I had a great time spending time with everyone. Today I am still riding the sugar high from the chocolate and cake we had!
I am going to miss my friends here so much, but I know we will keep in touch and see each other soon!
xoxo,
J
Monday, April 25, 2011
Easter Dinner
Dennis and I decided to host a dinner party for some of our friends here in Ulsan. We wanted a chance to say thank you to the lovely people who have had us for dinner or taken us for dinner during our year here. Since there were 6 kids coming I decided to set up an Easter themed scavenger hunt. This was always a highlight for me when I was kid as my mom would set up elaborate hunts for me, Allison and Michael. The girls had to follow a series of clues around the find the prize at the end. Unfortunately Arnold did the hunt before the kids and ate all the chocolate, don't worry he is still alive. The girls had fun running around the apartment finding the clues and chocolates.
I had a great time spending time with everyone. Today I am still riding the sugar high from the chocolate and cake we had!
I am going to miss my friends here so much, but I know we will keep in touch and see each other soon!
xoxo,
J
I had a great time spending time with everyone. Today I am still riding the sugar high from the chocolate and cake we had!
I am going to miss my friends here so much, but I know we will keep in touch and see each other soon!
xoxo,
J
Singapore!
Well we have been home from our Singapore holiday for a few days now and I have been busy packing and visiting so I am just getting to writing this entry. When Dennis told me a long time ago that we were going to Korea my first thought was "I can visit Laurel and Sam in Singapore!" Laurel and Sam are my friends from camp and they have been living and teaching in Singapore for the last 3 years. I hadn't seen them in about 5 years and had only kept in touch through Facebook but once you make friends at camp they are friends for life!
For lunch we went to a local Indian restaurant called "Banana Leaf". Here you are served rice and different curries on a banana leaf. It was so delicious especially since I don't like curry, but the food was so good so now I am hooked!
After lunch we tried to find Dennis a belt but none of the stores had anything for him so we headed to Orchard road to do some shopping. Singapore has roughly 150 malls so there is no lack of shopping anywhere you go but Orchard road is a whole new experience. So many high end retailers and neat stores to look at. We found everything we were looking for and had a coffee too. We then headed back to the apartment to relax before the ball we were going to that night.
Dennis and I booked dinner at the restaurant Graze. The restaurant was in a bungalow in Rochester park. They have a great patio area where you can watch old movies while you sip martinis
After dinner we headed to Clarke Quay where we were to meet Laurel and Sam. After walking around for a while and realizing we were in the wrong place we headed to the hotel where the ball was. Laurel and Sam were at the Canadian Ball, where the Canadian ex-pats got together to have a great dinner and raise money for the Make a Wish foundation. We had lots of drinks and did some dancing and then had to head home as we were really tired!
The next morning Dennis and I went for a walk (we are early risers) prior to Laurel and Sam waking up. We all ate breakfast together and then Dennis and I took off to go on the Singapore Flyer. The Flyer is a huge ferris wheel that you can get a great view of the city. The ride takes about 35 minutes, which is about 25 minutes too long...
After the flyer we met Laurel and Sam for high tea at the Ritz Carlton. It was a lot of fun eating little miniature food and yummy cakes, plus as much tea as you could handle!
Next we walked down to see the Merlion, the mascot of Singapore. Unfortunately or fortunately the Merlion was part of a art instalment and they had built a hotel room around the head of the Merlion. We got to take a tour, which was really neat
We took a river boat to the Clarke Quay to look around there a bit more, here is a great shot of our lovely hosts Laurel and Sam
For dinner we went to Laurel and Sam's favorite place for Rotti Padak. It is a flat bread similar to naan but thinner and with a whole lot more oil! You dip the bread into a delicious sauce with chicken. It was very yummy! That night Dennis and I went to the night safari at the Singapore zoo. The safari showcases all the animals who are nocturnal so they are awake and moving around at night. It was a great experience! We enjoyed taking the tram around the park as well as walking on the trails to see the animals. The highlight was going into the bat cage, where they had huge bats eating fruit and little ones flying around. It was a little scary but really neat to see up close.
