THAILAND.... Chiang Mai... Tigers, Elephants, and the night market! Day 1-3

Sa-wa-dee-cuh..... Hello!!..which was about the only word I learned in Thai :( Kinda hard to catch onto actually. After my Japan trip with Katie, we decided we wanted to hit up Thailand together too. So we did. Lunar New Year was the perfect time. New Year layed on a Wed-Friday this year, so since I had extended my contract, I had a few extra days to take off, giving us exactly a week again. And it was Soooooo WONDERFUL!!!!
In our attempts to save a few thousand Won, we decided to fly out of Seoul and fly into Busan. We had it perfectly planned out. Bus to Seoul in the morning, fly from Seoul--Shanghai (layover)-to Bangkok (sleep at the airport)--to Chiang Mai. We knew it was gonna be long but didn't really think too much about it. It started to go downhill when we were misinformed about 2 different buses going to Seoul. We wound up riding a bus 3 hours after we'd arrived hoping to get the first one and barely made it to Seoul with literally 5 minutes to spare. Our bus driver was a rockstar, and we made a really great friend on the bus who helped us out alot. We were so scared of missing our flight (especially since we'd arrived so early and should've had plenty of time). We were so relieved when we made it on the plane and everything was ok :)
En route to Shanghai, we met a new friend, Jamie, whom was also a fellow Californian and teacher in Korea. We became friends and hung out at the airports together, etc. Katie and I had a horrible nights sleep in the Bangkok airport. No matter how many times I've slept on the floors in Korea, I will still never get used it...especially on hard tile. However, we survived and caught our 8am flight to Chiang Mai.
DAY 1-- After checking into our hostel at around 10:30am, we caught a tuk-tuk and headed to Tiger Kingdom. One thing on my to-do list was to cuddle with a tiger. Crazy, I know...which is why I love it :) I had a hard time trying to figure out if I wanted to hang out with the baby tigers, the toddler tigers, or the 2 year old tigers (and trust me, there was a HUGE significance in size). Katie decided to be photographer and let me do the tiger cuddling. White Tigers are my favorite animals. These tigers weren't white but they were so cool. I had mixed emotions at first since I'd heard about how, at some places, the tigers are sedated. I asked a lot of questions and what I learned was this... The tigers are at the Tiger Kingdom until they're 2 years old. Up until they're 2 years old, they're still babies (even though they're huge) and are trainable. They're around humans from the day they're born and are trained by a specific method from birth. Since they're little, they're a lot more easy to train. Once they're older than 2, they're considered more adult and not safe for humans anymore. It is then, that they're transferred to a wild life preserve or the zoo. , dangerous (to humans). They were sleeping when I was with them, however I saw them with other people when they were awake. They didn't seem to be sedated. They were walking around, playing in the pools and with their trainers. It was so fun to see them (the two in the photo are sisters) having so much fun. They're just so cute...like bit kitties!!! Don't let the pictures fool you (I used to be an actress lol). I'm pretty sure I was flinching and jumping up every 5 seconds (anytime the tiger moved at all). In one of these pictures, the tiger rolls over so he can get up and I nearly ran out of the cage lol. I had a great time though. I'm so glad we did that.

