I'm assuming most of you are aware of my whereabouts for the last month, but for those of you living under a rock...i'm back from my SE tour of Malaysia, Singapore and Bali. It was a whirlwind trip filled with lots of fun stories, which i'll happily share with you, in due time. First I just wanted to give you a taste of my trip - while I work on the details of the rest...give me some time it might take a while for me to defrost and thaw out my fingers so I can get it all down. Just kidding, well kind of, Korea really is cold and snowy and i'm not used to it....
Let's go!
Before I give you the rest I need to explain something.....I can't believe it's taken me this long but i'd finally like to introduce you all to the wonderful world of Selca's. For those of you that didn't click on the link: Selca (Self Camera) is taking a picture of oneself, a common compulsive habit of many Korean girls...hence the title of this blog post. As I was preparing to leave my friend Caitlin mentioned that she was out for coffee with one of her Korean friends who was taking hundreds of selca's, while Caitlin sat there texting us...this gave me an idea. I thought it'd be nice of me to send my friends pictures of my trip so they could enjoy along with me, but why not do it the Korean way? Through Secas.
So here you have it, my month long trip through the eyes of a Korean smart phone. I hope you like looking at my face because there's a lot of it to come.
Safely made it to Malaysia, but with some hesitation as to where this bus was taking me.
My new home in Kuching...my very own Yoga studio
Boat to Bako National Park
Wait one more, wanted to get the driver in there
Bus back to Kuching
Onwards to Singapore!
Getting creative on the subway
Super cool, huge temple in Singapore's Chinatown
How much do you love that skirt - had to cover up my legs to enter
Oh hey Singapore, how you doin'? The winds good that's for sure
Destination 3: Penang, Malaysia
Monkey Beach at Penang National Park
Another 1.2km and I found a lighthouse!
Back to the beach for a dip
Rock and roll, ferry to Langkawi (Destination 4)
Mmmm sweet paradise
Sunset on the beach, don't mind if I do
All smiles on the cable car
But this is more appropriate to my real emotions
Holy $#!* we're high!
Getting ready for the club in Penang
don't mind my hair clip...inside joke with Loudine
Destination 5: Kuala Lumpur (Batu Caves)
Orchid Park in KL
Final Destination 6: Bali, Lake Batur (oooh and new sunglasses!)
Lotus pond, Ubud Bali
Okay, this one's kind of cheating but I had to end on a good note
Drinking poolside in Bali, that's what a vacation should look like
Now I truly hope that no one takes this as me bashing the Asian Selca culture or Korean's that actively participate in it. I do admit that I find it a bit ridiculous when people are out in public with friends and constantly taking pictures of themselves but in some situations they're completely appropriate, and I must admit can be quite fun. The first few times I whipped out my phone to take a picture of myself I felt like a complete idiot, I thought everyone would be staring at me thinking I was a crazy person, but by the end of my trip it came pretty naturally. Probably not a habit i'll continue but every now and then why not? Oh and the peace sign is mandatory, in case you were wondering.
In all seriousness I love Korea, hell I must if I've committed to staying here another year, right? It's funny how much I've accepted and adapted to the Korean culture, I mean I just documented my vacation in Selca's, but if that's not enough....
- Upon sitting down to my first meal in Malaysia people had concern for me and my ability to eat spicy food. As soon as they found out i've been living in Korea AND eat Kimchi their worries disappeared (Side note: Malaysian food's got nothing on Korea - their spice level was weak).
- I also found myself getting excited when I saw Korean restaurants, shops and PEOPLE.
- While planning a pot luck dinner with my new friends in Malaysia I was asked to prepare a Korean dish and NOT something western...
- Wasn't quite sure how to answer the "Where are you from" question (obviously I know where i'm from but I felt that my living in Korea deserved some attention)
- Got excited and sang along when they played Kpop at the club (and i'm not talking about Gangnam style)
- Wanted to say "안녕하세요" to all the Korean tourist I saw but was too shy and chickened out...until my final day in Bali when I spoke to the couple i'd seen a few times in my yoga classes, and boom now I have new friends in Seoul!
- Was happy, excited and content upon landing in Seoul and realizing I was home.
Korea, 사랑해요
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