The Amazing/Horrible/Unthinkable/Beautiful end of the Road [Cambodia]

Some of you may remember a mistake I made a little while back, which threw a giant chainsaw (wrenches are for suckers) into my summer vacay plans. As it was, I missed out on Cambodia the first time around, and was determined to make up for this short coming on my way outta town (also know as the continent of Asia).  Thus, on a lovely day in mid October, Ali Matt and I crossed the boarder into the Kingdom of Cambodia... by foot.

The bording crossing itself was just plain silly. After a boat, tuk-tuk, bus combo pack from Don Det, we found ourselves on the border of Laos and Cambodia; or rather, almost at the boarder. Our bus kicked us (and our bags) out just before the border, where we would officially exit the country. Along with a small group of travelers like ourselves (and one man unlucky enough to be dragging a rolling bag throughout this ordeal) we checked out of Laos and crossed into Cambodia by walking along a muddy gravel road past what looked like a pretty grand border crossing building, which had been abandoned mid construction. We made our way to what was essentially a picnic table next to one of those portable awnings they use at fairs and farmers markets labeled with the words Health Check. Here we had to sign a piece of paper saying we didn't have any freaky diseases and have a weird contraption pointed at our heads. I am pretty sure we were having our temperatures checked and it all felt weirdly similar to the summer that was Swine09, when we had to check each camper before they were allowed onto camp at the start of the session (that turned out great...) After our health checks we went to a different office to fill out our Cambodian visa application. Fine. nbd, standard visa app, attach your photos, pay the fee, whatever. What was really silly is the fact that one of the immigration officers spent the entire 30 min or so we were all standing around this office taking photos of everyone on a digital camera. Whether this was their security protocol and/or they were taking photos for the immigration website or something of that nature, we'll never know. What we do know is that someone at the Cambodian immigration office has roughly 30 pictures of each of us. One more office, and an official, hand-written visa later, we had walked our way into Cambodia and onto a bus bound for [Siem Reap, Cambodia]

Those keeping track at home may recall that we were wandering our way through South East Asia during the rainy season and, as such, had heard (and told) more than a handful of stories resulting from the occasional monsoon. We had heard along the way that large portions of Siem Reap were underwater; but, as the city is home to the famous Ankor Temples, and we felt we had given the city a week or so to dry out, we decided to try our luck in the ancient kingdom. Turns out, this was an interesting roll of the dice.

It was amusing and a bit confusing when, upon arriving in Siem Reap, the usual shouts of "Where you go!?" and "You need guest house??" Were replaced with "You need a boat??" Not that anyone had a boat, the shouts were coming from the same tuk-tuks we had seen everywhere else. It was just that these little nuggets were now forcing their way through up to two feet of rushing water to reach their destination. As it was, we got a little wet. Woops.



Having to walk barefoot through knee deep water in the streets of a SE Asian city aside, Siem Reap is a pretty cool place. There are loads of guest houses, and markets and restaurants and nightlife, and lots of shops to benefit various causes (if you can sort the legit from the not-so much...) But, the real reason to come to Siem Reap and the real reason it has become such a popular travel destination, are the UNESCO World Heritage Site Ankor Temples, and their crown Jewel, one of the seven wonders of the world, Ankor Wat.

We may have stayed up too late the day before our 14 hour temple marathon, and it may have rained on our sunrise Ankor Wat party, and my sleepy photos from the first hour or so might be pretty yucky; but, the two days we spent exploring the ruins of the once glorious Khmer kingdom, were absolutly amazing. This, my friends, is a place where words and photos cannot do justice to reality. As it is, I will let a handful of my inappropriate amount of photos do the talking, I swear they will try their best...

One last interesting note, that you will have to imagine on your own, is this: half way to one of the temples our tuk-tuk passed a gaggle of monkeys. Matt decided he wanted to check out said monos and asked our guide to stop. I chose this opportunity to stay in the tuk-tuk and discuss with our new friend Josey how much I hate monkeys and my extensive fears that one will bite me and I will end up with rabies. (It happens ok...) As far as I know Matt had gotten the attention of the monkeys in question by creating a moving target of himself a few yards from the tuk-tuk. I maintain this blissfull ignorance until Josey, who is sitting across from me yells, "OH MY GOD!!" Turning around to see what's going on, I come face to face with a monkey, practically sitting on my shoulder, who has just grabbed a fist full of my hair. Like the cool, calm and collected lady I am, I scream some profanities at the top of my lugs, leap off the tuk-tuk, and start to run down the road. I then refused to return to the tuk-tuk, until our guide was kind enough to drive a considerable distance from the offending primates.  It was pretty special and, just so you know, rabies kills.