The next morning we packed up our things and moved to our new location at the Marina Bay Sands Hotel
We decided to book a room here so that we could use their famous infinity pool on the 57th floor, but more on that later. Our friend Shirley who we met in Korea met us at the hotel. Shirley and her family moved to Singapore in January so we had missed them. Shirley first took us to the Maxwell Hawker centre. Hawker centres are all over Singapore and they are essentially food courts, that actually have good food. Singapore is a multicultural city so there is food from all over the world! We had heard that when you are in Singapore you need to have Chicken Rice and Carrot cake. The chicken rice looks very bland but for boiled chicken and white rice it has a very strong flavour. The carrot cake is not like carrot cake you get back home, it is essentially is an omelet with radish, it is very delicious.
Next we went to the Buddha Tooth Relic temple. This is a famous site in Singapore and is a very impressive temple. It was very different from the Korean temples that we have seen so we enjoyed walking around there.
We then walked around China town and Orchard road to do some shopping. Shirley's kids Levi and Destiny met us and we headed to the hotel to check out the pool.
The pool is on the 57th floor and it looks like it just spills over the edge. It is quite the site to see. We enjoyed a delicious cocktail by the pool and then Shirley took off just as Laurel and Sam arrived. They hadn't been to the pool so we all got into a suits and played in the pool.
For dinner we went to another hawker centre for rotti padak, sting ray, noodles and pork belly, needless to say it was delicious!
The next morning we met Shirley to do the tree top walk through the jungle. It was of course a hot day so we were really really sweaty! The walk was beautiful and we saw a lot of monkey's, which Dennis was very happy about.
We returned to the hotel so we could have a quick shower and then headed out to Orchard road to do more shopping. While out Laurel called and said we were going to the Altitude bar that night and there is a dress code. At this point I had no clean clothes let alone nice ones so I went and bought a new outfit. Then we went to the Raffles hotel for Singapore Slings, where they were invented.
After drinks we changed into a fancy clothes and headed to the bar. I didn't have the right shoes on, they called them slippers, so we couldn't go to the bar. Laurel came up with an excellent replacement and we raced the sunset to get to the next bar. We went to the bar at the Swissotel, which is on the 70th floor and caught what was left of the sunset. After a drink we went to the Lau Pa Sat hawker centre for dinner. We were eating at hawker centres a lot because the food is so delicious, you always try something new, and the food is affordable. The food and drink is very pricy in Singapore so this is an amazing way to eat great and save your dough. There were a lot of laughs at dinner and sad goodbye at the end of it, but thankfully we will see Laurel and Sam in Canada this summer!!!
We headed back to the hotel to go the airport. Dennis and I took sleeping pills to get through the six hour flight to Beijing, which worked like a dream, we woke up as we were landing. The end of this trip signified to me the end of my year in Asia. I will be heading back to Canada this week, which is a little bitter sweet. I am so excited to get home to my friends and family but I am going to miss it here too. We have done some amazing things and it feels strange that we don't have a trip booked in the next couple of months!
Well I have to get back to packing as the movers come tomorrow. Wish me luck!
J
So we made the long journey to Singapore from Korea. We had a quick stop in Beijing and landed in Singapore at 9pm on April 15th. Of course one of our bags didn't make the long journey and was stuck in Beijing. The bag that did make it only had pickles and shoes in it (long story) so we were a little concerned that this was going to Spain all over again. They assured us that the bag would arrive in the morning so we took off in a taxi to Laurel and Sam's apartment. We had a lovely reunion and catch up over a couple bottles of wine and then decided to get some sleep for the busy few days ahead of us.
In the morning we took advantage of the pool at the apartment and relaxed.
After the pool we headed to little India for a walk and lunch. We had a great time looking at all the shops there, especially Mustafa's department store. We also toured a hindi temple.
After lunch we tried to find Dennis a belt but none of the stores had anything for him so we headed to Orchard road to do some shopping. Singapore has roughly 150 malls so there is no lack of shopping anywhere you go but Orchard road is a whole new experience. So many high end retailers and neat stores to look at. We found everything we were looking for and had a coffee too. We then headed back to the apartment to relax before the ball we were going to that night.Dennis and I booked dinner at the restaurant Graze. The restaurant was in a bungalow in Rochester park. They have a great patio area where you can watch old movies while you sip martinis
After dinner we headed to Clarke Quay where we were to meet Laurel and Sam. After walking around for a while and realizing we were in the wrong place we headed to the hotel where the ball was. Laurel and Sam were at the Canadian Ball, where the Canadian ex-pats got together to have a great dinner and raise money for the Make a Wish foundation. We had lots of drinks and did some dancing and then had to head home as we were really tired!The next morning Dennis and I went for a walk (we are early risers) prior to Laurel and Sam waking up. We all ate breakfast together and then Dennis and I took off to go on the Singapore Flyer. The Flyer is a huge ferris wheel that you can get a great view of the city. The ride takes about 35 minutes, which is about 25 minutes too long...
