what i think i like about Korea - take one

i never thought i'd say this, but:

1) bidets. there's nothing nicer on a freezing day than to pull down one's pants (and multiple layers of long underwear) and to plant the hiney on a nice, warm toilet seat. My workplace has one. So do nicer restaurants and retail establishments.

2) Anglicized Korean. in other words, the popular usage of English terms in the Korean language. actually, this is one of those things that really breaks my heart. sometimes I wonder if Korean vocabulary is on its way to extinction. instead of a nah-moo-jip (Korean for 'tree house"), these days you'll see it written out in Hangul as te-lee hah-woo-se.

but i did put this on the "what I think I like" list for a selfish reason. it's easier for me. for instance, when i first arrived in Seoul, i was trying to stock up on supplies. i picked up something pink wrapped in packaging, but couldn't figure out what it was. thank goodness for Anglicized Korean. the package was labeled in Hangul: sha-wuh tah-wul (shower towel). i bought it.

but aside from the convenience it bestows upon me (not having to learn Korean vocabulary), and that Koreans are "sorta" learning English in this manner, i really think this co-option of the Korean language is tragic.

3) technology. i think Koreans have Americans beat hands-down when it comes to technology. have you ever walked into a U.S. bank to open a new account and walked out with an ATM and/or credit card ready to use? none of this "it'll be in the mail in 7-10 business days" funny business. and if i want to pay rent, i can just go to an ATM and transfer funds into my landlord's bank account. just.. like.. that. or if i owe my friend some cash, same thing. easy as pie.

it also took me approximately 45 minutes to buy a cell phone. that's from walking in, picking out the phone i wanted, choosing and setting up my phone number, getting it activated on the desired plan, and walking out the door with a charged and activated brand new handset. it cost me 50,000W (less than $54) to buy a nice compact slide-open handset with a ton of features (MP3, Korean-English-Korean dictionary, schedule planner, games, camera, etc.).

4) being green. i love that most grocery and general merchandise stores charge you for shopping bags. in other words, BRING YOUR OWN. i also love that you can buy refills of laundry soap, shampoo, air freshener, etc. in plastic bags. i mean, the brand-name stuff like Dove, Pantene and Febreze. i've always been curious why we need brand new shampoo bottles every time we use up the previous batches. what a freaking waste.

5) lockers. everywhere. chicken or egg, not sure. but lockers everywhere mean that people are more mobile to travel by foot, bus and subway rather than feeling like they need their automobiles for portable storage.

6) dental hygiene. okay, this is might not be a Korea thing. it might be specific to the capital city, but it appears that people are avid brushers in Seoul. it is not uncommon to see people brushing their teeth after meals in restaurants, at the workplace, etc. i'm a huge fan of good dental hygiene, so this one makes the list.

on a different note, i saw "The Last Empress" this past weekend with Alan and Katelyn at the National Theater of Korea. it is a Korean musical about the... well, last empress of Korea. She is a historical figure who has gone through as much turmoil after death as in life, due to the much-divided sentiment of her role in Korean history. she has been both criticized and revered as being the real power behind the throne in the final years leading up the Japanese annexation.

the musical, while simplistic in its historical presentation (most likely for wider audience appeal), was a treat to watch from cultural and entertainment standpoints, incorporating singing, dancing, swordsmanship and acrobatics.

Alan, Katelyn and i are going to see another cultural performance next Thursday (27th) at Sejong Center of the Performing Arts: "Grand Presentation of Korean Traditional Dance". seeing as i have never seen a full-on professional Korean traditional dance performance, i'm super excited!

posts are a-comin'

i'm in an apartment of my own now. pictures, descriptions and further news will be coming next week.

meanwhile, this is a bookmark for updates:

1) i moved into an apartment
2) i'm working two jobs right now, about to be three
3) my apartment got broken into (the first full day i was there)
4) i'm going to travel again for 3 weeks to Thailand & Laos (leaving late January)
5) i'm most likely going to stay in Asia longer than originally planned

sleepy head

i like to document things while i travel. i keep a strict money diary (down to the cent), which tells me a ton of things: where i stayed, how i traveled, what i ate, what i saw, etc. so in my first installment of my money diary, i want to share how i slept each night - and what it cost me.

10 Oct: BEIJING/Elaine's apartment (on the college campus where she is teaching); Y0
11-12 Oct: BEIJING/Parents' apartment (owned by a church); Y0
13-14 Oct: BEIJING/Elaine's apartment; Y0
15-18 Oct: BEIJING/Parent's apartment; Y0
19 Oct: BEIJING-XI'AN/Overnight train (soft sleeper); Y405/2 (sleep + transport)
20-21 Oct: XI'AN/Hostel (private ensuite/shared bathroom); Y158 (x2)
22 Oct: XI'AN-CHONGQING/Overnight train (hard sleeper); Y191/2 (sleep + transport)
23-25 Oct: THREE GORGES/Cruise ship; US$350/3 (sleep+transport+tour fees)
26-28 Oct: SHANGHAI/Tram's apartment in Pudong; Y0
29-31 Oct: HANGZHOU/Hostel (4-bed female dorm room); Y50 (x3)
1-4 Nov: SHAOXING/Heng-Hartses' apartment (provided by the university where they are teaching); Y0
5-7 Nov: HONG KONG/Couch-surfed (floor of a couchsurfing host); Y0

total: Y764(US$101.87) + US$116.67 (1/3 of cruise) = US$218.54. not bad for a month's worth of sleeping!

