Weekend Runaway

Friday afternoon, had you been watching Deok Won Girls High School at 4pm on the dot, you would have seen a short girl in a bright red coat sneaking out of school. I had a flight to catch, and little time to get there. I was off to Phnom Penh, Cambodia for the scene's first ever swing exchange, along with my first ever international swing exchange. Let me say first, that I am my own worst enemy. I was so focused on the little time that I had that I got on the train heading in the wrong direction! >.< My flight was due to take off at 6:20, which meant I had no time to lose. I arrived at the airport at 5:20 to the sound of an announcer calling for those on flight KE 689 to Phnom Penh needing to board immediately. Though confused, I just assumed something strange had happened and they'd moved up the flight time or something. As you can imagine, I was freaking out! I hadn't gotten my ticket, gone through security, or walked across the rather massive airport that Incheon is! I ran to the counter and told the lady my destination trying to not yell in my panic. She laughed and explained that the call was only for those wanting to pick their seats, that's all. I still had plenty of time, as boarding didn't begin till 6, I just couldn't choose where I wanted to sit. I breathed a huge sigh of relief!!! After changing my money over and waiting to get through the ridiculous line, I make it to my plane while they are boarding. The doors close behind me after about 5 minutes, and I laugh in joy knowing that I made it! I was off to one of my two favorite countries in the whole world, to do one of my favorite things in the whole world- dance. What more could a girl ask for?!
I was the very last person to register for CLX (Cambodia Lindy Exchange), along with the last to show up. I walked into the Chinese House (a restaurant with a dance floor) at 10:30pm, threw off my jacket and dove right into what I knew was going to be the most amazing swing dancing event since moving to Korea! I danced my little heart out on that sticky crowded floor until 1am when the music had to end, sharing in laughs, awesome swing dances, and crazy modern dances with people from literally all over the world- Vietnam, Switzerland, England, Japan, Korea, Cambodia, China, Thailand, Mayalysia, Luxemburg, the US, Canada, France, Germany, and more. That night was better than almost every night I've had here. (the main reason is because they were foreigners who I could talk to and were creative! Korea, I love you, but stop trying to be perfect and get creative with your dances!)
Saturday morning I woke up after about 5 hours of sleep, walk to the pool side restaurant for breakfast, and take a look around at what was to be my home for the weekend. The Plantation Resort and Spa is beautiful, an intricate maze that seculdes its' guests from the outside world, providing comfort and beauty in one. I began chit-chatting with a really cool Canadian girl who was moving back home from Vietnam after a little while too. She invited me to join her at the pool, which I was more than happy to accept, as it was quickly getting warm out! Half of the CLX crew went sight-seeing, but the rest of us stayed to enjoy the glorious warm water, talk with folks from all over (or catch up as most of them knew each other already. The Asia swing scene is small for expats). We enjoyed the delicious free brunch, and simply took in the beautiful day. It was really nice sitting doing nothing, when for the past two weeks I had been non-stop going from 6:30am until usually 11:30pm. The rest was dearly welcomed! While the lindy bomb (a bunch of dancers who show up at a predecided location for a surprise dance attack in a city) was cancelled due to questionable weather, we didn't mind.
As time rolled close, we all got dressed and boarded our bus to the docks where we had a private boat waiting for us. With delicious Cambodian food provided by our hosts (who were amazing!), we launched onto the Mekong Delta and blues/lindy hopped to a live band. Talk about amazing! I got to meet and talk with even more folks from all over, learning about so many other countries and people, enjoying the live music and setting sun around us. As we turned around and began making our way back, the few buildings that Phnom Penh has began to light up. Oh yes, it was awesome! After grabbing a quick bite with some folks, I got changed and headed to the dance.

 *disclaimer* All photos taken by Tram Greenfirefly


I'm in this photo, I swear!  Can you spot me?

