Solo Trip Part 2: Singapore

After spending a few days in Malaysia, it was time to jet off to my next destination on my solo trip: Singapore!  After having spent the previous days wandering around Malaysia, a developing country, Singapore was astounding.  It's crazy to me to think how two countries that are so close in proximity can be oh-so-different.  If I were to sum up Singapore in one word, it would be "futuristic".  Singapore City literally looks like it got transported from the future; this can be blamed on the city's amazingly-designed architecture.  So it comes as no surprise that Singapore City is home to two of the world's top three most expensive buildings.  And did I mention, Singapore only gained its independence 50 years ago?
 

Singapore almost reaches the equator so the weather is always nice.

So what could possibly beat Singapore's architecture?  The city's cleanliness.  I swear you could eat off any surface in the country, whether it's the highway or the floor of a public bathroom.  The country is unbelievably clean!  Singapore has super strict laws against littering and graffiti, and there's even a ban on chewing gum and spitting outside.  I don't know what's more surprising, that the government actually thought people would abide by these rules or that citizens actually do abide by them.  Singapore, way to make the rest of us look bad.

Singapore's Merlion Fountain

No travel article is complete without a mention of food, and yet again, Singapore served up some great treats.  While doing some research on what to eat in Singapore, I found that chili crab is the national dish; I also had multiple friends rave about it.  One friend in particular, who happens to hate seafood, even told me it was a must try.  I was so anxious to see what all the hype was about that as soon as I got situated in my hostel, I asked where I could find this mystical chili crab.  I was told to go to a local restaurant, which was nothing fancy and actually looked a bit rundown.  I hesitated a little to order the chili crab because it was $50 (I had been warned!) and it's also a dish that should be split between two people, but since I was alone and would regret not trying it while I was there,  I sucked it up and got it.  The meal was definitely one of the best things I have ever eaten and considering I got 2 full size crabs smothered in a sweet chili sauce with soft, warm rolls to scoop up the remaining sauce, I would say it was worth it.  And whoever said it was for two people underestimated how much I can eat.

Chili Crab, Singapore's National Dish

Ice Cream Bread (I chose mint ice cream)

Other foods I enjoyed in Singapore were green tea-flavored Kit-Kats that I found at the convenience store, blue-velvet cake with gold flakes, chicken rice (another national dish), and ice-cream bread (literally a piece of bread with a rainbow swirl sandwiching a block of ice-cream).

Singapore Flyer or London Eye?? 

Riding the Singapore Flyer

So what is there to do in Singapore besides look at all the pretty buildings?  Singapore is a luxury shopper's paradise, with high-end stores like Armani, Hermes, and Gucci lined up in the malls.  Singapore's skyline is dominated by the Marina Bay Sands Hotel which resembles a horizontal rocket held up by three pillared skyscrapers.  At the very top, some 57 floors above ground, is the world's tallest infinity pool that overlooks the city.  Unfortunately only guests have access to the pool, and I couldn't afford the $500/night fee to stay there.  I'm already saving for next time.

Marina Bay Sands Hotel with an infinity pool on top

Luckily, there are cheaper, budget-friendly things to do while in Singapore.  I rode the Singapore Flyer, a huge ferris wheel with enclosed pods, which is basically an exact replica of the London Eye.  I explored the Gardens by the Bay which is a botanical garden housing thousands of plants and flowers from around the world, as well as numerous Super Trees, which are giant, artificial, light-up tower trees that hold an elevated walkway in place.  Every night the Super Trees perform a light show that is accompanied by music...and it happens to be free so I went to it.

The Gardens by the Bay with the Super Trees in the background

Super Trees and elevated walkway

China Town Market

Lastly, I checked out Singapore's China Town and Little India to pick up a few cheap souvenirs.  Like Malaysia, Singaporeans have immigrated from many different countries, with the majority of people having Chinese, Indian and Malaysian roots.  China Town was as I expected; crowds of people, cheap markets, plenty of street food and lots of Chinese-inspired decor.  It also should be noted that I went one week before Chinese New Year, if that gives you an idea of how crowded it was.  Little India was very similar, with just a different country being represented.  What I love most about exploring places like China Town and Little India is that I get to experience a small taste of that particular country's culture, which is especially great when I haven't yet been to the country myself.  I'm still waiting for an America Town to pop up somewhere.

Little India

Storm Troopers spotted at Changi Airport!

