne Saalinen.
Today is all about seeing some of the work the CSG is accomplishing and just how badly off a lot of Cambodians have it... so, I'm expecting it to be a depressing but eye-opening day.
Stop #1 is KAVTV (I don't know what the initials stand other than the K is presumably Khmer, the Cambodians' name for themselves)... a vocational school for handicapped Khmer that teaches them basic electronics repair skills. A lot of their funding comes from the CSG. It's a very small space, with living quarters upstairs.
Next was a visit to the Royal University of Fine Arts, but we arrived earlier than they were expecting, so we sat around twiddling our thumbs (and working on our jourals/blogs) for an hour or so, then they fed us (simple fried rice but it really hit the spot for me).
I went another round with one of those stupid Squatty Potties as I've started calling them... I won but not without casualties... when I return home I fully intend on hugging my toilet, I hope it's clean!
The students at the school put on a short informal performance for us & we returned the favour, then headed out to the Phnom Penh City Dump (!) where we were going to meet some children who make their living by scrounging at the dump (including finding food, eww).
The drive there was an adventure, especially in some areas with very low hanging power lines, our Khmer hosts jumping out of the bus in order to hold up the power lines with sticks so the bus could fit under.
Arriving at the dump, and half convinced we'd be leaving our poor abused bus behind, we found that the children we were to meet were smarter than us and had left the dump for the day due to the heat.
We did manage to find some other kids on our way out, good day for them as a number of our group had soap, toothbrushes and toy soap bubbles and were happy to find someone to give them to.
From here we went into more pleasant duties... SHOPPING! We were taken to the Russian Market, so named because it's where the Russians shopped when they ran things (Did they ever occupy Cambodia? It's what we were told, but a number of us don't remember reading that in the history books, will have to Google that when I get near the internet again).
I bought some uniquely Cambodian things which I hope Mick & Steve will like, plus a cheap carry-on suitcase to take it home in (whaddya mean cheap, it was $20!).
Then on to Chaktomok Theatre, which was very lovely, but we went straight into rehearsal so I had no time to take pix.
It's now 5:30pm and having returned to the hotel and showered, Rick & I Re just kicking back and enjoying the air conditioning.
I'll be heading out soon to investigate getting a traditional Khmer tattoo (using old-fashioned hammer/chisel type tools, not a modern tattoo rig), if I can verify the hygiene, I'll be sporting some new ink when I return.
That's about it for now, I also hope to hit an internet cafe later to post some of this and maybe even contact Mick & Steve.
Well, struck out for now on the tattoo, the local shop uses modern equipment, but Chantovouth thinks he knows someone else who might do traditional tats by hand.
Right now I'm sitting with some fellow Primates at a restaurant nearby our hotel with free wifi, man it's great to get the blogs caught up! Will email Mick & Steve after this, but it's too early to call now. Signing off for now!
-- Post From My iPhone
The Cambodian leg of the trip has been sponsored by the Cambodian Support Group, a charitable organization headed up by Victorian musician Arne Saalinen.
Today is all about seeing some of the work the CSG is accomplishing and just how badly off a lot of Cambodians have it... so, I'm expecting it to be a depressing but eye-opening day.
Stop #1 is KAVTV (I don't know what the initials stand other than the K is presumably Khmer, the Cambodians' name for themselves)... a vocational school for handicapped Khmer that teaches them basic electronics repair skills. A lot of their funding comes from the CSG. It's a very small space, with living quarters upstairs.
Next was a visit to the Royal University of Fine Arts, but we arrived earlier than they were expecting, so we sat around twiddling our thumbs (and working on our jourals/blogs) for an hour or so, then they fed us (simple fried rice but it really hit the spot for me).
I went another round with one of those stupid Squatty Potties as I've started calling them... I won but not without casualties... when I return home I fully intend on hugging my toilet, I hope it's clean!
The students at the school put on a short informal performance for us & we returned the favour, then headed out to the Phnom Penh City Dump (!) where we were going to meet some children who make their living by scrounging at the dump (including finding food, eww).
The drive there was an adventure, especially in some areas with very low hanging power lines, our Khmer hosts jumping out of the bus in order to hold up the power lines with sticks so the bus could fit under.
Arriving at the dump, and half convinced we'd be leaving our poor abused bus behind, we found that the children we were to meet were smarter than us and had left the dump for the day due to the heat.