   For my non-dancer friends, Saturday night is always the night for dancing. Everyone dresses up, there are usually decorations (if there's a theme, then folks may dress according to that as well), a professional photographer for nice photos, along with a live band. CLX had all of this on their first event, and it was great!


I was unhappy with the group photo I took, so I decided to take a solo one.  I like it more.  :)



I got my picture taken as you can see, and despite the overly slippery floor, did my best to enjoy. (I loved my stockings!) Surprinsgly, this wasn't my favorite dance. The slippery floor changed my dancing and caused me to feel nervousness and hesitation. It happens sometimes sadly, and I think I was also becoming overwhelmed by all of the people constantly as well honestly. I spent a majority of time watching folks dance then I did dancing this time around, but did get asked to dance by my favorites which made me happy. (it's always nice when people seek you out, you know?) ;)


I'm in this too, but my back is to the camera.  :(

 After the dance, a few folks headed to late night. It started at a later time then folks are used to (2am instead of 1am), so not many were there. I went for about 2 hours though, talking with a nice Canadian guy and dancing barefoot in the penthouse to great blues songs I haven't heard in months. That night I really began to develop some friendships that I hope will last like some of my others have. :)
Sunday I woke up after 6 hours of sleep before heading to the brunch dance at the FCC. It was a great little restaurant that had a perfect space for eating and dancing. The live band was phenomenal, playing and singing live English and French songs to us for almost 4 hours. The covering provided the perfect relief from the sun and the river side breeze kept us cool (or me at least, since I'm used to the heat. Other folks found it hot, but I thought it was perfect! Lol!) Even on the last day, I was meeting people. This was the day I meet one of my favorite dancers from the weekend (shout out to Michel! Ladies, dance with this guy, he's A-mazing!) and enjoyed even more with my remaining favorites (Jerry, Eric, Fred, Martin, Jean, and Michael). Awesome awesome dance. I took tons of photos of this one too, as it was the one and only dance that took place in the daytime. Personally I hate the way photos look in the evening time when I take them, so I hadn't taken as many as I usually do. This is where I had my favorite conversation with a lead too. He wandered by my table, and since there were only 3 or us taking photos with more professional cameras, recognized me. He asked if he could look at my photos. I said sure, but warned that I hadn't taken many. After turning my camera on, he looked at me confused and said there were nearly 300 photos on my camera. I laughed and said yes, but I've taken way more before. It was funny. (After coming back, I felt like I hadn't taken nearly enough still by the way. Funny no?) When the dance ended almost an hour after it was supposed to (the band was so freakin' awesome to keep playing for us!), I went to an ice cream shop and enjoyed some delicious cool treats with a few other folks. Back at our hotel, I was convinced to change into my bathing suit and join the others in the pool. Soooo worth carrying wet clothes by the way! All of the CLX crew just chilled for the next hour or two, soaking in the sun and perfect combination of hot, humid evening air with warm pool water.
That night was the last night, and the small exchange had begun to dwindle with folks leaving for work, continuing their travels by going to Siem Reap, or whatnot. After grabbing some dinner with a few folks from the Vietnam scene, I hopped in a tuk-tuk and got my little butt dancing for 2 more hours before I had to leave. Man, I really didn't want to leave! The dancers, music, and country were all so amazing and wonderful. As I announced on facebook, I really was loath to say goodbye. After some fantastic dances with some of the best dancers I've meet (personality and skill wise), I said farewell far to quickly to not enough of them before running down to my cab. (There was confusion over my taxi, so I didn't get to say goodbye to a lot of folks actually, and I really regret not making the taxi wait instead.) :(
At the Phnom Penh airport, I saw that our flight was delayed by 20 minutes. That could very well mean we land 20 minutes late, which would put me in Seoul at 6:50am and not 6:30am. That was nearly my whole window I had given myself to make it through customs and the walk through the airport, on top of the hour I needed for the ride to school. Remarkably, after my intial concern, I felt calm and unconcerned about it. I somehow didn't feel fear. To my delight, the flight somehow landed at 6:15, earlier then if we had left on time! In my red-eye flight, swing dance weekend induced sleep coma, I mistakenly transfered trains going the wrong way halfway through though! Lol, I thought it was hilarious, and thanked God that my school always has a morning meeting that runs way late on Mondays. I just slipped in the back and no-one noticed, so yay! The weekend was all-around amazing honestly. There were a few stiff or frustrating parts with one individual who insisted on acting like an ass, but I choose to ignore him and enjoy myself. I was happy to see his back as he left early Sunday afternoon honestly, and enjoy the rest of the event all by myself. Thanks Robyn for allowing your first swing event to be mine too, I couldn't have asked for a greater place to make my appearance to the international scene!
Dancing to my own tune,
Rita

