Jonsi - a spiritual experience!

Do yourself a favour and watch this: http://vimeo.com/17292667

It sure doesn't give it justice! But boy-o-boy! What an experience!

I have never been so moved by music as this Monday evening in Seoul listening to Jonsi- the Icelandic sensation.

I had become interested in the band Sigur Ros, when my very special friend Emma introduced me to them. There album cover intrigued me- a group of naked men running through a daisy field. And their music is exactly that! It is liberating, freeing, enchanting and youthful! I always want to dance whenever I hear this music. My favourite song of Sigur Ros is "Gobbledigook", and exactly as it sounds it makes one feel alive as the melodic madness yet harmony entrances and captures your very essence! My favourite thing at Uni was to play them on full blast in my little "Jean Claude" as I enjoyed a ride to Simon's Town! AH BLISS!

Anyway, so this is all a lead up to telling you about Jonsi-who is the lead singer of Sigur Ros. He has been on a world tour and for one night only he was in Seoul! And how convenient that Seoul is only 1hour and 20min away by bus from Chuncheon! I jumped at the opportunity when Chung told me they were coming! Although a little pricey for the tickets-the experience was beyond any monetary value!

We left hoe straight after school, to catch the 5pm bus and off here we were on a Monday night into the big city! There is something about Seoul as you first catch a glimpse of it that makes me so very excited indeed.. and this time was no exception! WHOOPPEE! We caught a taxi to the venue after some tea and coffee at Coffee bean! And then at 8pm all the magic began!

After his first note was sung- the audience simultaneously gulped in awe! We knew we were in for a remarkable experience. I have never heard an audience stand in absolute silence as then- nobody moved or dared say a word as the music filled our souls... I spent most of the concert with absolute goosebumps! The overtones created by his pure voice and absolute precision of pitch were crazy! The ensemble of instruments and the harmony within the chaos of sound was out of this world! The line-up was definitely very well planned, as with each song there was a build up to his hit- GO DO- which is the song I have linked! I phoned Em in the middle so she could hear a glimpse of it!

What I could not get over were the unbelievable visuals! Lighting, graphic design, computer graphics and who knows what was used to create scenes of moving tigers and owls on the hunt, falling rain, leaves falling including helicopter leaves (which made me think of the one at home that always clogs up the pool at 393 Frank Street) and my favourite- honeysuckers or sunbirds getting nectar from beautiful flowers. I think the climax of the night was when the fan club from Seoul had organised on a certain song to add their own flavour to the event and without warning about 500 paper jet planes were flown from different audience members onto stage! Clearly this is a special thing of his-but even the band were flabbergasted. It was sure a sight to be seen!

But what I think blew me away most was the humility and unselfishness of Jonsi- this remarkable talent. I no very little about him and he didn't feel he had to share that with anyone. It was all about the music-the spiritual, soulful experience of living and breathing and appreciating! WOWAWEEH!!

Never will a concert compare!

Here is the Youtube link to my favourite song-

boy lilikoi

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AiOdZlCOWYU

Love, Laugh and Live!

Manilla, Boracay, Tagaytay, Chuncheon, Daejon, Sokcho, Seoul, Tokyo and then some!!!!

7 weeks have flown by... and I have managed to conquer Phillipines, more of Korea and now heading to Japan in exactly 23 hours!! I unfortunately have not been able to blog about all of my travels, but I will certainly get back and write close to a novel about all the excitement. In bullet point form here are some highlights to expect:

Nightlife of Manilla- the sex-trade capital of the world

The peaceful yet exhilarating sailing of Boracay

The scrumptious prawns and mouth-watering mangoes

A hike up a volcano in Tagaytay

Volunteering at the Leisure(less) Games

Coffee-cup readings from a Turkish girl

Scootering adventures around town: goodbye taxis, hello independence!

Soul searching and dancing shoes in Daejon with a very close friend

Cross-dressing and mayhem in Sokcho

Couch hosting a Frenchie who played me music on his guitar

Stop over in Seoul for a kuier met n regtige Suid Afrikanse seun

JAPAN!!!!!

I leave tomorrow morning and head straight to TOKYO!!!!!

I am meeting my dearest and oldest friend -Lissy Lau for 9 days of a complete and utter sheer travelling extravaganza!

2 nights Tokyo

3nights Sendai

2 nights Kyoto

1 night Osaka

Home James! Just in time to host 2 more turkey gals on my couch and celebrate my birthday on 27th!

