Cruising in Style: Ha Long ~ Bai Tu Long Bay

Happy Monday Y'all! 

I hope you had a wonderful weekend. Matt and I had a nice relaxing 3 day weekend, but it was over way to quickly. Anyway- today I thought I would share a few pictures from the 2 day 1 night cruise we took of Bai Tu Long and Ha Long Bay. 

Matt and I chose to travel with IndoChina Junk, and we could not have been more pleased. I want to dedicate a whole post for praises for this company,  but for now- let me say- they are amazing.

IndoChina takes their tours through Bai Tu Long Bay (Baby Dragon) as opposed to sticking straight through Ha Long Bay. By doing this- we were able to stay away from the crowded touristy areas of the bay. The only boats we saw were from the IndoChina group, so it really made it seem like we were traveling the seas by ourselves. 

{Our boat for the cruise- Red Dragon} 

This is was one of those experiences that was like- are you for real!?! Are we really doing this? It was all so surreal. The limestone islands that make up the bay are amazing. We could not get over the views we had throughout our whole trip. 

I still have a lot of pictures to go through, but I couldn't resist sharing a few with you today. This was such amazing trip. I would recommend this cruise to anyone and everyone. We had a blast, and I can't wait to share more with you. 

Have a great week.  

Friday Letters #50

Happy Friday Y'all!

Hooray for Korean Independence Day! Today Matt and I had a wonderful break from teaching while the country celebrated their independence from Japan. 

This week was pretty darn boring. Actually- most of our weeks are boring, but alas- I still feel the need to write my letters- so here we go. 

Dear Discover Mongolia!, We are excited to take our tour with you. We are looking forward to our 3 day tour of Central Mongolia. I can't believe we will be in Mongolia next month!!! This was the number 1 location we had on our travel bucket list, and to see it being crossed off is an amazing feeling. We are lucky the ticket prices were so low for September. Here we come Mongolia! 

Dear J, Thanks for spending your Friday with us. It was fun having a third person to hang around with for the day. We're glad we could give you the wonderful experience of riding the subway and bus here in Korea for the first time. (PS- I'm still the Skip-bo champ.)

Dear Krispy Kreme Doughnuts, You were delicious. It's been a long time since we've had some doughnuts and we were not disappointed. Yum Yum. 

Dear Korean Independence Day, Thank you for giving us a day of relaxation and a day without work. Yay for holidays!

Dear Computer, Please come back to me soon. I miss you so much.

I hope you all had a wonderful week and have a fabulous weekend! 

Love, Alex

Reflections: Month 12

Well guys, I've made it! I have officially been in Korea for 1 year. We are on the downhill part of our Korean adventure. We have about 8 months left here in Korea- it's crazy to see how fast the last year has gone by. 

I would be lying to you if I said I wasn't excited about going home. I still really love being an expat and being able to travel, but Korea is starting to drive me crazy. I think it's just the itch to move again and find a new adventure. At the same time- I am not ready to stop exploring Asia. I never thought I would love Asia as much as I do- but it's amazing. 

So here's a few things about my stay in Korea so far. A lot of these haven't changed since my 6th month, but I still wanted to do this.

What I Love About Korea

Seoul- I love the capital so much. I love exploring and seeing the busy city life. I love that we are close enough to take day trips up to the city. And I love that there is a whole section of the town that is filled with foreign food. I'm glad I can satisfies my guacamole cravings every once in a while. 

Things to Do- There is still so much to see and to explore. We have a couple in country trips we have planned. 

Korean BBQ- Still delicious. Still my favorite. 

What Drives Me Crazy

The Drunk Guys- Every Thursday- Sunday, the streets are filled with people that have overindulged. At this point- I'm so sick of walking around throw up. Walking around drunk guys weaving in the streets and spitting. And I'm very much over the drunk guys approaching me and asking if I'm Russian and to get a drink with them. A couple months ago, a guy started bothering me on the bus. He was touching my hair. He followed me off the bus and down the street. At the corner- he stood really close to me and tried to touch me. It was the scariest experience so far here in Korea. I waited in a store until Matt could meet me and walk with me home. The guy waited outside for over 30 minutes. It was creepy. So I can safely say I hate this the most about Korea. 

The Pushiness- Everyone just pushes. It's hard to describe Korea's culture because they are very caring and are respectful of others.... unless you are in line for something. Then it's me me me. I know it's just a cultural thing and I don't believe they are being rude- but it's a hard thing to get over for my American self.

What I Miss

Oh my gosh I miss everything! 

Driving- I so miss driving. I love that public transportation is so good here, but I miss jumping in my car and going somewhere. I know I wouldn't want to drive here, but I can't wait to drive when I'm back home. 

Chick-fil-A- Oh what I wouldn't give for nice chicken sandwich and a chocolate milkshake. And their lemonade. There are many things that I can't wait to eat. I want Mexican food and pot roast and sour cream. (Maybe not at the same time.)  Matt and I often have conversations about what we are going to eat first. 

My family- I can't wait to see my little Asian babies. I can't wait to spend the holidays with them and actually go to family gatherings. I just want to be a part of things again. 

