We decided to come to Indonesia in spite of the fact that it’s the rainy season. I don’t regret this decision yet, as it’s meant that there are very few tourists around and the rain hasn’t much messed up our plans.
The Lake was too choppy for swimming this afternoon, so we decided to go visit some historical sights on the island. But, when the clouds started rolling in and the locals started sending their kids out to collect the laundry, we decided to take cover.
Notice the Cross in the background? Samosir is a primarily Christian Island
We couldn’t have picked a better spot. With a lovely view of the lake and some gorgeous Indonesian coffee to sip on while the clouds empty, Yolanda’s Restaurant has proven to be a good choice.
A very cute little restaurant with really good coffee!
Unlike my grandmother, I happen to love taking the ferry! There’s something so exciting about needing to cross a body of water to get somewhere. I know Bridges do the same thing… But taking the ferry takes more effort, and I’ve come to realize that the things that take more effort are more memorable.
We’ve taken our fair share of ferries over the last few years. South East Asia is a poor area of the world and bridges are expensive.
Today we took our first ferry in Indonesia! This is the 11th country we’ve visited in the last 5 and a half years! I’m looking forward to the next 11 countries!!!
Although living in the city has its perks, Dave and I both grew up in rural Canada where the air is clean and the skies are huge. Unfortunately, it’s difficult to see the sky beyond all the sky scrapers in China… And the air… Well… It’s seen better days.
One of the things we love most about South East Asia are the mountains and the array of outdoor activities we can choose from. Whether it’s been canoeing through the Hongs of Thailand, floating down the river in Laos or visiting the Irrawaddy Dolphins in Cambodia, we tend to spend as much time outside as possible when we’re on holiday.
We’ve grown to expect a certain level of natural beauty in South East Asia. We’re pleased to say that Malaysia did not let us down!
We can’t exactly say we’ve “seen” Malaysia at this point, but due to the layover options we had on our way to Indonesia, we were able to spend 2 days in Malaysia’s capital: Kuala Lumpur.
Kuala Lumpur is a beautiful, diverse and reasonably developed city in South East Asia. I had heard a lot about this great city from my students (several are Malaysian), so I was really looking forward to seeing the city for myself.
One thing that really took me by surprise was how delicious and spicy these tame-looking noodles were. Living in China, I eat a lot of red chillies, but green chillies aren’t used much here. Also, the little green peppers used in Malaysia are fresh, which is quite different from the dried ones I’m used to.
Long story short… If you’re going to be trying these chillies for the first time… Make sure you’ll have access to a bathroom 4-5 hours later!!!!
PS: they were totally worth it!!!
STAY TUNED!!!
I’ll be sharing a lot more about KL after our trip, but for now, I wanted to give you a sneak peak with my “post of the day”. I really loved doing daily updates in November, so I figured I’d do the same this trip. When the trip is over, I’ll be doing more in-depth about the things we did and the places we went!
Well, we are on day 3 of our holiday now, so I suppose I have some catching up to do if I’m going to blog every day!!!
The theme of my first post is simple: I hate Pudong airport. Pudong is Shanghai’s international airport, so we use it at least 4 times every year. Each time, I’m floored by how bad it is.
This year was especially bad because we flew over night and our flight left at 1:30am. Now, my big problem with PVG is that after security, the food and drink options are seriously limited. There are a few really bad Chinese restaurants (which confuses me because Chinese food is so good!!!), and everything is terribly overpriced… Even by airport standards!!
Burger King is one of the only decent options post security, so on Sunday night, Dave spent over an hour waiting in line to get a couple of burgers (we were flying Air Asia… They give you exactly NOTHING on their flights without paying extra so we usually just eat at the airport).
In the meantime, I set off to find bottled water (they seriously give you nothing…). I spent an hour running around only to find small bottles of Evian for 40rmb (350ml for nearly $10 Canadian). I couldn’t even find a functional drink machine either….I DID find SIM card vending machines though…. So there’s that.
In the end, I found an entire row of drinking machines about a half km down the airport, but by then, I was so thirsty I downed 2 bottles right away and then ran out of change! Luckily, Dave showed up moments later with additional coinage and burgers in hand.
Suzhou doesn’t get a lot of snow. In fact, it only snows here every 5 years or so; and it rarely sticks around.