After our afternoon with the Tigers, Katie and I decided that it was vital that we start our Thailand vacation with massages. She read online about this place that train people who are blind to do Thai massages. Like Korea, I can only assume that it is near impossible for people with any kind of disability to get a job. So I was glad that we could support them. The massage was very nice. The masseuses all wore watches with non-annoying alarms that would go off every 20 minutes or so to let them know the time which I thought was cool. They used their arms, elbows, knees, etc to massage all the pressure points all over. They ask in the beginning whatt kind of pressure you want (medium for me), but it was still painful at times... I will blame that all on the stress and tension I had built up. I enjoyed it so much and it was nice to see so many other people there helping to support them.
After the massages, we walked around one of the main streets of Chiang Mai where there would be a very famous night market (though it wasn't night time yet). We explored one of the Temple grounds, Wat Chedi Luang. There was the actual modern Temple, and then the Temple from way back when that had originally been burnt down and restored. It was really cool how there were elephants all over the outside of it. I've definitely gotten accustomed to Asian courtesy by constantly removing my shoes when going in and out of houses/Temples (hence why I hate shoes that tie now) and always having a sweater or something appropriate for such an occasion. I was glad because many people were being turned down at the door for having their skirts too short or showing too much shoulder. I took lots of pics but will only post a pic as to not bore anyone (if anyone still reads this lol). We saw several people paying their respects to Buddha, doing the 100 bows, etc. It was so beautiful inside. We exited the side area and we had just missed 'Monk chat.' Wish I had known. It looked so cool. You can just sit around with the Monks and ask them anything you want about culture, Buddhism, life experiences, etc. Just to talk to them. I would've really enjoyed that. They had all these inspirational quotes on all the trees in the area. It was really nice.
Towards the evening when the market opened, we were excited to shop. However, we had no idea how big it actually was. Think of a 4 way intersection and markets that extend for several blocks in each direction. So big! We managed to buy little things here and there which were really cool. We both got beach dresses, I got beach sandles, a ring watch, a brass-like bracelet, we got some food, and root beer (exciting and rare to find. we were very excited about that), gifts for relatives, and other little things here and there . We must've started shopping around 7pm and continued until 11pm...and we still didn't see everything. It was so overwhelming because we wanted to buy everything. We were able to haggle with the people which made me think I could always get things at a cheaper place so it was hard to commit to them individually. We saw these random candy like things that were sooooo colorful and pretty (see picture). We asked what was in it and found out that it was like coconut milk and sugar type stuff. So, for $0.01 each, we decided to try it. Definitely wasn't bad. A bit bland for taste but interesting to try. There were kids dancing and singing in different costumes. They were sooo cute. Some of them were really good too! We saw a cart of like 20 different types of...BUGS!!! There were beetles, crickets, flies, chrysali (is that right? plural of crysalis? )just all kinds of creepy crawling things that people like to eat... WIERD!! So yes, it started raining and Katie and I went back to our cute little hostel and packed up for the next days events.... The Elephant Sanctuary :)

DAY 2--The van picked us up at 8am and we drove for about an hour. We arrived at the Elephant Nature Park. We watched a movie about the woman, Lek, who started it. She is amazing. Truly an inspirational person. She has has started from nothing and managed to rescue 36 elephants from abusive owners. Many of them were riding elephants (the kind with the big chairs) or street walker elephants...both of which can be very traumatizing to them. When I arrived in Thailand, I really wanted to ride an elephant, but after learning about it all, I changed my mind. Many times, the owners will put them a trecherous 'training' period in order to show the elephants whose boss which involves poking and cutting them in the eyes, feet (which are VERY sensitive) and all over their body with spears until just tons of blood is leaking out. The elephants have no where to go but just take it. It's horrible. And ironic, that the elephants are such a strong symbol of Thailand...they're becoming extinct...that's this is a reason why. It's so great to see them so free and taken care of. She hires entire families of refugees from other countries and gets them work visas, etc. They act as cooks, elephant trainers, cleaning staff, etc. Needs lots of people to help run a place like this. Every elephant has their own trainer that they bond with and listen to. She's really an incredible woman. Sooo...on our adventure, we started by feeding the elephants. They are all vegetarians and eat a lot of fruit. We fed them watermelons and bananas. With 36 elephants, you can just imagine how much food they go through (they practically support the entire town with all the produce they buy from local farmers). I was a bit nervous at the beginning of the feedings. We're supposed to hold out the food for the elephants and they'd retrieve it themselves with their trunks. But they were so BIG, and Strong, and I was just really nervous at first. I warmed up quickly though. After elephant feeding time, was human feeding time. They offered us a buffet for lunch and it was DELICOUS!! It was heaven. So many delicious foods to choose from. I don't do well at buffets. My eyes are constantly bigger than my stomach and I just make myself look like a pig. But it was soooooo good!!!
After lunch was elephant bath time! We went into the river that was on the reserve and got to bath the elephants. They loved it. They were playing with us, washing themselves with their trunks, and we all had a good time getting dirty. We actually had 2 chances to bathe the elephants. Once in the early afternoon and a few hours later in the early evening. Both times were just as fun. They really are amazing elephants. In between those two times, we had time to roam the grounds and hang out with the elephants, just walking with them, etc. Some of the stories we heard were just so sad. We got to learn about them individually...the bad elephants, the teenage/naughty elephants, the 'mother-like' elephants, etc. We got to watch a documentary that was made about the reserve which was aired as a travel show on television (in an english speaking country...not sure which one) very interesting. I managed to win a really cool tote bag when I answered a question about it all afterwards. All in all, we had a really busy, impactful, amazing day. I was so glad we went. It was definitely an experience I'll never forget. I now have a soft spot for the very large, but very sweet animals.

