Theresa The Traveler

Back on the blogging wagon

2014-02-18T10:52:00.001-08:00

Dear readers,
I apologize sincerely for dropping off the blogging planet for the past year (or so). I got caught up in life and love and drama and didn't have the ambition to get out there an explore the places I was living in and to write about them. I've decided that I need a creative writing outlet besides social media, and I like the idea that I may be helping some fellow traveler find their way through my posts and pictures. It's going to be a bit hectic and disorganized around here for awhile because we have some major catching up to do.

Here's the shortened catch-up:
Since Korea, I lived in Okotoks Alberta for about a year before moving back to Halifax, Nova Scotia. I've since broken up with Korea/Okotoks boyfriend, Hyper (mentioned in a few posts) and moved in with the love of my life, Kyle (will be mentioned in following posts I'm sure). I am fostering a mother polydactyl cat named Ebony and have adopted her two kittens, Ghost and Shadow. Follow me on instagram @dirtybiit to see more pictures of them as kittens and feel free to contact me about adopting the mother. Once the winter weather calms it's hormones down a little, I'll be training Ghost and Shadow to go on a leash. We will have tons of Halifax exploring fun this summer, I'm so excited to show you my favorite places around the City!

So now that you know where I am, be prepared for new Halifax posts along with old unfinished Korea, Okotoks, and Calgary posts to be popping up weekly (hopefully) until we get caught up!

xo
-T

My first Rodeo

2012-06-23T06:52:00.000-07:00

This weekend I went to my first Rodeo. it was amazing! I was invited to go with the neighbor's family to the Guy Westwick festival rodeo in High River, around 20 minutes out of Okotoks.
I had just gotten back from the beach so I wasn't wearing the most 'rodeo friendly' clothing. I stuck out like a sore thumb with my white shorts and ballerina flats amongst the cowboy style all around me. Wearing shorts to an outside rodeo in the rain probably wasn't the smartest move on my part, but with our upgraded seating we were out of the rain at least!

The first rule I learnt about the rodeo is NEVER touch a cowboy's hat. The second rule I learnt is a rodeo isn't complete without a mini doughnut.
Mini doughnuts come from a little truck that rolls around to events in Calgary like rodeos and festivals, it's called the mini doughnut factory. OMG they are delicious! I would suggest to anyone to try them! I loved them so much I bought more to bring home with me for a treat later on. Unfortunately they need to be eaten fresh or they lose their charm and delicious nature; they become just another boring old doughnut.

I enjoyed watching all the events but my favorite was the bull riding by far! There was something exhilarating about watching a man being flopped around like a rag doll on a huge animal as crowds of people cheer him on.

Although I do still plan on attending the Stampede rodeo, I am told the small town rodeo that I attended has the exact same cowboys but with a better view.

Mini-trip to Hongdae Seoul

2012-03-10T02:58:00.000-08:00

A couple of weekends ago, some friends of ours were heading up to Hongdae to stay at the Kimchi Hostel for a few days before their plane left for Australia. They had been to Hongdae several times before and agreed to show us around and hang out for the day.

That morning, we got our usual backpack of supplies together and headed out. It was a lovely, warm afternoon I was pleased that I could leave my bulky coat at home on this adventure.

Stupid card!

After a quick stop at a 7-eleven for water and snacks, our group of four headed underground to catch the next train to Seoul. We had a little trouble with the underground train this time. Hyper couldn't seem to get his card to work so he ended up getting stuck at every gate and having to get an employee let him through. After getting stuck a dozen times or so, he decided it was time for a new card. I thought it was hilarious! (I modified the image because he doesn't like his photo being put on my blog.)

Directions to the hostel

When we arrived in Hongdae, we went straight to the hostel to drop off our companion's luggage. At first we couldn't find the building and we had to circle back a few times. The houses in the quiet subdivision reminded me of cute little villas. I went on the hostel tour with them, I had never been in a hostel before. They are definitely not as scary as I thought. There is even a separate dorm just for women in this hostel which I liked very much. Paying under 20$ per night for a clean place to sleep with free internet is a deal I plan on taking advantage of in my future travels in other countries.

Braiiiinnnss!

The hostel was located across the highway from the main area of Hongdae. Once we crossed the underpass I was wowed by the instant change. The amount of people that seemed to pop up out of nowhere took me by surprise. It kind of reminded me of a zombie herd from HBO's 'The Walking Dead'.

Quiet Street

There were people and street vendors all around us. Cars were trying to maneuver through the hoard of people and scooters were zooming past in every direction. Hongdae is definitely the craziest place I've seen so far in Seoul!

We decided to look around for a place to eat. Every restaurant we passed by smelt delicious! There were restaurants of all kinds, everything from Japanese food to Taco Bell. We decided we were in the mood for burgers. The smell of a particular burger place drew us in.

'The Joe' had a nice atmosphere and decorations. The best part was we could order in English! If you know me, you know I am picky when it comes to burgers. I absolutely hate mayo, pickles, relish and mustard. Tomatoes, cheese and onions, I can live with however. Being able to custom order my burger was something I missed terribly.

'The Joe' builds their burgers from scratch and they taste amazing! I ordered the mushroom burger. It came with potato wedges and a drink. Excellent, warm, salty, delicious, wedges!

The Joe Menu

Wall art displaying the many burger choices

Once our tummies were full, we walked around and explored some more. There were hundreds of little shops on both sides of each street. So many shoes.. *drool*.

My boyfriend hasn't had much pie growing up. Especially homemade pies. I made him an apple pie last summer and since then he is a little pie-crazy. He took a picture of the Jester's in Hongdae because he loved that they were so serious about pies. We were too full from Joe's to stop and taste their serious pies unfortunately.

Hongdae Jesters

We went into a shop (sorry I forgot the name) that had amazing wallets made by 'Vegetable Garden' they looked and felt like real leather but they were made with 100% organic material. These wallets even had place for an iPhone and a hole for headphones. Click this link to go to their website to see pictures of the wallet I am talking about: Vegetable Garden.

Hello Kitty Cafe

Along the way we came across some really cool shops and restaurants. Hyper says he is bringing me back to the Hello Kitty Cafe some day. I'm excited! I looked inside the windows and the booths are bright pink Hello Kitty faces! How fun!

Lush- Handmade cosmetics

As we were walking down the street, I smelt something very familiar. One thing about Korea, if you are walking down a street and something smells good... you notice it right away. Usually it smells like food or sewer *shudders*. As we approached the shop that the good smells were coming from, I recognized the scent. It was LUSH! When I run out of body soap, I know where I'm going shopping!