We get enough to make an itty bitty snowlady every once in a while (credit: someone in my office…I’m not sure who)
Fortunately for me, this year was one of those ‘off’ years, where Mother Nature bestowed some of the white stuff upon this beautiful city.
Quite a bit of the white stuff, actually (credit: my dear husband…my hands were too cold and I didn’t want to take my phone out!)
When people aren’t used to snow, it can be quite an ordeal! We saw one accident on our 5 minute walk home, and I can’t imagine how many delivery men wiped out on their e-bikes today! Imagine a late spring storm…with people who have never driven on ice before!
A chilly walk home!
The two cars in the intersection collided as we were waiting for the light to change. An hour later, they’re still out there, probably squabbling over who is at fault
Many of these notices were left around the city. Schools were PREEMPTIVELY shut down for 2 days because they knew the snow was coming. Unfortunately for my students…school had already ended so they didn’t get any bonus time off.
Kevin….pretending not to be thrilled about the snow. He was skipping through it a moment earlier…I swear!
Dave made a snow angel, to my disgust (Chinese sidewalks should never be laid on…)
I’ve lived in Suzhou now for nearly 3 years, and although I’ve had my challenges here, I really do love this city. Many of the gardens here are UNESCO World Heritage Sites and are considered to be some of the most beautiful gardens in China. We often spend afternoons walking through them because even the smaller ones are a nice break from the hustle and bustle of Suzhou. I’m always amazed at how quiet the gardens here are…especially when I consider the 8 million + people that live here!
Credit: Me!
Various parks around the city
Unfortunately for me, I never had a chance to bring my camera to any of Suzhou’s gardens today. Plenty of others did though, so I’ve collected some of my favourite photos from the day and compiled them so you can see what a lovely city we chose to call home. I can’t actually credit anyone specifically…China isn’t big on copyrighting things, so I’ll just say now that none of these pictures are mine….
Road tripping is my absolute favourite way to travel. When you take a tour, you are stuck following around a tour guide. Similarly, when you take a train or a bus, you can’t choose when you stop and every moment is planned. Road trips allow freedom and independence. Road trips in North America are ESPECIALLY fantastic, because language barriers aren’t an issue and you generally know what to expect. Someday, I plan to write all about the 2 weeks road trip Dave and I took right before we left for Guiyang, but today, I’m going to write about the 4 days we spent travelling the South-western United States!
Spoiler: It was one VERY beautiful roadtrip!!!
Leaving Nevada
We began our trip in Nevada, a couple of days after Jeff and Liz’s wedding. We rented a car from Budget, which we actually regret. We got on the road 2 hours late because they didn’t have a car ready for us when we arrived (we pre-booked, in case you’re wondering). After we started to make a bit of a stink, they actually called a car over from the airport location so that we could go on our way. The real kicker is that they charged us EXTRA when we returned the car back at the airport location because it wasn’t the original place where we booked it…
When I asked Dave why he didn’t push for a discount after they made us wait 2 hours for our car, he told me that the receptionist was so snarky and slow that he was sure she’d just make us wait longer. I’d pass on Budget in Las Vegas…
I’d recommend Fox Renta Car instead, which is who my brother and sister in law rent from when they’re down in the Nevada area. I wish I’d known about them ahead of time. They seem to be a lot more customer service oriented. Either way… we DID get on the road eventually… Zion National Park
Although it took a while to get going, we arrived at Zion National Park with enough time to enjoy some views.
Views like this 🙂
Just outside of the park, there is a small town called Springdale. Utah does National Parks right…instead of driving into the park and trying to find parking (which is limited), you can take a shuttle directly from Springdale! We didn’t actually realize this, so we drove into the park ourselves, but we definitely made use of the free shuttle buses to get around within the park.
One of many shuttle stops
It was cloudy and raining when we arrived, but we didn’t let it dampen our spirits!
We were amazed at how much cooler it was in the canyon than it had been in Vegas. Personally, I was relieved!
While on the shuttle, we learned about the park and saw some gorgeous sights. We were especially happy to have the shuttle service because we only had about 2 hours to see the park, which is not nearly enough time to really appreciate the magnificent landscapes of Zion Canyon. By using the shuttle service, we were able to hop on and off to see specific areas of the park.
