Naa Song Saan!

This past week while thoroughly enjoying my arrival back in Chiang Mai with my friends, I was also busy attempting (*key word*) to learn very basic Thai at Chiang Mai University.

The CMU TEFL course offered its attendees a week-long Thai language course on campus, which my peers and I were excited to attend, as we had been wandering around Thailand without any official linguistic guidance for weeks.

Walking in the door the first day, I was quite anxious (who isn't on the first day of any class?).  I had already attempted to learn a few phrases during my time abroad, and it just wasn't sticking.  I felt better when one of my classmates who has been living here and dating a Thai girl for over four years was only able to produce a few phrases with proper intonation, though he could understand far more of what was being spoken than the rest of us.

I've become unbelievably comfortable with looking crazy because of the language barrier I am currently living with.  Whenever a waitress or barista asks me something as simple as "Do you want a straw?" I simply smile at them and politely hand over my money.  They probably are starting to think that gingers are mutes or deaf.  I can't say that I've given them much reason to doubt that thought...

Surprise from a great friend back home that I received this week!

Between the complete indifference to comprehending Thai that I'd developed over my short time abroad and the understanding that I would never speak like a local, I had managed to keep my expectations for the class cynically "realistic".  I was extremely excited that my friends from the TEFL course would be joining me during the week, which meant I would at least have some familiar faces to giggle with while confusing words like "come" and "horse" - both pronounced maa, just with indecipherable tonal changes to an outsider.  "Waiter, horse here, please."  Yep, it was going to be an interesting week.

As karma would have it, I had a moment during my teaching in February that served as a good reminder of the value of students speaking in class even when they are unsure of pronunciation. Without taking risks, you would never get anywhere, and you would most certainly never learn a new language.

In the class I taught I was conducting a lesson about "What could we order in a cafe?" a student bravely raised her hand and said she "would like a snake with her coffee".  For a moment, I found myself thinking, "is that something you could actually order here?"  I had been going to the same coffee shop practically everyday, and hadn't noticed any serpent-filled lattes, but I usually was still half asleep when ordering - had I seriously missed this??  I had the student repeat it, and she insisted two or three more times that she wanted a snake, each time gaining the confidence that a language teacher loves to see in an otherwise quiet student.  Instead of being filled with pride, my brain went into overdrive bouncing between thoughts: "Ok self, what would she be trying to ask for in a cafe in the USA, definitely not a python", "Dear God, Nikki don't actually burst out laughing at this poor girl's snake request", "I should ask her which cafe she goes to, and stay away from there", and most appropriately for me "Nikki - she won't understand whatever sarcastic comment you're conjuring up, so just move on."  A few seconds of my face being seriously contorted in thought, I realized she meant to say snack.  This is one example from my month of teaching.  I think our teacher had about a thousand of these moments an hour with us.

Aom, our adorable and extremely patient teacher, has been teaching Thai courses to international students at CMU for years and insisted on wearing a microphone to ensure all six students heard her clearly.  Thailand is known as the Land of Smiles, and being true to her nationality, Aom never stopped smiling, and because of her positivity neither did we.  Between laughing as Aom asked us to repeat phrases (or at least try to) after her such as "What do you like to eat?", "Let's go on a walk together" and "Would you like to dance with a lady boy", she taught us many new facts about Thai culture that have explained certain aspects of daily life that we've seen in our time here, but not quite understood.

One of the many interesting things I've found by "Getting Lost"

For example, farangs, or foreigners, are always complaining that they get lost when they come to Thailand, even when they have asked for directions from a local.  It is also important to note here that while giving directions, whether they are correct or not, Thai locals have on the largest, most genuine smile you have ever seen, which automatically fills you with false sense of confidence in the information you've just received.  Aom explained to us that there actually are not words in Thai that are used for detailed directions like in English, nor do people usually give directions in Thai.  You can say go right, left, or straight, but when it comes to the directions we use such as "after the third light, veer right at the fork, turn left immediately, and then two blocks down the store will be on your right" it simply is lost in translation.  Aom tried to calm our disbelief by cooing "Naa song saan," which roughly translates to our ever-present "bless your heart" back home in the South (she said this about 300 times each lesson).  She continued.  "Why do you need to go to this place you are asking for?  If someone knows another place that is good, then maybe you should like the place they are suggesting instead."  Wait, seriously?

