Taiwan 1: Arriving to Taipei (16. Jan. '18)

Arrival in Taiwan

Tuesday, 16. January 2018 at 11:00 . . . Goodbye Jeju.
12:15 (1 time zone back) . . . Hello Taiwan!

Moving to Korea this time, I had a layover in Taipei for 3 or 4 hours. I decided I needed to return for an extended visit.

Fortunately, I was able to this past week.

There are lots of pictures to share, so please bear with me.

Welcome to Taoyuan International Airport (not in Taipei, but very near to Taipei).

Wow, my compliments to the architect--and those who clean the floor.

Just in case you're wondering where you were.

Getting food at the airport

After getting through immigration and arrivals, getting an EasyCard, and buying a SIM card for 5 days of unlimited data, I needed to get rid of my hunger.

If you arrive in Terminal 1, go down one level, and you'll come to the food court (there's another in Terminal 2, but with different options). There, you'll have a plethora of choices. Below is an off-focus picture of mine.

My 1st meal in Taiwan--and completely vegetarian!

Where I got the vegetarian meal--Food Court of Terminal 1.

That meal was TWD 158/ USD 5.44

So vegetarians, Muslims, Jews, low-protein, and any others with other dietary restrictions . . . You CAN  find food you can eat here.

I don't eat pork or seafood (except for fish). 

I've learned that in East Asia, pork is a vegetable AND a seasoning. You will find pork everywhere, even in items that claim to be "vegetable." With that said, even I found plenty I can eat here.

I've been informed a couple of times how a food item did not have milk or eggs (ya hear that, vegans?).

I see Taipei indeed is the Foodie Captial of the World (this conclusion was after checking out the food at the night markets as well as the airport food courts).

Off to Taipei via Airport MRT

Fed and "full-filled," it was time to make my way to Taipei--and find my hostel. There are plenty of ways to get from the airport to Taipei.

I chose the MRT train line connecting the airport to Taipei Main Station.

I happened to have gotten into an Express MRT Train. Totally unplanned, yet just as welcomed.

Taking the Express Airport MRT from the airport to Taipei Main Station

A short video of the Express Airport MRT train.

Was this your idea of Taipei?

As you see below, this large city has space a large park.

Development never stops.

Inside an MRT station, at a platform.

Inside an MRT train.

It can get quite crowded--it got much worse.

My hostel was Taipei Livepal Hostel, about a 5 min. walk from Songshan Station (end of the Green Line/Line 3), Exit 3.

I reviewed it too. Just look for my title: "Cool, quiet, capsule-like experience in Taipei."

View of Taipei 101 from around the corner to my hostel

I checked-in, got my day-bag, and left to catch the attraction I wanted to see in this city--if possible, in daylight and nighttime.

Winter Vacation '18_Part 2: Jeju (13.-16. Jan. '18)

A few changes

Some of you know I used to teach and live in Jeju. I visited Jeju last August, but I wanted to meet up with a few people now in the winter, hence why I went.

Having in mind I moved out 5 years (!) ago, things understandably change. Somehow, things tend to change much faster in Korea.

One such change was the addition (or transplantation) of the city bus stops from the side of the road to the middle of the road. Below are a few pictures of what I mean.

Jeju City Hall bus stop--in the middle of the road.

Stop lights for the cars and the buses.

Other changes included the buses themselves. They were newer.

The bus routes changed to include other areas outside of Jeju city, even down to Seogwipo. Before, if you wanted to go anywhere outside of Jeju City, you had to go to Jeju Bus Terminal. Not anymore!

The bus numbers themselves were changed too--and this was the one that threw me off the most. When I was there in August, the buses had the same numbers as before. I come back 4.5 months later, and they are COMPLETELY different! It took me a while to understand my beloved 500 bus was now 365. It's equally dear cousin, the 502, was now 360.

Things never stay the same.

Other random sightings

So I took the 365 (formerly the 500) over to the end of its route (Jeju Halla University). Why? For memories' sake. On my way there, I was quick enough to catch this sight from the bus that caught my attention.

Is this the hair salon's idea of advertisement, two poodles?

Near the Halla University is a park they recently finished (maybe it was finished when I was there in August, not quite sure). Something there caught my eye. Here it is.

Comfort Woman Statue, lovingly covered up from the cold.