When not wandering ancient ruins, we filled our time with shopping and eating, and a trip to the Ankor National Museum (don't try this when tired, hungry, and a bit worse for the wear). We even visited a photo exhibit at the Friends Without Boarders, Ankor Hospital for Children and spent one evening perfecting [read:learning] some Khmer cooking skills, by which point we decided we were over fording the river every time we left the guest house. It was time to move on.

On to the next one, on to [Phnom Penh, Cambodia]. Phnom Penh is not an easy place to be; because, for many, Cambodia was/is not an easy place to be. It is impossible to write about Cambodia without touching on the unthinkable history of this beautiful country. Once it was one of the most prosperous, wealthiest countries in South East Asia (and continental Asia). There were teachers, and doctors, and artists. People say it was a wonderful place to live. And then, all of a sudden, it wasn't. Even if it's no fun at all, it's nearly impossible to think about Cambodia without thinking about Pol Pot and the Khmer Rouge. If you can forget the heinous crimes and atrocities committed against its own people by the Khmer Rouge elsewhere, Phnom Penh is where you remember.

When the Khmer Rouge took power in 1975, they began to radically transform the nation "into a rural, classless society in which there were no rich people, no poor people, and no exploitation." In reality, Pol Pot (Brother #1) and his followers massacred nearly two million Cambodians, between 1975 and 1979. Along with evacuating all major cities, and relocating millions of people to joint-labor rural "communities," the Khmer Rouge targeted the educated and, in effect, wiped out the countries entire infostructure (teachers, doctors, businessmen, education, currency etc.) during its reign. The Khmer Rouge executed and tortured those who did not fit into its "pure, classless, agrarian society" and left behind thousands of mass graves (many filled with women and children), chilling prisons and torture facilities. With out getting into the details, I encourage those unaware to look into what was going on in the world a short four decades ago because, until I went to Asia, I had no idea. "Never Forget, Never Again" are words often associated with the Holocaust, for us Members of The Tribe. Those same words can (and should) be applied to all global genocides, Cambodia's tragic history included. Just as many believe it is imperative to visit the concentration camps sprinkled across Eastern Europe, it is immensely important to visit the Killing Fields and S21 Prison / Genocide Museum when in Phnom Phen. Everyone will react and process in their own way; but, no matter what, it is not enjoyable. You will probably cry and it will make you sick to your stomach. But you have to go and you have to educate yourself. Never Forget. Never Again.

Lest you believe that Phnom Penh is all depressing, though at least a solid day of it most certainly is, my favorite part about the city was the chance to see that is has begun to (and will continue to) come back to life. With out a doubt there are still many problems in the city (and country); there is massive amounts of poverty, malnutrition, drug and sex workers, and a lack of quality education; but, there is also a city full of people who are proud to be Cambodian. There is a country full of people doing everything they can to better their situations and that of their country. Cambodia has come along way since the Khmer Rouge and one can only hope the upcoming years will breath a little bit of justice and a lot of happiness into it's lungs.

My friends and I spent the rest of the next few days, trying to soak up the best of Phnom Penh; which turned out to be attending the tail end of the FIFA U21 Championship game (Myanmar v. Thailand), wandering through the Russian Market, eating at some wonderful "for a good cause" restaurants, and taking a sunset ride along the river.

[Koh Rong, Cambodia] was the perfect end to a wonderful two months. Located off the coast of Sihanoukville, this tiny island was a place to lay on the beach and enjoy a few (or more) last days of Asian sun. In the original game plan, there was one more stop on the list. In reality, once we arrived on Koh Rong, we knew we weren't leaving. Did I mention (after vacating Monkey Island due to an overdose of techno music) we were sleeping in a tree house? Sure, I got more potentially malaria-inducing mosquito bites than I would like and there were freaky-deaky geckos all up in our bathroom and I may or may not have had the Bubons; but it was pretty, and relaxing, and wonderful. Like I said, we weren't leaving, not quite yet.

We laid and swam and read and chatted for one last week and then repacked our bags for the long haul. Ali still had a few weeks of Vietnam (jealousss..) left on her side; but, 48 hours and a lovely layover in Seoul later, Matt and I were on our way home(ish). When we opened our eyes this time, we'd be stateside for the first time in over a year...