She continued on that "maybe someone's brother owns a nice cafe that you should visit or the person you're speaking with knows of a beautiful garden you should see that is closer than where you are going."  Yeah, maybe, Aom.  Or maybe I have to catch a flight at the airport, or go to a meeting, or maybe I am planning to meet a friend somewhere specific?!  She just laughed at our shocked expressions and told us "that is why you can not rush in Thailand; no one is ever on time, and that is ok.  If you keep asking for directions from locals you will never be able to leave because you will keep wandering around, but why would anyone want to leave?"  Good point, Aom.  

A few more things I've stumbled upon in Chiang Mai, Thailand

For those of you who know my quite frank disregard for timeliness (some would say my honest to God inability), you know what happiness this new lesson brought to me - I finally found a place where running into a friend or simply wanting to grab a coffee that would take at least 30 minutes to create (snake coffee takes an extra 5 minutes) would not only not be seen as rude or impolite, it was actually encouraged.  Have I mentioned that I love Thailand?

Computer Learning

Throughout the week, Aom employed slightly untraditional techniques for teaching us Thai such as making certain animal gestures while shouting how to say the different names that we might encounter at a market or on a menu - example, imagine growling like a bull and then loudly reciting "COW COW COW".  (Did I mention I checked my pride at the door when I passed through Immigrations upon my arrival to Thailand?)  We learned to count to ten by doing a line dance that would make my Texan friends cry.  And because of our extensive practice with the phrase "lady boy" we can now ask almost any statement regarding or potentially including this Thai speciality (if you don't know what a 'lady boy' is then I'm sorry to disappoint, but I won't be explaining it to you here; this blog is PG).


Without fail, everyday we made fun of one another (always prompted by Aom), endlessly laughed at ourselves, and shook our heads at Aom's Thai cultural fun (and equally as frustrating) facts.

By Friday, we left the class actually being able to recognize words, create the five Thai tones, and confidently attempt to string a few words together to fend for ourselves in the real world.  But no, I still don't know how to say "I don't need a straw, thanks."

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Cambodian Island Retreat: Koh Ta Kiev, Koh Rong, Koh Rong Samloem

After a few days in Siem Reap, I was excited to be heading for the islands in southern Cambodia. 

When Sean and I decided to head for the islands from the mainland, we had no idea what to expect nor any particular direction in mind. Luckily, he asked around at our hostel, and found three other guys who recommended and wanted to join us to Koh Ta Kiev.  

Arriving in Koh Ta Kiev

We set out for the island on a snorkeling tour, and after diving for the afternoon we convinced the captain to simply drop us off and leave us on the island.  

After hiking with our packs through the jungle for a bit, we found a treehouse bungalow for rent for the night.  Initially the bungalow wouldn't comfortably fit all five of us, but then after hanging two hammocks to accommodate for everyone, our week in secluded paradise began.

Sean and I hiking through through the island to our Treehouse

We initially agreed that two nights in this island paradise would be nice, but two quickly became six.  

Our Treehouse Bungalow Home

All I can say for those days and nights, which were absolutely lacking in any normal amenities (though there was minimal electricity and water), is that I couldn't have been happier.  

From the huge bonfires that the boys built on the beach to trekking to the Absinthe distillery (I thought that was only made in the West), the week was perfect.  Each day was dotted with swimming, fishing, new friends, endless card games, live music, laughter, reading on the cozy balcony, and just relaxing.  

On Wednesday afternoon, we heard that there was going to be a Full Moon Party on Koh Rong Samloem, a nearby island, the following Sunday.  Knowing that we all wanted to head that way, but at a loss for how our "island life" levels of motivation would ever allow us to coordinate such a migration, we decided to discuss logistics over dinner.  

We didn't want to make any hasty decisions.  We needed time to reflect and think about our options.  Suddenly, there was too much going on.  We decided to take the night and think. 

Then we re-discussed our options the next day. 

And the next. 

On Friday, after a busy day of making sure all of the hammocks would sufficiently support afternoon naps, someone received horrifying news - we might have gotten the Full Moon Party day wrong.  All this talk of planning for nothing!  Was the party Saturday or Sunday?!  No one knew. 

