Thailand Redemption

Unable to erase the horrors of the last 48 hours, we settled on staying in Bangkok for a day or 2. There was no way any of us were getting on another bus or train. Luckily for us, things finally started to turn in the right direction.

We started off well rested, since we we're finally allowed to sleep, and wandered around the city without a plan. The idea of playing with a tiger still lingered in our minds. So we attempted to find Tiger Temple, only to find that it wasn't near where were staying. Sadly, no tigers in Thailand for us.  The Tiger Temple was too far and we missed the zoo in Phuket by minutes. With that idea down the drain, we plotted our next plan of action. What would you expect to do in while on vacation in Bangkok? If you said "go see Harry Potter", then you would be correct. We went to the theater and bought our Imax theater tickets for around 9 dollars for the evening showing.

In the meantime, we decided on seeing a few temples- because that actually made sense. We took a boat taxi down the river and our first stop was at Wat Pho- the Temple of the Reclining Buddha. It's a massive Buddha on it's side. It was amazing to see, but not much time was necessary. We shopped around for souvenirs and came across a cute mom and pop shop. After Becky bought half of the store, they gave us good luck charms to carry on with us. Then back on the boat it was. Our next stop was Wat Arun - the Temple of the Dawn. It was unlike other temples I had seen before. It was a nice change of pace from the usual. We walked around taking in the sights, taking silly photos, and occasionally stalking monks. It was getting late, so back to the theater we went. 

We ended our evening with a good movie and too much popcorn. Couldn't have asked for a better, more relaxing day to put Thailand back in my good graces. Now on to Cambodia, hopefully we'll make it past the border this time! Stay tuned...

Peace & Love,
Elissa Rae

Bad Luck Gabe

It all started on Wednesday night. 

We were anxiously awaiting for the arrival of our friend, Gabe Kim. We had no way of knowing the bad luck she would bring. The signs were all there; Within 30 minutes of her arrival, we discovered the bus driver gave her the wrong bag, Becky was suffering from dehydration, and I had a bad case of sun poisoning. But that was only the beginning.

Without any sleep, we headed towards the Laos border. We purchased tickets for Vientiane, only to discover around 8 p.m. that we were lied to. Our tickets only got us to Udon Thani and there were no more buses until morning, leaving us stranded in the middle of nowhere. Exhausted and hungry, we found our way to the nearest restaurant, Fuzzy Ken’s. We ordered 3 bowls of beef stew, which took 15 minutes to microwave EACH - there was only 1. As for the “cheeseburger”, there was no burger, no cheese, and stale bread. I’ve had sliced ham thicker than this burger. Old Ken couldn’t even remember 3 bowls of stew- the easiest order ever. He came back to ask us what we ordered at least 5 times. 

After walking home through a parade of cockroaches, we got ready to wake up at 4 a.m. to catch the first bus to the border. The 4 o’clock bus arrived at... wait for it....7:30. Once we got to the border, we went to the VISA office to find out that Canadian VISAs take hours to process (thanks Gabe). Once across the border, it would take a few more hours to reach our water tubing destination in Vang Vieng. To top it off, it would be raining for the next several days, making tubing impossible anyway. We decided to cut our loses and head back to Bangkok. It couldn’t get much worst. Right?

After he refused to pay the inflated price her tuk tuk driver was demanding, he threatened to call the police. Thankfully, our driver came to the rescue and revealed the true price.  Eager to get back to Bangkok, we discovered the only bus had holes in the seats, screeching chairs, and falling cushions. It also came with an evil bus witch. Every time we tried to sleep, she came back and yelled at us. Apparently sleeping, unless completely upright, is not permitted. At the first stop, we tried to transfer to a luxury bus. After unloading our bags and sprinting to catch the bus, we came realize we had been deceived: it was no better. We made our way back on the our original bus. 

We were stuck on a bus for 48 hours going nowhere with bad food that Becky wouldn’t even eat, her toe possibly broken, and to top it off, and alcohol free Thailand for the next two days thanks to Buddha’s Day... NOW how will we erase the memory of these horrors???

 We'll see what happens next. Stay tuned...

Peace & Love,
Elissa Rae

RUN, It's Godzilla! No, It's Just Louie

Having a pet in Korea is a little different than at home. At home, big dogs are popular and it's common for families to have more than one. In fact, my family has 2 dogs- 3 if you count my rabbit that thinks he's a dog. The newest addition is King Louie- my toy poodle. But beware, he is one terrifying pooch. Or so most Koreans think...

