Made in Taiwan

Question: Why did the boy tie only one shoe lace on his new pair of shoes?

Answer: Because it said "Made in Taiwan"
Lame I know but I couldn't resist.

Mid September, many Asian countries celebrate Chusoek -  a holiday where they celebrate the return of their ancestors. They prepare lots of food and visit the graves of family members with their offerings.  The dates each year change according to the position of the moon. This year, the holiday fell perfectly on a Monday and Tuesday.  My school celebrated its birthday in the same week, so fortunately this resulted in the school giving me almost an entire week off school.

This gave me a great opportunity to travel again, this time to the Republic of China, Taiwan with my dear friend and colleague Catherine Stark from Ohio, USA.  Fortunately for Americans, their passports gives them access to visit many countries for up to 3 months without a visa, South African passport holders on the other hand, not so fortunate.  Armed with my tourist visa, we embarked on a short but adventurous journey.

Our first night was spent in Taipei, the capital city of Taiwan. We stayed at a hostel near a university area, good choice! Down the street, like any uni area, there is a bustling night life. We paid a visit to the Shida night market - which is the same as a day market but they generally open after lunch till late. This was a great place to do some affordable shopping and sample local cuisine.  Taiwan was my first exposure to Chinese culture and I was incredibly nervous, actually anxious at the thought of eating. Nevertheless I braved up and started slowly by sampling Dim Sum - its basically a small dumpling, usually bite size, stuffed with vegetable or meat. Very yummy, "so far so good" I tell myself. We walked around the market confused as to where to eat dinner, I know I'm hungry but my appetite keeps going and coming back because every once in a while this potent smell keeps hitting us yet no one else around seems to be disturbed by it. We later discovered their signature and firm favourite, 'stinky' tofu - it really stinks and they know and accept it, in fact I don't think they are offended by what we call it.

We decide against Subway and ventured into a traditional Taiwanese restaurant. Catherine ordered a bizarre soup with things floating and ended up only eating the tofu (not stinky) and sipping on the broth. I chose something that resembled a pork chop with vegetables and it wouldn't be Asia if it didn't come with complimentary rice.  I lost count how many times I asked if the meal in front of me was the same as the one I had pointed out on the picture.

On the second day we made our way to the beautiful National Palace Museum to see and learn about Taiwanese history, from weapons and pottery right through to religion. We enjoyed some herbal tea in cups smaller than shot glasses and our new favourite snack, Dim sum. We hopped onto a bus and after missing our stop found ourselves at the exciting and largest night market in Taipei City, Shilin Market. We were coerced into separating with our hard earned Taiwan Dollars shopping. We were not expecting Taiwan to have such amazing bargains so we were a bit unprepared but nevertheless did not leave empty handed. In the evening we boarded the superfast HSR (high speed rail) to Tainan, the 5th largest city and one of the cultural capitals of Taiwan, to explore the south and see how the old meets the new. We arrived safely and checked into Iris Tower, a well run backpackers where we felt right at home the moment we walked in.  We met some interesting characters including an Irish gentleman who was on a scholarship to study Chinese. We asked him to put his skills into practice by helping us find out what movies were showing at the cinema. Amongst other English movies showing, one was titled "Friends with benefits" starring Justin Timberlake. He humourously informed us that the direct translation in Chinese was "Friends never sleep".
The next day we took a city bus tour and visited many temples and historical sites including a museum which had an amazing restaurant where  we enjoyed German beer and ice-cream, anything to keep us cool from the scorching heat.  Being Chusoek, there were many festivities happening around the city. On one of our walks we were lured into watching a street performance we had stumbled upon. The costumes and make up were so elaborate we couldn't resist but eventually the language barrier proved to be too much.

The rest of our stay in Tainan was great and a visit to the night market did not disappoint. We enjoyed some local yet somewhat familiar cuisine and made friends along the way. Being a foreigner in Asia somehow promotes you to instant stardom without effort. Its not uncommon to have people ask to take a picture of you or with you. Catherine and I are convinced there is a website out there where our pictures are being posted under "photo with foreigner" - I have even imagined it to be a competition or race of some sort.

