Well, the end is finally here, hard to believe that we have already been gone 7 months. I'm not sure where time has gone. I don't think I can write a good enough summary of our trip or put into words how we feel about everything. For me, it's a bit bitter sweet. I want to come home, but at the same time, I could have stayed away for another couple of months.
I can't tell you what my favorite country was, what my favorite memory was because honestly, there is too many to pick from. And I don't think I can really explain to anyone how much this trip has made an impact on us. We are coming home with some amazing memories and experiences and with a new outlook on how we want to live our lives.
We have so many great things to look forward to once we are back and we know that the next couple of years will be some sort of new adventure for us. I think Arnold and I both needed to shake things up in our lives and this trip is just what we needed. We were both just going through the motions of each day while we were in Calgary, but not really enjoying ourselves. We have new things to look forward to now and new opportunities for work. Who knows, maybe we will be back in Seoul soon to teach a little English - haha (but I would seriously consider it - I can hear my mom yelling at me for that comment). So you haven't heard the last from us Lee's.
Okay, I better stop before I start rambling and get all emotional (nevermind, it's too late) haha.. But thank you so much to everyone who read our blog and put up with all of my bad grammar. I'm not going to lie, blogging is a hard job and it wasn't easy for me, but I'm glad I did it and I hope that everyone enjoyed the stories from our trip. It's been one heck of a journey. We feel pretty lucky to have done this and had the chance to do it as a team. I couldn't have asked for a better person to spend 7 months with away from home.
A lot of people have asked about pictures. When I get back to Canada and have a bit of time, I will definitely sort something out. I will either post them on here or create a link for flickr and send it out to anyone that is interested. We have thousands of photos, so it could take some time haha.
We are looking forward to seeing everyone when we are back, so give us a call or send us an email.
Lots and lots of love
Melissa and Arnold
We are still swinging life away ...
PS. I have that "I'm coming home" song stuck in my head now. LOL
Monday, September 5, 2011
Random bits...
So this post really has no rhyme or reason, but just some things I have thought about lately that I didn't get around to posting.
There are these amazing workout stations all throughout Seoul. It's a great theory and it's nice to see the older folks using them, but they are a bit useless. Believe me, I tried using them before haha.
K-Pop is pretty much the best entertainment around. If you ever need a good laugh, just google a K-pop video and you will feel so much better in a second.
I'm scared to go home because I haven't really had to cook, clean or do my own laundry in 7 months. And now I'm going to have to do all of those things again haha.
Drinking on a Monday night in Seoul is no big thing - actually, it seems like it's the norm. And if you can't stand or walk to the taxi area, it is A-OK to pass out where you are. haha I love seeing the drunk people stumbling around.
Expect to hear older Korean women burping as you walk down the street.
Expect the same older Korean women to push you out of their way - actually, a lady grabbed the back of my shorts to pull me out of her way haha.
Perms are huge here - I wonder what my stylist would say if I asked her to perm my hair? haha, I have seriously thought about it.
Korean news is probably the best - they are big on re-enactments and they blur the faces of people they interview and give them funny voices. I really enjoy it.
Suicide rates are very, very high in Korea. Which is a very scary, but real problem here. As I said before, there is so much pressure on the people here to be a certain way that I think it drives people to feel like there is no way out. Very shocking to here about - we just read in the paper today that everyday in Korea, 42 people commit suicide.
Okay, that is all I can think about for now... one more post and I think that should take care of the blog and our trip. Sigh... stay tuned.
Love Melissa and Arnold
There are these amazing workout stations all throughout Seoul. It's a great theory and it's nice to see the older folks using them, but they are a bit useless. Believe me, I tried using them before haha.
K-Pop is pretty much the best entertainment around. If you ever need a good laugh, just google a K-pop video and you will feel so much better in a second.
I'm scared to go home because I haven't really had to cook, clean or do my own laundry in 7 months. And now I'm going to have to do all of those things again haha.
Drinking on a Monday night in Seoul is no big thing - actually, it seems like it's the norm. And if you can't stand or walk to the taxi area, it is A-OK to pass out where you are. haha I love seeing the drunk people stumbling around.
Expect to hear older Korean women burping as you walk down the street.
Expect the same older Korean women to push you out of their way - actually, a lady grabbed the back of my shorts to pull me out of her way haha.
Perms are huge here - I wonder what my stylist would say if I asked her to perm my hair? haha, I have seriously thought about it.
Korean news is probably the best - they are big on re-enactments and they blur the faces of people they interview and give them funny voices. I really enjoy it.
Suicide rates are very, very high in Korea. Which is a very scary, but real problem here. As I said before, there is so much pressure on the people here to be a certain way that I think it drives people to feel like there is no way out. Very shocking to here about - we just read in the paper today that everyday in Korea, 42 people commit suicide.
Okay, that is all I can think about for now... one more post and I think that should take care of the blog and our trip. Sigh... stay tuned.
Love Melissa and Arnold
A bit of luck...
I know that I am probably going to jinx us now and I am knocking on every piece of wood in sight, but Arnold and I had some really good luck on this trip. Now, don't get me wrong, we also did some pretty dumb things that we probably shouldn't have, but overall our trip has been pretty smooth.
We must have taken close to 30 flights on this trip and not once did we lose a bag - see, now that I say that I am going to be cursed going forward and or our bags won't show up in Calgary haha. We didn't lose our passports, we didn't get pick pocketed and didn't really get into any bad situations. Considering some of the places we went to, things could have been different. But because I'm such a baby, I was pretty paranoid and very cautious.
Some how we made all of our flight connections - even though it was a close call in some cases. And lastly, man, did we have amazing weather throughout the whole 7 months. Not even joking, I think we saw rain at the most, 12 times, throughout our trip. We really lucked out in that department. If it did rain, we were already at home (well not home, but our hotel) and it didn't cause any problems.
Even though we did some rather silly things, we had one heck of a trip and so many good memories to bring back with us. I don't think it could have been better for us. And now our parents can breathe a sigh of relief once we touch down on Canadian soil haha.
Love Melissa and Arnold
PS. Knock on some wood for me for a little good luck for us ;)
We must have taken close to 30 flights on this trip and not once did we lose a bag - see, now that I say that I am going to be cursed going forward and or our bags won't show up in Calgary haha. We didn't lose our passports, we didn't get pick pocketed and didn't really get into any bad situations. Considering some of the places we went to, things could have been different. But because I'm such a baby, I was pretty paranoid and very cautious.
Some how we made all of our flight connections - even though it was a close call in some cases. And lastly, man, did we have amazing weather throughout the whole 7 months. Not even joking, I think we saw rain at the most, 12 times, throughout our trip. We really lucked out in that department. If it did rain, we were already at home (well not home, but our hotel) and it didn't cause any problems.
Even though we did some rather silly things, we had one heck of a trip and so many good memories to bring back with us. I don't think it could have been better for us. And now our parents can breathe a sigh of relief once we touch down on Canadian soil haha.
Love Melissa and Arnold
PS. Knock on some wood for me for a little good luck for us ;)
Sunday, September 4, 2011
Scooter Rides
This post is just for Agri.. haha
Agri has a scooter that he uses to get around the city. Since he drives everywhere, he knows the city so well. He kept promising us scooter rides (just like the carnival haha) so that we could see more of the city. Well last night was finally my turn for the long waited scooter ride.
It was really cool seeing a couple new areas of the city and to be able to connect all of the areas that we had been in together. It made it seem like Seoul was smaller then it seems. But that really isn't the point of this post. I have a much better story about the scooter ride haha.
I have come to realize that I'm a chicken sh*t. I'm scared of my own shadow. Last time I was on the back of a scooter, I told Arnold he couldn't go faster then 40km/hr. Well it's not like I could tell Agri the same thing and or is it possible to go that slow in a city. Every little bump on the street that we hit feels big when you are on a small, fast moving bike. The traffic seems way too close to you and that you are in danger of being hit (even though you aren't). My brother in law is a bit of a madman out there on his bike.
Anyway, he wanted to take me for a tour of the campus of one of those big Sky Universities so I could see what they are like. Being a Sunday night, there wasn't any traffic around campus. And well Agri is easily distracted by fields and flood lights. He's like a dog when a dog sees a squirrel - just loses all focus. We pass by a field lit up with flood lights and he can't take his eyes off everyone playing sports. Meanwhile I'm looking ahead and realize that there is a speed bump coming up and we aren't slowing down. I grab Agri's arm and say "Agri, speedbump" but it's too late. We hit that bump at a good speed and I go flying. I actually jumped out of my seat on the bike, thankfully, I was able to grab onto the bike. Honestly, I couldn't stop laughing. I think if anyone was around to see that they would have died laughing. Two white people flying over a speed bump. It was really funny or maybe so just in my mind. But I am still laughing about it. I think that will be my last scooter ride in a while.
Love Melissa and Arnold
Agri has a scooter that he uses to get around the city. Since he drives everywhere, he knows the city so well. He kept promising us scooter rides (just like the carnival haha) so that we could see more of the city. Well last night was finally my turn for the long waited scooter ride.
It was really cool seeing a couple new areas of the city and to be able to connect all of the areas that we had been in together. It made it seem like Seoul was smaller then it seems. But that really isn't the point of this post. I have a much better story about the scooter ride haha.
I have come to realize that I'm a chicken sh*t. I'm scared of my own shadow. Last time I was on the back of a scooter, I told Arnold he couldn't go faster then 40km/hr. Well it's not like I could tell Agri the same thing and or is it possible to go that slow in a city. Every little bump on the street that we hit feels big when you are on a small, fast moving bike. The traffic seems way too close to you and that you are in danger of being hit (even though you aren't). My brother in law is a bit of a madman out there on his bike.
Anyway, he wanted to take me for a tour of the campus of one of those big Sky Universities so I could see what they are like. Being a Sunday night, there wasn't any traffic around campus. And well Agri is easily distracted by fields and flood lights. He's like a dog when a dog sees a squirrel - just loses all focus. We pass by a field lit up with flood lights and he can't take his eyes off everyone playing sports. Meanwhile I'm looking ahead and realize that there is a speed bump coming up and we aren't slowing down. I grab Agri's arm and say "Agri, speedbump" but it's too late. We hit that bump at a good speed and I go flying. I actually jumped out of my seat on the bike, thankfully, I was able to grab onto the bike. Honestly, I couldn't stop laughing. I think if anyone was around to see that they would have died laughing. Two white people flying over a speed bump. It was really funny or maybe so just in my mind. But I am still laughing about it. I think that will be my last scooter ride in a while.
Love Melissa and Arnold
These hard working Koreans...
I think everything in Korea is a big competition. Who can have a better this, a better that. It seems like they are always trying to one up themselves and be better then the next person. And I don't say this in a negative way, more so just stating facts. They are born to be the best and they only want to be the best. Now I'm not talking about being the best looking, having the most designer bags etc etc. I'm talking about how they approach the things they do in their life, their hobbies.
If you are going to get into biking here (like a typical peddle bike you see in Canada) well then you get all the gear and you go all out. If you are interested in running, then you get the best of the best and work hard at it. Everything is intense and they only want to be the best they can be at it. Even their buildings have to be the biggest and best haha. They have the "worlds largest department store". They are building the worlds 5th biggest tower. Koreans go all out, every shift.
The biggest thing in Korea though, is the "National Exam". Everyone wants to go to one of the three Sky Universities. If you can get into one of these three universities, then you are set for life. So everything in life leading up to that exam is all about preparing for it. Kids at the age of 5, yes 5 year olds are being prepped for an exam they will take when they turn 18 (or whatever age they take it at). Studying for this exam becomes a full time job. The amount of pressure on these kids is out of this world. Definitely not the same as in North America. Their whole world is around this exam and these schools.
A bit of an eye opener for Arnold and I. We feel like such slackers haha, okay, or maybe I feel like that.
Love Melissa and Arnold
If you are going to get into biking here (like a typical peddle bike you see in Canada) well then you get all the gear and you go all out. If you are interested in running, then you get the best of the best and work hard at it. Everything is intense and they only want to be the best they can be at it. Even their buildings have to be the biggest and best haha. They have the "worlds largest department store". They are building the worlds 5th biggest tower. Koreans go all out, every shift.
