Port Call: Thailand

Two weeks after Korea, the ladies and I headed for Narita airport, bound for Thailand.

We flew into Bangkok, but didn't get a chance to see any of the city. We instead, got into a big ole' van and headed south, for Pattaya.

Pattaya is a... colorful city. With all... types of people. Are you getting the meaning from all of my.... ellipses?

We went on a couple of tours, including an elephant ride, and an ox cart ride (both too bumpy for my liking). The other was to Ancient Siam, which was fascinating. It's a park built by a Thai millionaire, with recreations and scale models of various famous buildings in Thailand that were or are still around. It's more than 200 acres, and even though we had a golf cart to take our 6-person group around, we didn't see as much as we would've liked.

We went with the Det 2 boss, another pilot and his wife, and our enthusiastic tour guide. That thing behind us in this picture is the first part of a 3-level temple on the edge of Thailand. This one's not even big enough to walk inside of, so it looks much farther away than it is.  Anyway, the real Preah Vihear temple is on Thai land, but was built by Cambodia waaaay back in the 11th century. It's been in dispute for more than a hundred years. It has turned violent on several occasions, so almost no one's allowed to set foot on the actual temple. It's probably pretty easy to keep people away since our guide says that it's built on a mountain so high that you can't see the actual temple from the ground.

This is a scale replica of Sanphet Prasat Palace. It's a really big replica, with beautiful glass work and inlaid mother of pearl.

Queen Elizabeth II visited this actual replica in the 70s during a state visit to Thailand.

History and culture aside, the best part of a trip to Thailand is the food. It's so spicy, but so delicious. The Papaya Salad was my favorite, made with thinly sliced green papaya, tomatoes, nuts, dried shrimp, herbs, and of course, red peppers. It's dressed with a kind of sweet, citrusy dressing. Amazing.

Also, the crab fried rice and crab curry we had at a place on the water called Moom Aroi. They had a Thai band that sang a lot of English songs (Michael Buble, Colbie Caillat, and the like). The diction and pronunciation of the words were basically perfect, and yet it still sounded as if they were only making the sounds and had no idea what the words meant. It was the strangest thing.

Even stranger, though, everyone in our group tried the Pad Thai at different times, at different places, and we all agreed that the best Pad Thai we'd had wasn't in Thailand. Go figure.

The fresh coconut water out of green coconuts, though, was awesome.

Also, we spent a couple days lounging by the pool and getting massages by a super friendly Thai lady at the hotel. She wanted to know why I didn't have children yet (none of your business), would I bring my children back ( you mean to Pattaya? not likely.), and I looked like I wasn't married (because apparently she thinks all married ladies are fat). She then told Blake we would have a girl child. I guess she's never seen the Godfather.

The restaurants were great. The beach was gross. The nightlife was colorful.

Another successful port call....

and another future scavenger hunt. I know I've seen green papaya around these parts.

Port Call: Korea

A couple of weeks ago, a couple of friends/fellow Det 2 wives and I flew to Korea to visit our guys.

We flew Space Available, which if free, but does not give guaranteed tickets (which is key info for later).

The flight there went really well. It's a short trip, under 2 hours. We flew into Suwon, South Korea, then a bus took us to Osan Air Base, where we had to wait an extra night for the guys. Rough seas kept them from pulling in as scheduled.

We stayed three nights in Seoul at the Dragon Hill Lodge, a military hotel on the US Army base in a GREAT location. There are frequent shuttle buses to and from the various bases too for military members (*cough* get on that, Japan *cough*).

The first thing we did the next morning was get on a bus for the DMZ. 

It was creepy. And the creepiest part isn't even that you're looking at North Korea (that's just disturbing). It's kind of treated like just a tourist attraction. We had to stop for tickets before the bus could drive into the DMZ, and the ticket place has a carnival ride. An actual fairground ride. It's one of those big boats that swing back and forth. So we got our tickets (bypassed the ride), and then proceeded through the very formal military checkpoint into the DMZ.

This is North Korea. It's a view of the joint industrial complex , a real village, and a fake village. Yep. A fake village to show everyone looking at them from South Korea how prosperous they are.

You can put a coin into the super powerful binoculars and see people walking around, just see North Korean citizens. You can also espy a gigantic statue of Kim Il Sung.

Next, some pictures of the "first train station on the way to North Korea," and not the "last station in South Korea." There's a whole wall outside with the names of people who contributed to building this including our tour guide.

