travel – Places And Spaces To Be In

Hello, again.

Let’s catch-up a bit and Vasquez Rocks pt 2

Hello my dear little neglected space in this abyss called the internet. It’s been a while, and I’m so sorry for neglecting you! (Kinda…)
I started off this personal blog with somewhat a vague vision to share my travel experiences with you. But in a world where everyone is pretty much doing the same thing, I didn’t want to just create for the sake of creating. And to create without a purpose would also bother me…

But just to keep you guys up to speed of what’s happened to me this past nine months since coming back home from South Korea:

I’ve started, quit, and started a new job.
Traveled to Cebu, Philippines for two weeks while a war broke in the southernmost island (Marawi, Mindanao).
Hit up Napa Valley, California for a weekender.
Began MBA school. #CLASSOF2019
Made new friends through my friend, JR, and had a ton of fun taking them to new places.

Although I do my best to keep everyday interesting, the weekend adventures are what I look most forward to.

Take for example, this past weekend…

If you’re not familiar with the place already, let me introduce you to a place out of this world: Vasquez Rocks. Located about an hour from Los Angeles, you’ll find yourself wanting to sing the Lion King theme song (or is it just me…?).

To give it more of an added effect, you can climb to the highest tip and pretend you’re Rafiki holding up baby Simba… just an idea…

Personally, I would suggest coming here late in the afternoon, close to closing time. Based on the times I’ve been there, there tends to be less people and it’s just amazing when you and your friends just own the place for more uninterrupted photo shoots. Plus, getting there for golden hour is an extra win.We tend to associate SoCal to Disneyland, LA, and Hollywood. Even I, myself, have fallen into this trap. It isn’t until you allow your curiosities to take you to meet new friends who would open wide your world and introduce you to new places and spaces that would make you realize: there’s more to SoCal than what meets the generic storyline we’ve constantly watched on screen.

It’s either that, or I missed the memo that we’re supposed to keep these beautiful spots a secret.

Hiking Mudeungsan

This past December, I spent an afternoon with my friends, James and Melissa. We hiked part of Mudeungsan. Our original goal was to reach the top, but since we had a late start, we all agreed not to go too far.

Hiking is one of Korea’s favorite past times. It’s noticeable with their amazing gear and their beautifully, well-maintained trails. Not only that, I can agree that you can get some sort of addiction from breathing in the clean air and seeing the beautiful sceneries.

At the end of our hike, we rewarded ourselves to dessert. Then dinner.

Now that I’m back in California, I can only look back at these pictures as a reminder of those good times we spent together – especially in our hike. Wishing these two the best, wherever they may be in this small world.

Missing the SRT

A tiny story about missing the train.

Let me tell you a tiny story about this woman next to me on this photo. But before we get to that, let me share with you a little background about myself and that day.

As many of you who have been following me for a while now, you’re already aware that I lived in South Korea for over a year. While living in there, I’ve made efforts to learning the language, but haven’t succeeded past survival Korean…

Anyways, let me paint that day.

My friend Jose and I just finished our trip in Busan and that morning, we have to catch our 9:15am train to Seoul. The previous day, I asked the concierge of our hotel to have a taxi prepared for us at 8:30AM so that we’d at least have 25 minutes of free time before our train leaves. Our things were packed and ready – three suitcases, a ukelele, and our own backpacks – we went down to the lobby to find out that the taxi wasn’t going to arrive for another 10 minutes. We’re on a tight schedule. But I wasn’t too worried because I know the ahjusshi’s can drive pretty darn fast.

However, not this time.

We finally arrived at the train station – 9:15am. A sign says that our 9:15am train will be leaving at 9:17am. Rushing to find the platform that we were supposed to be at, this lady notices us in our urgency and quickly comes to our aid.

“Where are you going?” she asks me in perfect English. After stating where we’re heading, she quickly grabs onto one of my suitcases and begins to run – leading us to where we’re supposed to head.

However, once we got to the right platform, we missed the train.