After finishing up my solo-trip, I headed to Singapore's Changi airport to catch my flight back to Korea.  Changi airport has been voted the best airport in the world for the past few years and it was easy to see why.  The airport has unlimited free wifi, free PC rooms to roam the internet, multiple gaming rooms including a room dedicated to Playstation (free!), a greenhouse, a waterfall, spas on sight, two movie theaters that are free-of-charge, personal TV cubicles (again, free!), a swimming pool, a gym, a sleeping zone ($25), and much more.  There's almost no need to even leave the airport! But I had to make my way back to Korea because I had another trip coming up...PHILIPPINES! Stay tuned...

Solo Trip Part 1: Malaysia

I was finally able to check something off my bucket list that I've wanted to accomplish ever since I came to Asia: SOLO TRAVEL!  I know it sounds scary and dangerous, but after doing lots of research and talking to multiple friends who had done it, I felt prepared to finally do it.  In general, Southeast Asia is considered really safe, but I chose to go to Malaysia and Singapore alone because they are considered the safest of the safe and English is widely spoken as a second language in both countries.  

Malaysia is different from the other Southeast Asian countries I've visited because it is both multi-ethnic and multi-cultural.  Many Asian countries, and especially Korea, are basically homogenous in terms of ethnicity and culture.  As an American, who comes from the world's "melting pot", it's very strange to live and visit places where everyone is virtually the same.  There's not many non-Koreans in Korea, or non-Vietnamese people in Vietnam, whereas in Malaysia it was nice to finally see more diversity, since Malaysia is home to not only natives, but to many Chinese and Indian people as well.  This is why English is so widely spoken in Malaysia; it's a common language for everyone (lucky for me!).  

I [heart] KL.

The first stop on my solo-adventure was Malaysia; Kuala Lumpur (KL) to be exact, which is the capital city.  KL's most famous landmark is the Petronas Twin Towers which stand 1,500 feet tall and house the Petronas oil company along with various other businesses and a mall.  Visitors can make their way to the skybridge, a bridge linking the two towers on the 42nd floor, and also go to the observation deck on the 86th floor.

Petronas Twin Towers at nighttime.

View from the top.

Since Kuala Lumpur is basically just another city (all cities are fairly similar, right?), I wanted to take a day trip and explore some of Malaysia's countryside.  I decided to sign up for a small group tour to see the Cameron Highlands, about 4 hours away by car from KL, which is famous for its tea plantations...and I love tea!  The BOH Tea Centre has been making various kinds of tea on sight since 1929.  I got to sample a couple while I was there...the fruit flavored teas, like passionfruit, were awesome!  One of my favorite things about Southeast Asia is the abundance of fresh, local fruit that's widely available; there's so many kinds of fruit that you don't even get to see, much less try, in the western part of the world.  For example: jackfruit, durian, dragonfruit, mangosteen (my personal fav!), etc.

Cameron Highlands BOH Tea Plantation

BOH Tea Centre

On the way to the Cameron Highlands, our tour guide stopped at the Lata Iskandar waterfall.  It was a nice break considering my group had been in the car for about 3 hours already and we were on the curviest road I have ever been on (good thing I don't get car sick!).  

Lata Iskandar Waterfall

Another popular tourist destination in KL is Batu Caves, which is a limestone cave that houses one of the most popular Hindu shrines outside of India.  Malaysia is a Muslim country, but Hinduism is also very prominent because of Malaysia's large Indian community.  Batu caves is marked with a giant gold statue of Lord Murugan, the Hindu God of War.  Next to the statue are 272 steps which lead you to the cave entrance where you can see a Hindu shrine and dozens of wild monkeys waiting to steal food from tourists.  

 I traveled to Batu Caves with a Korean girl from my hostel and 2 Korean guys I had met the previous day at the Petronas Towers.

Wild monkey at Batu Caves

Getting a Henna tattoo

First time eating Indian food!  Indian food is served on a banana leaf and is traditionally eaten with your [clean?] hands...no utensils!  I ate veggie fried rice with fried chicken and some side dishes.

This is at the Malaysian National Mosque.  Visitors are allowed only during certain hours, and hijabs and robes are provided and must be worn in order to enter the premises.

Another one of my favorite reasons for visiting Southeast Asia is because of the abundance of local marketplaces that sell cheap souvenirs, handmade goods, and lots of street food to graze on while you shop.  Central Market is a famous indoor/outdoor marketplace in KL that has been in operation since 1888.    

 Central Market's main street.

Petaling Street aka ChinaTown

Petaling Street is another famous market in KL and is located in the heart of the Chinatown neighborhood.  Petaling Street is home to thousands of vendors who sell brand-name knockoff goods such as Beats electronics, Louis Vuitton/Prada/Coach bags, RayBan sunglasses, Chanel makeup and perfume, etc.  If you want to buy something at markets like this, it's important to have decent bartering skills; never take the first offer the vendors give you!    