The biggest thing in Korea though, is the "National Exam". Everyone wants to go to one of the three Sky Universities. If you can get into one of these three universities, then you are set for life. So everything in life leading up to that exam is all about preparing for it. Kids at the age of 5, yes 5 year olds are being prepped for an exam they will take when they turn 18 (or whatever age they take it at). Studying for this exam becomes a full time job. The amount of pressure on these kids is out of this world. Definitely not the same as in North America. Their whole world is around this exam and these schools.
A bit of an eye opener for Arnold and I. We feel like such slackers haha, okay, or maybe I feel like that.
Love Melissa and Arnold
4D Movie...
is the only way I want to watch movies from now on.
Shelley and Agri took us to see a 4D movie because they said that we needed to experience this. So we bought tickets to see Planet of the Apes in 4D. It was soo much fun, if you ever have a chance to watch a movie in 4D you HAVE to go.
So every row has only four seats and when you sit down you have to keep your feet on the ledge below. It's like a little shelf for your feet. They tell you not to move your feet from it once the show begins (I don't know what you would do if you had to pee haha). Throughout the movie, those seats move. So you are moving all over the place, getting bumped around and yep, punched in the butt haha. We saw an action movie so there was a lot of action going on with the seats. There is wind, bubbles, smells and water. When the apes would start running, you would get wind gusts, from either right behind you in your seat or else in front of you. When someone sneezed, umm, it felt like someone sneezed on you haha. At one point, something also grabbed our ankle haha.
Honestly, it was hilarious. When the movie first started we couldn't stop laughing because of all of the stuff going on around us. The end of the movie is pretty action packed, so it felt like we were on a ride haha. It was pretty funny watching everyone around us too. See what their reaction was. I really hope that they bring 4D movies to Calgary because it was a blast.
Love Melissa and Arnold
PS. A girl at the movie was wearing one of those neck pillows you see people on the plane wearing. We of course had a good laugh about it. Who brings a neck pillow to the movie? haha, but then we said that maybe she brought it for neck support for all the action from the seats haha
Shelley and Agri took us to see a 4D movie because they said that we needed to experience this. So we bought tickets to see Planet of the Apes in 4D. It was soo much fun, if you ever have a chance to watch a movie in 4D you HAVE to go.
So every row has only four seats and when you sit down you have to keep your feet on the ledge below. It's like a little shelf for your feet. They tell you not to move your feet from it once the show begins (I don't know what you would do if you had to pee haha). Throughout the movie, those seats move. So you are moving all over the place, getting bumped around and yep, punched in the butt haha. We saw an action movie so there was a lot of action going on with the seats. There is wind, bubbles, smells and water. When the apes would start running, you would get wind gusts, from either right behind you in your seat or else in front of you. When someone sneezed, umm, it felt like someone sneezed on you haha. At one point, something also grabbed our ankle haha.
Honestly, it was hilarious. When the movie first started we couldn't stop laughing because of all of the stuff going on around us. The end of the movie is pretty action packed, so it felt like we were on a ride haha. It was pretty funny watching everyone around us too. See what their reaction was. I really hope that they bring 4D movies to Calgary because it was a blast.
Love Melissa and Arnold
PS. A girl at the movie was wearing one of those neck pillows you see people on the plane wearing. We of course had a good laugh about it. Who brings a neck pillow to the movie? haha, but then we said that maybe she brought it for neck support for all the action from the seats haha
Coffee, Face products and shopping...
The amount of coffee shops in Korea is pretty insane. Koreans LOVE their coffee haha. Just in one corner near the place we are staying there are about 5 coffee shops. FIVE!! And only on one corner. Everywhere you look, you will see a couple of them. And no, not the big Starbucks chain, but lots of independent shops. Don't get me wrong, they have loads of the chains here, but just as many independent shops as well. And these places are always busy - we have gone in at 9pm for a chai and the coffee shops are packed. Like who is drinking that much coffee at 9-10pm at night. Don't they sleep? LOL. I swear that there is over a million coffee shops in this city haha
The big thing here is face cream shops. I think that those shops are trying to out number the coffee shops. It's like they are competing against each other to see who can have more stores. When you walk down the street, it seems like every other shop is a beauty product store haha. And once again, they are always busy. I have never seen so many places advertising skin whitening creams in my life. But lets face it, Asians (and Korean in particular) have some of the best skin around. Flawless. So it's hard not to get sucked into what they are buying because it's obviously working for the Koreans. My sister in law has been so helpful in getting me addicted to products sold here. I will blame her when I max out my visa on beauty products haha. She even introduced me to facials. So now I want to get a facial every two weeks haha. Once again, Korea is the place to be if you want any good advice or procedures for skin. Amazing.
Shopping, shopping, and more shopping. Next time I come to Seoul, it will be with an empty suitcase. Everywhere you turn, there is some sort of clothing store. I think Korea might be the best place I have been to for shopping. It is amazing here. I could honestly spend weeks upon weeks here shopping. Everything fits so well and is very trendy (but beware, if you have big boobs, Korea is not the place for you haha). They have these malls here that are 6 floors high, all full of little boutiques. Every area of the city is full of independent boutiques and it seems like Koreans are always shopping. Luxury brand items are out of the question though. Any high end designer name is very, very expensive in Asia. They are almost double the price you would pay in North America. So now I know why they flock overseas to buy name brands. Ooh and I also did a little shopping in the "worlds biggest department store". Now that "department store" was impressive haha. (I didn't buy anything, but I wanted to say that I went there haha).
Love Melissa and Arnold
The big thing here is face cream shops. I think that those shops are trying to out number the coffee shops. It's like they are competing against each other to see who can have more stores. When you walk down the street, it seems like every other shop is a beauty product store haha. And once again, they are always busy. I have never seen so many places advertising skin whitening creams in my life. But lets face it, Asians (and Korean in particular) have some of the best skin around. Flawless. So it's hard not to get sucked into what they are buying because it's obviously working for the Koreans. My sister in law has been so helpful in getting me addicted to products sold here. I will blame her when I max out my visa on beauty products haha. She even introduced me to facials. So now I want to get a facial every two weeks haha. Once again, Korea is the place to be if you want any good advice or procedures for skin. Amazing.
Shopping, shopping, and more shopping. Next time I come to Seoul, it will be with an empty suitcase. Everywhere you turn, there is some sort of clothing store. I think Korea might be the best place I have been to for shopping. It is amazing here. I could honestly spend weeks upon weeks here shopping. Everything fits so well and is very trendy (but beware, if you have big boobs, Korea is not the place for you haha). They have these malls here that are 6 floors high, all full of little boutiques. Every area of the city is full of independent boutiques and it seems like Koreans are always shopping. Luxury brand items are out of the question though. Any high end designer name is very, very expensive in Asia. They are almost double the price you would pay in North America. So now I know why they flock overseas to buy name brands. Ooh and I also did a little shopping in the "worlds biggest department store". Now that "department store" was impressive haha. (I didn't buy anything, but I wanted to say that I went there haha).
Love Melissa and Arnold
Saturday, September 3, 2011
Aemilia update
Sort of forgot to update everyone on my new little project. There really hasn't been a lot to talk about because we haven't really been able to do a lot from overseas. But we have picked a logo, websites are being worked out and I will have my first shipment of goods in October (if everything goes as planned).
Anyway, I just wanted to post a picture of the logo. Lemme know your thoughts. I hope you like it. The team that designed it did an amazing job and really captured everything perfectly. Exactly what I had envisioned.
Love Melissa
Anyway, I just wanted to post a picture of the logo. Lemme know your thoughts. I hope you like it. The team that designed it did an amazing job and really captured everything perfectly. Exactly what I had envisioned.
Love Melissa
Updates, updates, updates
Sorry for slacking on the blog, but we have been having far too much fun in Korea and I have been rather lazy. But I finally sat down and posted some new stories for you.
We were actually supposed to leave today and head home, but we moved our flight to Tuesday. Extending our trip for as long as possible, hard to leave, but getting excited to head home. If it wasn't for our dog, I think we could have easily have stayed away much longer. But I guess we have to come back one of these days LOL.
Anyway, lots more posts coming in the next couple of hours. Including an Aemilia update - woohoo haha. Pretty crazy that 7 months has zoomed by like that and we are heading home in 48 hours. Sob.
Also, please excuse all of my bad grammar and spelling mistakes, I have been rushing to get things posted. Hope all is well.
Love Melissa and Arnold
We were actually supposed to leave today and head home, but we moved our flight to Tuesday. Extending our trip for as long as possible, hard to leave, but getting excited to head home. If it wasn't for our dog, I think we could have easily have stayed away much longer. But I guess we have to come back one of these days LOL.
Anyway, lots more posts coming in the next couple of hours. Including an Aemilia update - woohoo haha. Pretty crazy that 7 months has zoomed by like that and we are heading home in 48 hours. Sob.
Also, please excuse all of my bad grammar and spelling mistakes, I have been rushing to get things posted. Hope all is well.
Love Melissa and Arnold
Rolling out the Red Carpet...
One of the reasons for us coming to Korea, was so I could finally meet the rest of Arnold's family. As I mentioned in a previous post, I was pretty nervous. I was the first "white" person to be married into the family, so they were curious about me. Shelley's husband, Agri (who is also "white") has met all of the family here in Korea - so it was like he had already broke them in. The only problem with that, is that they thought I could eat as much as he could. LOL
His family seriously rolled out the red carpet for me. It was such an honor to be a guest at their house and for them to welcome me to the family with such big hearts. I honestly, felt so privileged to be apart of the family. (Yep, I married into the best family ever. haha)
The first Friday we were in Seoul, we were invited for dinner at his Aunt and Uncles house (who I have met before in Canada and Thailand). I think they must have spent all day preparing food for all of us because I have never seen that much food before. (This is where I ate all of the Kimchi haha). The following week we were off to meet his family living in Daegu. Arnold's one cousin took time off from his job so he could show us around Daegu and Busan (he even drove us there from Seoul). When we got to Arnold's aunt's house, the first thing she did was made us eat (even though it was 10pm at night LOL). The next day when we got up, she made us this HUGE breakfast - honestly, she must have been up for 2 hours cooking all of this food for us. It was pretty incredible. Korean's are a lot like Italians - they always want you to eat, eat, eat. The next morning, breakfast was the same. This incredible spread of food prepared for us. They even got Arnold a birthday cake because we were at their house the day of his birthday.
Then we were off to Daejeon to meet another cousin and have lunch all together. Once again, the red carpet was rolled out. His cousin made us FRESH sushi and sashimi. I, of course, don't eat seafood, but had to give it a try because of all the hard work they put into preparing this meal for us (and I actually didn't mind small bites of the raw fish - it was really good). I have pictures - you would be amazed with the amount of sushi they made for everyone. Once again, more incredible food and more incredible hospitality.
I am in love with his family. They are such sweet people and I wish I had more time to spend with them. Sometimes, it's a bit tough with the language because I can't tell them how grateful I am, but we get by. I can only hope to give them the same level of hospitality if they ever come visit us in Canada.
Love Melissa and Arnold
PS. I couldn't do kimchi in the morning - I was okay with rice and soup, but couldn't do the kimchi first thing LOL.
His family seriously rolled out the red carpet for me. It was such an honor to be a guest at their house and for them to welcome me to the family with such big hearts. I honestly, felt so privileged to be apart of the family. (Yep, I married into the best family ever. haha)
The first Friday we were in Seoul, we were invited for dinner at his Aunt and Uncles house (who I have met before in Canada and Thailand). I think they must have spent all day preparing food for all of us because I have never seen that much food before. (This is where I ate all of the Kimchi haha). The following week we were off to meet his family living in Daegu. Arnold's one cousin took time off from his job so he could show us around Daegu and Busan (he even drove us there from Seoul). When we got to Arnold's aunt's house, the first thing she did was made us eat (even though it was 10pm at night LOL). The next day when we got up, she made us this HUGE breakfast - honestly, she must have been up for 2 hours cooking all of this food for us. It was pretty incredible. Korean's are a lot like Italians - they always want you to eat, eat, eat. The next morning, breakfast was the same. This incredible spread of food prepared for us. They even got Arnold a birthday cake because we were at their house the day of his birthday.
Then we were off to Daejeon to meet another cousin and have lunch all together. Once again, the red carpet was rolled out. His cousin made us FRESH sushi and sashimi. I, of course, don't eat seafood, but had to give it a try because of all the hard work they put into preparing this meal for us (and I actually didn't mind small bites of the raw fish - it was really good). I have pictures - you would be amazed with the amount of sushi they made for everyone. Once again, more incredible food and more incredible hospitality.
