Arriving back in SA!!

After a grueling 25 hours of traveling and waiting around at airports (and the huge hasstle of discovering that I was very much overweight despite my careful packing!), Farmboy and I arrived here in South Africa safetly :) And have already stuffed our faces silly with delicious bread rolls filled with ham, gourmet cheeses, basil, sundried tomato and *avocado*! Yum Yum Yum!







What a lovely surprise to see both my mom and dad waiting for us :) And a very special stop at my Granny And Grandpa for breakfast!



And so begins the next chapter in our lives. We will of course still be keeping this blog up and running, with the hope of adding on an "Africa" section soon!

Lots of love

Farmboy and Citygirl (now enjoying life in South Africa~until our feet get too itchy and it's time to move on!)

**16 000** strings of honey??

On a recent trip to Seoul, we found this guy performing/selling 'The Kings Dessert", a traditional Korean honey candy :)

*TED*~ Idea's Worth Spreading

If you have never heard of TED, then I'm afraid the following bit of news we want to share with you won't be very exciting. Thats ok. Maybe afer watching a video or 2 of some previous TED speakers, you may share a little in our excitement.

A few weeks ago, I came accross an advertisement for TED saying that the next local TED event woud be held in Dajeon. Now, as you may or may not know, we live in Dajeon...and of course, we just had to go. Apparantly, to be part of the audeince of a TED gathering  in the States goes for thousands of dollars (well that's what I was told, please don't burst my bubble if this is entirely untrue), anyways, all we had to do was apply (write a short blurb about us) and then wait to hear if we had been selected to be a part of it or not.

Success! Both Farmboy and I were selected (we had to do separate entries so that was rather lucky) and today is the big day! Here's a little bit of info if you're still no seeing what the big deal is :)

TED is a small nonprofit devoted to Ideas Worth Spreading. It started out (in 1984) as a conference bringing together people from three worlds: Technology, Entertainment, Design.Since then its scope has become ever broader. Along with two annual conferences -- the TED Conference in Long Beach and Palm Springs each spring, and the TEDGlobal conference in Edinburgh UK each summer -- TED includes the award-winning TEDTalks video site, the Open Translation Project and Open TV Project, the inspiring TED Fellows and TEDx programs, and the annual TED Prize.

Here is one of our favourites:

*Myeongdong* and *shopping* and *food* oh my!

In our previos post on Myeongdong, we recommend going there if you could just go ther for the shopping. Well they have loads of cool restaurants and things to see too :)

Here were some of our highlites:

Lunch at this crazy delicious Indian & Nepalese Restaurant called Om Dristi

Then shopping up a storm at Forever21

And then coffee in the ultra posh area of Sinsadong

Finally ending off with supper at *most* people's favourite watering hole when your in a rush and strapped for cash:

All in all a very successful day in Seoul!

Korea~365 days later :)

Today marks the EPIK team of February 2010's 1 year anniversary in the land of morning calm. Sad? Yes...Depressed? No! Why? In t-minus 7 days Farmboy and I will be leaving on a jet plane for sunny ski's and butterflies..ok the last part didn't really make sense, but I hope you at least get the picture. While the next shipment of Teachers is arriving, the rest of us who are heading home will be saying our goodbyes to our schools and packing up our lives...but you never what what the future holds. We may even be back again in August :) But for now we are just super duper excited to see all our family and friends...yippee!

But for now, here is an awesome video of home posted by another great Saffa, Douwe. 7 days!!!!

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8gU4zV_JZc0&feature=player_embedded#at=205

**Shipping stuff** Korea to South Africa

There are two ways that this can be done; by air or by surface mail.

Airmail takes between 1 and 2 weeks and costs about W244 000 to send a 30 kg box. *it is cheaper to send lighter things as the cost is measured by weight*

Surface mail, which is by ship, takes between 2& 3 months, and the biggest box you can send can hold a maximum of 20 kg's and costs about W50 000.

here is a picture of the biggest size box (max. weight allowance = 20kg's)

Farmboy and I have already shipped 2 boxes home, and will be sending another one soon. So we cannot say for sure that it is 100% reliable until the box arrives. But I have been assured by friends that it *will* get home!

