Phuket Island - December 17-21, 2009

I finally have some time to sit down and tell you about our holiday in Thailand..... you would think I am busy or something!!
Thought I would start with some interesting facts about Thailand:

•  It is mainly a Buddhist country with countless temples. 
•  Male children are required to become a monk to ensure the spiritual life of their parents. Most live as a monk for the minimal time required which is a week. 
•  Bangkok is the only place where cabs have meters.  In other cities, the fare must be arranged before starting off.
•  Baht is the currency used
• It is a great insult to touch the head of another person
• When people meet they do not shake hands.  the customary greeting is the "wai", with the hands raised as if in prayer
• Males use the term  Sawasdee krab which is used for greetings , good byes and other salutations
• Women use the term Sawasdee ka
• "Boy-girls" as they are referred to here use the term Sawasdee Han
• As the feet are the lowest part of the body, it is considered rude to point your feet at anybody, especially if the gesture is deliberate.  As a result you seldom see people with their knees crossed, or if they are, they tend to keep their toes pointed carefully towards the floor.
• Prices are extremely reasonable which makes shopping a pleasure even for me!
• It is possible to get a massage by an elephant
• Monkeys have been trained to harvest cashews
• Elephants have been trained to paint pictures

We began this adventure with four days on Phuket Island which is located in the tropical waters of the

Andamen Sea.  This is the largest and  richest island in the Kingdom, and is the only island that has the status of a province.

We stayed at a lovely place right on the ocean called Laguna Beach Resort.

Our first day was spent lying on the beach and swimming.  We lost complete track of time.  For example we went to the beach bar to order some beer.  The waitress commented "so you just want beer this early in the morning?"  I asked her what time it was, thinking it was around lunch time.  It was 10:00 !!!!   I must admit this did not quench our thirst for a beer.  We ordered two explaining we were on a different time zone.

  After spending the majority of time on the beach, we did what every tourist inevitably does....we went shopping.  Our children will be happy.  We also managed to find summer clothes for ourselves.  We went to a restaurant on the ocean and had a wonderful meal.


The second day we went on a  sight seeing tour.  You can see how the old section of Phuket reflects early Chinese and Portugese influence.
We visited Wat Chalong, the most holy and renowned monastery. We saw a shell museum. a light house museum , a cashew factory and shopped. We both agreed we had enough of museums although I will admit it was very enjoyable especially since it was only the two of us and the tour guide and we were able to cut and lengthen the various parts of the tour according to our preferences.

The third day we spent on a boat cruising among the limestone cliffs in Phangna Bay.  This is located at the mouth of the river leading into the Gulf of Phuket from Phang-Nga Province.  Here limestone islands rise from the sea. some of them 1,000 feet and contain caves hung with stalactites.
We visited a Muslim stilt-village on Panyi Island and Thum Lod Grotto.  These peoplle are also also referred to as sea gypsies.
We saw the island of Khao Phingkan, also known as James Bond island because it was the location for scenes in Man With The Golden Gun.
We ended the cruise swimming and relaxing on the beach of Lawa Island.

Our tour guide was a character from Germany who provided a certain atmosphere to the day!

This boat cruise was well worth it!

The next day we left for Bangkok.  This will be a completely different experience of Thailand!!!

HAPPY NEW YEAR 

Merry Christmas

I can't believe it has been a month since my last entry!  Where has the time gone?  Hope you had a wonderful Christmas.

Our Christmas was lovely.  We returned from Thailand on Christmas eve.  Christmas is acknowledged here but not celebrated so Al had to work Christmas day.  We were then invited to the home of one of Al's colleagues for a korean feast. I must say this was the highlight of our entire experience. The family was most charming and kind.  The food was plentiful and delicious.  Their four year old son was a joy.  The weather even co-operated by snowing that evening.  We were then able to skype with our family. All these things served to lessen homesickness.  It just is not the same without family, especially during the holidays.

New Year's is also acknowledged but not celebrated in Korea.  They celebrate the Lunar New Year.  We will spend a quiet New Year's Eve at home and Al will work New Year's Day.

As in Winnipeg, we also have a bit of a cold spell.  The snow that fell has not yet melted.  The temperatures range from 0 to 4 degrees.  It is usually cloudy and I do miss that clear blue Manitoba sky.

Wish you all all the best in 2010!

Thought I would share a memory of our Christmas with these pictures.

Cheers, until next time.

Cheers!

The holiday season is fast approaching.  I am pleased to say my mailing of packages is done and already received by family.  What an accomplishment!  Did you know that in Korea one takes whatever you are sending to the post office where you then purchase the box and pack it there?  By the way, the cost of mailing is very expensive.

Korea is a fairly secular nation: 34% is Buddhist, 30% Christian, .2% Confucian and 40% profess no religious affinity.  Christmas Day is a regular working day here.  A few places will have some sort of Christmas music and decorations.  However, what we consider Christmas decorations like lights and ornaments are seen year round. 

