Vietnam!

We arrived in Saigon very late on Friday evening. They say that May is the hottest month in Vietnam and I can certainly believe it! It seems I will be in a constant state of perspiration while I am here but I am prepared to deal with it! I am very lucky to have lovely friends to stay with while in Saigon. My sister's dear friend Gloria and her husband Keith recently relocated to Vietnam for a few years as Keith works for Nike. They have a very large and comfortable apartment in the center of the city. They even have a personal driver whom we were fortunate enough to meet yesterday. He was so kind to drive us around the city for sightseeing. Saigon is a bustling city and the main tourist sights can be seen within a day. I find that the most fascinating aspect of the city is the intricate flow of the motorbike traffic. My friends Sarah and Tyler were just here a few days ago and Tyler really has a perfect description of what it is like. Click here to read his blog entry. You really have to see it to get an appreciation for it!

It was so fun to spend the day with Gloria and hear about her experiences adjusting to a new country. She is one of those people who always exudes positivity and is such a joy to be around.

Here are some pics of our day yesterday:


In front of the central market. Gloria has made friends with one of the stall workers who gave Diana a great discount on a cute little basket bag.


Inside the Post Office / Outside the cathedral and Opera House


Gloria sipping coconut juice


Evening drinks with Keith and Gloria at the Saigon Saigon bar


Motorbikes!

Mr. Thun: Gloria and Keith's driver

Our next stop: Mekong Delta!

Shopping show and tell!

This little post is purely for my girlfriends who would appreciate this! Here is a pic of some fun jewelry I bought: jade ring, flower earrings (from my mom), funky pearl ring with hammered metal band. *Squeal* cute!!!

I also bought some gifts for you all but these will be a surprise! :)

Meditation and Taekwondo

One of the results of traveling with others is that we often have to compromise what to see and do based on different interests/priorities. A couple of 'off-the-wall' things I really wanted to do included taking an introductory meditation class at the Arui Mind, Body & Spirit Center. I have recently become very interested in meditation, yoga and eastern medicine. So I dragged my friend Diana with me and we were able to get signed up right away. Our teacher was a lovely young lady who has been teaching at the center for the past 3 years. She said that she used to have a very stressful job working in the film production industry. She said that she started practicing meditation to simply be happy. Apparently she has achieved this because her aura clearly exuded her happiness and peace. She never returned to her old job and is now teaching at the center full-time. Hmm.. I could certainly learn from her example.. Anyway we spent the first 30 minutes doing a variety of exercises to awaken the energy along our meridian. She also gave us an overview about the five elements philosophy (soil, metal, water, tree, fire, minister fire). We spent the last 30 minutes practicing breathing exercises for meditation. We then completed the class with a lovely pot of tea in their charming tea room. I thoroughly enjoyed the experience, it was just my 'cup of tea'!

The second thing I wanted to see in Seoul included a live Taekwondo demonstration by the Kukkiwon Taekwondo team. They hold free demonstrations every Wednesday and Saturday in the Gyeonghulgang Palace. My mother and aunt wanted to come along as well and fortunately it was extremely entertaining and impressive! The highly skilled athletes demonstrated synchronized movements, amazing board breaking, apple splitting, acrobatic kicks and dramatized fight scenes. I highly recommend this as a must-see for those who visit Seoul!

In front of Gyeonghulgang Palace:

Demonstration pics:

Go Girl!!

Here's us trying out some moves:

The school also offers a short introductory course to foreigners teaching the basic movements of Taekwondo. Participants receive a diploma and a badge.

Seoul Sights

My friend Diana joined me in Korea this week and we have been having lots of fun sightseeing, shopping and eating! Serendipitously this week the 5th annual Seoul Festival is going on so we have been pleasantly surprised to catch unexpected events. This festival welcomes summer with a variety of events around the city including traditional performances, concerts, food fairs, fashion shows, tea ceremonies and parades. And it's all free!

Here are some pics of King Jongjo's Royal procession at Changdeokgung Palace:

Changdeokgung Palace was originally built in 1405 as a secondary palace and became the primary palace in 1896. Like all Joseon palaces, it has a mountain behind it and a small stream in front for good feng shui!

Walking around the palace:


Taking in some museum time at the National Museum of Korea:


My parents treated us to a traditional Korean dance/musical performance at the Korea House. The show included court dances, pansori (Korean opera), fan dance, a spiritual shamanist dance, female drummers and samullori (traditional farmers' dance). Here is a shot of us with some of the troupe members after the show:


Getting in our workout by hiking up the hundreds of steps to the Seoul Tower:

View from mid-way