The King is one happy camper when we go on our daily walk. He doesn't bark or jump, he is only focused on getting to the park and chasing birds. People love to whistle at Louie and call him over, but when he goes within inches of them they start shrieking and screaming.  They actually look surprised that a puppy would come to them when they bend down to the ground and clap their hands. It's like they're seeing Godzilla...  at less than 8 lb., it's hilarious that Louie can make grown men run screaming.   

Beware...

Peace & Love,
Elissa Rae

How Do You Say 'Alcoholic'

Only in Korea can they drink like a fish every night of the week until the early hours of the morning, but still make it to work on time and do it fashionably in high heels. 

In Korean there is no word for 'alcoholic' because it is already synonymous with it. Drinking is just a part of everyday life. In fact, just the other day I heard a loud screeching noise late at night. Normally, I wouldn't pay any attention to it being that I hear drunk people screaming from my 6th floor window on a nightly basis. But this seemed different. So King Louie and I rushed over to the window. And lo and behold, man down! A taxi driver hit a drunk man who was crossing a busy road not at a crosswalk. That's not even the surprising part. After hitting a man, basic instinct would be to get out and make sure he's alright, right? Wrong! The driver and passengers just sat in the taxi for nearly 10 minutes without moving. Almost as if they were  waiting for the man to move out of their way. Eventually the cops came and helped the man out of harms way from the taxi drivers of Korea. But only to return to the crime scene to check out the bumper. It appeared as though they saw the damage, nodded their heads, and everyone went about their business-Leaving the drunk man to find his own way home. No help for him!

Looks like he should call a cab since walking didn't seem to do him any good and at least if he's in a cab he can't get hit by one! Stay tuned...

Peace & Love,
Elissa Rae

Bottoms Up Beijing ((blog & video))

  

Last week I got the chance to hit up another country in Asia. This time, China!

After arriving at the airport, I was anxious to see my friend, but customs seemed to make sure the reunion waited a little bit longer. They didn't believe my passport was mine. After 5 minutes of staring, I gave them my ARC card that I use in Korea. Apparently that didn't look like me either. So after giving them a 3rd form of ID, they let me through. I found my friend and we booked to Beijing!

As soon as we checked in, we were out the door. First stop, happy hour at Hooters. It's been forever since I've heard of happy hour since no where in asia has ever heard of this concept. After relaxing and filling our stomachs, we wandered down to the Silk Market. Oddly enough, we bought pearls here and not at the Pearl Market... Deciding we did enough damage for one night, we thought why not go out. We were told to check out Hou Hai and so we did. This was a great place. It was a huge lake with shops and restaurants around the entire thing. There were romantic restaurants with lights strung all around, bars with live music, and outside was one massive living room with couches everywhere. It seemed endless. It looked like a great place to spend the evening, but unfortunately for us, we got there late and everything seemed to be closing with a few exceptions. 

Saturday we woke up early, well early for me. (10 a.m.) First stop, Tiananmen Square followed by the Forbidden City. I was surprised that we had to go through security before entering the train station and the Square, but I guess you can never be too safe. The place was packed. We wandered around, stopping to try on silly hats and pose for pictures. It felt like we were celebrities for the day. Random Chinese people would ask to take pictures with us throughout the day. Why? Because they had never seen a foreigner before. So why not go along with it? While walking through the Forbidden City, you would expect to see very traditional sights, then BAM there's a basketball court and laundry hanging on the line. Guess they're moving to modern times. 

Next on our list was Chinatown. There was barely room to make it down the narrow, crowded streets. It was exactly what you would expect. Too many people, lots of strange foods on sticks, (like scorpions), and pushy salesmen. They would yell at you to buy things to a point where I thought at any given moment I wanted to punch one of them. Needless to say, we didn't spend too much time here. We trekked it to the Pearl Market next. Although we wandered around in the wrong direction for a while. We did some more damage then headed home for some R&R to prepare us for Bar Street later. Bar street was a blast. We met a lot of different foreigners from all over the globe and turned the place into one huge party. We stayed out all night and enjoyed live music, good company, and strange drinks, like bowl jobs. 

And how could we forget, The Great Wall of China. Safe to say, it was the worst taxi ride of my life. It a long ride, but we finally made it after 2 hours of traffic and getting car sick, up the wall we went, taxi driver and all. It was a perfect day and there was not a soul in sight. Although you can only walk around for so long before you get bored. 