Frantically, we gathered the troops for a quick meeting.  

"Seriously, we don't want to miss it!" someone solemnly started.  "We really should go check this Full Moon party out!"  This was met with passionate cries of affirmation from the group. 

Then it was decided for the fourth, and final, unanimous time: yes, let's go tomorrow.  

Now that our week's biggest challenge was settled, we once again retreated to the shaded hammocks to relax after the stressful afternoon.  

Then on Saturday, we, along with two island additions to our travel family, mustered all of our strength, donned our backpacks, and headed back through the jungle to catch a boat to Sihanoukville.  From there, we got another boat to Koh Rong, where we arrived early Saturday evening.  

To say we were proud of our accomplishments was an understatement!  After we arrived, we set off down the beach to find a place to stay, and then began to celebrate our relocation.  

The Full Moon Party, which turned out to be on Sunday night, was extremely fun!  With our group and other travelers we met, we danced and partied the night away.  Before we knew it, the sun had risen and it was time to return to Koh Rong and finally rest.  

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You're Never Alone When Traveling Solo

I have backpacked alone before.  My first experience was a few days in Prague, Czech Republic and then in Kiev, Ukraine back in 2011, but I was only "on my own" for a few days before meeting up with friends.   I also studied in Buenos Aires, Argentina "alone", but with university classes and a host family I do not consider that leap of faith very extreme.

This March was my first "solo" trip that I had planned, or at least roughly sketched out during a break between classes one balmy afternoon in Chiang Mai last February.  Armed with the knowledge from an amazing new friend in Chiang Mai who had spent time in Cambodia, as well as the quick tips offered by a professor who had visited previously, I decided the month of my 26th birthday would be spent in Cambodia.  This would be my first trip "alone".

My Cambodian Map for the Journey

As I stared at my black and white print out of the country from the university library, I grabbed a pen and started writing Temple names, useful phrases, currency exchange rates and circling the major cities that I hoped to visit.

Ta Phrom Temple in Siem Reap

Although that one sheet of paper gave me the confidence necessary to leave my new Chiang Mai University family at the end of the month, I found that I didn't rely on it while traveling.  I again relied on the suggestions from new friends, bunk mates, and locals to make my itineraries, which usually changed as the day went on - always for the best.

Night Out at Angkor What? in Siem Reap

Whether it be on the side of the road while our bus driver decided to stop for a smoke break, or at a new hostel Happy Hour, I have met so many travelers that I cant say that I've been alone at any point yet.  

Fresh Crocodile at our First Cambodian BBQ

Traveling with little more than my backpack and open mind has allowed me to visit places that are definitely off the beaten track.

By taking small leaps of faith and being comfortable to explore new cities "alone" I have bumped into more like-minded travelers than I had ever expected.

Now - about 21 days, 8 boat rides, one attempted half marathon, 7 bus rides, one fake border, 3 islands, one Full Moon Party, at least 10 tuk tuks, a crocodile BBQ, 5 motorbike rides, 4 hostels, one treehouse, many new friends, and countless amazing memories later I can confidently say that those recommendations and tips, along with the advice and tidbits from fellow travelers has been spot on - Cambodia has been great!

Sunset in Paradise in Koh Ta Kiev

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Siem Reap: Angkor Wat & Bayon

One of the main tourist attractions in Cambodia, and throughout the entire region, is the Temple of Angkor Wat.  From the national beer, Angkor, to the flag with the temples as it's emblem, the temples are the national pride and joy, and for good reason: they are magnificent!

Angkor Wat Temple before Sunrise

The temples are considered one of the man made wonders of the modern world, and bear the scars that share both the glorious and, more recently, tragic national history of Cambodia. 

I think Cambodia wanted to make amends with me from my less-than-thrilling initial bus experience because when I came downstairs at 5:00 AM to leave for the temples, I was thrilled to see that another hostel goer was heading to the temples.  Mary, a fellow American traveling solo, was also planning to watch the sunrise over Angkor Wat so we decided to share a tuk tuk and the day together.  