And that, my friends, is that. You made it through my adventures sans Malaria, Cholera, Plague or any sort of unfortunate Brokedown Palace situations... Amazing, right? And it only took three months air all that dirty laundry adventuring (Let's be honest, I threw almost everything, water-buffalo-poop-sneakers included, away before leaving Phnom Penh). Are you proud of yourself? You should be. As a quasi-self-aware rambler, I am impressed anyone stuck around long enough to hear the whole story.

And what a ridiculous, amazing story it was. I am unbelievably lucky to have had the opportunity to travel as much as I have, it is an opportunity I will always be thankful for, and always remember. I am lucky to have a family that's ok(ish) with my galavanting all over the place and I am lucky to have found a way to support myself throughout (what up GEPIK!) At the end of the day I am also, most especially, lucky to have teamed up with such fabulous travel companions. I owe my sanity and safety (and most of the fun) along the way to my friends Ali and Matt. Thanks for hanging out with me chingus, you're pretty great (and lawless.. and flawless...) !

So, here I am again,  9 days away from boarding a plane to India. Another adventure, and surely, a whole different sort of experience awaits. On to the next one...stick around if you want to hear about it!

Emily


Cambodia Travel Links:
http://www.travelfish.org/country/cambodia
http://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/Travel-g293939-s205/Cambodia:Recommended.Reading.html
http://www.canbypublications.com/cambodia/buses.htm
http://www.theangkorguide.com/
http://www.tripadvisor.com/Hotel_Review-g297390-d817089-Reviews-The_Siem_Reap_Hostel-Siem_Reap_Siem_Reap_Province.html
http://www.travelfish.org/accommodation_profile/cambodia/southern_cambodia/sihanoukville/koh_rong/all/4494

"They came to Penang from all over the world." [ Malaysia ]

Rewind to September 1st...

After a ten day return to the land of the morning calm, I found myself all packed up and ready[ish] to move on. I'd taught my last classes, shipped my last boxes and paid my last bills. I took one last look around my Korean abode, grabbed my pack, and dreamt my way through a last ride into Seoul. Getting off the subway at Hongik University Station, I knew exactly where I was and where I was headed, a drastic difference from a year prior when my first venture into the city left me feeling disoriented and lost in a sea of neon and noise.  One last night with the chingus was necessary, as we all tried to temper the impending separation anxiety. As it was, we had a fab evening eating one last round of bbq, drinking one last round of soju and mekju, and taking some rad group sticky photos. Even those of us who thought we were a little too cool for such antics.

After a few hours of photos and drinks and tears, Ali and I said goodbye to our chingus, promised to send post cards, and boarded the airport express bound for Incheon International Airport. Seeing as we were on a midnight flight, we breezed through check-in and security, cried a bit more, and before we knew it were waving goodbye to our temporary homes, our friends, and our lives in Korea. When we opened our eyes in the morning, we'd already started a brand new adventure. We were in Malaysia. It was Day 1.

[Kuala Lampur, Malaysia] Kuala Lampur has roaches and rats and streets that smell like pee. I has men who leer unashamedly at western women and copious amounts of sludge in the streets. BUT, if you peel the grit away and let it fade into the background, KL has some pretty rad stuff going on. There are stunningly peaceful mosques, and extravagant Hindu temples. There are the vibrant and bustling (albeit a bit overwhelming) Chinatown and Little India, each filled with piles of merchandise, beautiful fabrics, and delicious street food for about a dollar.

Ali and I wandered, and shopped, and explored. We braved the fish-spa-pedicure tanks once more (Ali's idea). We even managed to order a meal containing no less than twelve chicken hearts (Yes, I counted. No, we didn't eat all of them. They taste like blood.)

 

A quick hop on the subway brought us to the Batu Caves, a Hindu shrine built into limestone caves which to get to one must climb 270+ steps, bypass an enormous gold statue of Lord Murugan (a Hindu deity), and evade packs of greedy and decidedly not shy monkeys. If I may, and if you intend to visit, I would encourage you NOT to feed said monkeys and, if you must, feed them all the food you have. Withholding food from non-human-fearing-monkeys never ends well. You know what it ends in? Rabies. That's what I hear. Just saying. (To clarify I did not get bit by a monkey or contract rabies...but it could happen.) If you are lucky, and we were, not only will you not get rabies, you may even get a peek at a Hindu/Indian wedding, which was one of the most beautiful ceremonies (and brides) I have ever seen. The Batu Caves in itself was one of the coolest religious structures (?) I have ever visited.

