Christmas in Toronto

So I made it safe and sound to Toronto and spent the week looking around, getting to know a bit of the city.  Because sometimes I forget about things (get the camera, right... ooooh, what's that?  Shiny!!) I didn't have my camera a lot, but I really enjoyed myself.

Toronto is a different kind of city.  Now I can honestly say as a child of the West, we sure aren't raised with any kind of love for this city.  We're actually suspicious of it, even a little hostile toward it.  I can even think of times when I've thought "Oh god, s/he's from Toronto, this outta be good" when being introduced to someone new - bad, I know, but true!!

Since living in Korea though I've met tons of people from tons of places, and while I'll admit that many of them help keep the stereoypes alive and well, most of them are lovely as lovely can be, making me so glad that I got away from home for awhile!

When I travel, it's rare for me to go to a new place to check out their cities.  I've been to HongKong, Beijing, Bangkok, Hanoi and HoChiMinh, and Sydney, but the cities were my least favourite of all those places.  I was trying to explain it to my mom the other day and said something like "I'm not much of a city girl" and she guffawed at me, hahaha, and with a laugh she said, "You are such a city girl, I don't know what you're talking about."

She's right, really, my poor mom.  I don't like to live in little places.  I want to live somewhere with art, and culture, and sports, and parks, and fun things to do - I grew up on a farm and spent plenty of time occupying myself but I love having choices of things to do.  I'm certain she still scratches her head and wonders where the heck I came from most days, with the way I have this need to travel, and adventure, and be out exploring the world.  Sometimes I wonder too why I'm not more like the rest of my family, but I'm happy they love me despite all my craziness!!  :)

So Toronto... did you know there's a CASTLE in Toronto??  It's called Casa Loma.  Now, not having Kings and Queens and such running all over the land, and being a baby in comparison to most of the rest of the world, Canada is NOT full of these things.  This one was built by a man who had a lot of money at the time (sad story eventually, he had to give it up when his finances took a turn for the worse... you can read about the history of the place here if you're interested!).  It looked like it must be beautiful in the summer, and I can imagine that thousands of wedding photos are taken there every year, it really was incredible (for the girl who has never been to a castle before!!).  I didn't get to go inside this trip (long boring story) but when I'm back again I can't wait, it's something I'm looking forward to!!
 

Casa Loma from the parking lot



The lion and unicorn from the Canadian coat of arms are on the roof



The unicorn was my favourite



Great lookin' place!



I also went sightseeing just wandering around in the neighbourhood where I stayed.  The houses were nothing like Calgary and Edmonton, and real estate prices were RIDICULOUS!   

Residential street in Toronto - Just off Dundas I think?

Also, as if there was any doubt that I would go looking for it, I found Koreatown in Toronto.  It was about a 25 minute walk from the castle - a FREEZING 25 minutes I might add!!  It was just like home, a few blocks of stores and services in Korean, I loved it!!  I dragged my friends to Korean food twice  :)

Koreatown, Toronto

Along with the restaurants (which were cheap and SO good) I also found the big Korean market and I was practically beside myself.  In Calgary and Edmonton there were little Asian markets where you could find some things, but this was a full-sized store that carried all SORTS of things for normal (not Import) prices.  And the outside of the market looked cool too:

BiBimBap Mural on the outside of the Korean Supermarket

When I wasn't walking around I caught the subway or used the buses to get around, and it was easy-peasy.  Not as simple or effective as Korea, but not bad either - WAY up there compared to what I'm used to in Alberta!  Mixed in with my forays into what kind of culture I could find at my fingertips in Toronto I also managed to get a haircut (yay!) and find a heap of SHOPPING!!!!  Boxing week sales were fantastic and I managed to get a few new things for work back in Korea.  Not ONE person told me I was too fat to shop in their store, and SOMEtimes I even fit a size SMALLER than I originally picked up - I love you Canada!!!  :)  The Eaton Centre Mall took most of my money this trip - a gorgeous tree sponsored by Swarovski was set up in the middle of the mall - the only thing I didn't like was the 13% sales tax, when in Korea it's included in the prices, and in Alberta it's only 5%.  However, I shop! shop! shopped!!

