I've been meaning to post a video crossing the Han River in the subway for sometime. I finally took the video this past weekend. I think it is a nice view. You can see the National Assembly building as well as a cross section of the city on either side of the river.
Wednesday, August 15, 2007
Monday, August 13, 2007
Wendy's Birthday
Today was Wendy's birthday. She had a nice birthday cake and a great spread of food...chicken with 11 different dipping sauces, fruit and deok. I will have celebrated six of the ten kids' birthdays with them by the time I leave. They're growing up so fast....;-)
Of course Evan and
Theodore thought they needed some camera time too.
Sunday, August 12, 2007
ESL Teachers Beware
New banking restrictions in Korea have made it more difficult for foreigners living here. New residents cannot open a bank account for the first three months of residence and cannot use ATMs for three months after that.
This could seriously jeopardize the ease of living and working in South Korea. Read more about the restrictions here. Read more about the problem here. Read more about banking in South Korea as a foreigner here.
This could seriously jeopardize the ease of living and working in South Korea. Read more about the restrictions here. Read more about the problem here. Read more about banking in South Korea as a foreigner here.
Saturday, August 11, 2007
Musee d'Orsay
Stupid Tourist Saturday!
With so much going on lately (vacation, summer school, new teachers arriving) I feel that I've neglected my beloved traditions. Time to make up for the neglect.
We decided to eat Italian in Insadong and then make our way to the Seoul Arts Center (located off the Nambu Bus Terminal station on the Orange Subway line) to view the Musee d'Orsay exhibit.
Koreans really have a thing for French art. I never had a chance to visit the Musee d'Orsay when I was in Paris so I'm really glad the exhibition came. It runs through September 2 if you are in the Seoul area and want to check it out.The exhibit showcased some very famous paintings from some very famous artists. Even with my limited art history background I recognized half of the artists and about a third of the paintings. Beraud, Degas, Manet, Monet, Renoir, Tissot, Van Gogh, etc.
Some of the highlights of the exhibit were: The Bed Chamber of Van Gogh (La Chambre de Van Gogh)
or The Piper (Le Fifre) by Manet.
I also really liked Une Soiree by Beraud
and La Charette by Monet.We weren't allowed to take pictures inside the exhibit (although I admittedly snapped a shot or two while the guards had their backs turned). I had a good laugh just outside the exhibit with all the Koreans taking pictures of the posters in the gift shop. So, I queued up and took some pictures for myself.
After the museum, we bought some of the latest movies at Yongsan and then went to dinner in Itaewon at Aussie place called Syd 'n Mels.Friday, August 10, 2007
The Island
One of Langkawi's best known attractions is the cable car ride up to the tallest peak on the island. Supposedly, it is the fast cable car in Asia but it didn't seem much different than Seoul's Namsan tower ride.
The main difference was the distance between support towers. The expanse was amazing and the car was suspended quite a ways above the forest canopy. There are two stops along the ride that allow for some really nice views of the island and even a little jungle trekking.
At the top (705 meters above sea level), you can take a walk along the world's tallest and longest curved suspension foot bridge.
After viewing the island from the top of the world, we went back down and then made our way by foot back up to the Seven Wells Waterfall. 
It is a beautiful waterfall but the draw is at the top. There are seven pools naturally carved out that are perfect for swimming. The wearing away of the stone even made a natural water slide of sorts. They say that nymphs and fairies used to bathe in the pools so it is supposedly healthy to bathe in them.
On on of the days, we signed up for a day of scuba diving and snorkeling. I highly recommend the East Marine dive company because they had the best service, equipment, and prices but most importantly they had the best dive location. 
We set off 19 nautical miles south of Langkawi to Pulau Payar. The reef was pristine and hosted a wide array of fish who loved to come near people. Some were bold enough to nip at my leg hairs.
We swam with trigger fish, angel fish, black tipped reef sharks and a multitude of others. We went snorkeling first is the shallow waters and later took a dive in the deeper waters. My new underwater camera worked like a charm. (Thanks Dad!)
Out of the 70 people who went on the excursion, only eight went scuba diving and so we had a lot of one-on-one attention and we each had our own dive master.
Malaysia truly was a beautiful and magical place. The trip was relaxing but adventurous. Thank you Langkawi!