 P.S.- I'm pretty sure I was one of the youngest, if not the youngest, dancers there. I felt so proud of that silly little fact honestly. I'm doing so much, so young, and no one can take that away from me. It will always be mine. And no matter what other people may say to me, how they make try to make me feel, or the way they may act towards me, I know that I have the best friends a girl could ask for supporting me every step of the way.
 P.P.S.- I left Seoul with straight hair. After only 30 minutes of being in Cambodia, it turned curly. It was curly all weekend and when I landed Monday, because of sleeping on it and brushing it out, it turned wavy. And now, it's straight again. Pretty crazy if you ask me!

"Every time I hear you say hello, all I see is yellow"

After arriving back in Hanoi, our group of 15 split up and went out into that crazy capital city to find food. We were taking an overnight train to get to Hue (pronounced hway) that night, and they didn't provide dinner. I went out with the young British couple and the solo british girl (all of who I would later give up trying to hang out with, as I didn't click with any of them!). Basically, we all grabbed various types of food and/or alcohol for the long 8 hour ride. I grabbed Vietnemese version of ramen, lol! Now, I've never been on an overnight train. The longest was one hour when I was little, just for fun. So this was really new for me. I bunked with the older british couple and the Iranian woman living in Australia. They were all really cool, and I liked hanging with them. We called it a night before all the others I think, going to bed around 10ish. (I didn't have jet lag, but I wasn't sleeping well, so I was really tired most days) Before bed, I went to the bathroom like most everyone in the world does. That bathroom was the grossest thing I have ever smelled. Period. I wanted to gag, and I have a pretty high smell tolerance honestly. Just, gross. After that, I was ready to go to sleep. Climbing up to the top bunk was fun though, being only 5'3, lol! Think: rock climbing. What can I use to pull/push off of to get up? Heh. Anyways, I slept great till about 4am, when the advertisment sign in the room turned on! >.< You have GOT to be kidding me! Needless to say, I didn't sleep any more. Around 8am, we pull in to Hue train station for a full 5 minutes before the train pulled away again. Made our way to the hotel, where I had a beautiful room all to myself!!! It was the nicest hotel the whole trip, and even though it was only for 1 night, I was in bliss. Oh yes, happy me! I went and grabbed breakfest with the three younger british folks, walking around before coming back and trying to check out the pool. It was freezing, so that was a no-go. We went out to lunch at a Buddhist monestary though, so that's okay. The food was amazingly delicious, and I didn't walk away hungry! It was all vegetarian and glutton-free friendly, which was pretty amazing. We then spent the afternoon walking around old tombs and former palaces. Our guide was amazing, telling us her personal story from during the Vietnam war, things he had seen and events he had experienced. He was lively, amazing and just the best guide I have ever had anywhere. That night, I wandered by myself. I had dinner in this great litle restaurant overlooking the street from the second floor. Yummy nummy food! Then I meandered down to the river side to check out the bridge, nicknamed the rainbow bridge. At night, it lights up various colors. It was pretty, and the riverside walk area was full of folks. I stumbled upon a local market too, which made me really happy. There were stall after stall of toys, clothes, shoes, scarves, trinkets, and art work. Why yes, I was very happy! After returning to my hotel, I layed in bed and just watched tv. It was delicious! Don't ask me why, but I now equate watching tv with vacation. (I watch online shows or movies, but not regularly or often.) Yeah, I'm weird. The next morning, we boarded a small bus and began the four hour drive to Hoi An, the beautiful river/ocean side city you have all seen so many pictures of. It's the gorgeous town where all the buildings