After the Elephant Nature Park, we went ventured out for our last dinner in Chiang Mai. We had an evening flight to catch. We found a restaurant near the market area that we were at the night before. We had a very nice dinner filled with fruit smoothies, mango curry, asperagus and shrimp. It was just sooooo delicious. Such a nice chance from kimchi :)

So that concludes my section on Chiang Mai. Next up is Phuket....

Taylor was tricked

My friend Taylor wrote this on her blog (which was a convo she had with a friend back home via chat). I thought it was hilarious and wanted it to be in my blog to remember what kind of ridiculous happened here in Korea... :)


TAYLOR: so we're at a pub, pre-music festival, doing our pre-drinking
me, william, danielle, kate. I'm giving danielle a lot of hell because thats what i do best, and
then she turns it around on me and says, "you know what, if you REALLY loved me, you'd get on the floor and squirm like a snake." So i look her square in the eye and say "fine!" and instantly throw my chair back from the table, to stand up with defiance and squirm like a snake as requested.
TAYLORS FRIEND: That would be a great fb status!

TAYLOR: what i DIDNT know was that a server was passing behind me with a tray full of cocktails.. i hit him square in the hip, thank god nothing flew anywhere, but he looked incredibly startled and i turned around in horror, apologising over and over. Anyway, i turn back to everyone, who are laughing their asses off, and i point my finger at danielle and i (half) shout, YOU SET ME UP!!!!! so i threaten to get her back, things settle down, time goes by

well, jenny and conor are on the other side of the table, throwing phones (because why not)
and they keep ending up in my general area. so i confiscate all the phones and put them in my scarf (like right up against my neck) for safe keeping. Will says, 'you realize that someones gonna call at some point and it's gonna take you 100% by surprise' i laugh, agreeing with him, but dont do anything about it. I go over to the other side of the pub to talk to dave and george, meander over to hailey after a little bit, dance with myself, and then mike comes over and says, 'hey i've got two beers, you want this one?' to which i obviously reply, 'yes!' so he goes back to the table where he's joined will, kate, and danielle. so i follow him to chat with him and thank him for the beer. and as i'm approaching where he's sitting, all of a sudden i feel like, an EXPLOSION!
I dont know what it is or where it's coming from, i freak out, and my very full beer goes all over mike (the one who gave it to me), so i'm freaking out, trying to pat him down (awkward), and after i calm down a bit i realize it was one of the phones. I pull it out, check who called.... it was william!!! so i look up at him... 'you fucker'

TAYLORS FRIEND: I like will

TAYLOR: i turn to kate who has up until this point not done a single thing and i say, 'i'm watching you. you're all in this together. you're trying to take me down, but i'm watching you, and you wont be able to do it.' she swears innocence ... an hour or two goes by i'm leaving

TAYLORS FRIEND: I have faith in her!