We did manage to find some other kids on our way out, good day for them as a number of our group had soap, toothbrushes and toy soap bubbles and were happy to find someone to give them to.
From here we went into more pleasant duties... SHOPPING! We were taken to the Russian Market, so named because it's where the Russians shopped when they ran things (Did they ever occupy Cambodia? It's what we were told, but a number of us don't remember reading that in the history books, will have to Google that when I get near the internet again).
I bought some uniquely Cambodian things which I hope Mick & Steve will like, plus a cheap carry-on suitcase to take it home in (whaddya mean cheap, it was $20!).
Then on to Chaktomok Theatre, which was very lovely, but we went straight into rehearsal so I had no time to take pix.
It's now 5:30pm and having returned to the hotel and showered, Rick & I Re just kicking back and enjoying the air conditioning.
I'll be heading out soon to investigate getting a traditional Khmer tattoo (using old-fashioned hammer/chisel type tools, not a modern tattoo rig), if I can verify the hygiene, I'll be sporting some new ink when I return.
That's about it for now, I also hope to hit an internet cafe later to post some of this and maybe even contact Mick & Steve.
Well, struck out for now on the tattoo, the local shop uses modern equipment, but Chantovouth thinks he knows someone else who might do traditional tats by hand.
Right now I'm sitting with some fellow Primates at a restaurant nearby our hotel with free wifi, man it's great to get the blogs caught up! Will email Mick & Steve after this, but it's too early to call now. Signing off for now!
-- Post From My iPhone
Wednesday, May 6, 2009
Cambodia, Day 2 - Kep Beach
I wasn't sure about this day to start with, looking at it more as doing my duty than being a willing participant, but I'm really glad I went.
My day started just before 5am, to get ready for a 5:30am bus. O Lord, it was sweltering already!
A couple of pit stops on our way out of Phnom Penh to pick up Cambodian students and we were off to Kep. We were told it's a 2 hr ride, more like four, so once again we were the better part of our day stuck on a bus.
However, it was very enjoyable getting to know the Khmer people, despite language difficulties. The young woman sitting with me was one of the older ones at 30 and is actually one of the teachers. Her name is Laekshmy and was a lovely companion for the day.
On the way out we stopped so we could have breakfast, the Khmer people had already eaten so didn't join us. I had a very simple but delicious fried rice with egg & sausage.
As will be the case throughout our stay here, everytime we got off the bus we were thronged with beggars and children selling gum & trinkets. At home it's easy to be dismissive and say "Get a job ya bum" but it's quite heartbreaking when the need is real. Nonetheless, if you give to one the mob just gets worse, so I will live with knowing that our visit (and donations we brought along) will help some Khmer people out... we can't help everyone.
The roads in Cambodia are extremely rough, making for a very bouncy ride. There are a lot of motorcycles, mostly 125cc scooters, frequently with 3-5 passengers &/or amazing amounts of cargo on board.
Also a lot of tuktuks, not quite the same as the original Thai tuktuk, basically the same or similar motorcycles as above but with a semi-enclosed passenger or cargo trailer attached 5th-wheel style to the frame in place of the passenger seat.
So, eventually we made it to the beach in Kep. Being at the waterfront, the weather was a lot cooler, still bloody hot, but a big improvement over Phnom Penh.
The ocean was verrrrry salty smelled a bit strange, but was refreshing nonetheless.
The above statue is called "Naked Lady" by the Khmer, apt enough description.
After a too short beach break considering the length of the bus ride, we were hauled across the street and up the hill for a rehearsal with the Khmer then a lunch of fresh (as in JUST caught) crabs!
After lunch, we hung around getting things cleaned up and organized, then back to the bus for the four hr ride home.
The road rules here are quite simple, the biggest vehicle makes the rules! Lanes, signs, lights and lines are irrelevant, if you are the largest thing on the road, you go where you want and it's others' job to get out of your way!
We got back to the hotel around 7pm, Rick (who was not feeling well and skipped today's activities) was feeling better and we went out in search of supper.
I ended up in a massage parlour (not THAT kind of place, get your mind out of the gutter), and got a Khmer-style massage and a manicure. The massage was more about stretching things and hitting certain target centres than kneading muscles, much similar to Thai massage... and the manicure took 20 years off my hands!
