Beach holidays are some of the easiest holidays to pack for. Really, the essentials, in my opinion, are sunscreen and a bathing suit. That's it. Two easy things to remember. So imagine my surprise when arriving on Koh Chang last week in the afternoon, excitedly opening my bag to dig out my beach stuff for the first of many swims, only to find that I had managed to pack my bathing suit top, but not the bottoms. Mortified, I quickly rationalized that it wasn't a problem, this was a beach resort, and as we drove in, I had noticed many shops selling beach essentials. And then I remembered I was in Thailand, land of the little lady.
Shopping for a bathing suit in Thailand (for me) involves the following situation, varying slightly store-to-store, but generally following a similar pattern of self-esteem deflation:
Me: Picking up a bathing suit. How much?
Clerk: 500 baht.
Me: Can you do 300 baht?
Clerk: No lady, you biggie size! More fabric!
Repeat this at least 5 times until I reach a breaking point of wanting to yell at the clerk (usually a woman) that I have already been on the beach, seen other people in their suits, and there is no way that you can call me biggie size. But, knowing the rant would just likely cause embarrassment on both our parts, and likely increase the suit to bitchy-biggie-size prices, I instead pay the clerk what she wants and under my breath hope that she someday balloons to twice her size.
In the end, the bathing suit I had to buy got a lot of use - the water and beach at Had Sai Khao were spectacular and I spent many blissful moments lazing about in the new beachwear, completely over-riding any negative experience I had in acquiring them. Also, I now have a fourth backup to the other bathing suits I already own - as long as I remember to pack them...;)
A couple of weeks ago, Jen posted an interesting blog entry idea that had the following instructions:
Leave me a comment saying, "Interview me". I will respond by asking you five questions. I get to pick the questions. You will update your own blog with the answers to the questions. You will include this explanation and an offer to interview someone else in the same post. When others comment asking to be interviewed, you will ask them five questions.
Cool! I'm game! So I wrote Jen a little comment saying to interview me, and she came up with the following questions. Enjoy! And if you want to do the same, leave me a message in my comments :)
1) What was the best thing about returning to Shanghai? The feeling of returning home. I lived in Shanghai for 18 months, which, since September 2004, is the longest I've stayed in one place.
2) What are your next top three travel destinations? Dreaming: Turkey, India, Egypt. Realistically: England (Great Britain), Spain, Prague.
3) Why do you like to knit? Really I don't, I'm just afraid of disappointing Jen because of all the time she's put in teaching me :P Just kidding, I love it! I love the tactility. I love the work-at-your-own-pace, work-anywhere nature of it. I would have taken up weaving, but it's difficult to pack a loom into many of the handbags I own. I love the surprising social nature of it. Never did I think I'd bond with an old Korean woman on the subway without speaking a lick of the language.
4) What's your favourite childhood memory? Christmas season, 1986, Goose Bay, Labrador. One evening, in the weeks leading up to Christmas, my parents sent us across the road to our neighbours, the Croteaus, to be babysat while they ran some last minute errands. The Croteaus had two children, Krista and David, who were me and my brothers ages respectively and our friends. When my parents called later that evening to have us come home, neither of us wanted to because we were caught up in playing. Mrs. Croteau gently insisted we go home, so my brother and I waddled our way across the street in our snowsuits probably grumbling the entire way. When we came through our back door and shed our outer layers, my Dad called from the living room to come talk to him for a sec, and still a little disgruntled that they had called us away from a great play date, I half-heartedly wandered into the living room. My dad was in his recliner, and pulling me to his side, I looked down and saw a little, furry, ginger coloured kitten sitting on his lap. At 7 years old, I had wanted a kitten for as long as I could remember, and now this was my first. We named her Ginger and she lived through a cross-country move to Victoria, a big bearded collie we added to our family named Barney (he liked to walk over her when she was sleeping and then collapse on top of her), another kitten named TC, and the general abundance of adoration I shed on her.
5) What is your favourite Noraebong song to sing? Oh Bla Di Oh Bla Da by the Beatles or Sweet Caroline by Neil Diamond. Everyone knows the tunes and most of the words, and they are some of the few songs where the melodic shouting I call singing is successfully masked as enthusiasm.