Heading out of town, we started chatting and couldn't have gotten along better!  Mary had traveled throughout, and fallen in love with, South America (one of my all time favorite regions for those who aren't aware), and had great travel suggestions for me in South East Asia.  

We enjoyed the sunrise over Angkor Wat, exploring the expansive Buddhist and Hindu temples of the compounds, and endlessly chatting about life and traveling. Another highlight was touring the off limit areas with a local who helped us climb to the top of the Ta Prohm temple, which was used in the filming of Lara Croft: Tomb Raider.  We were enjoying our photo shoot when he suddenly hissed at us to jump down because the guards were coming. Turns out not even Angelina was allowed to be in that part...at least we had taken a few great pictures and seen the incredible views! 

After a few hours of exploring, we were ready to return to the hostel, but Cambodia had another surprise for us: a crocodile BBQ with our tuk tuk driver and a few locals from Siem Reap.

When he asked if we wanted any crocodile as we were leaving the temples, we initially thought he was either insane or having some very serious translation issues, but after playing a quick game of charades we realized he was inviting us to his friend's home for a feast.  One quick glance at our radiant smiles from the invitation, and he knew we were all in.  

We stopped to purchase lemongrass, coconuts, steamed rice and sweets so as not to arrive empty handed, and then we headed across town unsure of what we would find. 

Mary and I both were ecstatic that we were going to have the opportunity to experience the local culture and get to see a proper Cambodian home and BBQ.  

It was such a fun afternoon!  We enjoyed the delicious crocodile and local Angkor and Black Panther (continually reminding me of Anchorman) beers with the neighbors who came and went as they heard about the festivities.  We had a great time playing with the little ones, and they enjoyed taking hundreds of selfies and pictures of one another with our cameras and iPhones. 

All too soon, our afternoon came to an end and we said our goodbyes, hoping that the entirety of my time in Cambodia would be sprinkled with authentic experiences like this one. 

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Welcome to Cambodia

After deciding that Cambodia would be my first adventure within the region, I packed my backpack and jumped on a bus to begin my adventure. 

Initially, I had intended to travel throughout Cambodia and Vietnam during March, but as the days progressed I realized that it was an absurd idea, especially since I intended to savor my time on the road. 

I took a bus from Chiang Mai to Bangkok, then another bus from there to Poipet (see below), which is a small town on the border of Thailand and Cambodia.  The bus ride was quite animated and, for those of you who have traveled on a bus in South East Asia, witnessed a range of emotions from this traveling ginger.  Between the absurd number of passengers getting on and off, the irrational and all-too-frequent smoke breaks taken by the driver, the blaring Bollywood-esque film, the nonexistent air flow, and the (obviously expected) breakdown of the bus, I was not feeling very confident about my upcoming travels.  

The 28-hour adventure was speckled with moments of self doubt, but I decided to laugh at the ridiculousness of the situation instead of calling it quits after one day.  Before long, I had become friends with a Brit and two American passengers who also found themselves in similar mental states of delirious entertainment at the constant cultural confusion and general disorganization of the situation.   

After a few more hours of chatting with my compadres, we arrived at the border in Poipet.  After an interesting immigration experience involving a fake border, a marital proposition and paying the visa fee, as well as the expected bribe to the officers, I was finally in Cambodia! 

After my overwhelming experience there, I decided to see what other travelers thought of it.  Now usually I am not the biggest Lonely Planet fan, but I felt inclined to share their description of the place as "the armpit of Cambodia, notorious for its squalor, scams and sleaze" because it described my experience exactly.  If you're interested, I also found a pretty accurate YouTube video of the border crossing.  Although it's a few years old, it shows an accurate picture of what I saw, which was quite a mix of "old world" and "new world" Cambodia.

When I arrived in Siem Reap on Saturday evening, I was beyond thrilled to enjoy a cold beer at the hostel bar before heading for bed. Thank God and Buddha I made it in one piece!

Preah Promreath Pagoda in Siem Reap, Cambodia

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Chiang Mai University & TEFL

During the month of February, I was enrolled in a TEFL (Teaching English as a Foreign Language) course at the University of Chiang Mai in (you guessed it!) Chiang Mai, Thailand.  The TEFL certification is a popular one for those interested in teaching English abroad, though it is not an absolute requirement.  Because I was new to teaching, I was interested in enrolling in this course to gain a basic understanding for teaching English to speakers of other languages, as well as to begin my life as an ex-pat in Chiang Mai.

