i went to a birthday party back in june, and there met a girl who played rugby..we got to chatting, and when she asked what i was doing the following saturday, i gave my standard response of "ask me friday"...she then told me that i was going to rugby practice...i've been interested in rugby (that is, interested in playing, not the world sport) since high school, so i was definitely excited..the following saturday ended up with not so great weather, and she told me practice had been cancelled (i'm not so sure it was, but that's beside the point) but we agreed to try again the following weekend..the next weekend rolled around and i went to my first ever rugby practice..it was awesome, even though i had absolutely no idea what i was doing most of the time..it was great to run around, and all the girls seemed fun..
i continued going to practice each weekend, and in august, the women's team was invited to put on an exhibition game at the korean rugby championships in yeongwol..i don't know who, but someone arranged the bus for the men's and women's teams to ride together from seoul..we all showed up saturday morning and boarded the bus..people showed up in various condition, from the very hungover, to the still drunk, to the wide awake and chipper like me..(or maybe i was the only one who was wide awake..it was saturday morning, after all)..an hour and a half later the bus stopped at one of the many rest stops on korean highways..there seems to be a rule in korea that you don't get to go all the way to your destination w/out stopping..even though our trip was only three hours, we stopped halfway through..and these rest stops are huge, with restaurants and toilets and convenience stores, etc..for those who were hungover, or starting to become hungover, the chance for hot food was great:)..an hour and a half later we arrived at yeongwol..
the tourney had already started, there were quite a few teams there..the boys got changed, as their first game was scheduled to start soon..they played, and won..dan (our coach) played, but not surprisingly hurt his already bad knee, and had to come out..after their game was over, we went to one area of the track and had our own practice..for me, it was the first time i ever learned how to tackle properly..(i had only had 3 previous practices to attend)..as it was the middle of the day, it was HOT, and by the end of the practice we all felt faint, even though it wasn't long..we sat around for quite a while, and watched whateva games were going, and someone was on their phone figuring out possibilities for whitewater rafting..(this province in korea has a lot of outdoor activities)..just after noon everyone took part in the opening ceremony..(why it was after several games had already been played i don't know)..everyone had on their team shirts, there was even a girls high school marching band! they wore capes, skirts, and high white leather/plastic boots..the ceremony was in korean, which none of us really understood, but apparently we weren't the only ones who were bored, as other teams started to sit down on the field..so we followed suit..after the ceremony was (finally) over each team picked up it's case of soju, case of gatorade, and case of gochujang..yay for favors!!
our whitewater rafting had been arranged, so we (the girls, and one of the boys..other guys had expressed interest, but it wasn't guaranteed that we'd make it back before the guys game, so they backed out, this guy was new and clearly not that into rugby) all piled into a van that has definitely seen better days..with all of us in there, it was super crowded..the van arrived at the tour company office, and we paid..someone didn't pay, we all thought it was the guy, but we couldn't be sure, as the money collection was rather haphazard..(typical korean situation)..we got our lifejackets and helmets and got back in the van, and drove to the put it spot..they split us up, 5 girls going with 5 koreans..my boat was fun, there was a lot of kanglish going on..the guides spoke some english, and everyone (in our boat) was ready to have fun..at the first opportunity to do so, angie and i jumped out of our boat..we're both good swimmers, and weren't afraid..our guides liked to have fun and we "attacked" other boats..lol..toward the end of the ride i realized i was really dehydrated, as i had a massive headache..the sun exposure didn't help..
we didnt make it back in time for the start of the men's game, so the guy didn't get to play..we did howeva watch most of it, and watched the masters game that followed..great to see 60 yr old men running around playing a game they love..it was a lot slower, strategy was clearly more important..hee hee..after the games we drove to our hotel, checked in and got cleaned up for dinner..my room had 4 girls total, and we were all ready to go in 40 minutes..the other room was a lot slower..
dinner was galbi with the KRU folks..one of the few times i've actually been glad i don't drink, as the alcohol was flowing freely from the start of dinner..lots of soju and beer...LOTS..