Being a Muslim country, Malaysia doesn't exactly have a rockin' party scene. So, having spent hours wandering the streets, temples, markets, etc. Ali and I spent one evening relaxing around the hostel, noses burried in books. The evening we did decided to venture out on the town, we hit up the super swanky SkyBar (where we had absolutely no business) drank super swanky mojitos, and (most importantly) caught this super swanky view of the famous Petronus Towers. Pretty legit.

Three days in KL was about enough and, while I can't say that it is my favorite city I've ever been, or number one on my list of places to return ASAP, I do think the places we saw were interesting and unlike anything I've ever seen before. The food was amazing and, when things got a little too raw, there was a lovely, clean, and peaceful park to stroll through and escape the city. There was time to read and wander and relax and a few days to absorb the fact that for the foreseeable future, Ali and I had no responsibilities beyond ourselves (and keeping each other out of trouble). In hindsight KL was pretty sweet, even if it took some coaxing to get beyond the grit.

[Pulau Perhentian Kecil, Perhentian Islands, Malaysia] I must preface this tidbit by acknowledging that only in retrospect it is an ridiculous/hysterical story. At the time I suppose it was a bit (a lot) questionable. Such is life. Moving on. We've left KL right? Right. Were on the first of many night buses we will take over the next few weeks. Not really a big deal. We board, people are loud, we sleep-ish, and we roll into Kuala Bessut, enroute to beachy paradise at about 6am. It's still dark out. Fine. Everyone else has gotten off of the bus at previous stops. Fine. We are dropped off, not right at the pier, but in a large empty parking lot. Ok, still fine. We get out, grab our bags, and notice a slightly worse for the wear man standing near by. He is the only other person in the parking lot and promptly spits out the standard, "Where you go?" which, after essentially a month in SE Asia, I ignore. I instead ask the bus driver where we can buy ferry tickets to the islands. Said bus driver proceeds to look at me like an alien and points to our welcoming committee, who is now producing a business card. Awesome. Ali and I check out the mans business card, which indicates that he is part of a legitimate enterprise (in theory)  and ask him how much the tickets will be. Seeing as we don't know where we are and have little other options, we decide to follow our new friend down the street. All of this is a little less fine. After a short walk through empty back streets, during which I was creeping 5 feet away trying to figure out whether the object in our friends hand was a pen or a knife (it was a pen) and Ali was lurking 10 feet away preparing to drop her pack and throw down if this little adventure went sour, we reached a totally legitimate tour office where we could buy our official tickets to and from the island. Great. Awesome. Fantastic! Note to our chaperone: lurking in the dark by yourself and grunting "Where you go??!" at young female travelers is not, in fact, a great business model.

So we get to the island, right? Wait. Not quite. First we have to follow a different young Malaysian man from the office to the pier, which happens to be closed. "No problem," says our newest friend. We can climb over the wall. Most boats dont leave until seven; but, seeing as he has to pick a group up first thing in the morning, we can leave early. Fine. An hour later, one luggage theft scare, one boat break down in the middle of the ocean, and one lovely instance in which our boat driver asked me if I thought he was trying to kidnap us (only a little...) Ali and I finally arrived on Perhentian Kecil Island for a few days of beach and sun and food and beach and sun.

Literally, that's all we did. Deciding we needed a little extra time than originally planned, we spent four lovely days walking from our hostel (to those wondering, Shari La does in fact have AC dorms they don't advertise) to Long Beach, a beautiful stretch of white sand and crystal water. We befriended a slightly socially awkward, sun sensitive, and extremely friendly British man slash snorkeling-enthusiast, with whom we spent the next few days swimming, laying, eating and snorkeling. It was a glorious friendship except for that time we convinced ourselves that Michael had hung out with us and convinced us of his innocence as part of an elaborate ruse in an effort to steal all of our belongings by way of offering to lock them in his locker for a few hours after we checked out. Turns out this was not the case, he simply got sidetracked talking about snorkeling on the way to the beach that day. Oh well. No harm no foul, right? Friendship intact.

After an amazing and necessary post Korea-moving-KL-madness stress reliever, Ali and I finally pealed ourselves off the glorious white sand and embarked on a lovely boat-taxi-bus-ferry journey. During the next 12 hours we would meet the half Malay half Australian married man of our dreams (and his wife), hang out in an A+W Root Beer drinking floats and hanging out with some ten year old Malay boys for a good three hours, get stalked at the bus station by a creepy creepy man ( "I see your stalking, and raise you a preemptive assault" - A.W.) and finally find ourselves in our final Malaysian destination.