My TEFL class included English natives from all over the world, though I was the only American.  Everyone was from diverse professional backgrounds and had different goals in approaching teaching English, but we all quickly became friends, both inside the classroom and out.

TEFL Classmates & Professors

For the course, we had TEFL classes Monday through Friday with our professors, and then taught the English classes at the University's Language Institute in the afternoons and evenings three times each week. 

Our TEFL classes focused on the various techniques employed for teaching and learning a new language, lesson planning, and how to more clearly communicate using "teacher language" when managing a classroom.  

To assist the TEFL trainees with determining the age group that they would prefer to teach or work with in the future, CMU coordinated a "Young Learners" field trip to a local elementary school.  To say it was challenging is an understatement, but it gave us insight into a normal day in the life of a lower level English language teacher in a government school in Thailand.  

Making friends at the local school

It was a lot of fun to sing songs, play games, and shadow the elementary English teacher, but I don't know if I could have that much energy and enthusiasm in the classroom everyday - it was definitely exhausting!  The CMU Facebook page has more pictures from our trip.

Teaching at the Elementary School

Between the lesson planning for teaching English at CMU, studying and preparing for our own TEFL exams, and exploring Chiang Mai in general, the month flew by.  

Graduation Day with Richard, one of our TEFL professors

Before we knew it, we were wrapping up our time with our students and getting ready for our graduation from the course.  It was a great experience overall, and I will continue to keep in touch with my peers and professors from this course.

Me, Carol and Lozan (TEFL Trainees) with our CMU students

 The TEFL course at CMU also included a week-long Thai language course, which I will be taking the first week of April.  I think that learning Thai (or at least attempting) will allow me to reflect on my own teaching style developed from the CMU TEFL course, and will serve as a great reminder of the importance of patience, consistency and fun in the classroom.

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Around Chiang Mai

When I landed in Chiang Mai after my few weeks on the road (carrying most of my worldly possessions), I took a deep breath, unpacked my bags, and finally relaxed.  After all of the months I had spent wishing, hoping, and planning for this move, I had finally arrived in my new home.  It felt great.

Though this post won't do my exciting first month here justice, I wanted to share the highlights with everyone reading.  If you are connected with me on Facebook or Instagram, then these will look familiar, but I hope my notes give life to the stories behind the pictures.  

Jub and me at Doi Suthep

When I first arrived, I connected with a few ex-pats through CouchSurfing, which is a great site that connects travelers from all over the world.  I met Jub who had been in Chiang Mai for a few weeks, and offered to show me around.  One afternoon we rode his motorbike to Wat Phra That Doi Suthep, which is located on a mountain and offers a great view of Chiang Mai.  

Chiang Mai Flower Festival Display

After we went to the temple, we headed into the Old City to try and catch a glimpse of the popular Flower Festival.  We enjoyed the displays, and afterwards explored the food market set up nearby.  After sampling a few new Thai dishes, we watched a dance competition with incredibly talented Thai students.  They were competing to become back up dancers for a Thai pop star...or at least that is what we deducted from our attempted communication with locals.  After wards we visited a popular riverside restaurant that operates out of an old double decker bus for drinks and music.

In the driver's seat of a tuk tuk

Though they are not the form of transportation used by locals, no Thailand adventure would be complete without a ride on one of the infamous tuk tuks.  These auto rickshaws are the motorized version of the traditional pulled rickshaw or cycle rickshaw (shout out to Wikipedia for this definition).  I actually rode one in Cambodia before I rode one in Thailand.  This tuk tuk happened to be empty when we walked by, so Lolly and I took advantage of the photo opportunity!

This is me next to the first tiger I touched - I was in awe!

One of the more controversial trips I have made while in Chiang Mai was to the Tiger Kingdom.  Similar to the emotions evoked from zoos, many people feel that caging animals is wrong regardless of the way they are treated.  Regardless, one of Lolly's life long dreams was to pet a tiger and I was interested as well, so when I was Nek Nominated (an entirely different story!), we decided to take a trip to Tiger Kingdom. The tigers were healthy and extremely playful, and didn't seem to have been given any sedatives, which is a common abuse with organizations that allow for people to interact with tigers.  

