magazine

Photo Essay: Hwacheon & Winter Festivals in Korea

Filed under Festivals by Christine Ka'aloa on February 5, 2012 at 7:41 pm {no comments}

: hwacheon winter festival

Work hard, play hard?… Maybe that is the Korean motto, because it seems when Korea throws a winter festival, it goes all out!

This January, I visited the Hwacheon Mountain Trout Festival. Initially, I thought the festival was purely about the spectacle of fishing for sancheoneo (or wild trout) through a hole in the ice like an eskimo or even fishing by bare hand. But when I got there, what I got was a surprising peek into how Koreans enjoy good old-fashioned winter fun.

I took the weekend bus from Seoul. Swishing past the Korean landscape for three hours at a mere 13,000 Won wasn’t a bad way to go. Hwacheon county is in the Gangwon province, which is north of Seoul, running parallel to the Korean Demilitarization Zone. (more…)

World’s Worst Toilet: Andong Bus station, Korea

Filed under Korea, World's Worst Toilets by Christine Ka'aloa on February 1, 2012 at 8:31 am {8 comments}

: Andong Bus Station toilet, Korea

I’m not a toilet connoisseur or nitpicker, but I do have varying degrees of tolerance. Smell, appearance, technology, leftovers, size, etc… whenever it pushes my standard into a level of discomfort, it makes my list.

Andong, why is your bus station toilet making my World’s Worst Toilet list?…

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Why Thai Buddhist temples never bore me (Sukhothai Historical Park)

Filed under Photo Essays, Religious by Christine Ka'aloa on January 26, 2012 at 12:09 am {9 comments}

: sukhothai buddha

How many times can I look at Buddhas and temples?

Ordinarily, my tolerance isn’t high for seeing the same things over and over.

Variation is key.

For instance, living in Korea if you’ve seen one buddhist temple, you’ve pretty near seen them all. The architecture doesn’t change much and the buddhas wear the look of staunch, Fu Man Chu looking Confucianist. Thailand is different. Whether it’s a hundred Buddhas lined up in a row, (more…)

World’s Worst Toilet: The mystery of Korean public school restrooms

Filed under Korea, World's Worst Toilets by Christine Ka'aloa on January 19, 2012 at 9:34 am {12 comments}

: My Korean Public School restroom

This post comes a bit belated, but in lieu of my recent visit to Korea, I have to do it for laughs. When I was teaching in Korea, there was something in my Korean public school johns. Take a look at the photos below and guess what it was…

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Getting a PADI certification in Thailand

Filed under Great Outdoors, Thailand by Christine Ka'aloa on January 6, 2012 at 8:55 am {13 comments}

Word on the street is that you’ll get the best scuba diving deals in Southeast Asia.

I spent two hours on Khao San Road in Bangkok, bouncing from agent to agent, searching for a diving package to ring in my first solo birthday on the road . Finally, my four-day PADI open water diving certification program was booked at the jaw-dropping price of $320 (apologies, earlier I quoted $250 but was off). Travel gossip didn’t lie.

I’m not lucky enough to be one of those travel bloggers to score sponsored press trips nor am an ingenue haggler, but I don’t scold myself. I make up for it by being a queen hunter of basement bargains and cheap day tours of reasonably good quality!

What did my package include? Round trip transportation to the island of Ko Tao, a 4-night resort stay and 4 days of licensed training, confined water (more…)

Written by Christine Ka'aloa Great Outdoors

World’s Worst Toilet: Trekker’s Homestay Bathroom, Thailand

A village home stay with an outhouse isn’t horrible in the light of day. But at night with no light? That’s a different story.

December 28, 2011 5

Written by Christine Ka'aloa Thailand

World’s Worst Toilet: Thai Train

I have to admit, I love the Thai train! Compared to India, the bathrooms aren’t nearly as scary. However, I don’t like train bathrooms in general, for obvious purposes. It’s not about horrific appearances as it is horrific smells. As clean as the Thai try to be there’s almost always a tinge of smell or drips of urine lingering from the after effects of sudden jerks, shakes and rattling stops.

December 25, 2011 11

Written by Christine Ka'aloa Bangkok

Photo Essay: Top 10 ways around Bangkok

In Bangkok, all roads may not lead to Rome, but you’ll have many ways to get there.

One of my favorite things about Bangkok is its transportation. Skytrain, city bus, taxi, motorbike taxi, ferry boat,… each presents a unique way for getting around the city, while also presenting angles of Bangkok life.

December 23, 2011 2

Written by Christine Ka'aloa Accommodations

White Sheets Review: 3 Bangkok boutique hostels to rest your Baht.

Does your hotel stay shape your love of a place? Sometimes for me, it does. From bungalows, boutique hotels, guesthouse resorts and overnight trains… in Thailand you can experience a gamut of ways to lay your head or rest on your laurels. Thailand inspires a wealth of wanderlust, affordable tour packages and unique accommodations that budget travelers won’t have to cringe about.