Blue Lego man

I definitely would have gotten lost in Hongdae without our lovely guides. Each street had a bunch of little streets attached to it. With the hoards of people pushing past you and the bright lights flashing everywhere distracting me, I would have never found my way out of the area alone. One little street we came across had a large blue LEGO Man just chilling beside a chair... Like a boss. The buildings beside him didn't even look like businesses, it was so weird to just have a LEGO character there for no reason.

Add caption

One of our friends had been looking for a place to get his earring replaced for months so when we came across a piercing studio that looked professional, he checked it out. The employee there spoke flawless English and he said she did a very good job. It was a cool shop that sold not only jewelry but awesome clothing as well.

In Hongdae, we came across some nice graffiti art. Back in Incheon, the only graffiti looks like a 4-year old wrote some poorly-spelled English gibberish on a wall to be rebellious. It was refreshing to see some bright colors and actual art for once.

My favorite part of Hongdae is the street vendors. They are everywhere! One whole street was devoted to jewelry vendors, there was some very nice handmade pieces there. I wish I had bought a couple pairs of earrings as souvenirs for people back home. I hope I can find the same street if we ever return to Hongdae.

Koreans aren't the best at translating into English. I love coming across strangely named places, it gets me every time. I thought my reader's would enjoy the name of a bar we came across. Beer Space. No, it's not a Star Wars themed bar, just a regular bar with a strange name:

Top right hand corner: Beer Space

Another personal favorite. Ho Bar. That's not even the best part. There are several Ho Bars all over Hongdae so they named them appropriately to tell the difference. Ho Bar I, Ho Bar II, Ho Bar III, etc.This Ho Bar is on the same street as the Hello Kitty Cafe.

Ho Bar

This one is sure to make you giggle. Welcome to 'FuckFake'. Located right underneath the restaurant 'Cats Living.' I'm not 100 percent sure on this, but we were told that Cats Living was a restaurant that had real living cats there roaming around that you could chill with and pet. Cute idea or really bad health hazard? Both maybe?

Cats Living on top of FuckFake

I promised a friend I would try and post more videos so here is one of a fun mechanical noodle outside one of the many restaurants. Hyper was enthralled by it (his voice on the video). Small minds and whatnot. ;)

Street vendors of every kind can be found all around Korea, even in Incheon, the small city where I live, we see street vendors selling fresh fruit or Korean street foods. In Hongdae the food looked and smelt much better than the food from the vendors in other cities I've been to. I took a picture of one of the stands so you could see the different types of food available.

Street food vendor

People hoards

As the sun set and night time approached it seemed as though the streets were getting even more crowded. Hongdae is kind of known as a party town so I assume the influx of people had something to do with the night time club scene warming up.

After walking around for hours, we were in a snacking mood. We were told by our friends that we had to try a special pastry while in town and this seemed like the perfect time to grab it. One way to know that the food is decent at a street vendor is that you have to wait in a long line to get to it. The vendor that they took us to had an especially long line. It's nice that you can get good snacks on the go for a handful of change, something like this would have cost much more.

This is the vendor

MMhhmmm!

The pastry was very delicious! It kind of reminded me of a BeaverTail. Crispy on the outside and chewy on the inside. It was sugar and cinnamon coated and had little nuts and sesame-like seeds on the inside. It also had a sweet syrup in the middle. Definitely worth waiting in line for! I wish I knew the name of this amazing morsel of snackage so I could Google the recipe!

You can see in this picture all the tiny shops on each side of the street with cars trying to squish through the night hoards. I'm not sure what time the shops close at in this country, we left the city around 10pm and it was still just as busy, if not busier than when we arrived.

Walking around in circles sure drains the energy out of you! I was glad to get home and crawl under the warm covers after my Hongdae adventure.

Exploring Sincheon with a side of Seoul- Part 2

2012-02-19T02:47:00.000-08:00

Having a lovely time in Seoul!

I apologize for the misleading title, I am still getting used to the way the cities and areas are named. Sincheon is actually part of Seoul. The second part of this journey takes place in the Northern part of Seoul, also called the Joseon Dynasty city (heart of Seoul).

1st Haechi statue

We arrived in the heart of Seoul and explored the train station for a little bit before continuing on to the palace. This station was also the location of the Haechi Seoul Shop.

Seoul has recently made the Haechi their city's mascot. (One article said they wanted it to become as popular as the Statue of Liberty for NYC). Haechi is a mythological fire-eating dog from Korean mythology. He is said to protect a city from fires, and disasters. He represents justice, integrity and good fortune. This creature has existed as a guardian of Seoul for a long time.

Haechi Seoul Shop

I bought some postcards at the Haechi Seoul Shop, they had lots of cute stuffed animals and other Haechi items. I also happened across my first Haechi statue. Many tourists find it a challenge to see how many Haechi statues they can find around Seoul, for there are many.

In front of the station's exit, there was a beautiful, multi-colored Haechi skylight that I took a snapshot of.

Hyper picked the exit that we came out of (there were like 7 to choose from). This is the first view we received at the exit... absolutely amazing! (See picture below.)

As we walked closer to the statue, we came across some interesting mini-statues. One is a replica of a solar model, I assume it was the first model that Korea came up with. Another was an aquatic clock. It resembles the sun clock in many ways.

Water Clock

Solar Model

Close up of the Joseon statue

As I looked around I noticed the change in architecture right away. To the right of the Joseon statue, there was a gorgeous theater. I'm sad I didn't get to see the inside, I'm sure it would have been wonderful. I especially loved how there was a historical walkway in the middle of a busy traffic zone. Hyper told me we need to come back in the spring once they have the fountains turned on and the flowers planted. I'll make sure to do a follow-up post once I have pictures of it in the spring.

Theater

The Heart of Seoul

It was getting late in the afternoon, we knew that the palace closed before dark so we knew we would never have time to visit it during this trip to Seoul. Instead of turning around and going home, we walked to the Gyeongbokgung Palace anyways. After all, I didn't need to see the inside to be able to appreciate the outside.

Outside of the palace walls, we found a map of historic places in Seoul. (Yes, the 'map song' from Dora the Explorer was sung by yours truly, which resulted in some strange stares from people passing by on the busy street.) We took a picture of the map so we could follow it on our return journey and hit up all the interesting places.

I'm a map, I'm a map, I'm a map

Part of the palace's beauty was the background of gorgeous mountains. It was interesting because if you look in one direction you see the huge, tranquil mountain landscape, while in the other direction you see the city's tall skyscrapers.

Gyeongbokgung Palace walls with mountain background.

Palace walls view from the main road.

Same palace walls as the pictures above,
but from the inside looking towards the city.

Although the palace had closed for the night, we were allowed inside the first walls where it's mostly just parking areas and security buildings. I got some pretty good pictures in this area.

