Thursday, July 29, 2010

Bali Hi!!!!

Welcome, my friends to a tropical wonderland of sun, surf, food, and cheap prices.  Welcome my friends to Bali, land of the hour massage for 10 dollars.  Bali is the first vacation that I have taken in Asia, and I must say that it has been absolutely awesome so far.  It starts with our awesome villa.  The villa comes fully equipped with a staff, a pool, a driver, chef, etc.  The villa is nestled amongst terraced rice paddies on some rather rough Indonesian roads.  I have been able to completely relax and just let got of life for a while.  On top of our awesome villa has been some spectacular culinary conquests.  Going beyond just traditional tropical fruit to the second best steak I've ever had, and a giant freaking lobster that only cost about 10 bucks.   The culinary side of this trip has been something entirely unplanned on.  I am eating at far better restaurants then someone on my pay check should be able to. 

The vacation has started slowly, with relaxation being the most important thing for me.  I need to de-stress and revitalize.  I have done that, while still managing to hit a couple of tourist spots.  The vacation is going to pick up in the next few days along with my sunburn, which is progressing nicely.  I just might make myself into a lobster by the time I get out of here.  The following days should see a few more massages, some excellent dining, and hopefully some more water sports.  I forgot how much I loved being in the water.  Alas, time is money as they say, and I have a lot more of Bali to go do.  I will try to write again.  Much love my peeps and I will see you when I see you.

Saturday, July 24, 2010

How sweet it is.....

There are few things more anticipated amongst education professionals than two simple words we loved as children.  It turns out that summer vacation is not just something for students, but in reality is something that teachers need.  Anyone who has spent anytime in the field of education knows just how long and tiring the work truly is.  Summer vacation is a chance for the teachers to rest and recuperate just as much as it is for the students.  In fact I think that most teachers secretly look forward to vacation more than the students. 

I find myself here today on the cusp of my first Asian vacation.  I call it my first Asian vacation because for the first time since I left the United States I will be exploring another Asian country.  Ok, fine I'll be honest.  I'm going to go explore another Asian beach where I will probably get a sunburn and a hangover.  Tomorrow I will leave Korea behind for a 9 days to go explore around Bali, Indonesia.  I am actually really excited because I have little to no plans once we arrive there.  Our villa is going to have a chef, a pool, a driver if we want, and is located really close to some great beaches.  I have to be honest, I'm looking forward to doing nothing.  Most of the tourist things in Bali are relatively simple.  They revolve around mountains, temples, beaches, shopping, eating, and drinking.  There are the prerequisite elephant rides, traditional dances, tourist traps, and scammers.  However, with all that I am relatively unimpressed.  Yes, there will be snorkeling and swimming.  There is also the chance to eat and drink copious amounts.

Yet, with all that Bali entails and everything that it is promised to be, the thing that I am most looking forward to, is the simple chance to relax for several days on end.  I'm not looking for much, and I think that this place will be as good a place as any to rest and refit for the coming months.  I think the simple message behind all of this is that, everyone needs a break every now and then.  Sometimes we ignore it and plod through our lives.  For once, I'm not going to ignore it.  For once I'm going to embrace it, and we'll see where I end up at the end of it.  It'll probably be a sunburnt ending.

Tuesday, July 13, 2010

Some Awesome Shots of Korea

Ok, these shots I did not take.  They were taken by a professional photographer/poet here in Korea.  That being said these are some awesome pictures that I might be able to do if I had an awesome camera, and maybe some talent.  These are just some of the reasons I love it here.