We ended our trip with the a private concert from our taxi driver on the way to the airport. Beijing was a blast, but it's good to be home. Stay tuned...

Peace & Love,
Elissa Rae

Heaven is a Strange Place

When you think of heaven, would you think of megaphones, shoes, and lasers? I do now...

This weekend I went to Heaven in Gangnam for a friend's birthday. When I got there, I had no idea what I got myself into. From first glance, it's a trendy, upscale looking club. But once you're inside, it's another story.

 'Fanatics' are the only way to describe the people in this place. The dancing is insane. You see everything from guys with coordinated dances to guys with mini megaphones running around. The people weren't the only entertainment, there were three DJs that rotated on and off the stage. The back of the stage lifted up and it was on to the next one. It was like one massive turntable. Dramatic to say the least. The entertainment alone was worth the cover charge. 

As if a massive turntable and three DJs weren't enough, there were lasers shooting everywhere and what's a club without a confetti canon.  But wait that wasn't all! They started throwing things into the crowd. What would be a good idea for a club to give away? Shoes, obviously. Yes, you heard me right. Because throwing wedges into an audience blinded by bright lights makes perfect sense. 

Besides being blindsided by shoes, it was a fun night. Stay tuned...

Peace & Love,
Elissa Rae

No Margaritas For Me

May 5th = Cinco de Mayo, right? Wrong! In Korea, May 5th is Children's Day.  

When I first heard of Children's Day, I thought that it would be one of those 'holidays'. Wrong again! Children's Day is a national holiday. On Children's Day, schools and businesses close and beware of parks. They become a dangerous place to tread.  Bikes and baseballs flying everywhere just waiting to take you out. But of course, I still had to work. Classes were shorter, we played games, and watched music videos. Just another tough day at the office. I learned that there are even more k-pop boy bands. And our heated discussion for the day: who is better Big Bang vs. N'sync. 

The teachers had everything from bingo to tongue twisters for the kids. My personal favorite was the dancing. It seemed like every student knew at least one pop dance. At times, it looked like there was a pint-size boy band in front of the class. (Maybe they can show me some moves!)

Needless to say, it was an interesting day at work, but I prefer celebrating Cinco do Mayo with margaritas! Stay tuned...

Peace & Love,
Elissa Rae

Glasses Be Gone

Most kids are afraid of going to the dentist, but I've always been afraid of going to the eye doctor. If I can't read a clock without glasses, I definitely could not read an eye chart without glasses and one eye closed.

This past weekend, I went to The Dream Eye Center in Gangnam and had Lasek. The doctors were friendly and best of all, they spoke English. I found out this is a popular place for foreigners and pop singers who want to get lasek in Korea. Random combination, but I'll take that as a good sign. The procedure was quick and painless, minus a panic attack on my part. But I think that is normal for anyone who has to watch part of their cornea being scraped away and has a fear of the laser missing, resulting in going truly, black-out blind.  

I may have wandered around the subway at the wrong exit, nearly run into a pole, and missed a step or two, but I can finally read a clock! Stay tuned...

Peace & Love,
Elissa Rae

A Puppy so Hairy & Blossoms so Cherry

Only in Korea could you see more than 900 Cherry Blossom trees in one place. (Well, I guess Japan too, but I don't live in Japan.) This past weekend, I decided I wanted to see these 900 Cherry Blossom trees at 2 different festivals: Yeoido and Children Grand Park in Achasan.

First up was Yeoido.  It was the perfect day for a festival and we were not the only ones that took notice. It was a sight to see, but not what you're thinking. Yes the trees were beautiful, but the people were the real delight here. Everyone in Korea has a photography camera and with the camera comes the massive tripod that is as tall as me. I also loved the many people that thought riding a bike in mass crowds would be a good idea.  However, this was the perfect setting to take King Louie along for his first train ride and festival. He probably enjoyed the festival more than anyone else. He was in hay-heaven. His highness' favorite activity is rolling around in hay, basking in all his furry glory.  A puppy covered in hay apparently ='s a perfect picture opportunity. Overall, it was a beautiful day despite ending up with a dirty puppy.