A smooth 4 hours on a slow train ride finds us back in the capital city.  We check into a different hostel this time and met 2 German guys. One tells us that he is currently working in Korea too and hours of conversation began, exchanging ideas of his intention to open an authentic Italian restaurant in his town and our bizarre experiences living as foreigners in Korea. The following day was filled with lots of sightseeing, read: lots of walking.  The exquisite Longshan temple and Taiwan's pride and joy, Taipei 101- the 3rd tallest building in the world, even taller the Petronas Towers in Kuala Lampur, very impressive for a country so small.

A long commute to the last subway stop finds us in the suburb of Danshui. Here we enjoyed a beautiful sunset, something I had not enjoyed since I left the mother city. A lovely stroll along the riverside, some night shopping and refreshing drinks were order of the day. Before kissing Taiwan good bye,  I just had to pick up a souvenir or two and some postcards to send to loved ones.

A long with many fond memories, Taiwan will have a special place in my heart as the first place I truly experienced the life of a backpacker.  I learnt a lot of do's and do not's from Catherine who is far more experienced at this than me. One backpacking trip does not by any means qualify me as an expert. But I would, however, still love to share  some things (that may or may not be obvious to you) that I learnt about living 'out of a suitcase'.

Handy Tips

If, like myself, you are not spontaneous/risk taker or are traveling during peak season, it probably makes more sense to book your accommodation ahead of time, at least for the first night or 2. For me, arriving at the airport in a foreign country not knowing where I'm sleeping that night is far too daunting. I was more  flexible however with the rest of the trip which served us well as we decided to stay in Tainan longer than we had initially planned and didn't have to worry about canceling accommodation somewhere else. This is ideal if you don't have a set itinerary planned or are not sure what a place has to offer, it gives you more room to wiggle. If you decide not to book, have names and contact details of places you can consider on hand. Looking for accommodation while you are stressed out, hungry, battery on phone dying, public transportation almost finished running, is no picnic.

Only pack what you can carry (preferably on your back).  I personally tend to book early morning flights or late evening flights so that I can enjoy an entire day in a particular place as opposed to traveling during the day. But what I sometimes forget is that I get kicked out of the accommodation I'm staying at as early as 10am and find myself stuck with my baggage (literally) the whole day while trying to do some last minute sightseeing. Most safe, world class cities have lockers at main train/bus stations, you can store your luggage in the lockers for the day or  if logistically feasible, some hostels will let you store your bags with them even after check out and you can go pick them up before heading for the airport. If you are not so lucky, you will have to cart the luggage around and you will wish you would have packed lighter.

Choose a hostel with lockers for small valuables.  You may not have considered anything that is not jewelry valuable, but away from home your passport (and probably camera) are the most valuable items on you. If you are sharing a room with strangers, it is unwise to just sleep at night with your passport next to you.  Have your wits about you, not to say everyone is out to get you but there is a lot of crime around the world regarding identity theft, using your passport to enter into countries that certain nations are not allowed to etc. I don't think many of us can fathom the stress of losing a passport whilst in a foreign country but I can imagine it not being funny!

Free WiFi - as much as you are on holiday and probably need a break from everything and everyone, free internet is a must in my books. If not for Facebook and touching base with family, you can use it for searching travel information and making bookings. Money and time spent at or looking for internet cafes soon adds up and its not necessary if you choose a good hostel with WiFi in the first place.

Dont forget to make sure you have made arrangements if you are planning to check in or check out at an 'ungodly' hour, most neighbourhood hostels will not have 24 hr reception.

Finished a book you are reading? Apparently its an unsaid rule amongst the backpacking community that if the hostel has a book shelf with random reads, you may leave your book on the shelf and pick up another read to enjoy for the rest of your journey. The books on the shelf have been left by previous travelers for you to enjoy, so you can make a contribution (and benefit) too.

If you leave your 7 step beauty regime in the bathrooms, you are implying that all guests may use it. This however does not apply for food. In some hostels the common fridge has a shelf where you can put your things on with your name on it and then a common shelf where you can put something there for all to enjoy. Surprisingly, I found the shelf for sharing was fuller than the rest.