Eaton Centre Mall, Toronto

Lastly, I ate... I ate a LOT of good food... Mexican, Indian, Korean, Greek, ohhhhh how I ate.  And then, there was a box of these chocolates... I ate most of them too!!

Overall it was a good trip, and makes me excited about moving.  Well, really - why the heck not?  Come August, it's you and me Toronto!!

Headed Home for Christmas

Beijing Airport

Originally, I had planned to spend Christmas in Thailand (yes, I have an addiction to Thailand!).  I was about to buy my tickets when a friend suggested I visit Toronto and see what the city was like.  I had been talking about whether to move to Vancouver or Toronto when my contract was up, and it made sense that I could maybe head over and check it out, see if might like to live there!



Beijing Airport

At first I thought it was a dumb idea, but when the ticket became a Christmas present I kinda stopped arguing, haha... me and my big mouth!

So, I went to Toronto.  I am always in awe of Incheon Airport (Korea's airport) when I go there - there is NO other airport in the world that runs as well, I swear!!  My flight took forever.  I flew out on Christmas Eve (boss was nice enough to give us the extra day off so nobody would be flying on Christmas day - How nice was THAT?!). 



Beijing Sunset, Christmas Eve



By mid-afternoon I was in the Beijing airport wandering around aimlessly (beautiful airport, but NO convenience stores so it was a pain in the ass to be there for 3 hours).  When it was approaching sunset I wandered over to a huge bank of windows and camped out on the floor to watch the sun sink below the horizon, it was beautiful. 

When I boarded the plane it was half empty, so the flight attendants moved the person who was to have shared the row with me and I had ALL 3 SEATS to myself!!!!  The flight attendants were great, the food was good, I had pillows and blankets enough to feel like I was in a hotel AND there were good movies - the FIRST time Air Canada scored a perfect 10 from me - wow! 

When we got over Ontario, about a half hour from landing I opened my window shade and the sun was setting.  It occurred to me that it was Christmas Eve, and I was seeing the sun set on BOTH sides of the world because of my lucky timing... for real? 2 Christmas Eve sunsets in one day??  That's magical.

This coming year, something tells me it's going to be a good one... Merry Christmas, everyone!

Trip to Hawaii (Part 1)

So Mom and I planned a trip to Hawaii.  She had never left home other than for spots like Las Vegas, and I wanted to share my love of travel with her, so I convinced her on to a plane.  Her friend Roz went along with her (it sounded like they were a couple of kids We stayed in Waikiki on the island of Oahu.  It was much like home with palm trees and beaches (and full of people who were as concerned about being on time as I am: yay for island-time!). It was a quick trip, only 3 full days on the island for me, but it was SO worth it!

When I arrived I'd booked a shuttle to the hotel area since mom and Ros had already arrived.  It was a GIANT tour bus for a shuttle and I was the only one.  I hung out chatting with the driver while he waited for more passengers, but my flight was quite late (I got in just after midnight) and I was the only one who didn't seem to want to pay the $60 for a taxi (crazy Koreans) so I happily waited in the warm summer air just chillin' out and looking around.  Strange how an airport is an airport is an airport no matter where you go...

My driver was a very big Hawaiian man who told me with very sparkly eyes about his wife and kids.  We were trading stories about working night shift when his shift partner came up and waggled her finger at him, pulling him aside.  When we climbed onto the bus 5 minutes later he was shaking with laughter and told me she'd warned him not to be too flirty with me, lol... it made us both laugh.  On the way to the hotel he played tour guide, and told me that since switching to his current job he had started to learn a lot about the local history, and I was genuinely appreciative and excited about all the things he was telling me.

