Website Gallery Updates

11/02/2011

Well, I've been able to get some of the photo galleries uploaded on the main website.  Since there's so many pics, it'll take a bit to get them all posted.  In the meantime, thanks for your patience... and I hope you enjoy seeing a bit of some of the beautiful places here in Asia.

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Major Changes and a New Website

10/27/2011

Well, it's been a long time in coming...

While I was traveling through Vietnam this summer, I got a notification that my domain name for ricksinkorea.com was expiring.  I was trying to get things fixed... but when you're on the road for a month at a time, sometimes that's easier said than done.

When I got back to Seoul, I wasn't sure what I wanted to do with the blog.  I'd become a bit frustrated, since there was so much I wanted to post-- but much of it was in the way of pictures, etc. that I just wasn't able to do well here.  So, I just let things sit in limbo for way too long while trying to figure out the best solution.

Finally, the decision was made to build a full website... not just run the blog.  The blog will continue here, with (hopefully) more frequent posts than before, but now I'll be able to upload full photo-galleries of the various sights/trips, as well as post helpful links/info.

If you've been following the blog, you can click "home" on the toolbar above to go directly to the new site as well.

Hope you guys enjoy.

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Teacher's Day

5/16/2011

Here in Korea, May 15 (yesterday) is Teacher's Day.  This is DEFINITELY a holiday that should be picked up back in the United States.

The students bring gifts for their teachers.  I was given a virtual garden of flowers:




I also received cards, candy, some really nice men's facial lotion/aftershave/deodorant from Chanel and Kiehl's, and 100,000KW (about $90) from the PTA, but the gift that really shocked me was... an engraved pen from Mont Blanc:

If you're not familiar with Mont Blanc.... well, the metal on the pen is platinum and that's a sapphire on the clip. 


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Cirque du Soleil

4/14/2011

You just never know when being nice to someone will have a wonderful reward.

A couple of weeks ago, I met a small group of people who were new to town and were exploring Itaewon a bit.  I chatted with them a while and helped them out a bit.  It turns out that they work for Cirque du Soleil, which is playing here for the next two months.  One of my friends and I were wanting to go, so I asked if it would be better to buy tickets online or go to the box office.  They started laughing and that's when I learned that one of them, Ene, is actually the floor supervisor who handles all the seating.  He told me to just buy the cheapest tickets and let him know when I was coming so he would be expecting me.


Well, I did just that-- and my friend and I each paid 60,000KW (about $53) for our tickets.  When we got to the show, we met Ene... and he escorted us to the VIP section where we sat in INCREDIBLE seats that normally sell for 220,000KW ($195) each.  The show was really nice and we had a great evening.

Thanks so much, Ene!


I know the pics aren't that great.  You're not really supposed to take any at all, but I snuck a couple with my iPod... lol

 

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Spring..... FINALLY! (I hope)

4/06/2011

It seems like it's been a really long winter this year. BUT, the signs of spring's arrival are finally here.

Last week, there was a vendor selling flowers in my neighborhood, so I stopped and got some for the bed at my apartment.  The blooms are just starting to open.


When I saw the daylilies, I knew I had to plant them.  They reminded me so much of my dad.

This morning, I saw another VERY Korean sign of spring.  A woman dressed to kill (including her fur coat and leopard print hand bag) was driving her motorbike to work.  When the weather's good, everyone's out and about! 


Gotta love it!

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2011 St. Patrick's Day Festival in Seoul

3/23/2011



The Irish meet the Koreans! lol
And yes, that is me you see briefly at 2:22

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Korea is Safe!

3/12/2011

Just a quick note, since I've gotten several emails from people concerned about the tsunami in this part of the world.

The islands of Japan basically act as a barrier reef for the Korean peninsula, effectively protecting Korea from things such as the recent tsunami.  Additionally, Korea is a very mountainous country-- so with the exception of the beach areas in the south, most of Korea is similar to the Appalachians in the U.S. 

Seoul is about 200 miles north of the southern coast... it's perfectly safe here.

Sooo.... love you all-- and you don't have to worry!

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New Apartment #3

3/06/2011

Well, I'm still behind on posting my trip to Thailand but things have been really busy.

We're starting a new school year... which means a new contract.  This time, instead of living in the apartments owned by the school I opted to take a housing allowance and find a better place.  I'm now living beside one of the large army bases in the main "foreigner" area.  My new apartment is, by far, the best I've had so far here... it's larger and--most importantly-- there's a nice size outdoor area that'll be perfect for bbq's etc.








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Nothing like a cup of hot tea!

2/11/2011

I still need to finish posting my trip to Thailand, but this week has just been one of those weeks.  I had a pretty bad cold/sore throat so I went to the doctor.  Here in Korea the regulations on medication are such that you have to see a doctor for even basics like cold medicine. (Remember, though, that doctor visits here are super cheap).  The medicine kept me pretty groggy all week... so it's just been one of THOSE weeks.

So what do you do on a Friday night after one of those kind of weeks?  You just plop on the sofa with your favorite comfy blanket and a nice big cup of hot tea!



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Ayuthara

2/10/2011

I went on a day tour to Ayuthara, the site of some ancient ruins. 



These ruins are best known for a carved head of a Buddha that is encapsulated in the roots of a tree.


We also visited a large temple there.  Since it was over the New Year's holiday, there were many worshippers present.




Apparently, one of the ways one shows reverence is to apply gold leaf to statues of Buddha sitting around the temple.  Others would burn incense or offer prayers.
Still others would give offerings of money.  I think it was really interesting that there was a "money tree" of sorts where people would attach their offerings for others to see.


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Floating Markets, the Tiger Temple, and Bridge over the River Kwai

2/07/2011

My grandmother used to have about 10 years worth of National Geographic magazines that she kept shelved in a small reading room.  When I was growing up, I spent numerous hours there reading about different exotic places and wishing that one day I would get to see them.

One of the things I wanted to see was the floating markets in Thailand.  I made a day trip to one of the largest ones located in Ratchaburi.  It was really amazing! (and yes, I know I use that word a lot when talking about my trip)  There are canals that are used instead of roadways through some parts of the country.  People live along the canals, so the merchants simply take their wares from home to home... kind of door to door salesmen on water. 

In the main market areas, there are shops both along the edge of the water as well as in longboats in the water.  You can find almost anything you can image-- from hats to fresh produce to souveniers to food cooked fresh on the boat.


When we left the floating markets, we made a short stop to see the Bridge over the River Kwai (yes, the one from the movie). 

We then finished off the day by a visit to the "Tiger Temple".  Apparently, a number of years ago someone gave an orphaned tiger cub to one of the monks at a Buddhist temple to care for.  Others soon followed, and now there are a couple of dozen beautiful cats there, as well as other animals such as camels and water buffalo that roam the grounds freely.  

During the afternoon when the tigers are feeling lazy/sleepy they let visitors come and interact with them.  It was absolutely incredible to be able spend the afternoon petting tigers.
Ever feel like you've got a tiger by the tail?  lol

I was even able to help walk the biggest one back to it's cage as they were closing up for the day.

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The Grand Palace and the Emerald Buddha

The Grand Palace in Bangkok is the residence of the royal family and also contains one of the most beautiful Buddhist temples in Thailand (if not the whole world).  There really are few words that can describe just how breathtaking it is... so, since a picture's worth a thousand words, here's some photos so you can get a small taste.

The Grand Palace


The Royal Guard


Part of the Palace Complex


Temple









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About This Blog

Rick is an English teacher currently living and working in Seoul, South Korea. If you have any questions about life in Korea, feel free to email: ricksinkorea@yahoo.com

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