after dinner there was a lot of discussion as to what people wanted to do..it took 45 minutes to decide..one group ended up going to a casino, the other group went back to the hotel..the casino sounded good, but it was an hour away, and w/out independent transport back, i opted to skip it and go back to the hotel..there were people hanging out in the gardens, a good chance for me to get to know some of the other girls..i was the first in my room to go to bed, the other girls came into the room at various times of the night..it didn't matter much to me, i slept through it all..
the next morning we all got up, and got dressed in our team kit..after fantasizing about the breakfasts each of us wanted, we realized we didn't have time for such things, and our breakfasts consisted of what we were able to grab in a 10 minute run through a small grocery store..(which must've thrown the cashiers there for a loop..12 girls hopping out of a bus quickly, running through the store, lining up quickly to pay, and getting out of there fast)..not long after arriving back at the stadium, we took the field for our exhibition match..we played against each other, and from what i understood, no one in the stands expected us to hit hard, as everyone knew that most of us were new to the sport..but that definitely wasn't the case..i don't know why i remember this, but i remember the first tackle..it was hard, and you could hear it..you could also hear the collective intake of breath in the crowd, as they realized we were going full stop..awesome..i know my team lost, but i didn't care..i loved being out there..when the game was over, (during which maria broke her foot) we took a team picture and people clapped..with the way most korean women behave (like a princess) getting women's rugby started in korea won't be easy, but people are interested in making it happen..
we watched the championship game, which the boys lost, but it was still fun..then we all took showers, which were in community shower facilities..with COLD water..everyone hopped on the bus cleaned up, and the ride home started..during the ride home there was a court session, which is apparently one of the traditions of rugby..nearly everyone was brought up on "charges" for something, and some of the charges were more entertaining than others..lots of rugby songs were sung on the way, and then someone put on a cd, and the rest of the ride back was just being social..good times..most people were drinking, of course..when we got back to itaewon, several trash bags worth of rubbish were taken out of the bus..
my first rugby game, and i loved every minute of it..i can't wait to do it again!!
13 August 2007
01 August 2007
kuta, ubud and sanur, bali, indonesia
For my school vacation, I decided to go to bali, one of the most well known islands of Indonesia…we had 11 days off, which is a couple days more than most schools had, so I consider myself lucky…w/out knowing it, 5 of the teachers at my school had all booked the same flight to bali…the flight was a straight shot, 7 hours…we arrived at ngurah rai (sp?) international airport after 11pm, ugh…fortunately, the town three of us were staying in at least the first night was really close, and just about everything in bali is dirt cheap, so it was no problem to take a taxi from the aiport…the taxi dropped me off at the same place I stayed at the last time I was in bali, almost exactly two years ago…I'm not sure if they remembered me at the surf doggie, or just assumed that anyone walking in at that hour (it's not on the tourist strip at all, and the gates were closed) must've stayed there before, because she said something to the effect of "I remember you"…howeva, she did put me in the same room I was in last time, so I don't know…
The next three days were all pretty much the same…I woke up, read and had breakfast, read some more, went to the beach for a couple hours, enjoyed watching all the surfers, both beginning and advanced…avoided all the people trying to sell me things…when I'm laying down with my eyes closed, do you really think I want to buy a ring? Or have a massage? Or rent a boogie board or surfboard? I don't think so…after the beach I'd head back to my room, change, then mosey back to a random place and get a foot massage…shop for a little while, then meet up with darryl and shelena for dinner…we ate at cheap places, not spending more than $2.50 per meal…well, the main part of the meal was usually $1.50, then we'd go somewhere else and have ice cream, which was more expensive, but still fun…I'd go back to my room, read, and turn out the light when I felt like it…I don't know what time I went to sleep any of the nights during the vacation…