I am in love with his family. They are such sweet people and I wish I had more time to spend with them. Sometimes, it's a bit tough with the language because I can't tell them how grateful I am, but we get by. I can only hope to give them the same level of hospitality if they ever come visit us in Canada.
Love Melissa and Arnold
PS. I couldn't do kimchi in the morning - I was okay with rice and soup, but couldn't do the kimchi first thing LOL.
Food
I love Korean food. Every Sunday when we are home, we head over to Arnold's parents house for a family dinner and eat Korean food. (My mother-in-law (MIL) is an amazing cook BTW- so I consider myself lucky). I have had a lot of exposure to Korean food over the past 5 years and really enjoy it.
Arnold was worried about me and Korea - I didn't do well in China with the food or smells, so he was scared that I wasn't going to like Korea. But Korean food is sooo much better then Chinese food. The only problem with the food here, is that I like Arnold's moms cooking better haha (no, no, I'm not saying this for brownie points). I am used to the way she cooks Korean food, so it tastes a bit different here. She can't get some of the same spices, noodles etc, so her style is a bit more Western fusion, but I love her style. Plus the food here is sooooo hot - they put spice on everything haha. Even in western food - it's sooo spicy. But don't get me wrong, the food here is so good, I'm just spoiled, that's all haha.
Kimchi is a staple here (it's served with every meal - yep, even breakfast). I think you either like it or hate it and I actually really like it. I love my MIL's Kimchi, but her sisters Kimchi is hands down, the best Kimchi I have EVER tasted. I don't know what she does, but it's good. They were all laughing at me because I ate the whole bowl of Kimchi when we went over to their house for dinner. (I think it's weird for them to see white people diving into Kimchi like that)
Arnold is loving it here because he was dying for Korean food while we were away and I have been enjoying the street Kimbap. I think my fav part about going out to eat here though, is all of the plastic food displays. Plastic food displays have taken over Korea. It's awesome and actually really helpful because you can see what you are going to order and if it looks like something you want. Since I can't read Korean, it has been very helpful for me. But it's everywhere - even at the bakery and at coffee shops.
And despite threats from Arnold, I have been able to enjoy a traditional western breakfast while we are here.
Love Melissa and Arnold
Arnold was worried about me and Korea - I didn't do well in China with the food or smells, so he was scared that I wasn't going to like Korea. But Korean food is sooo much better then Chinese food. The only problem with the food here, is that I like Arnold's moms cooking better haha (no, no, I'm not saying this for brownie points). I am used to the way she cooks Korean food, so it tastes a bit different here. She can't get some of the same spices, noodles etc, so her style is a bit more Western fusion, but I love her style. Plus the food here is sooooo hot - they put spice on everything haha. Even in western food - it's sooo spicy. But don't get me wrong, the food here is so good, I'm just spoiled, that's all haha.
Kimchi is a staple here (it's served with every meal - yep, even breakfast). I think you either like it or hate it and I actually really like it. I love my MIL's Kimchi, but her sisters Kimchi is hands down, the best Kimchi I have EVER tasted. I don't know what she does, but it's good. They were all laughing at me because I ate the whole bowl of Kimchi when we went over to their house for dinner. (I think it's weird for them to see white people diving into Kimchi like that)
Arnold is loving it here because he was dying for Korean food while we were away and I have been enjoying the street Kimbap. I think my fav part about going out to eat here though, is all of the plastic food displays. Plastic food displays have taken over Korea. It's awesome and actually really helpful because you can see what you are going to order and if it looks like something you want. Since I can't read Korean, it has been very helpful for me. But it's everywhere - even at the bakery and at coffee shops.
And despite threats from Arnold, I have been able to enjoy a traditional western breakfast while we are here.
Love Melissa and Arnold
Vanity
Korean people are sooo VAIN. And now, not all Korean people are vain, but a large majority are. It is so strange. It is not abnormal to see a girl looking at herself in a mirror for the whole duration of her subway ride. To see girls stop at windows to look at themselves. To use their phones as mirrors. Any reflective surface and they come to a dead stop and look at themselves. Not just a glance as they walk past, but a full on stop haha.
We have heard that the amount of plastic surgery that happens here is insane. Women getting their eye lids done so they have bigger eyes. Women getting their nose done so they have more of a "white" person nose. There are ads all over the subway for plastic surgery and the before and after pictures that they post are dramatic. They mess with their jaws and chins - they don't even look like the same person. And even men are vain. They get surgery to look younger too. They have a better skin program then me haha - toners, lotions, masks.
I know, I know. North American women can be just as bad and get lots of surgeries as well. But it's different here. People care sooo much about their looks. How you look is everything here. They do not leave the house looking less then perfect - which isn't a bad thing, but it's different. (maybe I could learn from people here haha, because sometimes I look like a mess). But when you see 6 girls in a coffee shop staring at themselves in a mirror for 5 minutes, you have to shake your head.
Now, I'm not saying this to be mean, because I love Korean people, but there is definitely some problems here with how people think about beauty. Just talk to my sister and brother in law who live here and they will tell you all about it. They see it everyday. But the plus side - if I ever want to get work done, I know where I am coming hahahah...
Love Melissa and Arnold
We have heard that the amount of plastic surgery that happens here is insane. Women getting their eye lids done so they have bigger eyes. Women getting their nose done so they have more of a "white" person nose. There are ads all over the subway for plastic surgery and the before and after pictures that they post are dramatic. They mess with their jaws and chins - they don't even look like the same person. And even men are vain. They get surgery to look younger too. They have a better skin program then me haha - toners, lotions, masks.
I know, I know. North American women can be just as bad and get lots of surgeries as well. But it's different here. People care sooo much about their looks. How you look is everything here. They do not leave the house looking less then perfect - which isn't a bad thing, but it's different. (maybe I could learn from people here haha, because sometimes I look like a mess). But when you see 6 girls in a coffee shop staring at themselves in a mirror for 5 minutes, you have to shake your head.
Now, I'm not saying this to be mean, because I love Korean people, but there is definitely some problems here with how people think about beauty. Just talk to my sister and brother in law who live here and they will tell you all about it. They see it everyday. But the plus side - if I ever want to get work done, I know where I am coming hahahah...
Love Melissa and Arnold
Subway in Seoul
The subway here is super impressive. I think, that there is something like 7 million people using the subway daily. Also, don't quote me on this, but I think Agri had told us that the totally length of all the lines is something around 150kms. So it's massive.
We mostly use the subway at non peak hours, but even when we do go at rush hour, it is not as packed as Beijing. You generally always have a bit of room and if we are on a packed train, it's only for one stop. Sometimes you do have to push a bit to get off, especially if the door is on the far side, but other then that, it's a breeze. Everything is in English and pretty straight forward.
BUT, the best part about the subway is people watching haha. Sometimes I wish I could just stay on the subway to watch people because it is that good. Korean's are very hard working (I will get to that part in a bit) and so of course, they are always tired. And when they are tired, they sleep on the train. Now, I know, it's normal to get a little shut eye on the way home, people do it all over the world. But in Korea, it's okay to sleep on the shoulder of the person beside you haha. People start falling asleep and eventually gravity kicks in and their head is near the person next to them. When it happens, that person doesn't really know what to do, so they sort of let them stay like that (even though they don't know the person doing it haha). It's a really fun watching - I like seeing what people will do and how they handle it. I always wonder how they know when it's their stop if they are sleeping all of the time.
So if you are ever in Seoul, take the subway and pay attention haha.
Love Melissa and Arnold
We mostly use the subway at non peak hours, but even when we do go at rush hour, it is not as packed as Beijing. You generally always have a bit of room and if we are on a packed train, it's only for one stop. Sometimes you do have to push a bit to get off, especially if the door is on the far side, but other then that, it's a breeze. Everything is in English and pretty straight forward.
BUT, the best part about the subway is people watching haha. Sometimes I wish I could just stay on the subway to watch people because it is that good. Korean's are very hard working (I will get to that part in a bit) and so of course, they are always tired. And when they are tired, they sleep on the train. Now, I know, it's normal to get a little shut eye on the way home, people do it all over the world. But in Korea, it's okay to sleep on the shoulder of the person beside you haha. People start falling asleep and eventually gravity kicks in and their head is near the person next to them. When it happens, that person doesn't really know what to do, so they sort of let them stay like that (even though they don't know the person doing it haha). It's a really fun watching - I like seeing what people will do and how they handle it. I always wonder how they know when it's their stop if they are sleeping all of the time.
So if you are ever in Seoul, take the subway and pay attention haha.
Love Melissa and Arnold
Teaching English...
The second day we were in Seoul, I was asking Agri (Shelley's husband) about teaching English here. Okay, more like I was peppering him with a million questions about teaching here. I just wanted to know how it worked, how he got his jobs and the system. I guess my million questions seemed to trigger something because before long he had talked me into teaching a class for him. HA HA yep, I agreed to teach English to little Korean kids.
Agri was heading to some meetings with Arnold and instead of asking someone else to fill in for him for the day, he thought it would be better if I went in his place. Just to see how it would be and if I liked it. He arranged for another teacher from the school to take me there and show me around. So on Monday afternoon, I was off to teach English to 5 year olds for two hours.
I was soo nervous, but it was a lot of fun. The kids are sooo cute and spoke really good English. Thankfully I had a co-teacher there so she did all the hard parts (like telling the kids to listen haha). My class was really small - I had 8 kids that day and I think they liked me. At first, they were all very shy and I think scared of me, but they warmed up by the end. The best part about the teaching gig, was that I got paid to do it. LOL I can now say that I have had an income this year ;) I took their picture at the end of class and told them all to say "Kimchi" haha.
Pretty awesome experience and definitely something I never thought I would be doing here in a million years. But who knows, maybe we move to Seoul now so I can teach English haha... wink wink.
Love Melissa and Arnold
Agri was heading to some meetings with Arnold and instead of asking someone else to fill in for him for the day, he thought it would be better if I went in his place. Just to see how it would be and if I liked it. He arranged for another teacher from the school to take me there and show me around. So on Monday afternoon, I was off to teach English to 5 year olds for two hours.
I was soo nervous, but it was a lot of fun. The kids are sooo cute and spoke really good English. Thankfully I had a co-teacher there so she did all the hard parts (like telling the kids to listen haha). My class was really small - I had 8 kids that day and I think they liked me. At first, they were all very shy and I think scared of me, but they warmed up by the end. The best part about the teaching gig, was that I got paid to do it. LOL I can now say that I have had an income this year ;) I took their picture at the end of class and told them all to say "Kimchi" haha.
Pretty awesome experience and definitely something I never thought I would be doing here in a million years. But who knows, maybe we move to Seoul now so I can teach English haha... wink wink.
Love Melissa and Arnold
Seoul of Asia...
Okay, I have been slacking BIG TIME since we got to Seoul, but I have some good stories coming.
The last stop on our trip was Korea. A chance for me to learn more about Arnold's culture and finally meet some family members I haven't had a chance to meet. I was excited and nervous about coming to Seoul. Excited because I knew it would be a lot of fun, but nervous to meet his family for the first time and not be able to speak any Korean.
We arrived in Seoul on August 18th and have been staying with at my sister-in-laws place. So yes, we have totally taken over their place for the past couple of weeks and made ourselves at home LOL. We feel pretty lucky to be able to stay in Seoul for an extended period of time and have the best city tour guides at our finger tips haha. They know SO much about Seoul and how to get around. Seoul has been nothing short of amazing. It is definitely one of my top 5 cities in the world.
Probably THE best thing about this city is what I saw within 3 hours of getting here. After we left the airport we took the bus to Shelley's house. We were there for about 20 minutes before we decided to take the short walk to get TACOS!!! (OMG, BEST tacos ever haha- but maybe I say that because I haven't had Mexican food forever and it tasted so good). The walk to the Taco place is about 5 minutes and as we are walking we see an older Korean man PASSED out in the middle of the street HA HA. Now, it wasn't a main road, but a road none the less. I had heard about these Korean men that do that, but didn't believe it still happened. Well, it does and it's soo funny. He just had too much to drink and needed a time out. The drinking culture here is very funny.
But I have lots and lots of stories coming...