Afterward, I was exhausted and although hungry (I hadn't eaten since the crab lunch) I wanted nothing but to hit the rack.
-- Post From My iPhone
My day started just before 5am, to get ready for a 5:30am bus. O Lord, it was sweltering already!
A couple of pit stops on our way out of Phnom Penh to pick up Cambodian students and we were off to Kep. We were told it's a 2 hr ride, more like four, so once again we were the better part of our day stuck on a bus.
However, it was very enjoyable getting to know the Khmer people, despite language difficulties. The young woman sitting with me was one of the older ones at 30 and is actually one of the teachers. Her name is Laekshmy and was a lovely companion for the day.
On the way out we stopped so we could have breakfast, the Khmer people had already eaten so didn't join us. I had a very simple but delicious fried rice with egg & sausage.
As will be the case throughout our stay here, everytime we got off the bus we were thronged with beggars and children selling gum & trinkets. At home it's easy to be dismissive and say "Get a job ya bum" but it's quite heartbreaking when the need is real. Nonetheless, if you give to one the mob just gets worse, so I will live with knowing that our visit (and donations we brought along) will help some Khmer people out... we can't help everyone.
The roads in Cambodia are extremely rough, making for a very bouncy ride. There are a lot of motorcycles, mostly 125cc scooters, frequently with 3-5 passengers &/or amazing amounts of cargo on board.
Also a lot of tuktuks, not quite the same as the original Thai tuktuk, basically the same or similar motorcycles as above but with a semi-enclosed passenger or cargo trailer attached 5th-wheel style to the frame in place of the passenger seat.
So, eventually we made it to the beach in Kep. Being at the waterfront, the weather was a lot cooler, still bloody hot, but a big improvement over Phnom Penh.
The ocean was verrrrry salty smelled a bit strange, but was refreshing nonetheless.
The above statue is called "Naked Lady" by the Khmer, apt enough description.
After a too short beach break considering the length of the bus ride, we were hauled across the street and up the hill for a rehearsal with the Khmer then a lunch of fresh (as in JUST caught) crabs!
After lunch, we hung around getting things cleaned up and organized, then back to the bus for the four hr ride home.
The road rules here are quite simple, the biggest vehicle makes the rules! Lanes, signs, lights and lines are irrelevant, if you are the largest thing on the road, you go where you want and it's others' job to get out of your way!
We got back to the hotel around 7pm, Rick (who was not feeling well and skipped today's activities) was feeling better and we went out in search of supper.
I ended up in a massage parlour (not THAT kind of place, get your mind out of the gutter), and got a Khmer-style massage and a manicure. The massage was more about stretching things and hitting certain target centres than kneading muscles, much similar to Thai massage... and the manicure took 20 years off my hands!
Afterward, I was exhausted and although hungry (I hadn't eaten since the crab lunch) I wanted nothing but to hit the rack.
-- Post From My iPhone
Cambodia!
Tuesday May 5...
Well, 5-1/2 hrs later, we're in Cambodia... 11:00 at night and it's 29•C, boy I can't wait until the sun comes up!
A perfect day for tomorrow would see us with free time to rest and acclimatize, but instead we're gettimg up @ 5am for a 2 hr busride with a bunch of Cambodian students to the seaside resort town called Kep. Not sure I'm looking forward to it, not a beach person normally... but I think as the choir's conductor-to-be I need to support them.
For the next week the itinerary is out to lunch, all of our Cambodian schedule was replaced when we left Canada, then when we arrived in Phnom Penh we were told to ignore most of it too, so...
-- Post From My iPhone
Well, 5-1/2 hrs later, we're in Cambodia... 11:00 at night and it's 29•C, boy I can't wait until the sun comes up!
A perfect day for tomorrow would see us with free time to rest and acclimatize, but instead we're gettimg up @ 5am for a 2 hr busride with a bunch of Cambodian students to the seaside resort town called Kep. Not sure I'm looking forward to it, not a beach person normally... but I think as the choir's conductor-to-be I need to support them.
For the next week the itinerary is out to lunch, all of our Cambodian schedule was replaced when we left Canada, then when we arrived in Phnom Penh we were told to ignore most of it too, so...
-- Post From My iPhone
Tuesday, May 5, 2009
Goodbye Korea...
Tuesday, May 5th...