Landscapes like this
and this…
My favourite tours are ones where I learn things about the surrounding area. Zion did this very well. While the bus is driving around the park, there is a recording that teaches you about the geological history of the area. We learned that Utah gets monsoons, that flash floods are responsible for the beautiful scenery. We also learned that different types of rock account for the various colours we saw within the park.
A perfect example of colour diversity at Zion Canyon
We eventually wound up at the base of the canyon, where we could see the river that formed this beautiful area. Although it doesn’t look like much, the Virgin River is responsible for wearing down the rocks that surrounded us.
At the bottom of the canyon, we found the Virgin River
We also saw an abundance of wildlife in the park. There are 75 mammals (including 13 species of bats) living in the park.
On our drive out, the sun finally began to shine, and that’s when I was able to capture the true beauty of Zion National Park.
Zion had one final gem to show us before we made our way to Cedar City for the night. The Checkerboard Mesa was quite a spectacular view, so we got out and took some final pictures of the area before moving on.
It’s called the Checkerboard Mesa because of the grooves that were carved into the entire formation throughout the centuries.
I couldn’t have planned this picture better. The clouds formed the most beautiful frame!!!
This mesa was nearby. I thought it was quite picturesque
Bryce Canyon
The following day, we continued onto Bryce Canyon; our second stop in Utah. Bryce is a lot like Zion, in that it has gorgeous rock formations and beautiful scenery. Somehow, though, I think it manages to be even MORE beautiful! The colours at Bryce Canyon are stunning and I couldn’t possibly take enough pictures.
Views from above the canyon
We decided to hike into the canyon because we had more time than we had at Zion. I ended up with some of the most beautiful pictures I’ve ever taken.
It seemed like the further we went into the Canyon, the more colourful it became. The hoodoos (odd rock formations) really blew us away! When I started doing research on the canyon for this blog post, I learned that Bryce Canyon actually has the largest collection of Hoodoos in the entire world!
Unfortunately, we did eventually have to turn around. Although we’d planned a 5 mile hike, we only brought enough water for a 2 mile hike. We made it to the base of the canyon and then had to turn around. Still the views were gorgeous on the way back up (which is lucky because I needed something to distract me from how thirsty I was!!)!!
The loop we never actually got to take
Onto Arizona
The following morning, we left Panguitch for Arizona. On the way, we stopped at The Rock Stop, a little store we’d discovered on our way to Bryce Canyon. The owner is one of the only people in Southern Utah to sell coffee, so if you’re down that way, be sure to check him out!!! He makes a mean iced latte, and sells all sorts of rocks and fossils. We picked up gifts for our nephews, and my brother while we were there, and had a few great chats with the owner.
Pictured here: One of the only places to find coffee in Utah! Mormons typically don’t drink caffeine, so it’s tough to find your fix. This little shop is well worth the stop!!
The other cool little stop we made was a preview to the Hoover Dam. Glen Canyon Dam is much smaller, but beautiful. We took some time to check it out and stretch our legs during this rather long part of our road trip.
Finally, after about 6 hours of driving, we made it to the mother of all Canyons: The Grand Canyon.
The thing that we found most striking about the Grand Canyon is how big it is. It isn’t as colourful as Zion and it doesn’t have Bryce’s Hoodoos, but it’s so massive…it’s truly spectacular to see.
The Desert View Watchtower, a replica of a prehistoric Indian tower
To give you an idea of scale, here are some comparisons:
Zion Canyon: 15 miles long – 1/2 mile deep
Bryce Canyon: 12 miles long – 1/2 mile deep (in it’s largest area)
Grand Canyon: 277 miles long – 1 mile (and a bit) deep
That’s a lot of canyon!!! It really never seemed to end!
Once more, this entire canyon was formed by water. Unfortunately, we didn’t really have the time to hike into the Canyon, so we didn’t personally get to see the River up close.
Although there are several places you can see the Canyon (some viewpoints are only a few hours away from Vegas), we chose to see the South Rim near Flagstaff, Arizona. The South Rim is known for spectacular views. We were on the eastern part of the South Rim, which is important to note. The area near Las Vegas is also the South Rim, but it’s hours from where we were.
The blue star is where most people go see the Canyon (closest to Las Vegas and where you can see the glass bridge). We were where the red star is, in the Arizona portion of the Canyon
Unfortunately, we were both pretty tuckered out at this point (and overheating), so we didn’t do any hiking, but we’d love to go back some day and see more of The Grand Canyon. With 277 miles to explore, I don’t think I could see it all in a lifetime!!!