Love Melissa and Arnold
The last stop on our trip was Korea. A chance for me to learn more about Arnold's culture and finally meet some family members I haven't had a chance to meet. I was excited and nervous about coming to Seoul. Excited because I knew it would be a lot of fun, but nervous to meet his family for the first time and not be able to speak any Korean.
We arrived in Seoul on August 18th and have been staying with at my sister-in-laws place. So yes, we have totally taken over their place for the past couple of weeks and made ourselves at home LOL. We feel pretty lucky to be able to stay in Seoul for an extended period of time and have the best city tour guides at our finger tips haha. They know SO much about Seoul and how to get around. Seoul has been nothing short of amazing. It is definitely one of my top 5 cities in the world.
Probably THE best thing about this city is what I saw within 3 hours of getting here. After we left the airport we took the bus to Shelley's house. We were there for about 20 minutes before we decided to take the short walk to get TACOS!!! (OMG, BEST tacos ever haha- but maybe I say that because I haven't had Mexican food forever and it tasted so good). The walk to the Taco place is about 5 minutes and as we are walking we see an older Korean man PASSED out in the middle of the street HA HA. Now, it wasn't a main road, but a road none the less. I had heard about these Korean men that do that, but didn't believe it still happened. Well, it does and it's soo funny. He just had too much to drink and needed a time out. The drinking culture here is very funny.
But I have lots and lots of stories coming...
Love Melissa and Arnold
Most bizzare thing I have seen...
Occurred while we were heading into the forbiden city. Honestly, I am still laughing at how amazing some people are and the things people will do.
So we are heading into the forbiden city and it is busy, but everything seems to always move pretty well considering the amount of people there are. As we are walking, I see this lady (and there are about 4 adults and one small child), pull the pants down on her daughter in order for her to pee, RIGHT there in the middle of this massive square with hundreds of people. So there is this young girl squatting in the middle of a very busy tourist attraction and just peeing all over the sidewalk. I could not believe that she would make (or allow) her daughter to pee right then and there in front of everyone like that. It still amazes me and I'm actually surprised they didn't get in trouble for that. Just crazy to me. haha
Also, a couple last tidbits from Beijing. Security everywhere!! Everyone that uses the subway has to have their bag screened by an X-Ray machine. Considering the volume of people, you never have to wait very long. Super efficient.
And the men like to pull their shirts up to their nipples when they are hot. So you see a bunch of Chinese men with their shirts hiked up, showing off their belly. A move that Arnold really enjoys.
Okay, here come the posts about Korea.
Love Melissa and Arnold
So we are heading into the forbiden city and it is busy, but everything seems to always move pretty well considering the amount of people there are. As we are walking, I see this lady (and there are about 4 adults and one small child), pull the pants down on her daughter in order for her to pee, RIGHT there in the middle of this massive square with hundreds of people. So there is this young girl squatting in the middle of a very busy tourist attraction and just peeing all over the sidewalk. I could not believe that she would make (or allow) her daughter to pee right then and there in front of everyone like that. It still amazes me and I'm actually surprised they didn't get in trouble for that. Just crazy to me. haha
Also, a couple last tidbits from Beijing. Security everywhere!! Everyone that uses the subway has to have their bag screened by an X-Ray machine. Considering the volume of people, you never have to wait very long. Super efficient.
And the men like to pull their shirts up to their nipples when they are hot. So you see a bunch of Chinese men with their shirts hiked up, showing off their belly. A move that Arnold really enjoys.
Okay, here come the posts about Korea.
Love Melissa and Arnold
Tuesday, August 23, 2011
Introducing....
Our new fur baby KIBO!!!!
After 3+ years talking about it, 1 year of talking with the breeder we are finally bringing home a new little fur baby - okay, well maybe not little. Arnold and I have been talking about getting a dog for ages, we could just never find a breed (or mixed breed) that we wanted. We would compare the dogs to little Oliver (my mom's dog - the one that was in our wedding haha) and knew that it would be hard to find a small dog with his personality. Last year while we were in NYC, I stopped this girl walking this super beautiful dog and asked her what kind of dog it was because it was perfect. She told me the name of the breed and the research began.
I contacted a breeder last year and told her that I would like to sign us up for a pup, but explained our situation. We have been keeping in touch over the past year and she told me that a litter of pups had been born on June 4th and would be ready to take home Aug 4. Since we were away until September, she kindly offered to hold onto her until we are back. Soo little Kibo will be arriving in Calgary right after we get back. (She is coming all the way from Ontario)
Kibo is a Hungarian Viszla - super, super high energy, but very smart and known to be the velcro dog haha. I wanted a dog I could run with - that way she will get exercise and it motivates me to always run. Win, Win situation haha. She will get to be anywhere from 40-50 pounds - so about a midsized dog. We are VERY excited to bring her home and welcome her to the Lee family. I wanted to wait till we had pictures to tell everyone :) So we are official proud parents to a pup.
Love Melissa and Arnold
Monday, August 22, 2011
Olympic Grounds and last bits from Beijing
The Bird's Nest and Cube were the first things we saw when we got to Beijing. It was pretty close to our hotel and a big priority, so we wanted to tackle it first. I'm not going to lie, we were super impressed with the Nest. I know it sounds cheesy, but we got goosebumps when we saw it and again when we went inside.
It was sooo cool being on the grounds. They have a building that has pictures and video of the games as well as the process of building the facilities. Everyone remembers the Beijing opening ceremonies and the drums, the first glimpse of the Nest and Cube. Plus remembering Bolt and Phelps and the incredible games they had. It was trippy being at the exact location of where it all happened. Seeing the track that the Bolt dominated on, seeing the pool that Phelps broke records. I remember us just sitting inside the nest and watching clips from the Olympics that were playing on the screen and imagining what it would have been like to be in that stadium at the time. It was really amazing. It was almost like there was this weird energy surrounding the facilities - it just felt so peaceful and calm. Okay, I know I sound lame, but we were really impressed with the grounds. Arnold even said that the Birds Nest is his favorite modern building.
One thing that I was a bit disappointed in, was the upkeep of the Cube. You know how militant the Chinese were and are about the Olympics and their image, so I was shocked to see the Cube looking less then perfect. The competition pool and diving area are in perfect condition but the concourse and bathrooms are really run down - crazy considering that the building is only a couple years old. Now, I know that it's high traffic there, but I think they need to do a better job with the upkeep. I didn't know this until we went, but one side of the cube is a gigantic water park - so it is always busy and I think the reason for the wear and tear, but either way, they need to clean that up haha. Just my thoughts.
Okay, enough with the Olympics, but if you ever have the chance to see it, we highly recommend it. Now onto something funny. While we were on our tour, our guide told us something that was pretty funny. When Chinese want to get married and want to marry a "pretty" girl from Beijing they need to provide her with gifts. In the 80's they had to buy her a bike, a watch and a sewing machine. In the 90's they had to buy her a fridge, a washing machine, and a "color" TV (black and white isn't cutting it). And in the 00's they have to buy them a house, a car and an AC unit. haha ooh how times have changed - the have a lot of expectations now a days. A watch is no longer an acceptable gift. We thought the gifts in the 80's and 90's were funny. It was like "here is a watch so you know when I get home for dinner - it better be ready, here is a bike so you can bike to the store to buy me food (and stay in shape), and here is a sewing machine so you can make me clothes" haha I'm not sure if that's actually what happened, but that's what I think they were for ;)
I have one more random post about China coming, but I think that covers most of the big things. We are currently in Korea and LOVIN' it. I might not want to come home ;) haha. I definitely have some good stories about our Korean adventure coming.
Love Melissa and Arnold
It was sooo cool being on the grounds. They have a building that has pictures and video of the games as well as the process of building the facilities. Everyone remembers the Beijing opening ceremonies and the drums, the first glimpse of the Nest and Cube. Plus remembering Bolt and Phelps and the incredible games they had. It was trippy being at the exact location of where it all happened. Seeing the track that the Bolt dominated on, seeing the pool that Phelps broke records. I remember us just sitting inside the nest and watching clips from the Olympics that were playing on the screen and imagining what it would have been like to be in that stadium at the time. It was really amazing. It was almost like there was this weird energy surrounding the facilities - it just felt so peaceful and calm. Okay, I know I sound lame, but we were really impressed with the grounds. Arnold even said that the Birds Nest is his favorite modern building.
One thing that I was a bit disappointed in, was the upkeep of the Cube. You know how militant the Chinese were and are about the Olympics and their image, so I was shocked to see the Cube looking less then perfect. The competition pool and diving area are in perfect condition but the concourse and bathrooms are really run down - crazy considering that the building is only a couple years old. Now, I know that it's high traffic there, but I think they need to do a better job with the upkeep. I didn't know this until we went, but one side of the cube is a gigantic water park - so it is always busy and I think the reason for the wear and tear, but either way, they need to clean that up haha. Just my thoughts.
Okay, enough with the Olympics, but if you ever have the chance to see it, we highly recommend it. Now onto something funny. While we were on our tour, our guide told us something that was pretty funny. When Chinese want to get married and want to marry a "pretty" girl from Beijing they need to provide her with gifts. In the 80's they had to buy her a bike, a watch and a sewing machine. In the 90's they had to buy her a fridge, a washing machine, and a "color" TV (black and white isn't cutting it). And in the 00's they have to buy them a house, a car and an AC unit. haha ooh how times have changed - the have a lot of expectations now a days. A watch is no longer an acceptable gift. We thought the gifts in the 80's and 90's were funny. It was like "here is a watch so you know when I get home for dinner - it better be ready, here is a bike so you can bike to the store to buy me food (and stay in shape), and here is a sewing machine so you can make me clothes" haha I'm not sure if that's actually what happened, but that's what I think they were for ;)
I have one more random post about China coming, but I think that covers most of the big things. We are currently in Korea and LOVIN' it. I might not want to come home ;) haha. I definitely have some good stories about our Korean adventure coming.
Love Melissa and Arnold
The Great China Wall...
Is what Arnold called it once, so we decided to keep calling it that after LOL. But it was a pretty amazing sight to see. One of the huge reasons we decided to go to Beijing was to see the Wall. And it was definitely well worth it.
We hired a driver and tour guide for the day and learnt a bit about Chinese History and their culture. The last stop on our tour was the Wall. I don't know why, but for some reason, I thought that you would just walk up like 10 stairs and would walk along the Great Wall of China (oops the Great China Wall). And for some other strange reason, I thought it would be a flat walking path that we could just walk along. HA HA.
It is definitely not flat and not 10 steps long. I mean, I guess technically, I could have just gone up my 10 steps and said I was there and called it a day, but it's not REALLY how the wall is. It took us a full HOUR to make it to the top. Yes, one hour and a boat load of steps. It is steep and not easy - definitely not what I had originally thought. The crowds really thinned out about a third way up. I think people climbed a couple hundred steps and called it a day. But Arnold and I wanted to get to the top. It was AMAZING and beautiful. Such an incredible experience. We have a lot of amazing pictures and I promise to share them, but I need to get them onto my PC and then find wifi. But it was spectacular.
The worst part about the wall was coming back down. It took us about 40 minutes to get back down. By the end my legs felt like jelly and I didn't want to climb another set of stairs for a week after. I think I filled my quota for stair climbing for the year in one day. LOL
And one quick piece of info we learnt about the wall - is apparently, Donkeys and Monkeys were buried within the wall. HAHA I think our tour guide was having issues with English and couldn't make up her mind as to what animal was really buried there, but we got a kick out of it.
Love Melissa and Arnold
We hired a driver and tour guide for the day and learnt a bit about Chinese History and their culture. The last stop on our tour was the Wall. I don't know why, but for some reason, I thought that you would just walk up like 10 stairs and would walk along the Great Wall of China (oops the Great China Wall). And for some other strange reason, I thought it would be a flat walking path that we could just walk along. HA HA.
It is definitely not flat and not 10 steps long. I mean, I guess technically, I could have just gone up my 10 steps and said I was there and called it a day, but it's not REALLY how the wall is. It took us a full HOUR to make it to the top. Yes, one hour and a boat load of steps. It is steep and not easy - definitely not what I had originally thought. The crowds really thinned out about a third way up. I think people climbed a couple hundred steps and called it a day. But Arnold and I wanted to get to the top. It was AMAZING and beautiful. Such an incredible experience. We have a lot of amazing pictures and I promise to share them, but I need to get them onto my PC and then find wifi. But it was spectacular.
