Kiratiana Travels

Multiculti London – Border Control Issues

Kiratiana — Fri, 27 Jan 2012 12:31:56 +0000

This post will contain no pictures.

There is a reason for that.

On Friday, January 13, I arrived in London for the first time since the summer of 2009. It was also my first time entering the country since I had my United Kingdom application for a work VISA denied in 2010. Unfortunately, I made $200 too less than the income requirement that I needed to receive a UK work visa. I guess it was not meant to be.

Up until now, my international arrival experience has been the same in every developed yountry. Your plane lands and you enter a closed off corridor that leads you to border control. You make sure you have your entry card filled out. You stand in the “local” or foreigner line. A border control stamps your passport. Usually this doesn’t take longer than 30 minutes. The only time it did take longer than 30 minutes was when I lost my passport on the plane coming back to the US from Paris. The US allowed me back into the country.

My London arrival experience will go down as the scariest one ever.

When I arrived in the Passport Control Hall, the diversity of the people was quite surprising. The line for UK residents mirrored the line for non UK residents – extremely diverse. Of course there were Americans, Asians and South Africans. But there were also a TON of people from Africa.

I wanted to so badly take a picture of the people. I had truly never seen an international arrival hall as diverse as this one. Not even in Paris.

This line was also the longest border line I had ever encountered. It took me almost an hour just to snake my way up to the UK border agent. As I walked around the barriers, I noticed that there was a row of chairs where about six people–all of African descent–sat looking desolate and confused.

When I finally arrived at the front of the line, I was assigned an UK border lady of African descent. Cool!”

UK Border Lady – “Hi How are you” ”What are you here for?”

Me – “Vacation.” (Okay it’s working vacation in which I spend alot of money to be in their country and don’t make money a.k.a. travel writing).

UK Border Lady – “You are a writer. How long have you been a writer?”

Me – “I’ve always been a writer.” (I really have ALWAYS been a writer.)

As she got ready to stamp my passport, something on the screen caught her eye.

I knew exactly what it was.

In 2010 I had applied to get a UK Work Visa. I got rejected. I’m absolutely sure that if I put the application in two weeks earlier, I would have gotten approved. But it wasn’t meant to be.

When I look back on what I have done in the last two years, I don’t regret anything. It just wasn’t God’s plan for me to live in the most culturally diverse city in the world, or work for the London 2012 Olympic Committee.

Back to UK Border lady.

UK Border Lady – “Who are you staying with?”

Me – “My friend”

UK Border Lady – “How much money do you have for the trip?”

Me – “I budgeted about $2,000. (I wish this would really cover my entire trip)”

UK Border Lady – “Do you have all of it with you.”

Me – ” No. It’s in my bank account. (Do I look dumb enough to carry $2,000 on me?)”

UK Border Lady - “Can you prove to me that you have it in your bank account?”

Me -”Yep”

UK Border Lady – “What is the telephone number of the person you are staying with?” ”I’m going to have to go into the back to research this. I’m going to give you this piece of paper which gives me the right to keep you here. Sign this sheet and this will allow us to keep you here until we figure everything out.”

WHAT!

I’ll admit that I was getting a little perturbed.

With that little piece of paper, I joined the other blacks who were also having their immigration questions and issues sorted out.

I sat there for 30 minutes until the border control agent returned.

UK Border Lady -”I have talked to your host and he told me why you are here.”

Wow. They really called my host! Okay.

UK Border Lady – “I’m going to stamp your passport but remember that you cannot work while you are here. We do not let people back into the country if you work illegally.”

Wasn’t that SCARY!!!!

Thank God I made it into Great Britain!

Celebrating the Philadelphia International Flower Show in London

Kiratiana — Mon, 23 Jan 2012 03:54:09 +0000

The Flower sellers try to get rid of the flowers at the end of the market day.

London is an old city that, despite its age, has grown into the 21st century quite well. Think about it. The train processes 1 billion journeys a year. The banking system is center of the world. There are more than 15 million people in the metro area. London is modern but it’s the traditional things like street markets that help you truly appreciate the city.

For vintage fashion, there’s the Portobello Road Market.

For ethnic food in an ethnic neighborhood, there’s the Brixton market.

For flowers, there’s the Columbia Road flower market.

I know what you are thinking. Why would I go to a Flower Market while visiting LONDON?

Because you love flowers.
Because you want to be around real Londoners.
Because you want to enjoy a Sunday afternoon like a real Londoner.

I did that just that last Sunday.