Rather than leaving me and Jose to figure out what to do, she reassures me that we can still make it to another train. She then leads me to the ticket desk, translates for me for refunding and purchasing new tickets, then leads us to the appropriate platform before she herself had to hop on her own train.

I can say, she was an angel to me and Jose. I didn’t expect to find someone to see our need and to make things a bit easier. I can’t promise that the rest of our trip went smoothly. But small moments like her coming to our aid has made my experience with South Korea memorable.

When the People Speak

Last weekend, on our way to Seoul, my friend Melissa and I met a young man who was heading to Seoul for the very first time. It was hard to believe that it was his first time heading to the capital. After having some small talk, we both asked him again, “Is this really your first time? Did you really never have the chance to visit Seoul before?” Which he then confirmed that this trip really was his first time.

After talking about basic English grammar and some conversational cues and it’s meanings (we shared with him that we were English teachers), he then reveals to us his purpose for heading to Seoul. He, along with many others, are on their way to the capital to participate in the protest against the current president (story here). He hopes that the people gathered together would speak to the current president’s heart and move her to resign from her position. He then invited us to go to the protest.

Out of curiosity and with my friend, Matt, in tow – I went.

Being in the midst of the protest was very powerful. There was a moment where I had to quell the emotions I had deep inside of me. Just think, a few days ago the results of America’s presidential elections were announced and it was very disheartening to see that hours after it’s announcement, people struck to the streets and were sharing on Social Media the aftermath of it’s results!

Although the purpose of this protest isn’t related to the American elections, it showed the power of the people gathering together. And that alone was amazing in itself.

Sometimes, I questioned whether or not I was actually in a protest. There were bands performing live and people dancing. And there were many volunteers helping with the clean-up. But as I shifted towards another part of the protest, I found myself in the midst of the “real chaos.” Loud chanting and banners flying high about the people’s sentiment against the president. Policemen atop of police busses to ensure that the crowd didn’t push through to get to the Blue Palace (where the president lives).

As you browse through the photos I’ve taken, please note that I hold no political stance in this issue. Out of curiosity and through that young man’s invitation, I have decided to attend the protest. I wanted to witness what Korea’s democracy looks like. Please also note that there is strong language in the photos.

– A

Lantern’s at Jinju

A photo journal of my trip to Jinju Namgang Yudeung Festival.

Last weekend, I had an amazing time hanging out with Melissa, Julian and Julian’s former student, James, at the Jinju Namgang Yudeung Festival. Wished that we had more time to see everything (and the fireworks !!!!).

Overall, the short trip wasn’t disappointing.

– A

One Fine Afternoon

An Afternoon with Sashai.

Why do I always find myself in Seoul? It must be the good company.

– A

Exploring Sokcho

Someone once asked me why I like to travel alone. Am I not lonely? My immediate response was that I just enjoyed it. But after thinking more about it, I think I also like the solitude of being alone as I observe my new surroundings. To listen. This is usually the case especially after several days of being surrounded by people and constantly speaking. Don’t misunderstand, I like people a lot. And the fact that I only have a few good friends here in South Korea kills. But after being surrounded by people for work, I just need to be alone for a day and a half at most, THEN I crave to be back with company.

So for my alone time, I chose to travel to Sokcho. Going there on Chuseok Holiday may be the least recommended time to travel. Actually, traveling during Chuseok, from what I’ve been told, isn’t that recommended. Traffic was insane and I was riding the bus for over six hours. But it was all worth it once I arrived in my hotel room. I chose to stay in HJ House, which is about 5 minutes walk to the beach. However, had a little opsie when I was trying to enter my room… watch the room tour video below…

Sokcho has recently become more popular, thanks to Pokemon Go. It was one of the first things I noticed upon arriving at the beach. Most of the people were on their phones playing the game. I nearly jumped on the bandwagon to play, but decided against it as I didn’t want my phone battery dying quickly and didn’t want to use up my data… Otherwise, the town seem’s very idyllic and it made me wish a tiny bit that I was camping on the beach instead.

Anyways, here’s how my stay in Sokcho looked like 🙂

– A

Places I visited:

Gear:

Sony Alpha 5100

Exploring Seoul with Chea

Meeting friends on this side of the planet is always a great treat! This time around, I’ve finally caught up with my friend since high school – Richard Chea. Or Chea for short.

