My Travel ABCs

A: Age you went on your first international trip

23- My first trip to S.Korea, Asia. For this reason, Asia and in fact S.Korea will forever hold a special place in my heart. To date all my travel experience has been in Asia. I do admit I was a late bloomer in terms of travel, but better late than never, right? :) 

B: Best foreign beer you've had and where

Never was and never will be a beer drinker. I was 'forced' to drink lots of beer in Korea, only because it was the most convenient and cheapest beverage to drink among friends. Also because it was so readily available. Pop into Family Mart or 7-eleven and you've got beer in your hand almost instantly. 

C: Cuisine

I looooove food and more particularly I love meat, so this is a difficult one for me. Having been to Thailand twice (a third trip is brewing) I'd have to say that this country has my all time favourite food. I remember feasting on curries, noodles (pad thai) and sea food daily - literally for lunch and dinner. I don't think I had ever eaten so much Thai food in my life. 

D: Destinations- favourite, least favourite and why

Don't think I have a least favourite destination as all the countries I've been to were on my list of places to visit, so naturally I researched them thoroughly and knew where to go and what to avoid. At the top of my favourite list is definitely Thailand. As a developing, third world country, there's just something about the vibe and atmosphere that allures me. My favourite place in Thailand would have to be Bangkok. Many travelers (and friends) I've met actually hate Bangkok for the exact reasons I love it - The crowds, the big city lights, the pestering tuk-tuk drivers, the pollution and so forth. And then when the sun goes down- the massages, the 'massages', the saunas, the go-go bars, the countless lady boys, the countless rent boys, the clubs, the night markets, the bars, restaurants and bustling nightlife. 

E: Event you experienced abroad that made you say "wow'

Can't really think of any particular event but there were many attractions that were absolutely stunning and surreal, they definitely made me say 'wow'. 

My best experience would have to be watching a sunrise and sunset at Wat Angkor in Siem Reap, Cambodia. A sunrise/sunset in itself is magical, but watching that from the highest tower of the temple truly just blows you away. 

Waiting for the sunrise at Angkor Wat, 5am. 

Watching the sunset from the highest tower of  the Angkor temples. 

I've never really appreciated history until I came to see these temples. Granted, there are more fascinating and beautiful temples in the world, I just haven't seen them yet. 

F: Favourite mode of transport

This would definitely have to be the tuk-tuk, famous in South-East Asia. The tuk-tuk is basically a kind of carriage pulled by a motorbike. It's like an automated rickshaw. I took my first tuk-tuk trip in July of 2010 when I visited Thailand for the first time. The carriage usually is open so you can feel the wind blowing through your hair as your driver zips in and out of traffic. Fun times!!!

The tuk-tuk I rented (with a driver) for a day
in Cambodia, March 2012. 

G: Greatest feeling while travelling 

Whenever I visit a country I usually like to spend the first few days doing all the 'touristy' things-must see places and must do activities. I love visiting iconic structures/national monuments which are internationally famous. So I've had a few great moments over the last few years. So far though, the greatest feeling would have to be climbing The Great Wall of China- I say climbing because the gradient of the wall varies drastically- gentle to extremely steep. My friend Reneldon and I took a trip to Beijing last year (May 2011) for the long birthday weekend of Buddha. At the highest points of the wall, you have a 360 degree view of the mountains and orchards of Northern Beijing. I could stay up there for hours, but there was so much walking to do I had to get moving!! 

                                    

H. Hottest place you've traveled to

Anywhere in South-East Asia is going to be hot, especially in summer. The hottest place I've been to is Bangkok, Thailand. In summer, the temperature can range from 19 to 33 degrees and the humidity can add between 2 and 5 degrees. I found the weather very similar to that of Daegu, a city in S.Korea that I lived close to. Bangkok is hot and the people, pollution and thousands of cement buildings make it hotter. It doesn't cool down in the evening. If you don't have an AC or fan in your room you WILL go to bed perspiring. Constant perspiring and  'stickiness' are a way of life in Bangkok and other areas in South-East Asia. 