We pulled up at the hotel around 12:45 and after I got checked in I quietly set about getting comfy and unpacking a bit.  About 10 minutes later there was a knock on the door that connected my room to the next, and my mom's sleepy head peeked around the corner when I opened up the door - Mommmmmmmm!!!!!! 

Screeching and hugging and giddiness ensued for a minutes (it'd been 7 months since we'd seen one another last) and of course we woke up Roz too.  They had arrived earlier in the day and picked me up a few snacks (fresh fruit! sammidges! Yum!!) which I gobbled up while we visited.  We stayed up another hour chatting before deciding that we'd better settle back in for the night if we were going to get a proper view of the place in a few short hours.  It was a few short days we were going to be there, I didn't want to miss out!

So, not in any particular order, these are some of the things we did...

I played on the sand and in the surf of Waikiki, only about a 5 minute walk through the International Marketplace from our hotel, the Ohana Waikiki West.  Mom and Roz lazed under the umbrellas in lounge chairs, but I just couldn't stay outta the water!!

I didn't try surfing, though I did spend much time avoiding the rescue jetski and the crazy renters that were out on the water.  There were boards all around and I think lessons were available for a reasonable price, but I just wanted to play in the water.  I managed a bit of a sunburn by the end of the trip (when do I not manage to bring one of those home, right?!), but I SO enjoyed the sun. 

We learned about the Duke, a Hawaiian surf champion that you can google or wiki if you're interested, and this is one of my favourite shots from the trip, Roz, me, and mom flashin' the Hawaiian 'hang loose'

We wandered the International Marketplace for a few hours, picked up a few souvenirs and got chased around by some of the most grabby and persistent vendors I've EVER met (actually a lot of vendors from Korea and Borneo once I got to talking to people!).  Waikiki itself is just a normal city that just happens to be lined with palm trees.  Shopping was horrible though we did ride the pink tram (which was very cute) to the great big mall.  I laughed and then almost cried when we got there... I was so very much looking forward to being able to buy some clothes after the time in Korea, but when I got there??  ALL brandname stores that people from Korea and Japan love to shop in, lol... NO shopping for me. 

Deep breath, big sigh,  moving on...
We did breakfast at IHOP (I'm never going again, lol, it was TERRIBLE service!) and I totally enjoyed the return to American food.  We ate at Jimmy Buffet's Margaritaville which was pretty cool, and we were never at a loss for where to find food.

We visited Pearl Harbor after renting a car for the day.  We relied on the GPS system and managed to drive a BIT farther (haha, a bit, meaning onto 2 separate army bases that were NOT open to tourists - and no matter how much I batted my eyes at them they just wouldn't let me on, lol) than we needed, but eventually got there.  On one base I think the soldiers assumed I was a soldier as well because I was acting like they should just let me in, and they just giggled when they figured out that indeed I was just a misguided Canadian, it was very funny.  Still, they didn't let us in, lol, but they did tell us how to get to the right spot! 

This was mom's deali-o, she really wanted to make sure we went there so we walked around until she had her fill of the place.  I really don't like visiting war memorials, no matter at home or abroad, so it wasn't my thing but I was happy we could get there so she could see some of it.  For me, I get the images and emotions of the times, the things you pick up in photos and personal accounts and movies, stuck in my head and my heart and it really impacts how I feel over the next few days and weeks and months, so I am more careful what I take in (lesson learned from Cambodia and Vietnam in 2005; I still don't have those pictures out of my head). 

After that we drove up to the North Shore of the island and visited a small town called Haleiva.  We shopped around a bit, had a nice dinner, and had a snow cone... the guy at Jimmy Buffet's Margaritaville in Waikiki recommended Matsumoro's to be the place not to miss up there, so that's what we did!!  Snow cone, AND some aloe and sun cream, because by that time I was F R I E D!!  :) 

Once we did that we checked out many of the beaches along the Northshore (this was my deali-o, I dragged Mom and Roz along and they were very kind and patient checking them all out with me, lol). 