The worst part about the wall was coming back down. It took us about 40 minutes to get back down. By the end my legs felt like jelly and I didn't want to climb another set of stairs for a week after. I think I filled my quota for stair climbing for the year in one day. LOL
And one quick piece of info we learnt about the wall - is apparently, Donkeys and Monkeys were buried within the wall. HAHA I think our tour guide was having issues with English and couldn't make up her mind as to what animal was really buried there, but we got a kick out of it.
Love Melissa and Arnold
Sunday, August 21, 2011
Beijing - Subway
Okay, last post of the day - still have a couple more things coming from Beijing, but I think this is a good start. Posted lots so happy reading :)
The Subway is really good - well thought out, easy to use (in English and very straight forward) and very CHEAP. The traffic here is pretty bad, so it only makes sense to take the subway. When we first arrived, we wanted to head to the Olympic area so we decided to test our subway skills and take a ride.
The first two days were a breeze - we found our way around no problem and didn't have any issues. The third day was a bit of a different story. We wanted to head back to the Olympic area to see the Cube and Nest lit up at night. In order to get to that area you have to take three different lines and it take about 35-45minutes. Which isn't really too bad and we have been on enough subways to feel at ease. This time was a lot different - it was soooo busy and crowded. It was like the whole city was sleeping for our first two days and now everyone was back out. If you want to take the subway in Beijing get ready to put your elbows up and push your way through the massive amounts of people. You honestly have to push and push hard to get onto the subway and to get off. There are that many people trying to use it.
Even at 9pm at night, it was busy and seemed to only be getting busier by the minute. We were amazed by how many people were underground using the subway. I mean, in a city that big, it isn't really that surprising, but for us it was. And we aren't talking about a couple hundred people, if we were to guess, we would say that we were among a couple thousand people at some of the stations. Now for the crazy part - this isn't even busy. We just learnt on our tour that once all the kids go back to school it becomes 10x as busy. I honestly couldn't even imagine going underground if that was the case - I don't do well with that many people around me in a confined space haha. AND elderly people can't use the subway - it would be way too hard on them if they did, so the city allows for them to take city buses for free after the age of 60.
So if you are looking for a good experience, take the subway in Beijing during peak time. I'm glad I was with Arnold because he would act like my body guard and do all the pushing for us (BTW, he was LOVIN' the pushing idea haha - thought it was fun).
Love Melissa and Arnold
PS. The traffic in Beijing is horrible in certain parts. The day we were leaving, it took us 15 minutes to move one block. But it was because no one pays attention to the lights - they will block the intersection and not care. It was the first time we had ever seen true gridlock traffic. Cars were in the middle of the intersection going in every different direction. haha
The Subway is really good - well thought out, easy to use (in English and very straight forward) and very CHEAP. The traffic here is pretty bad, so it only makes sense to take the subway. When we first arrived, we wanted to head to the Olympic area so we decided to test our subway skills and take a ride.
The first two days were a breeze - we found our way around no problem and didn't have any issues. The third day was a bit of a different story. We wanted to head back to the Olympic area to see the Cube and Nest lit up at night. In order to get to that area you have to take three different lines and it take about 35-45minutes. Which isn't really too bad and we have been on enough subways to feel at ease. This time was a lot different - it was soooo busy and crowded. It was like the whole city was sleeping for our first two days and now everyone was back out. If you want to take the subway in Beijing get ready to put your elbows up and push your way through the massive amounts of people. You honestly have to push and push hard to get onto the subway and to get off. There are that many people trying to use it.
Even at 9pm at night, it was busy and seemed to only be getting busier by the minute. We were amazed by how many people were underground using the subway. I mean, in a city that big, it isn't really that surprising, but for us it was. And we aren't talking about a couple hundred people, if we were to guess, we would say that we were among a couple thousand people at some of the stations. Now for the crazy part - this isn't even busy. We just learnt on our tour that once all the kids go back to school it becomes 10x as busy. I honestly couldn't even imagine going underground if that was the case - I don't do well with that many people around me in a confined space haha. AND elderly people can't use the subway - it would be way too hard on them if they did, so the city allows for them to take city buses for free after the age of 60.
So if you are looking for a good experience, take the subway in Beijing during peak time. I'm glad I was with Arnold because he would act like my body guard and do all the pushing for us (BTW, he was LOVIN' the pushing idea haha - thought it was fun).
Love Melissa and Arnold
PS. The traffic in Beijing is horrible in certain parts. The day we were leaving, it took us 15 minutes to move one block. But it was because no one pays attention to the lights - they will block the intersection and not care. It was the first time we had ever seen true gridlock traffic. Cars were in the middle of the intersection going in every different direction. haha
Beijing - People
The people in Beijing (for the most part) are sooo cute. I LOVED the servers in the restaurants. Not a lot of English is spoken outside of the hotels and department stores. English was limited in most restaurants, but you could always get by. Most menu's had pictures of their food which was a HUGE help for us haha. We did a lot of pointing. But any time we were in a restaurant the girls were so cute. They would all laugh when I tried to speak Mandarin (which was limited to Hello and Thank you) and were always as helpful as they could be.
We either walked or took the subway to get places, so taxi's were never an issue. But if you needed to take a taxi in Beijing, you would need to have your directions on paper in Mandarin, otherwise you wouldn't be getting to your destination.
The only thing I found to be odd, is when I would go into a clothing store. They would follow you and stand about 3 feet behind you - not because they think you are going to steal, but because they think if they do that you will buy something. It's high pressure sales and they pick out things for you for you to try on - it could be really ugly, but they would tell you that it looked "most beautiful". It was pretty funny.
Love Melissa and Arnold
We either walked or took the subway to get places, so taxi's were never an issue. But if you needed to take a taxi in Beijing, you would need to have your directions on paper in Mandarin, otherwise you wouldn't be getting to your destination.
The only thing I found to be odd, is when I would go into a clothing store. They would follow you and stand about 3 feet behind you - not because they think you are going to steal, but because they think if they do that you will buy something. It's high pressure sales and they pick out things for you for you to try on - it could be really ugly, but they would tell you that it looked "most beautiful". It was pretty funny.
Love Melissa and Arnold
Beijing - Food
I don't like Chinese food to begin with, so I was pretty worried about the food situation while we were there. I know that North American Chinese food is different then "normal" Chinese food, but I was still worried. Arnold was sooo excited for Chinese food - he LOVES it
It was okay, but I definitely didn't love it. You can only handle so much of it before you need some comfort food. It was definitely a big of a struggle for me. The Chinese do not understand the concept of Vegetarian and is not really Vegetarian friendly. They use this oyster sauce on everything. I don't care about the sauce because it tastes okay, but when its on everything, it becomes pretty gross. And the meat in China is definitely not a strong suit for them haah - even Arnold had a tough time with some of the meat dishes.
Now, don't get me wrong, we had some amazing meals and had fun trying new things, but I just wouldn't want to spend months in China. I got super addicted to these Onion pancakes - ugh, they were sooo good. And we actually ate street food the one night which was pretty tasty. (Yep, I keep going back there, I'm a sucker for pain haha). I only ate the street noodles in a boiling broth because I think it was the safest, but you can get some pretty crazy stuff from those vendors.
For our last night in Beijing we ate Western Fast Food - we were done with Chinese food and needed something from home. I am never one to suggest McDonalds, but I needed a McFlurry.
Love Melissa and Arnold
It was okay, but I definitely didn't love it. You can only handle so much of it before you need some comfort food. It was definitely a big of a struggle for me. The Chinese do not understand the concept of Vegetarian and is not really Vegetarian friendly. They use this oyster sauce on everything. I don't care about the sauce because it tastes okay, but when its on everything, it becomes pretty gross. And the meat in China is definitely not a strong suit for them haah - even Arnold had a tough time with some of the meat dishes.
Now, don't get me wrong, we had some amazing meals and had fun trying new things, but I just wouldn't want to spend months in China. I got super addicted to these Onion pancakes - ugh, they were sooo good. And we actually ate street food the one night which was pretty tasty. (Yep, I keep going back there, I'm a sucker for pain haha). I only ate the street noodles in a boiling broth because I think it was the safest, but you can get some pretty crazy stuff from those vendors.
For our last night in Beijing we ate Western Fast Food - we were done with Chinese food and needed something from home. I am never one to suggest McDonalds, but I needed a McFlurry.
Love Melissa and Arnold
Beijing - Internet
There is a lot I want to say about Beijing, so I think I'm going to break it into a couple posts like I did for Varanasi.
We have had friends that have gone to China, lived in China or worked in China, so we had heard things, but you never REALLY understand the internet situation until you are there. A LOT of stuff online is blocked in China. It's CRAZY. I had actually forgotten about websites being blocked until we landed there. My blog was blocked - haha I couldn't even log in to post stuff on it, which I think was the biggest shock for me. FB, Twitter, Youtube are all blocked. If you try and search certain things while you are in China, it won't bring up everything. Example, try searching Tiananmen Square while there and it will not mention ANYTHING about the protests that happened there. They censor out so much information and do not want their citizens reading anything negative.
China has their own version of Google - remember reading about the fight Google had with China a while back and it caused them to pull out of China?? See, you forget about these things until you get there. Even though we don't use some of the blocked sights regularly, I didn't like it. I didn't like being told I couldn't search for certain things online and having it taken away from me. I guess it's one of those things - you want to use it when you can't have it, but when you have it, you don't care LOL. But it was really annoying - another thing we can be grateful for :)
Love Melissa and Arnold
We have had friends that have gone to China, lived in China or worked in China, so we had heard things, but you never REALLY understand the internet situation until you are there. A LOT of stuff online is blocked in China. It's CRAZY. I had actually forgotten about websites being blocked until we landed there. My blog was blocked - haha I couldn't even log in to post stuff on it, which I think was the biggest shock for me. FB, Twitter, Youtube are all blocked. If you try and search certain things while you are in China, it won't bring up everything. Example, try searching Tiananmen Square while there and it will not mention ANYTHING about the protests that happened there. They censor out so much information and do not want their citizens reading anything negative.
China has their own version of Google - remember reading about the fight Google had with China a while back and it caused them to pull out of China?? See, you forget about these things until you get there. Even though we don't use some of the blocked sights regularly, I didn't like it. I didn't like being told I couldn't search for certain things online and having it taken away from me. I guess it's one of those things - you want to use it when you can't have it, but when you have it, you don't care LOL. But it was really annoying - another thing we can be grateful for :)
Love Melissa and Arnold
Beijing
While we were in Europe, Arnold decided that he wanted to go to Beijing while we were on our trip. He became a bit obsessed with seeing the Wall and learning more about their history. So we changed our ticket to stop in Beijing for 6 days before we headed to Korea.
We definitely didn't know what to expect, but were excited to see The Wall, the Olympic buildings and Tiananmen Square. There is sooo much to do in Beijing so you can never really be bored. We decided to splurge and stay at a super fancy hotel - splurge as in, we got a smoking deal on the room, but was over my normal price range. The breakfast at our hotel for two people was almost as expensive as our room for one night - haha crazy, so we were definitely not doing that. I think the Peninsula Beijing was the nicest "city" hotel I have ever stayed in. Plus our hotel was two blocks from one of the biggest shopping areas of Beijing (and I still managed to walk away empty handed haha).
When we were in our taxi from the airport to our hotel, we were a bit shocked. The sky was BROWN. A brown haze covered the city. It was a big suffocating actually - felt like the sky was right on top of you. We didn't know if it was pollution or clouds. The next day it was more of the same, but you could see a bit of cloud definition and then it started to rain later in the day. When we woke up the next morning we expected to see the brown haze, but was amazed to see BLUE sky - not a cloud in the sky. It was like the rain took away all the pollution and clouds. We then read online that before the Olympics the government would shot something into the clouds to make them rain in order to clear the air/sky. Which is so cool - they are so advanced. Because we thought the same thing - how could they host the Olympics with all this brown haze and it must be hard on the lungs - I was ready to bust out a SARS mask haha.
I think we might have gone a little crazy if the sky had stayed that way the whole time we were there. It was a bit depressing. Actually, it was funny because we had kept hearing how beautiful Beijing was from everyone who had gone there, but we were definitely not thinking it was beautiful. BUT when you see Beijing without the Haze, it really is beautiful.
