Manila

Manila... is not a very nice city. Even in the end of January, it was hot and sticky. There was a lot of dirtiness and visible poverty, and we were harassed by street children to the point of needing police/security assistance on two separate occasions. It was definitely a place that made me examine my ideas about the world, about poverty, and about fairness. Such places are important to visit, but they aren't exactly nice. Recovering from my horrible stomach bug didn't help.

That said, we did have fun and see some great things. I'd recommend spending an afternoon in Manila if you get the chance, but I wouldn't give it more than a day or two before heading off to some beautiful island full of happy people and clear air.

We found this temple on the top floor of an office building in China town, albeit with the assistance of a several-person deep literal police escort. The lady there was very kind and walked us through the whole incense ritual, which we definitely messed up more than once.

China Town's lanterns overlook a Catholic church, which was itself decked out for the Lunar New Year. You have to love that multiculturalism.
China Town was a fun and vibrant place where we managed to do some great shopping and also have a sudden dance party with a huge group of ladyboys that appeared out of nowhere and disappeared just as quickly.

a fountain in the new downtown

monument to the liberation movement

This is the cathedral in Intramuros, the Spanish colonial part of town (literally inside-the-walls). That ornately carved ceiling? It's paint. That's making do with what you have, there. There were also Chinese lion statues outside this church, snarling prettily at the feet of saints.

This is me in the Intramuros gardens, a beautiful patch of green inside the city, full of wealthy school children in their uniforms. We were escorted here by a security guard with a gun after a street kid with no shirt attempted to jump on Amanda. Like I said, Manila hurt your heart a bit.

the gardens

That brings me to the end of my January trip to Taiwan and the Philippines. It was certainly a great trip, a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to see these places that I'd never considered visiting before. I'm so very glad that I did!

Manila, the Food

I think an important thing to say here is that I was not in Manila for very long. We arrived back to Manila from Palawan Island on a Monday afternoon and left very early on Wednesday morning. I'll also mention the fact that I spent Sunday evening and all day Monday essentially dying, poisoned by something I had eaten on the island, shaking with cold sweat and bringing my blanket in with me to lie on the bathroom floor. So Monday I didn't really eat anything, which only left me with Tuesday to enjoy what Manila had to offer.

We had breakfast in our hotel, standard Western fare, and then headed out into the city for a day of sightseeing. I begged Amanda to return with me to where we had had dinner the night before (I had only been able to manage to sip a Sprite), because the food had looked so good. It certainly was! The restaurant also conveniently overlooked the sea, blocking out the image of the rest of the city. We could enjoy the sunsets and my mountains of food. It was a good welcome back to the land of the living, and a great last meal for my winter vacation.

Sushi platter: there was also sweet, succulent bits of mango in the sushi, and the combination of the sweet fruit with the salty fish and spicy wasabi was to die for.

a spicy, anchovy-heavy Caesar salad with shrimp and calamari, the size of my head

sunset and lantern

sunset again

An Overly Personal Post. Forgive Me.

I'm back from the airport. I'm okay.

At the airport, I started to cry, relatively quietly but seemingly unable to stop. It wasn't that I was oh so sad, though I certainly was sad. It was just that I was overwhelmed with so many different emotions: sadness, happiness, hope, fear, nostalgia, love... really, it was a bit too much. So I cried, breaking my promise to myself that I would be cool. He promised me I was still cool.

We sat in a little false pagoda-thing in the airport and listened to people play music. It was like it was playing just for us. That didn't help with the tears.

But then he was gone, through the gate and headed back to the States. I turned around and walked out to the bus ranks and caught the next one back to Daejeon. I studied some Coursera on the way and read a bit. I came home, tidied up, and ate some dinner. I watched the season finale of Parks and Rec. It was back to real life. I may have not slept as well as normal, feeling all alone in my bed, clutching at Mo. But I felt okay.

I'm in love. For the first time in my life, I think that I might have found... somebody. And that is a big, terrifying monster. But it's also the softest, quietest little mouse. I can carry that around with me. Put it in my pocket and feel its warmth against my chest. And I'll have to take care of that mouse: feed it, keep it safe, pet it and nourish it. But there's nothing I'd rather do, really.

3 months, minus two days, and I'll be in the States. It's just a matter of time.

John

My boyfriend will leave Korea on Wednesday.

I'm going to miss him.

At least I'll be able to console myself with the knowledge that we have really incredible hair.

Palawan Island: the Underground River

One of the must-sees on Palawan Island is the underground river, one of the longest in the world and a heritage site. We signed up for a tour with an agency near our hostel, which picked us up promptly 45 minutes late at 645 AM, then took us on a runaround to the permit office, and then drove us all over the island (or so it seemed) picking up everyone else. I was not to be deterred though.
After taking the bus across the island, we arrived to the launching area. There, we hung out for a bit and had lunch. Then we hopped on this little boat and headed to the mouth of the underground river.