Happy 4706! Today is the first day of the Year of the Rat (brown, earth rat more specifically) according to the Chinese lunar calendar. Check out this site to see what the year holds for you! This is me, the Sheep/Goat (1979):
The rat year brings sheep romance that may be true love, but overall the year will seem less positive than what you may be used to. The year may see unhappiness in romantic relationships. Accepting your part in the disharmony will help to return happiness. In this area, your family may be part of the problem. A trip to a faraway land brings calm back to your love life, but beware of seeming to promise more than you are willing to give. Foolish decisions in the early part of the year can bring ill fortune for this cycle. Seek the advice of family and trusted friends before making hasty decisions about money or career. There are many opportunities but choosing the best path is important. The rat offers chances for learning and culture. Looking at the past or cultures that are different from your own may lead to knowledge that will bring success in personal and business ventures. Find a group that will offer you the chance to talk about these things. Travel to new places adds to the good fortune and gives you a chance to spend energy in growth instead of following roads that will lead to dead ends.
Hmmmm, luckily I don't put too much faith in horoscopes! Happy New Year everyone!
Happy Birthday to Me!
Last year this time, I was blacking out in a hotel room in Lhasa because of altitude sickness. This year, I find myself soaking up the sun on a quiet beach in Thailand - much more my ideal way of celebrating a birthday! Considering how rocky my 28th year started out, it settled down after that and ended up being chock-a-block of adventure and wonderful memories and expereinces. So, here's a little event summary of the year past with hopes that my 29th year (as scary as it is being the last one for this decade) brings me as much happiness. This year, I ...
Was stranded on a Tibetan ferry in the middle of the Yarlung Tsangpo River.
Cruised the Yangtze River before it became fully flooded by the Three Gorges Dam project.
Climbed Huangshan Mountain in Anhui Province, China.
Ordered a full meal in Chengdu, China without a lick of English...and got what I ordered!
Made a left-hand turn into traffic on my bike in Shanghai.
Had dinner with THE George Perry at M on the Bund in Shanghai.
Enjoyed pricey drinks and a spectacular view on the 88th floor of the Jin Mao Building.
Was a foster Mom to three furry bundles of joy through the SCAA: Trista, Annie and Zoe.
Surprised my Dad for his 60th birthday with my brother, in Halifax.
Completed my second teaching contract in Shanghai.
Hiked the Tiger Leaping Gorge over two days.
Ate yak products on more than one occasion.
Kayaked in Vang Vieng, Laos and capsized for the first time.
Learned to weave on a loom in Vientianne, Laos.
Trekked through Laotian jungle to have lunch surrounded by butterflies.
Was left humbled Cambodia's history and the strength of it's people to overcome.
Shared a hearty laugh with a raincoat vendor while stuck in a storm at Angkor Wat.
Weaved through traffic on the back on a moto-taxi in rush hour Ho Chi Min City traffic.
Put an rumoured home remedy to the test after being stung by a jellyfish in Mui Ne, Vietnam.
Rented a hotel room by the hour in Hoi An, Vietnam (it's not what it sounds like).
Stayed on a junk ship, kayaked and swam my way to bliss in Halong Bay.
Cruised the Li River on a bamboo raft in Yangshuo, China.
Returned to Canada with a ridiculously messed-up internal clock.
Drank martinis in Edmonton with some of my favourite people: My brother, Kate and Dave.
Met Jayden Miles Whitney for the first time and admired what a Mom Robyn is.
Marvelled at how the Keast kids have grown and wished they hadn't done so so fast.
Attended Folklorama for the first time after living in Winnipeg for 8 years.
Shared many a glass of wine with Matt (but at the same time, not enough)
Blushed at the stories of the incomparable Uncle Barry.
Spent too little time with my Mom and Dad on a whirlwind visit home.
Started a new contract in Seoul, Korea in September.
Learned to knit under the guidance of a very patient teacher, Jen.
Made a wonderful group of friends that I know I'll have for a lifetime.
Paid a visit to Kim Jong Il's neighbourhood.
Watched soldiers from the South and North have a staring contest in the DMZ.
Happily regretted the first ever Noraebang Sunday.
Experienced the most ridiculous Korean cookie swap: 10 people, 1 oven.
Celebrated a wonderful Christmas and was reminded of the generosity of others.
Returned to Shanghai during freak weather conditions that left many a traveller stranded.
Got away from it all, and started a new year on Koh Chang, Thailand.
Dr. Fish Cafe
(noun)
A Korean phenomenon where you pay under $10 for a snack, a drink (including beer!) and the experience of soaking your feet in large baths and have the dead skin eaten off by little fish. And it's an absolutely hoot!