It is a beautiful waterfall but the draw is at the top. There are seven pools naturally carved out that are perfect for swimming. The wearing away of the stone even made a natural water slide of sorts. They say that nymphs and fairies used to bathe in the pools so it is supposedly healthy to bathe in them.On on of the days, we signed up for a day of scuba diving and snorkeling. I highly recommend the East Marine dive company because they had the best service, equipment, and prices but most importantly they had the best dive location. We set off 19 nautical miles south of Langkawi to Pulau Payar. The reef was pristine and hosted a wide array of fish who loved to come near people. Some were bold enough to nip at my leg hairs.We swam with trigger fish, angel fish, black tipped reef sharks and a multitude of others. We went snorkeling first is the shallow waters and later took a dive in the deeper waters. My new underwater camera worked like a charm. (Thanks Dad!)Out of the 70 people who went on the excursion, only eight went scuba diving and so we had a lot of one-on-one attention and we each had our own dive master.Malaysia truly was a beautiful and magical place. The trip was relaxing but adventurous. Thank you Langkawi!
Thursday, August 09, 2007
Malay Food and Agriculture
We gorged ourselves on seafood for five days straight! It was amazing. Every fish or shellfish we ate was brought to us for approval fresh from the tanks (or the sea) before being slapped on the barbecue.
Some of the more touristy restaurants were a little pricey. The road side restaurants (the ones that looked a little sketchy and the FDA would have a field day with) had the best food...and the cheapest. I ate a huge crab dinner with side dishes and fresh squeezed fruit juice for around $12 (RM 30). Malaysian currency is the ringgit (RM). Click here for the current exchange rate.
Malaysian fare hosted a wide array of tastes due to its numerous cultural influences. Some of the main dishes included daging and rendang. All of the dishes were spicy to varying degrees but all were delicious.
The continental breakfast at our hotel offered some tastes of the local cuisine as well as a full Western style breakfast for the unadventurous.
On one our day trips, we took a ride through the mangroves to the Hole in the Wall restaurant. It was floating on the ocean in a protected bay and estuary that also harbored dozens of world traveled sailboats. Our lunch was raised right their at the restaurant and we enjoyed the slow rocking of the ocean as we waited for our meal.
The main agriculture of the island was rice production and they had a lot of fishing as well. Some cows wandered around and some were tethered to leashes in the front yards. Chickens roamed free until dinner time when they were very likely slapped on a plate.
The farmland keeps the island from being to densely populated and provides a nice backdrop to the scenery and tourist attractions.
Some of the more touristy restaurants were a little pricey. The road side restaurants (the ones that looked a little sketchy and the FDA would have a field day with) had the best food...and the cheapest. I ate a huge crab dinner with side dishes and fresh squeezed fruit juice for around $12 (RM 30). Malaysian currency is the ringgit (RM). Click here for the current exchange rate.
Malaysian fare hosted a wide array of tastes due to its numerous cultural influences. Some of the main dishes included daging and rendang. All of the dishes were spicy to varying degrees but all were delicious.
The continental breakfast at our hotel offered some tastes of the local cuisine as well as a full Western style breakfast for the unadventurous.
On one our day trips, we took a ride through the mangroves to the Hole in the Wall restaurant. It was floating on the ocean in a protected bay and estuary that also harbored dozens of world traveled sailboats. Our lunch was raised right their at the restaurant and we enjoyed the slow rocking of the ocean as we waited for our meal.
The main agriculture of the island was rice production and they had a lot of fishing as well. Some cows wandered around and some were tethered to leashes in the front yards. Chickens roamed free until dinner time when they were very likely slapped on a plate.
The farmland keeps the island from being to densely populated and provides a nice backdrop to the scenery and tourist attractions.
Wednesday, August 08, 2007
Of Clashing Clans, Pots and Pans
Malay People and Customs:
Interacting with other cultures continued throughout the trip. Here are some of the highlights and some other observations and interesting info.
Malay people were overwhelmingly friendly and ready to cater to tourists. Meals on the island were never served quickly and they truly expected you to sit at the table all evening long and enjoy yourself.
There were so few Americans on the island. It was really nice to be completely immersed in another language and culture. Even in Korea I am constantly surrounded by Americans. I'm not complaining but in some strange way it feels that I never left the States. There were many different nationalities on the island but it was very easy to get around. Because the tourists speak so many different languages - Dutch, German, Arabic, etc. - English is the common tongue used to communicate. Everyone involved in the tourism industry speaks excellent English.
Another highlight was experiencing some traditional Malay music. Mostly percussion, it was really neat to listen to.
