Korean Dog Market - Not For the Faint of Heart

While culturally interesting, the Moran Dog Market (pronounced: MORE-ON), just outside of Seoul is NOT for everyone. Located at the Moran subway stop where the Bundang line and the pink line (line #8) meet, you'll find this unique outdoor market just up the street. It only runs on days that end in 4 and 9 - so check your calendar before heading out. Once you are at street level, just follow your nose, but it won't necessarily be a pleasant smell that you will be following.

Don't get me wrong, I have nothing against eating dog. I am a lover of meat, and I think it's pretty hypocritical to devour a steak at one meal, then scoff at the idea of dog soup at another. That being said, I never have tried the beloved Korean, 'bo-shin-tong' (dog soup), but indeed, my husband has on several occasions and quite enjoys it.
However, even if you are a meat eater, you may not make it all the way through the market to the end where you can sample some dog soup, as the aromas of burnt fur and fried dog skin may have you turning home sooner than you thought. That is, if you don't first turn back at the sight of the cramped cages, and the occasional furless, stiff, burnt-skinned dog upside down on top of one of the cages.
In stark contrast, after walking 'doggy death row', there are smaller cages upon cages of the cutest little puppies you have ever seen. And chicks, ducks, pigs, guinea pigs, rabbits, you name it - they've probably got it.

And that's not all. There are countless stalls selling fruit, vegetables, clothing, sunglasses, dried sundries, and more. At the far end there are open-air restaurants made up of plastic tables and chairs that serve any number of famous Korean dishes. If your lucky, you may even catch a live performance of a man dressed as a woman, doing stand up comedy, singing, and dancing. A real treat for your eyes and ears!

So if your looking at your calendar wondering what you'll go to do today, and you notice that the date ends in the number 4 or 9 - why not go on a real cultural adventure, and see what the dog market is really all about with your own eyes

Phu Quoc, Vietnam

If you are visiting Vietnam and are looking for a quiet beach to chill on for a few days, fly or bus your way down to PhuQuoc Island.  We spent the last five days of a three week vacation here with four friends and we couldn't have picked a better place to finish off our vacation. There are nice beaches and interesting local flavour to experience. It's a short flight from HoChiMinh City (Saigon), or if you are adventurous or on a tight budget - you can also take a bus and ferry.
   

 

Ask at the front desk of your hotel about day trips. We did a fishing/snorkelling day trip which also took us to another beach on the island on the way home. You can also inquire about renting motorbikes at the front desk, which you should definately do if you feel comfortable on a motorbike. It's the best way to go see the crazy local market area. Or you can happily spend the day lounging on the quiet beach. There are ladies selling fresh fruit, and offering massages, but they don't hassel you like in Thailand. If you are looking for the party atmosphere similar to Koh Samui's Chaweng beach - then this might not be the place for you, but if you are seeking a quiet and beautiful paradise to relax and explore - there's no better place! 

You can check out more pictures of Phu Quoc Island here:

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=222271&id=665145491&l=577956cc1d

More Angkor Wat Photos

You can check out more photos of Angkor Wat here:
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=220215&id=665145491&l=f2c2c0bae1

