This weekend I spent some time in Seoul to check out the Lotus Lantern Festival. Buddha’s birthday is this month and there are a lot of things going on.
It was very interesting in comparison to American festivals… by that I mean it was A LOT less annoying. Of course, I can never figure out if I’m less annoyed because no one is talking to me or if it’s actually less annoying.
I will give Korea the benefit of the doubt on this one. It was a great festival with booths on lantern making, temple stays, books, etc. Plus, instead of serving fried Snickers bars, they had healthy temple food.
One of the best parts was getting to see a traditional tightrope-walking performance — called jultagi or 줄타기. I had seen this in movies, but never live… and to channel Annie Hall, it was pretty neat!
I am the annoying tourist who sacrifices enjoying the moment so that I catch it on film. My friends oftentimes hate me, and sometimes I do regret not fully taking in some wonderful moments in my effort to get a good photo or video.
Of course, now that I’m NOT on vacation, I am so happy that I was the annoying tourist toting a digital camera in one pocket and a camcorder in the other.
This video breaks every rule I believe in in terms of video production. It’s too long (10 minutes). It has too many still photographs. And there’s no story arc.
But, I like it.
My vacation to the Philippines was certainly a highlight of my 30 years, and this video is made to remember those few days.
After Siquijor, I took a brief trip over to Apo Island. That proved to be one disaster after another and I took the first boat back to Negros.
Once I was back on the island of Negros, I camped out in Dumaguete and was able to take a day trip to Casaroro Falls.
Like everything else in the Philippines, it was amazing. I took a jeepney to Valencia then hired a motorbike to take me to the falls. Once at the falls there’s a steep climb down 350+ steps, but even that was gorgeous.
When I had fully descended, there was a small river flowing. I followed that long enough to wonder if I had been duped… then I turned a corner and literally gasped.
In addition to the inherent beauty of the falls, I was alone. I was there surrounded by trees and water and nothing else. It was indescribable.
I know, I know. EVERYONE takes crappy sunset photos on vacation. It’s as if we’re unable to see sunsets in our hometowns and when thrust upon a new landscape, something as common as sleep becomes so incredibly fascinating.
I do try to see the natural beauty of the earth; however, I live in the Apartment Republic of Korea (check out the view from my window); therefore, I don’t get sunsets, stars, grass, etc… the only nature I see is my two-foot tall ficus that sits near the window. And if I want to go out in nature, I have to contend with hundreds of GORE-TEX laden power walkers. So while on vacation, I was quite excited to see sunsets, stars, water…
And for the record, I support Korea’s efficient system of apartment housing. It makes SO MUCH MORE SENSE than the American system of buying a house you can’t afford to go with the SUVs you can’t afford to go with the clothes you can’t afford to go with the kids you can’t afford.
One of the best parts of Siquijor was the butterfly sanctuary. I’d never been to anything like this, but I have to admit, being in a beautiful garden with butterflies flying all around is about as close to heaven as I’ve ever come… it was certainly much better than the “Heaven” room the Baptists would send me to with the fake stream flowing over a tarp and the fake Jesus giving me a hug in Teva sandals…
At any rate, the butterfly sanctuary is located near the highest peak on the island, so the bike ride up is amazing, and once you’re there you can see the entire island.
I had two weeks to plan for vacation and one of my biggest concerns was finding vacation clothes. Mainly, I needed a swimsuit and shorts. And while this isn’t a concern in many places in the world, in Korea, they just don’t carry my size.
So, I buckled down and went online to use what I think must be the worst-designed site on the internet: Gmarket. Go there (unless you have epilepsy… seriously); try to buy something. If you can actually find what you’re looking for and make it to the payment section without gouging your eyes out, then you have my eternal praise.
When I ordered, I was sure to order XL in everything knowing that it would probably be smaller than what I find in America. I was right, but I didn’t anticipate being this right.
Black pants, America: size L.
Grey shorts, Korea: size XL.
I understand that Koreans have smaller waists than Americans (everyone has smaller waists than Americans), but in what universe can these shorts be described as an XL…
The Philippines have a reputation for taking Jesus seriously… and on Siquijor there was no shortage of Jesus paraphernalia.
Most of the things I saw were built in the 19th century when the Spanish had colonized the islands. I found them all to be very beautiful in their own way.
One thing I always find interesting is the way people choose to visually depict their gods. I’ve never been a visual person when it comes to religion. I’ve always felt that a human representation of God, Jesus, Buddha, whomever, was just so… demeaning. I mean, if I’m supposed to look for guidance in religion, humanizing it doesn’t really beef up the resume.