Everybody's experience will be different, no doubt, and you might not strike gold every time when choosing a hostel but doing a bit of homework is well worth it. Taiwan was awesome and I think a little piece of my heart got left behind. Maybe in the near future I will realise, I cannot live without that piece and will be left with no choice but to return. Thanks Catherine for an awesome time and great laughs.

Final thoughts:

When preparing to travel, lay out all your clothes and all your money. Then take half the clothes and twice the money" - Unknown

"We're all going on a summer holiday"

One of the best parts of leaving home to "work and travel" abroad is of course the traveling.  For the first time  in my life I think I finally comprehend what a "summer vacation" is all about. I recently had the privilege to, with my friend Raquel, go on a Real summer vacation to Thailand and Cambodia for 2 weeks.  We experienced many emotions before, during and after the holiday including but not limited to excitement, stress and "thats why travel agents still have jobs" moments.

Our trip started with a 4 hour bus ride from our "Colourful" Daegu to Inchoen Airport. We were immediately blessed with an opening on the flight almost 2 hours earlier than the one we were actually checking in for. A pit stop at Starbucks for my morning fix and off we went.  Our flight was not "smooth as silk" as promised by the airline but the Thai green curry served quickly made me forget my woes.  Upon landing, our big smiles upgraded us to "diplomatic status" and we were swiftly guided to passport control where there was no waiting. Sawadika, we have arrived! After checking in to our accommodation, we hit the road running to check out the organised, yet at the same time chaotic, Bangkok.

Day 1 Sukhumvit
This is a major street shopping district, with restaurants (representing every country in the world) bars and nightlife. They sell anything from key rings, Sharks boxer shorts and Ray bans, to tasers and performance enhancement drugs (and I'm not talking about the ones for athletes).

Day 2 Rocky boat ride & Grand Palace
We took an incredibly 'dangerous but definitely worth it' boat ride and really got to see the heart of the city- not for the fainthearted but highly recommended.
First time on a Tuk-Tuk and all I have to say is: the system works.
The Grand Palace was beautiful and nothing short of 'blinging'. I had to purchase a surrong outside the gates to avoid the long queue of people waiting to "borrow" clothes to appropriately cover themselves. Men no shorts, Women no leggings or tank tops- you have been warned.

Day 3 Travel to Phnom Penh
Tuk tuk vs the motorbike - adventurous ride either way, the choice is yours.  Cambodians sure do know how to make a car seem redundant. A family of 5 on one motorbike - seems so surreal, doesn't it?

Lounged in and by the pool of Imprevu Bungalows and the temperature of the water was just right. We enjoyed a good piece of steak for the first time since we left home (read 6 months). I didn't know I liked steak until I couldn't have it for so long.

Day 4 Sightseeing in Phnom Penh
Woke up and noticed bottled water in the bathroom and only then figured out that the water was for us to brush our teeth with. This is after we had already done so with tap water the night before, we were relieved not to have woken up with our teeth next to us.
Mr Bora - our faithful tuk-tuk driver was there before I could swallow my breakfast. He took us to the main attractions of the capital city which included their version of the Holocaust called the Killing fields , incredibly sad but very informative. We didn't have the courage to see the prison but I can tell you the Khmer people have a difficult past. We also swung by the Royal Palace and National Museum, all the while Mr Bora waited patiently at the gates at each and everyone of them while we were sightseeing. Ended the day with shopping at the Russian Market with bargains at a steal. Mr Bora treated us like royalty! Hiring a tuk-tuk for the day is the way to go. Meet the man himself.

Day 5 To Angkor Whaaaat?
A relatively bumpy ride to Siem Reap but handsomely rewarded with a great hotel with friendly staff, good service and our secret indulgence - WiFi.
Quad biking through the rice paddies and seeing how the locals live. The Sunset tour quickly became a storm and thats when all the fun began. The sandy roads became muddy and sludgy.  Some of the bikes in our group got stuck in the mud but yours truly safely maneuvered her way without a glitch. Raquel, played the daring role of photographer supreme to capture the moments on the back of a bumpy ride. The day ended with the bubbles of the jacuzzi rewarding us for a job well done.