We received train tickets (that of course, didn't work), and were also able to go down to the platform.

We also took a trip down, down, down, and into the third tunnel. It is number three of five, that North Korea dug toward South Korea for an eventual invasion. When South Korea found the tunnel, the North denied it knew anything about it. In fact, they suggested it was South Korea that had dug them, despite the dynamite holes facing south.

Oh, and after they admitted they'd dug it, they then said it was a tunnel for coal mining... despite the fact that it's a grante-rich area with no coal... and the "coal" down there was just granite smeared with coal dust. True story.

It was definitely the most interesting part of the trip. The prettiest, however, was Gyeongbokgung Palace in Seoul. This is the main gate:

 
Pretty impressive.

The grounds are huge, and the South Korean government is still rebuilding most of the buildings from the ground up. They were almost completely destroyed by the Japanese.

The main hall inside is huge, and made very carefully to blend into the natural landscape around Seoul.

They also had a very cool way of heating the buildings:

The buildings are built on, of course, granite. That little door is where they would build fires to heat the rooms and floors during the winter.

The picture above is of the guardians that guard the four cardinal directions.

My eyes are closed in that one, but it's the best picture I have.

The best part of Seoul? The food. Sooooooo good. Korean BBQ first and foremost. We ate twice at the Maple Tree House in the Itaewon area. Itaewon has great restaurants and nightlife, and is close to the US Army base.

We ate once for the Korean BBQ and went again for the Bibimbap.

Bibimbap is kind of the best food ever. It's rice and veg and whatever else, but the best part is that it's served in a piping-hot stone bowl, which makes the rice on the bottom all crispy and amazing. Buyer beware, it's not always served in a hot bowl, so ask before you order. Or just go out and buy stone bowls and make them yourself. I may be pricing some on Amazon.

The time flew by. Seoul has so much to see and do. It was a great trip, and interesting to see the country and city where I was born. We all took the bus back to Osan and the guys took yet another bus back to the ship. The ladies and I shared a room, and hoped to fly Space Available the next day, or the day after that.

Aaaaand that did not happen.

Weather delayed the flight, and then another flight, and though we wanted to be home on Wednesday, lo, we did not arrive home until Friday night.

An extra three days in Osan were not on the schedule, and turned out to be pretty inconvenient once we found out that we weren't allowed to shop on the base stores. There is a strict rationing policy for US forces in Korea. Each family gets a ration card, and if your sponsor is not in their system, you cannot shop. In Japan and America (and hopefully other countries), anyone authorized to use the stores (active duty, dependents, retirees, etc), can use them on any base.

So, the three of us spent a lot of time drinking margaritas at Chili's. The good news is that they have a Krispy Kreme in the food court.

So, we left on a down note, but we didn't care because we finally, finally, got a flight out.

Back when Blake had a life

Earlier this month, Blake and I had a vacation. For five days we got to roam around Hong Kong. Since it was our second visit, we didn't feel any pressure to go sightseeing or visit special landmarks. Instead, we just relaxed, ate as much good food as we could, and enjoyed the sauna that is Hong Kong in the summertime.

Obviously we ate more crispy, Peking duck. I mean, you all know me.

The view from the south of Hong Kong island. It's much more low-key than the Hong Kong you always see in movies. It's beautifully green and cool, the ocean is beautiful. A great place to spend a day.

Also down there? Stanley Market.

This is my favorite market. It's full of the cheap, knock-off merchandise you have to see at some point when you visit, but unlike most of the markets, it's not over crowded and the stall vendors aren't aggressive. They'll definitely haggle, though, and if they see you make a move to leave, they drop their prices pretty fast. It's a good place for trinkets and souvenirs.

Here is the view of our cab ride back to the hotel. Hong Kong taxis may not be the very worst, but they've got to be on the shortlist. Seat belts are a must as it feels like they armor-all the seats and then take your through the streets like a Starfighter through the Death Star (it was the only example my brain could think of and if you don't get it, I don't think we can be friends).

As an aside, I flew into Hong Kong solo (okay, no more Star Wars references, I promise). I took the MTR (Hong Kong's subway system) from the airport to Hong Kong Station and then a taxi to the hotel. Can I give you some advice? Don't take a Hong Kong taxi alone because when you die in some taxi-race you didn't know you were a part of, careening through the streets, it's just going to be you and the guy who killed you.

