Making Goals to Acheive

“The bottom can only be accepted by those who aren't hungry enough for the top.”

― Edmond Mbiaka

 

I’m back on the scene, sharing my stories and adventures. I’ve still been exploring and getting around South Korea with spontaneous adventures. I’ve just been so busy that I haven’t had the chance to post them. This month I’ll be sharing some stories. I want to show you how beautiful and wonderful South Korea is, hopefully convincing you to visit one day.

So, I’m pretty sure by now you’ve recognized that I enjoy the outdoors, nature, and love being adventurous and spontaneous. I recently made a goal to hike the highest mountains in South Korean, as well as mountains in surrounding areas, regardless of the size. In November, I decided to do something that sounded great in thought, but had me rethinking my decision in actual time. I came across a zip-line ad that claims to be Asia’s longest and steepest zip-line, with wonderful views of mountains to see as you go down. I thought I needed other things to do during my time in that province, so I thought I could find some mountains to hike during my weekend there. I did my research and came across a couple mountains to hike. With hiking, you never know how long it may take to complete, so I have to figure out a range of times for transportation.

Anyways, so my first leg of the trip from my city to the zip-line went okay. I took the train (amazing views during the ride) and arrived with perfect timing. I was able to go out on the skywalk (Jeongseons Skywalk), which is made of glass and sticks out over the cliff. I’ve been to one similar in Busan, Oryukdo Skywalk. I wanted to record my ride, but I didn’t want to lose my phone in mid-air. (A GoPro for Christmas would be awesome! 😉)

  

After that, I made my way towards the city I was staying in. I went to Mindungsan Mountain for a trek that I thought would be casual, but wasn’t that casual. See, I've prepared myself for hiking in the cold, but I wasn’t prepared for the snow. It threw me off. It got to a point were I was so tired that I dropped my backpack down somewhere and hiked the last kilometer I had. Once I made it to the top, I took my few little pictures and immediately trekked back down. My body was sore, and I just wanted to fall in a bed. I made it to my hotel and spent an hour in the spa, trying to revive my body…
  

Because on day two, I planned to hike another mountain. 😊 (smile of sarcasm) I’m dragging to mountain two and rethinking the idea to hike. When I got off the train, I didn’t know how to read the bus schedule, so I hopped in a taxi. I think the taxi driver was blown by me wanting to be taken to the mountains. He dropped me off at this bus stop and told me to catch the bus there when I finished. So, I’m walking trying to find the entrance; 20 minutes later, I find it. Mind you, it snowed during the night. I have to trek my way through about a foot of snow. An hour and a half in, I wanted to quit. I was tired, I couldn’t see the finish line, I saw animal tracks (0_0) … 2 hours later after I pushed through…

I made it through the trail; I came out with frozen pants, cold fingers, and I lost my hot packs along the way. During my hike, I thought I could use Korea’s version of Uber once I made it to the end. -__- Little did I know; the taxis didn’t reach that area. SOOO, my GPS had me walking 20 minutes to a bus stop. I get to the bus stop and realized that this is the place where the taxi driver dropped me off. Best be believed I learned how to read the bus schedule in that moment. Long story almost finished, these Koreans from a nearby restaurant picked my freezing butt up and dropped me off at the bus station. THE END.

Until next time,

Propaganda ... My Visit to the DMZ

“It is always a much easier task to educate uneducated people than to re-educate the  mis-educated.” ― Herbert M. Shelton

My Trip to the DMZ/JSA.
“Are you all scared or nervous?” asked the tour guide as we headed towards the DMZ. I’m thinking in the back of my head, if someone is on this bus and they are scared, they should not be on this tour. And that’s my opinion. On Saturday, December 2, 2017, I went to the Korean Demilitarized Zone (DMZ), which is a border/buffer zone that divides North and South Korea. The DMZ runs about 250 kilometers long, and it is known to be one of the most heavily militarized borders in the world. Our guide told us the two nations are still in a “frozen war.” During this tour, I learned a lot more on the divide between the two countries.