Other than that, I have also sent 2 small packages home, each weighing about 1 kg.

I sent them airmail, which only cost W25 000 each. And they arrived safe and sound no problem in about 2 weeks.

Each time, I have been issued with a tracking number, and the people at the Post Office here in Korea have been super super helpful!

With sending bigger items, you have to buy the boxes from the Post Office (they are very cheap, the biggest costing W2 400, pictured above) and then once the have been filled, bring it back to the Post Office where they will tape it up for you : Cool hey.

Then there is a green form to fill in, which will be given to you by the Post Office... very easy and in English...fill in your address, the receivers address,  a box to check what kind of stuff is in the box (merchandise, gift etc) , a place to write what's in it and give the value of each item.

More **Cup Cakes** in Daejeon!

Got a bit of a sweet tooth? Craving something decadent? Head down to Ari's Cup Cakes, which is right at the Jugangno Subway Station Bus stop, and grap yourself a yummy treat.

And then after, why not head underground for some shopping or head to the delightful SumSimDang Bakery for dinner :)

[cincopa A4HAgfKSpSZy]

Directions:

By bus to Jungano Subway Station: # 1, 101, 103, 201, 201, 317, 511, 613, 615, 701

*Myeong-dong* Seoul

So living in/visiting Korea would just not be complete without a trip to the massive shopping district that is Myeong-dong.

Of course you've got to also see Yangsan Electronics market to pick up some cheap technological, Seoul Tower (we are still to go!!) and a host of the other awesome cool markets like Insadong for traditional Korean souvenirs,Namdaemun & Dongdaemun as well as Hongdae for a bit of a student vibe and cheap & funky places to eat...but really...if you only can go to one place for your shopping, go to Myeongdong!

Why not make a few days of your explorations of Seoul. Here are some great backpackers to stay at:

Blu Guest House close to Hongdae

Hong Guest House in the Seogyo-dong area

Banana Backpackers in near Insadong and their other location near Namdaemun

Directions

1. From Exit No. 5 of Euljiro Ipgu Subway Station (Seoul Subway Line No. 2), walk 10 minutes.

2. From Exit No. 5, 6, 7, or 8 of Myeong-dong Subway Station (Seoul Subway Line 4), walk 5 minutes

*Valentines Day~ Korean style*

Korea is very big on holidays that celebrate love, but most of all, the giving of snacks :) Remember this one:

Pepppero Day? Well Valentines day is no exception.

Valentines day here in Korea is celebrated a little differently to other, 'western' countires. Here, Valentine's day is when the girls are supposed to provide the guys with gifts, and spice and all things nice; and on White Day (14th March, one month after Valentines Day) the opposite happens. Guys who recieved prezzies/chocolates,   on Valentine's Day are expected to return the favor by giving gifts, usually more expensive. Traditionally, popular White Day gifts are cookies, jewelery, white chocolate, white lingerie?! and marshmallows.

And then, just to make sure no one is left out, there is also Black Day (April 14. Black Day is a South Korean informal tradition for single people to get together and eat jajangmyeon (noodles with black bean sauce), sometimes a white sauce is mixed for those who did not celebrate White Day. The idea is that those who did not give or receive gifts on Valentine's Day (February 14) or White Day (March 14) can get together and eat jajangmyeon (자장면), white Korean noodles with black bean sauce, to celebrate their singledom. So in Korea, theres something for everyone :)

Keeping with the tradition, Christina (you might remember from a post a awhile back about getting your nails done in Korea ) and I headed out to do some Valntines shopping the day before the the actual day ~! Big Mistake! Not only were the stores stuffed full of young Korean girls all scrambling for the cutest cards/boxes/wrapping but most of the stuff was sold out. Anyway, we did manage to find a few things to make our respective loved ones some yummmy home made chocolates...isn't Korea great!

Getting our ingredients ready...

The soon to be 'full' trays

And the finished product...

But, it wasn't just a Korean Valentines...I was surprised with my own little packages of specialness to open too...what a lucky lady :)

Getting **Glasses** in Korea

One of the first things we noticed after arriving in Korea was the number of people wearing glasses. Hmmm we though, ok, maybe Koreans have really bad eye sight. But, then I started noticing some rather odd things.