Seriously though, for as fast as they go and as aggressively as they merge, it's amazing how good they are at their jobs. I've never seen a taxi fender-bender and in fact, I don't remember any bended fenders at all on the taxis we rode in.

Before someone who's been there hops all over me, yes, the MTR is a very cheap, easy way to get around the entire island as well as the Kowloon side. It doesn't just go to the airport and back. Last summer Blake and I used it to visit lots of things.

This time, however, we just cabbed it. Hong Kong is one of the rare places where the American dollar is worth more than a dollar. We lived it up.

Here's the view from a restaurant we ate at one night, Aqua. It's on the Kowloon side and is AMAZING. You can see the entire Hong Kong waterfront and the light show that the buildings put on every night. You're definitely paying for the view along with the food and drinks, but it's worth it.

The trip was less of a port call and more of a last hurrah. As some of you know, Blake is neck deep in the HAC process (helicopter aircraft commander). So, he doesn't get weekends. He doesn't get free time. He barely gets an hour for dinner.

Hong Kong was the perfect place for our quick vacation and recharge. August is our do-nothing month because of HAC and also because we're both gearing up to be back stateside soon!

Hong Kong Part 3: The Sights!

The best view of Hong Kong, at Victoria's Peak. Hong Kong Island is on this side of the water (Victoria Harbor), and Kowloon (not part of the island, but still Hong Kong), is on the other side of the water.

We took the Peak Tram to get up here. At times, it feels like a nearly vertical ride up. I told myself the whole way that I wasn't scared, that we weren't going to plummet backwards to our death and that I was really enjoying the exciting adventure. It sort of worked. You can also take a bus to the top and, if you're crazy, you can walk. The tram, however, is the way to go, even if it is slightly scary.

There's a little mall at the top, little stalls selling souvenirs, but the view is really what it's all about. I mean, look at it! You can see everything!

The Kowloon side of Hong Kong looks pretty far away from this angle, but it's only a few minutes by ferry or subway. We made the trip a few times because the shopping on Kowloon was awesome. Ladies Market was my second favorite market we visited. It was one long, narrow street filled with stalls and shouting vendors. "Missy! Missy! Over here!" I can only assume I was "missy," but I didn't turn around to look. They were very good at sucking you in.

Between Ladies Market and Stanley Market (which is on Hong Kong Island), we bought a ton of stuff. I'd love to show you the bag full of goods we brought home, but as most of them are Christmas presents, and the receivers may read this blog. Alas, this section must remain picture-less.

Instead, here's a picture of the Big Buddha:

Tian Tan Buddha

Asia is home to a lot of Buddha statues. This statue is actually bigger than the Giant Buddha in Kamakura. It's a fairly new construct, finished in 1993. It overlooks Lantau Island, which is an outlying island of Hong Kong. To get here, we first took the train, then an amazing cable car ride.

Here is a view of Lantau Island from the cable car. It's lush and beautiful. The part of the island we visited was tucked away between the hills and mountains. Not only is it home to the huge Buddha statue, but also the Po Lin Monastary.

They're building a huge addition to the monastery behind it. There really are bald guys in robes walking around everywhere, but frankly, I don't know how they get any monking done with all the tourists.

It's a really neat little village-like place, a mix of beautiful statues and and modern shops (like a Subway and Starbucks).

It was a nice break from Hong Kong, which is a true city. It even smells like a real city. Tokyo does not. Tokyo doesn't smell bad at all, which is a kind of weird for a city that size. Hong Kong has the trash-like smell that usually accompanies a place with so many people and vehicles.

One place with a particularly distinct smell was the Man Mo Temple. It had so much smoke and smell that it made my eyes water. Mostly because of these:

Incense coils. My other pictures of the temple came out a little screwy because it was dark and all the smoke messed with the flash on the camera. Between the bright colors, the incense and all the gold painted statues, it was sensory overload.

There was so much to see in Hong Kong that Blake and I would love to go again. It was an amazing port call, and an amazing experience.

To end the Hong Kong posts, here are some pictures from Blake's camera. 

Hong Kong: Part 2

In the first Hong Kong post, I briefly touched on the food. Well, let me share with you the dish that will haunt my every dream: crispy duck.