Chinese food I ate on Petaling Street in Chinatown.  Some kind of fried noodles with pork and a good 'ole coca-cola.

Speaking of food, if you want to do any kind of travel, you really need to be open to trying new food, especially local cuisine.  Luckily, I have no problem with this, and I will seriously try anything once!  In Malaysia, most restaurants only served Indian and Chinese dishes (and no, they do not have crab rangoon or orange chicken...this is not American Chinese).

This restaurant was recommended to me by my hostel employees.  I'm not sure what the name is, but it was slightly cooked/crunchy noodles with spinach covered in a pork/tomato sauce, with a side of pork ball soup.  It wasn't bad!

I also had the chance to try frog!  I bought this from a street vendor, and yes that is a whole frog (minus the head) grilled to a crispy consistency.  It honestly tasted like chewy chicken!  I would definitely eat it again!

In total, I spent 4 days in Malaysia.  I think Kuala Lumpur was definitely a good place to solo travel for the first time because it was really easy to get around the city, I never felt in danger, and English was widely used.  Malaysia was just the beginning though...

Next stop was....Singapore!  Stay tuned..

     

Korea's Plastic Surgery Craze

My first official post of 2016 is here!  How many of you made a New Year's resolution?  And how many of you have actually stuck it out this far?  My guess is that most people have already fallen off the motivation bandwagon.  Most New Year's resolutions are made with the intent to better oneself, and if we're honest, most people want to do that by losing weight.  People are always searching for the new trend or fad to look and feel better about themselves.  I have to say this also rings true for Koreans.  Korean people care very much about outward appearances and how people perceive them. I've mentioned in a previous article that Koreans are very self-aware of how attractive or unattractive they are and often will ask people to rate their attractiveness compared to their friends.  My students will even call fellow classmates "ugly" and if I reprimand the name-calling students, sometimes I'm met with a "Yes teacher, I know I'm ugly" from the name-called student,  without the slightest bit of hesitation or hurt in their voice.   

Plastic surgery clinic advertisements in the Seoul subway station.

Gangnam, an area in Seoul made famous by the song "Gangnam Style",  is home to about 500 plastic surgery clinics alone.

Because looks are so valued in Korean society, Korea has become the "it" place for plastic surgery. Plastic surgery is not a taboo topic here.  Outward appearances will not only get you the occasional "You're so pretty/handsome!" compliment, but can also lead to advantages such as assisting you in landing a job or getting into university since all Korean resumes require a photo. Credentials are obviously a big part of the process, but looks can still give applicants an advantage since Koreans believe that if you take pride in your appearance then you will have pride in your job too.  Because of this, some people resort to getting plastic surgery to increase their chances of getting hired into a big company.  Parents will even suggest that their kids get certain procedures done to improve their appearance.  The most popular high school graduation gift for Korean girls?  A gift certificate to a plastic surgery clinic to get the famous "double-eyelid" surgery.  Koreans naturally have monolids, meaning there's no crease in the eyelid; double-eyelid surgery makes the eyes bigger and more western-like by adding the crease in the eyelid.  I never even noticed this difference in Asian and Western eyes until I moved here and it was repeatedly pointed out to me.  I few of my Korean friends have even admitted to me that they've gotten this procedure done.        

The most popular procedure for Koreans to get is "double-eyelid" surgery to make the eyes bigger and more western-like.  As you can see in the top picture, Koreans naturally have monolids, something I had never even noticed until I moved here and it was pointed out to me.  In the after picture, you can see that the eyes now have the double fold/crease, which naturally occurs on western faces.

Other popular plastic surgery procedures in Korea include nose heightening (to make the bridge of the nose start higher) and jaw-reshaping surgery.  Koreans value a small face and a good V-line, meaning the jaw line resembles a "V" shape.  In jaw-reshaping surgery, the jaw line is shaved down and shaped like a "V".

A popular advertisement I've seen multiple times.

Here's a close up of the transformation from the above advertisement. 

So what are some problems arising from South Korea's plastic surgery culture?  Many women are requesting that their features resemble those of celebrities, especially K-Pop stars, most of whom have also gone under the knife themselves.  The problem with this is that many women come out looking strikingly similar because they're all asking to look like the same people.  Take the below picture for example, featuring contestants from a Korean beauty pageant.  It went viral a few years ago because of how similar all the women looked, especially in the eyes, obviously from plastic surgery.

Korean beauty pageant contestants who were criticized for looking too similar.  Results of Korean women striving for the same look and features they often see from K-Pop celebrities. 