Many boats were there, chilling, while their passengers went into the river.

We had to look really cool to go into the underground river itself. Being aegyo was just a plus!

me and Amanda, posing

The area around the opening of the river was insanely beautiful. The water was so green and clear, and the light filtered through the cliffs and vegetation.

Coming out of the caves was also very beautiful. Does this look like the typical "tropics" photo, or what?
(I didn't get any really good pictures inside the cave: it was dark, and I hadn't brought my good camera because I didn't want to drop it in the water. Do check the link in the first description to see what I saw inside!)

where pure spring water meets the sea

cliffs and boats

There were monkeys everywhere, and also signs warning you that the monkeys, essentially, would eff you up. Sure enough, I watched a monkey work her way slowly into our tour guide's bag, who realized it too late and could only respond by flailing her bag about and shrieking "MONKEY" at the top of her lungs. The monkey hung on until it managed to steal some food, and then calmly hopped off and walked a few meters away, where it sat in the middle of the walkway and gave the stink eye to anyone hoping to pass. That monkey was a boss.

Of course there were adorable stray dogs all over the launch point, including this sweetie.

Making it Everything Official

On the 27th of August, at 12:29 am, I will return to the USA. To live.

And now allow the black hole of what-am-I-going-to-do terror open below my feet.

Cowrie Island, the Philippines

Our first full day on the island, we decided to head to another island. There is a whole series of islands off the coast of Palawan, in Honda Bay, that are uninhabited and only used as beaches. We took a jeepney bus to the port, and then glommed onto a group of travelers heading out to the island (total roundtrip transportation costs: about 10 dollars). Once on Cowrie Island, we lay in the surf, read books, drank expensive cocktails (still only about three dollars, though), and got tan. Every so often Amanda and I would look at each other and giggle over the fact that it was January. It was a super relaxing day!

I didn't bring my camera, so this picture that Amanda took is the only one I have... but it pretty well captures the scene.

Korea is trying to kill me.

Get ready for some whining.

My hair is falling out. I spend three minutes every morning coughing, and then have several sneezing fits throughout the day. I eat like crap, and the air burns my lungs when I try to work out. Bikes careen towards me on the sidewalk that doubles as a bike lane. I've been in two bus accidents, hit by a car while on the sidewalk, and clipped by a delivery motorbike. My students cough phlegmy coughs, but never stay home. All the fish has tiny bones in it.

This place might be the death of me.

Teachers' Day

Aka extra-crazy students giving chocolate and chicken day.

But it was really nice that some of them thought of me! I also got a few little notes, and some lovely tea and hand cream from Sangmin. It felt good for some of the students to recognize me and say thanks for teaching them, as if my efforts here weren't totally a wasted year. (I knew they weren't, and I knew my students are pretty cool, but it was nice to have proof of that.)

Palawan Island: the Food

Vietnamese food: pork sausage sandwiches and noodle soup

Halo-Halo: a sweet dessert made of rice pudding, dates, sweet beans, shaved ice, cream, and flan

a huge plate of local specialties: lumpia (like eggrolls or taquitos), fish, eggplant, chicken in peanut sauce, cucumber salad, and more

fish soup with fresh greens and a San Miguel beer

seafood dinner, served on banana leaves and eaten with our hands: clams, shrimp, grab, fish, lamb skewers, okra, squid, and sea berries on rice

local mollusks, supposedly in a ceviche, but actually just with some vinegar on the side: not delicious

Kare-Kare: oxtail soup with eggplant and green beans in a peanut sauce

Happy Birthday, Krudy!

A very happy 25th Birthday to Krúdy Gyula Általános Iskola, the school where I cut my teeth and spent four beautiful years.

Me with Kriszti, Orsi, and Bori five years ago at the 20th birthday party. These kids are now in 7th grade!

Pristine Beach

And now my memories of my winter vacation will continue on to the Philippines. After a noisy night at a hostel near the Manila airport, we hopped a budget flight to Palawan Island. We stayed in Puerto Princesa, the largest city on the island. After checking in to our hostel, we headed to the nearest beach, actually named "Pristine Beach," via one of the little motorbike cabs that swarm all over the island.

The water was warm and calm (and flooded over the entrance due to it being high tide... we had to wade to the beach area!). We got a table and then took turns swimming out into the sea. At one point I floated on my back, ears under the water, and watched the clouds race across the sky as all my life floated away.