The fourth full day, I got on a 6 am bus, and went to ubud…ubud is the cultural capital of bali…it's known for it's many temples, art galleries, spas, locals who still wear traditional clothing, and performances of traditional Balinese dance…I went to the place I stayed the last time I was in ubud, and was again put in the same room as last time…though this time I know that was pure chance, as they didn't recognize me…the first morning I checked out a number of temples, including a few I didn't see last time…maybe it was the time of day, or something else, but all except one of the temples were totally deserted as I walked through…they seem much more spiritual when there aren't people EVERYWHERE…ubud palace, saraswati temple, and others…the afternoon was spent at a spa, getting the royal treatment…an hour massage, body exfoliation, a bath in flowered water, and intensive hair treatment…all for $16, and 3 hours…soooo nice…dinner at one of the local places...(why spend $3 for the same meal you can get it for 50cents at a local place?)…a performance of traditional Balinese dance that night…the costumes are amazing, as is the makeup…and the dance itself is like nothing you'll ever see in the western world…the music is from a gamelon orchestra…a gamelon is somewhat similar to a xylophone, but it struck with something that looks very much like a hammer…and the sound is different, though it's hard to describe how…there are many different sizes of gamelon, and one of the players is sortof the conductor, though that's not obvious if you aren't looking for it…(I was only looking for it since I played in an orchestra for so long)…each time a dancer in a new costume came out, the crowd got out the cameras and hand phones again…I did so as well, but I was nice enough to turn off the flash…that must be incredibly distracting to the dancers…
the next morning I woke up and went walking…it was a route described in my lonely planet guidebook that seemed easy enough in terms of where to go…(I'm really good at getting lost, and didn't feel like doing that in the middle of nowhere)…it was indeed easy to follow, but I felt like I was still doing some exploring…as I walked through several small villages, the locals all watched me, so I got the feeling not many foreigners did the walk…one little boy walked up to me and said "photo?" and struck a pose…hands down the coolest kid ever…I showed it to him after I took it, he liked it…hee hee…I took lots of pictures of the rica paddy fields, I think they're really pretty, though I have no idea why…that afternoon I rented a motorbike, after realizing that the next thing I wanted to see would take me more than an hour of walking to get to, and I didn't have that kind of time…now, a few things to remember: 1. I hadn't been in control of a motorized vehicle since before I moved to korea. and 2. they drive on the left side of the rode in indonesia…so as I got on the motorbike and drove, I was terrified, both for myself and anyone else I might inadvertently hit/run over…somehow or another, I ended up where I wanted to be w/out falling/hitting anyone/wrecking…it was fun to be driving again, and I got more and more comfortable the farther I went…though I was still considerably slower than all the locals, who weave in and out of traffic all the time…I walked around the elephant cave area…it's unknown why it's called the elephant cave, since it doesn't look like an elephant at all…it is a manmade cave carved into a rock wall, and the face carved on the outside is pretty cool…the inside of the cave is just one corridor, with different niches to place offerings…according to the guidebook and locals who try to get you to hire them as guides, the cave is still used for religious ceremonies…it was a bit eerie go to in, as the air doesn't move at all, and it's not a good place to go if you are claustrophobic…I went in, looked around (it's dark except for the like from the entranceway) and got out…there is also a fountain that was originally used by balinese royalty to clean off…now of course, tourists wash their hands and faces and have their pictures taken…I don't know how the water system is set up, but it's pretty impressive…back on the bike, back into town w/out getting hurt or hurting anyone else, dropped it off, and made my way to another spa…(ubud is full of spas, from the cheapt ones to the expensive ones…simple massages all the way to all day pampering)…more dinner, and another dance performance…this one was a kecak dance, which has no instruments to provide the music…the dancers are also a chorus, and since the music…it's impressive…at one point, a man did a fire dance…he walked through/kick a pile of burning coconut husks…I saw the bottoms of his feet after the performance, and they were quite black, though I'm guessing that was from soot as much as anything else…the last morning I got up and walked out to the ubud botanical gardens…they're pretty impressive, or at least I think they would be if everything is blooming…howeva, when I walked through, many flowers had just been planted, so they weren't yet blooming…there were two aspects that I really liked though…one was the quietness/stillness of the entire area, and the other was the maze…(for those of you who are wondering, yes, I did get lost in there…rather unnerving)…walked back to town, rented a motorboke again, and drove out to tegallalung village, about 10km outside ubud…by this time I felt a whole lot more comfortable on the bike, and even passed a few cars…the entire way to the village was on a road with nothing but art galleries and shops where the locals make all the stuff they sell…I know if I had gotten off the bike and started looking around, I never would've gotten back on the bike w/out buying something…the village I was going to is known for one thing, some very impressive rice