TAYLOR: i go up to them and i say, 'hey guys, see you at the show' and kate says, 'take your lucky condom!' We've been passing around condoms earlier in the evening. i'm ready to go though, i dont wanna play this game. i say, no no, i wont be needing any lucky condoms tonight
she says, 'no no no you have to, it's lucky. everyone kiss the lucky condom for taylor.' It gets passed around the table one last time she shoves it into my hand and in an effort to get the hell out of there, i stuff it in my pocket and leave.......stupid lucky condom

so i get to the show and almost instantly i meet some guy i've never seen before, seems nice,
interesting, i've been talking to him for about 3 minutes when i find something... strange in my pocket. i fish it out and hold it up so i can see it..... and it's the condom! so now i'm standing in front of this nice strange man, holding a condom up in the air and he says, ".... i JUST met you."
....and i just look at the condom....shake my head...and curse her... because damnit, she wasnt even there and she got me!

my damn friends suck...but at least they're funny about it .... i hate them. in a nice way. kind of.

TAYLORS FRIEND: I like it. Awesome

TAYLOR: they said they would watch out for my counter-strike, but we all agreed, i'm too lazy for that.

Little by little... catching up

OMG... I'm so bad at this. I don't know why I've been so lazy about my blog when I love writing and manage to keep up my facebook...wierd. Let's see... catching up...cliff notes version.

SEPTEMBER-- Japan
OCTOBER-- Dad visited for my bday. It was such a great bday to have him there. He got to meet all my co-workers and some of my friends. We had dinner at a BBQ restaurant. It was an amazing trip. He got to visit my school (the picture on the left is of one of my classes. They threw me a bday party. They wrote "happpy birthday. We love you' so cute!!!), meet my kids, and some of my friends during a bday dinner. It was so nice to have him close by. He is one of the major reasons i'm here. He is my biggest supporter when it comes to traveling and exploring the World. His last weekend here, we took a trip to Seoul to meet my grandpa (his Dad). Papa Ralph was in the Korean war so beacuse of that, he got a discounted trip/tour here. I know it was a bit of a rough trip for him but it meant so much to me that he came. Having 3 generations of Riffenburghs here was awesome. We had some good dinners, saw some good sights, etc. It made me realize how much I missed my family. Papa Ralph came back to Busan area with me for a few days and saw my kids, etc. My kids were very impressed. They loved talking to Dad and Papa and asking questions. Now, when I tell them that I am 128 y.o,they're like "no you're not because we know how old your grandpa is" lol. Smarty pants.
Also in Oct was halloween. I never know what to expect of halloween overseas since I know it's an American thing. But my school held a halloween party and the kids dressed up and we walked em around, etc. It was pretty cute. Then Saturday night, I went out with some friends. I didn't wanna spend a lot of money and wasn't totally prepared to dress up. I wound up finding a really cute shirt/dress thing that resembled a geisha a little bit. It was actually really cute that I know I can wear again so I used that. Played it off as a geisha lol. Which is cool since I had just come back from Japan and dressed as a geisha.
Other fun evens in January were PIFF, the Pusan International Film Festival. Katie and I went to a Filippino film that was held on the beach that was really nice! I really enjoyed it. Beautiful scenery. Then there was the fireworks festival in Gwangalli Beach. Managed to go to a friends roof and watch from there. The bridge was over the ocean and it was soooo gorgeous! One of the best fireworks show I've ever seen without a doubt. So awesome :) So lots of things happened in October. It was a good month.

