Adam's Going to Asia!

Back on Solid Ground

2009-12-28T16:45:00.009-05:00

As 2009 quickly comes to a close, I figure it's about time that I offer some sort of closure to my Korean adventure. . .so here goes!

For over four months now, visitors to this small part of the world wide blogosphere have been greeted by the same entry about the Korean War Museum. Sure, it was cool, but not nearly interesting enough to headline such an important collection of writing. So why was it there you might ask? Or, what happened to the lengthy screeds that you came to expect at least a couple times every week? Well, listen up. . .

After finishing out our contractual obligations at DYB, Nate and I were quickly bumped from our work sponsored apartments in Dootavilla to make room for the two new teachers who were, at the time, sharing a small place in Daechi, presumably one of our original flophouses. . .hopefully not Nate's tiny little attic room! Our final day of work was on Tuesday and I believe we were asked to vacate our places the following day, which, we managed to push back another day or so. . .phew! Even with all the packing and shipping I had been doing, I was still far from ready to really move out, namely because Mr. Lee had originally promised us a week or so to clear out. I should have known better than to rely on that though. . . oh well!

Finally got everything in to an almost manageable load and cleared out of A-412 for the final time. DYB was kind enough to give us cash for a ride to wherever we wanted which, turned out to be Steve's new place in Cheongho. If he hadn't shown up well. . .I'm not entirely sure where we would have gone but it would not have been pretty! So, on a rainy afternoon in late August, Nate and I filled up a minivan (a normal taxi wouldn't do) with our remaining possessions and headed to the other side of the Han.

Luckily, Steve was still at work as we clamored into his place, two apartments worth of stuff in tow. With a few hours before he was set to return, we had plenty of time to reorganize and shuffle stuff around to make enough floorspace for, well, Nate to sleep on at least (I posted up on the beat up couch that was a bit too short). Not surprisingly, Steve was a bit shocked upon coming home to find us fully moved in. However, we manged to ease the transition a bit by sprucing up his new place with a wide array of 'presents' that both Nate and I had spent the year accumulating in our respective places.

Spent the better part of a week at Steve's, living off the couch, while trying to tie up loose ends before taking off for Thailand early in the morning on September 1st. I went to various post offices throughout Seoul at least a dozen times in sending out the half dozen boxes that, thankfully, all arrived here in East Lansing unharmed! I was able to 'cash out' my pension account at the Nowon-Gu branch of the National Pension Service. After filling out a handful of forms, I was informed that some amount of money would eventually be transferred to my US bank account, though not for a number of months. A bit scary to leave that in limbo while taking off but, true to form, it did end up coming through sometime in mid-October! Woo hoo!

Cashed out the majority of my Korean Won at about 1,250 for $1 USD. Not the 1,600 that it had spiked to during this past spring but also far from the 900 that it had been only a few months before we arrived. Sent the majority straight to my bank at home then withdrew the rest in USD as it's hard to find a currency that travels as well as greenbacks do (though I hear the Euro is the new rage abroad, I still don't believe it. . .). Unfortunately, my final withdrawl was made at an ATM the morning of my departure and I was only aloud to take out denominations of 10,000 won. In turn, there remain 7,000 some KRW in my Shinhan bank account. Who knows if it's earning interest or not but I plan on returning some day and collecting!

Steve's place was a bit, um, cramped with three of us big boys in it but I couldn't be more thankful that he allowed us to stay. Paying for a hotel would not have been conducive to saving for traveling and I really didn't have anyone else that I could have crashed with at the time. . .or, anytime before that really, but, that's a different story!

The night before I was to leave, Joseph came over for a goodbye dinner then small farewell party, if you will, at Steve's place while I finished up packing in the state of a totally anal nervous wreck! Hey, it's not easy going from one foreign country to life on the road for four months with no pit stop at home in between.

Sometime, well after midnight, we decided to venture out of Steve's cubby hole and into the night air. Stepping out in to the hall, we were surprised to come face to face with a pair of Korean policemen standing in front of an open door across the way. Glancing in we noticed a man sprawled out across a blood stained couch with bloody footprints all throughout the apartment. No idea what transpired but Joseph did not appreciate our fascination with the scene. Apparently, the Cheongho area is infamous for gang related activity, as quaint as it might seem. No worries though, Steve's an upstanding individual and promised us that he would refrain from engaging in any Korean gang-related activity. I swear!

Caught about an hour of restless sleep, never really dozing off fully as I fretted missing the 5:00am airport bus. Popped up at quarter to, threw on my Deuter 55+10, kicked Nate and Steve awake to say bye then darted out the door. Swung by a GS one last time to stock up on water and sunscreen then headed for the bus stop, not more than 400m from Steve's place. Slept the whole way to Incheon where I boarded my flight to Bangkok without problem. . .ahh, the joys of not flying on American based carriers!

Landed in Bangkok about six hours later, collected my luggage than re-checked in for a domestic flight down to Surat Thani. Got in to this small southern port city sometime in the evening and caught a bus to the pier where I had planned on taking a night ferry out to Koh Pha Ngan to search for my friends from Tulane, Mike and Kristin, who were reportedly in the area. Mike had just finished up working at a summer camp in Germany and decided that it would be nicer for the camp to fly him to Thailand rather than back Stateside in celebration of finishing up his engineering degree that spring. Kristin was just finishing a year long 'working holiday' (oxymoron anyone?) in Australia and had decided that some SEAsian travels sounded like a good way to finish off the calendar year. What a remarkable, semi-coordinated, coincidence!

I made it, some what surprisingly, out to KPN without hassle and, even more shocking, managed to find the bungalow that these two, neither of whom I had seen in well over a year, were staying in. What a fun surprise that was at about 5:30 in the morning!

From there, well. . . that's a totally different story for another time, but here's the run down, which, I meant to post long before leaving but, never did get around to. Sorry!

Sticking to our somewhat discussed agenda, we managed to bang out the majority of Indochina in just under four months. Starting in southern Thailand, we moved northwards, primarily by train. Our stops in Thailand were minimal, spending a few days in Bangkok, a few in Chiang Mai, then a few more than expected in a little town in northwest Thailand called Pai. From Pai we moved on to the border town of Chiang Kong, set along the banks of the Mekong River in the heart of the infamous Golden Triangle.

We eventually crossed this storied river in to Laos where we would spend the next 33 days. Whoa! Went trekking in Luang Nam Tha before moving on to the ancient capital of Luang Pra Bang where we were fortunate enough to catch two festivals in only a weeks time. Dealing with a pretty heady stint of food poisoning, Mike moved on to Vang Vieng while Kristin and I took a short pit stop in the relatively remote town of Phonsavan to visit the enigmatic Plain of Jars. We eventually caught up with Mike in Vang Vieng for a day of tubing followed by a week spent working on an organic farm. Continued south to the national capital of Vientiane where we were graced simultaneously with the presence of Kristin's big sis, Dr. Andi G, and a serious case of bed bugs!

Pushed onwards down the trail less traveled to the small town of Thakek where Mike and I set off on motorbikes to conquer the acclaimed 'Loop.' Rode for three days with an young Italian man, Alessandro, through some of the most beautiful and diverse scenery that we would encounter during our travels. Continued on to Don Det, a small island in the heart of the Mekong where this mighty river spreads to 14 km wide, split apart by some 4000 Islands, as the area is known. Re-connected with Kristin here and were joined by another fellow Tulanian, and Kristin's Australian roommate, Lindsay.

Fought our way across the the border in to Cambodia but not before being taken for a half dozen or so 'bribes' on the way. The fines we were each subjected to varied but I did manage to unload a decent amount of the Thai Bhat that I had held on to for fear of running out of Kip in Laos. Sped through northern Cambodia on a bus headed straight to Phnom Penh where we again timed our arrival with the local boat racing festival. Spent a few days posted up at Lakeside (thanks Kaine!) before moving on to Siem Reap to conquer the ancient temples of Angkor by bicycle. Took the boat from there to Battambang and obtained the trips worst sunburn in the process. From BTB is was back to Phnom Penh for a few more days of kicking it before Lindsay jumped ship to meet up with yet another former Tulanian, Maggie, in Vietnam.

Mike, Kristin and I followed only a day later, catching a direct bus from PP to Saigon, or as it's now known, Ho Chi Minh City (HCMC). Here, in HCMC, I was reacquainted with Nate for the first time since leaving Steve's apartment in early September. He had made his way down China then south through Vietnam before posting up in HCMC, waiting for the delivery of a passport to replace the one that disappeared along with his backpack off the back of an 'Easy Rider' in central Vietnam. Bummer for him but fun to have the chance to meet up!

Moved on to the beaches of Mui Ne where we put in some serious wave time before returning to HCMC for one last shot at the water park which Nate and I 'discovered.' Kristin then took off in order to surprise her parents for Thanksgiving while Mike and I set our sights on Hanoi in the north of Vietnam. Swung through the mountain town of Dalat before banging out Nha Trang, Hoi Han, Hue, and Dong Ha at the pace of about one 'n a half cities per day. Whoa, now that's what I call traveling!

Continued heading north through Ninh Binh and Haiphong where we caught a local ferry out to Catba Island set in the picturesque Halong Bay. Spent a good few days on island cruising through the bay in the comfort of a 'junk' boat. Also got a chance to put Mike's rock climbing equipment to work testing out the limestone karsts of Halong. Moved back to the mainland, again via Haiphong with our final destination being Hanoi. Decided against going to the highly recommended town of Sapa in the far north, only because neither of us were prepared to deal with near freezing temperatures having spent the better part of the fall and early winter in super sub tropical climates! In turn, we ended up spending a week in Hanoi at a wonderful new guest house that offered free internet, breakfast and, as a kicker, beer. The whole experience was made even sweeter when our total tab was cut in half at check out. Can't argue with great service at bargain basement prices!

Finally, on December 10th, Mike took an early morning flight out to meet up with his family in London (with a short stop over in Hong Kong) while I headed to the airport later that same day for the quick jaunt down to HCMC via the budget carrier, JetStar. For $60 I flew the length of an entire country (Vietnam is much much longer than I had imagined) with better service than I remember ever receiving on a domestic carrier here in the States. Even in the back of the plane I had more than enough leg room to stretch out fully and enough space on both sides of me so that my neighbors body wasn't spilling over onto my lap. . .which might also have to do with Americans as a whole but again, that's another story for another day.

Spent the night in the Saigon airport after venturing out to find a bowl of pho, noodle soup. Used up the very last of my Vietnamese Dong before retiring to a bench for a few hours of shut eye, while hugging my bags tight to my chest. Awoke at 3:30am as the Delta employees began blowing up, and subsequently popping, a number of balloons for some unapparent, but definitely not necessary, celebration.

Breezed through check in and security on the way to my 6:00am flight out to Tokyo. Had little time to spare in Narita as I went directly from one plane to another, this time bound for Detroit. By the time I got to the gate, it really hit me that I was leaving Asia. Not only did I start to understand the things that were being said around me but in only a matter of a short flight I went from the biggest and tallest person around to one of the most seemingly diminutive people headed Stateside. This was a big, big transition.

Didn't get much sleep in on the way back to Detroit but did get to bang out the last of my used books collected along the way. Touched down in DTW and was back up in the air less than an hour later on the way to Lansing. 21 minutes of flight time and I was on the ground at LAN where mom and dad were waiting to pick me up!

And that brings me to here, the basement of 812 Applegate where I am now faced with the impending turn of a decade. At least I won't have to deal with it alone as I am set to head out for Denver in only a few days time to reunite with a handful of the coolest people I know, this side of the Pacific!

I apologize for not keeping up with my travels along the way but it was evident to me quite early on in traveling that 'Adam's Going to Asia' should have been qualified with a subtitle along the lines of "but you're only going to get to hear about Korea on the blog!" Any whooo. . .I'll work on writing more about my SEAsian adventures and will eventually have pictures somewhere online though probably not here as I have already exhausted my Picasa storage through uploading the pictures that you can find throughout these pages.

I do promise to still offer a Korea Konclusions post once I've had a bit more time to digest the whole experience and can find a way to put it in to (not so many) words. Yes, I realize that four months without blogging has left me as long winded as ever but what did you expect? That I'd come home and immediately adopt a laconic voice?! Silly you for thinking such things!

Happy Huntings and Safe Travels during this 'holiday season.'

I'll check in with everyone sometime shortly in to the New Year as I would like to continue writing but clearly, it will no longer be from Asia. So, look for a change of venue in 2010 but, until then, enjoy the info contained within and thanks for stopping by!

War Memorial of Korea

2009-08-14T07:30:00.009-04:00

With a day off work for Korea's Independence Day (August 15th) what better way to spend it than at the War Memorial of Korea!

The War Memorial of Korea

I would have taken off for Pyeongchang with Nate and some of the Korean Teachers this weekend however I have a 5 vs. 5 soccer tournament tomorrow that I didn't want to pass up as I only have another couple of weekends left to play. So, with no work on Friday I decided to wrap up my Seoul tourism adventures at one of the last remaining spots I had yet to see.

The War Memorial Museum is aptly located adjacent to the the US Yongsan Military Base and across the street from the National Defense Headquarters (or National Security, or Homeland Defense, or something like that). From Samgakji Station, it's only a quarter mile to the museum grounds but on the short walk I must have passed dozens of uniformed officers from different services, both Korean and American. Kinda makes the whole thing seem, well, relevant.

Flowered barricade outside the Defense Building

Even though I have seen the museum before, from the comfort of a passing bus, the enormity of the structure blew me away as I entered the grounds. The massive building appears even more impending as it is set far back from the street, allowing for an enormous courtyard. Turns out, this courtyard, if you can call it that, was by far my favorite part of the whole experience.

Now that's a museum!

The outdoor exhibition area is filled not simply with green space but rather with a mass of old war equipment. Sprinkled, or more accurately, packed about the grounds are war artifacts ranging from wheeled howitzers to tanks and even a couple dozen planes. The weaponry goes on and on for what seems like an eternity with each machine larger and most impressive than the next. For anyone interested in war relics, well this would be pretty darn close to heaven!

Guns and Rockets and Missiles, Oh My!

Oooo tank tank tank tank tank!

War Memorial from under the wing of a B52 bomber

Inside a C-46 "Commando" Transport plane

Gunnin' for it!

By land, air or sea

Upon entering the museum grounds, it would be impossible not to notice the looming statue of two Korean soldiers stop a domed structure. This Statue of Brothers is apparently representative of the Korean war as we see a larger South Korean soldier embracing his younger North Korean brother....hmmm.

The Statue of Brothers

Big guns, Big people, Big buildings!

The reflecting pool looked like a nice place to take a dip and cool off as temperatures were pushing the mid 30's. I'm pretty sure the little girl in the picture was thinking the same thing that I was, but neither of us were brave enough to take the plunge. . .despite my encouraging her!

Just jump in already!

Centered in front of the museum entrance, about 200 yards closer to the street is the Korean War Monument. The symbolism is up to you do derive but the bronze statues of soldiers that surround it is actually rather moving.

The Korean War Monument

After the long hike up to the museum itself I took a rest to enjoy the scenery and the shade!

The War Memorial Peace Plaza

The Defense Headquarters (or whatever) from the War Memorial

Inside the long hallways that extend from either end of the museums wings are tall black plaques in which the names of Korean soldiers lost in battle are engraved.

The Monuments of Killed in Action

Once I finally made it inside I was happy to pay the nominal admission fee of only 3,000 though I can't say I would have paid anymore as I simply was not in the mood to be inside all day. To be honest, this three story structure is more than impressive and everything is incredibly well displayed in a number of languages. Sure, English is overlooked on some of the displays but any non-Korean speaker could easily whittle away an entire day if they cared to read all the available information. Me, well, I took the fly by tour!

The first few exhibition halls are dedicated to the Korean War only. Later rooms follow Korea's involvement in other worldly military conflicts and downstairs one can even study the entire history of warfare on the Korean peninsula! After about an hour of Korean War stuff the rest was simply too much to handle for me. I'm all for learning and reading about history but I'd prefer to do it in book format from the comfort of a nice chair in underneath the sun. The museum's skylights are great and all but really, who wants to spend their day off in a giant institutional building? Not me!

I managed to 'see' all of the displays but that's about it as I charged forth with a mission to make it outside before the sun started tipping too far down towards the downtown skyline. A few things in the museum did manage to grab my attention and hold me for an extra second which are displayed below. One that is not in the Combat Experience Room which I would recommend skipping unless you have a passion for uncomfortably loud noises and flashing lights in confined space. Not my thing, unless it's under the guise of live music.

A news clipping from the North Korean propaganda section that reads...

She's Happy. . .

because her husband is a POW--and no longer risking his life in the front lines. SHE KNOWS that he will go back to join her as soon as the armistice is singed. What About You? You may be killed or maimed any minute. That's why your mother, your wife or your sweetheart don't know a moment's peace from worry about you. Why don't you ease their minds. Why don't you make sure that you too will go home.

THINK IT OVER! RIGHT NOW!

The Koreans and Chinese are lenient to their prisoners. They guarantee you life, security and freedom from maltreatment.

I'm not quite sure what's going on here but are they asking American soldiers to turn themselves over as prisoners?

The Teardrop made of retired dog tags representing UN soldiers lost

A kids day event beneath the indoor airplane and parachute exhibit. . .odd

Well, now you know about as much as I do about Korea's wartime history! I know, I know, I'm a terrible pupil, an ever worse tourist and even worse Seoulite but come on, it was my day off and it's beautiful outside! I had wandering to do and a big plate of Pad Thai in Itaewon was calling my name. Plus, Nate and the Korean Teachers are off somewhere rafting, swimming and hopefully not getting eaten by great white sharks that have been washing up on Korea's beaches lately!

Off to bed early tonight as I have to be across the city (70 minute subway ride) by 10am tomorrow for the tourney. I believe we're guaranteed a three game minimum so even if we get rocked (our bracket is referred to as 'Hell Division' and I don't think it's because of us) I'll still get a good couple of hours in under the hot hot sun! More soccer on Sunday then back to work for my final full week of 'teaching.'

Thanks for staying tuned and sorry about falling off but it's crunch time over here and, come on, there's gotta be better stuff to read out there anyways!

Goodbye from the War Memorial!

Passing the teaching stick

2009-08-13T20:52:00.004-04:00

Just last week I got an e-mail from my original recruiter, Scot, at Adventure Teaching, asking if I would take the time to talk about my job with a potential DYB new hire. While I've been putting off any sort of summary/wrap-up/lessons learned until I'm outta here and truly have time to reflect, I thought this would be a great opportunity to sort of step back and objectively examine the position I've managed to hold on to for a year now! To be honest I never thought I'd be offering insight to others about Korea as I myself still feel clueless, but here I am doing just that!

So, as long as I took the time to write the e-mail I figured I'd share it with you as well, ya know, just in case you're considering taking up a position at DYB's Juinggye Branch!

Below you'll find a modest evaluation and summary of, well, what exactly I've been up to since last fall. . .

____________^^___________

Hi Scot and James,

I'd be happy to answer any specific questions that James might have and if it'd be possible, it might be easier to simply give me a call (010) 8450-2258. If you're not in Korea yet James, it's real easy and cheap to make the call via Skype.

If that's not going to be possible, let me give you a little bit of background on the position that your consider as it seems to be the one that I'll be vacating in the next few weeks.

My experience at DYB as a company was fantastic. I was always paid in full and on time which, from what I've heard, is not always the case anywhere else. The staff was extremely helpful in helping me get settled in, getting my Alien Resident Card (ARC), setting up a bank account and making monthly payments into my Pension account and Health Care plan.

I was able to take my 10 allotted vacation days whenever I chose and they in fact offered unforeseen flexibility in allowing me to chose the dates. For example, changing my flight last and vacation days last minute when I realized I didnt' have the necessary paperwork to get into China. Oops!

That said, the downtime at DYB is, well, limited! Other than the 10 paid vacation days, there are only three other days off in the entire year. One for Chuseok and two for Lunar New Years. So, expect to be working and kept busy. If you're looking for a job when you can become a modern backpacking jetsetter and take off for an exotic destination every few months, this job will likely not allow that!

Okay, the job itself. I very much enjoyed working at the Junggye campus of DYB where I put in a full year. This in and of itself says something of the job as many people, even within the company, were continually moved around due to somebody's unhappiness. The staff and teachers at Junggye are easy to work with and the atmosphere is much more inviting then some other branches and hagwons. Then again, it pays befriend those in charge and I put in effort doing so right at the beginning, per the advice of the previous teachers.