Close-up

You should check out this cafe

Down a side alley near City Hall, you will find a cafe called, "Lee SeongPil: Acidity & Full Aroma & Sweety Roastery Shop."
I kid you not.
I liked the atmosphere and the natural lighting coming in from a good 1/3 of the property. I forgot what kind of tea I ordered (maybe Rooibos?), but it was just right. The huge muffin I ordered was also plenty--but the good kind of plenty.
I took a few pictures--and a short video--you can see here.

There's the name.

Opens 11:30 - 22:00 Tue. - Fri., 13:00 - 22:00 on weekends, and is closed on Mon.

The menu

I don't remember ever seeing a wooden certificate before--paper certificates don't count.

Wanna get away?

I just came across this mural near my hostel and thought it was very well done.

Wanna get away?

Those are all the pictures I can share from Jeju.
I met with former colleagues, former students, and current friends. We got caught up in each other's lives. I did not take many pictures with them, but I'd rather keep those between them and me.

I left Jeju Tuesday morning. Where did I go?
Not back home! I still have the rest of the week as vacation and I want to go somewhere.

I did just that. From Jeju, I flew straight to Taiwan and stayed there until 3 am Monday (22nd) morning.

Let me show you how Taiwan was like.

Winter Vacation '18_Part 1: Jeju (13.-16. Jan. '18)

"Vacation's all I ever wanted..." 

Do you know that 80s song?

After my 2-week English Winter Camp at my main school, it was time for my week-long winter vacation!
Man, was I ready! Don't get me wrong. I liked my camp and loved seeing the students get really into it, but everyone needs a break to do their own thing.

Technically, my break was 5 days long because the schools don't count weekends. Wait, so my vacation was only 5 days? Screw that! I need to get the weekends involved too!

Which I did.

Close-call to Jeju

I was not aware that I might not be able to start my vacation until my co-teachers brought it up. Apparently, a ton of snow was dumped onto Jeju Island. It got to the point that the international airport closed Thursday night, leaving about 3,000 passengers stranded overnight.

Oh.

That's a problem.

They checked right then and there for me. Fortunately, the airport was open and running again that day--Friday. My flight to Jeju was scheduled the following (Saturday) morning. That was close, but I was able to fly as expected, without the slightest hiccup. *Whew* 

Piles of sleeping mats used in Jeju International Airport, just one night and two days ago.

Mini-Reunion in Jeju SDA International Church

From the airport, I took a taxi directly to Jeju SDA International Church--where I used to work and worship for 1 year about 6 years (!) ago. 

I visited before, during the summer this past August. Strange thing: in August, I left just as the sermon was going to begin. This time, I arrived just in time for church (which was my plan). I got to see some of the same church members who were there when I was there. Just like any other place, Time took its course. Some moved away, others moved in. The children I remembered were much older--some even about to enter university! Man, I never felt my white strands of hair as I did then.

The institute/church/etc., just a block behind the district court.

My hostel in Jeju

At around 16:00, I wanted to go check-in to my hostel. I chose Greenday Guesthouse in Jeju City (not for the band) for the location. I was familiar with the area. I knew it was quiet and that it was not far from Jeju City Hall (took me about 10 minutes to walk it), where I'd meet most of the people I was going to see.

I do not regret staying there.

Entrance, plus bathroom under the stairs for those needing it after 23:00.

Wanna know the policies? Here they are, in English and 한국어로.

My single room. I wanted to be alone in a hostel room for once.

Three nights in this room cost me a total of 78,300 KRW.

The breakfast included toast, cereal, milk, juice, jam, 1 egg per person, and 미역국 (Miyeok-gug, seaweed soup, an excellent source of iron).
They have a library I was not able to enjoy. Most of the books were in Korean, but there was one in English, but it was way bigger than The Bible, and I knew I was not going to read it all during my stay.
Most importantly, they have 1 thing that is always a nice extra in any hostel I stay in . . .

Why was it so serious though? The girls working there said it was sick, but it still had the energy to climb onto the top bunk of their beds . . . 

Snow at Masan! (10. Jan. '18)

On Wednesday, January 10, during the first half of the day in Winter English Camp at my main school, we were interrupted.
It was snowing.

My co-teacher was explaining a grammatical point in Korean. As I was waiting for her to finish, I scanned the room, trying to read the students' faces. Then my peripheral vision caught sight of something out the window. I stared for a few seconds before it registered what I saw: snow.