August was supposed to be peak tourist season - or at least that was what people kept telling us. With that in mind, we kept wondering why the island seemed so deserted. Malaysian weekend is on Thursdays and Fridays (not Saturday, Sunday as in most other places) but that didn't seem to explain it.
About half way through our vacation, we started running into huge police escort caravans all over the island. They must have called in reinforcements from the mainland. The day we were set to leave was the start of an International Dialogue Conference "Poverty Eradication through Human Capital Development and Capacity Building." Over 500 participants from 40 countries including 10 heads of state from African and South Asian countries attended the conference. We watched as dignitary after dignitary invaded the island with their entourage.
Without knowing it we had perfectly time our vacation right after the main force of tourists but before the onslaught of world leaders.
Service on our trip was top notch and it started at the Incheon airport in Seoul. We got to the airport in plenty of time (two and a half hours early). As we walked around the airport we found a Korean traditional center that offered activities for waiting travelers. We were invited to paint a traditional design on a fan while we were waiting for our flight. More airports should do this. The calm of the activity made the time fly buy and we got a free souvenir from it.
Interacting with other cultures continued throughout the trip. Here are some of the highlights and some other observations and interesting info.Langkawi gets its name from the eagle or 'helang' in the Malay tongue. 'Lang' for short and in old Malay 'kawi' means reddish brown - thus, Langkawi simply means reddish brown eagle.
Malay people were overwhelmingly friendly and ready to cater to tourists. Meals on the island were never served quickly and they truly expected you to sit at the table all evening long and enjoy yourself.Formerly occupied by the French and later the British before becoming independent, Malaysia is seemingly a mish-mash of cultures. One thing the British left over from their time was the absurdity of driving on the wrong side of the road. We had rented a car and it took a little bit for me to get the hang of it in my little Proton. I didn't have any problem driving on the left. In fact that was actually quite easy. The trouble came when I wanted to turn or shift. I was unaccustomed to have the gear shift on my left hand side. When ever I wanted to turn, I would flip on the windshield wipers and reach for the door handle. Oops!
There were so few Americans on the island. It was really nice to be completely immersed in another language and culture. Even in Korea I am constantly surrounded by Americans. I'm not complaining but in some strange way it feels that I never left the States. There were many different nationalities on the island but it was very easy to get around. Because the tourists speak so many different languages - Dutch, German, Arabic, etc. - English is the common tongue used to communicate. Everyone involved in the tourism industry speaks excellent English.Because Malaysia is a predominantly Muslim country, it is a hot spot destination for many Arabs and people from the Middle East. Muslim customs are so interesting! The women always cover their hair and many times cover their entire body, face, eyes and hands in public (even when eating or swimming). I secretly snapped a photo of a Muslim mother completely covered taking her daughter for a walk on the beach.
Langkawi is ripe with numerous folk tales and legends. On one of our day trips on the island, we stopped at the tomb and memorial of Mahsuri. Mahsuri was a woman of unsurpassed beauty and was accused of adultery and sentenced to death because of a jealous rivalry. As she was killed, white blood gushed from her wound and with her dying breath she cursed the island for seven generations. Pretty gruesome tale but the most popular and beloved of all their lore.Other tales tell of feuding giants at a wedding that throw pots, pans, cookware and even the wedding ring; all of which become geographical landmarks of the island. The two lovers at the center of the feud fell to become the two tallest mountains on the island.
Another highlight was experiencing some traditional Malay music. Mostly percussion, it was really neat to listen to.August was supposed to be peak tourist season - or at least that was what people kept telling us. With that in mind, we kept wondering why the island seemed so deserted. Malaysian weekend is on Thursdays and Fridays (not Saturday, Sunday as in most other places) but that didn't seem to explain it.About half way through our vacation, we started running into huge police escort caravans all over the island. They must have called in reinforcements from the mainland. The day we were set to leave was the start of an International Dialogue Conference "Poverty Eradication through Human Capital Development and Capacity Building." Over 500 participants from 40 countries including 10 heads of state from African and South Asian countries attended the conference. We watched as dignitary after dignitary invaded the island with their entourage.
Without knowing it we had perfectly time our vacation right after the main force of tourists but before the onslaught of world leaders.
Tuesday, August 07, 2007
Langkawi Creatures and Critters
Day 1 of our Malaysian adventure we went to an oriental village that offered lots of good souvenir shopping as well as elephant rides. We had ten minutes on this 28 year old elephant.
He was really hot and we didn't mind stopping at the river while the elephant drank and cooled himself off with a shower.
