And with that, it's over.

So.. it's over. 2.5 months, gone like the wind.

It was an awesome trip! Needless to say, it didn't come without some bumps, but for the most part, it was great. We met great people, ate great food, saw great things.. it was just great haha.

Even though I've only been home for a few days, it feels like the trip kind of didn't happen.. like it all happened so quickly.. it feels a bit surreal to be back home again. The skies are blue, the grass is green, it's hot and humid.. really nice weather.. no crowds.. no people anywhere actually lol.. I have to pay tip again.. boooo lol. The good stuff is that I get to see my family again, my glorious bed and bathroom, my cute little bunny, my car, weather is good.. everything is back as it was before I left.

I went to the grocery store yesterday and felt like I was in another country and that I didn't speak the same language as them haha. Although.. there are a lot of immigrants here speaking their own mother-tongue, so I guess it's not completely weird for me to be a bit confused at this point hehe

Food is salty and sweet as anything.. so bad =p so easy to gain weight here because you have to drive everywhere and food is saturated with sugar and salt.. and there's not much to do, and the weather is really hot right now, so I'm inclined to stay indoors sitting on my caboose. Since I'm not yet used to Canadian food and cooking anymore, I've been eating a lot of plain bread, or with natural peanut butter, and fruits, which I suppose is healthier for me anyway! Fruits ftw!

I'm going to Halifax is less than 2 weeks, so I'll do a post on that, but for now, I will wrap things up for my 2011 Asia-Pacific trip. So some other general comments about the trip...

• Bring small shampoos and whatnot cuz if you run out, you can just buy more.. but if you bring a big one, you'll just end up lugging it around for the trip and will have weight troubles for your luggage on budget airlines
• Pack light.. everyone tells you this, but really.. you'll probably end up buying so much stuff, you might as well leave most of your old clothes at home
• Really be careful about your luggage weight for budget airlines..
• Middle Eastern airlines ftw! Boo Air Canada =p
• Definitely bring and wear sunscreen, especially in Australia and New Zealand, where the ozone layer is pretty much gone
• Asians don't generally wear hats or sunglasses, they carry around umbrellas to shield from the sun.. so you'll definitely look like a tourist if you're sporting those stylish shades
• Bargain down 50% at markets (I'm horrible at bargaining, so I have no other real tips other than that)
• Don't forget your camera battery charging at your aunt's house and then leave town and not have your camera for 2 weeks in Malaysia =(
• A pocket dictionary is helpful if you don't know the language at all, but an electronic dictionary is more helpful if you do know a bit of the language

There's more I'm sure.. lots of tiny tidbits of info here and there but I can't bring myself to remember or write them all down.. so if you have any other questions, feel free to leave a comment and I'll get back to you!

Time to sort through my 4000+ photos and videos! ^_^

Ok thx bye.

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Sold my soul to Seoul

Alrighty guys, last week of the trip commencing! It's a bit sad cuz there won't be anymore trip blog for a while.. that and the fact that I'll be back to "normal" life again lol.. well, I'll be in Halifax for a week, but after that, who knows.. it's ok though, cuz for your entertainment (haha), I'll return to doing my English/Korean blog at hoodie09.blogspot.com and back to making YouTube videos! :)

This past week in Korea has gone by quickly but it also feels like we've been here for quite some time. During our stay here so far, we've managed to meet up with quite a lot of people, which is nice cuz after being with the same people for 2.5 months, it's a nice change of pace to have some new company and new faces in our pictures =D AND even though sightseeing is pretty awesome, for me, the most memorable thing is meeting new people and building these memories together *tear*

So about this monsoon season.. turns out we were just at the start of it so there weren't many rainy days, but for our last week here, it's pretty much going to rain every day. It's not too bad cuz there are still things to do, but you know.. sightseeing and whatever else you do is more pleasant in sunshine.

Anyway, today was sort of a slow "rest" day for us. We hung out with a couple of people, but headed back to our hostel by about 4:30pm, which is considered a really short day for us because we're usually out on our feet for about 12 hours a day. I even got to take a 3-hour nap today! Crazy eh!? Haha

So as usual, I'll leave you with some pictures. We saw the palaces this week and did some shopping, to sum it up.

Peace out!

Mmm healthy snacks on a rainy day ;)

Crazy little floor space in our hostel room

Gyeongbokgung Palace

Me and a guard

Changing of the guards

View of N Seoul Tower from below

Fancy schmancy toilet lol

Secret Garden behind Changdeokgung Palace with some friends =)

Friendly Garfield posing for me

Me, Mark and Himz outside Deoksugung Palace

Bupyeong Underground Market

Wading in the water by the Han River (dunno if you're allowed oops lol)

Dinner with Alyssa's friend Boyoung (side dishes ftw!)

Namdaemun Market

Hello Seoul!

Yayy in Seoul now! Last leg of the trip.. spent my birthday wandering around the Bukchon Hanok Village and Myeongdong Market. I love the bustle of the city, the hoards of people everywhere.. the city is vibrant and alive and I'm lovin it!

I love being greeted when I enter and leave a store or a restaurant.. and the general politeness of people. Of course if there's a sale in a small clothing store, you better watch out cuz dem girls have their eyes only on the clothes and if you're in the way, they'll push their way past to get to them lol. That's probably true of any country though haha

Weather-wise, it's quite nice. Definitely not as hot and humid as Malaysia so it's bearable and enjoyable. As for navigating around, it's pretty easy cuz there's English spellings of places, and the metro system makes announcements in 4 different languages (Korean, English, Mandarin, Japanese). If you're lost, ask the younger crowd as they're more likely to know English (though it may be limited, they're quite willing to help!).

Hmm what else.. everyone here is crazy thin and are dressed really well. Korean fashion is no joke!

Lots to tell but too lazy.. almost forgot to update the blog actually haha. Anywho, pictures!

Ahjumma making kimbab

First meal in Korea.. bibimbap =]

On the subway..

Somewhere in the Bukchon Hanok Village

Myeongdong during the day

Myeongdong at night

Shyabu shyabu (hotpot) with the girls, and Alyssa's two friends

Sign at Itaewon

Mark buying some honey stringy dessert thing

Korean bbq ^_^

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