Buddha's Birthday

Last year for Buddha's birthday the boy and I flew to Thailand to receive our sak yants and stuff our faces with pad thai.  We decided to stay a more traditional (and financially safe) route this time around and rented a car with some great friends and explored Korea.  We drove a few hours outside of Pohang to Cheongju, located in the center of the country.  There lies the biggest golden statue of Buddha located within the country. 

Our Saturday started off a little dreary but soon turned to a summer-like state as we traded our rain jackets for shorts and tank tops.  We had a lot of time to kill after our visit in Cheongju and we ended up making our way down to the beautiful town of Gumi where we went on a little hike and took in more stunning temples. 

The mister leaves Korea in a few days and the weekend was such a nice way to end his two year love affair with the country.  We were able to drive around freely, take in the sites that we love so much, and hang out with some lovely people.  And here, ladies and gents, is our weekend in pictures...

Twas beautiful, no?  Every year around Buddha's birthday thousands of lanterns are hung around the temples.  They're adorned with prayers and good wishes.   I wish I could have gotten a few pictures of them at night.  Most of them are lit and it makes for a beautiful sight.  Makes me wish they kept them up all year round.

And don't worry guys, I've still got a week and half left here and with the boy (and cat) leaving before me, I'll have more than enough time to catch up on my blogging.  So I'll leave you with these two pictures until my next post.  They absolutely slay me.

Some things never change.

One of my favorite places to NOM NOM NOM.

Shabu shabu is probably on my top 10 list of favorite foods.  Burritos and cheese being at the top, obvs.  It's actually a 3-course meal of delight.  Each course is better than the last and the owners of our local shabu restaurant will often prepare our table with extra pineapples (for moi) and 2 bottles of sprite- on the house.  This is one restaurant that I'll miss when we leave Korea... and it's not even Korean food.

Watch more travel videos at tripfilms.com

I'm a big LAME.

My blogging has been a little... lackluster the past few weeks.  I think I'm heading into my "mourning phase" of leaving Korea.  This happens every time I travel and you'd think I'd be used to it by now, but the obvious truth is that I definitely am not.

See the thing is, the boy is actually leaving Korea a week and a half before I do.  He's also taking Ares with him.  I have no idea what I'm going to do in our empty apartment sans boyfriend and cat.  It's becoming more apparent with each passing day that we're leaving- actually leaving.  We went to the post office today and sent a few boxes of clothes, books, and artwork back to our homes in the States.  I really didn't feel anything at the time, but I spent the remainder of my day in a terribly foul mood.

I'm stressed... really stressed and on top of it all, the little kitten we found is not doing well.  It breaks my heart to say it, but I don't think she'll make it through the night. We've done everything we can and our friend Sarah has been the best foster mother to her.  It's just so sad to watch her fade.

There is good news however.  As of Thursday, the boy and I have our airfare booked to Ecuador.  We've purchased our tickets from Seattle to New York as well as our tickets to Ecuador.  I'm more than excited although most of my research has told me that the taxi drivers are known to kidnap and rob tourists.  Fantastic.  I just might have to put my double black belt status to use.

I promise I'll have more uplifting posts over the next few weeks.  Hopefully.  Until then, send good thoughts and prayers our way.  We're both so stressed and anxious about the big transitions we're about to go through.  Thanks for sticking with us.

Wandering Wednesdays.

This little gem was taken on our first trip to Thailand.  It was the start of the Lunar new year and we had a few extra vacation days left over.  We spent the majority of our trip stuffing our faces with ridiculous amounts of pad thai,  tom kha gai, and yummy tropical beverages.

When we weren't in self-imposed food comas, we were exploring as much of Thailand as we possible.  We hopped on a bus to Kanchanaburi and immediately rented ourselves a scooter.  We accidentally stumbled upon Tham Sua temple.  It looked like it was perched in the clouds.  Its beauty was breathtaking and it's where we took this picture. 

We can't wait to get back to Thailand.  It's one of our favorite places to travel to.  What about you?  What's your favorite country and what do you enjoy doing there? 

Acting Out.

Two Sundays ago the boy and I found ourselves on the beach strapped in a four person bike.  It was a beautiful day and we were with amazing company.  It was nice to run around, rent bikes of all shapes and sizes, and act like children.  We were even able to get some of it on video.

These are the spring and summer-like days that I'll miss spent in South Korea.

Sorry it's been quiet...

I know it's been really quiet over here.  We've been extremely busy trying to pack and get our lives together.  I'm also battling another plague brought on by my sweet (and extremely dirty) students.

I did get quite the surprise today when I headed into work.  There was a high pitched squeaking sound coming from underneath the stairs of our building.  I thought it sounded like a bird but I decided to check on it just in case it was something else.  Low and behold there was a tiny baby kitten in a box screaming its little head off.  I immediately ran to find Chris.

When we returned to the box there was a security guard who told us (in broken English) that he found three kittens and moved them into the box.  Two of the little ones had already passed away.  Normally I would have left the baby in the box for its mother to find it but the man had already picked her up and moved her.  I doubt her mother would even take her back now that her scent has changed.

I scooped her up, took her to the vet, and bought a can of kitten formula and bottles.  I'm praying that she'll pull through.  This happened to us once before and the sweet babykit didn't make it.

Not wanting Ares to contract anything the baby kitten might have, we left her in the good care of our friend and neighbor, Sarah.  She was a huge help when we found the other kitten and I'm more than confident that she'll give her all the TLC that she needs.

I'll be sure to keep you updated, but for now, please keep the little one in your prayers.  I was informed that my parents are going to have to put down two of my cats from home.  They're not doing well and they're suffering.  I couldn't bare to lose three kitties in one week.

Your Daily Gem.

I know that as a teacher you're not supposed to have favorites however, I have a class of sweet, sweet children and they're pretty darn close to being my favorites.  Every day before class they'll all come and find me and say, "Come on teacher.  Let's go to class".  Little Emily will even grab my hand and say, "My best friend Tawny teacher". 

The other day we were sitting in class and one of them decided to declare their adoration for me.

Lucia: Teacher, I love you.

Emily: Tawny teacher, I love you and you love me.

Julie:  Teacher, I really really love you.

Peter:  Teacher, I like... gorillas.

A little C&C makeover.

www.CaptainandClark.com

It is with great joy that I give you our brand spanking new website.  The boy has been working tirelessly on this bad boy for over a week and we're so pleased that it's finally up and running.  We decided a few weeks ago that our site needed a little TLC and a remodel, especially with the expedition being only two months away.  

Please take a look for yourself.  We'd love to hear any feedback.  As for me, I think the new site is much easier to maneuver.  Plus we have a slew of new widgets we can use (I really just like using the word "widget").    Also, as soon as we depart I think I'll start blogging exclusively on that site.  It should make things easier for everyone.   I hope you like it!

And if you're keeping track- I've only got one more month left in Korea... and less than two months until we are officially on the Maverick Expedition.  Insert giddy shrieks of glee here.