Anna (A-Young), the head teacher at Junggye is wonderful to work with and will always try to be helpful though it often is difficult to see at first. My first day on the job I was handed a book and told to go 'teach.' 11 months later, nothing really has ever been clarified for me. I have never been given a list of expectations or goals and as far as I know, I'm not accountable for, well, anything really.

This has it's benefits and disadvantages obviously. For me, it was often frustrating walking from class to class to teach a room full of students whom I was totally disconnected from. As a Native Teachers, you will meet with the kids only once or twice a week which means that you're often left out of the loop as to what they're really learning with the majority of their time. This can make it hard to integrate the material that you are presenting but can also be good because it gives you the freedom to do your own thing for an hour or two.

As a previous Foreign Teacher put it, it's a real 'cushy' job. You don't have any real lesson planning and the most important thing is simply that you show up on time and look presentable. Do these things and you'll cruise through fine.

DYB also offers an 'evalution' and potential raise after the first month, followed by a six month evaluation and subsequent raise. This is definitely a bonus and really starts to add up. As a first year teacher without privates, I didn't meet a single teacher who made more than I did without working multiple jobs! Not a bad deal!

I really am still unfamiliar with the whole job opportunity scene in Korea as I was picked up by DYB first and spent the entirety of my one year in Korea there. Would I go back to DYB if I were to do it again?

As a first year teacher? Definitely, the ease of the job and amount of the money you take home at the end of the day makes it totally worth it.

Knowing what I know now? Maybe not, simply because I can stand the lack of accountability and simply not knowing what is expected from me. I'm a very goal oriented person and it was really hard for me to work at a job where I felt like I didn't accomplish anything at the end of the day other than bringing home the bacon.

Horror stories from DYB? Not one! Hilarious ones? Plenty! Mr. Lee, whom you will likely interview with or have already spoken to is without a doubt one of the most absurd characters I have ever met in my life. He takes it upon himself to keep up Foreign Teacher morale throughout the company and always manages to do so in surprisingly interesting ways! You won't get bored of the DYB Family (as it's called) as long as you keep a positive attitude!

Good Luck and I'll likely see you soon in Junggye!

Please feel free to e-mail or call me with any questions or concerns you might have!

Hope this helps!

-Adam

Every Now and Then

2009-08-09T23:16:00.007-04:00

Isn't it nice when things just seem to work out? Sure, other things are often simultaneously going wrong but the power of feeling good certainly does work as a trump card, every now and then at least!

What's the sudden optimism about? Oh nothing in particular. . .I just picked up a tie that I dropped off for dry cleaning after I thought I had ruined it in the rain a few weeks ago. The exciting part is not the tie itself but that it was given back to me in great condition, free of charge. Not sure exactly why I received this 'service,' as it's referred to here in Korea, there's a chance that the thing will fall apart next time I wear it due some industrial chemical that the little old ajumma used but, even so, it was a nice addition to the day! Especially after I went back in Friday to pick it up and was frustrated that the dry cleaners had closed for lunch. Good thing I caught her in a good mood today!

Kinda like my watch that's been sitting around broken for a couple of weeks. I finally took a lunch break opportunity to drop it off at a clock store just down the street. Here the man told, or more so indicated, for me to wait while he quickly whipped out a set of the most miniature tools I have ever seen. Popping in a monocle, he immediately set to work snapping off the back of the face that for the life of me I couldn't figure out how to open. Less than five minutes later he had taken the thing apart, blew everything off, put it back together, dropped in a new batter and had it set to the correct time! I was amazed at how quickly and efficiently he was able to solve something that had been bugging me for weeks as I assumed (not sure why) that I would have to find and install my own battery. On top of that, it was a mere 4,000 won for the whole deal! What a steal!

As for going right, how about the pension office?! For the past year, or (eight months months actually) I've been paying 4.5% of my paycheck to Korea's National Pension Service. With a 4.5% match from my employer, I've managed to rack up a decent sized pension here in the Hermit Kingdom. Another dark cloud that's been hanging over my pre-departure head is that of how and when will I ever collect on this. Turns out, all I needed to do was print a copy of my e-ticket out of Korea (more on that later but September 1st from Seoul to Surat Thani, Thailand in case you're interested), bring my passport and information regarding my home bank account. I filled out a brief form with information regarding a money transfer to my NuUnion account at home then bam, was sent on my way with the promise that sometime between October and November a lump sum of money, hopefully in dollars, not won, will show up in my account. Not a bad deal, though who knows it it'll actually work!?

I visited a doctor the other day and at a bargain 3,500 per consultation, well who wouldn't! Here I picked up a big ole' batch of Larium as anti-malarial protection and got recommendations for vaccinations that might prove to be, well, helpful in my SEAsia journeys. Luckily it seems I'm pretty up to date on vaccines and now need only to find the Seoul University International Clinic to get a rabies shot, just in case I decide to play with monkeys or make friends (enemies) with an unruly beach dog!

Even with a well dry cleaned tie, working watch and vaccinated immune system, I still have plenty left to do before taking off here!

I did pick up a backpack the other day but have yet to be satisfied with my decision. I went back and forth between two bags, first buying one then returning it for another I found online only a day or so later. While the second bag is exactly what I thought I was looking for, I now question whether or not the qualities I originally had in mind are those that will serve me best. Either way, I figure anything will work and the only problem I can imagine running into is running out of space in which case, it'll just be great incentive to continue to travel light! Sure, I'll have to sacrifice the normal level of hyper-organization that I travel with but who really needs to be able grab a pen in the dark anyways? It's not like you're gonna be writing with it!

I was all prepared to head to the Express Bus Terminal this past Saturday afternoon and drop of my electric guitar with Dan Shirley who had agreed to buy it for a reasonable price. Unfortunately, I got a message at the last minute saying that his girlfriend disapproved of the purchase and thus he wouldn't be able to follow through. All I have to say is, weak. Reminds me a bit of my Dad telling me a story about asking a guy at Elderly Instruments in Lansing, MI why he would have 30 guitars, to which the man responded, "Because I'm only allowed to have one wife." I spent hours cleaning her up getting ready to sell and now I'll just have to do it again, that is, if I find another buyer! While I love my '72 Classic Series Telecaster Thinline, I simply can't deal with the agony of shipping her and worrying about it for months as I travel. I'd much rather take cash in hand and then try to find the same model once I get back stateside. So, if you know anyone looking for a guitar in Korea, send 'em my way, I might even give you a cut!

My room is still cluttered with plenty of clothes that I brought over with me initially and have never worn which I now have to decided whether or not they're worth sending back home (to continue not wearing) or just leave 'em behind at a Salvation Army (or something of the sort). Along with the dozen or so books that I'm not quite ready to part with, I'll have at least a good couple of boxes packed and in transit by the time I leave!

Sold back the majority of books that I don't have a need for at a shop called What the Book in Itaewon last weekend. Here I was able to pick up three 'new' pieces that took me forever to find. I was able to put my hands one of the few John Irving pieces that I haven't yet read while also picking up my first un-assigned copies of both Mark Twain (Life on the Mississippi) and John Steinbeck (Cannery Row). I have already cruised through Steinbeck's in a matter of days and found it so enticing that I'll certainly keep an eye out for more of his as I travel through the well worn used book stores of South East Asia.

While I would love to keep my Korean driver's license as a souvenir, it doesn't seem like I'm going to be able to. When I originally picked it up, I did so in exchange for my MI one which has since been held hostage by the Korean DMV, or, I think is it Driver's License Agency? Anyways, in order to get my State ID back, which I fell will be a useful secondary form of identification while traveling, I'll need to sacrifice my Korean one. While I can respect this policy, for it likely keeps foreigners from selling them to one another, I would much rather prefer to simply have mine invalidated somehow so I can still hang on to it. . .I'll see what I can do.

Other than that, I'm pretty much set to go. I still have to look in to travel insurance which I'm certainly going to purchase but do not know yet from where. I have to get over to Lotte Mart too at some point to print out a handful of passport sized pictures to apply for visas along the way. Thailand doesn't require advanced purchase of one so I think I'll work the majority of them out once in Bangkok. I'll give the run down on where I'm going and with who at a later date as departure draws nearer. . .

So, for now, I'm just buckling in, trying to fight my way through another nine-class Monday! Only this one and one more to go before the ultimate freedom of unemployment!

Pictures from last weekend's adventure to Yeouido and the 63 Building still to come, as soon as I can steal Nate's camera from him!

Don't worry about sending any more mail as it might not make it to me in time. Thanks for anything you did ever send though, it was certainly greatly appreciated!

More from the Korean front soon. Isn't it nice when you get an update, every now and then?!

12th Annual Boryeong Mud Festival

2009-07-17T01:49:00.015-04:00

So maybe it wasn't quite necessary to wake up at 6:15am, but, at least we didn't miss our bus!

Welcome to Mud Fest 2009!

(I wish I could say I was brave enough to take my camera but fortunately, I was not! While I at first worried that I might lose the visual experience, soon into Mud Fest we learned that the entire ordeal would be very well documented as hoards of Korean photographers lined the streets and hung out of windows snapping pictures without stopping throughout the day and night. If you're interested in what it really looks like to have tens of thousands of people covered in mud, just search the web. If you want to be bored with an bare-bones account of a one day flyby of the fest, well, then read on. This pic was stolen from another Mud Fest 2009 gallery, thanks!)

An early wake up call was in order for this extraordinary event as our transportation arrangements were completely out of our hands. Months ago, Nate and I signed up for a group trip down to Mud Fest, coordinated by a friend, Christine, who was also kind, and organized, enough to arrange our winter break ski trip. With the success and ease of which we pulled off a weekend ski trip, having to do no more than simply fork over cash and show up, we figured latching on to a group would also prove to be a good idea heading down to Boryeong for the 12th annual Mud Festival.

In early spring I coughed up 65,000 KRW for two way transportation and one night in a room, then promptly forgot all about the event. It wasn't until just a week before the actual event that I got a reminder, via Facebook, that I had been booked to head down for the Fest's first weekend.

Originally I had requested that Nate and I be put on a bus leaving from Seoul as there were numerous pick up spots. The 'group' that we signed up with however was predominately from Suwon, a large city about an hour south of Seoul central. In the end, this meant that we were unable to hop on any other bus and instead had to hightail it down to Suwon, a two hour trek from Nowon, early Saturday morning in order to catch the 10:10am bus. After a barrage of back and forth messages with Christine, I finally got enough information that allowed us to feel (somewhat) comfortable with taking off in the week hours of the morning and hoping that we'd be able to find our group of 20 or so Fest-goers by the strict, 10:00am departure time.

An early morning gimbap snack at GS got me ready to go and Nate and I hoped on the 1142 bus towards Sanggye Station by 6:45am. By seven we were on Line 4 headed south where we would remain for the next 70 or so minutes. Transferring to Line 1 at Geunjeong, it was only another 20 minutes before arriving at Suwon Station. Somehow this journey took about 20 minutes less than my last jaunt to Suwon during which I simply hopped off the train, sold a guitar, then climbed right back on to make the two hour return trip home.

Our 'just to be safe' planning had worked as we came up out of Suwon Station just after 9:00am with plenty of time to spare. Breakfast consisted of snacking between GS25, Smoothie King and a McCafe. Finally, around 9:30am, we went off in search of the Angel in Us Coffee Shop that was designated as the final meeting point. We poked our heads in and sure enough recognized a handful of people whom we had accompanied on our ski trip but didn't quite know well enough to sit down and invade their early morning coffee talk. So, we simply hung around outside getting warmed by the rising sun and waiting for the full Suwon Crew to arrive before marching down the street towards the small police station, our designated pick up area.

Much to our surprise, Nate and I actually recognized, and remembered a handful of those whom we had met only once before full adorned in ski wear. Christine eventually showed up and I again thanked her profusely for not only planning such an ordeal but allowing us to tag along, as that seemed to be our position within this group of primarily public school teachers who work, and play, together throughout the Suwon area.

Everyone squeezed into the big coach and there were just enough seats left over for the three South African women we met outside the station who had missed their earlier bus down to Boryeong. On the bus we met a few of our roommates, six to a room, and I tried, in vain, to get a bit of rest. The rest stop after about two hours seemed unnecessary as we were only about a half 'n hour outside of our destination. Even so, it was nice to get out and stretch in the morning air.

The best part however was watching one of the girls from our group try to do an unsuccessful pull-up on a high bar while an elderly Korean (not so)gentleman laughed hysterically at her weakness. We thus encouraged him to show her how its done and after stamping out his cigarette, he too proved to be unable to pull his little round body up with just his arms. Ha.

Arriving in Boryeong our bus made a number of wide looping circles throughout the area, apparently looking for our hotel that was inaccessible by road, at least to a giant bus. We eventually clamored out and followed Christine who met up with a Rudy character who was actually the mass-organizer for this event of which we composed only a small fraction. While waiting to be directed to hotels, we were approached by a rather jocular man who immediately called us out on being Mud Fest Rookies as we dressed as though we were going to the beach, not to a giant mud pit. He pointed out that his tight pair of boxers printed with the Korean 10,000 won bill, or man-won, was only appropriate as King Sejong would offer him all day protection, just where he needed it.

We were finally pointed towards a hotel and did eventually drop our stuff off in a room after kicking out the couple who had sneakily stepped in front of us in line and signed out the key to our designated room. Apparently, Rudy's enormous planning efforts did not go without issues as at least 16 people were left homeless due to double booking or other shady practices by local hotels. Thankfully, we we didn't have to deal with anything but a cramped, over loaded room. The six of us, which eventually to swelled to eight or so, were meant to share a room that could not have been much bigger than 10'x10'. Sure, it had its own bathroom but did the water come out with more than a trickle? Obviously not!

We quickly changed into swimsuits, loaded our pockets with won, left everything else wrapped up and tucked away, then headed out to the beach. And so began Mud Fest. Overwhelmed by the opportunity to get muddy, Nate and I simply didn't know where to begin! We certainly weren't waiting in line for the Mud Tunnel, Mud Super Slide, Mud Fountain, or Mud Bath. So, the best option seemed to be just push on through the crown collecting mud residue as we were squashed in between mud soaked revelers. We paused at the Color Mud Zone to get a bit of face 'paint,' and then continued on to the beach.

Oh the beach. I have seen pictures of crowded beaches in Asia but was my first time actually seeing one in person. From end to end the sand was literally packed with human beings. Those in the water were limited to only a small blockaded swimming area so the majority of beach goers simply wandered around on the sands. We figured it wasn't quite time for a swim yet so, walking past the Mud Beach Self Massage and Mud Couple Slide, we headed back up towards Mud Main Street where we ran into others from our group.

After a while of standing around hesitantly, people began making the bold move towards the Mud Jail, meant for those who had yet to apply mud to themselves. Here, fest goers waited around in a 'jailed' room waiting until someone gave the word and guards, positioned around the jail, would unleash a fury of flying mud at the prisoners. This was certainly a great way to get muddy and an even better way to get your contact knocked out by flying mud. Luckily, with quick, yet dirty, hands and some innovative cleaning methods, I was able to rescue the contact and get it back in, though not with out a good amount of yelping in pain. It wouldn't be another 15 minutes or so until someone pointed me in the direction of the eye wash station. . .of course!

And if you think is muddy...
(Picture courtesy of Jo Kotyuk's Facebook)

This mudding went on for the next few hours as we progressed from station to station, covering ourselves, and others in mud. Every now and then a run would be made for the beach to rinse off and start over again. The water was surprisingly warm as it was a cold, grey day outside though I suspect that the comfortable temperature was not due to anything that Al Gore knows how to combat. Oh well, we needed to rinse off somewhere!

At around 6pm, organizers began shutting down the mud. How exactly you 'turn off' the mud on a muddy throng of tens of thousands is beyond me but, eventually, most of the mud was packed up and the streets were cleared. . .of giant inflatable tubs at least. The mud slide too was eventually taken down but not after being bumrushed by a number of eager fest goers who decided that they should be the last ones to ride for the day.

We held out until the last trickle of people made their way towards the beach or back to hotels to clean off. Figuring that a rinse in the ocean would help us later in the shower, we did just that. Even so, none of us could have predicted how drastically a hotel full of muddy revelers could deplete the running water supply. While we did eventually get 'clean,' it was at the cost of turning the bathroom into a complete and utter mud-zone.

Still picking mud from our ears and hair, we dressed and headed out to prepare for the evening's festivities. Namely, a fireworks show. The rain that had persisted throughout the day now began to irk fest goers who had gone through considerable lengths to get 'clean' and 'dry.' So it was no surprise that the corner Lotteria (McDonald's equivalent) turned into a sort of meeting place, social area, bar, and night club. As the first round of explosions lit up the sky, we took off towards the beach but couldn't quite make it through the already densely gathered crowd.

Standing in the open air it was all to obvious that a storm would break out and that it did! As the fireworks exploded over head and music boomed out of the enormous sound system, we ducked under other people's umbrellas and eventually just succumbed to once again being soaking wet. The rain of course stirred up all the mud still lying in the street and while most people were clean from the waist up, the other end of the spectrum didn't make it out so safe.

From the fireworks we were treated to a 'concert' by Korea's all female pop group, Girls Generation followed by a giant techno/dance party. Here we enjoyed jumping and screaming to hilarious remixes of K-pop and old American favorites while praying that the brave crowd surfers would make it back to land on their feet, rather than heads as people didn't seem to keen about keeping them up in the air!

Following the dance party we picked up a number of yo-yo's from the various carnival games lining Main Street. With yo-yo's in hand we wandered the streets aimlessly looking for something, anything to do. At this point we were also searching desperately for Steve whom both Nate and I had found then lost track of in the later afternoon.

After yet hours more of cavorting, people eventually began to filter back to the rooms where the activities were far from over. When sharing a room with a half dozen people, it's not always easy to get to bed at a reasonable hour and this occasion was no different. While we did finally make it down, the thin blankets we were given, not at all like the thick, cushioned yeo's we were promised, did little to protect our tired bodies from the hard floor.

Sunday morning, those that rose early enough were treated to a torrential monsoon that pelted the town of Boryeong, preventing the majority of the Mud Fest inflatables to reach their full potential and forcing life guards to make a human chain along the beach, preventing anyone from daring to enter the menacing surf.

When we eventually roused, we followed others to a much welcomed breakfast buffet at a near by hotel where I ate my fill of eggs, toast, breakfast meat, coffee, OJ, cereal and corn topped pizza. Well, I tried a bite of the pizza at least!

We waited out the storm in the hotel lobby before our 4:00pm meeting time rolled around and we charged through the wind and the rain to the waiting buses. As we clamored on to the Suwon bus, hardly looking forward to a three hour return bus trip followed by a two hour subway ride, I over heard people talking about an Itaewon bus with ample space on it. After only a minute of hesitation, Nate and I dove out of the Suwon bus and onto the Itaewon one, headed towards Seoul. No clue who or how these buses were paid for but we're assuming that they were all apart of our larger, Rudy organized, group as no one questioned our presence on the new ride.

With enough space to stretch out over two seats, I immediately conked out and slept the better portion of the way back to Itaewon where Nate, Stacey (a tag-a-long), and I grabbed dinner at the Wolfhound before making the short subway journey back to Nowon. While my ranch chicken sandwich was delicious, nothing felt better than hoping into a hot shower and watching the remaining mud coming pouring off me.

A few days and a lot of bleach later I got my bathing suit back to a respectable state. As for my shoes, or Sanuks rather, they were easily cleaned up by one shower and a load of wash. Luckily, I was smart enough not to bring any other clothing out to the Fest as it would likely have not made it back or not done so in any sort of wearable condition!

Overall I had a fantastic time at what I must say is without a doubt the most fun event I have participated in thus far in Korea. Heck, I couldn't imagine anything in Korea being as much fun as the atmosphere in Boryeong was simply, well, not Korean. Sure, it probably has a lot to do with the fact that the majority of fest-goers are foreigners, but the overall freedom, fun and festival atmosphere prevailed here unlike I've seen elsewhere in the Hermit Kingdom.

If you're in Korea and you haven't been to Mud Fest, well, you'd be foolish not to go. If you're not in Korea and have considered coming, this is perhaps the only thing that I would really, sincerely say is worth visiting the country for. That is of course, until Jazz Fest incorporates a mud section. Even so, just being muddy at a music festival doesn't come close in comparison to an event where the purpose is really nothing but to, well, get muddy!