Day 6 Bayon Temples, Tomb Raider and the majestic Angkor Wat
We spared no expense on this one and got a recommended, fluent in English, tour guide and chauffeur to drive us around in an air-conditioned car which sure came in handy as the sun started doing its thing.
The temples were gorgeous and our dear tour guide Mr Som doubled as a photographer, telling us exactly how to pose for the camera.
We enjoyed a lovely dinner outdoors and bargain hunting at the night market. A $1 foot massage was in order and we were humoured by our masseuse who, in conversation, confidently said her son was 2 and her daughter was 6  o'clock - of course meaning 6 years old. She quickly corrected herself and we all had a good time laughing.

Day 7 Return to Bangkok
We were incredibly blessed to literally have door to door service from our hotel in Cambodia, across the border to our hotel in Thailand. My friend, Laurentia, calls this a Godincidence. The bus picked us up from our hotel at 8am, picking up along the way other travelers making their way to Bangkok. Road tripping, meeting a funny Italian who owns a candy shop and Muay Thai school in Sicily, to waiting to be stamped out, lurking in no mans land, stamped into Thailand and finally 10 hours later our mini bus was conveniently parked outside our hotel near Khaosan Road.

Day 8 Exploring Khaosan Road and Chatuchak Weekend Market
We found ourselves coerced into a "You scratch my back, I scratch yours" situation. Let me explain. The tuk-tuk drivers have an agreement with certain tailors and jewelry stores (which we were in no way interested in) that if they do a pitstop by their stores and entice us to look around, they would get a coupon from the store to fill up their tuk-tuks with petrol. Why didn't we refuse you ask? Well it turns out, if we do not make the pitstop at the tailors, we pay 10 times more for the ride to our destination than if we just go into the store and allow our guy to get his coupon, so we opted for the latter. Luckily it is not compulsory for us to buy, so we took a quick snoop around, our guy got his coupon and everyone was happy.
The afternoon showers almost dampened our hopes for the Chatuchak market but patience served us well. More bargain hunting and in case you over do it with the spending, there are shipping companies on stand by so you can make your purchases and have them delivered to your home country- talk about service. MBK mall for more shopping where Raquel found herself singing waka waka for a discount. By the end of it, we deduced that some people may be under the notion that Shakira is South African, nevertheless I digress. Khaosan road is bustling with music, great food and all sorts of antics. Foreigners feel right at home here and the delicious Chicken Korma at the indian restaurant around the corner from our hotel had something to do with that homey feel.

Day 9 Last day in Bangkok
Our plans went off the railroad track a bit but all ended well. We were supposed to be on an overnight sleeper train to Phuket the night before but because we did not prebook we found ourselves homeless. But with every cloud, there is always a silver lining, another night in Bangkok. We checked into a "never to return" type hotel to just put our heads down for the night. This is the part of the trip I'd prefer not to remember.  The place was in plain and simple terms, DODGY.

Day 10 To Ko Phi Phi and beyond
Relieved to be still alive, we had a wholesome breakfast and saw the last of Khaosan Road. Manicure and Pedicure were order of the day and I was glad to know my feet were not the worst they have seen.
After some pampering and good food, we made our way to the station to begin our long commute to Phiphi Island. Luxury bus overnight, not so luxury bus for a few hours to the pier and lastly a ferry ride to the beautiful PhiPhi. First impressions: Its exactly like postcards and this comes from a place of being misled one too many times. The only way to our bungalows is a long walk from the pier or by a fisherman's boat.

Day 11 Exploring the Islands
Breakfast on the beach over looking turquoise waters and being only 20 steps from our room to the water, naturally meant spending the day swimming, all the while watching the boats take holiday makers on and off the island. The afternoon was spent on a group tour exploring the smaller islands including none other than the exquisite Maya Beach, the location for the movie The Beach with Leonardo di Caprio.  We also dabbled in some snorkeling which I took a liking for.  Please take note that hoisting yourself back into a boat from the water (as opposed to solid ground) is not a walk in the park.

Day 12 Phuket- Patong Beach
Breakfast at the beach just one more time, soaking it all in. A ferry ride to Phuket and lastly a minibus to our hotel at Patong Beach.  Delicious Mexican food to end a gorgeous summers day as the sun set over the horizon.
An attempt at exploring the night life left us with our jaws dropping. As our Irish travel buddy so aptly described it, Patong's night life is somewhat "Sleazy", although I would still say thats an understatement.