The Hoover Dam
Our final stop of the road trip was to see one of the greatest engineering accomplishments in American history: The Hoover Dam. The dam lays on the boarder between Arizona and Nevada and is now nearly 100 years old. It was built during the Great Depression as a way to control water flow into the area, with an added bonus of providing electricity to the surrounding area. This dam made it possible for people to make use of an otherwise useless portion of land, and it was quite the thing to see!
The North side of the dam
South side
While we were there, the temperature was hovering around 47 degrees Celsius, so we took cover in the visitor center, where we learned about the dam’s history and functions.
A ‘cooling station’ located just outside the visitor center
There were plenty of displays set up and you could learn something no matter what happens to interest you . Dave was fascinated with the engineering and wanted to learn more about how the dam works, but I focused on the history of the dam and what it meant for the country. (Read the captions on the following pictures for more info)
Working Conditions were dangerous and workers were often injured or killed during the 5 years it took to build the dam.
Nearly 100 people died during the 5 years it took to build the Hoover Dam
The project cost money and lives, but ultimately, it changed America. The Hoover Dam supplies nearly 8 million Americans power each year, and it makes the land in the surrounding area usable and inhabitable
Eventually, it was time to drop off our rental car and head to McCarran airport for our 8pm flight. We arrived in Winnipeg sunburned and pretty sore from our travels, but it was a worthwhile experience, to say the least!
Winnipeg’s Skyline
***A Note to My Fellow Nomads***
If you’re thinking of taking a trip like ours, I had Dave make a map of our journey. We spent 2 full days on the road plus 2 half days. If it had been possible, I would have added an extra 2 days so we could have hiked in Zion and the Grand Canyon as well. I’d also have brought a hat on our hike in Bryce as well as additional water. Our drive looked like this:
Day 1: Vegas to Zion – Roughly 2.5 hours. Stayed in Cedar City – 1.5 hours from Zion. (You can stay closer to Zion, but prices drop significantly if you drive a bit towards Bryce)
Day 2: Cedar City to Bryce – 1.5 hours. We stayed in Penguitch (about a half hour away)
Day 3: Penguitch to The South Rim of the Grand Canyon – 5 hours. We then drove to Flagstaff for the night – 1.5 hours)
Day 4: Flagstaff to Vegas (with a pit stop at the Hoover Dam). Flagstaff to Dam – 3.5 hours. Dam to Vegas – Less than an hour
Total Driving: Around 16 hours in 4 days. Doable, with PLENTY to see along the way!
I’ll be back soon with stories about our stay in Canada!
Las Vegas…the home of gambling, nightlife and buffets. Before heading to Manitoba for our annual visit, Dave and I had a 10 day detour planned that involved seeing two of our good friends get married in Sin City. Vegas was quite a change from the usual travelling we do (everyone speaks English there, for one…), so I thought it would be fun to write about our experiences.
The SFLS crew!!
The little chapel where Liz and Jeff tied the knot!
A fun wedding picture with all the Vegas guests
We were a pretty eclectic group of people! There were people from Canada who Liz met in Vietnam…people from Ireland who Jeff met in China…who are now headed to Saudi Arabia….we were quite the group!!
Dave and I arrived in Vegas on a hot summer afternoon. I suppose that is a little repetitive, because “Vegas” and “hot” are fairly synonymous! The temperature was averaging around 40-45 degrees Celsius while we were there, with 5-10% humidity! My hair wouldn’t curl, my lips were so chapped they were bleeding and I was pounding back water like it was going out of style. Vegas took some getting used to…
We were all DYING in this picture! We were directly in the sun. Notice the squinting!!!
Luckily for me, Dave had a lot of work to do so we were able to stay inside (with the AC on!) until about 5pm every day. I don’t handle heat well, so I was more than happy to spend the time indoors, prepping for next semester. As the afternoon came to a close, we’d leave our apartment and head out to see the sights…and the lights! Las Vegas….home of Heat, Sights and Lights!
Neither Dave or I are really into gambling (I hate seeing my money disappear without at least making an awesome memory…), but we still spent our fair share of time in the casinos. They are far more spectacular than I expected them to be, and I have to admit, I enjoyed them much more than I thought I would. The architecture at Caesar’s Palace was out of this world, and the canals along the Venetian were gorgeous.