Thank you to the people of Boryeong and the festival organizers who for 12 years now have graciously hosted this festival. Without their enduring patience for putting up with a raucous crowd of foreigners, nothing like this would be possible, and with out Mud Fest, who knows what foreigners might get up to during the hot summer months!

Now that the sun has set on the Fest, it's time to start thinking about my departure. . . more on that soon! Thanks for visiting, don't expect too much in the next few weeks as I mentally prepare for the end while tackling the all-day challenge that is Summer Intensive!

Happy 4th!

2009-07-07T00:49:00.008-04:00

A belated Happy Fourth of July from here in South Korea!

Friday evening Nate and I crashed at Steve's in order to get a good jump on on our Saturday, not entirely sure what we had in mind. Waking up and heading out for breakfast, I suggested we take everything we'd need for the day as it's a rarity for us to venture out and then return without first going through some overextended adventure. Which, as you might have guessed, is exactly what we did!

From Steve's place in Cheonho, we first stopped off at Paris Baguette to fill our bellies and then topped off with liquid fuel at a rather impressive coffee shop just a few blocks from his 'home.' Leaving our second 'meal' of the day, the sounds of video games lured us in to an arcade just across the street where we spent a good half hour and all the change in our pockets. Then, it was back to the road.

With no particular destination we simply wandered left and right, picking one alley over another for no real reason. Eventually we found a road sign pointing us towards and English Village. This sounded like as good of a destination as any and we took off towards it. It was a let down to find that our destination was no more than a giant brick school, but a beautiful one at that. We did however notice in the distance one of the numerous bridges spanning the Han River, which meant we couldn't be too far from its shores. Thus, we had our next destination in mind!

We had talked earlier that week about spending the Fourth in Itaewon as if anywhere were to host festivities it would certainly be this foreigner haven set aside a US Military base. So, as we walked, I jokingly suggested simply pegging the 'Twon as our final destination and humping it all the way there. . . I'm still not sure why suggestions like this, and climbing two mountains, are ever given serious consideration!

After an hour or so we made it to the Han where we were all rather impressed at it's size. While it does a great job of cutting the city in half, it does little to support the metropolis that it runs through. As you can tell from the design of the bridge below, the river hosts almost no traffic other than a few water taxis, dinner cruises and brave windsurfers. Having spent the past four years along the banks of the Mighty Miss, it's quite surprising to see a total absence of giant barges cruising up and down at all times. Though, someone once explained to me that the Han's delta dumps out way too close to North Korea for comfort and there fore this impressive waterway is totally unused as a shipping route. What a shame!

Troubled Water

Following the river, we first headed south and then eventually turned east where we got our first glimpse of the city center and Namsan Tower high up above. Again, with no real destination in mind, we simply continued wandering enjoying the sights, sounds and, ew, smells of the Han. Walking along the river trail we had to make sure to stay single file as we shared the path with a number of pretty serious bikers. There wasn't a whole lot of room for two bikes to pass safely with us on the side and to be honest, I don't trust the majority of Korea's weekend warriors to handle much of anything that requires great control. By the end of the day we had witnessed two pretty serious crashes. The first was a female hiker who got flattened by a gas powered remote control car and the second was by a biker, who looked like he could've taken on Lance, simply lose control and flip over on flat ground. Sticking close to the guard rail was the least we could do!

Line 7 Across the Han

On and on we wandered, stopping only once or twice at riverside convenience store installations. We did at one point look into taking a ferry from Jamsil to the island of Yeoido but decided the 13,000 krw one way ticket wasn't worth passing up our beautiful walk. So we pushed onwards. This time we were at least smart enough to load up on water whenever we had the chance! It also helped that we stuck to (relatively) flat ground!

A fellow walker

While the Han's landscape was rather unchanging, the man made structures that spanned it are quite impressive, especially from the other side. I can't imagine the load that these bridges bear each day but they seem to be doing the job! I once heard that a dozen or so years ago there was only one bridge crossing the Han while today there are dozens, all of which are used. Go ahead and look up exact statistics if you're really interested but otherwise, just think about what that means in terms of this city's amazing rate of growth and expansion! Seoul makes LA or Atlanta look like quaint college towns in comparison.

Man Made Marvels

As the sun began to fall on the other side of our face, we noticed Namsan tower growing closer and closer. Though we had once discussed heading up towards the street and hoping on a bus, we now seemed to close to give up our once impossible goal of hiking all the way to Itaewon. After a final prolonged stop at a 7/11 on wheels, we got up and made the final push upwards towards a bridge that we hoped would allow us to cross the Han on foot.

Namsan tower at dusk

A few flights of stairs later and we were on top of a busy bridge that hosted an eight lane highway. At first glace, it appeared as though we would have to hop on a bus to get across. We then noticed a small pedestrian pathway along the edge that required us first to hop across a lane of oncoming traffic. Don't worry, there was a zebra crossing but I'm sure the majority of cars flying up the on ramp aren't looking for or expecting pedestrians. Whether it was good luck or bold actions, we all made it in once piece! Our closest call however came as I was lining up the picture below and a giant cement truck went barreling past us. The small outlook that we were standing on shook so violently as to elicit a yelp of terror from the three of us. Nate's is caught on film below!

Preparing to be shaken off the bridge!

Once safely on the north side of the river, a short, but uphill hike landed us right at the edge of Itaewon! It didn't take us long to decide on dinner at Nashville, an American style pub with rooftop seating. We were lucky enough to grab one of the last tables open on the roof and immediately placed an order for three chili cheese burgers and a basket of fries! Hey, it's the Fourth of July right!

An American Feast!

We plowed through our burgers and hung out just long enough to talk to some soldiers and hear the fireworks blasting over the Yongsan base. I say hear because even though we had roof top seats, the fireworks, which Nate accurately predicted, were lined up directly across from a giant rooftop ventilation system that we could only just barely see through. So excuse the lack of pictures but I'm guess you saw a better show than we did!

All-American

From Nashville we headed to the next best place we could, Woodstock, known (to us at least) as a soldier's hangout. We were disappointed that Beef and Penetrators, an all servicemen band, wasn't playing but we had fun listening to the terrible house music and making some of our own. Heck, we even had a chance to bang around ourselves as we rang in the fifth of July. . .

Rocking out at Woodstock!

No, we didn't make it up any mountains and unlike a few people we saw, we didn't go for a dip in the Han. Even so, we made it a good 15 km at least on foot from the city's eastern edge to it's vibrant heart. Just another Saturday in the life of some wandering FT's! Next weekend it looks like it's off to Mud Fest but, then again, who really knows. . . Thanks for stopping by!

A Real Twofer!

2009-06-28T07:53:00.041-04:00

This weekend Nate and I decided that Steve was long over due for his first hike in Korea, having yet to experience the colorful eccentricity of Seoul's weekend warriors. We also decided, with some prodding from Steve, that the best way to prepare for our Saturday hike would be to load up on some nice lean protein. Thus, Friday night, accompanied by Debbie, a friend of ours who is well known to Junggye foreign teachers as the 'the Bagel Lady,' we headed out to the local Japanese restaurant to settle into a sumptuous meal of all you can eat tuna sashimi. . .

Dinnertime!

We were greeted upon arrival by the friendly proprietor and the always amicable chef who quickly recognized Nate and I from the few previous times we have visited. As ordering is always somewhat of a problem for us, it sure was nice to have Debbie along as she can rattle off both Korean and Japanese with ease. A definite bonus when dining at a Japanese restaurant in Korea.

As always, dinner was delicious. The meal begins with a small bowl of miso soup accompanied by a warm tuna chowder that reminds me of a creamy Campbell's soup. The table begins to grow cluttered as a plate of kimchi, unfamiliar when white in color, is brought to the table along with a giant steamed radish that resembled a roasted sweet potato more than anything. As an added bonus, for we haven't ever had this dish before, the chef graciously offered us a steaming bowl of tuna heads. Not wanting to turn anything down I tried to dig in and find something edible but my efforts were simply in vain. I wasn't able to scrounge any meat out of this fishy dish but I was able to identify a jawbone at least.

Just when we started to grow anxious, out came the long awaited main course. A beautiful panoply of fresh, raw, tuna. Always wanting to please, the chef, or perhaps surgeon is a more appropriate word, offered us each a piece of fish that stood out from the others due to its thick and incredibly dark, almost black, meat. He identified this as the cheek of the tuna and insisted that we start our meal off on the right foot by consuming this delicacy first. Mmmm mmmm!

While we were munching our way through the sashimi plate, more food continued to arrive at our already over crowded table. A plate of a creamed corn was placed between Nate and I while Debbie and Steve were graced with a circular chunk of smoked tuna tail. While the corn dish was somewhat familiar, the tuna tail is a rather unique yet utterly delectable treat!

Just when we had thought that we couldn't handle any more food either on our table or in our stomachs, Dr. Chef decided to regale us with a plate of salmon and whitefish sushi. We easily made room for this new arrival by ditching the soup cups and red radish that no one seemed to be picking at. This latest dish was accompanied by a heaping mound of freshly ground wasabi as our conversation had only just before turned to the lackluster green lump that was first served with the sashimi. Now we had the real stuff to deal with and boy, did it do the trick!

The man of the hour!

As we began closing in on the last few pieces of fish, I noticed MacChefinstein retreat behind the counter where his hands appeared to be moving at a feverish rate. Even so, his austere deportment would never hint at him doing any sort of frantic work. Again, leaning back in contentment was the only signal he needed to barrage us with more epicurean goodies. This time around we were treated to the cream of the crop as the newest arrivals literally shone above all the others. This final plate of prime tuna cuts (as recognized by its tenderness and darker color) was centered around a florid arrangement of our favorite fish and decorated with none other than gold flakes. A truly sybaritic display! Despite having long passed the point of satisfaction, I eagerly dove in to this unique treat, not of course before snapping a few pictures to share with the likes of you, dear reader!

Le Golden Tuna!

While I presumed that this wonderful display would certainly be our last course, I had obviously forgotten about the exotic bowl of tuna entrails served as desert. Without alerting Steve to the identity of these peculiar looking nibblets, he bravely dug in. I too gave the intestines a shot, although this time I steered clear of the little sacs that pop saltwater into your mouth when you bit down on them. This is the second time we have tried to identify them and still have not been able to. Steve, good for him, was actually able to manage to get one down the hatch. A feat that neither Mr. Kochanski nor I were able to accomplish. Hilarity ensued however when were then informed that they are not meant to be consumed but rather just popped and then spit back out. Oops, what doesn't kill you only makes you stronger. . .right!?

To top off our bowl of entrails were each given a shot of a clear yet extremely viscous liquid. While Debbie refused hers, I tried to do the same but to no avail. Eventually, Nate, Steve and I tipped back, and managed to keep down this 'juice' from the inside of a tuna's eyeball. Mmmm, you haven't lived till you've drank eye juice!

The rest of the fish. . .

At that point we decided it best to clear out before were were bombarded with any more parts of the fish that we weren't quite ready to deal with. We packed up and split the meal, going Dutch, to the surprise, and relief of our Korean accompaniment, Debbie. This is because if we were dining traditionally, as the oldest, and the only Korean of the bunch, she would essentially be bound by social prescription to picking up the tab. Good things we're all nice guys!

After dinner it was off to Culture Street to try and unwind and walk off a bit of our overstuffing. Even so, by the time we arrived, most everything was winding down and thus we headed back home. Not before having to deal with a gang of rowdy foreigners whom we seem prone to run into whenever swinging through Nowon. We managed to make it in to bed just before the sun rose (over the high rises at least), still planning on setting out early in to the mountains. Luckily, having woken up early all week, I was still able to roll out of bed before noon at which point we began dressing for the day's adventures on the mountain. Oh, and what an adventure it would turn out to be!

It can't be bedtime yet!

Although I earlier sent Steve a message suggesting he bring adequate climbing footwear up to Junggye, he somehow overlooked this presage and turned up with only a pair of black dress shoes. Whether on purpose or not, I refused to let this slight setback get in the way of our day on the hill and was quick to lend him my tennies that we were able to get snug enough with a thick pair of SmartWool hikers. I found it slightly humorous that between the two of us, both donning my shoes, Steve got the much better fit as I still haven't found a way to shrink my size 11 hikers down to the 10 they should be! Oops, as I've sworn, no more ordering shoes online!

We met Nate downstairs and headed off towards the base of Bulamsan where we began to discuss strategy. My initial plan had been to conquer Suraksan, a local peak that is adjacent to Bulamsan that neither Nate nor I had yet ventured up. From our eighth story perch atop DYB, Mt. Surak appeared to be no more than a short jaunt from the base of Bulam and thus totally accessible by foot. We decided to head up the foot of Bulam at our primary point of entry and then make a sort of traverse over to Surak where we would eventually top out at the peak, 637m above.

Ready to Go!

Only a short way into our hike, we paused to take a look at a posted map of the twin peaks. It was then that we realized we had quite a ways to go before even reaching Surak proper as the simple traverse we had imagined actually required us getting up almost to the top of Bulam before following the only horizontal path northwest towards our desired peak. It was here where we began contemplating our different options. Sure, the trek looked manageable but it would certainly be a round about route and far from an easy, direct shot.

Our only other options however were returning to street level and either walking a mile or so through Junggyedong to Sanggyedong or simply catching a cab. The later sounded appealing though as I pointed out, we had no clue where we wanted to go other than 'Suraksan' which seemed like somewhat of a ridiculous request to make to a taxi driver, especially as we could see the mountain from where we stood, not to mention being underdressed and undersupplied for the occasion. The later observation here would later come back to bite us in our weary butts!

Deciding that we didn't want to risk the embarrassment of returning to the street, we figured we had set out early enough where a long trek would be totally manageable before sundown. As we would soon learn, timing was far from our biggest problem. Though none of us took the time to thoroughly map out our route, we had a good enough idea of what we had to do and that was go up, way up, then hang a left. While making our way up a nice paved path (where was this the last time we were forced to try scrambling up an unmanageable face?), Nate began to entertain the idea of simply climbing Bulamsan again. I negated this suggestion pointing to the fact that we've done it a decent number of times (three for me, four for Nate, one for Lars!) and that I had been planning on getting Surak out of the way all week.

As soon as I had shot the idea down, Nate quickly defended himself by clarifying that he didn't mean we should climb only Bulam but rather summit there first and then follow the high ridgeline we saw on the map all the way over to Surak. The idea of climbing two mountains in one afternoon sounded both enticing and absurd but it gained momentum with me when Nate officially designated the feat as our first 'twofer.' While I'm sure he'd love to claim responsibility for penning such catchy nomenclature, this honor is unfortunately reserved for the renowned American mountaineer, Ed Viesturs, whose book Nate had recently finished and even more recently lent to me (thanks!). Even so, with the auspicious use of a 'cool' mountaineering term, how could either Steve or I turn down the idea. We soon agreed, Steve grunting in acknowledgement of us making a decision more than recognizing the plan, and continued upward, saving our traverse for once we had already topped out on Bulam.

Mountain Flora

Setting out at noon on what was likely the hottest day of summer yet didn't do much for our comfort factor on the mountain. Though the better part of the lower path is shaded by tree growth, this also blocks any and all breeze from the trail which left us hiking through a virtual sauna. The humidity, which was easily around 90%, didn't help either! Only a few hundred meters in to the climb we had all thoroughly soaked through our shirts and I could feel the sweat from my back pooling at the bottom of my cute little bright orange DYB backpack. It certainly didn't help that both Nate and Steve were stuck in cotton t-shirts, widely regarded in both camping and traveling circles as 'death fabric' for its ability to absorb then retain water, adding weight and tempting hypothermia. Nate at least had the excuse of losing his only water wicking t-shirt on the DYB 'camping trip' while Steve was stuck in his undershirt from the night before. Sure, in retrospect I could have lent him a lightweight soccer jersey but you just don't think about that type of stuff at ten in the morning now do ya?!

My Ridiculously Good Looking Climbing Gear!

(My bandanna is from Tsukiji Fish Market, Tokyo, Japan, courtesy of Nathan Kochanski)

Taking yet a different route up the mountain (we've yet to ever go the same way twice), we were relieved to eventually come to a long set of wooden stairs. Though neither Nate nor I had ever climbed them, we both immediately recognized it as a sort of shortcut (despite what Viesturs says) to the top. As we predicted, only a few minutes later we shot out just under the giant boulders that mark the beginning of the final push up Bulamsan. This staired route had circumvented the first mini peak that we normally have to climb up and over in order to get to Bulamsan proper. In doing so, we had managed to save a heap of time and climbing but also missed the first rest area meaning we were still without water an hour in to our climb. As dehydrated as the three of us already were, we managed to push forward enthusiastically, knowing that just at the foot of the boulders there would be another small tent to grab a drink. Luckily, we were correct.

We stopped to have a drink in the shade and as we each downed a bottle or more of water I saw the misgiving in Steve's eyes slowly fade away. While we had promised him that there was in fact water on the mountain, neither of us had revealed that it was only available just under the summit. Oops, our fault!

Hauling Himself

Turning to tackle the final few hundred meters, we were reminded of the massive makeover that had been taking place last time we were on the mountain when Laura visited. Back in early May, we were surprised to see the skeleton of a stairway leading up towards the summit of our local peak. By late June, this skeleton had materialized into a full blown cakewalk right up to the last five meters of mountain. Not willing to give in to this newfangled climbing assistant, Nate led us up and over our usual route which involved clambering under the stairway where others easily cruised on ahead. Though the squeeze was tight, all three of us managed to get up to the top without having to use the unsightly stairway. (We wrote off the one we used earlier on in our climb as it was a new route for us and seemingly the only way up from that point.)

Bulamsan? No Problem!

Summit Team 1

It only took a quick glance to the north for my doubts to reemerge about pulling off a 'twofer.' Though due more to haze than distance, the top of Suraksan, a half mile or so away, loomed impending, daring us to go through with our somewhat reckless plan. We stayed on Bulam only long enough to snap a couple of pictures before my cotton soaked partners began to get a bit chilly. . .silly boys! In order to celebrate our first victory, we headed off the north side of the mountain towards Checkpoint Charlie where we refueled a bit on anchovies and garlic shoots while introducing Steve to the mountain tradition of a good ole' makgeolli stop.

After catching our breath and wetting our lips, we headed out a new path towards the back of our usual stop. Leaving Bulam at 508m, our hope was to find a direct line to Surak along a ridge that stayed high enough for us to avoid having to completely reclimb the mountain to Surak's peak, only a 130m above where we set off from. It didn't take long for us to realize that we were headed downhill and there was nothing we could do about it.

Scrambling Down

Even so, the trail running along the ridgeline offered some spectacular views, or at least, would have if the air wasn't so filled with whatever the heck it's filled with. (I've heard Koreans refer to this as 'cloudy' which would be about as silly as calling a smoky bar room 'foggy.') It was time to put on the sunnies as the trees has been almost entirely cleared along this long narrow path. Coming up through a lush green forest, it was strange to see this dry barren landscape that seemed to have been intentionally made as Steve pointed out a number of the trees looked as if they had been sawed down. There was no development apparent and even less of a reason that one would consider such an absurd idea. This left the three of us pondering who would have possibly undertaken such a destructive, and seemingly futile task.

Just Foolin'

Down we went and before long, both Bulam and Surak has disappeared from our sights as we were once again surrounded by dense forest. Not long after retreating under the trees, we began to hear the noise of a busy road below us. This is never a good sign when one is hoping to stay high on a mountain trail!

We shot out of the forest at a bridge that overlooked the entrance to a Korean military base. Well, that helps explain the numerous bunkers we ran into along the way. While Nate and I have both had our fill of playing around in these, it was Steve's turn to jump in and pretend to shoot at invaders with a broken stick. If only we had such fortifications to play with in Whitehills Woods!

While crossing the deteriorating bridge above a narrow two lane highway, Nate noted a sign pointing southwards that read 'Seoul.' Off to our right another marker welcomed drivers to Gyeongi Province. True to the markings on the map, we were officially straddling the line between Seoul and, well, not-Seoul.

On the other side of the bridge, we were greeted by a high fence covered in barbed wire and pocketed with dozens of painted stones. These stones, as we know from a visit to the DMZ, are used as signifiers, alerting patrols to tampering or potential weak spots in the barriers. Also attached to this long, seemingly never ending fence, were a number of small black pop cans that were wired to the inside of the fence. Despite studying these as we walked, I couldn't figure out what purpose they served. Take a look at the picture, any ideas?!