Dates:
08.15.1945- Liberation of Korea

08.15.1945- Republic of Korea established (S.K)

09.09.1948- Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (N.K)

06.25.1950- Korean War

07.27.1953- Armistice Agreement signed

So, our first stop was the 3rd Infiltration Tunnel (The third tunnel of aggression). The first of four tunnels identified was found in 1974. North Korea dug tunnels under the DMZ going all the way towards Seoul, South Korea in preparation for a surprise invasion. The tunnels are big enough to accommodate about 30,000 troops an hour. There are holes in the walls with yellow paint. Our tour guide told us that those holes were created to hold dynamite. [No pictures could be taken in the tunnel.] Next, we went to the Dora Observatory. From this platform, you could see off in the distance the Peace Village, or “Propaganda Village” of North Korea. The city looked disserted. The only creepy thing to me was the propaganda music and messages playing from the North Korean speakers. After that, we went to Dorasan Train station. It is located 56 km from Seoul, South Korea and 205km from Pyongyang, North Korea. The Dorasan Station is a railroad, that a one point, connected North Korea and South Korea. The freight trains to and from North Korea ran for about 1 year; the North Korean government closed it down. Today, only South Korea uses it for tourism from Seoul to the DMZ. The Peace Park was created as a symbol of “peace and hope for the reunification of the divided country.” This area had pieces of the Berlin Wall from Germany, as well as, a board with time. One side had the start-to-end date/time of the divide in Germany (41 years, 04 months and 11 days), and the other side has the ongoing time of the divide between Korea (72 years, 03 months, and 17 days). Finally, we went to the joint security area where the two nations meet. [Inside the building, I was technically on North Korea’s side.]

Only sign still existing with both nations' capital city.

North Korea's building across the street.

My commemorative stamp with North Korea's capital.

Propaganda. Defined by Merriam-Webster: n the spreading of ideas, information, or rumors for the purpose of helping or injuring an institution, a cause, or a person

In North Korea, the country’s leader has the news fixed with positive views of the country and what their leader wants the people to know and learn. A while back, I was shown a video of North Korea being told they won the World Cup. Now in China, they  block certain information from their media and doesn't allow some media in their country. You can't access Facebook, Google, Instagram, nor Twitter, unless you have a VPN. China has created their own platforms to monitor what all is going in and out of their country.

Propaganda circulates through the media nowadays, and you must be careful to differentiate the truth from biased opinions. The news/media takes certain information and manipulates it to make a drastic story, resulting in worried and concerned viewers. I didn't realize this until my first trip abroad back in 2014. The news that you'd hear about certain countries verses being in those countries, it's not exactly the situation the news portrayed. This is one of the reasons why I love to travel, seeing the realities for myself and sharing it with others.

Living in South Korea.
Some months ago, I experienced conversations that I NEVER thought I would come across. Even at this moment, I still don't even know if I responded correctly. So, the week of 09.09, I had students say "Teacher, we're going to die." "Teacher, there's going to be a war this weekend." "Teacher, we might die this weekend, so do I have to finish this work?" One of my younger students drew a missile exploding as a way to express their concerns about the news. In confusion, I responded like "No, we're not going to die." "Let's not think like that, and let's finish this work." "Stay focused." I'm thinking in the back of my head like where are they getting this information from, and WHY haven't my Korean co-workers said anything about it? The second day after hearing about it again, I asked one of my Korean co-workers. She informed me that 9 September is the founding day of North Korea, and with the leader, he likes to "show out" on significant dates and moments. She said that she was a little nervous, but not too concerned about it. It made me think back to late April when North Korea’s leader made a scene and some people were nervous. But through it all, it's second nature to South Koreans. These people anticipate that leader to do something crazy. That talk had me thinking like, some of these people live in fear not knowing what North Korea is going to do but continue living their "regular schedule." My co-worker said that maybe the older generations that lived during the time when the North and South were at war, are the ones that may be a little paranoid of North Korea; the younger generations have heard and experienced this reoccurring "scare tactic" that is has become second nature. When they hear about these missiles and whatever else is got going on, they continue living with their normal programmed schedules. Me too.

Now, there have been several occasions where I’ve received messages asking how I’m doing and am I okay. My responses are like "yeah, I went hiking today, I’m tired. " "yes, I went to a spa and it was amazing." or "yes, how about yourself?" “Well I heard North Korea…” 🤦🏽 I’ve heard other foreigners telling me how they must reassure their family and friends they’re alright every time North Korea does something…even though we live in South Korea. We find out some wild news and stories from the other side of the world about a country that is directly above us. Now, I'm not naïve because if something happens, I do have some plans. But rest assure, there are so many military bases here, Korean and American. I have family and friends affiliated with the military. Once they start getting worried and making moves, you better believe that's when I'll be worried and making moves myself. I will say living here has opened my eyes to what other nations, in war zones, must do. I never thought about having an evacuation plan until now. But until then, I'm going to continue exploring this beautiful country.