As we entered the area with the incredible animals, I was immediately filled with awe.  Most of the tigers were running around and playfully fighting with one another, which reminded me of watching puppies play together - except that they could easily kill me.  Not quite the same thing.  My favorite moment was playing with the baby tigers - they were so cute!!  

Overall, we both enjoyed the afternoon and the trip.

View of the huts on the lake

One Sunday, Stevie, Lolly and I headed to the nearby Huay Tung Tao Lake to spend a lazy afternoon. We had lunch and relaxed in one of the small huts on the lakeside with an incredible view of the lake and mountains in the background.  We enjoyed the great weather and laying in the sun, but were glad to have the lake to cool off every now and then, as well. 

Stevie holding one of the colored chicks in Pai

The weekend of Valentine's Day also fell on a Buddhist holiday, which meant we had a three day weekend from our classes at Chiang Mai University.  We decided to head to Pai, a small mountain town, but popular destination for tourists and Thai locals, alike.  Luckily it is a quick three-hour bus ride from Chiang Mai, and although we had no reservations on this busy weekend we found an affordable riverside bungalow within an hour of our arrival.  

Headed back into Pai after the Hot Springs

The weekend getaway included a trip to the local hot springs (where we boiled eggs in the water), hiking to and swimming in a waterfall, amazing (and cheap!) Thai massages, briefly adopting a precious puppy near our guesthouse, sampling traditional Thai dishes, and enjoying Western breakfasts catering to the tourists like us.  

At the Hot Springs outside of Pai

It was a great getaway since we had been working diligently in our TEFL class, and refreshed us to finish the remaining half of our course.

Visit to the Chiang Mai Night Bazaar

 Another one of my favorite Chiang Mai outings was to the Night Bazaar.  We spent a few hours perusing the stalls that housed everything from clothes to spices.  It was difficult not to buy little treats and presents for friends back home, but knowing that I'd have to carry it with me for the months to come made the choice slightly easier.  Lolly and I decided to try a Fish Pedicure, which is where Doctor fish nibble the dead skin cells off of your feet, leaving your feet smooth, as would a pedicure. At first the feeling had me squirming and giggling, but after a few minutes it began to feel very soothing.  Embarrassingly, when I put my feet in the water the fish went crazy and all but left Lolly alone, they were probably quite full after my visit!

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Since I've Been Gone - Part 3: Korea

After Hawaii, my next stop took me to South Korea to visit my dear friend, Caitlin, who is teaching English in Chuncheon.  Caitlin has been there for about a year and a half, and was a great tour guide of Chuncheon and all of South Korea!

Enjoying Rice Wine at Dinner

On my first day, I got to see where Caitlin had been teaching, meet her students and get to know the lovely ladies she has been teaching with for the past few months.  One of my favorite stories about her experience was when one of the students called her Cake Land because they couldn't quite pronounce her name -  I still laugh out loud whenever I think about this or one of the many other stories she shared with me.  I'm sure teachers from everywhere could share similar experiences!   

On Saturday, we headed to the annual Hwacheon Sancheoneo Ice Festival - I definitely wasn't at the beach anymore!  Thankfully, Caitlin had extra winter apparel for this southern girl, and after meeting up with Caitlin's friends, we were off.

Our day began with ice fishing, where we were given rods that looked like fly swatters and no bait for the hooks.  Not quite the fishing I remember from growing up.  

Fishing Rod? I'm not convinced...

I got off to a rough start; for the first freezing fifteen minutes I didn't have so much as a nibble come to my line.  As I watched Caitlin successfully catch, then squeal at, a river trout, I didn't think that fishing was going to be "my thing".  

One of the older Korean women, who was some sort of fish-whisperer, saw my disheartened face and took pity on me by taking my arm and dragging me along the ice to a "better" fishing hole.  Going along with her, but not quite convinced of the potential success rate given my subpar tools and attitude, she enthusiastically pointed to a new spot and muttered something in Korean.  I guess it was a curse on the fish who passed my baitless hook because my luck changed immediately.  