After the flyer we met Laurel and Sam for high tea at the Ritz Carlton. It was a lot of fun eating little miniature food and yummy cakes, plus as much tea as you could handle!
Next we walked down to see the Merlion, the mascot of Singapore. Unfortunately or fortunately the Merlion was part of a art instalment and they had built a hotel room around the head of the Merlion. We got to take a tour, which was really neat
We took a river boat to the Clarke Quay to look around there a bit more, here is a great shot of our lovely hosts Laurel and Sam
For dinner we went to Laurel and Sam's favorite place for Rotti Padak. It is a flat bread similar to naan but thinner and with a whole lot more oil! You dip the bread into a delicious sauce with chicken. It was very yummy! That night Dennis and I went to the night safari at the Singapore zoo. The safari showcases all the animals who are nocturnal so they are awake and moving around at night. It was a great experience! We enjoyed taking the tram around the park as well as walking on the trails to see the animals. The highlight was going into the bat cage, where they had huge bats eating fruit and little ones flying around. It was a little scary but really neat to see up close.The next morning we packed up our things and moved to our new location at the Marina Bay Sands Hotel
We decided to book a room here so that we could use their famous infinity pool on the 57th floor, but more on that later. Our friend Shirley who we met in Korea met us at the hotel. Shirley and her family moved to Singapore in January so we had missed them. Shirley first took us to the Maxwell Hawker centre. Hawker centres are all over Singapore and they are essentially food courts, that actually have good food. Singapore is a multicultural city so there is food from all over the world! We had heard that when you are in Singapore you need to have Chicken Rice and Carrot cake. The chicken rice looks very bland but for boiled chicken and white rice it has a very strong flavour. The carrot cake is not like carrot cake you get back home, it is essentially is an omelet with radish, it is very delicious.
Next we went to the Buddha Tooth Relic temple. This is a famous site in Singapore and is a very impressive temple. It was very different from the Korean temples that we have seen so we enjoyed walking around there.
We then walked around China town and Orchard road to do some shopping. Shirley's kids Levi and Destiny met us and we headed to the hotel to check out the pool.
The pool is on the 57th floor and it looks like it just spills over the edge. It is quite the site to see. We enjoyed a delicious cocktail by the pool and then Shirley took off just as Laurel and Sam arrived. They hadn't been to the pool so we all got into a suits and played in the pool.
For dinner we went to another hawker centre for rotti padak, sting ray, noodles and pork belly, needless to say it was delicious!
The next morning we met Shirley to do the tree top walk through the jungle. It was of course a hot day so we were really really sweaty! The walk was beautiful and we saw a lot of monkey's, which Dennis was very happy about.
We returned to the hotel so we could have a quick shower and then headed out to Orchard road to do more shopping. While out Laurel called and said we were going to the Altitude bar that night and there is a dress code. At this point I had no clean clothes let alone nice ones so I went and bought a new outfit. Then we went to the Raffles hotel for Singapore Slings, where they were invented.
After drinks we changed into a fancy clothes and headed to the bar. I didn't have the right shoes on, they called them slippers, so we couldn't go to the bar. Laurel came up with an excellent replacement and we raced the sunset to get to the next bar. We went to the bar at the Swissotel, which is on the 70th floor and caught what was left of the sunset. After a drink we went to the Lau Pa Sat hawker centre for dinner. We were eating at hawker centres a lot because the food is so delicious, you always try something new, and the food is affordable. The food and drink is very pricy in Singapore so this is an amazing way to eat great and save your dough. There were a lot of laughs at dinner and sad goodbye at the end of it, but thankfully we will see Laurel and Sam in Canada this summer!!!We headed back to the hotel to go the airport. Dennis and I took sleeping pills to get through the six hour flight to Beijing, which worked like a dream, we woke up as we were landing. The end of this trip signified to me the end of my year in Asia. I will be heading back to Canada this week, which is a little bitter sweet. I am so excited to get home to my friends and family but I am going to miss it here too. We have done some amazing things and it feels strange that we don't have a trip booked in the next couple of months!
Well I have to get back to packing as the movers come tomorrow. Wish me luck!