I hopped on bus #55 from Oxford Circus and made my way toward the East End, a a working class but quickly gentrifying area of London that the creative class has discovered. As the bus traveled east, I noticed that there were less frou frou cafes, tons of wholesale bag stores and and more regular looking people.

I was in Regular London.

Once I got off the bus, I knew I was in the right place. I could see people carrying larges bunches of flowers.

But Before seeing the flowers, I could hear it.

Two FORRA FYVAH!
Seven FORRA FYVAH!

Each of the flower sellers clamored for the attention of the attendees, yelling as loud as they can. I struggled while trying to choose what type of plants I would buy. Did I want a nice bunch of roses? Did I want some cute little perennials? Did I want a large plant?

The appeal of the market isn’t just the flowers and plants. It’s also the independent shops and restaurants provide sustenance and respite from the market. I enjoyed looking at the London maps at a tiny map shop. The Earl Grey coffee that I bought helped me to overcome a night of too much drinking from the night before. I enjoyed listening to the band while sitting on the a curb in the market.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=Iz6g1oYzF5c

Fortunately, you won’t have to travel to London to experience an international Flower market and show.

You can just go to the Philadelphia International Flower Show from March 4-11, 2012.

The Philadelphia Flower Show isn’t any flower show, it’s the nation’s flower show. The theme of this year’s show is “Hawaii: Islands of Aloha.” With that you can see lush tropical gardens. Gardeners can come to the show to learn the best horticulture techniques and non-Gardeners can just enjoy the entertainment: Hula, music and fire dance performances, a Family Lounge for Children, a Man Cave and even free wine and spirits tastings!!

Just like the Columbia Road Flower Market, the Philadelphia International Flower Show has a long and distinguished history. A Philadelphia tradition since 1829, the Philadelphia International Flower Show is the oldest indoor flower show in the nation and started as a gathering of professional growers showcasing their prized plants.

It still attracts professional growers and horticulturalists, but now it’s evolved into a family event with activities for everyone.

Do me a favor and put the Philadelphia flower show on your calendar, now!

Imagine this... but made out of flowers!

Disclosure: This post is brought to you with support of the Philadelphia International Flower show. Find them on Facebook and follow them on Twitter.

How to Buy Tickets to the London Olympic Games

Kiratiana — Tue, 06 Dec 2011 21:57:59 +0000

The last round of tickets for the London 2012 Olympic Games will go on sale Wednesday through Cosport. If you seriously want to attend the Games, then this will be your last LEGIT opportunity to do so. I say LEGIT because there will always be ebay, and plain old scalping, but you’ll pay dearly for that.

Although this blog will cover digital news regarding the Olympic Games, it’s pointless for me to not at least help you see the games. Plus, getting any tickets will be a digital feat itself, since you’ll have to navigate the clunky, outdated Cosport website to grab those leftover tix.

If you don’t know by now, CoSport is the official agency that has the right to sell Olympic Games tickets to people in the United States. This means that they have paid the United States Olympic Committee a fee to have a monopoly on ticket sales. In doing so, they get to charge 20% extra for tickets and create all these extremely expensive hospitality packages. Thus far, they have held two rounds of ticket sales for the Games, and this one on Wednesday at noon est in the United States, will be the LAST.

CLICK THE LINK FOR THE REST OF THIS POST ON DIGILYMPIC.COM

Do You Want to Help Give Kids Around the World a Shot @ Life?

Kiratiana — Tue, 06 Dec 2011 17:56:32 +0000

At the end of October, I attended the Blogalicious blogging conference. While I was at the conference, a United Nations Foundation campaign representative, Elise, walked up to me and started talking about the Shot @ Life campaign. It’s a United Nations Foundation funded campaign to prevent the unnecessary death of 1.7 million kids due to lack of vaccination. In America, vaccinations are so normal, that the average kid couldn’t even name measles, polio or pneumonia. But they still exist in some countries and it doesn’t have to be that way. According to the Shot @ Life website, it only costs $20 to vaccinate a child against pneumonia, diarrhea, measles and polio. It costs FIVE TIMES as much to treat children against those same illnesses.

I immediately thought, now this is a cause that I can get behind.

As someone who has traveled across Africa, Asia and Europe, I’m sensitive to issues that unnecessarily affect youth around the world. I found out from Elise that 75% of unvaccinated children live in just 10 countries – India, Nigeria, Pakistan, Indonesia, Democratic Republic of Congo, Ethiopia, China, Uganda, Chad and Kenya. Although I’ve only visited China, many of these countries are on my “to visit” list.