3 things I need to mention about planning for Japan:

1. I was told by my one student that I am very Bourgeoisie for going to Japan and I kindly responded well, to be honest eating Kimbap for the entire month prior has been interesting.

2. My JR PASS (Japanese Rail Pass) for 7 days cost double what I paid for my scooter!!!

3. I am meeting Lisa in the busiest intersection in the world! It only has 8 lines crossing it and 200 exits! Holy COW! If we actually meet up -it is a miracle!

Adios amigos

KONNICHIWAH JAPAN!

xxx

Ps- this photo is of Shinjuku- our meeting place!

When was the last time you did something for the first time?

"When was the last time you did something for the first time?" has always struck me as quite a cool saying. It's simplistic, yet indeed challenges the idea of routine and normality in our everyday life. This weekend I experienced this feeling on several occasions: firstly I went to a trance party in Itaewon, I ate KFC at 5am as the sun was rising, I spoke to an American Soldier about his experiences in Iraq which were devastating, and I ate BACON and EGGS (not my first time-but it feels so long ago that I did- it could have very well been my first time!)

Seoul is always vibing! There is just something about this city that exudes excitement, a sense of bali-bali (hurry-hurry), something electric and ticking-perhaps even like a bomb! Yes, Seoul is like a time-bomb-any and ever second a bomb is about to explode-fresh ideas, new contracts, social meetings, getting noticed and noticing! Nothing waits in Seoul! And neither Kirsten and I!

I met her at about 8:30pm after making our way across the country to the capital! After a search in the guide book (thanks to my friends back home) we found a dindgy hotel with a perfect location. ie a few hundred metres from the Club Oxygen! We went back to our room (literally a bed and a metre walking space and shoddy shower) where we got dressed up for th evening! Haven't really done that since I got here so I was thrilled! on our way to the club we didnt want to get there too early-that would be uncool-Kirst assured me-so instead we stopped in a toyshop and bought tattoos! well-I did! Kirsten was horrified by my kitch selection of a black and silver scorpion! I on the other hand was delighted! With the help from the toyshop owner, water from my waterbottle and some toilet paper-I had made it- my life was complete with a horrendous fake tattoo. Nevertheless, I was asked by several characters in the evening if it was real! And with a gorgeous dashing fake smile, I could only answer: YES! :0)

The evening (and morning) itself was jolly interesting. In Cape Town, the trance scene ususlly involves a lot of hippies, danicng barefoot, in a field taking drugs and getting high, although this trance scene was very different: a sophisticated Club, a dress code of no sandals and no shorts and a smart attire, only very expensive alcoholic beverages -even the water cost R20 equivalent and there were no signs of drugs-only high heels and powder used to powder their noses. This was most amusing and probably most sad about the entire evening. The young ladies-in the springtime of their lives- looked miserable. Well, they looked stylish, mod and chic as if just taken out of a magazine, but they appeared to be awfully sad and miserable. Admiring their stick-thin silhouettes in the dark mirrors of the restroom displayed such a sad scene of obsessively beautifiul women that only knew self-worth from what their outer appearance portrayed. It was heart-wrenching to see how Korea is also a nation obsessed with "beauty".

In my pumps, my denim skirt and simple grey top-I decided not too judge anything-the people, the crowds and especially the MUSIC! Kirsten gave me god advice about just letting your hair down, closing your eyes and dancing like no-one is watching. Great tip- it obviously worked as at 4:30 only did I think ok I am getting tired now. My best part about it was the visual stimuli on the gigantic plsma screen behind the various dj's. The fluroscent and cycodelic images projected on the screen were entrancing and the lights were out of this world-especially the green beams all around the large room that created a cage-like effect over the dance floor. There were 2 strange characters who seemed to follow me around the whole night-one being a Swiss guy who was in Korea to learn English (HUH?) and a 28 year old Korean engineer by the name of Tan who was seriously persistent and tried to make me do the robot dance several times all night.

I was quite relieved to leave at 5am so I could get rid of them. We caught a taxi to Itaewon central and decided KFC would be a good plan! I have never particularly enjoyd KFC but somehow now was an exception! The funniest sight was an obese American women clearly not in any state to still be out, but shoving a KFC burger into her mouth as if it was the last food she would ever get in her life! :) Missioning back to our dindgy hotel room I was delighted to get back to my room where we slept the morning away!