J
Thursday, April 21, 2011
Spring time in Korea
Now I only have one week left in Korea and I have been soaking up the beautiful spring that they have here. Since I am a Calgarian I am not used to spring so this is an odd season for me. Korea may just be the perfect place to experience all four seasons. The summer is hot and green, fall is warm and colourful, winter is mild and beautiful, and spring is warm and pink! Here are a few pictures of what it is like here, I am sorry for you Canadians, I know it is cold there but I hope this warms you up!
Beautiful walk in the pine forest
When I came to Korea I wanted to run a race at some point during my time here and I got the opportunity to on April 9th. A friend of mine Cora organized for a whole bunch of us to run the Cherry Blossom race. There was a 5k, 10k, half marathon and full marathon. I decided to do the half marathon to see if I could get a personal best. The week leading up to the marathon Dustin and Ashley were here so I was going to bed late and drinking too much beer, so it wasn't the greatest pre game I have had. The race day was beautiful and the weather perfect. Everyone lined up at the start line to get ready for the race but not before there was a massive group massage.
During the race was wonderful, one of the nicest half marathons I have run, it was also one of the most crowded! I finished the race in 2 hours and 5 minutes which is a personal best for me so I was so happy!
It was a great day and I had some lovely cheerleaders on the sidelines, Dennis and my lovely friend Chloe.
So in the next week I have a lot to do! Mostly just getting excited about getting home to everyone!
xoxo,
J
Wednesday, April 20, 2011
Visitors From Calgary
This post is a little past due but I thought better late than never! So on April 31st Dustin and Ashley flew to Seoul after their two week holiday in Vietnam. They took the train to Gimpo airport from Incheon Airport to meet me. After a teary reunion (or there were no tears) we got on the subway and headed to our hotel. Of course I booked a hotel I had never been too so we spend quite a long time looking for the hotel. Then "eagle eyes" Ashley found the tiny sign for the hotel. We got cleaned up and headed out on the town. We of course went to the usual spots Namdaemun market, Myeongdong district, and we lunched on ramen and gimbap. That night we had bbq and soju so it was an early night! The next day we woke up we went to the Changgyeonggung palace. The palace is really beautiful and they had a beautiful pond full of Mandarin ducks, which Dustin and Ashley fed peanuts too.
That afternoon we ate bipimbap for lunch and then walked around Insandong looking at all the art shops there. Once Dennis arrived to Seoul we headed out for dinner and drinks. We were all starving so we headed out to a burger joint in Gangnam. After filling up on burgers we headed to the Big Rock pub. Both Ashley and Dustin wanted to see it to believe it. They enjoyed looking at all the Calgary mementos on the wall. We got a huge tower of Traditional and caught up, we even had a chance to talk to the manager of the bar. The next morning Ashley, Dustin, and Dennis went to the DMZ and I got to sleep in. I know they were all tired because we had been out late the night before. I slept in, ate breakfast at the hotel, and went for a 16km run at the gym (it was brutal). After my run I went out to an area of Seoul I had never been to. It is called Garosugil and it was a really funky and young part of town. It was a street full of cool shops and little bistros. The gang got back to the hotel at about 5 and we headed out for dinner once everyone was cleaned up. We ate a delicious pork bbq and then tried to find a good bar to go to. it was very strange because it was Saturday night and all the bars were empty! Dennis and Dustin asked the bartenders where was a good place to go. They wrote a note and told us to just give it to the cab driver, which we did and he took us to Itaewon. There were a ton of foreigners out on the streets and we found a great club to hang out at. After some shwarma we headed back to the hotel.
The next day we spent a bit more time wandering around Seoul then headed back to Ulsan later in the afternoon. On Monday to recover from the crazy weekend we slept in and then went to Old Downtown for lunch. In the afternoon we hit up one of the 12 scenic areas of Ulsan, Ganjeolgot point. This is the place where the sun rises first on the Asian continent. That night Ashley came with me to my going away party that my wonderful friend Chloe put on for me. The dinner was a lot of fun and I felt really blessed to have met so many amazing ladies here.
The following day we decided to hit the road and go to Busan. We drove past Haeundae beach and on to Yongungsa Temple. It is the only temple in Korea that is one the water. It was so beautiful and is now my favourite temple I have seen in Korea.