Pure unedited beauty (inside the first layer of walls)

There were a couple people left walking around

Being the history buff that he is, Hyper stopped to read the story of Gyeongbokgung Palace. It was quite interesting. I found out that the mountain that took my breath away was named either Mount Bugaksan or Mount Namsan. The palace is under constant rebuilding to restore it to it's traditional glory from before the Japanese invasion. I took a picture of the stone with the history on it in case my blog readers were curious about the story. Not many people seemed interested in learning about Korean history according to the poll, so I won't go into further detail.

Hangul (Korean writing)

The story of the palace

By the time we had finished looking at the stones, and talked about the history a little, we were the only people left in the area (besides the security guards). It was surreal to be alone by the ancient palace, the solitude increased it's grandeur.

After the last of the tourists left (besides us)

Near the Palace, there were two magnificent buildings. They were constantly changing because of the way the glass reflected the sky, simply breathtaking. I have no idea what purpose the buildings have, only that they were a joy to look at.

This is my edited version of the duo-buildings to see the original,
please see Exploring Sincheon with a Side of Seoul- Part 1

A great mixture of old and new architecture!

One of the buildings solo-style

I look like such a tool, but I'm having so much fun
in this pic I had to share.

At the base of the buildings, there were some interesting artsy statues decorating the sidewalk. I took this picture so you could get an idea of how tall these slanted masterpieces are!

Sunset

As the sun started to set, the colors of the sky mixed with the colors of the ancient Imperial Palace, were just spectacular! The cold air was becoming cooler as the night approached, so we took one last look towards the Palace as we headed back to the train station.

On the train ride home, it was super busy and there was barely room to stand this time. Hyper almost got pick-pocketed. It was impossible to tell who tried to put their hand in his pocket that's how many people were standing around us. Once we transferred to the second train, it was much more spacious. We even managed to nab two seats! I was so tired and sore from spending the entire day walking around in the cold; I almost fell asleep listening to my IPod with my head on Hyper's shoulder.

All in all, I enjoyed my adventure in Seoul very much! I can't wait to return to Seoul in the Spring to see the inside this palace as well as the other ones in the city.

I wonder how many Haechi statues I can find....

Exploring Sincheon with a side of Seoul- Part 1

2012-02-18T14:49:00.000-08:00

Seoul

The story of this journey begins back in Incheon, a few weeks prior to our departure. I had been posting articles on local international forums looking for an English-speaking hairdresser with a good reputation to cut Hyper's hair. It was so long that he was beginning to remind me of an unruly sheepdog. I was given these directions by another user on InterNations to find 'Lucy' a hairdresser who studied in London;

-From Shinchon Station (Line 2, the green line) take Exit 1.

-Walk straight until you see a "Natur" store (It's your first right.)

-Turn right into the side street.

-Down the street a few paces, on your right, on the second floor, is Lucy Hair. You can see a sign at the entrance to the building.

-Don't go past the intersection (there is a waffle shop on the corner).

I was also given a telephone number which Hyper called to make an appointment on his next day off.

We awoke that Saturday morning, and after eating chocolate chip pancakes, we packed a book bag with supplies for the day. We packed gloves and hats, my Nikon camera, IPhones, IPad, a bottle of water, and a snack. It was sunny outside but with a sharp, cold wind reminding us to dress warmly. Well prepared for the adventure ahead of us, we locked up the apartment and headed towards the nearest underground train entrance.

Going down the stairs into the dark tunnel!

This was my first time back on the underground train since arriving to South Korea on the airplane. This time, I got to appreciate it much more because I wasn't distracted by lack of sleep and.. well.. everything!

Descending the stairs into the dark tunnel, I noticed on the left side, there was a ramp-type object for bikes. (Yellow in picture). Once again Korea surprised me with something so simple yet so helpful that I'm convinced we should have something similar back home.

This is how you load money onto your card.

You need a T-Money card to get into the train station.

Scanning my T-Money card, I was given access to the rest of the station. The way that the subway system works is that you need to use the card to get in and out of certain areas.

After consulting the map to find out which transfers we would have to make to get to Sincheon, we waited by the doors for the next train to arrive. Much different than the Halifax Metro Transit system, we found ourselves only waiting a handful of minutes between transfers.

The windowed doors open when a train arrives for passengers to get on or off.

Some of the stations are located outside instead of underground.

The subway system being the safest and most efficient mode of transportation in most of South Korea, there was a lot more going on underground than one might assume.

Bunnies for sale

There were shops.. EVERYWHERE!

7-elevens, coffee shops, banks, clothing shops, street vendors, we even came across a less-than-legal bunny vendor huddled on the floor with her baby bunnies. (Sorry for the blurry picture, she quickly swatted away the Iphone when she seen we were taking a picture.)

Many sources of entertainment were found, including
people dressed up in costumes to advertise products.
These two are posing as a brother and sister and got into quite a fight, pulling hair and shoving each other all over the station.

Oxygen Masks

One would think that something as important as oxygen mask instructions would be translated into at least one other language, but they weren't. Seeing the oxygen masks in every station made me a little uneasy. It's so easy to forget how close to North Korea I really live, the sight of a possible tragedy jolted me back into reality. What a strange world we live in that we can go about our day to day lives without thinking about the disaster and tragedy that lurks around every corner. I suppose if we did, we would be called paranoid. Is it really paranoia, or an intense sense of reality? I wonder...

Suddenly a train appeared and pulled me out of my thoughts. Inside the train car, Hyper quickly secured two seats for us. Luckily that day, the train wasn't too busy. He explained to me that there is a section for handicapped people/pregnant women/children and the rest of the seats are first come, first serve. There are no niceties when it comes to seating in this country and on busy days you can be lucky to get a standing spot with something to clutch onto.

Sometimes there are vendors that will enter the train cars and give speeches to people before handing out pamphlets and business cards. Solicitation is completely legal in this country, even on public transportation apparently.

I'm on a subway train!

Across the street from Lucy Hair

We found Lucy Hair within a few minutes of our arrival in Sincheon. This city was much bigger than the little suburb where we live. As I looked around, I recognized many western businesses. The architecture was different as well, more evolved and beautiful. Where I live, it sometimes feels like squares and rectangles with no imagination, only fluorescent lights to accentuate buildings.

When we arrived at Lucy Hair, the receptionist greeted us and took our personal effects to put in a locker for us. She then gave us a key to the locker. I kind of liked not having to worry about my items, giving me the opportunity to relax without a bulky coat hanging around.

Lucy wasn't the hairdresser that ended up cutting Hyper's hair, but the gentleman that did spoke excellent English and followed instructions quite well. As I sat at the window (waiting area), I was overjoyed to find an English magazine to read! I flipped through the old 2008 issue of 'Star' Magazine and relaxed in the pretty pink bar stools while Hyper got pampered (okay maybe I was a little jealous).