Most of the glasses people were wearing, had no lenses! They were purely for show. Loads of loads of cool frames, with no lenses. Ingenious! Who doesn't think they look smarter with glasses (and now you don't have to walk around squinting because the strength of the lenses is too much for your eyes and you just want to look cool.

Well, here in Korea, you can get your eyes tested for free (yup! Cool hey!) so just in case you actually do need them; and the get yourself kitted out with some awesome new specs (minus the lenses if you wanna be part of the lenslessspectaclerevolution...your choice :)

All for the neat price of somehwere between W30 000 and 70 000 *depending on the frames you choose*. Neat hey :)

I got mine at a store in Seoul called "Alo", but there are eye wear shops on every corner here in Korea.

Feeling uber Korean right now :) But like they always say, if you can't beat 'em...join 'em!

P.S. Don't forget about our latest (and last...well at least that is here in Korea) giveaway! Just click here to answer one easy question and stand a chance of winning a super awesome package of Korean goodies! *see below for an idea of what will be in there!*

 

Making Life **Simple** Again

After fiddling around (well, actually more like spending countless minutes) on Stumbleupon *check it out if you haven't already! This website is basically like channel surfing. 
It browses the entire web using search parameters you set up on your profile...cool huh!* 

Farmboy and I have come accross some awesome useless information and other such nonsensical things...

For example:

where to buy this!

and

30 Photos of Cute Baby Animals That Can Change Your Mood

and of course life just wouldn't be complete without some Skelewag Urban Art..

But we found a really great website listing ways to make life simple again, I wanted to share it with you :)

Life is not complex.  We are complex.  Life is simple,

and the simple thing is the right thing.

- Oscar Wilde

When we were young life was easier, right?  I know sometimes it seems that way.  But the truth is life still is easy.  It always will be.  The only difference is we’re older, and the older we get, the more we complicate things for ourselves.

You see, when we were young we saw the world through simple, hopeful eyes.  We knew what we wanted and we had no biases or concealed agendas.  We liked people who smiled.  We avoided people who frowned.  We ate when we were hungry, drank when we were thirsty, and slept when we were tired.

As we grew older our minds became gradually disillusioned by negative external influences.  At some point we began to hesitate and question our instincts.  When a new obstacle or growing pain arose, we stumbled and a fell down.  This happened several times.  Eventually we decided we didn’t want to fall again, but rather than solving the problem that caused us to fall, we avoided it all together.

As a result, we ate comfort food and drank alcohol to numb our wounds and fill our voids.  We worked late nights on purpose to avoid unresolved conflicts at home.  We started holding grudges, playing mind games, and subtly deceiving others and ourselves to get ahead.  And when it didn’t work out, we lived above our means, bought things we didn’t need, and ate and drank some more just to make ourselves feel better again.

Over the course of time, we made our lives more and more difficult, and we started losing touch with who we really are and what we really need.

So let’s get back to the basics, shall we?  Let’s make things simple again.  It’s easy.  Here are 60 ways to do just that *click here for the list*

enjoy :)

Hellolulu ~ *Fabulous laptop/camera bag's*

Looking for a new laptop or camera bag??  Then check out the awesome new range from

**ive got my eye on this one...just got to find the right camera to fit it**

and maybe this one too (also have to find the right lap top to fit!)

Take the light-hearted mood of a holiday. Mix it with sleek, streetwise design. Add the functionality required by the global traveler. Put it all into a bag, and the result is Hellolulu: simple, fun, user-friendly carrying solutions.
Stylish and durable by design, Hellolulu puts lightness into your luggage, and brightness into your bags. Live our dream of affordable style, without the fluff.

Hellolulu Products

Laptop Bags
Bold, bright, and stylish, our laptop bags an inspired response to an overly masculine market

Travel Accessories
Helloulu travel accessories are thoughtfully designed to lighten the load of the traveler by minimizing packing anxiety and organizing your suitcase

Camera Bags
The latest addition to our collection is Camera Bag line, a fun and stylish alternative to the universally black camera bag

Their online store is still undergoing some construction, but hopefully I'll be able to get one of these babies shipped to me before too long :)

SuperSimpleSongs: Lesson Idea's

We've done a few video's on here before for using songs in the classroom;

*Go away Big Green Monster*

*Hello Hello Hello*

And here is another :)

5 Little Monkeys (click here for the youtube video)  and here is a power-point presentation *click here* that I used to teach some of the basic expressions in the song and a mini quizz at the end (It's designed for Korean first grade kids, but is really easy to adapt)

Seoul: *crackdown* on bad taxi drivers

Has a Seoul taxi ever refused to take you where you want to go? Especially on frigid or rainy nights?