Fenced In

The path wound on forever, and we made pretty good time as the grade was nothing too intense. While this was comforting at the time, it continued to resonate with me that whatever vertical we didn't climb now, we'd only have to tackle later when we were certain to be much more exhausted then we already were. Bunkers, trenches and guardposts continued dot our path as the border to the military base seemed to stretch on for an eternity. Eventually we passed through an open door in a barbed wire fence, Nate going first to check for enemy fire, after which the fortifications ceased.

By this point we had long since drained the last of our water from Bulam and were again hankering for a drink. Our rests became more numerous as Nate would lunge ahead only to stop and catch a breath while I tried to maintain a relatively even pace and keep Steve in sights as he struggled upwards, cursing us for leading him on such a grueling initiatory expedition sans supplies.

Bulam in the background. . .

Our second climb of the day seemed endless yet I vowed to keep an indefatigable mindset, despite my body telling me otherwise. When he could catch his breath, Steve would scathe us for promising water en route when clearly there was none. This seemed odd to both Nate and I as the refueling stations are somewhat numerous on Bulamsan. Even so, we chalked it up to the backdoor route we were taking and continued to promise that there would be respite ahead.

Every few hundred yards a turn off invited us to stop and enjoy a beautiful view looking south out over Nowongu and Bulamsan. However, after pausing at the first of these reststops, none of us again showed interest in sightseeing as we were focused on much more tangible goals, like water.

Looking out towards Bulamsan

I have no idea how long it took for us to get anywhere but it wasn't quick and when we got wherever we were going, we were still far from where we wanted to be. Along the way we passed over the top of two misleading peaks that hinted at being the end of our journey. Lucky for us, these weren't our final destination as neither offered anything to drink.

Eventually, we began to pass people on the path going the opposite way. This was a much needed sign of relief as we had been climbing for hours without seeing, well, anybody for the most part. Only a few couples perched on rocks who seemed to be enjoying the snacks that they intelligently toted with themselves up the mountain.

In passing one of these groups I grew excited, pointing out to Nate that one of the hikers was munching on an empty popsicle stick. Willing to bet that they hadn't climbed the mountain carrying this little piece of wood, it seemed to presage an impending ice cream vendor. Indeed, only a few minutes later we passed another troupe, this time carrying full popsicles that still were covered in frost. I leaped into the air and let out a great 'Asa!' bolting forward to the cheery vendor who stood alongside a wooded path with nothing other than a giant backpack-box or popsicles and a couple empty bottles of makgeolli.

Although it wasn't water, a melon popsicle goes a long way when you're almost entirely dehydrated and hiking on an empty stomach. Oh yeah, we might've forgotten to eat anything before taking off in the morning but, at the time, still weighed down with tuna, it didn't seem to be a big deal. Bad decision number two.

A Rocky Road

Devouring our popsicles we hastened our pace knowing that the summit must be near. We eventually did catch sight of two looming peaks though Nate ominously commented that he hoped it wasn't the second one we were aiming for. A little ways onward we were again excited to find a large group of people scattered about amongst a number of makgeolli bottles. Usually this indicates a rest area with water but unfortunately, as we soon found out, they offered only this sweet rice wine. Nevertheless, liquid is liquid when you've stop sweating in 90 degree heat because you've literally fun out of fluid! So, we quickly pounded down a bottle between the three of us, not even bothering to dig into the mandatory side dishes. A nearby climber apparently noted our lack of snacking and came over to offer some fresh fruit he had cut up in his bag. Mmmm, this was a welcome treat that, although delicious, did little to satisfy my cravings.

We didn't linger long at this stop either and pushed upwards through ever more rocky terrain. At one point, we made a short traverse around a flat sloping rock upon which we could see a waving flag. To us, this flag symbolized the eminent summit yet, once round the corner, we found a sign pointing us yet further along the trail. Just as Nate has guessed, we were headed for the second peak.

Putting in a long, long first day!

Finally we came to the base of a few enormous rock slabs on which happy parties were making a haphazard descent, obviously excited to be heading down from the top. Scrambling up this final face I was elated to find a snack stand in the most unlikely of places, at the very summit of Mt. Surak. I ordered up a pair of waters for Nate and I just as he came in to view. We held off on getting Steve one so as not to let it warm up before he arrived, which yes, he did eventually do only a minute or so behind. After putting down two waters and two Pocari Sweats he admitted that not turning around, as he had earlier proposed to do, was the better decision. Although it might have seemed selfish to push him onwards, both Nate and I realized that the closest water, which is what we all dearly needed, was definitely upwards, and not down into some random gully.

At 637m on Suraksan Summit! Number two for the day!

After rehydrating as best as our tightened stomachs would allow, we all agreed that it was well past time to get the heck outta the woods and on to solid ground. With no real idea where we were or how to get out we did what any desperately tired hikers would do, headed down! We eventually came to a sign pointing towards Nowon-Gol, which, to us, sounded good enough. No clue how long it took us to get down but it was a mere fraction of the time we spent covering the same distance on pitched, or even flat ground as we literally bounded down the mountain, Nate at the lead.

Exhausted

Only a few wrong turns later we found ourselves at the bottom of Nowon Gully (which must be what Gol means in Korean, only a guess here). At this small rest area we were able to fill our empty bottles with 'fresh' spring water pouring from a mountainside tap. No clue as to the true hazard of drinking this stuff but a good number of the locals do and usually that's a pretty safe bet. None of us are sick, yet!

We shot out of the mountain and celebrated our safe arrival on solid ground by parking our butts in the nearest chairs we could find, just outside a local store which was obviously converted to a hikers hangout on the weekends. It didn't take long before we were approached by the drunk old men at the neighboring table who insisted on buying us makgeolli and then snacks, seeing that we didn't have any dried fish on our table. A total faux pax in the world of Korean drinking.

Nate was attacked by this larger than life moth which our friendly neighbor informed us is an 'intoxicating' species. Whether he meant poisonous or exhilarating, we'll likely never know!

Walking through Nowon Gol I was excited to see a number of mountaineering stores, just the place I've been looking to stop in on to research backpacks for my imminent journey throughout SEAsia. I'll let you know how the search goes!

As the sun began heading for the horizon we decided it was well past time to get on back to Doota, change out of our disgusting clothes and head out to a big ole' BBQ dinner. Which, is exactly what we did!

Tan, or dirt. . .take a guess

While they might not be the biggest mountains in Korea, or even Seoul for that matter, we did manage to pull of Nate's audacious suggestion of summiting two peaks in one day. Sure, it's a far cry from 'climbing the world's 14 highest peaks,' but when's the last time you pulled off a real twofer!

Alone at the top. . .

Raid

2009-06-26T08:36:00.005-04:00

For the second consecutive day we are being sent home before 10:00pm as the police are coming to 'raid' our academy. According to Korean law, hagwons are not allowed to operate after ten o'clock in the evening. Ours, DYB Choisun Academy, and numerous others show blatant disregard for this statute and stay open much later.

The penalty for being 'caught' is unbeknownst to me but I can't really imagine it being that harsh as nothing in Korea seems to penalized all that seriously. Except of course for making poor grades on mid-term test. However, I don't hesitate to wonder just what would happen if one of the raiding officers took it upon themselves to actually examine one of the numerous schedules posted around the building that clearly evince our illegal hour of operation. . .hmmm.

I have no idea how we know about these 'raids' but I suppose it's good for business that someone is informed ahead of time. Whether this is done intentionally or rather behind close doors, as some suggest, it means only one thing for us FT's. . .going home early!

So, without further ado, I'm outta here!

Happy Weekend!

300 Down!

2009-06-16T10:23:00.011-04:00

As you might have guessed from the above title, today marks my 300th day in Korea! This is exciting not only because it's such a pretty round number but because it means that I have (approximately) only 65 days left here in the Hermit Kingdom. In order to honor this momentous event, I figured I owe at least some sort of update. Not having anything extraordinary planned to mark this hallowed day, what you'll find below is simply a concoction of recent, yet unreported events. Bear with me here!

First on the list are the events that transpired this past weekend under the guise of a DYB 'membership training' seminar. Early last week, I was approached by Anna about two issues. The first was that we were to begin an office wide Secret Santa like game, maniddo, where each teacher is supposed to surreptitiously shower another with gifts assistance and praise. Of course, my initial question was how this is supposed to remain a secret as the later two seemingly require some sort of interpersonal interaction. Unable to find anyone willing to answer my question, I quickly gave up on the matter figuring it would be to my maniddos disadvantage if they didn't take the time to explain it to me!

Turns out I was lucky enough to draw Terry which made associating with my maniddo less strenuous as I had imagined it could be had I chosen one of our numerous employees that I simply do not interact with on a daily basis. To get my showering of gifts over with quickly I simply asked Terry to come out for chicken and beer (if you haven't figured it out by know, this a Korean standard, don't ask why, it just is) and insisted on picking up the check. This was not an all together easy feat as she out ranks me in both age and status which, in this Confucian society, means that I am in no way obliged to be covering the tab. Even so, I was able to complete my mini-mission and make it even more convincing by talking the whole time about how I don't know what to do for my maniddo. How mendacious of me, right!?

The second matter of business that Anna addressed us all about on Tuesday was the weekend's upcoming 'membership training' seminar. While few details were disclosed at that time, Anna insisted that it would have three parts, 'dinner,' a 'serious part,' and then lastly the intemperate 'drunken part.' The one thing that was made clear was that sleep would be limited. As exciting as it sounded to get out of Seoul for the weekend, you can imagine how unappealing such an offer is when limited sleeping (usually my favorite weekend activity) is promised along with the company of only coworkers (those that I certainly, no offense, get enough of during the work week).

Come Saturday I was feeling confident about my maniddo responsibilities as I had slipped Terry a movie theater sized box of Skittles (thanks Dad) and a Starbucks gift card (or 'money check' as they refer to them here) during the course of the week. While she questioned me about it once, I quickly denied any knowledge of the gift bearer. As for me, I received a few kinda sticky notes accompanied by a delicious bottle of apple juice, and odd rice drink and on Friday, a package of chocolate covered nuts accompanied by a rather prurient love note. The later 'gift' sent me reeling as the grammatically incorrect ballad read like a veritable Korean translation making me question whether it was a joke or a terribly unrestrained lustful confession. Nevertheless, the letter assured me that my paramour would come forth on Saturday evening. . . now I really had something to look forward too!

After grabbing lunch with Steve in Itaewon, Nate and I headed back towards Junggye to get ready for our 6:00pm departure. Not wanting to miss my final soccer game of the season, I stuffed my backpack full of cleats and uniforms, leaving little room for anything else. I hoped, and was correct, in that it didn't matter. One thing I did bring however was my bathing suit as Terry had called the night before to let Nate and I know that we might go tubing during the 'camping trip.' I asked her if that meant we should bring bathing suits to which she responded 'No, just a change of clothes.'

This is hilariously indicative of Korean's conservative attitudes towards revealing ones body in public. While they (yes, I know this is a generalization but you find a better way to say what I'm trying to say) refuse to expose themselves on a beach or under the warm summer sun, these same people have no problem stripping down and walking around jimjilbangs (saunas/spas) in the buff, sharing showers, baths, and coffee all while completely naked. Yet, try to take your shirt off while tubing on a river and one is instantly made to feel ignominious. Just ask Nate!

What a shocking move!
(Photo courtesy of NMK Studios)

So, with a backpack stuffed with nothing of real use I met up with the teachers just as they were exiting DYB headed for a small shuttle bus that normal whips our students to and fro academy in the evenings. In their matching shirts, I couldn't help but chuckle at the seriousness with which this outing seemed to be taken. Apparently, 'teams' had already be chosen and sides were represented by one of two colored smiley face t's. . .see below for a visual.

Dddd Yy Bb!
(Photo courtesy of NMK Studios)

A two hour cramped bus ride later and we were dumped out into the remote darkness of Pyeonchang. Not only did I later learn that we weren't too far from the ski resort that we had visited over Lunar New Year but that the city is currently trying to put in an official bid for the upcoming Winter Olympics. Not sure where they'd host any of the downhill events but it's Korea, I'm sure they'll find a way!

Loadin' up
(Photo courtesy of NMK Studios)

After unloading all our luggage (or lack there of, most of the Korean teachers brought nothing more than a decent sized purse) into the 'homey' four bedroom cabin, we headed outside to a long picnic table for a very traditional work related dinner. While food and beverage were abound, the main difference was that we did not cook the food directly at our table but rather Joseph (who we were happy to have accompany us on this trip despite no longer working at Junggye) and one of DYB's higher lever managers (who is also apparently our 'branch supervisor') cooked the samgyeopsal over two freestanding charcoal grills. Even so, dinner was delicious and excessive as always.

Joseph and I working hard to get dinner ready!

As everyone began reaching their personal satiety, the focused shifted from dinner to one of two 'serious parts' of the weekend. In this phase of the evening, each person had to stand and covertly describe their maniddo while the others tried to guess who it was. Then the maniddo had to take the stage and praise the work of their personal agent. This continued on for some time as each pair was forced to take a 'love shot' (or two) of soju. The only thing I gained from this experience was the knowledge that my licentious love note was in fact a joke that had nothign to do with my maniddo but rather was planted by Razer to arouse suspicion. This was by far the funniest thing that I have seen a Korean execute that didn't involve self humiliation in some way, shape, or form.

The Spread!

Growing extremely tired of the repetitive nature of these speeches, I was quick to agree to play the guitar for Razer who at one point decided it necessary to belt out a sloppy rendition of much rehearsed and once extremely tight 'DYB Song.' While I too intended on performing a version of the 'Mr. Song' song, I didn't end up getting around to it before we were all forced to go inside at the request of the couple who was staying in an adjacent room attached to our main cabin. I pity their choice of vacation date and location! I can only hope that this cherubic couple was offered some sort of compensation by the pension which presumably derived a rather hefty profit from hosting our over sized and soju suffused group of noisy teachers.

Straight Grillin'

Bringing the meeting inside did not at all put an end to the festivities. Sitting in a large circle on the hard wooden floor, a number of games continued long into the night. By this time, everyone had either forgotten that Nate and I were presented or simply didn't care to take the time and effort to explain what was going on in English. Thus, the two of us were forced to sit there dumbstruck at the ridiculousness that ensued. Some teachers simply keeled over and continued trying to play while others looked to be in such bad shape that they were dragged off to bed. Now by bed I mean the floor as this capacious cabin had only one actual bed that was shared by merely two of the dozen plus teachers. . .mmmm, luxurious living!

Despite not understanding the progression of the games at hand, I was intermittently told to drink for I had unknowingly done something wrong. This I refused to do and simply curled up in a ball on the floor doing my best to eschew the mayhem. No matter how hard I tried, doing so was simply impossible as I was routinely badgered for putting my head down and not participating. . .um, okay, just explain the game to me.

A love shot with his pepoo!

Eventually, sometime around 4:30am, we were told that the nights activities were over and it was time for bed. Settling into the small bedroom that Nate and I had earlier staked as the Native Room, we were quickly kicked out by a larger group of Korean teachers who insisted we were too spend the night in the main room with Joseph and the remnants of the evening's entertainment. As mentioned earlier, our bedding was no more than a Korean yeo, or thick blanket placed on the floor. Not only were Joseph's pre-bedtime antics hilarious, to say the least, but our laughter managed to keep the teachers up for at least a half hour beyond their prescribed bed time which, though it might have pissed them off a bit, I feel somewhat righteous for doing as they would soon subject me to much, much worse. . . .

An enthralling evening, can't you tell. . .

It didn't seem like more than a second had passed before I awoke to Anna romping through the house belting out the shrillest wake up call I have heard since the 250 feral alarm clocks that roused me each morning in Ghana. This tirade continued on for what seemed like an eternity as I heard teachers grumble in to the shower and out to the picnic table for breakfast. Note that I say 'heard' and not 'saw' as I myself simply refused to budge. My weekends are allocated to resting and enjoying myself, not early morning wake up calls and DYB-isms. Thus, with Joseph tucked in tightly against me on the floor, I held my spot, eyes glued shut, all throughout breakfast. I knew I wouldn't be missing much here as I had Terry confirm my suspicion the prior night that there would be no eggs, bacon, toast or pancakes to be seen. Thus, breakfast was not in my game plan!

After everyone had eaten, and I had napped a few precious extra minutes of shuteye, I was eventually lured out of bed by Razer's guitar. Unfortunately, just as I leaned over to take it from him (oooo how I miss the vibrations of a full sized acoustic, though don't get me wrong, I love my Baby Taylor, which incidentally might be going up on the chopping block soon, see Craig's List Korea for details), we were called outside for the second half of the 'serious part,' speeches. I had been delighted when, the night before, we were informed that the speeches section would be delayed until morning due to our late arrival. Unfortunately at that time I didn't fully consider the repercussions of a samgyeopsal party followed by two hour of 'sleep.'

We had been informed of these speeches ahead of time but Anna had (purposely?) been rather vague in explaining the subject matter, merely portending that they were to be very, very serious. Here's what I was able to surmise ahead of time. We were supposed to talk about our past, present and future discussion the different emotions, goals and accomplishments associated with each. We were also to address our personality flaws and fundamentals while relating the whole thing to our experience working at DYB. Apparently, the speeches were supposed to be wrapped up with some grand 'resolution' about our personal role in further DYB Junggye Branch and helping it to reach it's ideal enrollment of 1000 students. (For reference, we currently have somewhere around 500 students and I would consider both the teachers and physical space completely exhausted. . .so good luck Junggye!)

Previously, as I had plenty of down time on the bus ride to the site, I had actually considered attempting to address the majority of these topics. Sure, everything regarding my role in DYB would be fudged and nothing about my personal life would be revealed other than a rosy version of my time in Korea but, at least I had intended on trying. That all changed Sunday morning. For three hours I sat in the chilly morning on a hard, short, uncomfortable wooden bench listening to Korean teachers give tear jerking stories about their failed lives in a language that I understand not a lick of. I was hungry, tired and plain old pissed off at the fact that I was forced to sit through this when earlier in the week Terry had promised me the weekend would be 'in English' to test the other teachers' linguistic perspicacity.

I know it might sound a bit like whining to say 'oh, I had to go on vacation, eat and drink for free all night, then wake up and listen to a bit of seriousness that in all honesty I could zone out,' but believe me, this was worse that torture. To sit there and pretend like what was going on mattered was simply a joke. It didn't take me long to just close my eyes and totter back and forth. This only lasted a few seconds however before the Branch Supervisor, sitting across from me, tossed me a swift kick under the table. After the first few torturous hours I began to let hold of anything I was previously doing to belie my annoyance with the situation. While at one point I simply got up to go fetch some bananas from inside, it was only too soon before I had to reluctantly trod back out to the confession session.

By the time it was my turn to make an announcement I spent no more than five minutes telling my audience about how I enjoy Always Doing Always Moving (did you catch the acronym?). What my point came down to was that I've been in Korea for more than long enough and it was time for me to embark on a new adventure which I am eagerly anticipating. I felt this topic to be most relevant as I was well aware that at the onset of this trip, the goal of a number of teachers was to try and persuade Nate and I both to resign our contracts and stay longer with DYB. While I never have and do not intend to ever do so, I have little problem addressing the issue of my eventual departure though normally I do so with much greater restraint.

Finally, after about three and a half hours of these continuous, indecipherable screeds, Razer stood up and insisted that he must leave as he had certain business, I believe of the ecclesiastical order, to attend to. I too excused myself (or maybe I didn't) and turned to hop in the car with him as I had expressed that my commitment to my soccer team was as long lasting as that to DYB and my last regular season game was not to be missed. Thankfully, Razer agreed to pack me in and less than an hour later I was back in the comfort of my Doota abode. While I say I was lucky to get out of there, after only another hour or so of speeches, the 'serious part' broke down into an afternoon of water sports which I am somewhat disappointed I missed. Though it would have been great fun to go tubing, I wouldn't have traded my last game in for it and am certainly glad that I made it back in time. Thanks a bunch Razer!

As for Sunday afternoon, well, that's already been covered, just check below if you missed it! I tried to vote for myself today (hey, why not?) for defensive player of the year but it turns out you're not allowed to vote for anyone on your own team and you have to click a button verifying that you didn't. I'm all for self predilection but I couldn't bring myself to lie to the cyberworld about voting for a teammate. . .oh well, we'll see if anyone else noticed me other than Sun. I doubt it but, then again, you never know! The results will be disclosed this Saturday at an awards banquet in Gangnam. Apparently, no one from our team showed up last time except for Sun and as of now, no one but him has RSVP'd. I can't say I'm dying to go and mingle with fellow league players, none of whom I know, but I think I'll go just to show support for Sun as he's been such a helpful mentor here. I just hope the buffet is worth 18,000 won!