Love Melissa and Arnold
We definitely didn't know what to expect, but were excited to see The Wall, the Olympic buildings and Tiananmen Square. There is sooo much to do in Beijing so you can never really be bored. We decided to splurge and stay at a super fancy hotel - splurge as in, we got a smoking deal on the room, but was over my normal price range. The breakfast at our hotel for two people was almost as expensive as our room for one night - haha crazy, so we were definitely not doing that. I think the Peninsula Beijing was the nicest "city" hotel I have ever stayed in. Plus our hotel was two blocks from one of the biggest shopping areas of Beijing (and I still managed to walk away empty handed haha).
When we were in our taxi from the airport to our hotel, we were a bit shocked. The sky was BROWN. A brown haze covered the city. It was a big suffocating actually - felt like the sky was right on top of you. We didn't know if it was pollution or clouds. The next day it was more of the same, but you could see a bit of cloud definition and then it started to rain later in the day. When we woke up the next morning we expected to see the brown haze, but was amazed to see BLUE sky - not a cloud in the sky. It was like the rain took away all the pollution and clouds. We then read online that before the Olympics the government would shot something into the clouds to make them rain in order to clear the air/sky. Which is so cool - they are so advanced. Because we thought the same thing - how could they host the Olympics with all this brown haze and it must be hard on the lungs - I was ready to bust out a SARS mask haha.
I think we might have gone a little crazy if the sky had stayed that way the whole time we were there. It was a bit depressing. Actually, it was funny because we had kept hearing how beautiful Beijing was from everyone who had gone there, but we were definitely not thinking it was beautiful. BUT when you see Beijing without the Haze, it really is beautiful.
Love Melissa and Arnold
How travel has changed ...
I remember when I went on my first backpack trip, I bought a lonely planet book and read about all of the places I wanted to go and planned our trip according to what LP had to say. (Arnold said it was the travelers bible back in the day when we backpacked his way through Europe). I stayed in places they told us to stay in (or if someone had a recommendation I would go there). I would go to Internet cafes to check my email and to make phone calls home. I was ALWAYS keeping an eye out for the cheapest
long distance rates back to Canada. And then you would sit in a little room/booth with a phone and timer and make your calls.
In just 4 short years, the way we travel is so different. It's actually shocking. We like the LP, but it's not our bible. We use the Net to do a majority of our research and the hotel reviews on Trip Advisor are our bread and butter. That is what we consult first. If a hotel doesn't have FREE wifi, we aren't booking it. I have a netbook and Arn has an Ipad. So now all of the sudden we are wifi snobs and shocked when places don't offer it. haha. We rely heavily on wifi to do anything and we get so upset when it doesn't work. If we can't get connected, it's like the world is going to end. We don't know what to do with ourselves. Sad, right?
And Skype - I can't even begin to think about life without it. It is probably the most amazing tool EVER. I don't know why it took us so long to get on the Skype train. If you aren't on it, get it now. As long as we have wifi, I can call home. No more going out to look for Internet cafes, I just turn on my PC and call whoever I want whenever I want. It's AMAZING. And cheap! We always laugh about how we traveled before and why we didn't travel with PC's a couple of years ago. Even on our trips last year we never thought about wifi and being connected. Now, I can't imagine not having my netbook with me. I even think when I am home, I will have it with me non-stop. Free wifi is the best gift haha. We are so excited when restaurants and airports have free wifi.
Love Melissa and Arnold
long distance rates back to Canada. And then you would sit in a little room/booth with a phone and timer and make your calls.
In just 4 short years, the way we travel is so different. It's actually shocking. We like the LP, but it's not our bible. We use the Net to do a majority of our research and the hotel reviews on Trip Advisor are our bread and butter. That is what we consult first. If a hotel doesn't have FREE wifi, we aren't booking it. I have a netbook and Arn has an Ipad. So now all of the sudden we are wifi snobs and shocked when places don't offer it. haha. We rely heavily on wifi to do anything and we get so upset when it doesn't work. If we can't get connected, it's like the world is going to end. We don't know what to do with ourselves. Sad, right?
And Skype - I can't even begin to think about life without it. It is probably the most amazing tool EVER. I don't know why it took us so long to get on the Skype train. If you aren't on it, get it now. As long as we have wifi, I can call home. No more going out to look for Internet cafes, I just turn on my PC and call whoever I want whenever I want. It's AMAZING. And cheap! We always laugh about how we traveled before and why we didn't travel with PC's a couple of years ago. Even on our trips last year we never thought about wifi and being connected. Now, I can't imagine not having my netbook with me. I even think when I am home, I will have it with me non-stop. Free wifi is the best gift haha. We are so excited when restaurants and airports have free wifi.
Love Melissa and Arnold
Energy Wasters
During our travels, we have come to notice how much we (and a lot of people in NA) waste energy and water. Okay, well maybe waste a lot of other things in general. People all over the world are very conscience of conserving power and water - which isn't really the norm in North America. In most hotels we have stayed at, you would have to put in a key card in order to get power in the room - and when you left, you took the key, shutting off all power. (Power conservation was really big in Europe - I think more so for the cost of electricity, but they are very careful about using power).
A lot of hotels have a switch for the hot water - so you switch it on before you have a shower and off after you are done. Sure, it can be a bit of a hassle, but I think it's a good hassle. We also saw a lot more use of solar power and recycling of rain water. Or sockets that required you to flip on the switch in order to get power to them. A lot of toilets we used would have the "half flush, full flush" option - I know, I know, people have those toilets in NA, but we don't at our house and our house was built like 7 years ago.
Now, I'm not saying I'm going to go all hippie style when I get home, but Arnold and I have both said that we would like to try and reduce how much we waste. Even when it comes to food - we would throw away a lot more produce then we should have - so it's something we are going to work on. It was an eye opener for us and something we can do to make a positive change in our lifestyle when we get back.
Okay, I'm done with self reflecting now haha.
Love Melissa and Arnold
A lot of hotels have a switch for the hot water - so you switch it on before you have a shower and off after you are done. Sure, it can be a bit of a hassle, but I think it's a good hassle. We also saw a lot more use of solar power and recycling of rain water. Or sockets that required you to flip on the switch in order to get power to them. A lot of toilets we used would have the "half flush, full flush" option - I know, I know, people have those toilets in NA, but we don't at our house and our house was built like 7 years ago.
Now, I'm not saying I'm going to go all hippie style when I get home, but Arnold and I have both said that we would like to try and reduce how much we waste. Even when it comes to food - we would throw away a lot more produce then we should have - so it's something we are going to work on. It was an eye opener for us and something we can do to make a positive change in our lifestyle when we get back.
Okay, I'm done with self reflecting now haha.
Love Melissa and Arnold
Thursday, August 18, 2011
One night in Bangkok
Just a quick note - we were in China and on Internet lock down (my blog was blocked haha) so I couldn't update anything for the past week. Have just added a bunch of new posts - so scroll down to get caught up. And more are coming. I think I will post a couple more over the next few days to get everyone up to date. Trying to add pictures, but I need to find a wifi connection first - so I'll see what I can do.
After leaving Singapore, we headed back to Bangkok for the night so we could catch our flight to Beijing. So we had a full 24 hours to kill in Bangkok. I really like Bangkok, for the most part, but I really DISLIKE the taxi drivers there. (I'll get to that story in a moment). I have come to realize that Thai food is probably one of my favorite foods. I really, really missed Thai food while we were in Indo and Singa. I would go back to Thailand just for the great food.
Anyway, the past two times I have been there, I would stay near Khaosan Road, but this time we decided to mix it up and stay near the Metro Line so that we could take that to the airport instead of a taxi. I can't remember the name of the area, but it was weird (it's in a pretty good area for shopping with fancy hotels). It was all old white men with young Thai girls. It was a bit creepy. We didn't really like the vibe and Arnold wanted to head back to Khaosan to do a little shopping so we didn't spend much time checking it out.
I know a lot of people don't like Khaosan, but I really love it there. It has everything you need haha. We spent the night shopping, eating street food - Yep, I got back on the street food train (well I had noodles and Mango sticky rice because you can NOT pass that up while in Bangkok). Plus I figured that I probably have a couple parasites after India, what more could I do. Thankfully I didn't get sick. But I know I'm pushing my luck. And of course, we made time for a good ol' foot massage. I think I just feel safe there so I keep going back, why mess with a good thing, right?
Now about those pesky cab drivers. They will NOT put on their meter. It's crazy. They will take you somewhere for about triple the price and if you ask them to turn on their meter they tell you to get out. It would take ages to get a cab that was willing to put on their meter. The morning we were leaving we needed to get a taxi to the airport train link, but the driver dropped us off at the city line vs the airport line so we had to spend more money to get to the proper area and then wait for another train. I was soo mad and maybe was acting like a brat, but I was really annoyed with the taxi situation haha. That is my only issue with Bangkok, other then that, I think its a great city.
Love Melissa and Arnold
PS Sorry again for not being able to update, but I am back on track now. Hope you guys are enjoying the posts, its been one crazy adventure :)
After leaving Singapore, we headed back to Bangkok for the night so we could catch our flight to Beijing. So we had a full 24 hours to kill in Bangkok. I really like Bangkok, for the most part, but I really DISLIKE the taxi drivers there. (I'll get to that story in a moment). I have come to realize that Thai food is probably one of my favorite foods. I really, really missed Thai food while we were in Indo and Singa. I would go back to Thailand just for the great food.
Anyway, the past two times I have been there, I would stay near Khaosan Road, but this time we decided to mix it up and stay near the Metro Line so that we could take that to the airport instead of a taxi. I can't remember the name of the area, but it was weird (it's in a pretty good area for shopping with fancy hotels). It was all old white men with young Thai girls. It was a bit creepy. We didn't really like the vibe and Arnold wanted to head back to Khaosan to do a little shopping so we didn't spend much time checking it out.
I know a lot of people don't like Khaosan, but I really love it there. It has everything you need haha. We spent the night shopping, eating street food - Yep, I got back on the street food train (well I had noodles and Mango sticky rice because you can NOT pass that up while in Bangkok). Plus I figured that I probably have a couple parasites after India, what more could I do. Thankfully I didn't get sick. But I know I'm pushing my luck. And of course, we made time for a good ol' foot massage. I think I just feel safe there so I keep going back, why mess with a good thing, right?
Now about those pesky cab drivers. They will NOT put on their meter. It's crazy. They will take you somewhere for about triple the price and if you ask them to turn on their meter they tell you to get out. It would take ages to get a cab that was willing to put on their meter. The morning we were leaving we needed to get a taxi to the airport train link, but the driver dropped us off at the city line vs the airport line so we had to spend more money to get to the proper area and then wait for another train. I was soo mad and maybe was acting like a brat, but I was really annoyed with the taxi situation haha. That is my only issue with Bangkok, other then that, I think its a great city.
Love Melissa and Arnold
PS Sorry again for not being able to update, but I am back on track now. Hope you guys are enjoying the posts, its been one crazy adventure :)
"Barn"
Our friends that we were staying with in Singa have two kids - a little girl that is about 3 and a boy
that is just over a year (Sorry, I'm not good with weeks and months, but they are around that age). When we first got there, Isla was playing shy with us, she wouldn't really talk to us and wouldn't really venture to far from Meags or Ian. They kept telling her our names were "Melissa and Arn", but she was too shy to say them.
We figured that a great ice breaker would be to show Isla, Arnold's Ipad because we had a talking
dog on it that we knew she would love. Of course she thought it was the greatest thing ever and just wanted to play with it all night. The next morning, Meags and I are talking in the livingroom when Isla comes out and says "Mom, where's Barn" haha. She thought Arnold's name was Barn and she kept calling him that. So of course we were killing ourselves laughing and for the rest of our stay
there, he was refered to as "Barn". It was soo cute.
Love Melissa and Arnold
PS. I can see why moms are so skinny - while Ian and Meags were at work one day, I took Isla down to the pool for a bit and the first part went well. But then things got a little crazy. She is fast (actually I think all kids are fast). I would have to chase her down and make sure she didn't jump into the big pool. I think I didn't stop running for 30 minutes haha. Stressful, but fun. They are the cutest kids.
that is just over a year (Sorry, I'm not good with weeks and months, but they are around that age). When we first got there, Isla was playing shy with us, she wouldn't really talk to us and wouldn't really venture to far from Meags or Ian. They kept telling her our names were "Melissa and Arn", but she was too shy to say them.