are painted yellow? Yeah, that one. During our drive, we had to make our way up, over and then down some mountains. I don't know about you, but I LOVE mountains. Like Woah crazy love! So I sat in my single seat, listened to my podcast book and just enjoyed the drive. We stopped at the top for a bathroom break, where the Vietnemese woman were so anxious to sell to us, that they practically came on our bus to start selling stuff before we got off! Crazy? Just a bit. I ignored them as politely as I could (Warning: Do not engage at all costs! Avoid partaking in verbal communications! They will latch you in this way!) and just walked around taking pictures. Walked up to some old American bunkers, ohing and ahing in my dorky way at the history in front of me. After another 2 hours on the bus, we finally arrived at our destination. This time I was rooming with the Iranian woman living in Australia. She was nice, though took for-freakin'-ever in the shower. Our whole group went out for lunch, which was really nice. I then walked around with the solo british girl, which was nice. We got along okay, but not great. We explored this gorgeous little town together. Almost all of the buildings are painted this beautiful yellow, with flowers and plants overhanging the porches. The streets were alive with motorbikes and women trying to sell fruit to the tourists. The river bordered the town, and the beach meet it as well on the end. People were friendly, and everything was done by bargaining. The better you could bargain, the different bag you would get (quite tricky of them, as this would then tell other vendors what kind of buyer you are!) It was a really lovely little town, though limited to mostly tailoring shops for clothes and shoes. After walking around and getting lost (whoops, my bad!), we enjoyed a swim in the pool. Touch cold, but we pushed through and both did laps. I had been missing swimming more then I knew honestly, and really loved that! I went back the third day after that while staying in Hoi An just to enjoy the swimming pool. Dinner was at a little local place, where I enjoyed some fun conversations with the Aussies. They were a riot, and I really liked Maria! Probably old enough to be my mom, but her and the other three were just down right cool and fun. They got my sarcasm and knew my quietness didn't mean I wasn't interested in the conversation. Sadly, I think my dinner didn't agree with me, as the next day I wasn't feeling well. See, I had decided to go on a bike ride with the Aussies in the morning. It was nice, though a bit disappointing, as we spent more time biking somewhere then actually being there. After returning, I walked around for a bit, but my stomach began to hurt progressively worse. Around 4:30, I managed to return to my room where I changed into pj's and just layed in bed. I slept from about 5pm to 8am! I don't know what hit me, or why, but oie it hurt and man it knocked me out. My last day I was determined to see more of the town, so I grabbed my good camera and simply walked. The town was quiet for once, with no motor bikes honking or crowding the streets at 9am, no street vendors and shop owners asking me to buy something yet. It was still sleepy and quiet. I loved it. I got to watch it wake up, and just walked everywhere one block at a time. Almost the whole town is dedicated to custom tailoring, so shop after shop were full of fabrics and sample clothes. Some stores were dedicated to shoes and making shoes, other's to hats and handbags. It was a delight to the eyes, full of colors, designs, and shapes, with delightful sunshine lighting the way. Right to sunburn for me. >.< Whoops? I even bought sunscreen in the US, since Korea doesn't sell it, just for Vietnam! Oh well, my shoulders are almost all back to normal now. That afternoon I went for my swim, read my book, and just took in the gorgeous day. Some of us gathered for the final night in Hoi An at a local place to have dinner together. It was a great way to end our three days here. The next day we were due to fly to Ho Chi Minh City/Saigon for 2 days! More on this later. Love and all that jazz, Rita

Goooooooood Morning Vietnam!