Well, the first leg of our tour is complete... breakfast was a buffet which included sort-of Western food as well as Korean... so I had a platefull of cocktail weenies, scrambled eggs, frenchfries and a bowl of chocolatey cereal (Chex?).... yeah, not healthy but it went down real well!
8am our bus departed Yangyang for a drive down past Seoul to Incheon. Traffic was expected to be very heavy, thus the plan for a 6-7 hour drive, however it turned out to be quite light, so we are stopped in Incheon for a 2 hour lunch/shopping break before heading to the airport for a 4:30pm check in.
Right now I'm sitting in an internet cafe (or PC room here)... the iPhone's low on batteries, so it's plugged into the USB port to recharge while I'm getting caught up on email and blog entried. It's nice to use a real keyboard again.
I have no idea what sort of connectivity I can expect in Cambodia, although we are staying in a 2-3 star hotel (whatever the hell that means)... so hopefully they'll have some wifi available. Being able to email and phone Mickie & Steven now and then is making being away from home a lot easier... a good chunk of the sadness I was feeling the past couple days was due to not having a good enough signal to keep in touch.
Been having a lot of great conversations with other singers on tour in terms of what to expect next year. When Bruce & I first started speaking about me taking over PRIMA next year, he said I was under no obligation to continue the touring tradition... however many singers made it clear to me that touring was a major part of their choral experience and in some cases was the deciding factor in choosing to join PRIMA, so I don't see how I can give it up. Choir tours were a very important part of my student life at UVic.
That's all for now, I'll hopefully be able to update this once I'm in Cambodia.
IMPORTANT BULGOGI UPDATE!!!!
Coming out of the PC room there was a promising looking sign right next door, we peeked in and saw it was a proper bulgogi shack! So we went in & ordered up a big plate of raw, spicy marinated pork to cook at the table with sesame & lettuce leaves and all the normal accompanying bits, man was it ever good, and cheap! All 4 of us ate well for about $20! Try that @ McRaunchy's.
We're sitting in the airport now, flight for Cambodia leaves in about an hour, what a great way to end our last Korean day.
Well, the first leg of our tour is complete... breakfast was a buffet which included sort-of Western food as well as Korean... so I had a platefull of cocktail weenies, scrambled eggs, frenchfries and a bowl of chocolatey cereal (Chex?).... yeah, not healthy but it went down real well!
8am our bus departed Yangyang for a drive down past Seoul to Incheon. Traffic was expected to be very heavy, thus the plan for a 6-7 hour drive, however it turned out to be quite light, so we are stopped in Incheon for a 2 hour lunch/shopping break before heading to the airport for a 4:30pm check in.
Right now I'm sitting in an internet cafe (or PC room here)... the iPhone's low on batteries, so it's plugged into the USB port to recharge while I'm getting caught up on email and blog entried. It's nice to use a real keyboard again.
I have no idea what sort of connectivity I can expect in Cambodia, although we are staying in a 2-3 star hotel (whatever the hell that means)... so hopefully they'll have some wifi available. Being able to email and phone Mickie & Steven now and then is making being away from home a lot easier... a good chunk of the sadness I was feeling the past couple days was due to not having a good enough signal to keep in touch.
Been having a lot of great conversations with other singers on tour in terms of what to expect next year. When Bruce & I first started speaking about me taking over PRIMA next year, he said I was under no obligation to continue the touring tradition... however many singers made it clear to me that touring was a major part of their choral experience and in some cases was the deciding factor in choosing to join PRIMA, so I don't see how I can give it up. Choir tours were a very important part of my student life at UVic.
That's all for now, I'll hopefully be able to update this once I'm in Cambodia.
IMPORTANT BULGOGI UPDATE!!!!
Coming out of the PC room there was a promising looking sign right next door, we peeked in and saw it was a proper bulgogi shack! So we went in & ordered up a big plate of raw, spicy marinated pork to cook at the table with sesame & lettuce leaves and all the normal accompanying bits, man was it ever good, and cheap! All 4 of us ate well for about $20! Try that @ McRaunchy's.
We're sitting in the airport now, flight for Cambodia leaves in about an hour, what a great way to end our last Korean day.
Monday, May 4, 2009
Yangyang
May 4/09...
Well, this morning was a bit slow, a lot of us aren't feeling too well, I think mostly a lack of sleep and strange food is catching up to us. Leaving the temple at 11am, we bussed to Yangyang, the last city on the Korean leg of our tour.