I was fascinated by some of the different tools that these Korean hairdressers used. One in particular looks like a vacuum cleaner. They stuck a bag attached to the device over the woman's head and it started inflating with air to make a hair dryer. (See picture below). Hyper loved his haircut, and I was overjoyed to be leaving with a man instead of a sheepdog for a companion.

Waiting beside a lovely Valentine's Day decoration of flower petals spelling something in Hangul.

Lucy Hair (LOVE the chairs!)

After grabbing a bite to eat at the first Burger King I've been to since coming to Korea, we couldn't decide where to go next so we just walked around Sincheon for a bit to see what we would come across. Around the corner from Burger King, we discovered a 'Subway' franchise. Hyper was furious that he ate at Burger King when there was a Subway so close; he didn't know that they existed in South Korea. We came across a shop called 'Cupcake' with the picture of a cute little pink elephant on the sign. It was the cutest little cupcake shop ever! From Chocolate Oreo cupcakes to Earl Grey and Green Tea cupcakes the flavors were all different and quirky in their own way. The shop also featured a nice, large library and it was a wonderful atmosphere. I wish I wasn't so full from the Burger King, or I would have stayed for awhile and sampled some of the cupcake creations. I am sure we will be returning for some Subway subs in the near future, so I will defiantly make a note to make a stop at 'Cupcake' when we do.

Patio heaters... indoors

While we were walking around, we noticed some movie posters outside of one of the buildings. One of them featured Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance in 3D. Both of us were excited for the new Ghost Rider film, so we went inside to see if it was playing that afternoon. Inside, I looked around for a bit while he tried finding an English sign or English-speaking employee. I seen some strange poles with 'hats' near a counter and inquired about them. They are outdoor patio heaters. Inside. Figure that one out. Oh and did I mention they are gas-lit. Can you say fire hazard? (See picture on the left). I guess Koreans really hate the winter cold, and here I thought it was warming up outside.

Snackkkagee!!

Snack counters look exactly the same as Canadian snack counters. (See picture on the right). The usual popcorn, soft drink, chocolate combos were all available. One thing I really liked about this particular theater was a little sitting area near the snack counter. It was well decorated with huge windows letting the natural sunlight light up the place. You could sit on one of the comfy couches and watch the many birds that they had in cages sing and fly around. I'm used to theaters being dark and closed in, but here I found a slice of beauty.

Hyper found out that the movie that was playing wasn't actually playing in 3D at this theater, that was just on the poster. We decided to wait to see it in 3D another day and to continue exploring the city.

Me and my beloved

We happened across a Starbucks and I decided to be brave and see if Korea could satisfy my Starbucks craving without ruining it for me. I ordered the usual; a Venti Caramel Mochiado with extra drizzle (I left out the triple expresso shots because the employee who served me only knew a little English.) Hyper doesn't drink coffee... mostly because like his name suggests, he would get too hyper. He decided to try a cinnamon roll. The cinnamon roll was bland and a little dry, but then again I'm a little picky when it comes to cinnamon rolls after being spoiled with my Mom's homemade rolls my whole life.
Huzzah! My Mochiado was perfect! However, I did forget that Starbucks had changed their cup sizes recently so I ended up with a larger Venti then I usually drink. It was marvelous to sit in a Starbucks and drink my beloved caramel drink with all the wonderful, familiar Starbucks smells surrounding me. This was the highlight of my day.

Once energized with my caffeine, we headed back towards the train station to catch the next train to Seoul. Hyper wanted to show me at least one of the palaces before returning to Incheon.

To be continued...

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2012-02-15T23:09:00.000-08:00

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Restaurant Review- Meat Brown

2012-02-14T01:13:00.000-08:00

Happy Valentine's Day!

This is how you say it in Korean

해피 발렌타인 데이 – haepi ballentain dei.

The Korean way to do Valentine's day is the women are the ones who buy chocolate for their lovers, while the men return the favor in March on something called White Day.

We did Valentine's Day the good old Canadian way, Hyper took me out to a restaurant after work and then we watched 50 First Dates, one of my favorite romantic comedies.

The restaurant that he took me to was called Meat Brown. It's basically a Mongolian-style grill buffet.

The tables are equipped with a grill in the center.. I want one of these for my home one day. BBQ indoors while sitting down.. Amazing!

Basically, you sit down at your table, the waiter brings you a place mat, a bowl of marinade, cups and a water carafe. Then he leaves and doesn't come back. In Canada, we are used to waiters checking on us every once in awhile, asking how everything is going and refilling our drinks. In Korea, they have a little button on the table that will bring the waiter to your table if you need something.
The utensils (chop sicks) are kept in a little box on the table , and you can get scissors and tongs from the meat counter if you choose to not touch the meat with your hands.

Another Korean custom is that you never pour your own drink, it's considered bad luck. The other people at your table are supposed to keep an eye on your cup and fill it before it hits empty. If you are drinking alcohol, the smart thing to do is keep your glass half full so you won't end up drinking more than you plan. Whether you pour using one or both hands is important. If the person for whom you are pouring is older than you or of higher status, then you should pour holding the bottle with two hands, otherwise pour with one hand.

This is what the bowl of marinade looks like. (Picture on the right) It has all sorts of yummy spices and veggies floating in a sweet/salty liquid. Sooo delicious!
This is how you eat at Meat Brown:
1- You go up to the buffet area where there is an assortment of fruit and vegetables to choose from as well as rice, sauces and soups. There is also a meat counter with many different cuts of chicken, pork and duck.
2- You choose your side dishes and meat cuts and go back to your table.
3- FIRE UP THE GRILL!! (see pictures below)
4- Munch on side dishes while you wait for the meat to cook
5- Nom nom nom nom nom
6- There's also a bread and jam bar near the entrance where you can get tea and coffee

The round pieces are duck! I really liked the
long green pieces on the edge of the plate. Yum!

The meat cooking *drools*

I have discovered that I like duck. This was my first time trying duck and it was fantastic!

Cheers! My first Soju experience.

I also tried the famous Korean alcohol Soju while we were at Meat Brown. It tastes similar to really watered down vodka. It wasn't that bad, for a drink that only costs a few dollars. It doesn't taste strong but once it settles inside you, there's definitely a strong kick to it.

Meat Brown is a restaurant I wouldn't mind revisiting. Good food, decent music and lovely decor. The only thing I didn't like was they had too many tables and chairs close together if the restaurant had been full it would have been uncomfortable to have people sitting so close to you.

I can't wait to try more local restaurants!