Plastic surgery isn't just popular amongst women either, many men also get procedures done.

Plastic surgery isn't just for women either; men make up a decent proportion of plastic surgery clients too.  Competitiveness in the job market, confidence factors, encouragement from friends and family and dating prospects are all reasons why Koreans are seeking out plastic surgery procedures.

And if you aren't 100% ready to commit to permanently altering your facial features, there's always Photoshop, which Koreans also highly recommend.  Koreans heavily photoshop all professional pictures including passport photos, resume photos and wedding photos.  There's even several popular smartphone apps that allow you to digitally alter your own pictures.  Trust me, these apps would put Instagram to shame.   

My passport photo taken awhile ago in Korea that has been heavily photoshopped.  No blemishes, an evened-out skin tone on face/neck, no stray hairs out of place, pink color applied to lips, and a glossy finish.  And something you can't see was that my shirt was too low cut so the photographer photoshopped some material to better cover my chest area.  Just a reminder that this is bare minimum photoshopping compared to Koreans getting their own pictures done.

Before you're quick to judge Koreans for taking plastic surgery so lightly, remember that we're all raised in different cultures and societies.  Be grateful that being raised in the U.S. teaches us not to judge a book by its cover and that what's on the inside matters more than what's on the outside.  This isn't the reality for Koreans, whose culture values outward appearances over individuality.    

If you want to know more about the plastic surgery craze in Korea, check out this article I found online: http://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2015/03/23/about-face

Korea's AMAZING Delivery

You may think you know all there is to know about food delivery...but you're wrong.  Korea has somehow perfected delivery in the most brilliant way.  First of all, almost all restaurants here in Korea deliver.  No matter what type of food, there's a 98% chance it can be delivered to your destination.  If you don't happen to know the phone numbers of any restaurants close by, need not worry because these little flyers from nearby places get put on apartment doors every day.  I find new ones stuck to my door about every day after I get home from work.

My favorite thing to order by delivery is Korean Chinese food, which includes jjajangmyeon (Ja-jang-myun) and tangsuyuk  (tang-su-yeuk).  Jjajangmyeon is a type of noodle dish with diced pork and vegetable bits that is smothered in a salty black sauce made from soy bean paste.  I know what you're thinking: "black soy bean paste...WTF?!?!", but it's seriously good!  Don't knock something until you give it a chance.
Tangsuyuk is my personal favorite though and is more foreign-tastebud friendly.  Tangsuyuk is fried crunchy goodness!  Basically it's sweet and sour fried pork (Korean style of course).  The pieces of pork are covered in a thick sweet and sour jelly-like sauce.  There's usually some sliced carrots and pineapple chunks thrown in there too.      

Tangsuyuk: fried pork pieces covered in a sweet and sour jelly

Jjajangmyeon: noodles smothered in a salty black soy-bean paste sauce

After calling for delivery, food typically arrives at your destination within 30 minutes.  All delivery drivers ride motorized scooters to make deliveries.  After dropping off the food, it's time to eat--but the first thing you'll notice is that the food isn't packed into cardboard or styrofoam takeout containers; instead, restaurants use real plastic dishes, covered tightly in plastic wrap, along with real metal utensils.  How genius is that?!  No dishes and no bulky takeout containers to throw out!     

McDonald's delivery driver on his scooter

So what do you do once your done?  When you've finished up, you just stack up all the dishes and utensils in an orderly fashion and leave them outside your apartment building's main doors.  Sometime later, the delivery driver will be back to collect everything.

Best delivery system ever!  No dishes.  No takeout boxes hogging room in your trashcan or waiting to be dumped.  Better for the environment.  And feeling like you're eating a decent meal because you're eating off real dishes. Sometimes it's the simplest things that make me love Korea.  It's delivery service is absolutely great.  

Setting my delivery dishes outside my apartment

for pick up.

Beopjusa Temple Stay

The famous Buddha statue in Beopjusa; over 100ft. tall
and made from pure gold. (notice our temple uniforms)

Even though I was raised Catholic, I wouldn't call myself a religious person, but that doesn't mean that I haven't given religion any thought.  In college, I actually took a world religions course and I enjoyed learning about the different beliefs and teachings of the world's more popular religions. Buddhism really intrigued me because it didn't seem like your typical religion, but more about a way of life.  Buddhism focuses on bettering oneself and striving for happiness by casting away negative thoughts (anger, jealousy, ignorance) and transforming that energy into compassion, peace and wisdom.  Buddhism plays a significant role in Korean history; with about 50% of Korea's current population identifying as religious, and among those, 23% calling themselves Buddhist, with Christianity being a close second.  Since being introduced from China around the year 372, Buddhism has been a major factor in shaping modern Korean culture.  