Caesar’s Palace
I love that their pool is set up like an Ancient Roman Bath!!
And of course, no trip to Vegas is complete without a stop by the Belagio (and its fountains!). We stopped by the fountains a few times. They’re just so beautiful! The hotel is also quite nice, although we didn’t spend a tonne of time going through it.
We did spend a bit of time in New York New York (yes…twice), but not so much for the casino as for for the show we saw there… Las Vegas: home of Show girls, Show-offs and Shows!
With so many different shows to see in Vegas, it’s nearly impossible to choose just one! Celine Dion, Brittany Spears and Donny and Marie Osmond all have permanent residencies there, and there are countless other musical performances coming and going out of Vegas in any given month. While we were there we saw ads for everyone from the Backstreet Boys, to Elton John, to Mariah Carey.
And if music isn’t what you’re into, you can see comedians, magicians, dancers and so much more! Blue Man Group is a popular show, and David Copperfield tickets sell for big bucks! There are also exhibits to see, such as Madame Tussaud’s Wax Museum, The Bodies Exhibit and a sort of museum full of artifacts from the Titanic.
Of course, you can’t talk about Vegas without bringing up one particular group of performers that defy gravity and wow audiences all over the world. Cirque de Soleil has 6 shows that run in Vegas daily. Dave and I always loved going to see Cirque when they came through Winnipeg when we lived in Manitoba, so I got smart and bought him tickets to a show for his birthday! There were so many to choose from, but ultimately, I chose Zumanity, because it was the most ‘Vegasy’ of the shows we could have seen. Cirque did not let us down. We loved the show and wished we’d had the time (and money!) to have seen Ka or O as well. Maybe the opportunity will arise some time in the future. I sure hope so!
Freemont is also a great stop if you want a fun time. There are free concerts there all the time. The night we arrived, Anne Wilson was performing, but we missed it because Jet Lag sucks. The night we were down on Freemont, Good Charlotte was playing. There are plenty of other things to do on Freemont as well. You can stop and take photos with buskers, see contortionists and even zipline above the historic road!
This guy crammed himself into a tiny box
Some super heroes…just hanging around on Freemont. You have to pay to have your photo taken with them. I snapped this one all sneaky-like :p
Ziplining above the air conditioned road…
There you have it: Vegas: Home of bright lights, a surplus of shows and hellish heat. We had a great time during our week there, and our road trip was even better! Stay tuned for more on that!
In a week from today, we will begin our trip back to Canada for the summer! First, we’ll be stopping by Las Vegas to see some friends get married (more on that next week!) and we also have plans to drive around the area a bit to see The Grand Canyon in all its glory. We were originally planning to take a 10 day road trip back to Manitoba, but those plans fell through when we learned that the car rental alone would cost us $1500. So, instead, we’re going to take a camping trip at our favourite park (Rushing River in Ontario) while we’re back.
Fantastic Sunsets over the Canadian Shield
The View from our Favourite Campsite
Peaceful Canoeing
I am excited to cook over the fire, and wake up to the sound of loons, but mostly I look forward to the smell of fresh air and being surrounded by trees. I miss the smell of trees a lot. I actually played a gig a few weeks back at a large park just outside of Shanghai. It was the most grass I’d seen in about a year. Since then, I’ve been dying to get back into the Canadian wilderness.
The gig was outside at a community BBQ of sorts.
My band performed a few sets..and I’ve gotta say, we killed it!
I know so many awesome people…
That’s not to say I don’t love Suzhou though! Lately, it’s been quite rainy, but for about a month before the rain hit, we had gorgeous clear skies and (mostly) clean air. I took advantage of that time to snap some shots of the city we currently call home. I thought people might like to see Suzhou the way I see it.
Suzhou has plenty of beautiful parks and gardens. I know I’ve posted some of these pictures of them before, but they’re just so pretty, I have to show you again!
Central Park is about a 10 minute walk from our Apartment
Speaking of our apartment, this picture is from our ‘back yard’. Our apartment complex (which probably has about 20 buildings in it) has a park, tennis court and a playground in it
Various parks around the city
Suzhou-style arches
Credit: Me!