NOVEMBER-- Patrick visited. Patrick is one of my very close friends from San Diego that I met while working at the Westin. He decided he needed a break from reality and came to Korea for some fun. I took him around Busan and did a few things I hadn't done yet (Busan Tower and the Aquarium). Visiting the aquarium, I found out they had a diving with the sharks programs so I will definitely be doing that soon. He had quite an adventure here. He seemed to really enjoy it. He met all my friends (and even some new ones). We went to Seoul again and hung out with a bunch of my other friends there who are also here from San Diego. So we got to talk about home a bit. I got to see my friend Tina. Tina was one of my first friends here, and she quickly became a close friend. She had a rough time in Busan and eventually moved up above Seoul. so I don't see her very often anymore so it was nice to be able to hang out.
I was also involved in NanoWrimo (National Novel Writing Month). Similar to Script Frenzy which I did in April, I had to write a 50,000 word novel. It was tough, especially while Patrick here, but with a little push and hard work, I successfully finished it. I'm going to try to edit it a bit and possibly get it in a self bound book too.
End of November is... Thanksgiving! American Thanksgiving lol... another thing I was missing from back home. My friend Stacy and I got together here and made our own Thanksgiving. My parents had sent me some TV dinners that had some turkey and gravy in it. Stacy had turkey burgers, and we made mashed potatos and green beans. Put together with a glass of wine (or in our case a couple), and wha la...Thanksgiving dinner of Champions :)

DECEMBER-- was very busy for me. Towards the middle of November, I was working Saturdays which continued a few weeks into December. The extra money was nice but it really kept me busy. Sundays, I had rehearsal for a Musical Revue show that I was involved in. A bunch of us theatre nerds in Busan put up a Musical Revue...different songs from different shows wiht the theme of 'One Moment.' Sundays rehearsals kept me busy too and we performed on Dec. 19th. It was a good show. I had a blast. I hadn't been involved in theatre in 10 years. It was such a great feeling. I definitely know that I need to keep that part of my life active. Hoping to do another one in March, if not the Vagina Monologues sooner.
At the end of December, I also took on working mornings for 3 weeks at the local Middle School. My friend works there and she went on vacation so I covered her classes. It was a bit challenging...working from 8:30-12, and then my school from 2-9. I didn't have a book to work with so I literally just had to make my own lesson plans (thank goodness for internet in the classroom and waygook.org... I just used other peoples powerpoint lessons). The classes were small and the kids were good. I am glad it's over but I'll miss them. Again, more money in the bank :) Pretty sure those 3 weeks will finance my Thailand trip in January and Bali in July :)
On top of all the craziness, I actually started dating someone. He was relatively new to Korea (yes, American) and I'd been friends with for a bit. We had a great time together. I forgot what it was like to have someone to snuggle up to at night and look forward to seeing everyday. I forgot what it was like to know someone cares about you...even if it's just a little bit. For Christmas, we took a snowboarding trip together with some friends. I love snowboarding and I'm always amazed how much better I get every time. I even did the black diamond slope (which was NOT very black diamond lol...especially if I could do it... way too easy). We all made dinner together in our pension and had a Secret Santa gift exchange. A lot of fun and a good Christmas. And naturally, just as I started to let my guard down, it fizzled out. I was a bit disappointed. Reminded again why I had been on retirement/sabbitcal from dating for so long. I hadn't dated anyone in over 2 years. We had a good time together but definitely a snap back into reality.
JANUARY-- I spent New Years Eve with 'the guy' and some other friends. We layed pretty low. Had dinner together, and then went to a local foreign bar for some drinks. It was so wierd knowing that we were counting the seconds until midnight and it was only 7am Dec. 31 back home. After midnight and some drinks, we went to the casino where the boys won a little bit of money. Kate and I lost $5 (btwn the 2 of us) and we all had a 3am dinner...breakfast?? The next morning, my friend Will, made us a New Years breakfast of champions...eggs, sausage, french toast, coffee/kaluha, juice...it was all very delicous. Through the holidays, I was constantly forgetting that it was Christmas or New Year. They're not very big holidays in Korea so there weren't many decorations, or chocolate, or carolers, or lights. It was very different. Almost like it didn't happen.
My very good friend Jennifer Scott, who was my roommate in Italy 5 years ago, moved to Daegu (about 1 1/2 hrs away). I got to meet up with her last weekend and was so happy. I love her to death and just knowing that someone I'm that close with is so nearby makes me so happy. I know there will be great adventures planned together in teh future :)
January 29th, i'm going to Thailand with my friend Katie. I can't wait. We're going to have a blast. It's been so fun planning, etc.