Guide to Korean Groceries- Normal vs. Fake

2012-02-13T02:44:00.000-08:00

Outside Emart

I've been in Korea for a few weeks now. I've visited two different markets- Emart and Lotte. Emart is about a 15-20 minute walk away from the apartment while Lotte is only 5 minutes away.
I am used to Sobeys and the Atlantic Superstore, where I get lost if they rearrange the aisles suddenly, so navigating through markets where all the products and signs are in illegible characters is quite scary for me.
It's especially frustrating to be foreign here because if you cannot find an item and ask for help, they don't understand you. You then spend the next 10 minutes playing a not-so-fun game of charades trying to explain what you need and not understanding a word that they say back to you. I've personally just given up on asking for help, it's much easier to go into huntress mode and hunt down the items for yourself.

Okay so here is a walk-through of how to do groceries in Korea. After walking in and usually being greeted by a worker or two bowing politely and saying 안녕하세요 "annyeong haseyo" your next goal is to find a cart or basket. (Bowing is part of Korean culture. It's a sign of respect and is as normal to them as smiling or shaking hands is to Western society. Although Koreans are forgiving of foreigners breaking to bowing rules of etiquette, it's probably a good idea to smile and bow back. I always do.)
Back home, if you forget to grab a cart on your way into a store it's not a huge deal, you can always grab one that someone left behind in a aisle. In Korea, people always put things back in their place. There are no carts or baskets hiding in the aisles for you to take advantage of.

In the picture below you will see what I have started calling the 'cart station'. The big blue box is a UV clean sterilizer system. They sterilize all the carts before the next person uses it. I think this is a great idea! A wonderful way to stop the spreading of seasonal colds and bugs that hit a community. You will also notice below little chains locking the carts together and beside the little chain is a slot to insert a coin. It's pretty self-explanatory, you insert a 100 won coin (about 9 cents Canadian) and it releases the cart. Your coin stays in the cart until you return it to the cart station and put the chain back into it's slot, then it gives you your coin back. This is an inventive way of keeping all of the carts sanitized. It makes sure they get put away and none are left in the middle of the parking lot.

Cart Station

If you happen to forget to bring a coin I have found that most times a Korean salesperson standing by the carts usually has a pocket full of them and is willing to lend one to you. Another option is using a basket. Baskets are green and can be found neatly stacked near the carts.

I am a fan of the carts in this country this is why:

LOOK NO HANDS!!!

Markets have several floors. Instead of using elevators or stairs they use conveyor belts. It's much easier to maneuver a cart on a conveyor belt than an elevator or -God forbid- the stairs. My favorite part about these carts is that they magically (probably magnetically) attach themselves to the conveyor belt so you don't have to hold onto them (also so that rude people don't try to push their way past you and run you over).

Speaking of rude people, if you plan on standing on an escalator or conveyor belt it's best to stand on the right hand side. The left side is generally used for people in a hurry that want to walk ahead. If you accidentally stand on the wrong side, you WILL get pushed out of the way. In Canada we are used to people saying "Excuse me" or "Pardon me" but in Korea they do not excuse themselves or apologize for anything. Their culture has a huge 'shame' factor and a Korean wouldn't be comfortable with apologizing especially for something as small as asking someone to move out of the way.

I usually head right to the international section of the market. I am so happy that they have Heinz ketchup in South Korea, you have no idea. As you can see in the picture below, Americans and Mexicans mostly eat beans, pickles, peanut butter, ketchup, maple syrup and steak sauce. (That was sarcasm in case you missed that.) Surprisingly most items are priced the same as they would be back home. The only expensive item I've bought so far is Maple Syrup at that was around $20 Canadian.

The products vary from week to week so it's hard to get a normal, easy grocery. One of the things that remain constantly available are eggs.

Fun yellow chicken statue on egg display

The selection of fresh fruit and vegetables is considerably less than in the stores in Canada. Most of the things you will find won't even be that fresh and will spoil fast so I started freezing most of the food I buy.

I have no idea why these apples and oranges and lemons are so expensive 89, 800 won is roughly $90 Canadian. Maybe they are made out of gold? Maybe it is because they are individually wrapped and look clean? Who knows? If you keep looking though, it's fairly easy to find a bag of apples for under 10,000 won ($10 CAD). The cheap apples may be a little bruised and dirty but come on.. I'm from a country that you can grow your own damn apples in your backyard if you feel like it, I'm not paying $90 for fancy fruit.

Hot dogs. What I wouldn't give for a good smoked, normal, hot dog. Here they are called 'Franks' or 'sausages'. As you can see in the picture, they are never made from 100% pork or beef. They are always a chicken/pork mixture. Package reads Classic pork franks then underneath the fine print reads made with chicken and pork. I've found that buying Bullseye BBQ sauce from the international aisle and adding it to the hot dogs gives it a smokier taste that can be more enjoyable.

Cereal. Here's the part where I tell you that in Korea, they like to make fake versions of our beloved western food that taste horrible and are nothing like the versions that we love so dearly.

Nesquik has been mutated to tater-shapes and Froot Loops have become Froot Ring. See how close the boxes are to the Canadian version of the product? They taste nothing similar.

Cheetos. Yup, they ruined them too. How can you screw up processed powder cheese? I don't know but Korea figured it out. The smell from this non-eaten bag of chips stunk up the whole apartment. The yellow (not even orange) sticks didn't even taste like cheese, they tasted sweetened.

Korea is a very alcohol-friendly place. You can get alcohol at corner stores, grocery stores, or any restaurant on the street. Alcohol is extremely cheap, even the imported stuff. Alcohol is something they managed to not ruin. Corona (Korean version) tastes just as good as I remember. They also have my favorite Australian white wine here from Yellow Tail.

Evil spatula says "Mouha you burnt your food"

Yes, they do sell Smirnoff Ice here in Korea. They also have Smirnoff Black Ice, not sure what it is yet, I will have to try it and let you know.
The most popular alcohol to drink in Korea is Soju, which I have yet to try.
(www.wikipedia.org)

(hangul: 소주; hanja: 燒酒), a clear, slightly sweet distilled spirit, is by far the most popular Korean liquor. It is made from grain or sweet potatoes and is generally inexpensive. It typically has an alcohol content of 40 proof (20% alc. by volume). There is a version with top notch ingredients distilled using traditional methods that hails from the city of Andong that is 90 to 100 proof. This version has a government protection/regulation seal, as Andong has historically been known as a fine soju center among other things. While all soju in Korea are priced almost identically (inexpensively as previously mentioned), Andong soju commands more than 20 times that price. It is the cognac to commercial soju's vin du pays. In the late 20th century soju flavored with lemon or green tea became available. The Japanese version is called Shōchū.

Like many of the Superstore's from Atlantic Canada, Korean Emarts and Lotte marts have sections devoted to cutlery and dishes, clothing, beauty products, electronics, even a pet section. Shortly after arriving in Korea, we went kitchenware shopping to get a wok, some utensils, spatulas etc. There was an obscene amount of kitchenware devoted to Hello Kitty. I took a picture of this spatula because it made me happy.