So crispy and so ducky

That duck came to the table and immediately, we were best friends. I pictured bringing it home, taking longs walks through Tokyo, showing it the view from Landmark Tower, cuddling on the couch at night and watching TV. But alas, its appeal was its downfall, and I ate it. I mean, I wasn't alone. There were four other people there, all just as eager to dig into that bird.

Words cannot describe its perfect, crispy, deliciousness. It was cooked perfectly and cut table-side.  Here's the interesting thing- it came with a platter of friends. Thin slices of onion and cucumber. Delicious sauce. And Chinese tortillas. Yeah. Chinese tortillas. Roll it all up like a duck taco and stuff your face. Repeat as necessary, then repeat even when unnecessary.

The other exciting dish? Bird's nest soup. It's not a euphemism, the soup really is made of birds' nests. It's a famous Chinese dish, very good for you. I'm more inclined to believe the delicious chicken broth is what's really doing good things, and not the re-hydrated, gelatinous strands of bird spit. It tastes like broth and noodles so it's not as exotic as you might think. Definitely a good strange food to try if you're a picky eater.

Me, I'll eat almost anything that's put in front of me, and that night, a lot of things were on the table. More accurately, they were on the gigantic lazy susan. Battered shrimp with oranges and strawberries, baby rack of lamb, pumpkin soup, and pigeon. Yes, we ate pigeon. Don't judge us. It was delicious, kind of like a pigeon hash. It looked nothing like the chubby, bobble-necked, flying pests that plague every single city in America.

What else did we eat? Dim sim, which is lots of small dishes meant to be shared with a crowd. You get to much food, then stuff yourself comatose.


Oh, and this happened:

It's meant for five-year-olds, but Blake and I had to take a turn. We each had a camera, so I've got all the pictures of him and he's got all the pictures of me. Kind of inconvenient when one set of pictures if out in the ocean somewhere with its owner.


Anyway, that little gem of a picture was taken at Jumbo, a giant, floating, over-decorated monstrosity.

Take a second to process this picture. I'll wait... ... ... ...


It's a three-story restaurant and banquet hall built in the 70s, only accessible by a short ferry ride. It's a huge tourist trap attraction. We ate some tasty dim sum, and also passed up a golden opportunity to put on costumes and get our picture taken as a Chinese emperor and empress. It's like a far east version of getting those cheesy cowboy dress-up pictures at a county fair. Still kicking ourselves about that one... not.



Maybe we'll get one the next time we go to Hong Kong. I say "next time" because both Blake and I feel like we have to go back. The food alone is worth a second (and third, and fourth, etc) trip; add on the amazing shopping and the beautiful sights, Hong Kong is definitely a must-see.

Tune in for yet another post and another round of pictures. It's going to take a long post to show/tell you why I was completely exhausted by the end of every day.

Port Call Hong Kong

Hong Kong was my number one port call choice, and it didn't disappoint.

The government advises against telling people you're going to a port call because then they can figure out when you and your service member are traveling and to where. It was the hardest rule to follow ever. I wanted to tell my entire family and all of Facebook that I was going to Hong Kong. So now, I'm telling you all. Blake and I went to Hong Kong.

I have to break up this trip into more than one post, so I thought this may be a good place to start: Golden Bauhinia Square. That sculpture behind Blake is a bauhinia, a flower that represents Hong Kong. The expo building in the square is the actual place where the British turned Hong Kong back over to China.

They also have this gigantic thing:

It also commemorates Hong Kong's return.

The plaque that accompanies this has lots of allusions to how happy Hong Kong was to be returned to China, with words like "glorious" sprinkled liberally throughout. That beautiful golden bauhinia statue? What you can't really see in the picture is that they put a symbol for China itself in that sculpture, a little great wall around the entire bauhinia. Kind of creepy when you think about it. A symbol around another symbol. 

Here's the thing about Hong Kong. It's part of China, but it's not really China. It's like its own country within a country. It has its own money. Its own license plates. Its own mentality. Hong Kong residents have to get visas to visit mainland China, just like any other foreigners.

All that stuff aside... there's a lot of delicious dim sum there. Really, really good stuff. So even though it may not be real "China," the food at least has more Chinese than anything else, and the people do speak Cantonese. And let me tell you something about Cantonese. If the romance languages are so named because they sound so beautiful, then Cantonese must roughly translate to "angry." It's a language with lots of sharp points, and it makes people sound aggressive.

We didn't, however, meet one unfriendly person while we were there. The food was delicious. The shopping was amazing, and I can't wait to tell you more!