These are some of the beach photos for your enjoyment...




Haleiwa Beach

 

Haleiwa Beach

 

Sun headed in and surfers headed out - Sunset Beach

 

Girls afternoon at Sunset Beach



Bonzai Pipeline





Video of Namdaemun

These days I've been thinking that it's just easier to get a sense of what the heck I'm talking about if you could just see or hear it for yourself... so, here's a video (or 2 if I can get the uploader to work!) from my afternoon visit to Namdaemun Market... enjoy! 

Namdaemun

Saturday was lovely here. The sun was shining, a bit of a breeze was blowing, and I was is a happy mood. I decided to head out aroud lunchtime and go to the outdoor market in Seoul, Namdamun (which means South Gate). The market covers blocks and blocks outside, and is found near the city's old South Gate. I walked over there to take some pictures, but I guess sometime last year it was nearly burnt to the ground so it is covered for renovation and not near finished yet. It is a gorgeous gate, I'll snap a photo for you to see once it's all redone!

So as I said, the market covers blocks and blocks and blocks. It carries everything you can imagine, and I'm sure that despite the fact that I've been there 5 or 6 times, I still haven't been down all the streets. There are areas that sell traditionally Korean food items like ginseng (In-Sam) and seaweed (Kim), other ares with shops selling childrens shoes, womens purses, sports jerseys, belts, hair accessories... it's like a big garage sale as well, with some tables piled high with $1/$2 shirts or pants etc.

The sound of the place is also an experience of its own... some places sellers are yelling out like they're at an auction, motorobikes are slowly put-putting down the streets that are crowded with people, women are talking back and forth carring trays of dishes back to their restaurants on their heads, kids are screeching and grandpas are spitting... at the end of the post I'll try to put up a video and you can check it out for yourself!

I also managed to FINALLY take some pictures of handbags for mom, I've been wanting to figure out what kind of bag she wanted so I can bring it when we get together next month - now I just have to get the videos off to her!  :)  So mom, if you see a bag you like in the video you'll just have to tell me so I can go hunt for it again!!   :)

I stopped for a bite to eat as well after all my wandering, and for the FIRST time since I've been to Korea, as in first time EVER, I finally bought myself a steamed bun... omg it was so good I almost went back for another one, lol...

In the background of the picture you can see the metal circles piled on top of one another... those circles are full, layer upon layer, of these lovely buns... I bought the 'meat' bun, but there was also kimchi or redbean available (but the meat is the best!).

As I was walking along I came across this woman sharing her crackers with the pigeons just outside the market... she didn't seem to be bothered by the fact that pigeons are such 'dirty' birds (most people here are afraid of them)...

After the bun I stopped at a little toast shop where they mi fresh fruit into blended fruit drinks... got myself a fresh strawberry juice, and wow was it good...

When I got home I sat at the side of the fountain in the park near my apartment and read my book, listening to the sounds of the water, and feeling the spray in the breeze...

What a day wonderful for my senses... good food, beautiful sunshine, happy people, bustling market streets... Happy Saturday!

Diving... Underwater Photos!

One of my dives was a photography dive, so we got to take some digital cameras down with us... here are some of the things I saw... they aren't superb quality, but they're fun to look at!

Scuba Juction Dive Boat

incredible views...

Anemone and clownfish... remember Nemo?

Blue-spotted stingray's tail, with some spikey urchins!

Lovely bright butterfly and a wrasse

loved all the fish above the coral

being surrounded in a school of little fish is an unforgettable experience

they were incredible, darting everywhere, playing in my bubbles...

the camera took this shot so incredibly well that it looks like a dry coral, even though it is indeed underwater along with everything else... this was about 4m from the surface, incredible colours!

The sides of all of the underwater hills and mountains (pinnacles) looked like this, lots of things to look at and hunt out with the camera

sometimes when I close my eyes I can see the fish all swimming around me again, wrapped in blue

swimming along together into the deep blue...