I know the weekend wasn't that bad and obviously the teachers' nefarious agenda was meant as a sort of solidarity generating technique. The part that I just can't get over is that it did nothing to create such a feeling for anyone but the Korean teachers. Sure, there were a dozen of them and only two of us 'Natives' but then again, we're the one's that they're trying to get to stick around. Or maybe, are they really more worried about everyone else leaving? Now that I think about it, that's likely the much bigger issue for them as the KT's continue to drop like flies. Just last month we lost another newer member, Ja Young who was replaced by the kind but rather eccentric Susan (Ho In). At the rate they're going, the DYB I will say good bye to in a few months time will be almost entirely different from that which I joined last August. I wonder if these sort of seminars help, or hurt their cause. I guess that's not for me to worry about now is it!

Well look at how time flies! And didn't I say just a few thousand words ago that I had nothing substantial to report on this momentous day? Whoulda thunk it'd all just come rushing out like that! As for the other updates I was going to leave you with, well, don't worry about 'em now. I'll save it for sometime when I've got nothing left to rant about. When'll that be? Well, your guess is as good as mine!

Goodnight and Happy 300!

(*While reading, I have recently begun the practice of writing down, and subsequently looking up, words that I am unfamiliar with. Although I've been told to do this for years, I've never actual done so until now. Not surprisingly, I rather enjoy doing so as I feel like it's opening a whole new literary world to me. In the past, I have never minded simply skimming over unrecognizable words whereas now I am eager to learn their meaning which I write down in my school/work notebook. In order to help me better remember these new words, I have tried to slip them into both conversation and most recently, my writing. The above posts contains 10 or so of these 'new words/phrases' borrowed from authors Tom Robbins, Paul Theroux, Kevin Gotham, Jon Krakauer and David Grazian. I don't doubt that the majority of these are used incorrectly as I am hardly familiar with the terms. Even so, I find it's worth the practice and I'll eagerly accept any critique that you might be willing to offer! Can you find all 10!?)

SSFL Spring Season Closer

2009-06-14T11:10:00.008-04:00

Today wrapped up the last week of match play in the SSFL Spring Season. While I at first questioned whether or not I would be able to make it due to a work retreat this weekend, it wasn't hard for me to make a case for having to return to Seoul early. I have been a member of the Spitfires now for almost as long as I have been at DYB. In fact, the differential is only one week as it was my second week here that I went out for my first game.

I'm glad that I did make it back in time as team manager Sun Uk bestowed a rather humbling honor to me today asking if I would allow the referee to take my picture to be used as a nomination for the defensive player of the season! I of course agreed and thanked him profusely for such recognition when all I try and do each week is show up and play!

A Spitfire Veteran!

Anyways, facing the yet undefeated Jokers we didn't go into the game with any intention other than having fun. And that we did!

To everyone's surprise, The Spitfires took the early lead and managed to hold on for quite some time. Even so, the Joker's possessed a team skill that we simply could not match and they eventually pulled even. A bit later, a fluke popup and an unlucky handball in the box gave the Joker's two more, seemingly putting the game out of reach.

With a crack from 20 yards out, Russian exchange student Ivan managed to whip a ball past a diving goalie to keep us in the game. Unfortunately, we weren't able to produce anything else beyond that and had to settle for a game well played. As a defeat was rather eminent from the onset, it was enjoyable simply going out and playing our hardest for the season's last game. To be honest, this had to have been one of our best played matches of the season as we gave this undefeated team a true run for their money. Playing against anyone else in the league we would have had a sound victory! Even so, it wasn't a total personal defeat as somehow I managed to secure the 'Man of the Match' honors for my improvised role at sweeper, a relatively new position for me!

Afterward, Sun treated the team to chicken and beer using the remainder of our 'team fees.' Not entirely sure how we have any left over but he insisted that it was not him paying but rather our collective funds. Either way, it was a great way to end the season!

Though I'm looking forward to the number of friendly matches Sun has promised to organize this summer, I'm saddened that today was likely my last day of league play with the Spitfires. As my contract coincided with the first week of fall play, I will likely have left, or at least be leaving Korea by the time the next season picks up again.

As I mentioned before, of all the things that make up my Korean experience, this team has been at the top of the list. Having something to do that simply does not involve work, teaching, DYB or even Nowon in anyway has been life saving for me. From the time I get on the bus Sunday afternoon to the time I get back off the subway I feel a freedom that I long for all week. To be able to run, play, compete and simply have fun without a care in the world is, well, all I really ask for. On Sunday afternoons at least!

While everyone that I have met through our team has been amazing, here are just a few of those who have helped to make my experience just a little bit more, well, enjoyable! Thanks guys. . .

Our knowledgeable and generous team manager, Sun Uk, who, at the age of 50 still holds his own on the field against a group of rowdy post-adolescent expats.

Hwi Soo, a young soldier who I learned, only the day before he left, not only worked on the US base but in turn spoke almost perfect English.

Tom Anderson, the diplomat and family man. As American as corn on the cob and oversized chili dogs.

Canadian Craig who, after almost a half a dozen years in Korea shows no sign of leaving anytime soon. His recent engagement to a young Korean woman probably sealed the deal but it's great for me as I know where to go to with 'life in Seoul' questions.

Ammar, perhaps our team's biggest asset who we unfortunately lost early on this season due to a serious leg injury. Playing stopper I have nothing more comforting than knowing that he is there to take out anyone who might get by me or to give the ball a good ole' toe kick sending it down to the opposing team's goal line. As an Iraqi immigrant who has been waiting for years now to move to the USA with his American wife, he was recently blessed with both confirmation on his long awaited visa and the arrival of his first child, a beautiful daughter.

Joseph who is, well, a teenager at heart. He loves girls, cars, soccer, and did I say girls? A great 'kid' who is always eager to make plans though we've yet to ever follow through on any.

My fellow American and closest teammate with regards to not only age, education and position but geographical origin as well is David Hartley who hails from Grand Rapids, Michigan. Returning 'home' in the fall to begin law school, David has been a great role model if you will for me, assuring me that there are others who come here for a year and do in fact plan on returning Stateside, unscathed. (On a side note, I found it ironic that recent import Steve is now Dave's coworker. Small world, smaller Seoul.)

I can't not mention our goalie Han Dong Shin whose name is aptly abbreviated on his jersey as HanDS! He's there to cover my numerous faults and is always friendly on and off the field, despite the touch situations we love to put him in.

Though it is evident that he is often frustrated with our team's management or lack of, relative newbie Jake always shows a load of patience that easily escapes our other teammates.

Twins Jun Ho and Jun Suk who are of Korean decent but hail from Germany are simply a riot! They'll scream to each other in German, switch to Korean without hesitation and then break out a grammatically perfect but otherwise hilarious English that has a tinge of both Korean and German in it! Oh yeah, and did I mention they are killer scorers?!

James, or, as Nate refers to him, Banana Boy, has saved a number of lives on the pitch due to the fact that, well, he'll sometimes show up to games armed with giant bunch of bananas. These little yellow packages do wonders for extra energy and to flush out the rest of an all nighter in the 'Twon. A great guy and a solid player he's even invited us all over for a BBQ next Sunday. . .while the girlfriend is out of town!

Hailing form Japan, Nikki, though often absent due to work, is also a pleasure to play with and know. His flawless English is the product of many years in the States and elsewhere as he travels the world for, well, no one really knows why!

There are plenty of others who come and go as our team must be one of the most dynamic in the league. While often billed as a foreigner's league, I've never seen anything to indicate that this is the case and I'm certainly glad it's not. I am lucky to have played (be playing) on a team that is so diverse in age, language, and nationality. According to the league's website, we Spitfires hail from nine unique countries, all of which have produced some mighty fine amateur footballers if I do say so myself! I've heard other teams pride themselves on being homogeneous which, to me, simply seems like a waste of an experience.

To be honest, I wouldn't trade my Sunday afternoons for anything!

And Then There Were Three. . .

2009-06-08T09:59:00.012-04:00

So begins the Korean adventures of neighborhood friend and longtime classmate Steve Greene!

Welcome Steve!
(Check out Steve's blog for more on his experience in the Land of the Morning Calm.)

Wednesday morning I uncomfortably was awoken by an early morning phone call from an unrecognizable number. Hitting silent and rolling back over I realized that I had just hung up on a 517 my area code at home. This seemed all too strange as normally when people call from the States, or Skype, it comes up as 'Hidden.' I tried to call the number back but was told that it didn't exist. Only then did I remember Steve telling me that he had purchased a 517 number from Skype so that he can receive incoming 'local' calls.

While the last time I checked in with Steve he still hadn't heard anything about his flight out to Korea, I didn't second guess the possibility that he had been booked and shipped out with 24 of us speaking, certainly not leaving time to contact anyone with the news. This call had to be from him.

Unwillingly, I rose from my couch and stumbled to the computer where I, sure enough, found Steve in the world wide Skype-o-sphere. He informed me that he had arrived a few hours before at Incheon and since been wandering around his new digs in Cheonho, just south of the great Han River.

I suggested we meet up for breakfast and said that I'd try and rouse Nate whom I'm sure was soundly sleeping. This was after all at 9:00am and it's not like we have real jobs to get to or anything! (On that note, a girl I met the other night noted that her current situation was akin to a 'waiter's life,' I completely understand, and agree.)

A few hours later Nate and I popped out of Samgakji Station, certain that it would take a miracle for Steve to do the same. Alas, after only 15 minutes or so a bewildered Greene rose from the depths of Samgakji Station, Exit 10. From there it was only a quick walk north towards the USO Canteen and a real American breakfast! Or so I thought. . .

Alas, we showed up just a few minutes to late for the grand-slam-breakfast that I was eagerly looking forward to. Even so, I settled for a home cooked chili 'n cheese burger with a side of black coffe, and a mango Snapple to boot. This exhausted the last of my USD that I had collected in change from my backpack upon arriving, and returning from the Gras.

After 'breakfast' we took Steve up and out to lunch in Junggye, to show him 'life as we know it.' Munching gimbap on the corner of Eunhang Sa-geori is about as exciting as it gets here in northern Nowon, but hey, that's life. After showing him around Dootavil we sent him back reeling towards his new home as Nate and I took off for another exciting day at DYB.

That wouldn't be the last of Steve that we saw on Wednesday however as he came back to find us at the end of work. Wanting to introduce him proudly to a number of Korean traditions, we headed straight out for the nearest chicken hof were Steve got more than his fill of yangyam chicken, soju, and The Sound of Vitality. Not wanting to send him back in a cab alone, Steve sent up camp at my place for the evening and got his first taste of loft life.

I didn't see Steve again until Saturday morning when we had agreed to meet up and check out his neck of the woods. Unfortunately, Nate wasn't able to come as he took off this weekend for Tokyo and won't be returning until Wednesday morning. Shhhh, don't tell his students though as Anna told me today that he can't tell anyone or else parents will take their kids out of DYB. Why, you might ask. Well because of swine flu of course! Not to over generalize but, I have never encountered a more ridiculously paranoid culture.

Anyways. . .green Line 7 down to Gunja, hope on purple Line 5 and get off at Cheonho, where one can transfer to the pink Line 8, if need be. Out exist three and 300 meteres down on your left you'll find a large brown apartment building. Go to room 1406, on the top floor, and you'll find, well Steve.

The Kid's New Digs

All I can say about his place is, well, I would love to have a real shower, counter space and sure wish someone had left me a bunch of leather couches! Other than that, it's very Korean. Small, efficient, and surrounded by other apartments. Though I do admit that the view from the 14th floor is somewhat more spectacular than from the fourth!

After breaking in the already broken in couches, we headed out on the town to wander around his new neighborhood. We soon decided to head towards Olympic Park where neither Nate nor I have yet to visit in Seoul. . .oops!

On our way, we got a call from Steve's new coworker, and my Spitfire teammate, David, letting us know about a baseball game later that day. David also offered to take me to a store where he had saw Sanuks on sale only a few days ago. Knowing that I was in the market for a new pair this was an extremely kind gesture that I readily accepted.

So, in order to make the game in time, Steve and I hauled through Olympic Park only stopping for a handful of pictures and a melon popsicle, a hot day mainstay!

One of the 200+ art installations in Olympic Park with the swimming complex in the background.

On the other side we met David at Mongchongtoseong Station, just beneath his Parkview pad. We headed towards Jamsil station where we descended into a sprawling underground arcade that doubles as the entrance to Lotte World. Down a long hallway we entered a shoe store, Athletes Foot where I was shocked to find a small display of Sanuk sidewalk surfers. By this point in my journey I've already contact Sanuk and asked them to direct me to a dealer in Seoul yet they have been unable to do so. Thus, this was a welcome surprise.

Unfortunately, the shoes they had on display are essentially the exact same ones I currently own and what I'm looking for is a new pair in one of their more rugged styles to hopefully guide me on my way throughout SE Asia. I didn't pick up a pair just then but it's good to know where to find 'em if i can't build up the gall to order yet another pair of shoes online (as neither of the last two have fit).

Peace Gate at Olympic Park

Okay, okay, back to the point. From Jamsil we hopped on the subway two stops over to the Sports Complex where, for 8,000 won, we were able to pick up seats in the Yellow Section for a game between the LG Twins and the Doosan Bears. As Joseph has made it known on more than one occasion that he is a huge fan of Doosan, I could only cheer for the later team. Good thing too as we ended up sitting in the Doosan section!

National Anthem-ing

Matter of fact, we didn't actually really sit in any section as we rather were forced to plop down in the aisle on concrete stairs. Apparently, we had arrived much to late to get a chunk of 7 seats together as many of the die hard fans, a breed of which everyone at the game is obviously of, arrive unreasonably early to scout out spots. Good thing we paid for the cheap seats cause, well, that's what we ended up getting!

Thunder Sticks!

The game was an absolute blast and even though Doosan lost, everyone had a fantastic time. The energy in the stadium was simply unreal and I'm sure not matched in the States except for the biggest of events. Keep in mind too that this was a top ranked team playing a last ranked team and not once did the stadium grow quiet. The only thing I can think of to compare the energy to is that of a European soccer match, though I've never actually been to one!

Both sides are constantly engaged in back and forth cheering, seemingly without any jeering. Everything is always positive and even the worst batter on the team gets his name chanted when up to bat, no matter how many times he strikes out!

As the sun fell and so did the Bears, we decided to get out before everyone else made the same move. At the top of the 9th we seemed to be some of the only people making our way towards the gates despite the game being over long, long ago!

Nightime at Jamsil Stadium!

With a handful of Steve's coworkers, two of whom I play soccer with (or, one with and one against) we made it to a highly acclaimed Shabu Shabu restaurant that I've heard about for months. While it was certainly delicious, I'm not by any means going to recommend it over our local spot. Sure, the broth was thick and spicy while ours is a bit watery, but we get a much better selection of vegetables and no one, I mean no one can argue with the cup of icy plum tea that finishes the meal!

From Shabu Shabu it was off to Gold Bar where we spent the rest of the night playing terrible pool, playing with a husky, sipping on delicious cocktails and discussing the following day's Han River derby between the two teams in our club, Spitfires and Harriers. On that note, all that needs to be said is that the Harriers got their plate cleaned as we Spitfires tore through their lines with remarkable precision executed beautiful by our newest Korean recruits, aptly named Dragon and Star!

While I've got less than 80 days to go here in Seoul, Steve is just getting started so don't forget to visit him every so often and listen in on a fresh perspective of life on the Han.

And she looked just like Kita, for those of you who know!

Jeju (Pt. 4): Yongmeori Coast, Western Jeju and Jeju-si

2009-05-26T01:41:00.017-04:00

With the 'biggies' out of the way already we finally let our guard down and got a bit of extra sleep Thursday morning. Even so, once awake I quickly hustled Laura out the door and into the steaming hot Avante. A note here on check out procedures. At each of our hotels (motels and minbaks included), check out consisted of no more than either leaving a key in the open door or tossing it on an unattended front desk, that is, if there was one.

Day 4's goal was simple and that was to make our way to Jeju-si by way of the western coast. Our only planned stop for the day were the surreal landscapes of the Yongmeori Coast, other than it, it was smooth sailing. . .or so we thought. For some reason, likely because I was trying to do so while driving, I was unable to correctly convey to Navi that we'd please like directions to Yongmeori. Thus, we decided to simply hug the small coastal roads that shot off highway 1132 and look for, well, a 'promenade of soaring cliffs,' as they're described by LP.

The Cliffs of Insanity!

Shortly after pulling out of Jungmun we found ourselves in a harbor surrounded by cliffs. A number other parked cars in the area indicated that there must be other tourists near by. Upon parking our vehicle, we soon learned that we were not at all alone as a huge gang of middle schoolers had taken over the area on a school trip. By the way, almost all Korean students (or at least all of mine) get to go to Jeju at some point on a school trip. How awesome is that!? Work like a slave for 240 days a year and maybe once you'll be lucky enough to take a 2 day vacay! Sounds like a deal to me.

Assuming, but wholly uncertain, that the cliffs ahead were in fact Yongmeori, we decided to follow the throng of students as they made their way up a trail. While the grade was much more manageable then our previous day's climb up Hallasan, the terrain was much more rugged and overgrown. I at first questioned whether we were in fact where we wanted to be but soon put aside any reservations I had figuring that if a troupe of kids on an educational trip were making the hike then certainly there was something worth seeing. Boy was I wrong. . .

After an hour or so of climbing the path eventually leveled out but, to my dismay, we were no where near the cliff edge where I had hoped we would end up. Rather, we found ourselves in a sprawling field that seemed to be sectioned off for cultivation. While some of the areas obviously had crops growing, others were left to be taken over by weeds. None of the vegetation was easily recognizable though some of it greatly resembled wheat. . .or at least, what I think wheat might look like.

Fields of Joy

Although there seemed to be no obvious trail, we continued to follow the little ones as they, only partially aware of the growth underfoot, marched across the fields. Eventually we found ourselves pack on a wooded path where blue ribbons seemed to steer up towards our eventually destination. This small recognition of a known path again got my hopes up for something grand at the end of this journey. Again, I was wrong.

My alarm went off immediately as we turned a corner and began the descent down a dirt path on the opposite side of the cliffs from which we began our journey. I'm no professional hiker but I'm gonna go out on a limb here and say that it's never a great idea to go down the opposite way you came up. Especially when you have no clue where you are.

Even so, we pushed on, praying that these little brats, guided by their teachers, had some sort of interesting destination in mind. When we finally broke through from the trees and the ground again evened out, we were treated to a beautiful view of a rocky beach, and, a water treatment plant right in front of it. Stepping out on to the rocks we were able to look back at the cliff and see where we had just managed to walk up, over and back down again on the wrong side.

King of the Mountain!

This is where we were forced to make a choice. Having hiked for almost two hours in order to see the same view that we had from the place where we parked the car, our first inclination was to simply leave as quickly as possible. The issue with this is that doing so would, at first glance, require us to go back over the way we came. Another two hours of all-ready-been-there-done-that-bought-the-t-shirt scenery. So, we started to brainstorm.

Looking out at the point which separated us from our vehicle (go back to the top and check out the picture), I remembered seeing people fishing out on the rocks on the 'car-side' of the cliffs. I then posited that perhaps we could simply walk along the beach towards the point where we would miraculously turn the corner and BAM, be right back at our car!

These seemed to the both of us a much more reasonable idea then simply backtracking the terribly boring route we had just come, so, off we went. Perhaps our decision was misguided by the wavering light on the horizon, or maybe it was due to the intense heat and our lack of water, but, either way, in retrospect, these are the types of decisions that get young travelers maimed and killed in the far corners of the world. . .

As we moved along the beach, the small rocks under foot quickly grew into massive volcanic (?) formations with razor sharp edges but, on the plus side, really good footholds. I ambled on a head of Laura with the help of my trusty hiking stick, a bamboo pole I picked up along the way. A few steps ahead I was able to help try and guide her along the 'safest' path as she had to be extra cautious of her footing as her feet were protected only by a pair of sandals. . .obviously we did not plan on hiking when we stepped out of the car oh so long ago!

Pushing on the rocks only grew larger, and larger. While they were mostly stable and seemed to be extremely solid, one slip would easily have sent either one of us down into a tight crevice where the waves pounded below. This is about the part where I'm terrified and envisioning myself being stuck, slammed against a rock as sharks nibble on my toes and Laura clamors for help, loosing her sandals and shredding the bottom of her feet like parmesan cheese. Luckily, this isn't how it turned out. But I wouldn't have been surprised if it did!