Due to a series of miscommunications and language problems, we ended up in Yangyang earlier than anticipated... our hosts had planned a very full day for us which we begged off of due to the group being so tired, but they neglected to arrange for our hotel to check us in earlier, so we were dropped off at a restaurant for lunch, which we didn't really want or enjoy sorry to say.
My digestive system was in minor revolt, nothing major just over-tired and getting sick of kimchi... so I had to use the facilities at this restaurant in a fair hurry. To my disappointment, the toilet was one of those Asian squat style jobbies, and to make matters worse (or more comical I suppose depending on who's reading and who's writing) the cubicle was barely larger than the squatter itself, the floor was wet and there was nowhere to hang my pants, so the entire process was awkward, messy & smelly... no pictures to upload here folks, you'll have to use your imagination and thank heaven for wet wipes!!
I usually have to pay more attention than the average bear to my digestive eliminatory needs, but with heads like this, I'll have to ensure my "shituational awareness" stays kicked into overdrive!
So... an enjoyable and relaxing afternoon in our hotels (which thankfully had very spacious rooms with modern Western-style toilets)... lots of laughs and although still tired, we were ready for the evening concert.
The bus picked us up and to my great delight our hosted supper was my very favourite Korean dish, bulgogi (Korean bbq beef), which I had not yet managed to eat! My guts were still not at 100% so I had to eat lightly, but I enjoyed it nonetheless!
The concert hall was just around the corner from the restaurant and the show went well... the audience was somewhat reserved to start but by the end they had called us back to the stage for three encores.
Back to the hotel, feeling much better and ready to reconnect with my other Korean love Makoli, also known as Dongdongju, a Korean rice beverage, sort of beer, sort of wine, milky white, doesn't smell too good, but very enjoyable and smooth taste... sort of like starchy white wine. At around 10% alcohol, a couple litre bottles was enough for me to be feeling no pain that evening.
We hosted a party in our room, but then when folks started dispersing and Rick & Alex were ready for sleep, Greg and I wandered around to continue the party in anothe hotel room... charades were played, much laughter ensued. Bedtime for me was around 2:30am, not much sleep for a 7am breakfast and 8am departure for Incheon airport and Cambodia.
Well, this morning was a bit slow, a lot of us aren't feeling too well, I think mostly a lack of sleep and strange food is catching up to us. Leaving the temple at 11am, we bussed to Yangyang, the last city on the Korean leg of our tour.
Due to a series of miscommunications and language problems, we ended up in Yangyang earlier than anticipated... our hosts had planned a very full day for us which we begged off of due to the group being so tired, but they neglected to arrange for our hotel to check us in earlier, so we were dropped off at a restaurant for lunch, which we didn't really want or enjoy sorry to say.
My digestive system was in minor revolt, nothing major just over-tired and getting sick of kimchi... so I had to use the facilities at this restaurant in a fair hurry. To my disappointment, the toilet was one of those Asian squat style jobbies, and to make matters worse (or more comical I suppose depending on who's reading and who's writing) the cubicle was barely larger than the squatter itself, the floor was wet and there was nowhere to hang my pants, so the entire process was awkward, messy & smelly... no pictures to upload here folks, you'll have to use your imagination and thank heaven for wet wipes!!
I usually have to pay more attention than the average bear to my digestive eliminatory needs, but with heads like this, I'll have to ensure my "shituational awareness" stays kicked into overdrive!
So... an enjoyable and relaxing afternoon in our hotels (which thankfully had very spacious rooms with modern Western-style toilets)... lots of laughs and although still tired, we were ready for the evening concert.
The bus picked us up and to my great delight our hosted supper was my very favourite Korean dish, bulgogi (Korean bbq beef), which I had not yet managed to eat! My guts were still not at 100% so I had to eat lightly, but I enjoyed it nonetheless!
The concert hall was just around the corner from the restaurant and the show went well... the audience was somewhat reserved to start but by the end they had called us back to the stage for three encores.
Back to the hotel, feeling much better and ready to reconnect with my other Korean love Makoli, also known as Dongdongju, a Korean rice beverage, sort of beer, sort of wine, milky white, doesn't smell too good, but very enjoyable and smooth taste... sort of like starchy white wine. At around 10% alcohol, a couple litre bottles was enough for me to be feeling no pain that evening.