I: Incredible service you've experienced and where

South Korea, for many reasons. Whether having dinner at a local family owned restaurant or taking your computer in for a service to a PC shop, you will always receive a smile and most times friendly service. From my experience (all of it good) people will always go out of their way for you. A memorable moment was sometime last year when I went to a pharmacy near my house to collect medicine for an allergy I had. The pharmacist didn't stock that particular brand and was extremely apologetic for not being able to help me. As I was about to leave, the pharmacist's daughter who had listened to the entire conversation, appeared from one of the back rooms to reiterate (in better English) what her mother had told me. Thereafter she offered me a lift at almost 8:30pm to another pharmacy almost 2 kms away so that I could get the medicine that I needed. Of course, she wouldn't take no for an answer. So as far as incredible service goes, that kind of tops it for me. 

J: Journey that took the longest

Traveling from South Africa to South Korea takes an insanely long time! Generally there are three flights that one would take. Typically a flight from South Africa would take up to 30 hours or more including layovers and bus/car trips etc. My longest journey however, was my final trip back to South Africa from Thailand. After spending a week in Chiang Mai in Northern Thailand, I took a 12 hour sleeper train to get back to Bangkok station. I then had to take an hour long subway to get to the airport. After waiting at the airport for about 7 hours (I was waaaaay too early) I took a 6 hour flight to Dubai. My layover in Dubai was 9 hours! After sleeping on a bench for a good 3 hours I finally boarded flight which took another 8 hours to get to Durban. A 2 hour car ride home completed the journey. About 45 hours in total.- almost 2 days of just traveling! 

K: Keepsake from your travels

I tried keeping a scrapbook but that never went too far so I still have all the scrap I just need to put it into a book :) In addition I also collect notes and coins as well as tons of souvenirs (key chains, fridge magnets etc) from all the countries I visit. I keep this very safely. Lastly, I collect a piece of jewelry from each country I visit. So far: 3 rings, 2 bracelets, 2 chains  and a couple of watches which I also keep very safely. I'm a very sentimental person so I treasure my photos and everything I have collected. 

L: Let down sight, why and where 

To a lesser extent I was a little 'disappointed' with Malaysia. I had an absolute blast there and I was with amazing friends but unless you head out to one of the many islands, there isn't much to see on the mainland, apart from all the usual tourist stuff.  I think we only made it out to one of the nearby islands- 'Monkey island' which in itself wasn't the most exotic but it was quite fun being surrounded by monkeys on a secluded island. If I ever head out to Malaysia again I will visit more islands. Thailand, for me, is the only place where there's as much excitement on the mainland (Bangkok, Pattaya, Phuket) as there is on the islands. Thailand nje is just a party destination. 

M: Moment where you fell in love with travel

This is a really difficult one. From a young age I've always dreamed of traveling. I used to read magazines and when I saw a picture of an exotic location I'd get lost in thought, day dreaming about the day I'd be able to visit and travel and be free. I daydreamed of the day when I would live in a foreign country, be able to speak a foreign language and enjoy the little luxuries of a first world, developed country. Well the day finally came 2 years ago when I had the opportunity to work and live in South Korea. I arrived a day earlier than scheduled and spent the night at a hotel. After I had showered and freshened up I decided to take a walk around the suburb and wandered about for close to two hours. While I was out I had my first taste of 'sausage on a stick' and bought some ice-cream just for the fun of it. While dragging my feet through the snow listening to some ajashis (old men) having a drink nearby, it started to snow. There I was, standing on a street in a foreign country in Asia, completely immersed in a culture and language I didn't understand, eating my ice-cream in the snow. I stood there for about 5 minutes taking it all in until the ajashis started shouting at me and gesturing for me to get out of the snow. I walked away smiling and mumbled something to them. That's when the excitement set it in. Little did I know that Korea was going to be the best thing that ever happened to me. 

N: Nicest hotel you stayed in

I always travel cheaply. Hostels, guesthouses, B&Bs etc. This makes the trip more affordable and there's lots of money left for other things like shopping and eating!! Last year I went to Malaysia with 3 friends and although we didn't stay in 5star hotels we stayed at a fairly nice hotel in the coastal city of Penang. The rooms were spacious, service was good and it had a glorious pool!

O: Obsession- what you're obsessed with taking pictures of while traveling 

Everything!!! When traveling in Asia I take a lot of pics of temples and a lot of pics of myself (well I get people to take them for me lol). Ask any of my friends and they will confirm this.  As a 'new' traveler I make a point of appearing in at least 50% of all the pics I take. Gotta have the pictures to prove you were there, right? :) So apart from myself and temples I also gotta take pics of daily living. Fancy museums, churches and temples are nice but I also like reflecting on peoples ways of living. The lady hanging out her laundry at 7am or the crazy tuk-tuk driver. I love photography. 