We made it to just about the tip of the point you can see in the first picture were a man stood atop a giant boulder, calmly fishing by himself. By this point we were moving probably about 20ft a minute, this was, well, not easy. When we eventually got near enough, I asked him if we would be able to make it around the point and towards land. Who knows if he understood me but the motions he made with his hands made it pretty clear that whatever we were up against wasn't going to be pretty. So, what did we do? Well, the only thing we could. Jump in to the water, swim out to see and around into the harbor. . .no, just kidding, but I thought about it! Too bad I brought the camera out with me or I might have!

We turned around. . .to backtrack, along the treacherous rocks, when all we were trying to do was avoid having to backtrack in the first place. I found this slightly amusing. Laura didn't. See below for clarification.

Say, "I'm Gonna Kill You Adam"

Another 45 minutes later we made it back to the safety of the water treatment plant beach. Our students had apparently vanished in to thin air and in their place, a group of elderly climber glad in fluorescent clothing had appeared. They gaily gulped down water and ramyeon while we still hadn't had a drink since leaving the car. Oops. Can you say, prepared?! Hey, at least we made it off the rocks!

Victory!
(For the sake of the story this picture is placed here, though an intelligent reader should easily surmise from our general expressions that this is not in fact a victory shot from our failed attempt at rounding 'The Point.')

Still not wanting to take the stupid hike back up and over we tried to walk along a small access road running parallel to the big plant. It didn't take us long to run into a swarm of angry flying insects which sent us back the way we came. At this point it became obvious that someone was sending us a message to just do the stupid hike already and get it over with. We had run out of lifelines.

hour 'n a half or so later we made it back to the car and immediately took off, wanting to leave all memories of the morning's climb behind. Neither one of us were happy but hey, at least we're a bit more experienced now when it comes to rock climbing! I think author Laurence Gonzales would agree with me here as he once wrote that 'the word 'experienced' often refers to someone who's gotten away with doing the wrong thing more frequently than you have.' I'm just glad we got away with it!

Still not entirely sure what we had just climbed or why, we continued to drive aimlessly heading west along Jeju's southern coast. It wasn't long until we came across a sign pointing us to the Yongmeori Coast we had initially set out to find. . .great, if only we had driven on another 5 km instead of getting out to oogle at the first cliff!

At the next big turn off we followed a number of cars in to a parking lot surrounded with bustling vendors and activities. Walking down a long flight of stairs we came out long a quaint promenade of stores and, um, a horse 'track', and um, carnival rides, and um, a giant sailing vessel? Apparently, Yongmeori is not only celebrated for it's beautiful natural landscape but also for its ability to sell the story of a Dutchman, Hendrick Hamel, who was the first westerner to 'discover' and subsequently write about Korea.

I was immediately intrigued by the small horses, referring to them, apparently incorrectly so, as ponies. By this point Laura and I had already discussed her reservations about riding horses as one didn't take kindly to her in her youth and decided that it preferred Laura on the ground, rather than on its back. I however don't recall ever having ridden a horse and couldn't think of any better time then the present. So, I forked over 5,000 won to a dusty ole' cowboy and he helped me up on the back of one of his finest ladies.

A good kick in her side and off I went around a big dirt track. Here are my observations from my brief ride. Horses are really strong. Riding on one immediately makes you feel like a cowboy. Cowboys must have had terribly calloused backsides. It is obvious why jeans, tight in the crotch, were, are, and always will be preferred by horse riders. Anyways, my short ride was actually great fun though I was certainly glad when she finally came to a halt! Not sure if I ever need to do it again but if I do, I won't be wearing shorts with boxers, that's for sure.

Giddyap Cowboy!

The most beautiful ladies on Jeju!

Dismounting and making sure that everything was still in one piece, we headed out towards the elusive Yongmeori coast. While we debated paying 2,500 won to walk amongst a bunch of rocks, as we had done so earlier in the day for free, we eventually caved in and coughed up the entrance fee based on the presumption that we wouldn't likely ever visit it again.

Hanyeo displaying the day's catch

The the short walk around the 'cliffs' are in fact beautiful, they aren't quite the National Geographic must have that LP made 'em out to be. Maybe it's because I was already fed up with geological formations, or perhaps the lighting was a bit off, then again it might have been my terrible sunburn setting in from walking along day on bright white rocks with no shirt on. It was beautiful, but, not awe inspiring. Worth the 2,500? Sure, but not more than once!

Where in the World is Lars!?

The 'cliffs' at Yongmeori simply held nothing on those that we had just finished tackling. Even so, the eerily clear water that filled the pockets of volcanic rock made some pretty interesting tide pools. The only thing I regret is not eating at least one thing from a Haenyo though if we were to, who knows what we would order and how we would go about eating it. All I know is that it would likely be the freshest kill of the day, if not still squirming. The best view of all came just before heading back to the board walk where we could see both the cliffs and Sangbansan in the background. LP swears that its only a 10 minute walk up this 'craggy' mountain but neither of us were willing to test this hypothesis!

Sanbangsan from the Yongmeori Coast

Back on dry, flat, solid, man-made land, we began searching our refueling options. Trying to make out the Korean on a number of different building, I was intrigued by one that offered a 'couples burger.' This sounded both big, and interesting, so we went to investigate. Remember that giant hamburger Laura mentioned earlier (Day 2), well, we had finally found it! It didn't take us long to order and as the ajumma pulled out a giant bun from Red Pond Herb Farm I knew that we had finally found this long awaited treat!

Though it wasn't the best burger I've ever had I couldn't argue with a single bite! Especially not after the day's numerous mishaps! We quickly wiped the plate clean of a meal that LP suggested could feed up to four people. Koreans, maybe, but greedy hungry westerners pissed off at the difficulties of the day, no way! Two tops!

Laura and the Giant Burger from Red Pond Herb Farm

Flora at Yongmeori

After lunch we did a bit of souvenir shopping before deciding that any more walking around would certainly be detrimental to our health. Thus, it was again time to eat. While in Korea, I have frequently been faced with the task of having to consume dried cuttlefish, or squid, known as ochingo. This popular treat is served at numerous bars to accompany drinks and is also a favorite street snack of Koreans. I have only really tasted it a few times and found it to be somewhat similar to a very fishy tasting jerky after I finally got over the smell which I initially found to be absolutely repulsive.

Well, there weren't a whole lot of snack options available at Yongmeori and Laura and I both wanted to try the Jeju Orange Wine (which is not recommended as it tastes like bad oj, or, bad oj gone bad) we kept seeing everywhere. So, well, you have to have something to eat with your drinks and ochingo is what we went for. After ordering, our dried squid was heated briefly on a rack of hot coals. Then, the rest was up to us. We ate the majority of the 'body' though we avoided the tentacles, mostly for aesthetic reasons! It wasn't great but I'd be lying if I said it wasn't growing on me!

Ochingo and Jeju Orange Wine

After eating we took a quick spin through the giant replica ship of Hamel's that led him and his fated crew to spend seven years in the Hermit Kingdom during the Josen Dynasty. His story was pretty interesting and I can't help but feel bad for him as I've been here nine months and can't wait to get back to, well, anything else! Hamel's story was great but we didn't stick around to ponder life in tight quarters very long. Either he and his crew were shorter than the average Dutchman that I've met or moving about in those boats was not an easy task! I can't imagine that his Korean prison was any better though. . .

On our way out of 'town' I pulled off the road to examine a clothes line covered in, well, something. Turns out it was nothing more than the squid that we had eaten just a few minutes before. Mmmm, it's always good to know where your food comes from!

Out to dry

Working our way along the coastal roads we turned the three corner on Jeju and began working our way north along the western edge. We pulled off the road at random intervals to check out the sea below but didn't find anything to terribly exciting. A bit of cliffs here and some rocks there. This clearly isn't the exciting side of the island but if you're looking for peace and solitude, look no further!

Cliff Hanging
(Thank you to Laura who held on to me as I precariously dangled myself over this drop off!)

I did stop once to try and grab some sunset pictures before turning east towards Jeju-si but unfortunately the sun wasn't quite ready to set and I wasn't about to wait any longer for it! So you take what you can get I guess. . .

Pre-Sunset from Northern Jeju

Making our way into Jeju-si we plugged the LP recommended Bobos Motel into Navi and cruised onwards. As we pulled alongside the airport I noticed a small road rolling around back that Navi seemed to think was accessible. Veering off the highway we rolled down a small hill and over some rocks only to find ourselves on a winding path that did in fact lead just along the outskirts of the airport.

As we drove along slowly I noticed that the giant light towers we were passing under marked the impeding runway. Having never before watched a plane land from the back of a runway I thought this would be a great opportunity to do so. Boy was I right! We got out and waited for a plane to come and when it did, it did! Only a hundred feet or so above our heads roared a giant jet just seconds away from touching down. The noise, proximity and ferocity of its wake was so exhilarating that we decided to wait for another, and then another! While we forgot a blanket and didn't even actually lie on the top of the care, I felt like I was a highschooler in a 1970's coming of age movie. All I can say about this experience is that if you haven't stood under a landing plane, well, you're missing out on something big my friend!

Hello There!

Bobos proved to be every bit the Love Motel that LP said it was. Heck, we were even credited 5,000 won off the room price because I had a 'beautiful smile.' While it seemed that the ajumma was telling me this was the reason, I'm still certain she was talking about Laura but simply looking at me. I am after all not the beauty in this operation!

As for Lonely Planet, well, they've been pretty hit and miss with Korea but surprisingly spot on with Jeju. My only complaint was that the recommended 'Mexican' restaurant, El Paso, should be avoided at all costs. I've had my fair share of Mexican-style food here in Korea but this place didn't even come close. The only decent part of the meal was the taco salad and that's because it was mostly lettuce, there was nothing for the chef, who studied (but it doesn't say what) in Mexico City, to ruin!

Highly disappointed but too exhausted to care we crawled back to Bobos threw on a movie and I can't say that I even remember watching the opening credits. This was an exhausting, exhausting day. Back to Seoul tomorrow but not after first checking out the Mysterious Road (where an idling car rolls uphill) and of course, the much anticipated Jeju Love Land! Don't miss either, but they're going to be for you to find out about on your own.

Thanks for traveling with us!

'Cool, Welcome to Jeju.'

Jeju (Pt. 3): Hallasan National Park and Jungmun Beach

2009-05-26T01:23:00.022-04:00

According to a number of different travel sources, including LP Korea, the trip up Mt. Halla (or Hallasan) is not only not to be missed but is often the highlight of a Jeju vacation. Either we came at a really bad time of the year or took the totally wrong trail because I can't say that either are entirely true. Sure the hiking is good fun and great exercise (if you enjoy torturing yourself) but as for the views, I would contend that scenery on my nearby Bulamsan are at least equal to what we encountered.

Apparently there are four primary trails leading up Hallasan that were only created relatively recently as the many free climbing hikers who took to the mountain each day had quickly started to destroy the landscape. Of the four routes, we went with the one most highly recommended by LP and the travel literature on island, the Eorimok Trail. The scenery on this hike is said to be beautiful and it is the most moderate of all the routes taking about 2 1/2 hours to get to the top.

The Yeongsil Trail ends at the same place as the Eorimok but via a substantially easier route. The Gwaneumsa and Seongpanak trail are both over 8.5 km and take a minimum of 4 hours up. Though, the advantage of the later two routes is that one gets to actually summit Hallasan and get a peak into the natural crater lake that has formed on top of the mountain. The former two hikes, including the one we took, do not go all the way to the summit as the trail is temporarily closed, until 2011, to allow regeneration of destroyed wildlife on the western side of the peak. Oh well, maybe we'll make it to the top next time!

After heading into a thick forest, we hiked for about a half kilometer before we were faced with a steep set of ascending stairs made of rock. This, unfortunately, turned out to be about the majority of the hike. Up we climbed, and climbed, and climbed, through thick sub-tropical jungle, continually hoping to get a view out over the south of the island but never actually getting a chance. Climbing higher the forest continued to grow thicker. While an abundance of wildlife is reported to live in the area, it seems as though the majority has learned to stay far away from the hiking trails. That is, except for the giant black magpies.

Finally, after an hour-plus on the natural StairMaster we burst out into a clearing, obviously passing some sort of tree line for the mountain's favorite residents. In only a matter of a few steps we passed from the dark green of a lush forest to a dry and barren gold of drying vegetation! The expanse was startling. For over an hour we could see no more than a few meters in each direction yet now the sky opened above us as though we had stepped into a recently harvested field on the Great Plains.

Big Sky, Jeju

After filling up on spring water we continued onwards at a much more manageable grade. While some of the trail was composed of loosely piled rocks, the majority was actually lifted up above the ground on wooden planks. My guess is that this was done in order to protect the wildlife underneath rather than make the hike easier for, as it seems, Koreans don't really dabble in simplicity when it comes to their hiking. The harder, the better!

Having started out at around 1,100 meters, we eventually made it to the mile high point as averred by the marker seen below.

Mile High in the Jeju Sky

We continued winding our way along the wooden platforms, all lone for the most part except for the occasional herd of school children who would come barreling past in the opposite direction, brushing us off the path as though we didn't exist. Thanks for saying excuse me guys!

In to the distance

While I've heard reports, and seen pictures, of Hallasan in bloom, we clearly missed that by a few weeks. All the tall yellow flowers noted for their impressive beauty had since died out and the only real color we were left with were a few blooming rhododendrons located sparsely throughout the climb.

Where are the flowers?

After breaking out of the forest, it took just under an hour for us to reach the Witseoreum Shelter, the top of our climb! Here we were afforded a beautiful view of Hallasan's peak but unfortunately, the nearby cliffs rose up to high and prevented us any real view of the sea down below.

Witseoreum, We Made It!

Luckily Laura and I had pounded down a pair of gimbap earlier in the morning because the refueling station at Witsereum was rather light. To much on we had a choice between ramyeon, and well, ramyeon. There were choco pies of course for desert but we both opted to pass on the gooey marshmallow treat. Slurping down the last of the noodles, and the high sodium broth, we packed up and headed back down the trail, anxious to get going. Who wouldn't be when your next destination is the high acclaimed resort area of Jungmun Beach!

Harubang guarding Jungmun Beach

Back of the mountain we relieved ourselves of a whole lotta spring water then hopped back in the car and shot down cross-island highway 1139 towards Jungmun. Just before pulling into town, we veered off towards the coast to check out the 'legendary' Cheonjeyeon Pokpo (or waterfall).

Cheonjeyeon Pokpo
(Courtesy of LLB Photography)

A three tiered fall, we only managed to visit the top two before deciding that we had conquered more than enough of our fair share of stairs for the day. Anyways, the view from the footbridge spanning the falls was perhaps more spectacular than any view of the falls themselves!

Cheonjeyeon Footbridge

Cheonjeyeon's First Fall

From the falls we took the short drive down towards the beach where we cruised in and out of the different resort complexes. While accommodations such as the Vegas-style Lotte Hotel (pictured below), art-deco Hyatt Regency and chic Silla Jeju were recommended to us by my co-teachers, we figured that 300,000 Won wasn't quite worth whatever they had to offer. Even so, they certainly were worth exploring as the grounds of these three establishments are pristine!

Lotte Hotel was by far the most interesting as it's enormous property is situated on a cliff overlooking Jungmun Beach. The palace-like hotel is further accented by an enormous pool area that includes a paddle-boat pond, mini-volcano and even three enormous Dutch-style windmills.

The Lotte Hotel, Jeju

Finally making our way to the beach I'll have to admit that I was far from impressed. Widely recognized as the ritzy-resort area, I assumed Jungmun would be flanked by white sands as far as the eye could see. Rather, the beach reminded me of a wet sandbox that no one really wants to play in. The only truly interesting part about the beach was that is backed up to a lush escarpment that shot up towards the base of the hotels.

Either way, with the sun out and shining we took off for the far end to see what was going on. Although we certainly weren't alone on the beach, it didn't appear as though anyone had come with the idea of 'going to the beach' in mind. Everyone, literally everyone, was fully clothed and most even worse shoes. The few who were braving the chilly sea were equally as covered. From prying eyes or the suns rays I can't say with certainty. Therefore, in an act of defiance, I decided to whip off my shirt and give my torso a good ole' dose of Vitamin D that it has so long craved working under fluorescent lights, my arch nemesis, all day.

Jungmun Beach

Having had enough of the mediocre sand and cold surf we headed topside to check out the small boardwalk. Only a few steps away from the beach access is the Jeju-renowned Pacific Land. This rather small indoor venue hosts a slew of daily wildlife shows using dolphins, sea lions, and monkeys to entertain the masses. While I briefly entertained the thought of attending, as I did miss the dolphin show at Seoul Grand Park, seeing how poorly the animals' living conditions were in their less than capacious outdoor cages was enough to deter us from supporting the place any further. To be honest it looks rather aged and unkempt, almost as though others have begun to frequent it less and less too. . .good going!

Outside Pacific Land

Growing hungry we began to discuss our dinner possibilities. So far, all we had really seen on the island are two choices, hwae, raw fish, or Korean bbq. This is why a sign pointing towards an all-you-can-eat seafood buffet quickly grabbed our attention. While normally such a deal just outside of an animal theme park would seem a bit off putting, the idea of eating fresh seafood while overlooking the sea seemed, well, seaworthy.

Turns out just to get to the restaurant involved a bit of a hike itself as we had to go up down and around and down some more to get to the water front restaurant pictured below. After surveying the place and the menu we decided that the 35,000 was worth it, especially as we had worked up quite a hunger that day. So, we hightailed it to the main office, which also operates the sailing cruises and unfortunately Pacific Land. Inquiring as to making a reservation we were told that there was only one time left available, 5:30. Being 4:30 as it was this seemed like a ridiculous notion, especially as we had yet to find a hotel and showers were certainly in order. We did after all climb to 1,700 meters earlier in the day!

We politely declined and turned away disheartened right before I dashed back inside and assured them that we'll be there. All but picking Laura up and throwing her in the car I was determined to find a place to get settled and then get back to the Shangri-La Restaurant before 5:30. . .or, at least around then!

The Shangri-La Seafood Buffet from the Jungmun Boardwalk

We both agreed to simply plug in the best sounding LP recommendation to Navi and and just do it. Turns out this was a great idea! The Gold Beach Minbak was no more than a mile up from the beach and our third floor balcony room offered a superb view of the falls, botanical garden and South Sea! For 50,000 this was by far the nicest place we stayed on the island. Might not have compared to Lotte but we still had cash left over for dinner at least!

Gold Beach Minbak

In a random twist of fate, or a meticulously planned maneuver, we somehow both managed to shower, change and make it back to the Shagri-La just after 5:30. While they at first pretended not to acknowledge our hastily made reservation, a quick call to the office top-side straightened everything out and got us a seat, next to the door and across from the waiters table. Hey, you can't win 'em all!

For the next hour 'n a half we dined on an array of seafood treats, some familiar and others, well, anything but! Sashimi and sushi of all varieties, king crab legs, fried octopus, boiled squid, hot chicken wings, seafood filled egg pancakes, noodles, rice, samgyeopsal, jelly fish (which we both did try) and much more! Oh yeah, plus an array of fruit and most importantly, ice cream, for desert! While the seafood wasn't the best I've ever had, it sure beat eating gimbap or another overstuffed night of bbq! Mmm mmm good, and, who can argue with free Cass on tap!

The Shangri-La Yacht and Seafood Club

Lars pounding down the sea creatures!

After dinner, trying to move anywhere was like pushing a cruise ship into port with your bare hands. We slowly and uncomfortably ambled up the steps at the beach towards Lotte Hotel to check out the romanticized views. While none of the sunsets on Jeju were spectacular by any means, the final rays of light that came up over the far end of Jungmun did a great job of reminding me why I will always be a sucker for island life!

Sunset on Jungmun Beach

Out to sea. . .

Hoping to catch a glimpse of the resort town's nightlife, we ambled from the Lotte to the Shilla and all the way down to the Hyatt in search of something happening. Turns out, nothing was. We ducked in to the casinos at each of the hotels but the two that were open (Shilla's was actually closed) seemed deader than the crab we had just finished eating. So we moved on. Finally, at the end of the road, meaning the Hyatt, we hopped in a luxury taxi and bolted back up towards Golden Beach where we figured we might find something more exciting on the commercial strip. Again, we were wrong. Maybe it was being there mid week, or perhaps the excitement really is all contained within Pacific Land but from what we found, Jungmun was a lot of bark and no bite to follow up!