We figured that a great ice breaker would be to show Isla, Arnold's Ipad because we had a talking
dog on it that we knew she would love. Of course she thought it was the greatest thing ever and just wanted to play with it all night. The next morning, Meags and I are talking in the livingroom when Isla comes out and says "Mom, where's Barn" haha. She thought Arnold's name was Barn and she kept calling him that. So of course we were killing ourselves laughing and for the rest of our stay
there, he was refered to as "Barn". It was soo cute.
Love Melissa and Arnold
PS. I can see why moms are so skinny - while Ian and Meags were at work one day, I took Isla down to the pool for a bit and the first part went well. But then things got a little crazy. She is fast (actually I think all kids are fast). I would have to chase her down and make sure she didn't jump into the big pool. I think I didn't stop running for 30 minutes haha. Stressful, but fun. They are the cutest kids.
Teenage Date Night
We were in Singa to vist our friends who had moved there, but they were just getting back from Canada the day we arrived so we decided to check into a hotel for our first night so we could give them a night to get sorted before we crashed at their place. Arnold had been dying to go see a movie for ages, so we thought it would be a perfect night for it. And that is how our night turned into a teenage date night. We went for dinner, but ended up going to the food court to eat (I know, very romantic). I bought my dinner, he bought his. Then we had a lot of time to kill before the movie so Arnold treated to me a big night at the arcade - he threw down $10 and got us a bunch of tokens for the games. (What a sweetheart - he paid for my video games). I then proceeded to dominate him in a race game - I was actually in last place and came up from behind and ran him off the road. After a dominating display at the Arcade it was finally time for the movies. He bought the tickets and I bought the snacks haha.
Yes, it was cheesy, but so much fun. Sometimes you need nights like that when away from home.
Love Melissa and Arnold
Yes, it was cheesy, but so much fun. Sometimes you need nights like that when away from home.
Love Melissa and Arnold
Food Courts in Singa
I think the world needs to take notice of the food courts in Singa and copy them. The food in their food courts are THE best around - the most amazing quality and cheap. I would be happy to eat out every day at a food court in Singa because they know how to cook. You can get any type of asian food - Thai, Korean, Indian, etc etc and the quality is just as good (if not better) then restaurants in those countries. We couldn't believe it. Back home - our food courts are full of terrible tasting food and poor quality. In Singa, they have it on lock down. Next time you go to Singa, head to the food court and try it out. I had Indian food, which brought back all the memories of India and Arn had Korean, which reminded him of home.
Love Melissa and Arnold
Love Melissa and Arnold
Singapore
Is by far the cleanest city we have ever been to and I think actually the cleanest city in the world. Everything in that city is beautiful and kept so neat and tidy. The weird thing though, is that you never see anyone out cleaning. The road from the airport to the city is lined with these old beautiful trees and all the flowers and grass is perfectly manicured. It's definitely not as nice as the Deerfoot in Calgary, but a close second. HA HA.
Singapore is like Pleasantville. We learnt that the locals aren't rule breakers. If they are told not to do something they won't do it. No one litters, J-walks, spits etc etc. Huge fines are given to those who break the rules, so I think it keeps people in line, but it works because the city is perfect. They are also all about proper queues - no one cuts in front or pushes. It's pretty cool.
We went to Singapore to visit our friends that moved there earlier this year from Calgary. We weren't really sure what to expect because everyone had always just told us that it was nice and VERY clean. But we thought it was a great city and had a blast - I know it was probably better because we were there to see friends. We would have never have gone to Singapore otherwise, so I'm glad we got to see it while they were there. I was sad to say good bye to them and wished we had another couple of days to spend with them. They took us to some of their favourite spots to eat and drink and gave us a great tour of the city. It was nice to be shown around by a "local" and see some things we wouldn't have seen otherwise. Definitely a great vibe there and would love to go back for another visit while they are still there.
Love Melissa and Arnold
Singapore is like Pleasantville. We learnt that the locals aren't rule breakers. If they are told not to do something they won't do it. No one litters, J-walks, spits etc etc. Huge fines are given to those who break the rules, so I think it keeps people in line, but it works because the city is perfect. They are also all about proper queues - no one cuts in front or pushes. It's pretty cool.
We went to Singapore to visit our friends that moved there earlier this year from Calgary. We weren't really sure what to expect because everyone had always just told us that it was nice and VERY clean. But we thought it was a great city and had a blast - I know it was probably better because we were there to see friends. We would have never have gone to Singapore otherwise, so I'm glad we got to see it while they were there. I was sad to say good bye to them and wished we had another couple of days to spend with them. They took us to some of their favourite spots to eat and drink and gave us a great tour of the city. It was nice to be shown around by a "local" and see some things we wouldn't have seen otherwise. Definitely a great vibe there and would love to go back for another visit while they are still there.
Love Melissa and Arnold
Last bits from Bali
One of my top three places we have been. Love, love, love Bali. I want to go back and I definitely did not want to leave. I find that with all the places I never want to see or go to they end up being the best. I never wanted to go to South Africa, but it was so amazing. Never wanted to go to Italy, but of course I am so in love with everything there now. And now same goes for Bali. Never thought I would go to Indo - actually the thought of going to Indo scared me because I have always heard about plane crashes
and boats sinking there. So it just wasn't high up there on my list. But I am sooo glad we decided to go there.
After leaving the Gili's we were back in Bali for the remainder of our time there. We booked a bit of a fancy resort after a lot of searching because we got it for a great deal. And I'm not going to lie, it was amazing. After spending 5 days in the Gili's it was really nice to come back to a super clean hotel that had a proper shower, a beautiful bed and fluffy towels. haha. Plus after the crazy ferry ride and salt water showers, I was ready for a place to relax at and do nothing. Added bonus, the breakfast at this hotel was the best breakfast I have had so far on this trip haha.
We booked a day tour to check out a couple sights on the island and tried the famous "Cat crap" coffee. Arnold had been wanting to try this coffee for ages and we finally had a chance. He said it was "strong" haha. I tried some of the coffee as well, but couldn't really tell if it was anything special. But I thought the teas and cocoa were nice. The resort we were staying at wasn't in a good location for sunsets, so we were told to check out the W Hotel and watch the sunset there while sipping on a mojito. It was pretty amazing - both the hotel and the sunset. I think I would like to stay there next time we go to Bali haha. It was beautiful and in a great location for shopping ;)
We will definitely be going back to Indo in the near future - I was actually trying to talk Arnold into going back before the end of our trip, but he wasn't too keen on it LOL
Thanks for reading - lots more coming
Love Melissa and Arnold
and boats sinking there. So it just wasn't high up there on my list. But I am sooo glad we decided to go there.
After leaving the Gili's we were back in Bali for the remainder of our time there. We booked a bit of a fancy resort after a lot of searching because we got it for a great deal. And I'm not going to lie, it was amazing. After spending 5 days in the Gili's it was really nice to come back to a super clean hotel that had a proper shower, a beautiful bed and fluffy towels. haha. Plus after the crazy ferry ride and salt water showers, I was ready for a place to relax at and do nothing. Added bonus, the breakfast at this hotel was the best breakfast I have had so far on this trip haha.
We booked a day tour to check out a couple sights on the island and tried the famous "Cat crap" coffee. Arnold had been wanting to try this coffee for ages and we finally had a chance. He said it was "strong" haha. I tried some of the coffee as well, but couldn't really tell if it was anything special. But I thought the teas and cocoa were nice. The resort we were staying at wasn't in a good location for sunsets, so we were told to check out the W Hotel and watch the sunset there while sipping on a mojito. It was pretty amazing - both the hotel and the sunset. I think I would like to stay there next time we go to Bali haha. It was beautiful and in a great location for shopping ;)
We will definitely be going back to Indo in the near future - I was actually trying to talk Arnold into going back before the end of our trip, but he wasn't too keen on it LOL
Thanks for reading - lots more coming
Love Melissa and Arnold
T-Rex Arms
So sorry for the delay in posting, but I have been on Internet lock down in China - my blog was blocked while we were there so I couldn't update, but I have a BUNCH of stories coming. You will be caught up by this weekend :)
On our last full day in Gili, we decided to hire a boat to tour the other islands and go snorkeling. I have no desire to snorkel (I hate the water), but I wanted to see the other islands so I was all for it. Two friends that we had been traveling with in Thailand joined us for a couple days in Gili and were coming as well because they were sooo excited to see the turtles. We were on a mission to find turtles to snorkel with.
Of course everyone made me get snorkel gear "just in case" and said that it would be fun. Everyone got off at the first snorkel spot and I stayed on the boat watching and relaxing. Then we head over to Gili Meno to check out the baby turtle sanctuary - which, BTW, were so cute. Then began our hunt for the Sea Turtles. Just off the coast of Gili Meno, our boat guide spotted some turtles. So of course everyone got really excited and then came the peer pressure. "Come on Melissa, it will be so fun. You will get to see the Turtles. Don't worry, it will be amazing" etc etc. I had three people telling me that I had to do it, so of course, I caved to the pressure and put on my gear.
I have to tell you, I was terrified. I don't like the water to begin with - it creeps me out. And I don't really like seeing what's lurking below. The first time I went snorkeling was a bit of a gong show and then the second time I got stung by a jelly fish. So for me - I was happy to look through the glass bottom on the boat haha. The girls jump in and then start yelling that they could see the turtles. Next, it's my turn - I jump in and try and keep it together. I put my face in water and right away, I can see a pretty massive turtle, which was soo amazing but I'm freaking out. Arnold said he has never seen my eyes go so big and I'm breathing like I've just ran a 100m sprint. When you have fins on, you don't really need to move around lots to keep float, but I'm in such a panic that I'm thrashing about, meanwhile still breathing like I have been sprinting. We spent about 15 minutes in the water watching the turtles, but I still wasn't able to fully relax. At the first mention of heading back to the boat - I was off like Michael Phelps. Everyone was laughing at how fast I swam back to the boat.
We have one more snorkel spot to check out once again the pressure for me to come. So I get in and same reaction - I just can't help panic. But this time the T-Rex arms come out. I am trying to swim with my arms, but I'm keeping them close to my body because I don't want the fish to touch them so I am doing a modified dog paddle/T-Rex swim. Then I try and reverse if the fish are too close or look gross and that doesn't work so well. LOL The fish weren't even close to us, but I am just a big baby.
I'm still not sure about the whole snorkel thing, but maybe I will try it again.
Love Melissa and Arnold
On our last full day in Gili, we decided to hire a boat to tour the other islands and go snorkeling. I have no desire to snorkel (I hate the water), but I wanted to see the other islands so I was all for it. Two friends that we had been traveling with in Thailand joined us for a couple days in Gili and were coming as well because they were sooo excited to see the turtles. We were on a mission to find turtles to snorkel with.
Of course everyone made me get snorkel gear "just in case" and said that it would be fun. Everyone got off at the first snorkel spot and I stayed on the boat watching and relaxing. Then we head over to Gili Meno to check out the baby turtle sanctuary - which, BTW, were so cute. Then began our hunt for the Sea Turtles. Just off the coast of Gili Meno, our boat guide spotted some turtles. So of course everyone got really excited and then came the peer pressure. "Come on Melissa, it will be so fun. You will get to see the Turtles. Don't worry, it will be amazing" etc etc. I had three people telling me that I had to do it, so of course, I caved to the pressure and put on my gear.
I have to tell you, I was terrified. I don't like the water to begin with - it creeps me out. And I don't really like seeing what's lurking below. The first time I went snorkeling was a bit of a gong show and then the second time I got stung by a jelly fish. So for me - I was happy to look through the glass bottom on the boat haha. The girls jump in and then start yelling that they could see the turtles. Next, it's my turn - I jump in and try and keep it together. I put my face in water and right away, I can see a pretty massive turtle, which was soo amazing but I'm freaking out. Arnold said he has never seen my eyes go so big and I'm breathing like I've just ran a 100m sprint. When you have fins on, you don't really need to move around lots to keep float, but I'm in such a panic that I'm thrashing about, meanwhile still breathing like I have been sprinting. We spent about 15 minutes in the water watching the turtles, but I still wasn't able to fully relax. At the first mention of heading back to the boat - I was off like Michael Phelps. Everyone was laughing at how fast I swam back to the boat.