We hosted a party in our room, but then when folks started dispersing and Rick & Alex were ready for sleep, Greg and I wandered around to continue the party in anothe hotel room... charades were played, much laughter ensued. Bedtime for me was around 2:30am, not much sleep for a 7am breakfast and 8am departure for Incheon airport and Cambodia.
Sokcho's full of fun...
May 3/09...
So it turns out Sokcho's a bit of a tourist town, very beautiful, on the coast. I woke up way early, at 5:30am, and enjoyed exploring the grounds of the heritage village on my own in the early sunlight.
I woke the troops at 7 am to get ready for an 8 am bus pickup. Those who were ready early had much fun playing with a collection of stilts...
We climbed up on one of the roofs at 7:30 am to renew an old choral tradition of singing Salish Song from rooftop, much fun!
After breakfast we were bussed out to Expo Park, where many of us rented these little electric motorbikes... most fun I've had in ages!
Afterwards it was back to the heritage village where we were treated to a Korean drum and dance show, was quite incredible!
Next on hand was a trip to the temple of some Buddhist offshoot cult and lunch.
After lunch we said our last goodbyes to Felipe and son...
... and headed back to Expo Park where we had a much-needed couple of hours freetime.
Finally we left Sokcho on the bus to head to tonight's accommodations, a Buddhist Temple! Ok, for some of the more spiritually-inclined in the group, I can understand that this is a very special experience for them, and I'm happy for them and don't want to get in the way of that, but this back-to-nature vegetarian crap is for the birds. I'm a city boy through and through, and I'm grateful that our temple dormroom has electricity so I can charge the iPhone. Folks are off at meditation right now, I chose to hit the rack early in hopes of getting to sleep before the others come back for 9:30pm lights-out. G'nite, I hope to get this posted sometime tomorrow afternoon.
May 4/09...
Well, it's 10:30am now, and for me at least not enough activity to warrant another entry, so I'll just append to this one. I've been sleeping since about 8pm last night, much overdue I must say. There were several services and meditations that we were invited to attend, but I needed sleep more. Breakfast was @ 6am but I wasn't the least bit hungry, so I stayed in and continued resting. There was also an 8km mountain hike, and I'm sure you can guess my feelings about that! The bus for our final Korean destination, Yang Yang, leaves at about 11am... will write more then.
-- Post From My iPhone
So it turns out Sokcho's a bit of a tourist town, very beautiful, on the coast. I woke up way early, at 5:30am, and enjoyed exploring the grounds of the heritage village on my own in the early sunlight.
I woke the troops at 7 am to get ready for an 8 am bus pickup. Those who were ready early had much fun playing with a collection of stilts...
We climbed up on one of the roofs at 7:30 am to renew an old choral tradition of singing Salish Song from rooftop, much fun!
After breakfast we were bussed out to Expo Park, where many of us rented these little electric motorbikes... most fun I've had in ages!
Afterwards it was back to the heritage village where we were treated to a Korean drum and dance show, was quite incredible!
Next on hand was a trip to the temple of some Buddhist offshoot cult and lunch.
After lunch we said our last goodbyes to Felipe and son...
... and headed back to Expo Park where we had a much-needed couple of hours freetime.
Finally we left Sokcho on the bus to head to tonight's accommodations, a Buddhist Temple! Ok, for some of the more spiritually-inclined in the group, I can understand that this is a very special experience for them, and I'm happy for them and don't want to get in the way of that, but this back-to-nature vegetarian crap is for the birds. I'm a city boy through and through, and I'm grateful that our temple dormroom has electricity so I can charge the iPhone. Folks are off at meditation right now, I chose to hit the rack early in hopes of getting to sleep before the others come back for 9:30pm lights-out. G'nite, I hope to get this posted sometime tomorrow afternoon.
May 4/09...
Well, it's 10:30am now, and for me at least not enough activity to warrant another entry, so I'll just append to this one. I've been sleeping since about 8pm last night, much overdue I must say. There were several services and meditations that we were invited to attend, but I needed sleep more. Breakfast was @ 6am but I wasn't the least bit hungry, so I stayed in and continued resting. There was also an 8km mountain hike, and I'm sure you can guess my feelings about that! The bus for our final Korean destination, Yang Yang, leaves at about 11am... will write more then.
-- Post From My iPhone
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