Time to get to bed, tomorrow we got a big day of rock 'climbing' ahead!

Lotte Hotel's windmills at night

Jeju (Pt. 2): Seongsan-ri to Seogwipo-si, and Udo Island

2009-05-20T23:39:00.031-04:00

Tuesday morning we didn't quite make it up in time for the sunrise hike but it wouldn't have mattered anyways as we were greeted early on by overcast skies and a hazy view. No worries, the sun would soon rise enough to burn off the mist and by then we'd be well on our way to the first full day of Jeju adventuring. Heck, we even did two islands in one day! Enjoy day two from the perspective of Ms. Laura Leigh Black!

Base of Seongsan Ilchulbong Tuff Cone

Driving from our hotel to one of Jeju's three UNESCO World Natural Heritage Sites, Seongsan Ilchulbong (sunrise peak in Korean) was only a mere five minutes away. We arrived at the bottom and walked though a little pavilion with souvenir shops only to be met by throngs of South Korean students who were mostly making their way down while we were starting the 20 minute trek up the mountain. The view from the top of the punchbowl shaped crater was fantastic despite the somewhat hazy and windy conditions. The 182 m summit was met with spectacular views of the town Seongsan-ri and sea-cliff exposures that plunged steeply into the sea. We even managed to pass an English speaking family on our way across the top area who were clearly not from the Western Hemisphere.

Windy conditions at the top

On our way down the mountain after making it to the grassy hill that led down to the pavilion, Adam and I broke out in a downhill race. I won, although, he was still injured from soccer so I can't really count that as a win! We grabbed some snacks on our way out at the faithful GS stores which sell everything you could imagine and most of them have outside seating for their customers. We then decided to head over to the ferry terminal to catch a ride out to Udo Island, only 3.5 km off the coast.

Hanging out on the ferry

The ferry terminal was also only 5 minutes away from Sunrise Peak, this was the point when I realized that Jeju wasn't that big of an island and everything is not nearly as far away from each other as I thought. After parking in the lot with at least a half dozen or so exact replicas of our sweet Hyundai Avante, we walked into what we thought was the ferry terminal. However, little did we know, we were walking into a fish market. Ducking into the next building we finally got it right. A lot of other tourists were taking their cars over, however we decided against it, mostly based on the 25,000 won it would have took to get it over.

Welcome to Udo!

A quick ferry ride of about 15 minutes and we made it to Udo Island! Not really having a clue of where to go or what to see, as the map that we were given at the terminal was entirely in Korean, we walked down the ferry ramp expecting to walk around the island. Immediately after exiting we saw a scooter rental place! After asking the rental price I was informed that it was 15,000 won for 1 hour. Seeming to be a good deal in my eyes, I eagerly replied yes and then was told that it would be 15,000 for 2 hours. The three old and somewhat crippled men in charge definitely sold me. Adam was however rightfully cautious as he was going to be the one driving me while I just got to sit back and enjoy the ride. But before you know it he was taking the scooter for a test spin.

Adventuring on Udo...

Awesome helmets!

1st stop at Korea's only coral beach!
(picture taken by our Korean 'tour guides,' meaning the cute couple on a scooter ahead of us whom we continued to follow, at a distance)

Our first lighthouse stop

Housing

We definitely saw more haenyo on Udo Island than anywhere else in Jeju. We drove by these old women in wetsuits walking or riding a scooter fresh from their most recent dive. We saw some of their catches being laid out right on the side of the road. It's amazing that these women can hold their breath for up to 2 minutes under water!

Lovely haenyo statue in the middle of a rocky beach

Upon passing the South Korean couple whom we were following, we luckily avoided the awkwardness of deciding who goes first when they pointed for us to go to the road behind them. There was a lighthouse out on the point but the pathway was covered by the rising tide and blocking our passage to the second lighthouse for the day.

Poppies

However, I had a better idea. Since there was no one around and ample open space, I decided to try and drive the scooter. This task is definitely not easy to maneuver, I can't imagine those food delivery boys that speed though red lights on their scooters in Seoul. I couldn't even get the thing going without Adam standing next to me holding up the scooter so I didn't fall! After deciding against me driving any further we stopped to find a beautiful poppy field in full bloom.

Cliffs of Udo

We parked our scooter and walked down to explore the beautiful cliff sides of Udo Island. This was the third and biggest lighthouse on the island. However, we tried to make our way to Lighthouse Point, only to have turned down 2 wrong roads which lead us first to a water treatment plant and then right back where we started. Having never found the correct road we decided to return our scooter with only about 40 minutes left before the next ferry departed.

Tractor contraption on our way to return the scooter

After returning the scooter we watched as one old man refilled the gas by water bottle while simultaneously smoking a cigarette. We then decided to walk 10 minutes on the road from which we had just come from to stop at a store for some snacks. We ended up sharing ramyeon and watching other tourists fly down the steep road on bikes, scooters, or ATVs. However, one Japanese tourists presumably hit the brakes on his bike too hard and ended up taking a nasty fall, one in which the ambulance had to be called. We then headed back to the ferry and left about 15 minutes early because the ambulance insisted on leaving as soon as possible with the injured tourist.

Goodbye Udo!

Onto our next stop San-Gumburi Crater. After taking the inter-island road 1119 and the hopping over to the 97 we were there. After paying 6,000 won to enter, we were greeted with loud music and virtually no one around. However scenic the volcanic cone may have been in the misty weather, I don't know quite what the hype was for this national monument as couldn't see any of the various animals that supposedly lived in the crater.

Top of San-Gumburi Crater

Looking down into the crater

Continuing our coastal trek around the island we decided to stop at Pyoseon Beach which LP claims when the tide is low has vast expanses of white sandy beach. After grabbing some coffee at a GS in the town of Pyoseon, we parked and walked out to the beach. About a hundred or so Korean students were playing around in the cold water and being whistled at to come back to their buses. As soon as we reached the ocean it started pouring!

Pyoseon Beach

Sprinting back was quite the challenge as the small puddles of water on the sand had now become large, deep pools of water. After making it back to the car drenched we decided to go in search of the infamous hamburger that's big enough to feed four people, according to LP. After following the vague LP directions, we thought we had found it but it ended up being closed (or so we thought...more on our hamburger quest later!)

Fallin'

Off to Seogwipo, Jeju's second largest city for our second night in Jeju. We wanted to stop at the popular waterfalls in the city so after seeing a sign for them we parked in a small lot, jumped a barrier and walked through a deserted botanical garden area overlooking cliff sides. When we finally reached the parking lot to Cheonjiyeon Falls, we realized that we were clearly in the wrong place and walked back to get the car and go to the right parking lot.

Cheonjiyeon Falls

Supposedly one of the only waterfalls on Jeju that runs directly into the ocean, though as you can see, it actually falls first into a small lagoon that then drains out to the sea.

After a long day of adventuring, we wanted to call it a day and find a hotel. After visiting two hotels suggested by LP, we decided to try a third one (thanks to the help of our trusty Navi). Named the Bally Hotel, it was much more centrally located than the first two and we had no problem paying the 40,000 won. True to LP, the hotel was "more business hotel than love motel." Obviously whoever wrote that didn't get the room with the circular bed in which Adam's feet hung over. We finished off the day by walking through a fish market (I'm bummed I forgot my camera) and then I tried cheese rabokki for the first time for dinner. The sheer amount of food that one can order for the price is astonishing!

After dinner we decided to walk around Seogwipo. Deciding to duck out of the rain we went into a place called the Cool Hof where we tried Mt. Halla soju for the first time. I couldn't really taste the difference, but then again, I'm a soju newbie. After leaving the hof, we walked 90% of the way home and then couldn't figure out where we were so we got a cab. Little did we know we arrived at our hotel before the meter even made its first tick...who knows what the price was for this ride! That's the end to our fabulous day 2 on Jeju! Thanks for listening!!

Your Adventurous Reporter, Laura!

Welcome to Jeju Island! (Pt. 1)

2009-05-20T23:03:00.014-04:00

Ahhhh, island life! What a much needed respite from the hagwon humdrum.

Jeju International Airport

After a week of kicking in Seoul with Laura, who graciously traveled halfway across the world to come check out life in the Hermit Kingdom, we decided it was about time to get a change of scenery. Enough with the high rises and scooter delivery boys hauling around metal lunch cases. Bring on the beach, we want fun in the sun!

With Joseph's help, Laura was able to book us two tickets on Jeju Air to the island of the same name, lying just south of the mainland peninsula. While other carriers offer flights to Jeju, most through Seoul's fading Gimpo International Airport, Jeju Air offers by far the best deal. Seeing as how the flights are only an hour it's hard to understand why someone would pay double for a ticket just to fly on a 'reputable' carrier. The only issue is that as of yet, their website, www.jejuair.net , is still only in Korean, so, you'll likely need a friend to help you book the tix.

By taking a week off we were able to travel Monday through Friday which not only beat the hoards of Korean travelers who book it down to Jeju every weekend but also save on mid-week hotel specials. . .sweet deal! This I would highly recommend doing as apparently the island literally becomes overrun every Saturday and Sunday as busy Seoulites take to the sky to escape their shared fate of Monday's impending doom.

Monday morning we grabbed bagels for the road and hopped on the subway towards Gimpo. Apparently there's an airport bus we could have grabbed not too far away but our early afternoon flight left us plenty of time to just cruise the rails, and that we did.

Once at Gimpo (two stops from the end of purple Line 5), we simply followed the orange signs to Jeju Air. Check in took no more than a minute or two and no passports are needed as it's a domestic flight. Though don't forget your drivers license or some form of ID at least. With an hour to spare we were easily checked in and ready to rock well ahead of time. Security at Gimpo is also a breeze as no one makes you take off your shoes, dump out your shampoo or touch your toes.

I did get a kick out of the clear trashcans however. Remember, the reason Seoul lacks such receptacles is because once upon a time a bomb (or supposed bomb) was placed in one. Hence, ever since then, garbage cans have been viewed as a threat to public safety. Go figure.

Follow the Orange to Jeju Air

Hoping aboard our little twin prop 15 minutes prior to departure, we were soon bound for clear skies and smooth sailing, or, flying.

All Aboard for Jeju

As we headed out over the South (or East China) Sea the clouds dispersed and we were offered our first view of the world below. Not long after, the giant peak of Mt. Halla came in to view, marking our soon arrival on Jeju.

Hallasan from the Sky

We left in the rain and landed in the sun. It's hard to ask for more than that on vacation!

Welcome to Jeju!

We quickly gathered our luggage (only one bag between the two of us, not bad) first off the belt and headed towards the rental car kiosks. After checking prices with a couple it became evident that operating in such close proximity have forced a price equilibrium and that no bargains were to be had. While I've heard of the possibility of picking up a car from someone outside the terminal, I can't recommend or advise on doing so.

Deciding to go with Avis, simply because it's a known company and they (almost) spoke English, we were able to secure the hottest little compact on the lot for about 45,000 won a day, plus insurance (no tax?). We were given a reservation number and told to catch the Avis bus outside of Gate 4. A short ride later we jumped off the bus ahead of everyone else and were lead almost immediately to our new home for the week, a stylish yet sophisticated Hyundai Avante: leather seats and navigation system included at, well, no extra charge!

Kicking it in the Avante

With a little help from a kind Avis representative we plugged the nearest beach in to the Navi and headed out on our own. Well Navi pretended to know English by offering the option 'Search' this in fact turned out to be a lie as she clearly spoke, and understood only Korean. Luckily, while I'm far from understanding Korean, I am literate in the Hangeul alphabet and thus was able to successfully manage a Navigation system in another language for a whole week. To make things easier, LP Korea offers the names of most places in Hangeul and English so to find your destination, simply copy the characters from the book into the Navi. Sure, it might take a couple minutes but it's worth it in the end!

Perhaps the best part of our little companion is that traffic speed in Korea is monitored not by police but by cameras at specific checkpoints. Here is where Navi comes in handy as she is already programmed to know the exact location and limit of all these 'speed traps.' Thus, as long as you pay attention to her when she starts to ding, one never needs to worry about a speeding ticket. Simply pass through the checkpoint below the posted speed and then gun it out the other side as fast as you want, it's the Korean way!

The Washington Monument, Korea Style

Heading east out of Jeju-si we tried to stick to the 'coastal road' as much as possible. While Highway 1132 (all roads are very well marked) does a straight shot around the island, the small coastal roads that shoot off towards the water are markedly more interesting and well worth the slower speeds. Though the later isn't even a given as the 'checkpoints' are primarily only found on the highways.

While we hit the road with a rough itinerary in mind, we needn't have planned even the minimal amount that we did as the English maps that one can pick up at the airport are incredibly detailed and show not only every road on the island but also any possible attraction that one might be searching for.

Our first stop was at Hamdeok Beach, known for 'its sand, water quality, safety, sights, and the kindness of the local people.' Here was hopped out and enjoyed a walk along the nearly deserted white sand beach. The seaside restaurant seemed open but without a patron in sight. In fact, the only other person we encountered was a solo Korean traveler who identified himself as Paul and took the below picture for us! Thanks Paul!

Across Hamdeok Bay

The White Sands of Hamdeok Beach

Before heading back to the car we popped a squat outside a GS25 to munch down some snacks and purchase a two litre of Jeju's famous Samdasoo bottled water. Refueled we again took to the road, this time without a given destination though east was our general direction. It's a shame the carnival at Hamdeok beach wasn't open but then again, it might be a good thing that it wasn't!

Carni Time!

All along the coastal roads we were treated to the sight of the many haenyo returning home, still dripping in their wetsuits. For over a century, these female divers have been feeding not only their families but the island itself by hand picking the many treasures that the South Sea has to offer. Their lifestyle is both impressive and admirable as they literally fight the elements each and everyday to sustain both themselves and the traditions that they represent. Dive on ladies!

While we didn't end up with any snapshots of these brave women, I think it might be for the better as it's now up to you to get yourself to Jeju if you want to witness these remarkable legends. Below is just a taste of the many sea-crops that they harvest each day and lay out to dry along the almost deserted coastal road.

Sea-Crops?

As we rounded the north-east corner of the island the sun began to drop quickly over the horizon, signaling to us that it was time to head in for the night. We had Navi point us in the direction of Seongsan-ri and took off for this narrow peninsula jutting off the eastern coast like a coathanger.

Hold on

Along the way we poked our heads into a few roadside hotels to inquire about price. While one that we stopped at with two story rooms that over looked the sea seemed prefect, it predictably fell a tad outside of our price range. Oh well! Guided by our trusty LP Korea we eventually made it to Seongsanpo Village where we landed a room for 30,000. Not a bad deal for a balcony, kitchenette, two bedrooms, tv and computer. It's a shame that the batteries in the aircon remote were so corroded that it didn't turn on but, hey, sometimes you just have to live with a sea breeze!

Windfarm at sunset

After settling in we headed out to the small strip to grab a bite to eat. As our only options were Korean bbq (samgyeopsal) or raw fish (hwae), we decided to go with the more recognizable former. What a treat it turned out to be as the acclaimed Jeju black pig tastes remarkably like, well, pretty much like it's main land counterpart. Which is to say of course that its always delicious and ever fun to eat as you get to cook your own on an indoor mini-grill. Sidedishes of course are a standard and, as my experience has it, the further you are from Seoul, the better they get!

Dwaechi-galbi

It was early to bed as after a day of traveling we still somewhat carried (false) hopes of rising early enough to catch the sunrise from the nearby Seongsan Ilchulbong, or Sunrise Peak!

Bring on day two!

TBS eFM Mini World Cup 2009

2009-05-19T10:04:00.003-04:00

This morning I received an e-mail entirely in Korean from my 'coach,' or the Spitfires' manager, Sun Uk. With my limited Hangul abilities, I was able only to make out the title, 'TBS eFM Mini World Cup.' This sounded interesting. . .tell me more?

I shot a quick note back to Sun reminding him that if the aforementioned e-mail pertained to me at all that it would be better if someone could simply paraphrase it for me in English. I did give Yahoo's babblefish a shot at decoding the text but Korean to English doesn't quite work out like I'm used to with other languages, comprede?

A few minutes later I got a phone call from Sun, eager to inform me about this weekend's upcoming international tournament hosted by Korean media giant, TBS. Apparently, eight countries are participating in a single elimination Mini World Cup: Brazil, Mexico, France, China, Russia, Korea, Uzbekistan and the good ole' USofA.

Now, this I didn't quite grasp, the Han River Spitfires were chosen (I believe it might have been random but if so, I have no clue how) to represent Dae Han Min Gook, 대한 민국, better known to the outside world as simply South Korea. What I find funny here is that our Spitfire team is technically a foreign team as it exists within what I am led to believe is a foreigner league. Even so, we certainly have enough Korean players to field a solid squad of locals. Well, almost locals, sure one kid is actually Japanese and well, the twins were born in Germany, but hey, they sure look more Korean than I do!

Here's the kicker, Sun decided that the team would best represent Korea composed primarily of Koreans but decided to invite two waygookin, or foreigners, along for the ride. Apparently Sun saw something in me that Nick Archer never did and subsequently extended an invitation for me to represent Korea this Sunday. Hmm, what a deal!

Other than having to be in Daechi-dong (an hour away) at 8:00am Sunday morning, this sounds like an awesome opportunity! Heck, if we win the first game against Uzbekistan then we might even face off against my fellow countrymen wearing the tried and true red white and blue! But of course you'll be rooting for Korea!

Don't forget to tune in Sunday morning to your local TBS eFM station. . .that is, if you're on the peninsula!

Gyeongbokgung Palace (with the Kochanskis)

2009-05-07T00:08:00.016-04:00

With visitors in town for the first time since the spring thaw, Nate and I took off to show his parents around the Jogno area in downtown Seoul. Our 'tour' included a first for the two of us as we made a long overdue visit to Gyeongbokgung, Korea's largest palace from the Chosun Dynasty.

Welcome to Korea!

While Korea, and the greater Seoul area in particular, is littered with these ancient compounds, it took me a full seven months before finally visiting one. Upon arrival in Korea I put off a visit 'until the leaves turned.' Unfortunately, I missed that opportunity and then resorted to making the journey once snow had fallen. Having greatly underestimated the amount of snow in Seoul, that also proved to be a non-option. Finally, we settled on waiting for the spring blossom to enjoy the palaces in bloom. While the Kochanski's arrived just a few weeks before true spring, we did get to enjoy the grounds covered in the cherry blossoms mentioned previously. Perhaps I'll go back and visit some of the other palaces once they're filled in with green. . .but then again I might just find more reasons not to!

Many cherry blossoms around Gyeongbokgung were cut down by the Japanese. . .but a few remain!

While the drab pre-spring landscape left much to be desired aesthetically, the palace was amazing simply in scale. What is perhaps more remarkable is the fact that it has been destroyed, reconstructed, burned down, disfigured and restored time and time again, yet we are still able to walk these sacred grounds today.

The original palace was constructed in 1395 though the one that we see today began construction in 1868, only to be (according to the palace's guidebook) 'destroyed by fire...reconstructed...have buildings removed...severely desfigured...restored...buildings removed...restored again' with the final restoration being completed in 2007. The majority of the palace's debacles were not accidental but rather the result of Japanese invasions and occupation. It's no wonder that the country literally shuts down to watch these two Asian superpowers battle it out in modern warfare, on the baseball field.

After entering the palace's outer walls, visitors are steered towards the National Folk Museum of Korea. While I can imagine that nearly every Seoulite has been forced through this display on school field trips, I can't imagine that any of them enjoyed it much more than I did, even though it is their 'personal' history. While the displays are immaculate and well organized, the material is simply not intriguing and even less engaging. I'd take a science over folk museum any day! But that's just me.

At least the washroom's were interesting!

We wandered the grounds for no more than an hour after deciding that we had seen enough. While one could easily spend a good half day exploring every nook and cranny, the majority of the buildings are very similar looking and only a rare few are you actually allowed entrance to. Thus we sort of hurried through, grabbing a few pictures and heading out towards the more stimulating Samcheongdong.

The site of a tragic assasination of the Empress Myeongseong by Japanese forces, Hwangwonjeong.

Exploring the never ending corridors.