Suzhou also has some interesting architecture outside of their gardens. For some reason I don’t understand, China is obsessed with creating replicas of famous buildings from around the world. Beijing has a replica of Sydney Opera House, and Shanghai has its very own copy of the Eiffel Tower, and Suzhou apparently, didn’t want to feel left out. So they made a replica of London Bridge (sort of).
There are definitely some inaccuracies, but over all, it looks pretty cool. The bridge is mostly used for wedding pictures, and the surrounding area has plenty of places for photo-ops.
This red bridge was lovely
One of many happy couples
They even have a Cinderella horse and carriage!
Although Suzhou is pretty during the day, I find this water-town most beautiful at night. Dave and I have spent many evenings walking around, taking pictures of the high-rises that are popping up all around SIP (we live in Suzhou Industrial Park). I love the way the buildings here are all lit up.
The building in front will be done in the next few months. I think it’ll look really nice when it’s complete
A replica of the Wall Street bull
The view near our apartment
Xinghai Square, where I catch the metro every day
The canals are also gorgeous at night. The reflections from the buildings give them a dream-like feel.
Of course, Xinghai Square is such a buzz of lights and traffic, it makes for some very interesting night photos as well.
The city recently replaced the lights along the street outside of our apartment complex, which was a nice change. The old ones, though pretty, were getting pretty rusty, but the new ones are nice and bright white.
A street lamp right outside our building
The street that runs alongside our apartment
The guard house outside our building. These guys are so friendly and nice! I don’t think they’ve ever not welcomed us back when we return home from going…anywhere!
We live on the 12th floor of this building in the back left corner.
Central park is also very pretty at night. We often walk through there on our way to (or from) one of our favourite restaurants: Lu Yu. They specialize in a type of roast fish that’s unlike any fish you’ve ever eaten in your life.
Kao Yu: It tastes better than it looks!
Kao Yu has actually become a bit of a weekly tradition we have with some friends. We walk down there (it’s about a half hour walk each way), and meet up to discuss our weeks and enjoy some good food and draft beer. The walk there takes us through Suzhou’s Central Park, and I’ve brought my camera along a few times now.
I love this fountain. Last week there were 50 or 60 people around it, all dancing
Xinghai Square is about a 10 minute walk from this area
The canal we walk along on our way there
Dancing is a common pass-time here
Tai Chi is also commonly practiced at the entrance of the park
But as much as we like Kao Yu, there is one restaurant in Suzhou we love even more. A few months back, we told our bilingual friend, Kevin, that if he could find us a restaurant that makes Guizhou food (the province where we lived prior to moving to Suzhou), that we would take him there for dinner. We’ve gone there pretty much every week since he found it. We’ve brought countless friends and even people visiting from America and Argentina…every person we’ve brought has been floored by how good the food is!
At Zou Guizhou with Kim, CJ and Kim’s parents. The Chinese lady in the middle is the owner. She’s simply one of the sweetest people I’ve met in my life
A group of us enjoying some hot pot
A different group of us enjoying hot pot
The owner has a little girl who loves us. She was all dressed up for Children’s Day, so I asked her if I could take a picture with her and this is what she did. I love that kid so much!!!
In addition to the food and the company being so great at ???, the view is also pretty spectacular. We usually sit outside, across from the little island near Suzhou University.
A temple over the canal in Suzhou, China
Of course, I’m not the only one that’s caught on that Suzhou is an incredibly photographic city. My friend, Kevin, also enjoys taking photos of this gorgeous place we all call home. I asked him if I could include some of his shots, and he kindly said I could. Here they are:
I have a hard time choosing a favourite picture, but I think this one is it. It’s taken about a 5 minute walk from my apartment, and love the colour in it.
This, of course, is Kevin. He incapable of taking a picture without making a silly face :p
That’s all for this post! I’ll be back soon with an update on life here. We’ve been so incredibly busy lately! There are plenty of stories to come!
After my last post, I’m sure many of you are wondering why Dave and I choose to stay in such a polluted country (we both ended up with chest colds after that sandstorm, by the way…). Well, there are plenty of reasons.
The cost of living is low and salaries are high
Suzhou is a gorgeous city where there is lots to see and do
Living in China provides challenges that make life a lot more interesting
Working in China as a teacher, I’m able to make a huge impact. It’s a great feeling
The holidays……3.5 months per year, to be exact….
China loves its parties!!