Safety.
A while ago, I asked my sister “why do people say foreign countries are dangerous, but when you look on the news in our own country, it seems more dangerous than foreign countries?” She responded with, “People find safety in familiarity.” Basically, people are comfortable with the dangers that surround them daily. They are used to it, and it doesn’t seem like it’s going to change. Going to an unfamiliar area, one can view the activity that occurs there as dangerous, opposed to the ones that live there and disagree with that.

Funny thing, I find it safer living in South Korea than I do living in my own country. I have my reasons. But, it’s crazy how people from the U.S. are concerned with this side of the world, but we’re more concerned about what is happening in the U.S. We constantly come across stories of shootings and killings occurring left and right, in just about any place. Us foreigners over here are more concerned for our family and friends in the U.S. I constantly pray to God for the protection of my family, friends, and loved-ones.

Guns in South Korea are for the military and private security guards. Civilians are limited to use guns; with that, police officers don’t have to be heavily armed. I’ve had discussions with my older students about visiting the U.S. A few of my students said they would go, but then the others said no. Why? They said they are scared. They wouldn’t come because they believe they would be in a situation where they couldn’t express themselves well enough in English with a cop or someone who has a gun and get killed. They questioned me about my country’s gun laws, wanting to know why people other than the military and special forces need to have possession of a gun. And why can’t police officers use firearms properly if they are trained to use them?

Be Properly Informed.
Sometimes you can’t believe all what certain foreigners that visit/live in a certain country, because they may live with their home country's mindset and how things should be like "home."

One thing I don't like is when a foreigner says things should be like this in this country because in my country… First of all, everything doesn't work the same for every country and culture. Go back home if you want things to be like home. I know the U.S. wouldn't like forced PROPAGANDA. Why can't the U.S. be like other countries?
In Europe, the government pays for health insurance for the people. Why is it that in the U.S. it isn’t seen as a privileged? I believe no one should pay for health insurance. 🤷🏽 Public transportation in foreign countries reach all areas (poor and rich). Why is it in some U.S. cities, the argument is the rich doesn't want the poor to have access to their areas or start "migrating" to their areas. What affects you, affects someone else in a different way. If you're not worried about poor people coming to your area, you could take public transportation and save money on gas, time on driving, and get around communities much faster. But, see how we let one small minute detail stop us from positive impacts on our lives?

We can’t approach everything with a negative attitude. We'll never appreciate things nor get anywhere in life. Open your eyes and mind. At the end of the day, everyone everywhere is struggling to fight a battle. As a Christian I'm a firm believer that if your life is right with the Lord, you shouldn't be worried. "He has His hands on you" and you're protected. Check on your family and friends often, don't wait until something drastic happens. Us foreigners living in foreign countries are adults, and we've made the adult discussion to take on this "foreign life" and all that comes with it.

Every country needs some work. Every person needs some work. No one/no country is perfect and will never be… My grandmother used to tell me this saying, “How can you tell someone else how to clean up their house, when your house is just as dirty?”

Don't allow your fears to interrupt someone’s dreams and reality.

"Propaganda does not deceive people; it merely helps them to deceive themselves." -Eric Hoffer

You Can Find Beauty in the Philippines 🇵🇭

"There's beauty behind what we may perceive as ugly. Don't be so quick to judge something you haven't gotten to know." -BLW

So in South Korea, there was a long holiday break, Chuseok 추석 (Thanksgiving). For my “Thanksgiving” break, I traveled to the Philippines. I decided that I would remove myself from the “social world” and embark on an adventure, learning something about myself; reflecting on all the things I'm thankful for, as well as, realizing what I should be thankful for. My trip to the Philippines allowed me to appreciate the life God has blessed me with even more and to admire and protect His wonderful creations.

Before I begin, let me just say I'm starting to see pattern with me having "difficulties" at the airport. I thought I was going to make it into Manila without any issues. 🤦🏽 As an independent, female traveler, I always do some in-depth research before I make plans. I came across some information about the taxi scams, where some overcharge travelers for a ride. As I made my way outside the airport, I walked towards the metered-taxi queue. This guy with a badge (it looked “official” to me) across the street was telling me he had a taxi ready for me.🤔🤷🏽 After he filled out some forms, he told me the price, 3,850 php [about $70 USD] for a 30-minute drive. I went blank into confusion.😵 I left him and the driver there.😒 With a metered taxi, it's supposed to cost about 470 php [about $10]. MAJOR DIFFERENCE! But, these metered taxi drivers can play you as well, turning the meter off and charging their own rate. My taxi driver played me...🙄🤦🏽 I ended up paying 800 php [$16 USD]. He was a nice guy though, and I was content with paying that than the $70.... lesson learned. After that situation, let me just say I saw Uber in a whole new perspective. 😲👌