After maybe 2 or 3 hours of sleep due to spending the night on the phone with a friend, I arrived at MCO 5:45 am to depart for Seoul, South Korea. My flight was due to take off at 7:30am Sunday morning and land at 9:30pm Monday night. My flight to LA was delayed. Not good, as that meant I could miss my two remaining connections, as well as my flight to Vietnam the following morning. Before I knew it, I was changed to a new flight. As the woman behind the counter handed me my tickets, she said I better hurry, as they're boarding now. :O I look at my parents, we walk to security, and see a line with at least a 10 minute wait. In 15 minutes, my plane was taking off from the ground. I hugged my parents, said good bye, and walked to a security guard. Explaining my situation, and even though I hate it when others do this, I asked if I could skip to the front of the line. He let me, and I literally walked straight from security on to my plane. Plus side? I landed at 4 pm instead of 9:30 pm. Monday morning, I made the 45 min trek back to Incheon and flew out to Vietnam at 10:30am. I'll admit, I was nervous at first, being one of 2 Non-Asian people on the plane. Before I knew it, I was whisked away to my hotel in Hanoi. After dropping my things off, I grabbed my little back pack and good camera to explore the capital of this forbidden and hotly disputed country. -- Hanoi This capital is just like any capital- big, loud, crowded and dirty. There are scooters Everywhere! I'll admit, it did not strike a huge hit with me, and I was not sorry that we were leaving the next morning for Halong Bay. Granted, I didn't land in time to go to any museums or cool sites, so that biases my view a little. Yeah, that's all I have to say about the city. Oh, the one cool thing is that Hanoi has the longest mosaic wall in the world. That night we had our orientation meeting. There was a brother and sister with their wife and husband from Canada. Two brothers with their wives from Australia, a married couple from Britain, an engaged couple from Britain, a solo girl from Britain, a solo woman from Australia. It was interesting, and I really enjoyed meeting the Aussies during the tour. I also loved the british married couple, as they were exactly like me, low key, quiet, enjoyed the local life of towns we went to, etc. We all had dinner together that night, and after grabbing food for the boat trip in Halong Bay, I grabbed coffee/tea with the Aussies while the others went our for drinks. And thus, the beginning of what was to be the style of the trip, began! I didn't fit in with the younger 3 at all. Couldn't connect. Really disliked the fact that they would go out drinking almost every night. Nothing crazy where they were drunk, but all the same. I'm just not much of a drinker, don't see the point in it. Anyways. The second day we hopped in a van and made the 4 hour drive to the mysterious and beautiful Halong Bay. Me, being the ditz that I am, forgot my wallet in my suitcase (we all left our big bags, as we were only going to be on the boat for one night) Thankfully I didn't need it, as this part of the tour was all included. Whew! It was misty, crowded with boats, and just a touch cool- but I loved it! The boat was amazing, perfect sized bedrooms, and the most delicious food I've had in a while. We were served 9 or 10 course meals full of seafood that were just scrumptious! And we just slowly made our way through the beautiful area. The mist made it hard to see far way, and the small mountain islands loomed overhead at us, and the numerous other boats. We explored some of the largest caves in the world, and were granted the most magnificent overlook after climbing to the top. We lounged on the boat the evening after dinner, and just enjoyed a quiet night of relaxtion on the water. In the morning, we hiked to the top of Tree Top Mountain. It's supposed to offer a gorgeous view of the surrounding islands, but alas, our dear friend the mist was in the way again. I didn't mind, and it got me a workout too. :) We slowly motored back to the town before leaving our beautiful boat. I was sorry to say goodbye, as Halong Bay was my favorite part of the trip I think. That night, we were to embark on our third, but not last, form of transportation while traveling in Vietnam: the train. But! More to come later! For now, I must be off to do actual work for my job. ;) Love, Rita