Sign right outside Emart

The picture to the right is a little blurry, I apologize, but it was supposed to be to show you what types of stores/restaurants that can be found inside an Emart. You can't read it but there is a Popey's Chicken, McDonalds and Starbucks on the sign.

This Starbucks is located right outside the main entrance of Emart. I have yet to try the coffee. I am a little scared that it will be horrible and ruin Starbucks for me. I'm way too in love with Starbucks coffee to risk loosing it. Even if I were to go inside, could the Korean working really understand my order? Venti Triple Caramel Mochiado with extra drizzle? Especially when I had trouble finding a Korean worker who understood 'nail polish remover' with the help of my ever so clever charade skills. Hmm that's a thought I might just video tape my next charade session and post it here so you can see just how ridiculous one looks trying to communicate in a foreign land.

Right outside Emart

Gracie Premium Chocolate Macadamia.. My favorite chocolate in Korea as of yet. Tastes like a homemade chocolate truffle with a crunchy interior. I have no idea where to buy it because it was a gift from one of Hyper's students but I want more!

Another one of my new Korean chocolate favorites is Pepero. It's so popular it even has it's own holiday, Pepero Day. It's similar to Valentine's day and held on November 11th (since 11/11 resembles four sticks). Couples give their crush or loved ones a box of Pepero. There are many different flavors but I've only tried two: Peanut and Almond. The picture on the left is a box of the peanut Pepero sticks. It's very similar to the Japanese Pockey sticks and Japanese Pockey Day, but Pockey Day isn't as popular as Pepero Day.

If you are a fan of Banana-flavored products and happen to come to South Korea at some point. You may be temped to try their banana products. I have heard the banana milk is exquisite (this I will have to try out as well). The picture to the left... do not be tempted to buy it. It can be found in the Emarts and Lottes around town and you are supposed to add a little tablet to milk for an instant banana treat. It's gross trust me.. just pain wrong.

Baking products. Oh the joy.. Not. I love cooking. It's one of my hobbies. Being unemployed here I have a lot of extra time to put into cooking which would be awesome if not for two factors. 1- I do not have a stove. 2- Korea lacks the basic baking products. I'm still on the hunt but I've had trouble finding things such as corn starch, baking soda, powdered sugar, and semi-sweet chocolate. The picture to the right is of 'baking chocolate'. They are mini-chips but not the semi-sweet like I was searching for, more like a sweet milk chocolate taste to them. They are still very tasty and I have used a whole bag already. I must mention I was extremely delighted to find powdered Cinnamon though!

Another gift from Hyper's students was Taster's Choice Supremo instant coffee. It comes with sugar and whitener inside each individual packet. Thanks to a friend's advice from Canada, I have perfected my morning coffee routine.

1- Put 3/4 milk, 1/4 water in coffee cup and microwave for 1 minute.
2- Add packet and stir
3- Sprinkle cinnamon and stir
4- Enjoy almost-cinnamon latte

Frozen Chicken Nuggets

Frozen chicken nuggets can apparently be successfully cooked in a wok with corn oil. Ever been to Costco? Love the demo ladies that cook you food and explain the wonders of the product and how to cook it? Another reason why I wish I understood Korean; they have demo ladies here as well but I don't understand what I'm eating or how to cook it or how expensive it is. One lady knew enough English to say "Chicken Nugget? Good! Good! Try!" So we tried it and she motioned where they were located. We bought them because they were tasty and on sale, 3 bags taped together for the price of one. Not quite the same as Canadian nuggets, but pretty tasty nonetheless.

This is the milk we buy. They come in very small cartons so we usually end up buying 3 per week. Hyper likes it because it tastes like Baxter's skim milk. I like it because it's cute and pink. Come on, what's not to love about waking up in the morning and grabbing a super cute pink carton to help make your coffee? Yes, I'm such a girl.. shush

Stick butter and margarine I have yet to see any signs of. I don't think butter is a very big thing in Asia. They tend to do most of the cooking with oils. However you can find good ole' American I can't believe it's not butter though. Gotta love fake butter!

Yes, that's a toy dispenser and
yes, it's full of Pokemon toys.

In the Lotte by my apartment, there is a food court. It's located right by the main entrance right before you leave the building. Inside is a Japanese restaurant, a Korean restaurant, a Chinese restaurant, a burger place and a KFC. I've only ever tried the KFC and an ice cream from the burger place. At KFC there are two types of chicken; original and crispy hot. Not knowing they injected hot sauce into the crispy chicken I ordered it. It's different but still pretty tasty. I stick with the original now or the chicken tenders.

Right outside the food court there is a huge fake food display to show you dishes from each restaurant (except the burger place and KFC). What you do is tell the person behind the counter what number plate you want and pay for it, then she goes into the food court and gets it for you to go. It's a handy system for take-out food. All the food looks strange to me so I haven't worked up the courage to actually order any yet.

As promised, here is a (blurry) picture of the cash registers. No difference in the way the lines work than in Canada. One way to save money at these stores is they have a points card and once in awhile they will point to the screen to show you you have enough points to get a discount. I'm not exactly sure how it's calculated or how it works but Hyper has one so we use it. If you picked up an item and the UPC code is malfunctioning they just put it aside and you don't get to buy it. They don't go out of their way to help you at all. Example: We picked up some potatoes at Lotte the other night and bagged them. When we went through the checkout, the lady said something in Korean, made an 'X' symbol with her arms and put them aside. The store was closing so we didn't get a chance to figure out what we did wrong and try to purchase different ones. Another thing that's different you have to ask for a bag (I do believe it costs extra) and they never ever bag it for you. It's a self bagging/boxing system.

Packed up my box.. like a boss

This is the boxing station! My favorite part of grocery shopping in Korea. So basically, you bring your food over to the counter, choose a size-appropriate box and box it up like a Christmas package. If you look to the picture on the right, the yellow circle items are the tape rollers (empty because it was near closing time). They have scissors (red) attached by chains to the counter to keep them from being stolen or misplaced. These scissors are very dull and are my personal nemesis. Once you have fought with the tape and the scissors, you have the option to tie a rope around it for easier carrying. Most Korean's I see use the rope option but I have yet to figure it out.. One day though.. -.- It shall be mine.

Taxi

The picture to the right is of the taxi ride home from Emart. As you will see after Saturday, the custom here is to pack your groceries in a box not a bag so carrying huge boxes full of food for 20 minutes isn't such an easy task so we take a taxi home from Emart. In Japan and most other eastern countries, they drive on the left side of the road and the steering wheel is on the right side of the car. In Korea, it is the same as Canada, driver's seat is on the left and you drive on the right side of the road. I'm not sure if it's the same in all taxis but in this one there was a little video screen with a Korean television program playing with an older lady using one of those old belt machines in her closet to lose weight. I was very amused.