Before I could stop myself, I pointed to the windows and said, "Snow!"

My co-teacher and the kids immediately followed my index finger and saw the snow. That's how I ruined the learning environment.

Or did I?

My co-teacher and I decided we'd let the kids go out and enjoy the snow a bit AFTER we finished the section we were working on. After accomplishing that in 15 minutes, we all grabbed our coats and poured out the school doors to see and play in the snow.

It was during this time my co-teacher informed me that it had not snowed in Masan last year--at all.

So we were in the same boat. My last winter was in Florida, and it hadn't snowed there either (at least not in the part of Jacksonville my family lives in).


Let me show you how it was.

"SNOOOOWWWWW!!!!"

Panorama of the schoolyard dusted in snow.

I shot this short video too. Gives a clearer picture, don't you think?

No, that's not dandruff! Yay, snow!

Back in the classroom. Class did not resume quickly.

From the hallway window across from my classroom. Nice, eh?

Video taken from the same window like the picture above.

Looking at the gym from the 3rd-floor stairs window.

Interestingly, the snow stopped falling around 2pm, and by quitting time (16:40), it had basically melted away.

But it was nice to see this beautiful, clean, pure cotton glide gracefully to the ground. It was also refreshing to take a break and enjoy this moment with the kids.

Masan Teachers Chorus Concert (20. Dec. 2017)

Happy 2018!

In my last post, I mentioned the Masan Teachers Chorus and their concert. I decided to write a post exclusively for that concert because I now have access to the recordings and I want to share them with you.

Again, a few things about this group and concert...

First off, this concert was the 10th annual concert, so now we know the chorus has been around for at least 10 years (probably with different directors and members throughout the years).

All the members are teachers (of various subjects) in Masan's public schools.

This time around, I was the only non-Korean in a 30-strong chorus.

The chorus had been learning and practicing these 8 (+/-) songs since I joined the Chorus in September--if not before.

We did not have the music with us on stage. We had to memorize the songs. All the songs, except 1, were in Korean. The one different song was in English.

I was given 2 solo parts in the one English song. I don't believe that was a coincidence.

The English song ("Can You Hear Me" by Bob Chilcott) was the first song of the program. I don't believe that was a coincidence either (i.e., get the harder stuff done and out of the way quickly, then be able to enjoy the rest of the program).

A few other teachers had solo parts (or three). One played two songs on the trumpet, and another accompanied the pianist and us on her flute.

We learned the choreography for four songs. Some of it was fun and "cute."

The Teachers Chorus was not the only group that performed. Three or four other schools joined us and did their own thing too. We all came together at the end for "Colors of the Wind" in Korean.

Here are the videos (Remember, the program is entirely in Korean):

*Want to know which woman is me? Easy! Look for the tallest/largest woman. That's me. Also, you'll see me step down for my solo in the 1st stage video at 3:29.*

Introduction

The "1st Stage"

(It really starts at 3:46)

Trumpet Soloist (Between "1st" & "2nd" Stages)

The "2nd" Stage

(Dress change and choreographed songs)

I don't know in which order the following clips went, but here they are:

And here is "3rd" Stage

The Finale

That's all folks!
I hope you enjoyed it--and be gentle, please.

Update before the end of 2017

So I haven't shown any signs of life on my blog in over a month.

Let me change that now.

Since the earthquake, there have been a few eventful happenings . . .

1. I had plantar fasciitis (click on that name to find out what it is).

I like to walk and walk long distances. I enjoy dancing (nothing too crazy). As a teacher, I stand just about the entire length of the class period. I also have high arches. 

According to this website, I'm a prime candidate for this condition.

I went to a hospital and had treatment for 3 days a week for 6 weeks. The doctor told me I needed to walk and stand as less as possible. It was hard, but I did what I could. I did not travel at all during that time.

As far as the treatment, Mondays and Fridays were when I had a series of them (i.e., sonography, shockwave therapy, heat treatment, and something that seemed to target my muscles) on my right heel, where it hurt. Wednesdays were the days when I got my weekly shot--into my right heel. Not fun, but over with within seconds.

One of my treatments outside the clinic.

After my treatment period was over, I tried to be careful, just to not relapse.

Seriously, I was scared to death of having a relapse and have to go through more weeks of the treatments.