The Seoul Metropolitan Government announced a package of penalties and incentives yesterday to put finicky cabbies in their place, especially those who refuse fares or drop passengers off short of their destinations.

Seoul will designate one day a week as an “on-site crackdown day” and police will scour 20 locations for uncooperative cabbies, including Gangnam, Express Bus Terminal, Hongdae, Jongno, Yangjae, and Dongdaemun.

A driver who is caught refusing a fare will be fined up to 200,000 won ($181) for the first offense. For a second offense, the driver will have his license suspended for 10 days. A third offense will lead to a 20-day suspension, and the license will be revoked if a driver is caught a fourth time.

The government will also crack down on call-taxi drivers who turn off their radio receivers, through which they get passengers. Cabbies often turn off the receivers late at night to avoid fares to unfavored destinations.

At the same time, the government will reward call-taxi drivers who take passengers from 10:00 p.m. to 3:00 a.m. with 2,000 won to 3,000 won per fare. Part of the reward will go to the driver and part to his company. But the incentive will not be offered to call-taxi companies that employ drivers who are caught turning off receivers. And the company’s license will be scrapped if caught a second time.

The 120 Dasan Call Center received 15,165 complaints from passengers who reported they were rejected by taxis in 2010, up 13 percent from 2009. Kim Mi-ju

As we don't live in Seoul, we haven't experienced and bad taxi drivers (although we have definitely been in some pretty nasty taxi's in Daejeon).

Good for you Seoul!

P.S The following is from a great online Korean newspaper called the Korean Joongang Daily (*in English*) that you should check out to stay up to date on current affairs :)

*Just for Just's* Giveaway :)

So, it's T-minus 18 days and counting till Farmboy and I touch down on South African soil ~yipee and a little bit *sniff sniff*. We are realy going to miss Korea, from the amazing public transport, to the the fact that I can walk around by myself at night and feel 100% safe...but you never know, we may even be back in August :)

So, we are in high spirits and thought we would organise another giveaway, can I get a whoopwhoop...ahem, moving one...we have been really enjoying MTV's new series, "The Buried Life":

The series follows four friends (Ben, Jonnie, Duncan, and Dave) as they travel across North America in a purple transit bus called "Penelope" to complete a list of "100 things to do before you die." For every item they try to complete on their list, they help a stranger achieve one of their dreams and encourage others to go after their own lists.


So...keeping with the theme, we're gonna ask you something similar:

click here to stand a chance to win an awesome parcel from South Korea!!!

The Philippines~ *who*when*where

In the Winter Holidays of 2010, another 4 South Africans *not to be confused with those who set sail for the majestic ruins of  Cambodia some 6 months ago* traded in snow for sun, sea and sand as they embarked on a fantastical journey, into the wilderness that is...

They traveled  far and wide, from the anime world that is Japan and the kimchi corner that is South Korea; two brothers, parted from each other by the life that comes with Teaching English in Foreign lands, were finally reunited in the heart of fashion, Seoul, to begin the voyage across many oceans to find the breathtakingly beautiful treasures that awaited them on the Island of Palawan, Philippines. To its north across the Luzon Strait lies Taiwan. West across the South China Sea sits Vietnam. The Sulu Sea to the southwest lies between the country and the island of Borneo, and to the south the Celebes Sea separates it from other islands of Indonesia. It is bounded on the east by the Philippine Sea. Its location on the Pacific Ring of Fire and its tropical climate make the Philippines prone to earthquakes and typhoons but have also endowed the country with natural resources and made it one of the richest areas of biodiversity in the world.

And so begins the adventure of Dale, Roxy, Natalie and John...