Exercise machine from the taxi ride TV

The taxis here are very cheap the ride from Emart back to the apartment only costs 2900 won (just under $3 CAD) so it's worth the $3 to get a ride back then awkwardly carrying boxes for 20 minutes across town.

Thus ends the marvelous adventure that is Korean groceries!

That's Right I'm a Time Traveler! -Part 2

2012-01-20T01:24:00.000-08:00

Flying into Vancouver .. So beautiful!

I landed in Vancouver only to find out that my plane left without me because we were 3 hours late.

They re-routed me on another plane to Tokyo, Japan, then a connecting flight to Incheon.
Yup, Friday the 13th strikes again! I'm going to get to Korea 5-6 hours later than planned and that's only if the next two planes stay on schedule.

At the Vancouver airport, I had like an hour and a half layover so I grabbed some more Starbucks which drained the rest of my gift card. I also grabbed some A&W, probably going to be a long time before I eat A&W again. The burger sucked. The onion rings were burnt. Not really what I had in mind for my last Canadian meal..

Not my plane, this one was smaller

After boarding the plane to Tokyo, I met Jillian, a girl living in Japan taking language at a university there. We talked for awhile until the seat belt sign came off, then we moved towards the back of the plane to get roomier seats for the long trip ahead. We were allowed to do this because the plane wasn't even close to being full.
She told me all about hiking in Japan, and the mountains as well as some Japanese theaters that she likes to go to. Japan sounds like a fun place, I can't wait to visit there!
Jillian was very nice to offer to help me find my connecting flight in Japan because she knows a little Japanese.
We're going to exchange contact information so I can meet up with her if I end up going to Japan. Maybe the delay in flights had a purpose so that I could make a new friend? Who knows?

This plane is so much higher than the last two.. My whole body feels so weird!!

I am absolutely loving the service from Air Canada. They brought me a meal of chicken and rice, white wine and a brownie with a bottle of water.
After my meal, I was talking to one of the flight attendants and she suggested I try the Merlot red wine with orange juice and apple juice on the rocks. She gave me a bottle of each to mix together... for free!

I was entertained for the next half hour by mixing drinks, I felt like a master chemist. Apparently I looked intense while doing so, because Jillian commented on me having fun mixing the drinks.
Mmhmm soo yummy! I'm not even a huge red wine fan but this is delicious!

There has been a lot of turbulence all throughout my voyage. Surprisingly, it doesn't really bother me that much, I'm not scared at all, it just feels weird.

I hope they don't lose my luggage that's about the only thing I'm stressed about right now. I will be so pissed if they lost all my clothes and deodorant!!!

I ate my brownie (which was delicious in it's chocolatey-goodness) and watched 'Real Steel' starring Hugh Jackman and that chick from lost. It was a pretty good movie, I'd watch it again.

The last two planes were pretty cold and I needed a sweater on at all times, but for whatever reason this one is soooo warm!

Beginning of the sunset. I took this picture as I was entering tomorrow's time zone... Isn't Time Travel Beautiful?

I just want to roll around in these clouds!

Somewhere's over the Pacific Ocean

As everyone else on the plane was sleeping or watching movies or being generally boring, I kept opening my blinds to take in the beautiful view of the setting sun. I was listening to my Blue October playlist and I wanted to share this song with you, because it pretty much sums up how my heart was soaring up above the clouds for the first time. Flying was one of the most amazing experiences I've ever had in my life, and I'm so grateful that I got to see the sun set from above the clouds at least once in my life.

Sunset (3am back home)

Big, fluffy, sheep-like clouds.

After 20 hours of travelling and only one hour of sleep, I was regretting all the caffeine I consumed. I kept staring out the window at the sheep-clouds and kept hoping if I count enough of them that I would fall asleep.. nope didn't happen.
I feel bad for the guy behind me, I kept tossing and turning and moving my chair back and forth.. I'm a bad co-passenger!!

The pressure in the plane and the uncomfortable warmth made it hard to breathe on the plane. I like flying but after 20 hours of this, my body is screaming for some fresh air.

I managed to slip off into sand land for a couple hours then awoke to eat my second meal. We had beef and barley (the chicken and rice was better).

Narita Airport, Japan

Finally arrived at the Narita Airport in Tokyo, Japan. Actually, it's not even in Tokyo, it's like 2 hours out of the city. I am sad to be losing Jillian at this point, having a travel companion and someone to talk to was fun.

I was told by the Air Canada people that someone would be waiting when we got off the plane to escort us to the next plane so there wouldn't be any mix-ups that would make us miss the Incheon plane. Unfortunately, the Japanese airport workers are useless.

Instead of rushing us onto the plane, they spent and hour shuffling around papers and looking terrified and confused. They had to order, no organization, not to mention they were completely ignoring the passengers and our questions. Arggg!! They re-booked us for a flight leaving in the morning and now I am staying overnight at the International Garden Hotel in Narita.

Outside Narita Airport

They don't know where my baggage is. It could be in Incheon, it could be in Japan, or it could be on it's way back to Canada. Thank god I packed extra clothes in my carry-on!

I couldn't connect to wifi at the airport, so hopefully the hotel has some sort of internet so I can send a message to Hyper before he leaves on the train to pick me up at the airport. They were gracious enough to include a free dinner and breakfast at the hotel's restaurant and my flight to Korea leaves at 9:45 am.

Notice the driver on the LEFT s

I had to take a shuttle bus to the hotel, that I had to find on my own by asking questions and trying to figure out signs. It's weird driving on the wrong side of the road. Especially with a driver that obviously doesn't know how to drive. Are there no driving rules in Japan? Seriously, I almost died several times on this bus.

I made it to the hotel, and the receptionist spoke very little English but enough to check me in and give me my meal cards.

Evil keyboard!!

Chains and locks aren't even necessary

The hotel didn't offer WiFi and the free computers in the computer area were from the stone age. It wouldn't even load Facebook on Internet explorer because it was so outdated. To even be able to contact anyone, I had to do a little upgrading. I downloaded the newest Google Chrome and deleted some useless stuff they had on the desktop. It worked a lot better after that.
Lol, you are welcome Japanese hotel! (So much for Japanese people being all tech-savvy.. pfftt!!). The keyboard was all strange and caps lock kept getting stuck. What really made me laugh, was that they had the whole fail computer system pad locked so nobody would steal it.
Thank God I finally got in touch with Hyper, unfortunately it was only as he was arriving at the Incheon Airport to pick me up that he got my message.

Lobby at the International Garden Hotel

The hotel was surprisingly normal. It would be considered a dive in Canada but the bed was comfy and they had complimentary shampoo, conditioner, toothpaste, toothbrushes,etc available. They even had kimonos in the room.