But then I tried walking back home from church one Sabbath. It's about 5 stops away from home--up and on a hill. I walked back. My heel didn't hurt. What a glorious moment.

Speaking of a glorious moment, that brings me to number two . . .

2. Masan Teachers' Chorus Concert

The concert's poster

We had all been practicing a lot for this event. We memorized 8 or 9 songs--only 1 in English. The others were naturally in Korean. We even learned the choreography for 4 of those songs.

That was a lot of fun.

I might write a post about that. I need to get some pictures to go with it first.



Christmas was nice but bad at the same time.
I visited a family I know in Seoul. They'll move to the States in Spring, so  I wanted to spend time with them before they left for good. The bad thing was that the micro-dust levels in Seoul were very high that weekend, and I got sick. But as soon as I left Seoul and returned here, I started getting better. I'd say I'm just about cured now.



I've been contributing a bit to Google Maps.
You know I like to explore restaurants and cafes, as well as places.
Here's a little of what I've shared so far on Google Maps.

That's basically it.

See you next year!

My First Earthquake (15. Nov.)

Who knew I'd experience my first earthquake at the age of 31 in South Korea?

It was about 14:29 Korea time. I was at my desk in my classroom at my main school (해운초). On Wednesdays, classes end at 13:50. Most students were gone, and some were either playing or in their afterschool activities. My co-teacher and I were in the room together. She was doing her thing, and I was doing mine. Then, I felt it.

I knew the students are going to have a school festival this coming Friday and they were going to be practicing for it up until the day arrives. I thought many of the students were jumping because I felt vibrations from below. I even asked my co-teachers if the students were jumping. That was when it got stronger. That was also when I realized: The kids cannot make that! My co-teacher and I looked at each other, each knowing the other felt the earthquake. So we evacuated. Kids were evacuating too, so my co-teacher directed them to the exit, just as she did during the earthquake drill the week or two before.

That was interesting. I was laughing a bit, but out of shock. That's my reaction to when I'm shocked: I laugh.

The students at the school were all there on the playground. Some of the teachers were there too, talking with each other or checking on their students--or both. After about 5 - 10 minutes, we returned to the school building and continued as we were before the earthquake.

That's my boring story of my first earthquake.

At least I can now say I've experienced an earthquake.

Chuseok 2017, Day 6: Hong Kong and Macau--Sabbath, Macau Casinos/Hotels, and Departure (7. Oct.)

This is it. My final day in Hong Kong. I went on the Big Bus Tours to everywhere I could in Hong Kong--plus a few other places I went on my own. It was now the final day--and the Sabbath.
I looked up a few churches and ultimately decided on Hong Kong Adventist International Church in Kowloon.

This meant I packed up everything and checked out of my hostel. The idea was to leave the church to the ferry terminal in time to catch my 17:00 ferry back to Macau. I over-estimated the time I needed. It only took about 30 min. (+/-) to get there (the directions were clear, and I didn't get lost). I stayed for the Sabbath school lesson (given by Elder Warjri). It was one of the best Sabbath school lessons I've attended in a very long time.

Something that surprised me was to see that it was predominately Filipino. Nothing against Filipinos at all. They were all wonderful--I just thought there would be many more nationalities represented in an international church. Another thing that struck me was that it was predominately female. There must have been a minimum of 80 people there. I counted no more than 12 men (including boys). Whoa.
Potluck (lunch) was very fullfilling. Undoubtedly, that was the most I had eaten on my entire trip in one sitting. After lunch, 6 am socialized and practiced for the youth program in the afternoon.
Part of me was anxious about catching my ferry, and another part was wanted to escape the attention. So I left early, while everyone was practicing (aka while there were less to stop me).
Before I left, I took the following picture.

This sign (& 3 ladies) greeted me at the entrance.

One of the subway stations where I transferred lines. Don't be too rushed to admire art.

Metro map just above one of the train doors.

Exits are marked with letters. This is Sheung Wan Station

Or if you want a better idea of where exactly you could be.

Since I did get to the ferry early and returned my On-Loan Octopus card (and got my balance refunded), I still had a little over an hour to kill. What could I do? Why not wander around one more time on Hong Kong's footbridges?

Sky100 from a footbridge near the ferry.

The map of the footbridge I was on.

Yet another panoramic view.

Indeed a concrete, world-class, global jungle.

The footbridge I was on and took the previous 4 pics from.

Sky100 towering above Victoria Harbor from the ferry terminal.