Things I've Picked Up
Using 2 Hands- Here in Korea, people use two hands to give and to receive things to others. Whenever I am paying for something I always use two hands.

Highlights from Year One 
Visiting the Temple by the Sea in Busan
Getting new stamps in my passport
Visiting Cambodia
Making Thanksgiving and Christmas dinner together
Tokyo Disneyland

This last year has been an amazing adventure. I can't to see what the next 8 months have in store for us!  

Friday Letters #49

Happy Happy Saturday Y'all! 

Sorry for being late with the letters and for not posting that much, but my laptop decided to take a sick week and is currently being cared for at the Apple repair shop. (Which- by the way- Apple repair here in Korea is pretty much non-existent. Matt and I went on a goose chase today finding the repair center here in Suwon.) Hopefully, I will have my laptop back by next week, but for now- I will be using Matt's.

I hope your week went well. Here is what we have been up to this last week. 

Dear Vietnam, You were amazing. I had a feeling I would love the cruise we took on Ha Long Bay, but I did not expect to love the rest of Hanoi as much. But I fell in love. Hanoi is such an amazing city, and we loved walking around and exploring. Ha Long Bay was the highlight of our trip, but the rest of Hanoi did not disappoint. The heat was a little unbearable at times- but I guess that's what hotel pools were made for. I have a feeling Vietnam might be a return trip for us. There is so much we have left to see. 

Dear IndoChina Junk, Thank you for being such an amazing company to tour with. Our cruise down in the bay was amazing. The views were spectacular. 

I can't wait to start sharing the trip with you guys. 

Dear Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum, I have to admit this was a strange experience for me, but I'm so glad we did this. Ho Chi Minh was a leader of Vietnam and is loved by the people for being the leader who got rid of the imperialization from the French. He also had pretty strong Communist ideals. When he died, the country embalmed him and built this mausoleum for his body. Nowadays, it's like a mecca trip for the Vietnamese people to come pay respects to their beloved leader. I really wanted to see Ho Chi Minh for some morbid reason, and I am glad we did it. It is one of the most bizarre things I've done- and I'm sure Matt could have passed on this experience- but I think it was worth standing around and sweating in the hot Vietnam sun.

Dear Guardians of the Galaxy, Wow! What an amazing movie. Matt and I actually saw this movie twice this week and loved it both times. Can I get a Amen for how great Chris Pratt looked in this movie!?! Even Matt agrees- so it's okay that I write this. But for real- I think this is my favorite Marvel movie so far, and I can't wait for Guardians II. 

And that pretty much sums up our week. Broken MacBook Pro. Easy work week because a lot of our students are on vacation. Wonderful trip to Vietnam. And a double movie event. 

Have a wonderful weekend! 

Love, Alex

Ta Som: Cambodia

Happy Monday Y'all 

I hope your weekend was amazing. I can't wait to start sharing Vietnam with you guys, but for now- a quick post on Ta Som Temple. 

Again- this was one of our temples from our second day of exploration. This temple was constructed in the end of the 12th century, and was destroyed in the 15th-16th centuries. In 1998, Cambodia started on the restoration project of this temple. The project is ongoing and today there is still scaffolding surrounding some parts of the temple.

Like every temple I've shared in the last couple of months- Ta Som- is just as amazing. Ta Som isn't as popular as the big 3, but I think it's worth walking around for a bit.

Friday Letters #48

Happy Friday Y'all!

I hope your week was amazing. Now onto the letters. 

Dear Ward Pioneer Day Activity, Such fun. The chili cook off was amazing. Matt and I had fun judging the competition and trying all the different chili. We had fun visiting with different members from church and eating a ton of food. Matt especially loved the Dutch oven cobbler. 

Dear Schmitt Family, Thanks for inviting us over for dinner. The hot dogs were just perfect for us homesick expats. We really enjoy your company, and the game night was so fun. Thanks thanks thanks. 

Dear Work, Thanks for being a two day work week! Woo-hoo for summer vacation. Dear Vietnam, Thanks for being so close for us to explore. Dear HaLong Bay, I know you are just beautiful. 

Have a great weekend! 

Love, Alex 

Banteay Prei: Cambodia

Happy Thursday Y'all! 

By the time this post is published, Matt and I will be cruising down Ha Long Bay sipping on a nice cold drink. Are you a little jealous? Hopefully it's as exciting as it sounds. 

So while we are cruising- I thought I would continue to share the never ending trip to Cambodia. 

On our second day of exploring the temples, we started with Banteay Prei. Some call Banteay Prei Wat Angkor since it shares a lot of the same characteristics. However, it is not as popular as Angkor Wat, but it really should be on your list because it is pretty amazing. 

As you can see- this temple hasn't been fully restored, but I think it just adds to the beauty of the temple. There was so much detail in every piece of the temple. It had been rainy so it made everything really green. 

I know you guys have been bombarded with temples these last couple of months, but I really wanted to give each temple we saw it's spotlight. 

So what did you think of Banteay Prei?