At about 2pm we eventually awoke and decided we should make use of the day! A delicious stop in at this delightfully Western restaurant, allowed our stomachs to delight in things such as Turkey and Ham sandwiches! Such foreign delights do come at a cost and unfortunately the hole in my wallet seems to increase whenever I go to Seoul! Such is life! A few subway stop changes and we were at City Hall where we decided instead of going to a Museum as our inital plan we would ratehr go and sit by the river and observe the passers-by. What a good plan! :) I loved it. Even managed to soothe my weary feet in the cool river! :)

Later that afternoon, I met an American soldier who to be honest is the first one I have spoken to. Let me make it clear from the beginning : I do not see any point in war! I loathe it! I detest it and I think it is futile! And my encounter with him did not change that point at all. This guy is off to "Africa" and wanted to know what it was like there. He did not hold back and continued o describe his encounter in Iraq a few months ago where he saw his best friend being killed in front of him, he was blown up himself-had mangled fingers, a messed up leg and a plate in his jaw. Now if that wasnt bad enough he said his job is ratehr important as he has got to place missiles and big bombs. Despite his initial pride in telling me this it sooned turned to complete grief as he described how he had blown up a Middle School in Iraq (by mistake) and now lived with that everyday hanging over his head. He ends by saying, " Yes, I should probably get some help. I have medication, so i dont dream anymore, which is good. I think being 22 though it might mess me up for life". I stood in front of this boy-just the same age as me-with a DragonballZ tattoo on his leg- and was flabagasted. If there is any reason not to go to war, here is was standing in front of me. Sure i have watched war movies, and learnt the history, but nothing becomes quite so real, as when a soldier tells of his most personal interactions in the field. I thought about him for a long time afterwards.

A trip to Hongdae I was keen to try out my new camera and unfortunately had notnyet learnt about long exposure and hence my photos were a shambles. The night was fun and Kirst and I had an interesting chat about life our careers and families. We crashed early as our dancing feet were now tired feet and we needed rest.

After a lovely bacon and eggs breakfast at the American Diner, we both made our way home! Content with life and a weekend of new experiences I chilled out for the rest of Sunday, by playing some frisbee with the foreigners, doing some washing and catching up with emails.

When was the last time you did something for the first time?

Bisous

JO

Lantern parade, laughter in ice gallery and lights in a Seoul Night-Club! ,

"A man practices the art of adventure when he breaks the chain of routine and renews his life through reading new books, travelling to new places, making new friends, taking up new hobbies and adopting new viewpoints." Wilfred Peterson

I just love this quote and somehow sums up my life for the last 3 months. Yes, that's right-I have already been in South Korea for 3 months! A glorious adventure!

Last weekend was no different! Straght after a day at school, where I had the boys singing "If I had a million dollars" I was off to the bus terminal for another action-packed weekend in Seoul and as always it did not disappoint! There is something about that city-the enchantment, the buzz, the hype, the vibe! It is just plain "CRAZEEE" as my students love to shout!

A bus ride, 2 subway-lines later we were led in the wrong direction for over half an hour before we finally arrived at our "Love Motel" to check in. As the name suggests the rooms are hired by the hour for certain "love business". They are not as seedy as it may sound and are actually an affordable and decent form of accomodation. After having some soju shots and mochili(fermented rice wine)at the local pub, we headed off to bed.

The next morning, a breakfast was in order! And all i felt like was bacon and eggs. Alas, we were in a very local part of town and instead a rather measley bacon and egg sami had to suffice. I must admit the local prices were rather nice though too! :)Then to check out the festivities in Jong-no, as the main event for the weekend was the lantern festival in celebration for Buddha's birthday that is in fact only tomorrow.

The city had beautiful rainbow coloured lanterns hung everywhere resembling Disney land in a way. The main touristy area was alive and buzzing! Every Tom, Dick and Jane in South Korea had seemed to have made the pilgrimage to enjoy the festivities!We all agreed though, that sometimes it is nice to feel like a foreigner in this foreign place. Hanbok dresses, chopsticks, cherries, side-walk food, chinese fans, Korean gizmos and gathches were displayed waiting to be snapped by any eager tourist! I must say - the only thing that caught my eye-was a cute retro gold beenie thing and none-other than a flying pig wind charm-with real feathers! Perfect ornament for lovely porch! :)We enjoyed watching the people from a rooftop tea house! Magnificent-summer weather, a bit of jazz, good company and divine peach tea. :) Lunch was next- a lovely fishy vegetable concoction! I am addicted to seaweed!