On Sunday, we went to Children's Grand Park in Achasan. One word to describe this place: random.  Basketball courts, kids playing in fountains, an amusement park, and a zoo. I was taking in the Cherry Blossoms with the city in the background, when BOOM there's an elephant! Who would've thought. Just when you think you've seen it all, there's a botanical garden, a concert venue, and...mushroom houses??  I loved this park.  We bought crazy sunglasses and ran around googling at cute monkeys. (Although I could've done without the sunglasses leaving pink lipstick-looking stains on my face...)  And to top off a tiring day, Mexican food and margaritas! 

Stay tuned...

Peace & Love,
Elissa Rae

Scavenger Hunt Extravaganza ((video))

This past weekend we booked it to Bundang for a scavenger hunt.  If you're in the mood for a good laugh and to see people with little to no shame, this it the video for you! So grab some popcorn and be prepared to laugh! The video of all the teams is not far behind so enjoy the preview of our team for now! Stay tuned...

Peace & Love,
Elissa Rae

"Can you make a left on RED?"

To this day, my mother still mocks me for asking if you can make a left turn at a red light in the middle of the night. I saw it as, if it's 3 a.m. and no cars are in sight, that it would not be a big deal. Now that I'm not on the road, I finally found a country of like-minded people.


In Korea, a red light is merely a suggestion. If you ever find yourself in a taxi in Korea, don't be alarmed when the car doesn't slow down. But hey, on the bright side they do notify oncoming traffic that they are coming through by honking their horn - at least they are polite. 


Oh, and in case you didn't know, all the cool kids are pimpin' out their mopeds. I'm talkin' base speakers, neon lights, and ringtone horns. I'm sure the seats are heated too.  If you are one of the cool kids with a moped like this, not only can you ignore red lights, but you don't have to wait in traffic either. The sidewalks welcome you. It is common for bikes and mopeds to hop up on the sidewalk and take off down the street. Pedestrians, you thought the sidewalk was for you?


So mom, if you are ever in Korea, I would be happy to get a car to show you that you can make a left turn on a red light!  Stay tuned...

Peace & Love,
Elissa Rae

Itaewon Goes Irish, Sort Of

As you all know, this past week was St. Patrick's Day, the one time a year everyone is Irish and pretends to like ruby.  This year, we decided to try our luck in Gangnam and Itaewon, both hot spots for foreigners. We thought we would begin our Celtic quest in Gangnam at Dublin Tavern. Only to find out the cover was W50,000 a person and with a 1 p.m. start time, you can imagine the scene we saw.  On that note, we headed to Miller's Pub for some lady drink time with our festive attire and offensively bad Irish accents. 

On to Itaewon to find slightly less "Irish" drunkards. Who would've ever thought you'd hear those words in the same sentence! We went to Gecko's first and made some interesting friends, but decided on a pitt stop to Taco Bell.  After 2 crunchwrap supremes, nachos, and a taco, we followed the sound of English and Irish brawling down an alley to Wolfhounds. A few green beers, flying wigs, and witnessed table dancing later, we were Irished-out for the night. 


 On our way home we met the most interesting people of all. I now know the story behind St. Patrick thanks to a self-proclaimed rapper who also educated us on the "daddy sack". After parting ways with this particular gentleman, we continued to hear about the "daddy sack" the entire ride home thanks to an entertaining co-passenger. 


Oh the things you see on St. Patrick's Day! Don't forget to guard your "daddy sack". Stay tuned...

Peace & Love,
Elissa Rae

Lend a Hand to Japan

If you were shocked when you saw what happened in Japan last week, you were not the only one. Japan needs our help now more than ever. After this past week's devastating earthquake and tsunami, thousands of people have lost their homes, their lives, and many more still remain missing. This is a country that means a lot to me and has a lot of people has a lot of people that I care about. They are in a crisis and depending on what happens next at Fukushima nuclear plant, things may only get worse. Making a donation is the best way to be a friend and help those affected if you don't want to fly to Japan. My workplace is going to order these Salvation Army shirts to wear at work. There are other ways to support whether it's done financially, through prayer, buying sponsored t-shirts, etc.. I have listed a few sites below where you can go and make a contribution to the relief efforts.

1. Red Cross - People in the United States can text "REDCROSS" to 90999 to make a $10 donation. Also, people in Canada can text "REDCROSS" to 30333 to make a donation. 


2. International Medical Corps - Text "MED" to 80888 from any moblie phone to give a $10 donation or go to Internationalmedicalcorps.org to learn about other ways you can contribute. 


3. Operation USA - Along with an appeal for monetary donations, Operations USA has also announced efforts to collect bulk corporation donations of health care supplies. If you are interested in donating bulk medical items, visit OpUSA.org.


