Yeah, it's been a while. I took a break for a minute. The haters got me down, but I have since brushed them off and here I am! Back to bask in my 15 followers blogger glory. Hide yo kids, hide yo wife and hide yo husband cause I'm bloggin everybody up in here. Also, you are so dumb!
That video is THE BEST. I digress.
SO MUCH has happened since my last post, in August of 2014. I am kind of sad at my lack of posting for 2014. What was I even doing? Oh yeah, traveling like a BOSS. Remember when I was all, I'm going to make 2014 the year of travel? Here is a direct quote from January 5, 2014 for your reference:
"I've also decided this year is going to be the year of travel. I know, you're thinking, Jacky, you traveled a lot last year, what on earth on you talking about? Yes, you're right, I did and it was awesome. However, this year I want to take advantage of ALL the holidays and go somewhere awesome for every one. I also want to plan ahead because last year I did everything last minute and that was stupid. Planning for Buddha's birthday NOW, who's in?!"
So there you go. And then I went and owned 2014 and went to five different countries. Sadly enough, I still did not make plans for Buddha's Birthday. I ended up going on a trip down to the southern part of Korea, which was not very fun. For a lot of reasons, but mainly because the food sucked, it was freezing and everyone we encountered was rude and not helpful. Also the train was a ridiculous mess, but we did stay a nice hotel for 2 of the nights. So not a total bust I guess? One of the nights was spent on the floor and with a deceptively nice grandma.
Anyway, yes, 2014 was a doozy, and now here it is halfway through 2015 and I have yet to make a post. I had to get my passport renewed (for $115!!!!), so it was sad with only one stamp in it, but things have really picked up since then! Maybe I'll do separate posts for all these places one day, but probably not. So here are some quick recaps:
After Taiwan in the summer, I went to Tokyo for the Korean Thanksgiving holiday of Chuseok. We had five days this year (in years past, we've only had 3 or 4), so it was a perfect little getaway. And I wen to TOKYO DISNEY SEA and it was SO awesome. Man, I love Disney so much. After doing some extensive research about Japan Disney, I realized there are a lot of people out there that like Disney a lot more than me, but I still think I'm a pretty big fan. I also love Japan. The food is fantastic, the people are so wonderfully weird and Tokyo is a really cool city. Also, they have Old Navy! With normal people sizes! After a year of Korea making me feel like a fat, unfashionable cow, it was a really nice to go shopping and actually be able to buy some decent clothes. Plus I got to see my good friend that lives there, and she is best tour guide!
For Christmas I went back to the Philippines, had a super amazing stay on a private island in Palawan and watched the craziest New Year's Eve fireworks I've ever seen. A coworker and I went to a private resort recommended to us by a different coworker, and it was probably the best vacation I've ever had. It was a little awkward, since she and I were the only non-couple on the island, but whatever. They had a little library there, and the "kids" section had a bunch of Roald Dahl books, which was a fun trip down memory lane. I LOVED those books when I was a kid. Oh yeah, and the weather was amazing and the scenery was beautiful. We also went to an underground river, which is apparently one of the new wonders of the world, in Puerto Princesa. For NYE we went back to Manila (which has the WORST aiport I've EVER been to), and enjoyed the party, even from our hotel room.
Instead of renewing my contract for 2015 in Korea, I opted to leave for good. I needed a break, and the job I was offered in Seoul wasn't exactly what I was looking for. I wanted to leave with a bang, so I went to Hong Kong for a week, and Vietnam for two. Hong Kong was expensive, and super foggy the whole time. I kind of liked traveling alone, because I stayed in a hostel and met some cool people that way. I met a Korean girl, who introduced me to her native Hong Kong friends, who bought us a delicious dinner and translated a tarot card reading for me. Meeting the locals is the BEST way to travel. They always know where the best food is! Sadly, all the attractions in Hong Kong are geared towards admiring the views, but I couldn't really see any of them through the fog. Maybe next time. I also went to Disneyland, and the super awesome light parade was being "renovated" that week, so that was another huge disappointment. But, overall, HK was a good time with lots of really great food.
Vietnam was a totally different experience. It also had fantastic food but that country is a hot ass mess. I loved it, but it definitely took some getting used to! I didn't do a great job of planning for either place (I was going crazy trying to pack and finish up the school year), so if I had done some more research, I feel like both places would have been a bit easier to navigate. I really should do a separate post for all these places one day. But if you must know right now, I started in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon), spent a weekend on the island of Phu Quoc, went up to Hue and Hoi An and flew out back to Korea out of Hanoi. There were a few hiccups, but most of it was fabulous. My short and sweet advice is: go on tours and don't choose the cheapest options, even if you are on a super budget. I met some amazing people, both locals and travelers and had some REALLY amazing food! I would love to go back one day, and spend even more time there. Vietnam was the longest time I spent in any one country on all my trips (2 weeks) but I still feel like I didn't get to experience it all.
So, after that adventure, I went back to Korea and spent a few short and sweet days with my friends and headed back home. I've been back for 3 months now, and it somehow seems like a really long and really short time at the same time. I've done a lot, but also feel like I haven't really accomplished anything. I went on some really fun trips, to Pittsburgh to see family, and Belize just for the hell of it, and a recent trip to North Carolina for a Fourth of July family fest. My boyfriend also came from Korea for his first trip to America and we had a great time! I also have a pretty awesome tan, and have watched ALL the TV. I had forgotten how much I loved Golden Girls, but thanks to Logo and Hallmark, I get a daily dose these days.
ANYWAY. This is so long and getting out of control. Here I am now, and I decided to go back to Korea after all. Because of a long, ridiculous story (for another post), I am having some trouble getting a work visa, so going back is kind of a gamble. It will be nice to see my boyfriend and friends so it won't be a total waste of a trip. But, if I don't get a work visa, it will definitely suck. A lot. We'll just have to see what happens. And now that I've started back with this fabulous blog, you will be able to follow me on my potentially disastrous journey. Stay tuned! I could be wallowing in self pity in just a few short days.
I'll try to post a few more things between now and then, to fill in some gaps, but until then...
DREAM BIG PEOPLE!
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