Being Practical Can Still Be Fun

I've made a very painful, agonizing decision. In order to save money for when I get back to the States (and for my Ireland/Morocco adventure), I am not going to take a winter vacation. At least, not a big one. I really wanted to do Saipan for New Year's, but I really can't justify the expense. So, instead I'm going to save money by staying here. To compensate, I've decided to allow myself a few special weekend trips, which will come out at least $1,000 cheaper than one big trip over my Christmas break.

I'm going to have one of my special weekends this weekend. Cirque du Soleil is in Seoul right now, and I have always wanted to see it. The tickets are pricey, but since I'm not doing the big trip, I can go. My plan is to go to Seoul on Saturday morning (as early as possible), visit a museum or two, and then go to the evening performance of the Cirque du Soleil, where I will have a fabulous seat (no nosebleed section for this girl). I'll stay the night at a nice hotel, then go to the aquarium and possibly another museum on Sunday. In the evening, I'll return to Gyeongju. Ordinarily, I wouldn't be able to do a random expensive weekend like the one I'm planning, but, again, without the big trip in December, a few weekends like this are possible.

For another of my weekends, I thought I might go to Fukuoka, Japan. The ferry is reasonably priced, and I can pack my own food so I don't have to pay the expensive Japanese prices. In Fukuoka, I can do some hiking and see some historical sites. I figure November would be a good time to go. For my third special weekend, I'll do a DMZ tour and maybe even visit one of the propaganda villages. I'm planning to that during my winter break, since I can perhaps stay with one of my friends who live in Seoul. I may have time for a few more museums and historical sites on that trip, as well.

I figure three special weekend trips will more than compensate for the lack of a winter vacation. I'll save quite a bit of money, but I'll have loads of fun, and I'll still get to do things that most people never get to do. I'm a little sad at missing Saipan, but I'm obviously going to return to Asia someday, so I can hit it then (and hopefully Malaysia as well).