4. Global Giving - The Japan Earthquake ad Tsunami Relief Fund at GlobalGiving.org collects funds that will be given to a variety of relief organizations helping victims of the earthquake. It has already raised over $100,000.


5. Doctors Without Borders - Doctors Without Borders/Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF) is sending 2 three-person teams to Iwate and Miyagi prefectures in Japan. To learn more or to make a donation, visit Doctorswithoutborders.org. 


6. The Salvation Army -Text "JAPAN" or "QUAKE" to 80888 to make a $10 donation or visit SalvationArmyUSA.org. By phone: 1-800-SAL-ARMY -designate gift "Japan Earthquake/Tsunami" 


7. iTunes - Apple has created a simple donation page in iTunes that makes it simple to donate anywhere from $5 to $200 to the Red Cross with just a few clicks. 


8. Mercy Corps - is gathering donations for its overseas partner, Peace Winds Japan, which currently has personnel on the ground distributing emergency relief in Japan. 


9. Save The Children - The organization is currently organizing efforts and donations to it's Children's Emergency Fund will support outreach.

10. Twitter - Twitter has published a blog post asking people of the world to help with relief efforts. Here are some key hashtags to remember:
#Jishin: focuses around general earthquake information
#Anpi: a hashtag for the conformation of the safety of individuals or places
#Hinan: Evacuation information 
#311care: a hashtag regarding medical information for the victim
# PrayforJapan: a general hashtag for support and best wishes for the victims of the crisis.


Hopefully you're going to make a donation right now! Stay tuned...

Peace & Love,
Elissa Rae

Yoger Presso & a Poodle

Since moving to Korea, I've become an addict. What kind of addict you ask, a mint mocha latte drinking one. And where does a mint mocha latte addict in Pyeongchon get their fix? At Yoger Presso! 


I have not been much of a coffee drinker pre-Korea ( except for the occasional Starbucks run), but I've always liked the idea of a quaint coffee shop where you can just hangout; The perfect serenity spot to have 'you' time.  Now I feel like I live at Yoger Presso,a small cafe just across the street that is the perfect hangout spot to relax. Sad to say, I even go several times a day sometimes. I'll stop by to grab a cup to go on my way to the park with Louie in the early afternoon and go back to spend an evening there. 


You know it's bad when the proprietor knows your coffee order the instant you walk in. Not only does he know my order, (a hot mint mocha latte with lots of whipped cream on top) but he is well acquainted with my poodle. My poodle, King Louie I, has also become a regular at this spot. Louie has started taking the 'king' in his name literally as he bounds, without hesitation, up the narrow, wooden stairs to his usual spot overlooking the street below. If the spot is occupied, he unabashedly approaches, making it clear that he expects the lowly commoners to move. Like myself, King Louie has made a home out of quaint cafe.


 Well time to get some more caffeine in me, Yoger Presso and King Louie await! Stay tuned...


Peace & Love,
Elissa Rae

Hello Kitty in Hongdae

Everyone knows, but not necessarily understands my odd obsession with Hello Kitty. Yes, I know I am too old to be in love with a cartoon character, but that is beside the point. The fact of the matter is, I think Hello Kitty is adorable and she somewhat reminds me of when I was in Japan.


So this past weekend, a few of us decided to go coffee shop hopping and have a girls day out. That's right, coffee shop hopping, not bar hopping- I think that means I'm getting old... But anyway, I was obviously the most excited one in the group and my reaction as we walked down a small side street in the shopping district of Hongdae only made that clearer. After making the turn, you could immediately spot the cafe. You could spot it like a fluorescent hole in a wall. Everything else on the street was neutral toned and graffitied. Then you see this building that looks like an explosion of pink ribbons and bows. It is possibly the most adorable cafe I've ever seen. Even though it was a pink overdose, it seems like something you could picture in a fantasy world. It's the type of place I would imagine would exist if Hello Kitty was real and had her own city. It looks like a larger version of a doll house, with the addition of hundreds of stuffed cats.


However, after a short period of time spent there it does get a little obnoxious; Even I will admit that. We indulged in all kinds of sweets such as waffles, coffees, and cakes. It was quite a delight, but after an hour and a half we were definitely ready to be on our way and do some serious shopping. That's all the Hello Kitty I can handle for now! Stay tuned...


Peace & Love,
Elissa Rae