The last time we saw each other was about six years ago, after I left the high school we both attended for a private academy. Since then, along with a couple others, I kept in touch with him.

When I learned that he was here in South Korea last year, I reached out to him to ask him about his own experience living and teaching here. Before I arrived, he has finished his work-study experience and has returned to California before we could have the chance to meet up.

Until this past month. He came back for a visit and we finally got the chance to hang-out!

For lunch, we hit up one of his favorite restaurants – Nine Road Pizzeria in Gangnam. It was my first time trying out the restaurant’s food, and it wasn’t disappointing!

After lunch, we explored a bit of Gangnam – only to quickly head off to Banpo Bridge (since he hasn’t been there before). Personally, I think the best time to go to this place is at night, when you can witness the Rainbow Fountain show, whilst eating take-out chicken. But since I had to head back home that night for work the next day, we had to make do with daylight.

On a clear and sunny day, Seoul is amazing to be in. This is especially true when you’re strolling next to the Han River and you can easily spot Namsan Tower from where you’re standing. While in the Banpo Bridge area, I highly suggest visiting Some Sevit (Seoul Floating Islands). It has a couple restaurants, shops, and a Hello Artist exhibition featuring a digitalized rendition of Vincent van Gogh’s artwork. The exhibit was was both educational and beautiful.

Although our hangout was brief, it was great catching up with Chea. Especially on this side of the planet!

-A

So I’ve been traveling…

… a lot recently. Even though that’s been the case, I haven’t placed much effort into sharing videos on my YouTube channel of the Places and Spaces I’ve been to. However, I definitely have been consistent about my #happyarvedays challenge on Instagram. (I have just accomplished Day 54! Go check it out!).

Otherwise, here’s a pictorial essay of my recent adventures. I hope this satiates your curiosity for the time being of what I’ve been up to.

banpo bridge, seoul

buddhas birthday

we wrote our prayers and wishes

they’re pretty cool

buskers at hongdae, seoul.

lantern festival, seoul.

hello seoul.

hello gokseong.

springtime.

forgotten.

touristy.

PUC reunion.

hello spring.

hello nami island in spring.

hello mudeungsan national park.

brunch cafe ean, busan.

i like hanging out with silly people.

gyeonggi english village.

hello mudeungsan.

hello suncheon.

hello busan.

detective conan and i.

never again.

spotted in gwangju.

hello suncheon

hello suncheon.

firsts.

hello busan.

pyromaniac.

hello momo’s cafe.

#squadgoals.

pg-20.

shaved melons and “last” hangouts.

alone in damyang.

a bamboo growth spurt.

with much love – A

Much love and blessings to you,

Learning 한굴 (Korean)

안넹하세요! It’s been a while since I’ve shared about how my life has been here in South Korea. Well, it’s been a busy past two months and we’re wrapping up the current term while looking forward to the short break.

Since the beginning of this term, I’ve been putting more effort into learning Korean. So when I sent a message to 아리 (Ari) about helping me, I was very lucky that she said “Yes”. 소비 (Sophy), 아리’s best friend, has joined us. Both ladies were actually my former students. Thus begins an exchange program where they both co-teach me how to read and speak, and I help them improve their conversational skills.

This experience has been teaching me the following:

Pronunciation is IMPORTANT. You are one sound away from saying “a three-wheeled bicycle” (세발자전거) to a very bad word…
Grammar is quite different between 한굴 and English. For example, “할아버지다 오레산 키쿤나무” reads out to be “grandfather is older than tall tree” when in reality it means the reverse: “Tall tree is older than grandfather.” So one moment as I pull out my “Korean for Beginners” and review things…

We’ve been meeting once a week and I’m enjoying the laughter and stories we’ve been sharing between us.

Learning from a textbook and a children’s picture book.

So here’s to my slow, yet steady, learning.

-A

P.S. I’ve accomplished Day 36/100! Check out my Instagram of what those 36 moments and things are.