We headed back to Ulsan so we could have dinner with Dennis. That night Dennis and I surprised Ashley and Dustin with a cake for their birthdays, as Ashleys had just passed and Dustin's was the following weekend.
On Wednesday we decided to head to Gyeongju for the day. It was a beautiful clear day so we headed to the Seokguram grotto where you can get a great view of Gyeongju city. Ashley and Dustin took a turn ringing the gong. After the grotto we went to Bulguksa temple. Now if you have been following this blog you will know that I have been to this temple a staggering 5 times! So I let Dustin and Ashley tour around on their own while I waited for them. We then toured into the city to take a look at the lake and then we headed back to Ulsan. We ate a quick dinner with Dennis and then we all headed off to watch the Ulsan Tigers soccer game.
Ashley and Dustin's final day was very rainy so we decided to have a lazy day. We walked downtown to have some lunch and coffee. I showed them a few of the sights downtown and then we headed back home. Since it was their last night we decided to go out and party on the town. We took them to our favourite bbq restaurant and then we went to a local bar for more beer and soju.
It was bitter sweet to say goodbye to our great friends but we knew we would be seeing them shortly in Canada. They were our last guests we were to have here so it is now time to go home to Canada. We have been reflecting on how lucky we are that so many traveled all this way to come visit us! We truly feel blessed so here is a shout out to all our visitorsMike Kellow
Chris Gorman
Patricia Gorman
Kieran Gorman
Fiona McLean
Taylor Carson
Miriam Myers
Mary Cheriton
Lorna Cheriton
Alana Phillips
Dustin Large and
Ashley Trevelyan
Thanks to everyone that came, it means the world and you made this year extra special.
xoxo,
J
Tuesday, April 5, 2011
The Big Move
Greetings once again from Ulsan,
I thought I would write a quick post about our recent move in Ulsan. We were told at the end of February that we would have to move out of our apartment because the family that owned it would be selling it. So for the following weeks I went through all of our stuff and started to pack up. It was a bit of a pain to have to pack up but it also allowed us to prepare a bit for our big move back to Calgary.
Early on a Saturday the movers came to our apartment to pack up all of our stuff. I had dome some pre packing but was no where near complete when they showed up
The movers moved through our apartment like a tornado and loaded everything into a truck and moved us to our new place in Downtown Ulsan. After a long day of moving we finally got to relax in our new place.
Our new place is really nice and is quite a bit fancier than our last. It even has a dishwasher and a clothes dryer! The location is also great because it is right on the river, which is great for me to get out for runs.
I miss being close to my friends but we have still been able to see each other since I have been down here.
We currently have our friends Dustin and Ashley visiting us in Ulsan. We spent the weekend with them in Seoul and now they are enjoying the sights of Ulsan. THe cherry blossoms are in full bloom here so the city is extra beautiful!
This weekend I will be running the Cherry Blossom half marathon in Geongju. I am getting really excited about the race but of course a bit nervous. I will write about the race next week to let you all know how it goes.
My time in Ulsan is coming to a close as i am flying back to Canada on April 28th. I am so excited to get home to my friends and family!!! See you all soon!
J
I thought I would write a quick post about our recent move in Ulsan. We were told at the end of February that we would have to move out of our apartment because the family that owned it would be selling it. So for the following weeks I went through all of our stuff and started to pack up. It was a bit of a pain to have to pack up but it also allowed us to prepare a bit for our big move back to Calgary.
Early on a Saturday the movers came to our apartment to pack up all of our stuff. I had dome some pre packing but was no where near complete when they showed up
The movers moved through our apartment like a tornado and loaded everything into a truck and moved us to our new place in Downtown Ulsan. After a long day of moving we finally got to relax in our new place.
Our new place is really nice and is quite a bit fancier than our last. It even has a dishwasher and a clothes dryer! The location is also great because it is right on the river, which is great for me to get out for runs.
I miss being close to my friends but we have still been able to see each other since I have been down here.
We currently have our friends Dustin and Ashley visiting us in Ulsan. We spent the weekend with them in Seoul and now they are enjoying the sights of Ulsan. THe cherry blossoms are in full bloom here so the city is extra beautiful!
This weekend I will be running the Cherry Blossom half marathon in Geongju. I am getting really excited about the race but of course a bit nervous. I will write about the race next week to let you all know how it goes.
My time in Ulsan is coming to a close as i am flying back to Canada on April 28th. I am so excited to get home to my friends and family!!! See you all soon!
J
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