I was able to learn a little more about Korean Buddhism and its rituals during a temple stay I recently partook in.  I've been wanting to do a temple stay for quite some time, and the opportunity finally presented itself a few weeks ago.  My two friends, Lauren and Casey, and I traveled about 5 hours to Beopjusa temple, located on Songrisan mountain in Songrisan National Park.  Beopjusa, which means "a temple where Buddha's teaching resides" is one of the most famous temples in Korea because of its beautiful mountain landscape and its history, dating back to 553CE.  The purpose of Beopjusa's temple stay is to offer a relaxing and spiritual experience as well as insight into the traditional lifestyle practiced by Buddhist monks.

The main temple on Beopjusa

The temple stay is a weekend affair consisting of a schedule of activities to help you to better understand Buddhist culture.  Upon arrival, we were given a uniform (a vest and pants) to wear for the duration of our stay and we sat through a 45-minute orientation in which we learned about Buddhist principles and its influence on Korea.  We were given time to tour the area, which also happens to be a national park, and see the multiple statues and temples that can be found in Beopjusa.

Beopjusa park

The building we slept in (outside view)

Day 1 concluded with dinner, which was completely vegetarian because Buddhist monks practice a meat-free diet.  We were served kimchi stew, rice, and various vegetable-based side dishes. Although we were able to eat as much as we wanted, wasting is highly frowned upon, so while going for 2nd's or 3rd's is perfectly ok, you just better make sure to finish all the food you take.  There was a trashcan to throw food waste into if absolutely necessary, but it was accompanied by a sign that basically made you feel super guilty if you were to put anything into it; subsequently, it was empty.  While we were eating, we all noticed some weird looking tofu in our kimchi stew, and after questioning it, we were told that it was ham.  Casey (who is a vegetarian) was less than thrilled to find out he had eaten meat after believing that all food was supposed to be vegetarian friendly.  After this incident, both Casey and Lauren put their share of the suspicious-looking ham into my bowl because wasting wasn't an option and I'm not too picky about weird food.  The next day we eventually found out that the so-called ham was actually vegetarian ham made from beans; my vegetarian friend was relieved.  We were also required to wash our own dishes and clean up after                                                                                                              ourselves when we were done.

The inside view of our room.  We were given basic mats and bedding
to sleep on.

After dinner, we headed to bed to relax. The temple stay suggests a 9pm lights-out rule because there's an early morning (or late night...whichever way you look at it) itinerary to follow.  We had a 2:50am wake-up call so we could watch the outdoor Buddhist ceremonial drumming and bell ceremony (aka Yebool) at 3:15.  Yebool lasts around 30min and is performed by monks three times a day and each instrument that is used represents an aspect of Buddhist culture.  Afterwards, we went to the main temple and practiced meditating while the monks recited their morning chant.

Yebool, a traditional Buddhist drumming and bell ceremony

Once this was finished, we went to our own private room where we were taught how to do Buddhist prostrations, or full-body bows.  Prostrations are performed to purify the body, release bad karma and repent for any wrong doing.  Prostrations are done by bringing your hands together, then lowering your knees to the floor, followed by your elbows, the palms of your hands and finally your forehead. Once all 5 points (feet, knees, elbows, hands and head) of the body have touched the ground, you can then lift yourself back up to the standing position, and repeat again for a total of 108 times.  Yes, 108 times!!  We completed our prostrations in about 15 minutes, and remember this was at around 5am in the morning!  I actually kind of enjoyed the bows because we watched an informational video that explained the meaning of each one while simultaneously doing them; yes, they all have a special meaning!

Prostration demonstration; I completed 108 of these.

Tea ceremony with a Buddhist nun

After our bows were completed, we were able to go back to sleep.  We ended up skipping breakfast because we were so tired and not thrilled at our food selection, and sleep seemed like the best option. At 9am, we attended a private traditional tea and meditation ceremony with a Buddhist nun.  She informed us of the benefits of meditation and we were instructed in the art of meditating for about 20 minutes.  Then she proceeded with the tea ceremony, which was us basically just drinking traditional Korean tea and having conversation about Buddhist practices.  The tea ceremony concluded our temple stay.  I don't know if I necessarily felt refreshed afterwards (who can when getting up at 3am), but I did leave the temple with an increased interest in Buddhism and meditation and an appreciation for the monk lifestyle which is dedicated to living peacefully without the qualms of modern life.  If I have taken anything away from this experience, it has been to stop and slow down once in a while, and simply enjoy life.

Buddha carved into the stone.