Cebu Pacific Flight 5J0195 left Korea bound for Manila on Christmas Eve 2010 carrying 4 very excited South Africans who had had their fill of Indian food in Seoul. And who were very happy to leave behind the -10 degree Celsius weather at their departure for the 30 degree sunny skies at their destination. 5 Hours and 400 pesos (the currency in the Philippines, from now on refered to as "P" ) in airport tax later, and the 4 tired travelers arrived in the hot and humid Manila Airport, ready for their 8 hour wait for the  plane that would take them to Puerto Princessa, the capital of the Island of Palawan. Being Christmas Eve, they decided to forgo all budget worries and book into a hotel for the long wait (at the pretty decent price of P1000 or $22 each) and headed off for a flushing toilet and a couple of zzz's.


Bright and early the next morning, the 4 adventures fought their way through the Christmas surge of families visiting loved ones, and reached their destination. Just in time to be welcomed by the smiling face of their airport shuttle to take them to the place they would call home for the next 2 days in Puerto Princessa, Albon Pension:

While in Puerto Princessa, they saw many things and even mnaged to fit in a ciuple of tours. One of thse was to the Underground River at Sabang, where they went on a  boat ride through the dense 'amazon like' Mangroves that are so famous around Sabang...

for only P200 ($5)a person, before heading to one of the new Natural Wonders of the World,  the Underground River (P1500 ($34) pp including lunch):

Azure waters, crystal clear and inviting, mark the entrance to the world’s second longest subterranean watercourse. An few hours away from the city of Puerto Princesa and a short boat ride from the Sheridan Resort, Sabang, yet a step back in time to an age when the earth was still young.

The subterranean river itself cuts through a cave strewn with stalactites, stalagmites, columns and all manner of cave formations. Entertaining and well informed local guides propel the canoes that are safe as well as ecologically sound and ideal for the silent appreciation of the cave. Visitors can enjoy and appreciate without worrying about causing harm to this wonder of the natural world. Undergroundriver

The Underground River is in the running for the title of one of the New 7 Wonders of Nature...you can vote online for it by clicking here!

A day trip to Honday Bay (P1500 for the boat ride for 4 ppl, P100 for snorkeling masks and P100 for lunch) was also on the cards, for some fresh fish and snorkeling 

After spending 2 nights at Albon Pension (P1800 for 2 ppl for 2 night) the gang started the great trek *i.e. the 7 hour mini van trip to EL Nido at P700 a person* which stopped in the seedy town of Roxas for a loo break....anyway moving swifly along...

All going well, the 4 sweaty and hungry voyagers arrived in El Nido to begin the search for accommodation for their stay, which they eventually found at Rosanna's Cottages *P2200 a person for a 4 man room for 4 nights*. Most meal times, they could be spotted at Art Cafe, soaking up the view and stuffing their faces with all kinds of tasty treats.

Just before the New Years, they headed on a mind blowing and gut wrenching 3 day Island Hopping tour with tour company, Tao. Mind blowing due to the following images:

One of the many Island stops..

The first nights accommodation was spent sharing the tiny Island with the 3 locals that made up a tiny fishing Village about 4 hours off the coast of El Nido.


Gut wrenching due to the fact that the 4 travelers all got a case of food poising on the first day of their tour. The youngest traveler, getting hit the hardest, and being pretty much only capable of lying on the beach covered in kokoi's:

Anyway...after a not so speedy recovery, they welcomed the New Year in at the fabulous Alternative *P700 pp for buffet dinner* in one of their 'pods' that overlook the ocean.

The last few days were spent renting motorbikes to explore El Nido *P700 a bike plus P100 for fuel*

Then it was time for travelers to head back to Puerto Princessa for their final night in The Philippines; which they spent at the one and only hotel they could find, for some well deserved luxury *P3000 for a room for 4 people for the night*. Some last minute shopping was done at the pearl markets, and finally it was tie to bid goodbye to the wonders of Palawan and head back to the bustling metropolis of Manila, and finally return home to Seoul.

Heading back sad, tired, thinner thanks to the slightly off bacon they were served while on an Island, but filled to the brim with sun shine and family/friendship induced happiness they bidfarewell to the Philippines, and hello to the prospect of many more adventures together again in the not so distant future...