paddy terraces…they're really cool to see…the down side to them is all the vendors who are set up on the other side, and these vendors are really persistent…they approach you as soon as you get off your bike/out of your car…and they don't go away nearly as easily as other vendors I've seen in bali…I'm not good at saying no, so it was hard…but really, I don't want any more sarongs, or any boxes, or any purses, or anything else…I looked at the terraces for a while, then hopped back on the bike and drove to the last sight I wanted to see, something called yeh pulu…it's a wall with scenes carved into it…it was only discovered in the 80's, they don't know for sure when all the scenes were carved…I met a girl who was traveling with her aunt and friend, she and I compared life stories…(amazing how you can do that with a total stranger)…she was just about to finish her nursing program at chico state, I am still somewhat of a clueless teacher…anywho, back to town, dropped off the bike, dinner and my last performance…this one was in yet another location (the two previous nights had been outdoor performances, this was indoors) and sortof a combination of the two other performances…a smaller gamelon orchestra, and the characters singing/speaking many lines…overall, I think I liked this performance the best…though maybe that was b/c it was easier for me to figure out the good guys and bad guys, and figure out the story line…most of these performances are based on stories from hinduism, and a lot have to do with 'good' winning the battle over 'bad'…
the next morning I got on another bus, and headed to the beach town of sanur…according to the guidebook, it is sometimes given the nickname of 'snore"…it's a beach town, and the beach is great, but it's nothing like the party towns over on the west coast…there are a lot more all inclusive resorts in sanur, and there is no party scene in town…there is also a reef that protects the beaches, so there aren't waves coming up to shore in nearly the strength level as there are in kuta and others…I laid out on a chair, and kept expecting someone to come up and charge me for using the chair, but it never happened…I still don't know if the chairs belong to the resorts, or locals out to make a buck…my two days in sanur consisted of very little…laying out on the beach, reading and talking to the other folks staying at my hostel…there were a couple french couples, and they let me join them in conversation…which meant that it was mostly in english, but I used what french I know, and I was able to follow a decent amount of what they were saying when they were totally in french…there was also a dutch family, traveling through indonesia on a 6 week trip…their son does tae kwon doe back in holland, and when he found out I live in korea, he proceeded to count to ten for me in korean…very cute…another bus back to kuta for my last two days…more time on the beach, foot massages, relaxing and a whole lot of shopping…I hadn't been buying much during the trip unless I knew I couldn't get it anywhere else, cause I didn't want to have to haul it around the whole time…I didn't buy much though, my biggest (combined) purchase throughout the trip was all my postcards…
the last night was kinda sad…we knew we had to fly back to korea, and we didn't want to go…no one ever wants to go back to the real world after a good vacation…we had a night flight, so we had all day to do whateva we wanted before heading to the airport…the line to check in at the airport was the slowest line I've ever been in…amazingly slow…there were four counters open for this one flight, and none of them seemed to move…ugh…after chekcing in, you have to pay the airport "passenger service fee" which is really an exit fee…I wonder what happens if someone doesn't have money when they get to the airport…when I am traveling I often try to end up with no money, and I would've been w/out money if I hadn't remembered my previous trip, and known that there is an exit fee…it didn't even look like they took credit cards, though I'm sure they would if it was necessary…it's about $10 a person, which ends up being a LOT of money when you think about all the people who go through that airport…I wonder who gets the money, and what is done with it…that part was esay, as was emmigration, and whateva else…we took off late, (not that I noticed, I was asleep long before the plane took off) and landed in seoul 7 hours later, back in the real world…
but at least I got a tan:)
The next three days were all pretty much the same…I woke up, read and had breakfast, read some more, went to the beach for a couple hours, enjoyed watching all the surfers, both beginning and advanced…avoided all the people trying to sell me things…when I'm laying down with my eyes closed, do you really think I want to buy a ring? Or have a massage? Or rent a boogie board or surfboard? I don't think so…after the beach I'd head back to my room, change, then mosey back to a random place and get a foot massage…shop for a little while, then meet up with darryl and shelena for dinner…we ate at cheap places, not spending more than $2.50 per meal…well, the main part of the meal was usually $1.50, then we'd go somewhere else and have ice cream, which was more expensive, but still fun…I'd go back to my room, read, and turn out the light when I felt like it…I don't know what time I went to sleep any of the nights during the vacation…