The pre-washing.
The soaking.
Today being pay-day and also a late working day, I called up Sara and told her I didn't feel like cooking and asked if she wanted to meet for dinner. Twisting her rubber arm, she agreed to meet me at a restaurant in her building called Tudari: Skewer Food Restaurant. The pictures of Tudari's food have always looked so appetizing, and now that Sara has converted to flexitarianism, we decided to give the heavily meat influenced menu a go.
We ordered a couple of draft beer and a sampling platter. When it arrived, we knew it wasn't going to be enough food and ordered an additional plate of chicken skewers. Beyond chicken, we had no clue what we were ordering, but from the picture it just looked like chicken kebabs. The server added the item to our order, and while speaking in Korean, gestured to his arm.
Great! we thought, it's wings! We like wings. We nodded in approval and off he toddled to the kitchen.
When our skewer order arrived, we each picked up one and bit off a piece. Looking at each, we chewed slowly and swallowed even more slowly. Sara put the rest of her skewer down and pushed the plate away indicating her distaste. I persevered through my serving, trying to pinpoint why it was so familiar. And then it hit me.
The server hadn't been pointing to his arm. He had been pointing to his skin. We had ordered a plate of skewers that were nothing more than chicken skin grilled in a spicy sauce.
Ew.
Tickets have been booked.
Visa applications have been submitted.
Accommodation bookings are under way.
An attempt to figure our the Korean government website for multi-entry application is on hold for a day or two, but...
All this put together means I must be going on a holiday! Winter is slowly but surely turning me into a seasonal sloth, so on January 26th I'm heading back to Thailand for a dose of sun to recharge my batteries, and perhaps stopping off in Shanghai en route for a little retail therapy :)
Thailand and I have a love-hate relationship, so I'm interested in seeing how this visit goes. A day will be spent in Bangkok to get buses booked and to get a fill of street Pad Thai, but after that it's off along the North Coast to park my butt in a stretch of sand thats warm and sunny.
I'll send you a postcard...
I am a big fan of Jon Scieszka - ask me for a snappy rendition of "Viruses are Coming to Town" from his book Science Verse, and I will happily oblige. Love, love, LOVE his work - I have used it a number of times because kids are drawn to his language and sense of humor. All of his publications are fantastically clever and he started a great website called Guys Read to advance literacy among boys. A brilliant mind all-round.
Just recently, he was named the ambassador for children's literature (modeled on the U.K. Children's Laureate) in the United States that will give him a podium to further promote reading among young people. Very cool!
Roughly a year ago, Kyle posted this entry on his blog about his adventures with indoor skiing in Shanghai. The whole post is hilarious, but what will always stick out in my mind is his encounter with the people he dubs "The Glee Twins". The Glee Twins were two young girls who, in true Asian fashion, posed for a number of concept photos, the most memorable of which being the heart pose. When Sara and I read this post and saw the accompanying picture, we decided to make it our personal mission to spread the joy of the heart where ever we went.
Sara and I began to break out the heart for all photo opportunities, no matter how obscure, or how terrible we may have looked. Note this picture: taken after a 4 hour 'hike' through rivers and over rocks back in October. We both look HORRIBLE, but we're hearting, so the picture is fabulous.
People began to question our actions, and when we explained, were quick to jump on the bandwagon. Soon, hearting was happening everywhere and with everyone...
I try to heart with Richard on multiple occasions and eventually pulled something in my back because of the height difference (Richard is almost exactly 1 foot taller than me)...
...but it was just about finding the right position, like sitting down.
I became fond of hearting with married men, which caused
some name-calling from his wife...
...who consequently was left hanging by Sara when they tried to heart, despite being held at sword-point by an evil pirate. Sara has slightly more discriminate taste when it comes to who she will heart with...
...unless it's a heart threesome. Soon, all the hearting started to cause friction in the group. Richard started giving Jeff evil looks for getting birthday hearts when he didn't...
..and marriages were put to the test when I hearted with Jeff and then later in the same day with his wife, Jen. Whoops! Who thought a little photo pose could cause so much trouble?! The Glee Twins started something terrible! Who knows where hearting will take us in the new year?
I don't know how many times I've seen this video, but each and every time it makes me laugh out loud. I was having a pretty crummy day so I dug it out again and decided to share it with anyone else who also might be having a crummy day. Enjoy! And if it doesn't help with the days crumminess, keep in mind tomorrow is Saturday :)