Ok... off to work but at least that's a little bit of an update to work with :) lol

running behind

I'm sorry, i'm running behind...very behind on my blog. I haven't even finished my Japan blog and so much is happening already. My birthday, dad/grandpa's visit, halloween.... and now is nano wrimo... I have to write a 50,000 word novel in the month of Nov. I'll return to reality soon...promise!

My trip to Japan,...Kyoto

Katie and I had a nice relaxing train ride from Tokyo to Kyoto. Ironically, during this trip, we were both reading the same book, The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo so that is pretty funny I think. We stayed at K's House Hostel in Kyoto. This hostel was recommended to me by several people so I was glad we booked early. I've noticed that the older I get, the less willing I am to pay to stay in a mixed dorm room with 12 people. We opted for the 4 person room and were very happy we did. When we arrived there were 2 people there from San Sebastian, Spain (the Basque country. I got a lesson in history talking to them). They were very nice. It still reminded me why hostels are still a great way to go sometimes. So Katie and I got a great first nights rest and were ready to take on Kyoto.
Our first day there, we were hoping to rent bicycles. We'd noticed in Osaka, that EVERYONE rode bicycles. We both absolutely loved that. Our hostel rented bikes out and the rumor was that it was supposed to rain, so we wanted to get an early start...but the bikes were all sold out. So we walked instead. The first place we walked to was Kiyomizu Temple, which turned out to be one of my favorite places we visited. I really enjoyed this Temple. It was about 20 minutes from our hostel, up a hill, that once again had a lot of souvenir shopping and yummy snacks. The Temple was really beautiful. Since it was on a hill, it's surrounded by tons of greenery around. The first thing we noticed once we walked around a bit was this room people were going into. You take off your shoes (naturally because we're in Asia) and put them in a bag that you carry with you. You enter this dark dark room. You leave all your attachments at the door. Anything that you worry about or that you carry with you, leave at the door. you walk through this completely pitch dark room/maze. There are beads along the wall that you follow with your hands. Then in the middle, after a few minutes, you see this stone. Make a wish, and turn the stone. And as you walk out, you surprisingly feel A LOT better! :) I actually really enjoyed that. So more walking around meant seeing the black buddha statue...black? what? Yes, black. I don't know anything about this or understand but it's quite funny. And then another shrine with incense coming out of it (it smelled so good :) ). Next stop in the Temple was the love and matchmaking section... perfect for me, right? :) (just kidding...kinda). Yes a whole section in the Temple devoted to love. Here, I am standing in the entrance way and when you walk in, there is a statue of a Japanese God who is in charge of love and good matches (as the sign says) and the rabbit beside him is his messenger. Apparently, I should keep my eye out for more rabbits. The area was packed with women, packed with couples. There was a lot to see!! And of course, everyone wants to find love. One of my favorite things (also most hilarious) was the Love Stone. There are 2 stone about 50 feet from each other or so. You are supposed to touch one stone, and then walk with our eyes closed to the other stone. I did this successfully :) (with Katie's help so I didn't completely clobber other people in my path). So hopefully that is good luck in love for me! There were a lot of little things like this to do. Another one involved rubbing the head of this little man gnome thing. They keep it simple, if I pat this little dude, then my prayers will be answered. So we walked around the grounds more. It really was gorgeous. I loved that it was up a mountain a bit so we had a good view and the green trees of fall around it were gorgeous.
On the way back down from the Temple, Katie and I stopped to have green tea floats... green tea with peach ice cream and ice... it may have been one of the most incredible things ever in my current life lol. It was phenomeonal!! Perfect for a hot day (and yes I mean VERY hot!!!)


GOING TO WORK... more later....