I received the following text from a friend this morning:
“How’s it going? We are long overdue for a catch up. So much big news to share.”
I probed further – what’s the big news? Do tell, do tell!
“Well… I kind got married a few weeks ago. Shotgun style. Crazy, huh?”
I immediately realized that today is April 1, the day of pranks and tomfoolery. I replied with a hearty “hahahahaha – April Fool’s!”
We worked together from 2006 – 2010, and early on in our work tenure, we started playing pranks on each other, not just limited to April 1. Since then, both of us being the competitive people that we are, we’re always trying to one up each other. It’s become more and more difficult, since we don’t work with each other anymore, and don’t see each other as often, but one thing is for sure – we always think of the other on April 1.
Last week my work team spent the week in Kauai, Hawaii. We completely overscheduled ourselves with work projects, which is not the way to spend a week in Hawaii! One day, however, we hiked a few miles on the Na Pali Coast. Despite the almost constant rain, and the treacherous slippery mud trails, it was a beautiful day. I like to hike slowly, and every so often I would stop (more often than not to gain my balance as I slipped) look over the cliffs, and listen to the thunderous crashing of the waves mingling with the soft pitter patter of the rain. Beautiful!
Double rainbow on the walk back
Paul crossing the river
Lunch spot at the ocean. We kept our eyes out for rogue waves!
A twelve hour layover in Seoul. I was excited when I saw that was one of the cheapest flight options returning from my trip to Vietnam. I haven’t returned to Korea since I left there in 2002. A layover with a good friend, what could be better?
I called a couple of days before the layover to make reservations at a traditional Korean restaurant. “Anh-nyoung ha sae yo!” and was greeted similarly. I love the sing song of the Korean language. My voice rises and I smile when I speak. I inquired about reservations, and they asked my name. “Lo-ri.” “What?” Then I remembered. “Ro-ri,” I said. “Ahhhh! Ro-ri! See you Friday.”
We landed at Incheon. Ah, Seoul. So many memories. During my stay in Korea, I lived in Daegu, but flew in and out of Seoul many times. My last goodbyes before passing through customs. Memories flooded over me.
We took the train into the city, watching the sun rise over a river.
Sun rise from the train
We arrived into the city. Cheonggyecheon had been built since my last visit. We walked along the stream, early in the morning, before the streets were full of people.
Cheonggyecheon early in the morning
We were hungry, but didn’t want the wares McDonald’s, Starbucks, Lotte, or other fast food chains had to offer. We wandered in and out of alleys, until we found a small (four seats) take out restaurant that offered hot jook for breakfast. Kim-chi jook – ahhhhhhh!
Kim Chi Jook
Warm and happy, we ventured to Gyeongbokgung Palace. We arrived just in time for the changing of the guard! Boom! Boom! Boom! went the drums. The soldiers marched in formation towards the gates, marching in unison. Brilliant robes fluttered in the wind as the guards took their position.
Changing of the guard at GyeongbokgungRose at Gyeongbokgung
We had heard about Tom’s Cat Cafe near Hongkik University. We navigated the maze of the subway, and after wandering for a while, stopping in a coffee shop and asking the way, randomly questioning students on the street, finally with the help of the very kind tourist police in all red, we found our way there. We couldn’t tell if it was open or not – no one was there except the cats, but the doors weren’t locked. We stared through the windows at the beautiful cats, then made our way across town for a traditional Korean lunch.
The sign on the door – no idea what it says or what it means
Cats looking at us from within
21 kinds! said the menu. And that’s what we got. 21 delicious dishes. Plus one. Service. Oh, Korea. I’ve missed you.
The first of our 21 dishes for lunch!
We made our way back to Incheon. Satiated with a day of Korean culture.
I first heard of Halong Bay when working for Room to Read. We had moved into a new office, and had a contest to name all the new conference rooms. Someone suggested naming the conference rooms after famous places in the countries where we had program operations. Mount Everest, Kruger, Luang Prabang, Halong Bay…
I hadn’t heard of Halong Bay before then, but the pictures looked magical.
Fast forward five years. I’m working for another company, and we’re having a team meeting in Vietnam. In Hanoi, in the north. And one of our outings is to Halong Bay. On a boat, overnight. I was ecstatic. I was finally going to visit the magical Halong Bay.
And it was. Magical. Even in the harbor, surround by other boats (which brandished “SAFETY FIRST” in big letters on the steam pipes) it was magical. We leaned on the railings and looked out at the karsts in the overcast day. As we began to sail, our host explained that legend had it that the Vietnamese were fighting against invaders from the north. The Jade Emperor sent a dragon to help, incinerating the enemy with fire and emeralds. The emeralds scattered on the battlefield, forming a defensive wall against the enemy (the emeralds eventually turned into the karsts that can still be seen today).
We sailed through the rock formations, each more magical than the last. We paddled in kayaks among the karsts. We swam in the warm waters of the bay. Calm descended. We were quiet as the sun set, enjoying the magic of the dragon’s remains.
We headed to the lake after a breakfast of fruit and pho. As we began to stroll around the lake, if I looked to the right, my eyes were met with a calm, peaceful lake lined with trees, rumor of a magic turtle residing there. If I looked to my left, motorbikes and cars whizzed by, honking loudly. We walked leisurely, occasionally stopping to take pictures, thrilled by the fact that we were in Hanoi. Hanoi! We came upon what appeared to be a dance class of elderly Vietnamese ladies. Morning exercises, perhaps? We stood and watched as they gracefully performed somewhat synchronous moves, shuffling feet and waving arms in their mismatched velour leisure suits and baseball caps.
The music stopped, someone shouted, and they quickly formed a circle. We watched in utter surprise as the chicken dance blared from their makeshift boombox. And that meant one thing. When the chicken dance starts playing, how can you not join? We started dancing from our watching place, and once the ladies saw us, they pulled us into the circle with them. We laughed hysterically as we performed the quacking moves, then swung each other around. At the end of the dance, they motioned for us to stay. And the familiar tune repeated! From the top, ladies!