I usually watch this in English

Took a hot shower, tried on the Kimono
and drank some tea

The TV was all in Japanese, of course, so I watched a little bit of Chuck in Japanese, that was hilarious. CNN was the only English channel so I settled for some Japan MTV. Japanese music videos are so strange!

The room was pretty interesting, there was a slot to put your key card in that made the electricity turn on in the room. No key= no electricity. You probably shouldn't lose your key in this hotel. Another cool feature was the bedside tables. They had a built-in clock and wake-up alarm. The tables were even equipped with a do not disturb button that changes a light outside the door red instead of green. I wish I had remembered to take more pictures of the room for the blog! *face palm*

Breakfast Bar at hotel

Because of the fail computer situation, I didn't make it to the restaurant in time for the Dinner serving, but I was up in time for Breakfast.
If you look to the picture on the right you can see what looks to be an espresso machine on the counter. It's not an espresso machine, it's a toast-belt. You put the bread on it and it goes in the machine on a belt and loops out the other side. I call it the lazy toaster.
Breakfast was terrible. The toast was only toasted on one side, the bacon was raw, and who eats pickled fish and rice for breakfast? Lol I think this foreign food thing is going to be harder than I thought!

Sitting in the lobby, waiting
for the shuttle bus to bring
me back to the airport.

I am starting to get the strange looks I think it's cause I'm a white person and I'm wearing a tank top. People here are all cold and wearing big fluffy jackets even though it's like 3 degrees Celsius.

Sayounara Japan!

The Narita Airport was sooo confusing. Thankfully, after asking many Japanese people, I found my way. The airport personnel told me to fill out a form before immigration, but when I read the form it was for re-entry of Japan residents. Fail Japan fail. There was a cute old British couple that were filling out the wrong form as well so I told them not to bother. They were very thankful and we conversed for a bit while waiting in immigration line. I think that on every flight you should have a guide to walk around the airport and help foreign people find their way. It would be so easy to get lost and miss your flight in big airports like this. Japan felt so different, it's like the color was drained from the country. I never noticed how colorful Canada was until I seen a country that looked like someone edited it with a sepia button.

Japan

No Color!

See?

Japanese planes are made for small people. I am not a large person. I find myself to be average weight and average height. The chairs on the plane were digging into my sides and the ceiling hit my head.

The Lunch on the plane from Japan to Incheon was yummy, I even used chop sticks.. Like a boss! I tried the roe and seafood noodles.. Tammy would be proud of me. It was gross but at least I tried it right?

See the picture to the right to see if you can identify in the picture above what I was eating!

Flying above the Sea of Japan

This is a short video I took of the flight.. it's lame and not long but I'm FLYING!!!

Phone!

Atari remote!

The coolest thing I've seen on a plane thus far.. A phone/credit card reader/radio/remote control/Atari controller :o I played Atari games while flying over Japan, XD how awesome is that?

Coast line of South Korea

Korea

On the Japanese airplanes they sell name brand articles like mont blanc, Chanel, Dior, etc. It's really smart actually, you are literally STUCK on a plane with salespeople.. for hours.. with very attractive Japanese sales people. Excellent business skill Japan! *Thumbs up*

Lots of mountains

Korea

Finally start the decent into Incheon, Korea, only to be denied landing permission. We got to circle around a couple of times before landing. Haha, of course something else would screw up! I should just be thankful that I made it at all at this point. Thank God my plane didn't crash, that would have sucked.
One thing about Asia traveling that I found interesting is that upon entering the country, you have to scan your index fingers and do a retina scan. I had to do it in Japan as well as Korea.

Starting the decent into Incheon, Korea! YAY I'm finally here!

Hyper met me at the airport, my luggage was there waiting there for me. It all went very smoothly.. for once! We took an underground train from the airport to the apartment. That was pretty cool. It's so strange not being able to read any of the signs or understand anything that's being said around you. I'm sure it's something I'll get used to. Wish me luck!!

That's right, I'm a time traveler! -Part 1

2012-01-17T00:53:00.000-08:00

At Halifax Airport, waiting to board the plane.
Damn I look good for 3 hours sleep!

Today, I boarded my first plane. Halifax to Montreal on Air Canada Flight 611. When I left the house at 4:30am, I wasn't even sure if the plane would be able to take off. A huge storm hit Nova Scotia the night before making the roads terrible to drive on.

When I got to the airport, I paid for my extra suitcase (totally worth the extra 70 bucks btw) and proceeded to the security check. The metal detectors weren't as terrifying as I thought they would be. It's a very simple process done by perfectly nice people.

Thank God for Starbucks at the airport! Thank you Cole for a Starbucks gift card for my Christmas present!! Three hours sleep and rushing to the plane this morning definitely made me want a caffeine boost. I ordered the usual; a triple venti caramel mochiado with extra drizzle!! Yumm!

Because of the weather, we had to de-ice the plane before departure so I got to watch the plane get sprayed with this thick green substance that reminded me of Ghostbusters. Actually, taking off and landing is fun on a plane, I heard so many horror stories that I was a tad stressed, but it was awesome!

Somewhere around New Brunswick.. the clouds were magical!

It looks so soft out there, they should use clouds on toilet paper commercials.

I spent the 2 hours waiting to be de-iced watching
The new Smurfs movie.
Then I got a little dorky and took a smurfs pic.

The Friday the 13th bug bit me as soon as I arrived in Montreal however. I couldn't connect to the wifi at the airport so I couldn't contact anyone to let them know I made it to Montreal. Before my connection from Montreal to Vancouver could take off, we had to de-ice that plane as well. Only problem is we were 11th in line to get de-iced, putting me 2 hours behind schedule.

The ear popping isn't bad at all either, I was sure it was going to be super painful. The only thing I don't like about flying is the way my muscles feel because of the altitude. It's also very dry up in the air, my skin and eyes were drying out.

The view from the window is breathtaking!

Soo gorgeous! Here's a few pics of the plane ride between Montreal and Vancouver:

Sooo far up!

Part of the ground was checkerboard style.. it amused me greatly.

So gorgeous!

Its so beautiful up here and exhilarating! or maybe that's just the wine making me feel so exhilarated? They served me some French white wine that was pretty decent. Never say no to free wine!

I am officially the furthest west in canada that I've ever been!

Gonna go take my first airplane piss, wish me luck!

Jk jk it wasn't that bad! It was actually kind of nice.

I'm actually impressed. Although the bathroom may have been small, it was very clean.

They had Fruits and passion soap! Smelt good! They even had free sanitary napkins!

It always amazes me when there are free feminine hygiene items. People *cough men cough* rarely remember or care about this part of a woman's life.

Lol... translated wrong.. On a Montreal plane.. Lol

Me in a plane!

So far so good on the journey.. Vancouver here I come!!