At any rate, I do love seeing how others depict their gods, Jesuses, etc. And in these churches there was no shortage of murals, statues, or sculptures. I loved it.
Probably the most interesting piece I saw was St. Rita of Cascia, also known as Black Magic Mary (Siquijor being the bewitched island). I had read about St. Rita before arriving and I really wanted to see it. I was surprised to find out that this statue of St. Rita was right behind the lectern at Our Lady of Divine Providence Church. I had thought it would be hidden, or in a museum somewhere.
The statue of St. Rita shows her holding a skull in one hand and an inverted cross in the other. But her face… her face is the spookiest part, and it really is downright scary to look at. The photos don’t do it justice.
But, this post isn’t all about St. Rita. Here’s some photos of all the main religious things I saw.
Cambugahay Falls was one of the favorite things on my trip. I had seen pictures before I arrived and I knew what to expect. However, like pretty much everything I saw in the Philippines, it exceeded every expectation.
Cambugahay was also one of the few places I went where there were other people around. Several families were having picnics and swimming, and it was quite nice. I had read about thieves who hide in the bushes waiting for you to abandon your things — I saw none of that (although someone at the resort had had a bad experience).
I just got back from my vacation in The Philippines. I spent most of my time in the Siquijor province, but also went out to Apo Island, Dumaguete, and Manila.
Siquijor was amazing. I stayed at the Kiwi Dive Resort (highly recommend), which only has a handful of cottages, and even though there were other “resorts” nearby I was almost always alone on the beach.
It was surreal. No matter what time of day, I seemed to be the only person around.
In addition, there was a wonderful coral reef just a few meters out, so I went snorkeling several times a day.
It was a wonderful vacation. Siquijor has won my heart, and I’ll definitely be back.
These are just the first photos… many more are coming.
I haven’t been keeping up with the blog because I started re-watching The Wire, and I just finished Season 3… for the fourth time.
If you’ve never seen The Wire, the best way to summarize is to just say that it’s a crime drama set in Baltimore that focuses equally on the detectives, drug dealers, drug users, corrupted officials, etc. It’s amazing. Also, many TV critics seem to think it is the best show ever… as in ever ever… as in better than The Sopranos, The Simpsons, or Seinfeld.
It’s rare that I break down into tears when murderous drug dealers get killed, so I have to respect a show that makes me cry every time I see the episode in Season 2 where D’Angelo Barksdale “gets got.”
So, here’s 3 scenes from Season 3 that I thought were wonderful… along with one thing I hate about the show.
Scene 1: To go back a bit, D’Angelo was killed by his own people, and his death was made to look like a suicide. It’s not until much later that his mother, Brianna (played by the incredible Michael Hyatt), finds out he was murdered. I love this scene, and you must watch to the end when McNulty puts the blame on Brianna. It’s heartbreaking.
Scene 2: Afterward Brianna confronts her brother about D’Angelo’s death. In this scene you see Avon (the leader of the Barksdale crew), his sister Brianna, and Stringer Bell (the #2 guy who put the hit out on D’Angelo). Whenever I see this scene I inevitably have the urge to reach through my TV and strangle Stringer Bell myself.
Scene 3: And, a post about The Wire wouldn’t be complete mentioning Omar. Omar, played brilliantly by Michael K. Williams, robs drug dealers, acts a bit like robin hood, is out and proud waving his rainbow flag, and is probably one of the best characters I’ve ever seen on television.
In this scene Brother Mouzone has returned to Baltimore to take out Stringer Bell, and he wants Omar’s help. This is the first time Omar and Brother Mouzone are seeing each other since Omar triled to kill Brother Mouzone in Season 2. Stringer Bell had tortured and killed Omar’s boyfriend in Season 1 and then convinced Omar that it was Brother Mouzone who did it. I don’t really like the Brother Mouzone character at all, but Omar completely makes up for it. I just love this:
There is one flaw with The Wire. It’s their theme song. It is quite possibly THE WORST theme song in the history of television. And it’s so loooooong. I’ve always felt that shows should never use vocals on theme songs. Also, I much prefer seeing the credits as subtitles to the start of the show and not a separate section. Lost does this perfectly by having a 2 second “opening” and then going directly into the show while the credits appear outside of the main view. With The Wire, you have to sit through what feels like an eternity of what has to be the worst cover ever of Tom Waits (who I like).
As soon as the first note sounds I move faster than Usain Bolt to hit skip, mute, or power.