Angkor Wat, Siem Reap, Cambodia

Angkor Wat in Siem Reap, Cambodia is a breathtaking place to visit.  I traveled here in 2008 with five friends, and we were all in awe.  We flew into Phnom Phen and spent a couple of days there, then took the ferry to Siem Reap, we bought the ferry tickets from the hotel concierge. (You can also fly from Phnom Phen to Siem Reap, but I would suggest booking in advance). Like many Southeast Asian countries' guesthouses, you can always find the tourist information you need for anything at the modest front desk. If you are adventurous and have the time (it takes about 5 hours), I would recommend the river ferry, as you get to see the real life of the Cambodian river people as you meander along the river.  If the sun is shining, you can sit on top of the boat, where you are guaranteed to get some fantastic pictures along the river, and they have beer and snacks for sale (they even have 'Angkor Beer'!). We had booked a room at a hotel in Siem Reap on-line and arranged with our hotel for a tuk-tuk transfer upon arrival at the docks in Siem Reap, but it's not necessary as there are tons of tuk-tuks available.  It is nice to have your accomodations set up in advance though.  We chose a hotel with a pool, which I highly recommend due to the humidity!  To get to the Angkor Wat temples, we found a tuk-tuk simply by walking out to the street directly in front of our hotel.  We needed two tuk-tuks since there were 6 of us - and they agreed to pick us up in the morning at a designated time and stay with us all day to take us from one temple to the next - which is definately needed. The first day we even got them to take us back to the hotel for a cool off swim in the afternoon, then they brought us back for sunset.  It was about $10-$20/day for the tuk-tuk (my memory fails me) - split between 3 of us - so a great deal. We did a two-day pass - most people agree that 1 is not enough and 3 is unnecessary - I believe it was $20 and that gives you access to all the temples. We put our trust in our tuk-tuk drivers, Van and Pros, and they didn't disappoint us.  They took us to all the major temples, and a couple of small ones with some commentary along the way.  I definately recommend going by tuk-tuk, it's a great way to see everything, experience something unique, and have a little adventure along the way.

Day Trips in Seoul - JUMP!

As the last of the leaves have fallen and the cold weather creeps up, it's a great time of year to find something to do inside.  If you're anything like me, some week-ends you've just GOT to get OUT of  your closet of an apartment. But what if you're all shopped-out, templed-out, museumed-out, etc.
My recommendation is to go see a show!  But I don't speak Korean, how will I understand? Ah, there are numerous non-verbal shows to enjoy in Korea.  'JUMP' is one of my favourites! You will laugh so hard, you'll cry!
Here's a link to some more information:
http://asiaenglish.visitkorea.or.kr/ena/SI/SI_EN_3_2_1.jsp?cid=684045

Let me know if you have any questions about where it is.  If you do go to see it, let me know if you liked it! :)

Let me be YOUR Big Mama!

So, the whole point of my blog is to share my tavel experiences and to help YOU at the same time.
As I mentioned in "The Birth of Big Mama", when I travel, I research where I am traveling to - to death!
So.....
If you are heading on a holiday soon - let me do the leg work for you!
Tell me where you're going, the dates, and your interests: site-seeing, relaxing, adventure, etc. and I'll sift through the crap on the internet to find you some good information about things to do and see.

The Birth of 'Big Mama'

We (my husband, and our four friends that we were travelling with - two guys and two girls) were waiting for the ferry to take us from the island of Koh Phangan back to the island of Koh Samui in the Gulf of Thailand. The Thai Guy who worked for the ferry company asked us where we were heading to, and through this conversation, we realized that we had the wrong location written on our 'sticker', and we'd have to get that changed before getting on the boat, so that we'd get the correct transfer van upon arrival. 
*Sigh* 
We were at the end of a LONG pier, and the ticket booth was WAY back at the start of the pier. 
So I proceeded to collect all the stickers from our group, no sense in all of us making the long walk in the humid-choked air. 
As I was doing so, the Thai Ferry Guy laughs and says, "Are you the Mama?"
"Yah," I laughed in reply, "Someone's got to take care of this group of riff-raffs."
"Ha, ha, Big Mama!" he helpfully adds non-chalantly.
Well, did my friends ever had a good chuckle over that one. They all quickly chimed in,
"Hey, Big Mama, here's my ticket."
"You'd better hurry up, Big Mama, I think I see the ferry coming."
"Get me a water while you're at it Big Mama." 
It IS true that:
a. I can be a bit mothering, when mothering is needed....
b. I can be a bit of a control freak when travelling.....
and c. I over-research every destination I travel to so I know what my options are.
BUT, I am neither BIG nor a MAMA, so I guess the combination of all these is what made the nickname so humourous to my travel companions and thus, Big Mama was born.