So, I decided to use this space on this blog to spread the word about this movement. Check out the interview below with Devi Thomas, the campaign’s director.

Why did you name the campaign Shot @ Life?

The messaging around the campaign focuses on those everyday childcare moments. We are trying to give those kids is a shot of the everyday. A shot at having temper tantrums. A shot a being a picky eater. At the end of the day we want to give them a shot at childhood.

Children are dying everyday that we don’t see or hear from in the United States. Mothers are still grieving and losing children from preventable deaths. They are cheap preventable deaths.

Why are there still children in the world without access to the proper vaccinations?

Typically it comes down to lack of access. Vaccination rates are lower in rural areas. For vaccines to be administered to a child, you need a health care worker (except for polio). Additionally, vaccines have to be stored and refrigerated that keep them safe and keep them live. So when we go to small towns, we set up a table under a tree with a small refrigerator and mothers will walk for miles with their children.

Who do you think that this campaign resonates with the most?

Mothers are a very important target audience in this campaign. We’ve understood that from a survey of 2000 mothers, Shot @LIfe is the type of campaign that is necessary and it resonates with them. There is a lot of momentum building around this around American women and American mothers.

Many of the countries affected by the lack of access to vaccines come from countries within the African Diaspora. Are you looking to further connect with the African Diaspora community in the United States?

There is an interest in looking at the Diaspora community because the diseases are far more recognizable in the Diaspora community. The black community in the United States donates a larger percentage of income than white women do but they get asked to give less often. So we are hoping to get into dialogue more with African-American communities.

What are the five things that people can do to support this cause?

1. Sign Up - Learn more about vaccines and sign up to get our emails at http://www.shotatlife.org.

2. Donate – Go to our web site. Just $20 can provide a child immunity for a lifetime from four serious diseases.

3. Advocate – Talk to or write to your congressmen and the local media about how important this issue is and why you care.

4. Host at home – Use Shot@Life-in-a-bag tools to hold fundraising, advocacy and awareness parties in your own living room as part of your regular activities like book clubs, baby showers etc. Email info@shotatlife.org for more information about how you can host at home.

5. Talk to the Community – Connect us with national, regional and local associations who want to get involved.

What are you looking for in a Super Volunteer?

We are actually in the process and looking for our super volunteers. These are people who want to advocate and take this issue on in the next year. We work through our partners. We want to connect with the women in the communities who are making a difference. We are looking for people who want to advocate for this issue. Use this cause. We are building toolkits of these kits. If they are interested in hosting their own shot at life event, then contact us.

How will you measure the success of this campaign?

First of all it will be simple measurement. Two million children are dying a year from these deaths. It will not be us alone. Making sure that we are contributing to the millennium development goals. One of our metrics of success is how many Americans we engage with. So far we have 60,000 supporters.

Will you do me a favor and help out with this campaign?

Spotted in Chicago – The Best Halloween Costume EVER

Kiratiana — Mon, 31 Oct 2011 17:30:03 +0000

I did a little partying over the weekend in Chicago. And I think I came across what may be one of the most creative costumes EVER.

Do you know who the person below is?

Do you know who the person above is?

Taking Your Blog Around the World at Blogalicious ’11

Kiratiana — Wed, 26 Oct 2011 22:52:37 +0000

This weekend, I spoke at my first blogging conference, Blogalicious. The tagline of the Blogalicious conference is celebrating diversity in social media, which is so important to me. I’ve been wanting to go to this conference for the last two years. In 2009, Chicago had just lost the 2016 Olympic Games to Rio and I had therefore, just lost my job. In 2010, I ran the Chicago Marathon the same weekend of the conference. So this year I was excited when Johnica Reed asked me to join the conference’s travel panel, Taking Your Blog Global. I was joined on the panel by Tracey Friley of Onebrowngirl.com and the Passport Party Project and Julia Coney of Allaboutthepretty.net.

If you want highlights of the panel, then check out the Storify below.

Who wants an iPad on an Airplane?

Kiratiana — Wed, 12 Oct 2011 19:39:45 +0000

It’s been three days since I received a phone call from Finland asking me if I was interested in the “Entertainment” subject area of the Quality Hunters. I’m still only a finalist, but let a girl dream. I’ll find out by this weekend if I actually get picked to travel the world…

After mulling about how I would change entertainment in airlines and airports, I came up with the simple but HUGE suggestion of free wifi, iPad rental (and replacement of those seat screens) and live entertainment.