Wrapping paper is not used here.  Gifts are placed in colourful silk bags or wrapped in beautiful fabrics.  The tying of knots becomes a work of art.  To me the individuality of the preparation of the gift seems as important as the gift itself.

During one of our shopping trips we had an interesting experience.  Al was approached by a group of young men who were filming a documentary about Korean culture and asked if he would participate.  He agreed to be interviewed on film.  They took his e-mail address, perhaps they will give him a clip of the documentary.

I have been busy with my Korean lessons.  I passed the first test and will now start the beginners class.  Essentially I have learned to read and write the alphabet and a few basic words and phrases. I have also learned the numbers and their counting system, which has been surprisingly confusing (for me).  I suppose I will get the hang of it. 

I did manage to find a very good English-speaking travel agent in Seoul and have arranged for us to spend a week in Thailand the week before Christmas.  Al has been working non-stop and we look forward to the break.

Can’t really complain about the weather.  Days can be foggy, rainy, cool or wonderfully mild.  People don’t tend to talk bout the weather here as much as we do in Canada.  I suppose there isn’t the need when the changes are not as dramatic.

I was asked by a friend to visit the kukkiwon in Seoul.  This is the head quarters for the tae-kwon-do association.  I have included a couple of pictures for those of you who are interested.

Yongsan Electronics Market

Al found my lost photo file!  Thought I would share my day in the famous electronic market in Seoul.    First of all it was not easy to find.  I searched two hours before finding the tunnel that takes you to the market area.

 This was my view coming out of the tunnel.  From the throngs of people, I knew I was in the right place.As I mentioned earlier, trying to find something in this market is like trying to find a thimble in a junk drawer!  There is no rhyme or  reason in terms of plan in layout and all the signs or at least the majority of them are in Korean.The aisles are endless and filled with displays and people.  The Koreans are used to crowds and have no problem barging and jostling.  We are always told not to take this personally as it is a way of life here.  There is also the noise of the street vendors who are yelling out their deals.  I find it takes a lot of concentrating and focus not to be overwhelmed.  Although I enjoy the atmosphere, I do get exhausted by the end of the afternoon.This place is for computer nerds.  Not for someone who does not know how to text or use the camera in their cell phone.  I saw lots, but not what I was looking for.But I kept looking......Didn't even stop to eat!!!But kept looking.....Until I felt as exhausted as this poor soul looks.  Think I will take Al next time.

The Beat Goes On

I had visited the Electronic District, and wanted to share some pictures with you. Unfortunately, my file has somehow disappeared. I suppose this district might be exciting for some, but I found it bewildering especially since I was looking for something specific and it was like trying to find a thimble in a junk drawer! I will return to take more pictures and hopefully find a battery pack for my son-in-law.

I have also been to Insadong but my camera ran out of batteries. We have been unable to find lithium batteries and the alkaline charger and batteries that I bought do not hold the charge. What we have done is buy a large supply of alkaline batteries until we can find lithium batteries. This is proving to be an unexpected challenge. Oh well, the show goes on. Insadong is a boutique-like shopping district with many galleries and shops. Al and I will be returning and take pictures.

Al has worked almost non-stop the last few weeks. This will continue until he has completed the first run through of his three month program. After that I hope things will slow down a bit for him. The other bit of irony is the rainy weather he has had on his days off.
The positive spin to this is that Al has developed the traveling bug! We have contacted a travel agent that speaks English to look at a trip for December.

Al's students took him out for dinner Saturday night after class. I was in Seoul that day and didn't make it back in time to join them. The dinner was a shabu. This is a meal that consists of a communal broth bowl over a gas element. The group is provided with platters of paper-thin shaved beef, vegetables, noodles to which they add to the broth to cook. At the end they get bowls of fried rice to eat the last of the broth with. It is one of the most popular dinners here. I am looking forward to trying this out.

I attended my first Korean class on Wednesday at the Korean Federation Cultural Centre in Seoul. I will be learning how to read and write Hangeul over the next four weeks. After writing a test, I will be able to progress to the beginners level. This course is approximately a year long if I pass each section and do not need to repeat. People in the advanced classes are expected to be fluent. They are very strict about missing classes. If you miss two you are out. I will therefore not be able to attend any month that I will be away traveling. I will just pick up again where I left off the following month.

There are around eight people in my class. They come from Canada, United States, France Chili, Taiwan and Viet Nam. We have three instructors whose English is only slightly better than my Korean. I very much enjoyed my first class and am thrilled that I can read some signs although I have no idea what they are saying. This will be interesting.

Although there are more periods of fog and rain, the weather is quite lovely. Perhaps I should clarify this is a point of view from a Winnipeger. There are people already wearing down ski jackets and wool hats. I still wear a sweater or a light jacket.

Until next time, CHEERS!