[Penang, Malaysia] As an introduction to Palau Penang, Malaysia I shall once again quote my Korea Seoul-mate, and travel companion Ali, "Penang is the most delicious place I have ever been." 

 

As the result of a less than stellar night bus ride, during which I was pretty sure my human-pretzeled legs were going to end up permanently attached to both my pack and the seat, Ali and I arrived in Penang in dire need of a nap. We literally passed out on the couch in the lobby of the guesthouse and had to be shaken awake when our beds were ready. It was awkward. After a few hours spent sleeping on pillows I swear were made of baby angels and rainbows, we decided it was time to wander. And wander is what we did for the bulk of our time in Penang. We spent hours strolling through the streets of Georgetown, enjoying the remnants of British colonial architecture, poking our heads into various temples [Chinese Buddhist, Hindu, Mosques] and absorbing all of the wonderful cultures and communities represented on the Island.

As a former crown jewel of the East India Trading company, and an important trade post for goods traveling to and from Asia, Malaysia is home to a wonderful blend of cultures, unique to the region. This blend is highlighted perfectly on the Island of Penang,  and even more perfectly in the local cuisine. (I should stop pretending like eating isn't my favorite part of travel...) In between a visit to the Penang Cultural Museum, and checking out the various temples, we stumbled upon a pamphlet describing the various dishes available, a note that Penang had the best food in all of Malaysia, and a wonderful map dictating a few street food tours of the city. We were in. Obviously. Thus began the first chapter of "Emily and Ali eat their way through South East Asia." Over the course of one afternoon, in lieu of lunch and dinner, we decided to hit up a circuit of the noted street stall establishments. We worked our way through Little India sampling one of everything. Including, but not limited to, some sort of mung bean coconut porridge, salted roasted chickpeas, a cold rice noodle, palm sugar, shaved coconut concoction and tea (teh) tarik, a delicious frothy chai-esque tea.

 

That was all before we found this man... 

and the most delicious samosas I have ever had in my life. Seriously amazing. Hot and crispy on the outside. Curried deliciousness on the inside. We ate about a million. And the man laughed a lot when we came back multiple times (and days in a row). Ali swears she can never eat another samosa in her life because nothing will every be as good. I can only hope (and assume) I will find some wortthy competetors in (Big) India. Ali, alas, will be left broken hearted (unless I can sneak some through customs) because, in a cruel twist of fate, we left Penang on a Sunday. And Sunday, my friends, is apparently Samosaman's day off. Nothing else could have thwarted our plans of buying a  giant bag full to carry us through the 20 hour train ride ahead.

 

Having given it the once over, I am not actually sure I am doing Malaysia justice with this post. Yes there are parts that are dirty, yes there are places where people stare. But, such is true of almost everywhere I have been. Final verdict? Malaysia was a bit raw at times but, in reality, was under-ratedly-awesome. Not really knowing what to expect, it was like nowhere I have ever been before. It was an amazing blend of cultures [ Chinese, Indian, and ethnic Malay] all pressed up against each other, simultaneously mixing and remaining separate and distinct entities. I certainly don't regret going, and there a some parts I would certainly revisit should I get the time/opportunity/ca$h-mon-ee. This time around, 10 days were just enough. We had our fun and, as it was, had an important appointment to keep in Bangkok.

See you back in the Land of Smiles my friends, 

Emily 

WAIT!

Don't go yet!!!

Before you go back to work (I know you're at work) take a moment to check out some lovely original artwork here! I will only be selling prints for a few more weeks and awesome photos are the perfect gift for all those people who you forgot about this holiday season! Make sure everyone knows you still love them, even if holidays make you a little spazzy! Promise they'll forgive :)

Ok, now you can go. Bye friends!

Malaysia Travel Links :
http://wikitravel.org/en/Perhentian_Islands
http://wikitravel.org/en/Penang
http://oldpenang.com/ 
http://food.malaysiamostwanted.com/venues/penang-special-samosa-queen-street
http://www.airasia.com/my/en/home.page
http://www.seat61.com/Malaysia.htm

Muuido Take 2 [A Top 5 prequel]

 Hey summer... I see you have arrived.

Credit to Mike Williams for this excellent shot of yours truly.

With temperatures regularly hovering in the mid eighties, and humidity already threatening to rise to the point where breathing feels like chewing yellow dust flavored paste, summer has most definitely arrived in the ROK.

I've been feeling a dawning sense of time slipping through my fingers, most bluntly measured by the shrinking number of days left in the land of the morning calm. Realizing that my time in Korea will, in fact, be ending sometime in the near future, I've started to feel a little nostalgic for the time I will never experience again.