In addition to summer holidays, I also get 5 weeks for Spring Festival, a week for National Day and several small holidays throughout the year as well. Tomb Sweeping is a yearly cultural holiday that takes place in March/April. I had 3 days off, so Dave and I decided to hop on over to Seoul.
Seoul was just of of many options we had for this short little holiday. We also considered Japan and Taiwan, but it came down to flight costs. Even during the holiday, tickets were very reasonable!
It only takes about an hour and a half to fly to Seoul, but when you add in train-rides to Shanghai, plus the drive from Seoul’s airport to downtown, we really didn’t have a whole lot of time to see the sights. Still, we made the most of the 36 hours we had!!!
Much to Dave’s chagrin, we weren’t able to visit the neutral zone between North and South Korea. Personally, I’d be happy to go my whole life without seeing North Korea…
As always, we found a hotel close to the metro line, and found our way around the city that way. Metros are great because you can get from one end of the city to another in so much less time than it takes to drive. Unfortunately, Metros are also terrible in Asia, because their maps sometimes look like this:
If I’d been alone, I would have spent about 20 of my 36 hours in Seoul just trying to find my stop. Luckily, Dave is weirdly good at this stuff!
Many people go to Seoul for the shopping or the vibrant night life, but Dave and I aren’t big into either of those things. Instead, we head for Namsan Park and Mountain, where we were able to see Seoul Tower and a beautiful panorama of the city.
The only picture of us I took in Seoul lol!!!
Nice little path
Seoul Tower
Our view from the cable car
A ‘bonus’ sight Dave and I saw while on Namsan mountain were Seoul’s Love Locks. The idea is simple: if you love someone, get a padlock, engrave your names onto it, lock it to a bridge and throw away the key. This action is suppose to signify that you are bound to a person forever. Of course, 1 or 2 of these locks wouldn’t really be noteworthy, but all around the world, couples are creating mass displays with their ‘love locks’.
Sweet, right?
Sure, it’s a romantic idea…but it’s also become a bit of a problem in some parts of the world! Paris once had the world’s most famous collection of love locks, but officials had to remove the locks off of Pont de Arts bridge because the weight of them was going to cause the bridge to collapse! The problem was so extreme that the additional weight on the bridge was the equivalent of 20 elephants!
If you ever see a sign like this, you’ll now understand why
Love Locks have been around for ages, all over the world. They were made most famous in Paris, but their origins trace back to China and Siberia as well. Seoul has quite an impressive display, and officials there were prepared there. They created places for the locks to be placed that were actually designed to hold the weight. The displays were lovely.
I spent quite a bit of time looking at those locks….they were really quite impressive. They seem colourful from afar, but up close, you can see that there are actually quite a few old and rusted locks among the shiny new ones. I guess displays like this don’t happen over night!
When we were done at Namsan, we decided to visit one of Seoul’s many parks. We chose 1 park specifically because of its many Geo Caches. Dave and I each found a couple, and we enjoyed a lovely walk among the budding trees.
It was a beautiful spot to have a camera
There were some interesting sculptures in the park as well.
We spent both our evenings in Seoul enjoying fantastic Korean food! I wouldn’t say South Korea is the best place to visit for vegetarians, but if you like meat, this is the place for you! Meat is grilled fresh right in front of you, and when it’s done, you wrap it in a piece of leaf lettuce, along with Kim Chi and whatever other little dishes they give you. It’s some of the freshest, healthiest tasting food I’ve ever had!
I’m a little sad we didn’t have more time to see some of the rest of South Korea, but I can say without a doubt that Dave and I will be heading back that way again some time soon. Korea is absolutely lovely. The people are friendly and helpful, the service industry is WAY more customer service based than China’s and the city, in general, is very organized!
Unfortunately, I didn’t take this picture, but I wanted you to see Seoul at its most beautiful and my camera just can’t capture a photo like this!
In fact, I saw something on our last night there that even puts Canada to shame! I noticed a stack of free post cards at our hostel and picked one up. It turns out that the South Korean government provides postage-paid postcards so that visitors can alert officials of any problems they had in the city! A program like that would be INVALUABLE in cities like Shanghai or Beijing, where your first experience is often being ripped off by a taxi driver!
We spent a lot of time walking around during our stay
A Canadian restaurant and bar! We didn’t go in….but it had great reviews online!
A funny name for a restaurant
Stay tuned! I’ve got plenty more planned for my next few posts!
