Travel Photo: Pizza Delivery

Suncheon, South Korea

Poolside Interview with Waegook Tom!!

Well...I lied about the pool. But we did get interviewed!

Tom Stockwell (aka "Waegook Tom") is a fellow English teacher living in Daegu, South Korea. He blogs about all things Korea and all things fantastic, and he recently spent a little bit of time getting to know us. We are absolutely stoked to get to be in the spotlight for this week's "Sat Chat"!

You can catch the interview here. Make sure to follow Tom and his journey through Korea and beyond. His website is right over here and his Twitter is right over there.

The Star Ferry

The Star Ferry in Hong Kong is one of the cheapest ways to enjoy the skylines of both Hong Kong Island and Kowloon. 

The company was established in 1880 with a single steamboat dubbed "the Morning Star" and has grown to a fleet of nine ferries. The ferry goes to and from either Central or Wan Chai on Hong Kong Island to Kowloon's Tsim Sha Tsui. They also provide the only licensed harbour tour in Hong Kong aboard the "Shining Star," a replica of the steamboats used in the 1920's. The tour is an hour long and even has an air-conditioned cafe for those hot and humid summer days.

The ferry costs HK$2.50 (about US$0.32) Monday through Friday and HK$3.00 (about US$0.38) on Saturday, Sunday, and public holidays. It's such a great deal!  

The ferry ride is an iconic part of Hong Kong that should not be missed by anyone visiting the city. It's inexpensive and beautiful both day and night! 

Have you ever ridden the Star Ferry in Hong Kong or another famous ferry somewhere else? What did you think? We would love to hear about your experiences in the comments. 

Travel Photo: Skyscrapers in Hong Kong

The skyscrapers in Hong Kong were magnificent! It was so cool to be standing on the street waiting for the light to change to cross and looking up and realizing there was so much more to look at up there.

The first picture was taken on our way back from Victoria's Peak. We met a retired Polish man who spent most of his life in France as an engineer but is now living in Bangkok as a base to travel around Asia. He was talking to us about all kinds of cool things: travel, life, how cheap it is to live in Bangkok, etc. and then all the sudden he says, "STOP! Look up!" and we see the first picture. It was amazing. He said, "I was here this morning and this is a wonderful sight!" Of course, I busted out the camera. He was right; it was a wonderful sight.

We told him we were headed for the Star Ferry and he said, "Oh, I know the way. I'm headed that way too. I will take you." So we walked and talked with him for about fifteen minutes. The passion and love he had for life, travel, exploring, culture, and beautiful sights/things just made my heart smile. This one little walk was such a great experience.

"This is why I love to travel" I told Spencer as we walked away from him, "these unexpected, little single-serving friendships that inspire me and make me feel so alive and passionate." I was smiling from ear to ear. I didn't get his name but the Polish/French/Thai old man totally made my week. I will never forget him.

One Week in Belize: A Travel Itinerary

Sometimes, all you have is a week to see an entire country. I know work schedules can be tight and vacation time hard to come by, especially if you're an American. Luckily, Belize is small and totally doable in a week!

Day One: Arrive in Belize City and take a water taxi to Caye Caulker. Check in to your hotel/hostel. If you're looking to stay at a hostel, we recommend Yuma's Backpacker's Hostel. It's clean, convenient, and there's art in the rooms! 

Day Two: Rent bikes to explore Caye Caulker and sign up for a tour for the next day. Choose from snorkeling the reef, seeing the sea cows, kayaking, diving the blue hole, deep sea fishing, or sunset sailing. Go to the split to play in the warm blue ocean and eat/drink at the Lazy Lizard.

Day Three: Activity of your choice and relaxation. 

Day Four: Travel Day. Take the water taxi back to Belize City in the morning and get on a bus to San Ignacio--the jungle! Explore San Ignacio and decide on which Mayan Ruins to see. 

Day Five: See Mayan Ruins with or without a guide. I really enjoyed having a guide (we used Pacz Tours) at the ruins because he taught us a lot about Mayan culture and what the different structures were used for. It was very informative! Of course, you can also visit the ruins on your own if you want to.

We are at Tikal in the photo above. Tikal is a massive site with many temples and buildings. It's actually in Guatemala but you can do it as a day trip from San Ignacio. There are a some smaller (but still impressive!) Mayan sites in Belize too.

Day Six: Explore the ATM cave. A very unique exploration into the Mayan Underworld (aka a cave!). This trip is one of the greatest adventures you can have in Belize. If you are in Belize, I would NOT miss it! For this trip, it is required to have a guide. We used Pacz Tours for this as well. 

Day Seven: Take a bus back to Belize City and fly home!


Note: All opinions are solely our own. We were not compensated for any recommendations or reviews. 

Travel Photo: Le Tour Eiffel

Spencer took this photo of the Eiffel Tower during our first international trip together in the summer of 2008. I was really nervous to travel together for the first time. I felt like it would make or break us. Thankfully, we had a blast! :) 

Travel Photo: It's a bird! It's a plane!

This is a perfect example of why I love Koreans. They make things fun!!! Even things that can sometimes be horrible, like hospitals, which is what this is! This hospital is in the new downtown of Suncheon and we see it on our current walk home from school. There are more huge apes at the bottom of the building by the entrance holding up two benches.

See more photos from our first month in Korea here