The fourth full day, I got on a 6 am bus, and went to ubud…ubud is the cultural capital of bali…it's known for it's many temples, art galleries, spas, locals who still wear traditional clothing, and performances of traditional Balinese dance…I went to the place I stayed the last time I was in ubud, and was again put in the same room as last time…though this time I know that was pure chance, as they didn't recognize me…the first morning I checked out a number of temples, including a few I didn't see last time…maybe it was the time of day, or something else, but all except one of the temples were totally deserted as I walked through…they seem much more spiritual when there aren't people EVERYWHERE…ubud palace, saraswati temple, and others…the afternoon was spent at a spa, getting the royal treatment…an hour massage, body exfoliation, a bath in flowered water, and intensive hair treatment…all for $16, and 3 hours…soooo nice…dinner at one of the local places...(why spend $3 for the same meal you can get it for 50cents at a local place?)…a performance of traditional Balinese dance that night…the costumes are amazing, as is the makeup…and the dance itself is like nothing you'll ever see in the western world…the music is from a gamelon orchestra…a gamelon is somewhat similar to a xylophone, but it struck with something that looks very much like a hammer…and the sound is different, though it's hard to describe how…there are many different sizes of gamelon, and one of the players is sortof the conductor, though that's not obvious if you aren't looking for it…(I was only looking for it since I played in an orchestra for so long)…each time a dancer in a new costume came out, the crowd got out the cameras and hand phones again…I did so as well, but I was nice enough to turn off the flash…that must be incredibly distracting to the dancers…
the next morning I woke up and went walking…it was a route described in my lonely planet guidebook that seemed easy enough in terms of where to go…(I'm really good at getting lost, and didn't feel like doing that in the middle of nowhere)…it was indeed easy to follow, but I felt like I was still doing some exploring…as I walked through several small villages, the locals all watched me, so I got the feeling not many foreigners did the walk…one little boy walked up to me and said "photo?" and struck a pose…hands down the coolest kid ever…I showed it to him after I took it, he liked it…hee hee…I took lots of pictures of the rica paddy fields, I think they're really pretty, though I have no idea why…that afternoon I rented a motorbike, after realizing that the next thing I wanted to see would take me more than an hour of walking to get to, and I didn't have that kind of time…now, a few things to remember: 1. I hadn't been in control of a motorized vehicle since before I moved to korea. and 2. they drive on the left side of the rode in indonesia…so as I got on the motorbike and drove, I was terrified, both for myself and anyone else I might inadvertently hit/run over…somehow or another, I ended up where I wanted to be w/out falling/hitting anyone/wrecking…it was fun to be driving again, and I got more and more comfortable the farther I went…though I was still considerably slower than all the locals, who weave in and out of traffic all the time…I walked around the elephant cave area…it's unknown why it's called the elephant cave, since it doesn't look like an elephant at all…it is a manmade cave carved into a rock wall, and the face carved on the outside is pretty cool…the inside of the cave is just one corridor, with different niches to place offerings…according to the guidebook and locals who try to get you to hire them as guides, the cave is still used for religious ceremonies…it was a bit eerie go to in, as the air doesn't move at all, and it's not a good place to go if you are claustrophobic…I went in, looked around (it's dark except for the like from the entranceway) and got out…there is also a fountain that was originally used by balinese royalty to clean off…now of course, tourists wash their hands and faces and have their pictures taken…I don't know how the water system is set up, but it's pretty impressive…back on the bike, back into town w/out getting hurt or hurting anyone else, dropped it off, and made my way to another spa…(ubud is full of spas, from the cheapt ones to the expensive ones…simple massages all the way to all day pampering)…more dinner, and another dance performance…this one was a kecak dance, which has no instruments to provide the music…the dancers are also a chorus, and since the music…it's impressive…at one point, a man did a fire dance…he walked through/kick a pile of burning coconut husks…I saw the bottoms of his feet after the performance, and they were quite black, though I'm guessing that was from soot as much as anything else…the last morning I got up and walked out to the ubud botanical gardens…they're pretty impressive, or at least I think they would be if everything is blooming…howeva, when I walked through, many flowers had just been planted, so they weren't yet blooming…there were two