Little did I know that Finnair had recently made an announcement that they were ditching those wonky airplane seat screens for IPADS… NICE. And to make things even better they want to preinstall each iPad with the traveler’s preferred movies, music and apps BEFORE they board the plane. They plan to have this in place by 2014. But I kinda wonder if that will be too late? I would argue that by 2014 most international travelers will be traveling with their own pre-programed entertainment in their souped up smartphones and tablets. The time to replace those wonky screens is NOW!!

The time is NOW for iPads on airplanes. Picture courtesy of Susansimon

With this in mind, I have some suggestions below on how Finnair can make this iPad experience a good one for travelers.

Entertainment Suites on the Ipad – I love the idea of passengers choosing their personal entertainment before the flight on a Finnair app. But let’s assume that is a bit far off. In the meantime, hopefully there will be free wifi so travelers can tailor the iPAD experience to their personal preferences. I also think that Finnair should highlight the entertainment preferences of REAL flyers each month. Let’s say each month the IPAD comes loaded with the Finnair general entertainment suite and also that of 10 people who each have a bio that allows you to determine what they like (and what kind of entertainment you are getting yourself into). This would be a great way to highlight some of Finnair’s best flyers.

Finnair – In-Air Social Media Network – I know the world doesn’t need another social media network, but wouldn’t it be cool, if we logged into our Facebook profiles and then somehow a secret Finnair group could sense that we are in air USING our iPad, iPhone, or computer on a Finnair flight? And then we could communicate with each other? Actually….now that we are talking about social media sites, what if Finnair developed a Facebook app that could use your profile to sit you next to people they think you might like on a plane? Now that would be HOT!

Finnair Tagged Updates in exchange for Free-Wifi – Since Wifi is still rather rare on flights, people absolutely love to tweet, facebook and foursquare in the air. For marketing purposes, why not offer people free Wifi in exchange for Finnair tagged posts? I would gladly give Finnair props for giving me free wifi!

Engaging In-Air Games that Allow Passengers to Win Miles/Points – Games are certainly not new to in-air entertainment, but what about the possibility of installing the iPads with games that allow passengers to win Miles/Points? Finnair should make playing this Game exclusive to those people are IN AIR. Not only is this entertaining for the passenger but it helps with loyalty for the airline.

Recharging for flyers’ Electronic Devices – After an 8-13 hour flight in which you’ve been using your electronic devices non-stop, the power is usually depleted. I know the business or first class people usually have plugs, but is there any way to save some power for the economy people? Please?

AIRPORTS

Determining entertainment in airports is quite tricky because usually travelers have limited time. It was only in my recent trip to Asia that I realized some airports cater to the traveler that has LOADS of time. People traveling to Asia often have loads of time because of long layovers that last anywhere from four hours to half a day. The Helsinki website has a great article that explains what you can do in an airport if you have two, three, or four hours. I love the fact that they have a gallery and aviation museum. Below are some of my suggestions on how to make the Helsinki airport (and other airports that Finnair flys to) even MORE entertaining and useful.

Online Airport Personal Shopping – Over the years I’ve found that airport shops have some of the best high quality souvenir gifts. Often I will wait till I leave a destination and do my souvenir shopping at the airport. This creates a nerve wracking situation for myself. I’m running from shop to shop trying to buy stuff before boarding the plane! Could I do this shopping online and just have the stuff waiting for me when I arrive at the airport ready to depart?

Airport Super Electronic Charge or Charge Babysitting – One of my biggest pet peeves is having to sit around in an airport waiting for my electronics (iPad, iPhone, and computer) to charge. I would much rather be walking around, eating in a restaurant or shopping (hmmm charge stations in a restaurant or at a bar anyone?) Could the Helsinki airport install charge stations that SUPERCHARGED your electronics in very little time? If this was impossible, I would be willing to leave my electronics with a babysitter while it charged.

Ask the Airport Anything Twitter Profile – I know this sounds strange but I would love for an airport to have a twitter stream that just answered questions regarding the airport. The problem with airports is that the guides are usually located in one place on each floor. That means walking around until you can find someone who can answer a question. Why can’t I just tweet my question?

Can you come up with anymore ideas?

My Favorite K-Pop Bands and their Videos!