Day 13 Fantastic Fantasea
Lounging around the beach while having fresh fruits and drinks served to you is my kind of day. In the evening we were transported to the enchanting elephant show, Fantasea, which brings out the child in you and makes you feel like you are in the middle of a fairy tale. A perfect way to end a summer vacation.

Day 14 Return to the ROK (Republic of Korea)
All good things come to an end and although much fun was had by all, living out of a suitcase is not really sustainable living. This was an incredible experience with a great travel companion - thanks my friend, we can definitely do this again. Im so grateful to God for this wonderful and eye-opening adventure. To end with the famous words we have all heard too often: "Vacation is over, now back to work!"

Final Thoughts:

"No man needs a vacation so much as the person who has just had one." Elbert Hubbard

Halfway There!

A week ago today, I finished my first semester as a Guest English Teacher in Asia and already feel like I have a lifetime of memories. There have been some weird and wonderful moments. I have met some amazing people, tasted interesting foods and experienced a whole new way of life. Today I want to share with you some of the random highlights, in no particular order, that may not be big or bold to you, but have certainly been imprinted in my mind.

Here goes:

Sharing pavement with cars - As my dear friend Keke aptly put it, Korea does not have road rules, just guidelines. It is not uncommon to walk on the pavement but feel as unsafe as standing in the middle of the N1 wearing all black at night.

Weird compliments - "You have a nice forehead", Oh ok, thanks - I guess.

In Korea, you don't go window shopping but you do go "eye shopping"

The 3 in 1 bathroom - Simply put, your bathroom has a toilet, a basin but no shower. The shower head is attached to the wall and your entire bathroom becomes the actual shower. At first, this didn't make sense, but for a country so strapped for space, I now realise its ingenious and you never have to mop the floor.

Visiting the capital city, Seoul which has a population larger than New York, to date the biggest city I have travelled to.

Hillsong (Aftermath) Worship Night in Seoul

Eating French Fries with chopsticks

Rice served at every meal!

My first 4D Movie

Accepting that the funny emails that were sent around the office about bad spelling or the incorrect use of English on billboards in foreign countries are quite possibly true. At orientation, the door to the fire escape of the university residence we were staying in had a sign boldly put up. From that moment, I realised our work as English teachers was cut out for us.

Watching the first of many Cirque de Soleil (Verakai) shows- following all of them around the world has suddenly crept into my bucket list.

Realising that there is no such thing as "Ching Chong Cha" (Rock, Paper, Scissors). Students use it all the time to make life changing decisions. I always assumed "Ching Chong Cha" is from the far east, possibly China, but if they don't even say it in Asia, I don't know where we all got it from.

T-shirts with sayings that don't make sense. One of the T-shirts I bought here says,

I have a classic car

Classic Car driver

My life is classic car

The answer to every question is preceded with a maybe.
Foreigner: "Can I leave early this afternoon, I need to go to the  bank to sort out a few things?"
Korean: "Maybe, yes, maybe"
Foreigner: ??????

South African: Ek is lis for some pap and vleis
Westerner: What is Pap? How would you describe it?
Keke: (with no hesitation) Its like a white cloud
Westerner: Wow, I cant wait to visit South Africa, so I can taste the cloud meal

Creativity of students:
Q: The part of the body where you wear a watch
A: Hand neck
Q:What is the difference between which and witch
A: The other one is a "bad grandma"
Q: If a dentist is a doctor for teeth, what is an eye doctor?
A: An Eyetist
                                    
And lastly embracing my new title: "Teacher Phumi"

Quitting a great job of four years, leaving a comfortable lifestyle in a great city, friends and family and parting from my best friend and soul mate to make one of my many dreams (of working and travelling abroad) come true, was not the easiest decision to make but it sure has been the best.  Thank you to everyone who helped and supported my decision to come here. Thank you for the skype dates, emails and Facebook messages that make me feel ironically closer to home than ever before.  I am truly grateful.

Final Thoughts:

"To travel is to discover that everyone is wrong about other countries." - Aldous Huxley