Okay, now to my trip… (trip details)

Manila
First Impressions: During my Uber ride into Manila, I was not impressed. I was a little annoyed and confused by the chaotic traffic, trash all over, and there wasn't really anything appealing to my eyes. I figured it had to get real out in the streets when my Uber driver double checked to make sure the doors were locked as the "sellers on the street" passed by.👀

During my "stroll" through the streets, my eyes were opened to the poverty in the city. The hustle for some change is real. I even walked by an area that was loaded with trash on one side, and on the other, were people washing their utensils and dishes.  Looking at the rivers and streams in the area, they were filthy and filled with trash. I gagged off the smell that slapped me in the face. But, do note that this isn't all of Manila. There are nice areas of the city that are clean and have a pleasant smell. They have to draw us foreigners in somehow.

I did a lot of walking during my first couple of days. I was so desperate to sit down at one point, I flagged a tricycle and hopped in, enjoying a little ride across town. I was dropped off in Quiapo Market and stumbled across a souvenir shop. After my time spent there, I decided that I completed my mission, so I was no longer thrilled to "see" anything else. I ended up walking 8.8km back to close out "my tour." 🚶 On this journey, I got lost in some (impoverished) neighborhoods; got looks from Filipinos like they KNOW I wasn't from there and I must have been lost.  But you know I have a demeanor like I know what/where I'm going.😎 I got to catch the sunset from the Baywalk. It wasn't that "WOW", jaw-dropping experience. The polluted waters and horrible odor killed that vibe.

I travel to countries to see and experience with my own eyes the reality. When I travel, I try not to have any expectations, because expectations can make or break the trip. During my Uber ride to the airport, I began to reflect on my time in Manila. I didn't have high expectations for Manila, but I thought that since it is the capital city, it would have something to offer. I can definitely say I was pushed out of my comfort zone, feeling completely uncomfortable at times. I didn't like seeing the streams and oceans polluted with trash, I didn't like seeing and smelling trash on the streets (areas not designated for trash), and I didn't like seeing people "living dirty"; seeing a brother give his younger siblings a "wash off" at a public fountain just hurts my heart.  Yes, there's poverty in every county, but it still isn't a pleasant site to see, anywhere. Through it all, it made me aware of the minute privileges God has blessed me with, and why I should be real appreciative of those privileges. 

Now if you plan to visit Manila, don't let my experience stop you. "Bad" areas can be avoided. As I mentioned before, I prefer to walk around and see the reality. Everyone's experience is different. Also, DO NOT think Manila is a representation of the Philippines, because it's not. 

 Puerto Princesa (Palawan)

First Impression: "OMG! I'm in a rainforest!" 🤗 It seemed so pure and clean. My resort was in the middle of I don't know where, but the views were amazing. I arrived in the late afternoon, so I decided to stay in and relax. Did I mention how peaceful it was?🤔🙃 At night, the moon reflected on the ocean, and it was indescribable.

Two Days, Two Tours
For my time spent in Palawan, I wanted to be a tourist, relax, and enjoy it all. For my first tour, I climbed through Ugong Rock and flew (zip lined) to the bottom. After that, I was able to experience (what I did not know) one of the New 7 Wonders of Nature. It is unimaginable how mother nature works and the creations that are formed. During this tour, I met some wonderful Filipinos that made my trip and experience fun, entertaining, and well spent. They gave me tips on other islands to visit in the Philippines, as well as, trying other significant cultural food. 🗣"Let's take a picture!"📸-Jelly

 

The other tour was the Honda Bay Tour (island hopping). It was another day where I met some more amazing people, Filipinos and other foreigners on vacation. We enjoyed snorkeling together, taking pictures, and enjoying the beautiful weather and sea. There's nothing like meeting travelers and sharing stories together.

 

Living in paradise was amazing. Being surrounded by the beautiful nature and amazing scenery... I'll never forget those views. The Philippines isn’t a country I’d see myself living in, but it's definitely a country I'd run to when I need to escape "life." A lesson I learned, "there's beauty behind what we may perceived as ugly." Thank you, Philippines, for the lessons, the realness, the adventures, and the people that made my time THAT more amazing.

Until the next adventure... MABUHAY! ✌

*If you're on Instagram, follow my travel page bw.travels6.

Favorites from the Trip