Kiratiana — Tue, 11 Oct 2011 19:15:52 +0000

Since I stayed in South Korea for three weeks, I learned alot about Korean Pop, aka K-Pop. K-pop is a genre of music that harkens back to the days of N’Sync, Backstreet Boys, and the Spice Girls–and it’s manufactured in Korea and sent around the world. The groups are large. The girls and boys can dance (and sing a bit). The videos are flashy. At the beginning of my trip to Asia, I wrote K-Pop as swagger jacking American Pop music. By the end of my trip a month later, I was bopping my head to the K-Pop that I heard in Japanese streets. I think in two years, YOU too will be bopping your head to Korean Pop. So here’s a preview.

As you can see, I’m very partial to the female groups.

KARA

Kara is extremely popular in South Korea for the “butt” dance (Starting at 0:12). I heard this song everywhere I went in Japan. It’s catchy and I love it!

2NE1

2NE1 is another pop group that incorporates hip hop and techno into their music and style. They are produced by YG Entertainment and their groups tend to lean toward hip hop. The video below is SICK. But they are definitely biting off of several American videos of years past. will.i.am is supposedly producing some tracks with them for their American debut.

The Wonder Girls

The Wonder Girls is that Korean pop group that you may have heard in the United States. That’s because it’s been two years since they’ve been in the states trying to make it. They even toured with the Jonas Brothers as their opening act. I like them but they need some ‘flavor’ like 2NE1.

AKB48

Just for comparison, I decided to throw in the top Japanese Pop band – J-pop. The management team of this group of 48 girls claims that they sold more than 1 million copies of their album on the first day. Yeah right. Can we say cheesy?

TVQX

TVXQ is my favorite male band, but only because I saw them on a Japanese show (where they are known as DBSK). This band has all the hallmarks of a male Korean pop band – girlish hair cuts, really skinny, and slick dance movies. They definitely remind me of N’Sync.

So what do you think? Do you want these bands to come to the United States? Do you want to see them on MTV?

Will I become a Quality Hunter for Finnair and Helsinki Airport?

Kiratiana — Fri, 07 Oct 2011 21:45:25 +0000

It’s the call that everyone wants to get in the morning --that “unknown” call that might just be the opportunity of your life.

Me -- “Kiratiana speaking!

Them -- “”This is grand tour from Finland calling, you’ve been chosen as a finalist for the Quality Hunter competition!”

Me -- “Yes!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!”

Them -- “We are interested in your but we would like you to be our finalist in ‘entertainment’”

Just two days ago, I applied to be a service “quality hunter” for Finnair and Helsinki Airport. As a quality hunter, I would travel around the world analyzing airports and flights for the best quality in entertainment.

Click here for a link to my application for the job.

Below is the video that I made at 3am in the morning for my entry… I know it could have been better but at least it has a little flavor!:

www.youtube.com/watch?v=WfsljNET4Mw

Truthfully, this was the original area that I wanted to do but I was a unsure of what they meant by “entertainment.” Did they mean in-flight entertainment? Did they mean entertainment in airports? Did they mean entertainment in your destinations?

When they asked me how I would improve entertainment on flights and in airports, I was caught off guard. I’m one of those people who half watches the entertainment on flights. And the first time I even knew airports could provide entertainment was just two months ago at the Incheon airport in Seoul. In addition to the typical restaurants and shopping, it had a museum, a live cultural show, and a sauna that gave me life after sleeping at the airport. I was in heaven!

I barely remember what I said to the Finnish people. I think I may have said something about making the entertainment at airports “genunine…” Yeah…

Now that I have had about five hours to think about the problem, I have ONE simple suggestion.

If there was one thing I would do to improve entertainment for EVERYONE in an airport and in an airplane, it would be to offer FREE WIFI!! Yes, I said FREE-WIFI (especially in airplanes…).

The current system of allowing people to choose from 50 broadcast options, ranging from comedy shows to full length movies is quite outdated. It was introduced before the days of iPods, iPads, and personal computers. It was also introduced before people had the ability to “personalize” entertainment and carry it with us. Even back in the 90s most people watched what was on TV or rented some videotapes. But could you carry that with you? NO!

That’s why I think not too many people would mind if airplanes stripped the personal video monitors out of every seat and just gave us free wifi (or even discounted wifi…I would pay $5…). This wifi would allow us send those personal emails, read all the web magazines we like AND watch Youtube (the net’s ultimate entertainment channel). Most people who are serious travelers, or those traveling long haul distances to Asia have an iPhone, iPad and personal computer. And really…if you are flying 13 hours to Asia, then you are a SERIOUS traveler.