aspects that I really liked though…one was the quietness/stillness of the entire area, and the other was the maze…(for those of you who are wondering, yes, I did get lost in there…rather unnerving)…walked back to town, rented a motorboke again, and drove out to tegallalung village, about 10km outside ubud…by this time I felt a whole lot more comfortable on the bike, and even passed a few cars…the entire way to the village was on a road with nothing but art galleries and shops where the locals make all the stuff they sell…I know if I had gotten off the bike and started looking around, I never would've gotten back on the bike w/out buying something…the village I was going to is known for one thing, some very impressive rice paddy terraces…they're really cool to see…the down side to them is all the vendors who are set up on the other side, and these vendors are really persistent…they approach you as soon as you get off your bike/out of your car…and they don't go away nearly as easily as other vendors I've seen in bali…I'm not good at saying no, so it was hard…but really, I don't want any more sarongs, or any boxes, or any purses, or anything else…I looked at the terraces for a while, then hopped back on the bike and drove to the last sight I wanted to see, something called yeh pulu…it's a wall with scenes carved into it…it was only discovered in the 80's, they don't know for sure when all the scenes were carved…I met a girl who was traveling with her aunt and friend, she and I compared life stories…(amazing how you can do that with a total stranger)…she was just about to finish her nursing program at chico state, I am still somewhat of a clueless teacher…anywho, back to town, dropped off the bike, dinner and my last performance…this one was in yet another location (the two previous nights had been outdoor performances, this was indoors) and sortof a combination of the two other performances…a smaller gamelon orchestra, and the characters singing/speaking many lines…overall, I think I liked this performance the best…though maybe that was b/c it was easier for me to figure out the good guys and bad guys, and figure out the story line…most of these performances are based on stories from hinduism, and a lot have to do with 'good' winning the battle over 'bad'…
the next morning I got on another bus, and headed to the beach town of sanur…according to the guidebook, it is sometimes given the nickname of 'snore"…it's a beach town, and the beach is great, but it's nothing like the party towns over on the west coast…there are a lot more all inclusive resorts in sanur, and there is no party scene in town…there is also a reef that protects the beaches, so there aren't waves coming up to shore in nearly the strength level as there are in kuta and others…I laid out on a chair, and kept expecting someone to come up and charge me for using the chair, but it never happened…I still don't know if the chairs belong to the resorts, or locals out to make a buck…my two days in sanur consisted of very little…laying out on the beach, reading and talking to the other folks staying at my hostel…there were a couple french couples, and they let me join them in conversation…which meant that it was mostly in english, but I used what french I know, and I was able to follow a decent amount of what they were saying when they were totally in french…there was also a dutch family, traveling through indonesia on a 6 week trip…their son does tae kwon doe back in holland, and when he found out I live in korea, he proceeded to count to ten for me in korean…very cute…another bus back to kuta for my last two days…more time on the beach, foot massages, relaxing and a whole lot of shopping…I hadn't been buying much during the trip unless I knew I couldn't get it anywhere else, cause I didn't want to have to haul it around the whole time…I didn't buy much though, my biggest (combined) purchase throughout the trip was all my postcards…
the last night was kinda sad…we knew we had to fly back to korea, and we didn't want to go…no one ever wants to go back to the real world after a good vacation…we had a night flight, so we had all day to do whateva we wanted before heading to the airport…the line to check in at the airport was the slowest line I've ever been in…amazingly slow…there were four counters open for this one flight, and none of them seemed to move…ugh…after chekcing in, you have to pay the airport "passenger service fee" which is really an exit fee…I wonder what happens if someone doesn't have money when they get to the airport…when I am traveling I often try to end up with no money, and I would've been w/out money if I hadn't remembered my previous trip, and known that there is an exit fee…it didn't even look like they took credit cards, though I'm sure they would if it was necessary…it's about $10 a person, which ends up being a LOT of money when you think about all the people who go through that airport…I wonder who gets the money, and what is done with it…that part was esay, as was emmigration, and whateva else…we took off late, (not that I noticed, I was asleep long before the plane took off) and landed in seoul 7 hours later, back in the real world…
but at least I got a tan:)
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