After the ride, we got to feed him some sugar cane sticks. He knew exactly what was up and bellied up for his treat after the ride.
After the elephant ride we were going to hike up to the Seven Wells Waterfall. In the parking lot, we came face to face with dozens of monkeys. They were playing on the cars and digging through the garbage cans. When we got back to our car after the hike, we had a special treat - monkey poo!
Along the trail we saw this gigantic slug slithering along.
On Day 2 of our vacation we took a drive around the island and stopped at the Wild Bird Paradise and Animal Sanctuary. They had beautiful parrots, flamingos, owls and other birds. 
At the sanctuary they also had the world's smallest deer, the mouse deer. These were really interesting, about the size of a large rabbit.
They had a walk-in aviary with multiple birds. Here is a black swan and a secretariat bird.
We got to feed many of the animals and these ostriches really like our carrots. They were quite pushy.
The central image of Langkawi is the huge sea eagle statue looking over the harbor. It is a very prominent and recognizable feature.
What island vacation would be complete without sharing the beach with the hotel alarm clock. They chickens wandered down to the beach chairs every afternoon to snoop around.
He was really hot and we didn't mind stopping at the river while the elephant drank and cooled himself off with a shower.
After the ride, we got to feed him some sugar cane sticks. He knew exactly what was up and bellied up for his treat after the ride.
After the elephant ride we were going to hike up to the Seven Wells Waterfall. In the parking lot, we came face to face with dozens of monkeys. They were playing on the cars and digging through the garbage cans. When we got back to our car after the hike, we had a special treat - monkey poo!
Along the trail we saw this gigantic slug slithering along.
On Day 2 of our vacation we took a drive around the island and stopped at the Wild Bird Paradise and Animal Sanctuary. They had beautiful parrots, flamingos, owls and other birds. At the sanctuary they also had the world's smallest deer, the mouse deer. These were really interesting, about the size of a large rabbit.They had a walk-in aviary with multiple birds. Here is a black swan and a secretariat bird.We got to feed many of the animals and these ostriches really like our carrots. They were quite pushy.The central image of Langkawi is the huge sea eagle statue looking over the harbor. It is a very prominent and recognizable feature.What island vacation would be complete without sharing the beach with the hotel alarm clock. They chickens wandered down to the beach chairs every afternoon to snoop around.Monday, August 06, 2007
Malaysia Overview
What an amazing vacation! Five days in absolute paradise. I highly recommend Langkawi as the new destination place.
Day 1: We spent most of the day in transit with a stop in Gangzhou, China. The customs officials were really nice and took care of everything clearing our bags and issuing our boarding passes while we waited in the lounge. Admittedly, when they escorted us to the waiting area, we didn't know if we would be stripped searched or what. We arrived in Langkawi and with no hassle secured a rental car and made our way to the hotel. Fourteen hours of travel but it couldn't have been smoother.
Day 2: We woke up and took the cable car ride up the mountain. It is an amazing ride and a beautiful view from the top. At the bottom of the mountain, we took an elephant ride and went shopping. We found some lunch and then hike up to the Seven Wells Waterfall where we went swimming. We closed the day lounging on the beach.
Day 1: We spent most of the day in transit with a stop in Gangzhou, China. The customs officials were really nice and took care of everything clearing our bags and issuing our boarding passes while we waited in the lounge. Admittedly, when they escorted us to the waiting area, we didn't know if we would be stripped searched or what. We arrived in Langkawi and with no hassle secured a rental car and made our way to the hotel. Fourteen hours of travel but it couldn't have been smoother.
Day 2: We woke up and took the cable car ride up the mountain. It is an amazing ride and a beautiful view from the top. At the bottom of the mountain, we took an elephant ride and went shopping. We found some lunch and then hike up to the Seven Wells Waterfall where we went swimming. We closed the day lounging on the beach.
Day 3: We headed off for a drive around the island. One can easily drive around the whole of the island in a half day but we took our time and got lost a couple of time before finding the right road. We ate lunch at the Hole in the Wall restaurant which was floating in the middle of the mangrove swamp. Only way to get there was by boat. After lunch we stopped at a Wildlife Sanctuary and played with the animals.
Day 4: Headed out early to go snorkeling and scuba diving. We each had a private dive master who took us around some beautiful reefs. We swam with sharks, trigger fish, clown fish and dozens of other cool creatures.
Day 5: We lounged around and finished our souvenir shopping before heading to the airport. On the way home, we stopped over in Singapore (for five hours) but didn't have an opportunity to see anything.
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