Ok, perhaps that was a bit melodramatic. But, I have realized that, while Korea is in no way the perfect place for me to live forever and ever, while it may be frustrating beyond belief, I've been extraordinarily happy this year. I was blessed with a wonderful opportunity, which I hope I took full advantage of. I've been pretty content with the decision I made, and hope that future decisions will turn out as grand as this one.

Luckily I have a bit more time to live out my Korean life, and I'm not going to let it slip away with out a bit of reflection and appreciation. I have recently started doodling some Top 5 lists on napkins, lesson plans and the like. I promise that, in due time, I will share said lists with the interwebs. For now, I hope you enjoy a long weekend in what is surely one of my Top 5 Places in Korea.

Welcome [back] to Muuido. 

 As those who have been paying attention may remember, my recent Memorial Day visit to the small wonderland of Muuido was the second time I had ventured to this Western Island. 5 of us spent a few days on the sand enjoying the last bit of summer during Chuseok, and had such wonderful things to say, that the rest of our friends decided they needed to check it out. Naturally, none of us were going to say no to another weekend on the beach, especially if that beach came accompanied with beach-side huts, amazing fresh seafood, nighttime campfires, and a bizarre natural phenomenon to boot. (Everyday the tide goes out well over a mile, leaving seemingly endless mudflats where the Ocean used to be.)

Our long Korean Memorial Day weekend seemed like the perfect opportunity for a group Muuido trip; so, two weeks ago, twelve of us filed our bags with picnic goods and beach towels and set out early to enjoy 3 days of relaxation on the coastal island.

Turns out we had the same idea as what seemed like every foreigner and Korean family on the peninsula. There was even another large group of Badgers, with whom we occasionally rub elbows. Over Chuseok, our crew was joined by three or four other huts of English teachers and a smattering of Koreans who seemed utterly shocked that we had found the place. This time it was a little more like foreigner Spring Break meets all of Korea on a family trip to the beach. Basically, it was ridiculous.

 

"Most Korean's, they think the sun is enemy number 1." - Mike's co-teacher

None the less, our days on Muuido were spent lazing around and playing sports and games on the beach, wandering the mudflats, laying some more, and having the most legit Korean picnics these waygooks have ever seen.

 

 

 That is of course until around 4 pm when the tide began to roll back in, and with it....

...the zombie apocalypse. I am not joking. I think due to a even more bizarre reaction between the sun baked mud flats and the cool ocean water, the hours between 4 and 5 looked like nothing short of an apocalyptic horror movie. A heavy fog swept in literally engulfing the horizon, as well as all those left racing the tide back to shore.

The zombie apocalypse effect was only enhanced by a small army brigade (or some sort of army prep program .. a bit unclear) running drills in the mist. Tell me this doesn't look like they are preparing to fight of the Zombies,  or maybe KJI.

After providing us the opportunity to marvel at the bizarre weather and realize that we would not, in fact, have to fight off the zombies, both evenings clear up enough to enjoy icey dips in the ocean, sunset galbi on the beach, delicious fresh seafood feasts, and twilight hours filled with campfires, REAL s'mores, a little 맥주, and friends.

While this trip to Muuido was most certainly different than my first encounter with the island, it was an amazing weekend none the less. I think this little coastal gem accounts for two of my favorite weekends in the ROK and, for that, it most certainly makes my Korea Top 5.

Anyeong[hikheseyo].
에밀리

[Public service announcement to any waygooks who may have stumbled across this post in search of information, on or directions, to Muuido. I have now followed terrible directions found online TWICE in search of Muuido. The easiest, most direct, and correct route is as follows: take the most convenient route to Incheon Airport. From there the 222 bus will take you straight to the Muuido ferry. There are two 222 buses; both go to the ferry but one you will have to walk about 5 minutes. Just check with the driver, you want the one to the ferry but the other isn't the end of the world. Don't take the 306, as it drops you off really far away.  Once you reach the ferry you buy a ticket for about 3 dollars that is your round trip ferry ticket. No need to hold onto it, as anyone whose on the island has obviously paid. there ferry takes under 5 minutes, and from there you wait for the bus. There is literally only one bus on the island with two stops. The second stop is Haeundae Beach. You can rent huts for 20,000W a night plus a 10,000W key deposit. 4 People can fit in a hut as long as your not giant, 5 was a tighht squeeze, three would be practically roomy. Hope this helps, as it seems there is very little practical info out there. :) ]