Before I knew it, I had pulled three very angry trout out of the small hole in the ice.  The woman watched me for a few minutes, fine tuning my wrist-flipping technique and occasionally grunting or nodding approvingly, then walked back to her spot and continued to catch the remaining trout in the river.  When we were leaving, she had no less than 30 flopping fish in her bucket! 

Once everyone from our group caught our limit of 3 fish each, we brought them to the tents set up on the shore nearby and the locals grilled them to perfection for us, topping them with spices and sauces - it was delicious!

Inside the Ice Sculpture Exhibit

After fishing and our snack, we had a traditional Korean lunch, and then went to the Festival's Ice Sculpture Exhibit.  Famous sights from around the world were perfectly recreated in enormous blocks of ice, from Petra to the Pyramids.  There was even an ice slide for visitors to ride down; watching the little kids go down in groups was absolutely adorable.  The entire exhibit was incredible; I can't imagine how long it took to put together!

Caitlin Ice Sledding at the Festival

Now, not to dwarf my excitement from successfully ice fishing earlier in the day (all thanks to my new Korean friend), but my favorite memory from the Festival occurred at the end of the day - hand fishing for trout in the ice cold water.  It sounded fun enough, and with Caitlin already having experienced this activity at last year's festival, I had an excited audience - so why not?! 

One may say that stripping out of your multiple thermal layers into shorts and a t-shirt, or walking around without shoes or socks in the snow, or jumping into ice cold water to catch a fish with your hand might qualify for pretty legitimate "why nots", but let's be honest, who really cares about all of those silly logical reasons when your friend says "it'll be fun"....?  Immediately, I was obviously on board.  

The following few minutes were undoubtedly the coldest I've ever experienced.  Surrounded by mostly Korean men who found this annual plunge into the river water of substantial excitement, we (two others from our group decided it would be great fun, too) were told to put our feet in the water to "get used to it" before we jumped in.  In hindsight, I don't think that a fully matured polar bear would be able to "get used" to this temperature, not to mention some obviously delusional and lost southern peach.  

Another tidbit for those of you reading: once you jump into the water, the only way you are allowed out is to catch a fish with your bare, frozen hands (or if you freeze to death...kidding, sort of...).  Sounds easy enough, right?  After catching little more than fish scales on my hands from two sneaky fish that narrowly escaped my grasp within the first minute in the water, I finally put my game face on.  Within a few more seconds, I had spotted, grasped, and actually caught a trout!  The picture below captures one of the proudest and most surprising moments of my life; it was a great feeling, but not as incredible as the sauna we got to relax in after the event!  

Later that night we met up with Caitlin's friends for a delicious Korean dinner and then headed out to the stereotypical Asian Saturday night -- karaoke.  Contrary to popular belief, I am not a talented rapper, nor am I Mariah Carey.  Who knew?!  The night was very fun and a great way to end such an authentically Korean day.

Saturday Night Dinner

Another one of the highlights of my time in Korea with Caitlin included a day trip to the Joint Security Area (JSA) and Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) on the border between North and South Korea.  Our day began with a trip and tour of the Korean Museum in Seoul, which gave us a better understanding (and great refresher to what I thought I knew) of the regional history.  The museum was beautifully laid out and was a perfect way to begin our day.  

From the museum in Seoul, we headed to Imjingak, which is located just outside the DMZ.  There we saw the moving Bridge of the Freedom before we continued on to the JSA.

The entire day was educational, emotional and eye-opening to the past and current events between North and South Korea, as well as the involvement of so many other international actors.  I'm very glad that we were able to make this tour happen while I was visiting.

Later that week, we spent a slightly overcast, but very fun day in Seoul touring the Royal Palace & Museum and shopping a bit.  We visited a street market, underground mall, and even a three story H&M - we were in heaven!  Since there aren't many Western restaurants in Chuncheon, we took advantage of the diverse cuisine offerings of the capitol city and had a delicious Italian dinner - don't judge us!  

In front of the Royal Palace in Seoul

It was another bittersweet goodbye for me as I packed up in Chuncheon, but catching up with Caitlin and seeing Korea through a local's eyes was the perfect beginning of my Asian adventures!  I can't wait until she comes and I get to play tour guide!

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