After much confusion about trying to meet our 20-man group of friends I got agitated. I do realise how much everyone loves one another and needs to be united, but travelling in a group bigger than 5 or 6 is seriously pushing it! GRRR! In true JO-hasn't-had-enough-sleep-fashion, I marched off to the information desk to find us the location of the ice-gallery!

Somehow the ciy never seems so big when you end up bumping into another group of Safa's (South Africans) on our way! Oh man and was the ice gallery cool when we fianlly got there! MAn-O-man! Freezing! We donned the big jackets used for ice-storm conditions and walked quite literally into a huge freezer!
Somehow a toilet and a computer made of ice is such a novelty! I particularly enjoyed the Eiffel Tower and the Leaning Tower of Pisa, although the piano was awesome too! The sculpting of huge ice slabs is truly an art and I would recommend anyone to check it out!

Out of the North Pole and back to reality, Chen and I decided to mission to Itaewon to check out "What the book"- the famous foreigner book-store that could be missed if you blinked going by. Underground lies a haven for any book-lover with a great selection of classics. I got the Phillipines Lonely Planet and Invisible Man by Ralph Waldo Ellison. Back in Jong-no we caught the parade that began at 5pm. Huge marching bands and dancers dressed in magnificent traditonal dresses in every colour imaginable waltzed passed us! The backdrop of the sun setting over the mountain seemed like the ideal backdrop for the lit-up elephant and dragons floats. After the eye-catching procession, we gallpoed (with a new found jump in our step)down the street to the Yeungsam temple. Covered in a cloud of lanterns, buddhists meditated and bowed in respect and non-buddhists admired in awe.

Back to the hotel for a refresher, and a change of clothes! A cold noodle soup later and we were off yet again to the Clubbing district -Hongdae ie. party central! Clubbing in Seoul is very different, perhaps for the meer fact that no bags or cameras or anything for that matter is allowed into the club and needs to be locked outside in lockers. One assumption is that the banning of cameras eradicates any evidence of the Korean underworld! However, it wasn't anymore dodgy than any other club. I have convinced myself though that the reason all females in Korea wear 5-inch heels is to avoid the pee in the toilets. First time, I have been unimpressed with toilet quality! The CLub, M2, was pumping! Unbelievable lighting and DJing. But by 2am I was buggered and it was time to call it a night. A final stop to get fried chicken and a R90 taxi fare back to our hotel, meant the day was done an so was I!

Sunday-it was Jo's birthday-another SAFA from PE! :) A delightful breakfast at a quaint, trendy restaurant with a cool breeze and more jazz-what more could we ask for! The choco cake sponsored by Jo's principle was devoured in seconds! Back to te festival for more fun and this time it meant getting involved-making traditonal Buddhist prints, making lotus flowers and observing Yoga, monks painting and meditating.

It was now time to head home-or was it really?! On a whim we decided to see if we could get tickets for a late bus back to CHuncheon and return for the climax of the entire festival-the official Lantern parade starting at 6pm. We were in luck. I had written down luckily the order of events and so we were able to check out the beginning of the procession starting at one of the sports venues at the Buddhist university. A gathering of over 30000 people from different temples singing and dancing, waving colourful boards in even more colourful costumes was out of this world. One-by-one the groups took up their lanterns for te 3hour procession across Seoul. TO our delight we were positioned perfectly to witness the police convincingly halting Seoul Traffic- a feat on its own. And then, the music blared announcing the beginning of the parade! Up first were the monks. We walked with them along the sides of the crowds until we found a suitable postion for viewing the lit lanterns in the dark. An eerie moment that I will not forget- striding in perfect synchronisity, the silent monks seemed to be saying a million things, as the usual jam-packed streets lay bare in front of them. The backdrop of skyscrapers and cranes contrasted with the ancient apparel and bald heads of the monks.

Eventually about 2km later, we perched on a raised ledge a bit away from the road, to observe the passing show. Across from Namdaemun, the joyous thousands held their lit lanterns high, as fire-breathing dragons roared and the traditional marching bands resounded!

A late bus road home and BED eventually. Oh dear-another week lay ahead! But only four days luckily-thanks Buddha!

And a "Happy Birthday to you!"

Bisous
JO