Also, most of us spend more time updating our social networks that ANYTHING…so free wifi would enable people to do what they love doing the most, engaging with their friends on Facebook, twitter, and any other social network.

WAIT A MINUTE -- Why not let people rent IPADS? Awww yeah!!!!

And instead of licensing shows or movies for me to watch, why not just give me a free online travel guide book to the destination I’m headed to? On my way to Seoul, I would have loved to been able to download a free Lonely Planet Seoul Guide…

Wow! I wish I had said this on the phone…

Do you have any ideas on how one could improve entertainment on flights and airports? I’m looking for some really unique ideas here!!!

One more thing…

I was also thinking about live entertainment on flights and in airports?

I would have love to have been on this Delta flight in which Kanye performed live…

www.youtube.com/watch?v=EePRKawAkNI

We’ll see what happens in the meantime! They announce the winners on October 20!!

South Korea Foodamentary Part II: Lunch at the Buinsa Buddhist Temple

Kiratiana — Thu, 06 Oct 2011 22:01:13 +0000

When traveling to major cities, sometimes you just have to get away from the hoopla of the city. But since I’m a city girl, it’s hard for me to get away from the culture, food and partying of big city life.

I run into this problem every time I travel. It was the reason I spent two months in Salvador, Brazil but didn’t venture out to Boipeba or Morro de Sau Paulo. It’s the reason why I spent a year in Paris, but didn’t visit the Champagne region, or even Lille! The same reason why I spent five months in Munich, Germany but never got out of the city to visit the Neuschwanstein Castle two hours away.

Fortunately, my friend Gary Morgan rescued me from my presumed fate in Daegu, South Korea during the World Track and Field Championships. After he repeatedly asked me to go to the mountains (just 15 minutes away), I finally relented. I was tired of chasing after athletes for interviews.

There are several buddhist temples just 15 minutes away from Daegu. Since my friend had already visited the most spectacular buddhist temple outside of Daegu, Gatbawi, we visited a smaller site – Buinsa Temple. Fortunately it did not disappoint, and I even scored a wonderful Korea buddhist meal.

I could have climbed up to this statue outside of Daegu, South Korea but I missed out because I wanted to stay in the city...

Buinsa Temple is a reconstructed Buddhist site from the 7th century. If you’ve been to several Asian temples or buddhist sites, there isn’t much that stands out about it. I liked the scenery more than anything. It was just relaxing to be away from the hustle and bustle of a city with four millions people. It was surrounded by lush green mountains and a large farm with grapes and apples!

The area around the Buinsa Temple was very relaxing... I'm so glad I escaped the city!!!

I love this picture because I look so happy and care free... I really need to get that bag photoshopped OUT of the pic!

Gary helped me escape the city for one day!!

While Gary and I were wondering around the Temple area, we kept on hearing people talking from a building just below. I could hear pots and pans clinging against each other. I told my friend Gary, “we need to find out what’s going on over there…” While Gary hesitated, I walked toward a door and saw people coming out of a building. A Korean man waved us into the building as if to say…”go ahead.” We walked into a kitchen area and a family of five was sitting on the floor eating an elaborate Korean buddhist meal. They invited us in and after we took off our shoes, we were soon sitting at a very low table about to be a served a meal ourselves!

Would this be my first “REAL” Korean meal of the trip? Yep! My days of eating fried chicken, toast and Kim Pasa were about to come to an end…

We're about to get our GRUB on!!!

I taught this young Korean girl how to say "HELLO" in English. After repeating it to her 30 times, she was saying "Hello" to me!

It was time for our meal…

Once Gary, another friend and I sat down on the floor, we were served with 10 plates of different food, Kimchee, Greens, Watermelon, Spicy Tofu, Glutinous Desserts, Rice Apple… The meal was so unexpected that we weren’t even really that hungry, but we could not resist the hospitality and all the healthy food. It was amazing! Check out the pictures below.

This is how the meal looked before we began eating...

Look at that amazing spread!!! Oops! Looks like we starting eating before I took the picture!!

Here are some close ups of the food.

I'm really not sure what sauce was on the tofu, but it was spicy...like most of everything in Korea...

This almost reminded me of GREENS...you know... the soul food kind!!

I'm pretty sure this was a red bean covered rice dessert. I couldn't figure out what the yellow was...

After we had finished eating, we wondered, “what does all this food cost?” As we stood up and offered the cooking ladies money, they rejected it. Below are the ladies.

These ladies refused to take our offer of donation for the food...

We left the temple quite full and quite astonished at the generosity of the Koreans.