A little village in Chiang Mai, Northern Thailand. 

P: Passport stamps- how many and from where

I have 31 stamps in my passport. I've collected them from: 

*Durban & Johannesburg (South Africa); 

*Incheon (South Korea); 

*Bangkok & Phuket (Thailand- twice);

*Hong Kong & Beijing (China);

*Kuala Lumpur (Malaysia);

*Singapore;

*Phnom Penh & Siem Reap (Cambodia)

Q: Quirkiest attraction you've visited and where 

Siem Reap in Cambodia is known for being a quaint city that comes alive at night. By day it's not as busy and bustling as Phom Penh but at night the tourists come out and you see them crawling the streets everywhere. I visited a very whimsical and quirky restaurant for lunch one day. It was off the main street. It's difficult to miss- you'd have to be deaf to miss the chimes. It's a two-storey house which has been converted to a restaurant. The walls of the entire top floor had been broken down and replaced with railings to give it  a more open-plan,  'outdoor' effect. The lower floor and the garden area had large luxurious sofas and large umbrellas. The entire restaurant was adorned with wind chimes, colourful modern art and little eclectic pieces here and there. It was truly an 'out there' kinda restaurant. 

                                      

This has 'FAY' written all over it. 

                                     

R: Recommended sight/ event/ experience

Definitely the Angkor temples in Siem Reap. It's a good idea to read up about the history of the temples before you head out there. They are absolutely beautiful and you need an entire day to see the most important ones. They are just magnificent. 

S: Splurge

Sights and shopping! I love food but I don't mind grabbing some street food or a burger if I absolutely have to. As mentioned before, I make it a priority to see all the important sights by day and then do as much shopping as possible by night. I also like to 'get in' with the locals. Party with them, eat with them, drink with them.  

T: "Touristy" thing you've done

Whenever I travel I love to take lots of pictures. Of course, I have to be in most of them. Pictures or it didn't happen, right? And in every country there's that thing you just have to do. For example, in Thailand I took tons of pictures with ladyboys. One thing I am not is a typical tourist. A friend once called me an urban tourist. Everything I do is touristy except dressing like a tourist. 

U: Unforgettable travel memory 

Sooo many awesome travel memories. Some alone and some great friends. In March this year I visited Northern Chiang Mai and hiked in a forest for about 2 hours to find the most beautiful waterfall hidden from all the hustle and bustle of the city. I never really swim, but on that day I had to make an exception for this amazing creation of God. 

At the waterfall with a Frenchman and two Koreans :) 

V: Visas- how many and for where

1 x South Korea work visa; 

1 x China tourist visa;

1 x Cambodia tourist visa. 

W: Wine - best glass while traveling and where

Not really a huge fan but I did enjoy some delicious wine in Korea. That's about all I can say :) A little off topic though, in my first year in Korea I took a trip to Seoul with my friends Young, Jarrod, Zach and Armaghan. We went out one night to a very posh lounge. Jarrod, Zach and I ordered a bottle of wine. While still enjoying our first glass we had to leave immediately in order to get free entry into another lounge or club or something. So the three of us had to chug the bottle of wine in a matter of minutes! I remember Jarrod saying: "Shaun, you should be used to this, you're from South Africa" hahahaha. Good times. 

X: Excellent view and where

Watching the sun set at the Angkor temples was amazing. The view of Hong Kong's skyline is also amazing. Any view of table mountain in Cape Town is excellent :)  Also excellent in CT, is the view of the city from Signal Hill. 

View of CT city at night. I've become quite a big-city-lights boy. 

Y: Years traveling

This is my third year of international traveling. Living, working and traveling go hand-in-hand. I love it. I am already working on my next trip :) 

Z: Zealous sports fans and where

One very hot day in Seoul, around 35 degrees plus humidity I was asked to play soccer with some Korean friends. They couldn't understand why I said no. Koreans in general are huge soccer fans. They play at any time of the day. They are also huge supporters of soccer and baseball. There was at least one major game happening every weekend. 

***

This is my last post in my Korea blog Life in the fast lane. This was also my very first blog ever and I am quite happy with the results. As I read through all my posts my heart was warmed by all the memories and people I met along the way. 

Much love, Korea. Thanks for giving me something to write about.