I may not be the biggest fan of the beach, but I do love the ocean.

local girls on the way to the beach

the beach and the sun

shades

Nosztalgia

Every so often, I fall into nostalgia for Budapest. I see something on Facebook, or stumble across an old photo, and before I know I'm playing all my favorite Hungarian songs and watching landscape videos.

I'm glad I left Hungary. It was time to do so, and I've found some incredible things here in Korea. Soon it will be time to go home, and I'm very excited to go try out America for the first time as an adult, too. I don't wish I was still in Hungary. I just sort of... wish I could carry it around with me, or spend every other weekend there, or something like that.

But I guess I do carry it around with me. And that only makes me better than what I would be otherwise.

Még mindig szeretlek, kedves Budapestem.

Taipei, the rest

I have blogged now about the Taipei Zoo and the amazing temples that we found there. I've blogged about the delicious food and how I ate almost every meal while on the street, because the street food was so incredibly delicious and cheap. So allow me this little catch-up post to write about all the rest, and then I can move on to the Philippines!

I really want to emphasize how much I enjoyed Taiwan. The people were so friendly, the prices were reasonable, and it was very easy to get around as a tourist. English signage was everywhere it should be, and quite well-written as well. Everyone I encountered spoke English well enough to handle me, even the little ladies selling street food, and quite a few had an incredible grasp of the language. I could even joke around with the kids who worked at the 7-11 and sold me all of my delicious coffees. People were excited and curious about us, but without any of the pointing-and-staring that I too often get here in Korea. It's funny, because the concept of Taiwan as a tourist destination had never even entered my head before I came to Korea and started hearing everyone talk about how great it was.

And, really, it's great. Go to Taiwan. The food is amazing, the people are lovely, and you'll feel safe and comfortable. There are big bustling cities to explore, and also incredible amounts of seemingly-untouched nature just a hop away. I can't recommend it highly enough. Go before the whole world discovers it, because it's a pretty much perfect destination, and they're bound to soon.

Night markets are incredible and also very weird. They definitely have the potential to be stressful, with the throngs of people, shouting vendors, and heaps and heaps of items available to purchase. They were also super fun, with lots of strange things I'd never seen before, shirts with funny English on them, well-tempered shop assistants that dealt with all our questions, and (of course!) all that delicious food. Many shops seemed to employ little apricot poodles to model their wares or simply draw in customers. Seriously, the apricot poodle is the official working dog of the island nation of Taiwan.

Here, children fish for shrimps using safety pins tied to string. This was a popular night market game. I'm unsure whether they get to keep the shrimp they catch.

We visited the hot springs in Taipei city. (There are other ones outside of the city, but these ones are in the city at Beitou.) We didn't go into the springs, as it was frankly pretty chilly and windy. It was still January, after all. I still enjoyed walking around the area, taking in the steam and enjoying the peaceful quiet of this little oasis within the big big city.

Near Beitou hot springs there was a museum dedicated to the different aboriginal tribes of Taiwan. For such a small island, there are a ton! They are also very snazzy dressers, for the most part. The museum was free, and the ladies working there were very excited to see us. I'd definitely recommend dropping in if you're in the area; I had never even considered how varied and interesting the native culture of Taiwan could be.

We visited the Red House, a quirky gallery full of art, some really awesome and some incredibly strange. A lot of it was available for purchase, and I picked up most of my souvenirs here (foldable paper dragons, cards, and pins). The area around it is pretty interesting, too: an openly gay neighborhood in East Asia is a rare sight to see.

Another stop was the Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall, which was part of a huge complex of awesome buildings and parks. (The rest of today's pictures are all from that complex.) He led the Republic of China (not to be confused with the mainland/Communist People's Republic of China) for most of the 20th century.

the Gate of Great Centrality and Perfect Uprightness
(Man, do I love Chinese names sometimes.)

me in front of the National Theater

I haven't blogged in a week.

But for pretty good reason. Last Wednesday, John came to stay with me. He'll be staying with me for a few weeks before he heads back to the States. So I was a bit distracted with that. Then Thursday was Labor Day and I had the day off work. We rested, and then walked two hours into town where we ate Mexican food and saw the new Spider-Man movie. Friday I had to go into work, but it was Sports Day, which translated into a day of deskwarming.

This last weekend was a four-day weekend, which we (me + John + Jenny) spent on the Korean island of Jeju. It was quite a trip. I'll blog about it soon. I realize I still have yet to finish blogging about my January trip, let alone all the little trips I've taken since then. I really do need to get cracking. In the meantime, though, I'll post some pictures from Jeju, the magical island containing all of Korea's repressed sexuality.

me and the beach outside our hotel

Damn, are we good-looking or what?

Even Dolharubangs make heart arms in Korea.

coastlines

me, Jenny, and a rock that in no way resembles a penis