twice during my trip, i stayed with strangers. the first time was in Shanghai, wherein i stayed with a younger sister (Tram) of a Seattle friend (Mai). i stayed there for three nights and was hosted graciously by Tram and her fiance, even though they were both super busy running the Chinese headquarters of the his family business and preparing for their wedding. (they were leaving for L.A. a few days after my departure.)

staying with Tram in Shanghai was a quite interesting affair. first of all, they live in a very fancy apartment a block away from what will be, for a few short weeks, the tallest building in the world (World Financial Center). to give you an idea on how fancy the place is, there are no key or code entry for the apartment - only fingerprint. secondly, there wasn't a spare bed - so i slept in the window alcove (that was comfortably cushioned) of their office. a unique arrangement for sure, but the cool thing was that i had a view of Pudong from my "bed".

my second round sleeping with a stranger was via Couch-Surfing. i got turned onto the idea when i got concerned about the guy who was subletting my apartment. i wanted to make sure that my departure in early October wasn't too late; that he had a place to stay in the meantime; perhaps like my former subletter, he was staying with friends. so i asked him if he was couchsurfing.

he answered, "no, but i did that in Europe!"

huh??

so couch surfing is a real thing - not just something you do with friends when you get in a fight with your parents or partner!

the basic idea is: you log onto a site, search for cities where people are offering up their couches (or in this case, a floor), contact the individual and ask to be hosted, and then sleep on a couch. the intention is to be an open community of hosts and guests - to be a host and to be hosted.

anticipating that Hong Kong would be both overwhelming and expensive, I decided to give it a shot while there. (i had the money to stay at a hostel - even a hotel, but i wanted to try this method of lodging.) So before i even left Seattle, i contacted a woman who was offering her floor. she had similar demographics as me: single, in her late 30s, social worker, living in a tiny apartment in the city. we emailed back and forth over the next few weeks (she was in Croatia traveling when i first contacted her), making plans for my arrival (which was always in flux since i wasn't traveling with an itinerary.)

despite some minor trepidation (it was my first time couch-surfing; it was her first time hosting) about inviting/staying with a stranger in a strange city, we hit it off splendidly. she was extremely accomodating (even taking some time off from work to host me). she got to practice her English with me, and i got to learn about/experience H.K. from a native's perspective. it was a wonderful experience, and i'm hooked to this cross-cultural exchange idea. moreover, lodging didn't cost me a thing! (i did treat her to a couple modest meals while we were out together, but the cost was significantly less than what i would've paid for lodging. anyway, i wouldn't have gotten, what was essentially, a native tour guide in the mix!) we are now Skype and Facebook friends too!

when i return to my own computer (i'm in a PC bahng right now), i'll post pictures of Fong and her lovely apartment. needless to say, couchsurfing was a resounding success!

static

apologies for the radio silence. i've been sick on and off since i was in Xi'an four weeks ago. it's taken a turn for the worse in the past few days, so writing is a mental chore.

thankfully, i went to the hospital this morning. i've been reassured that i'm not dying and that many drugs will help me get better. the hospital visit: about $16.50 (less than my Group Health co-pay); four different drugs: about $12.50 total.

China/Hong Kong trip

04-05 Oct: Seattle to Seoul
10 Oct: Seoul to Beijing
12 Oct: Tienanmen Square, Forbidden City, Wangfuxing
13 Oct: Walking tour of Central Beijing (with Elaine)
14 Oct: Walking tour of Back Lakes area; Beijing opera (with Elaine)
16 Oct: The Summer Palace
17 Oct: Happy Birthday, Elaine Magil!
18 Oct: Great Wall of China
19-20 Oct: Overnight train to Xi'an
21 Oct: Xi'An - Big Goose Pagoda; Muslim Quarter
22 Oct: Xi'An - Banpo Village; Terracotta Warriors; overnight train to Chongqing
23 Oct: Chongqing; board Yangtze River cruise boat "Three Kingdoms"
23-26 Oct: Yangtze River cruise (Chongqing - Yicheng)
26 Oct: Three Gorges Dam (Yicheng); bus to Wuhan; flight to Shanghai
27 Oct: Shanghai - The Bund; China Sex Culture Museum; Nanjing Road; Pudong
28 Oct: Shanghai - The French Concession; Renmin Park (People's Square); Shanghai Museum; Yu Gardens
29 Oct: Hangzhou - Leifeng Pagoda
30 Oct: Hangzhou - Biking; West Lake; Yellow Dragon Cave Park
31 Oct: Hangzhou - Biking; Lingyin Temple
01 Nov: Hangzhou - China National Tea Museum; train to Shaoxing
02 Nov: Walking tour of Shaoxing - Fushen Park; city square
03 Nov: Shaoxing - Orchid Pavilion; Canal boat ride; historic district walk; Night market
04 Nov: Shaoxing - KTV
05 Nov: Flight to Shenzhen; Light rail to Hong Kong; Victoria Peak/Tram
06 Nov: Hong Kong - Lantau Island; Po Lin Monastery; Night market
07 Nov: Hong Kong - Sai Kung
08 Nov: Hong Kong to Seoul