Last panoramic shot taken in Hong Kong.

In case any wondered about Hong Kong vending machines--and you can pay with your octopus card!

Yes, you can travel by helicopter. Don't know the prices, but I'm sure they are scarier than the ride.

Arrivals/Departures hall.

A little over an hour later, I returned to Macau. I remember hearing about how each hotel/casino has FREE shuttle buses taking passengers from the ferry(s), airport, and China border(s) directly to said hotels/casinos. I decided to try the one to The Venetian (the most massive casino/hotel in the world). They were right--and it was a nice ride, too.

Welcome to The Venetian.

On the 3rd floor, the Venetian Canals--in the shopping mall?!

WOW, they were not kidding!

360-degree view (sorry for the bad quality)

You really have to be there to appreciate it.

Real gondola rides up & down the canal.

The classiest McDonalds I've ever seen.

I felt way too poor even to be allowed in here.

How long did it take them to build this?

This would've been pointless to do alone. So I didn't do it.

Now I wonder how the real Venice is.

One of the reasons I returned--Egg tarts to take back to Korea!

Look at the floor! Doesn't it look 3-D?

Wow, 10th anniversary.

Okay, I'll stop adding captions. They are really pointless for me at this point. Just behold and enjoy my few snapshots of The Venetian--and others.

Now, I left The Venetian and entered another "city"--The Parisian.

This fountain lit up in different colors, and the water changed according to the music.

After the show was over.

They say this is 1/3 of the original size.

Studio City. It makes me think of New York City/Gotham City.

Basically at one end of the strip, looking back at where I started.

A thought came to my mind a few times as I was beholding this earthly glory to luxury, vanity, and wealth: "Wow, look at all this firewood"...

As a Christian, I know this world (including these hotels/casinos) will be destroyed. The trick is to not be attached to them. If you're clinging to GOD because you love HIM, because HE is the One Thing you need, your Costly Treasure, your Pearl of Great Price, then you can calmly see all this for what it is: worthless glorified firewood.

Shall we continue our tour of said worthless glorified firewood?

Studio City Entrance from inside. So golden.

Entrance to the casino in the foyer.

Shops along the "street."

Yeap, Manhatten.

Grand Central Station

After leaving Studio City, I waited at the bus stop right in front of it for the bus to the airport.

Why not take the free shuttle bus to the airport? Because the last one left at 22:30. It was past 23:00. I didn't want to go that early because my flight was at 2 am. I didn't need to arrive before midnight--plus I had a few coins I wanted to get rid of, and they were enough for the bus ride.

Bus 23 came (quite late). I got off at the "Airport Roundabout" (the bus stop name in Portuguese). No idea where the airport was. I even flagged down a taxi. He said it was straight ahead--as though I didn't need the taxi. Ok, fine. I'll walk to the airport.

I still wasn't sure I was on the right path. A young man was walking towards me, and I asked him where the airport was (in English). He answered (in pretty good English) that it was straight ahead, not far. He was right. It may have taken me 5 minutes to get there after asking this guy. Whew!

There was a very long line--all Koreans. Apparently, I was the only foreigner in the entire plane. Yeap, I felt back in Korea already.

I still had some time before boarding, so I went over to where there were empty benches without armrests--perfect for lying down across 3-4 seats. I closed my eyes, but couldn't sleep. I did take a few pics though . . .

So where do I throw away my cans and bottles?

From my bench, looking up at the signs.

Boarded the direct flight to Busan and left at 2 am Macau time. It arrived at Busan 3 hours later at 6am Busan time (Macau/Hong Kong is 1 hr behind Korea). I got the airport limousine bus back to Masan, then a city bus back home. It must have been almost 8 am when I walked into my apartment.
It was so good to be back--mostly because I could sleep on my bed (couldn't sleep on the plane and was seriously dozing off in both buses). I was so grateful to have all day Sunday and Monday to recover before returning to school on Tuesday.
It has been 10 days since I returned from my trip at the time I am typing this up. I still haven't fully recovered. Maybe I finally can once I publish this post.

As tiring as it was (flight there and flight back), with the few misadventures here and there (sprained ankle, Chinese traditional medicine doctor visit, nearing the border twice, etc.), I am so grateful and blessed for the opportunity I had to visit both Macau and Hong Kong. I would like to return, if possible.We'll see what happens.