We have one more snorkel spot to check out once again the pressure for me to come. So I get in and same reaction - I just can't help panic. But this time the T-Rex arms come out. I am trying to swim with my arms, but I'm keeping them close to my body because I don't want the fish to touch them so I am doing a modified dog paddle/T-Rex swim. Then I try and reverse if the fish are too close or look gross and that doesn't work so well. LOL The fish weren't even close to us, but I am just a big baby.
I'm still not sure about the whole snorkel thing, but maybe I will try it again.
Love Melissa and Arnold
Monday, August 8, 2011
"You want Thai Massage??"
Asia is amazing for massages - and no, I'm not talking about those kinds of massages. You can get them for so cheap everywhere. As you guys know, I don't like getting a back massage outside of North America - so I typically stay away from them (quick side note - we had a massage in Ubud at our resort and soooo weird - once again, one of those massages I left shaking my head haha). BUT my go to massage is the hour foot massage.
Where else in the world can you pay someone $9 to massage your weird, ugly feet for an hour. It's amazing!! If we have time, we get a foot massage. When we were in Ko Tao, we found the best place and went there every night while we were there. We have to go back to Bangkok to catch a flight and Arnold is already talking about where we are going to go for a foot massage. I think in the past month we have already had 7-8 massages. haha Bali was actually even a bit cheaper then Thailand - imagine that.
That's one thing I wish we could get in Canada - I love, love, love getting my feet massaged. I plan on getting at least 6 more of them before we have to go home.
Love Melissa and Arnold
Where else in the world can you pay someone $9 to massage your weird, ugly feet for an hour. It's amazing!! If we have time, we get a foot massage. When we were in Ko Tao, we found the best place and went there every night while we were there. We have to go back to Bangkok to catch a flight and Arnold is already talking about where we are going to go for a foot massage. I think in the past month we have already had 7-8 massages. haha Bali was actually even a bit cheaper then Thailand - imagine that.
That's one thing I wish we could get in Canada - I love, love, love getting my feet massaged. I plan on getting at least 6 more of them before we have to go home.
Love Melissa and Arnold
Mojitos and Sunsets
Every night in Gili we would head down the beach to watch the sunset. Some of the best sunsets we have seen on this trip so far. Since wine is typically not very good and expensive I decided to give a Mojito a shot - I have never really liked them, but my options were slim. Well I am now on the Mojito bandwagon - love, love love them. I think they make them a bit different then the traditional ones back home, but I will definitely be making these when I get home.
What better way to end your day then watching the sunset, drinking a mojito and relaxing after a hard day at the beach. ;)
mmm, doesn't that drink look soo good?
Horse and Cart
After spending some time in Ubud, we decided to make our way to the Gili Islands. Three Islands between Bali and Lombok. We had read about them and heard about them from a couple of people, so we decided to check it out. The first island is the big, main island and then you have a smaller island (which is apparently where the honeymooners go) and then you have the smallest island, Gili Air - the island we stayed on. There are dirt roads, no ATM's and regular power outages. But the best part about this island (well all three) is that there are no motorized vehicles - only a horse and cart. So to get to our bungalow from where we got dropped off by boat, we hopped onto a little cart pulled by a pony. It was hilarious and pretty bizarre.
It took about an hour to walk around the whole island - that's how small it was. We did the walk on our first day and saw signs that would say "we do laundry with sweet water". So of course we were laughing and wondering what "sweet water" was - we wanted to get us some of that water. Well we came to learn quite fast what it meant. Almost the whole island uses salt water - meaning all of our showers while we were there were in salt water. Which is pretty weird - you don't really feel clean. I think only a couple of places offer "sweet water" showers. And getting a hot shower can be a challenge too, but it was well worth it.
Gili Air was amazing!! It took a bit of time to get into the rhythm, but once you get it, you don't want to leave. It is so relaxing - you just hang out by the ocean and read. No internet (unless you go looking for it), no TV and no stress. We would wake up every morning and have breakfast right by the ocean. What more could you ask for. Great people and a great vibe. We will definitely be going back.
Love Melissa and Arnold
Wow, I'm going all out with pics now haha...
It took about an hour to walk around the whole island - that's how small it was. We did the walk on our first day and saw signs that would say "we do laundry with sweet water". So of course we were laughing and wondering what "sweet water" was - we wanted to get us some of that water. Well we came to learn quite fast what it meant. Almost the whole island uses salt water - meaning all of our showers while we were there were in salt water. Which is pretty weird - you don't really feel clean. I think only a couple of places offer "sweet water" showers. And getting a hot shower can be a challenge too, but it was well worth it.
Gili Air was amazing!! It took a bit of time to get into the rhythm, but once you get it, you don't want to leave. It is so relaxing - you just hang out by the ocean and read. No internet (unless you go looking for it), no TV and no stress. We would wake up every morning and have breakfast right by the ocean. What more could you ask for. Great people and a great vibe. We will definitely be going back.
Love Melissa and Arnold
Wow, I'm going all out with pics now haha...
Sunday, August 7, 2011
Some pictures that we found funny
wow, I'm really taking going to town with the pictures. Guess I have to do it while I can...
Never can be too safe, right? haha Life jackets on land
This picture kills us every time we see it. Happy Bride, sad groom. I think Arnold wants this shirt
Okay, I know, we are being childish, but it was soo funny. I guess the part that I found funny was - how do they police that??
And by far, the BEST picture we have hahahahah .... this was the info booklet that they gave out to us for the Indonesian show we saw last week. We felt like we should have told them
Okay, we will grow up now, but I hope we aren't the only ones that found those pics funny.
Love Melissa and Arnold
Pictures from India
As promised - thought I would upload some pics from India. This is by far the best wifi connection I have ever had on the trip, so the pics download pretty fast.
Have a couple more posts coming
Yep, cow alley ... sick haha
It was so hard to pick and I can't really see the pics that well when i'm picking ... but I hope you like them. I have so many, I wish I could show you guys them all.
Have a couple more posts coming
It was so hard to pick and I can't really see the pics that well when i'm picking ... but I hope you like them. I have so many, I wish I could show you guys them all.
Ferry Rides
While we were in Thailand and Indo, we needed to take ferries to get around to the islands near by. I never really had an issue with taking the boats to get around, until recently. If you want to torture me, put me on a boat in rough seas. I have decided that I HATE ferries and if I can get around taking them I will.
First bad ferry ride was in Thailand. We were taking a ferry to head to Ko Tao (about 1 1/2 hours) and our boat left right in the middle of what felt like a tropical storm. Okay, it wasn't really a tropical storm, but it was raining, windy and the seas were rough. I thought I was going to pass out. Our boat was moving in every direction possible - it was like being on a ride at Stampede. And this was a big boat - we were getting tossed around like a rag doll. I had to focus on the horizon otherwise I don't think I would have made it. But I survived and prayed for better weather on the way back.
After spending some time in Bali, we headed to some Islands just off the cost (about 1 1/2 hours away). This time it was a speed boat though - so much, much smaller then the ferries they use in Thailand (about 30 people per boat). I honestly never thought that this ferry ride would be bad, but it was the worst boat ride I have ever taken. I was terrified and trying to keep it together and trying to keep my breakfast down. I remember thinking that I could see why there was so many ferry accidents in Indo - it's crazy. We were crashing around in really rough seas. The worst part about it though, is that we had to take that same ferry back!!!
I was dreading it AND we were going to a different port this time, so we had to be on the boast for 2 1/2 hours this time. The first part of the ride wasn't too bad, not nearly as scary as the first one. But then it turned ugly. I honestly thought that the boat was going to tip on its side. And then the waves were so large that I was actually coming out of my seat. At one point, I let out a bit of a scream. haha I was so nervous. I kept looking at the life jackets getting ready to pull one down. (FYI this boat ride is now the worst boat ride I have taken)
I have come to realize that I am terrified of boats (unless they are on a calm lake) and don't plan on getting on one any time soon. Forget about a cruise ship as well. I'm done with boats for a while haha. I was too focused on holding on to my seat to take pictures, but believe me, it was really horrible. Arnold has a fear of flying and I have a fear of boats - good match, hey. LOL He would rather be on the seas and I would rather fly.
Love Melissa and Arnold
First bad ferry ride was in Thailand. We were taking a ferry to head to Ko Tao (about 1 1/2 hours) and our boat left right in the middle of what felt like a tropical storm. Okay, it wasn't really a tropical storm, but it was raining, windy and the seas were rough. I thought I was going to pass out. Our boat was moving in every direction possible - it was like being on a ride at Stampede. And this was a big boat - we were getting tossed around like a rag doll. I had to focus on the horizon otherwise I don't think I would have made it. But I survived and prayed for better weather on the way back.
After spending some time in Bali, we headed to some Islands just off the cost (about 1 1/2 hours away). This time it was a speed boat though - so much, much smaller then the ferries they use in Thailand (about 30 people per boat). I honestly never thought that this ferry ride would be bad, but it was the worst boat ride I have ever taken. I was terrified and trying to keep it together and trying to keep my breakfast down. I remember thinking that I could see why there was so many ferry accidents in Indo - it's crazy. We were crashing around in really rough seas. The worst part about it though, is that we had to take that same ferry back!!!
I was dreading it AND we were going to a different port this time, so we had to be on the boast for 2 1/2 hours this time. The first part of the ride wasn't too bad, not nearly as scary as the first one. But then it turned ugly. I honestly thought that the boat was going to tip on its side. And then the waves were so large that I was actually coming out of my seat. At one point, I let out a bit of a scream. haha I was so nervous. I kept looking at the life jackets getting ready to pull one down. (FYI this boat ride is now the worst boat ride I have taken)
I have come to realize that I am terrified of boats (unless they are on a calm lake) and don't plan on getting on one any time soon. Forget about a cruise ship as well. I'm done with boats for a while haha. I was too focused on holding on to my seat to take pictures, but believe me, it was really horrible. Arnold has a fear of flying and I have a fear of boats - good match, hey. LOL He would rather be on the seas and I would rather fly.
Love Melissa and Arnold
Ubud
The first place we decided to head to when we got to Bali. We had heard a lot of amazing things about this city, so it seemed like a pretty easy choice. Not really knowing what to expect, we jumped into a cab from the airport and made our way there.
Ubud is about an hour from the airport inland. It is really lush and green - very jungle like. We were totally blown away with Ubud. We actually wish we had more time to spend there. It is so BEAUTIFUL, but I think the big reason why we loved it so much was because of the people. The people there (an in Bali) are some of the nicest people we have met on this trip. I have fallen in love with them - we were both soo surprised by how sweet and friendly everyone was. Definitely made a pretty great first impression of the country. Since we had heard mixed reviews about Bali, we didn't really have high expectations, so Ubud was setting the bar high.
We spent 3 nights in Ubud going to markets, visiting the rice fields and relaxing in the city (or at our resort). The one night we went to see a traditional dance, which of course didn't disappoint. Since it was a bit in the hills, the weather was a lot cooler then by the beach, but I'm talking +29 vs +33 LOL.
On a quick side note about our resort, we had booked a spa appointment the one night and when we got there, they asked us if we could pose for a couple pictures to promote the spa. haha. It was pretty funny - Arnold had a good laugh about it. If they post the pictures I will send out the link so you can check out our super amazing modeling skills ;) haha.
Love Melissa and Arnold
Ubud is about an hour from the airport inland. It is really lush and green - very jungle like. We were totally blown away with Ubud. We actually wish we had more time to spend there. It is so BEAUTIFUL, but I think the big reason why we loved it so much was because of the people. The people there (an in Bali) are some of the nicest people we have met on this trip. I have fallen in love with them - we were both soo surprised by how sweet and friendly everyone was. Definitely made a pretty great first impression of the country. Since we had heard mixed reviews about Bali, we didn't really have high expectations, so Ubud was setting the bar high.
We spent 3 nights in Ubud going to markets, visiting the rice fields and relaxing in the city (or at our resort). The one night we went to see a traditional dance, which of course didn't disappoint. Since it was a bit in the hills, the weather was a lot cooler then by the beach, but I'm talking +29 vs +33 LOL.
On a quick side note about our resort, we had booked a spa appointment the one night and when we got there, they asked us if we could pose for a couple pictures to promote the spa. haha. It was pretty funny - Arnold had a good laugh about it. If they post the pictures I will send out the link so you can check out our super amazing modeling skills ;) haha.
Love Melissa and Arnold
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