Searching for an exit we were drawn towards the palace's south gate by the sounds of drums and chanting. It turns out we happened on the first Giroyeon, or Royal Court Ritual, reenactment of the spring season! This large display of respect, known as 'The Elders Banquet,' is a ceremony consisting of dancing, feasting and ceremonial presentations to royalty. While we only caught the tail end of the ceremony, we did get a great idea of the colors, pageantry and customs that go into such a proceeding. For those interested, the reenactment takes place every Saturday at 2:00pm out front of Sujeongjeon Hall on the Gyeongbokgung grounds.

The Elders Banquet

We even got a chance to play dress-up!

Under a row of large pink budding trees we took a short rest, admiring the Gyeonghoeru Pavilion from afar. Here the Chosun King would take his guests, by boat, to enjoy lavish banquets and entertainment. The structure seen today was erected in 1867 as the original was burned down by the Japanese in 1592.

Gyeonghoeru Pavilion

On our way out of the grounds we stopped to observe a mass of students gathered around one of the palaces grand entrances. Turns out they were taking class photos which of course we in turn took photos of. Nate's younger brother Andrew even decided to join in for one, which of course set a ripple of giggles spreading outwards like a wave!

Picture Day!

Though not quite as intimidating as the DMZ guards, I'm pretty sure these guys could still do a bit of damage, especially with that overblown axe!

I'll take my chances with this one!

From Gyeongbokgung we led Nate's family up towards the picturesque Samcheongdong where a fashion conscious wanderer might never tire of window shopping the countless trendy boutiques. Exhausted from wandering all day we hurried past these to refuel with waffles, ice cream and coffee at Beans Bins, a local favorite!

While in the area, we made an obligatory stop by the president's house, Cheong Wa Dae, or the Blue House as it's known in Konglish. Though we didn't catch a glimpse of Lee Myung Bak, we did avoid getting yelled at by the guards as we were last time for wandering on to the grass.

A picture in picture of Mr. Kochanski in front of The Blue House

Staying on the safe side of the fence!

From Jongno we decided to take a brief tour of the campus at Yonsei University as was recommended by a local expat magazine, Seoul: Travel and Culture. Though darkness began to creep in around us as we hiked up the hill towards the famous statue of it's founder, H.G. Underwood, which is recognized as the oldest standing statue in Seoul having been erected in 1928. I guess the Japanese couldn't figure out how to burn down bronze.

With a Mexican dinner at Dos Tacos in Hongdae we topped off a well rounded day with just the right amount of spice. All and all we had a great time and thoroughly enjoyed playing the role of 'tour guides' for the day.' Hey, we even found ourselves at a red carpet event later that evening, but that's a-whole-nother story! Thanks for visiting!

Andrew's 15 minutes, or seconds, in the spotlight!

Cherry Blossoms

2009-04-30T22:22:00.004-04:00

I know it's a bit late but during the first week of April were treated to the beautiful sight of citywide cherry blossoms. While I never made it down to the actual 'festival' in Yeoido, our little intersection is lined with these blossoming trees as are the neighboring parks. . .here are a few snapshots for you to enjoy as spring progresses into the 'green' season!

Happy Spring!

License to. . . Drive

2009-04-29T01:53:00.007-04:00

It took two hours, a bus ride, 18,000 krw, a 'physical,' and an multiple choice exam but in the end, I arose victorious as the proud possessor of a Korean Driver's License! I say possessor rather than owner because apparently, somewhere along the way I was forced to fork over my Michigan Operator's License which I was promised will be returned to me as soon as I return my newly acquired license, along with proof of my leaving Korea in the form of a plane ticket.

In turn, I don't really 'own' this new license as it's apparently supposed to be returned. Well, half the reason I got one was that I thought it'd be a cool souvenir so we'll see if the KDLA (Korean Driver's License Authority) ever gets it back. I can always let 'em keep my MI one and simply buy a new one. . .or then again, a better idea, I'll just tell 'em I lost it. . .or maybe I will 'lose' it, I mean, they can't deny returning my license to me. . .can they?! I'll let you know in four months!

This morning I caught the 1142 bus outside Dootavil headed towards Nowon Station where I bailed out and marched north for about 400 meters. On my left I easily found the Dobong Driver's License Examination Office surrounded by what looked like a giant obstacle course. I've seen such tracks before and apparently they are for the most novice of drivers who must first conquer these proving grounds before heading out into the gauntlet of Seoul itself!

Inside the building reminded me of any ole' DMV, institutional and banal. I found my way to the foreign desk at window 5 and managed to skip ahead of the lines waiting everywhere else. Yes! I was easily able to convey what I wanted by telling the clerk that I was headed to Jeju (more on that in a bit) in a few weeks and wanted to be able to rent a car while I'm there. She understood and got me started on the paperwork after first checking my Alien Resident Card (ARC), Driver's License, and Passport. Seeing that all three aligned, she returned the ARC and Passport to me and sent me off to fill in a large form using a laminated translator form for assistance.

Welcome to Dobong Driver's License Examination Office, Nowon-gu

After satisfactorily (is that really a word?) completing my forms, I was sent downstairs to the Physical Examination room. This worried me a bit until I remembered how quick and painless my initial health check was at Eulji Hospital. I paid a woman 5,000 won and was asked to step behind a curtained door. There I was asked to align my feet with a pair on the ground and stare at an eye chart ten feet head. Using the provided spoon thingy I covered one eye and then the other reading the letters that the attendant pointed to. I immediately detected a hint of apathy coming from this woman which was confirmed as I blurted out the wrong letter on the top row as I had thought she wanted me to read the whole row, not just the letter she was specifically pointing to. However, she seemed to either not notice or not care about my blunder and passed me all the same!

A handful of stamps later I was sent back upstairs to Window 5. I was congratulated and then given a specific set of instructions to carry out, assisted by a nice little hand drawn diagram. I forked over a head shot I had taken a Lotte Mart the day before which was then affixed to my form. The bottom part of the first page was removed and then I was sent off to Window 1. Here I paid 6,000 won for what looked like two postage stamps. I then took the stamps over to Window 3 where they were affixed to my form for me. Of course, at each step along the way my identify was confirmed by checking my ARC, Passport or both.

Passed my 'Physical'

After getting making sure my stamps were on nice and tight I was sent to the second floor where I was ushered quietly into a large lecture hall like room filled with computer stations. I was told to turn off my phone and stash my bag in one of the small cubbies up front. I then was seated at a touch screen computer where I was given instructions as to how to respond to the 20 multiple choice questions I then faced. This was hilarious!

The woman downstairs, in an effort to relax me I imagine, reassured me that the test was no problem for foreigners. She was almost right. Not only was the wording of the questions absolutely hilarious and somewhat incomprehensible, but the subject matter bordered on absurd. Ironically, one of the questions asked which of the following statements would be most absurd,' and I was at a loss, unable to find the 'all of the above' selection!

While I'm pretty sure I nailed the ones about stopping at red lights and proceeding through four way stops with caution, I'm not entirely sure about what the 'reversible lane' is used for, what crime yields the maximum penalty or what the relationship is between air pressure and gasoline consumption. For the latter I went out on a limb and assumed that lower pressure meant higher consumption in that less oxygen in the air would mean the engine would have to work harder. Anyone wanna help me with this one?!

I eventually finished all 20 questions and hit the 'end' button, wholly expecting to fail the test as I wasn't really sure about any of the answers! I was surprised when I was immediately informed by the screen that I passed with 85%. Not bad, only three wrong! I managed to hold in my excitement as the room was filled with other test takers who looked as though they fully intended on using the allotted time of 50 minutes. Once out in the hallway however I couldn't hold it any longer and literally burst out laughing at the absurdity of the test I had just taken and, miraculously, passed! This of course drew a number of strange looks so I bolted back downstairs to Window 5.

Not sure what my stamps bought but they sure do look pretty

I was congratulated on my 'victory' and then again ushered down to Window 1 where I forked over another 6,000 won for another pair of stamps. These two were again affixed, via Window 3, to the other side of my form. Finally I returned the completed material triumphantly to Window 5. I was told that my license would be ready in 40 minutes and to pick it up then. Nooo problem!

Seeing as how the rain of the past two weeks had finally cleared and the temperature was starting to push 70, I figured it'd be a great time to head outside and do some reading in the sun. Of course, I was alone in the this venture as all the Koreans quickly scuttled past covering themselves with anything they could find in order to prevent the evil rays of our dearest and nearest start from hurting them.

Korean Azaleas in bloom

Other than the gawking school girls who passed I was left entirely alone until just before returning to the office. An elderly gentleman rode up on a bike and began talking to me loudly about East Lansing, Michigan as I was wearing an old soccer shirt. He began going on and on about America this and that being great (I think) and then decided to show me an interesting article he read in the paper this morning. Something about how the wives of both Spain and France's Prime Ministers are, well, hot. I'm not entirely sure what his point was but I think he was making some reference to how pathetic it was that such a subject was news worthy. I agreed with this barrage of words, which was more like a rain shower of spittle, an encouraged him to enjoy his day. . .elsewhere!

He did eventually leave but not before telling me that I look like I'm from the Church of Latter-day Saints, which, according to him is a good thing as he often attends their services. At this pointed I was tempted to, but thankfully didn't, point out that the book I was reading (Under the Banner of Heaven, by Jon Krakauer) was in fact entirely about this burgeoning religion and it's not-so-nice offshoots. Perhaps he was better at English then he let on and somehow noted what I was reading about. Perhaps he was in fact an LDS member. Either way, it was creepily coincidental!

How friendly everyone was! Even the signs!

Just under and hour later, as my unexpected conversation lasted much longer than I would have liked, I returned to Window 5 where I was presented with my very own Korean Driver's License! I tried one last ditch effort to get my MI license back but my request seemed to almost offend the woman so I quickly let it go, figuring it wasn't the end of the world. While I haven't had a lot of interaction with Korean Government, thankfully, I can't imagine their bureaucratic processes being any less, and certainly not any more, flexible than those I've grown accustomed to. . .so it was a losing battle from the beginning!

Nevertheless, I am now the proud possessor of my very own Korean Driver's License! Wish me luck!

Can't stop me now!

Seoul Grand Park

2009-04-24T23:43:00.011-04:00

Last Saturday we finally decided to embark on a long awaited adventure to Seoul Grand Park! As it's located just off of light blue Line 4, we were able to hop on the metro at Sanggye and grab a seat for the almost hour long journey. While still accessible by subway, the Park is actually located just south of Seoul's city limits.

All Aboard to Seoul Grand Park

Although LP informed us that we would have the opportunity to visit a zoo, contemporary art museum and Seoul Lane amusement park, it failed to mention that one would need an entire weekend to thoroughly enjoy the full experience. Coming up out of the subway we followed the massive crowds towards the park's administrative building where we picked up an English guide map.

We decided that a visit to the zoo was certainly in order but couldn't quite figure out where it was. Turns out we had a few different options to get there as just entering Grand Park doesn't mean you've arrived at the zoo. For a nominal fee (under a dollar) you can take an animal themed tram running up to the entrance, about a half-mile up hill. Or, for the more environmentally friendly crowd, there's always the option of walking. And, last, but certainly not least, for the ski bum who just didn't get enough time on the chair lift during the winter, there's always the Sky Lift!

Sky Lift to the zoo anyone?!

At first we decided to pass on the different mechanical modes of transportation and began the hike up up towards the entrance. As we browsed our newly acquired guide map we realized that the Sky Lift actually takes you up and over the zoo, much cooler than we had originally though. So, even though we were half way up, we decided to run back and grab tickets to go up in style.

Turns out there's not one Sky Life but two as the first one stops at the entrance to the zoo and the second one takes you all the way to the back so you can then walk downhill, as the zoo itself is set in a rising valley between two mountains. We were a bit taken aback at first by the 9,000 won ticket price for a simple chair lift ride. But, realizing that the opportunity to see a zoo from the air only comes every so often, we splurged! Enjoy the views!

Up and over the pond

The Children's Gardens, not quite yet in bloom

We disembarked our first Sky Lift ride at the entrance to the zoo where we picked up tickets for admission for only 3,000 a piece. We were shocked to enter the zoo and see the line for the second Sky Lift running down a pathway for hundreds of meters. While we did pay for two trips on the lift, neither of us wanted to wait in line for an hour just to get to the top of the zoo. So we didn't. Instead we decided to simply start exploring and then use the ticket to come down from the top later, as the Sky Lift operates both ways.

It wasn't long before we stumbled into the Africa Pavilion, which is identifiable not only by the giraffes, rhinos and elephants but by some brilliant signage as well.

Welcome to Africa!

In case you couldn't tell by the animals. . .

There's always great signs! Jambo!

Wandering out of Africa we crossed a dry creek bed and arrived in Australia only moments later. Here, on the outskirts of the zoo we shot the breeze with the kangas for a while as they munched on lunch. Nate even found a dead one but decided against alerting anyone. He didn't wanna stir up any unnecessary trouble!

Lunch Time in 'Roo-ville

It take long for us to wander from Australia over to an oddly decorated building that identified itself as an Insectarium. To be honest, I don't believe that I had ever previously visited such an attraction so of course, we had to indulge. Once inside we both immediately began itching ourselves as the creepy crawlers in every cage do not make you any more fond of the insect world! So, we scuttled through quickly in Korean fashion, only slowly down as we exited through the amphibian room housed in a humid green house at the end of the building. Two floors on insects was more than I needed, but now I don't have to go back!

The Insectarium!

Hanging' with Frogs

When the line grew too long for me to take the elephant slide, down through this big guy's trunk, I decided to just hop on top instead. I could've spent all day at the Children's Playground but I would have likely stepped on a few in the process. So we bailed.

Trunk This!

As always, the primates proved to be an absolute riot! Even the humans got in on the ridiculous action as it seems Koreans were taught at a very young age that feeding the animals in the zoo is not only acceptable but recommended. Nate and I hung around and watched in awe as the cute little guys below were fed everything from salted french fries to bananas and Korean churros. Why and how this last Spanish snack exists in Korea is beyond me but they are nearly ubiquitous! Anyways, momma monkey (shown below) clearly realized that by showing off the cute youngster hanging from her chest she could pull in extra goodies. It worked like a charm!

Using the baby as bait. . .typical

Inside the Oriental Pavilion we got a great look at a some extremely boring gibbons and a pair of inactive yet nonetheless terrifying, crocs. No, the picture below was not exactly brilliant National Geographic timing on my behalf. Rather, the big guy was simply lying there with his mouth agape, I'm sure just waiting for a small child to fall in!

Say 'Kimchi!'

Finally at the back of the zoo we found our way to the Sky Lift but realized that we had much yet to see in the zoo. Just out the lift's exist we spent a while staring a a bunch of lazy big cats that were impressive only by reputation. Though none lent themselves to any amazing photos, as you'll soon see the bears did, the jaguar was by far the champion of beauty as her silky coat threw back the light of the sun with such a vengeance it looked as if she were aglow!

Anyways, bring on the bears! I was particularly excited to see this exhibit as only days before I had finished John Irving's first novel, Setting Free the Bears, which he himself completed at the ripe age of 25 as a Master's thesis! Though I had tried reading it before, it took me until this second time around to truly appreciate the absolute hilarity of a story so random, perverted, nonsensical and riveting that it could be by the same man who created Garp and Owen.

While I didn't at first have any intention of going through with Siggy's plan to release the bears, after seeing how good natured and friendly they were, I sure would have liked to. Not only did they take time away from their 'hanging out' to pose. . .

Now that's just chillin!

...but they were kind enough to wave as well!

A friend of Siggy, no doubt!

Waving goodbye to the bears, and vowing to come back later with the keys, we moved onwards towards a more familiar scene in the bison pavilion. Other than the signage and Korean kids feeding them hamburgers (just kidding) it looked almost like taking a walk in Yellowstone. Oh, but with fences too.

North America is represented!

Though we arrived at the Dolphin Show Hall just in time to catch the last show, the line again crept through the crowds further than we could see and thus opted against going in. At least there was a cool statue outside.

I'm my own dolphin show.

At this point we found our selves stuck in the middle of the zoo almost ready to go as we had seen nearly everything, but the lions (which are separate from other 'big cats'). The only problem was that we had a Sky Lift ride already paid for and neither one of us was brave enough try and negotiate a refund in Konglish. So, we did the only reasonable thing, gave the tickets away to a poor family waiting at the bottom of the line. Just Kidding. Rather, we walked all the way down to the bottom of the zoo where the line had finally disappeared and hopped on, only to go back up to where we had just come from!

But hey, at least we got to ride in style over all the animals!

A Zoo from Above!

Back up top we hurried quickly down again, only stopping to check out the lions who proved to be equally inactive as their other feline friends. By this point the sun had begun to sink and it was time to throw the sweat shirt back on which meant it was definitely time to get outta Dodge!

Though we didn't have time to check out the light installations in the contemporary art museum or the roller coasters of Seoul Land, we did at least get one thing we were looking for. A great picture with a great big cat!

A Day at the Zoo!

Sokcho and Seorasksan National Park

2009-04-20T09:33:00.032-04:00

And now. . .the long awaited update from our weekend jaunt to Seoraksan National Park.

Finally getting around to this post a month or so later I won't, though I could, give you all the details. Rather, I'll try and let the pictures do the majority of the talking. The ones I put up should give a decent picture of the trip though between Nate and I we have about 300+. So, if you're looking for greater visual clarification, just ask!

To get to Sokcho from Seoul we caught an 8:15 (yes, a.m.) bus leaving from Gangbyeon Bus Terminal. Turned out our 20,000 won didn't just buy us seats on any bus but rather number 1 and 2 on the luxury express to Sokcho. We were traveling in style!

Now that's luxury!

All Aboard to Sokcho!

Our front row seats offered us a spectacular view of the passing city directly out the oversized front window. At the same time, our seat location meant that if some immovable object were to appear in front of the bus, we would be the firs two to meet it, flying through the aforementioned windshield!

Olympic Stadium and the Han River from the bus

Up front we were also afforded a view of the bus' thermostat, which read nine degrees Celsius when we first boarded. Not long in to the trip, meaning, not long in to my nap, I awoke drenched in sweat. A glance upwards told me that the temperature had quickly risen from nine to 24 degrees Celsius, presumably from the many human bodies crowded aboard. Now 75 degrees ain't bad if you're walking through a shady park but sitting on an early morning bus dressed for a day of hiking, well, it wasn't exactly nice!

I did eventually doze back off only to be awoken by the bus lurching off of the main highway. Clearing my eyes I was surprised to see that the surrounding countryside (or mountainside to be more exact) was covered in snow! Only a few hours ago I was in the relatively mild Seoul city center where I had dressed for a day of un-snowy hiking. Oops!

Reststop Buddies

While stretching my legs I was asked by an enthusiastic group of men to take their photograph. After doing so, they eagerly ushered Nate and I into another picture with them, taking turns playing photographer so each would have his own chance standing next to the foreigners in the picture. After pausing only long enough for everyone to pee and the men to have a cigarette, or five, the bus took back off again, this time, downhill.

Not soon after pulling out of the reststop did the landscape change drastically. The tall snow covered mountains quickly gave way to dry brown rolling hills. After a few miles heading east through this rather barren landscape, we eventually came to a coastal road and turned north. This new route offered spectacular views of the East Sea (also known as the Sea of Japan).

Every few hundred meters a new beach spread out before us yet each one was as inaccessible as the last, guarded heavily by barbed wire and rows of watchtowers. Though I had read about this in LP before heading out, I was surprised to actually see beach access cut off to what would have otherwise been a great summer hang out! Apparently, being as far north as Sokcho, one must face the omnipresent threat of. . .the North Korean Navy!? I'm not entirely sure how much is for show and how much is for real but I sure wasn't gonna test those waters. Nevertheless, at one beach along the way we did spot a pair of surfers in full body suits doing their thing. . .then again, they could have been spies sneaking in under the guise of afternoon surfers!

After making a number of stops in what we presumed to be the city of Sokcho, we finally pulled into the Sokcho Bus Station a little before noon. While my LP map suggested the the nearest information station would be about a 20 minute hike down the road, we luckily encountered just such a venue right outside the terminal! At the little kiosk we picked up not only a number of Sokcho maps and booklets but also advice on how to get to Seoraksan National Park, located a few miles back down the road we road in on.

Welcome to Sokcho Intercity Bus Terminal!

From the terminal it was only a short walk around the corner to the front of City Hall where, after not too long, we were picked up by the 7-1 local bus. 1,000 won and 15 minutes later we were dropped off at the entrance to Seoraksan National Park!

Good Ole' 7-1, Sokcho-Seoraksan

Immediately upon exiting the bus I was stunned by the beauty, and vastness of the surrounding landscape. While we now stood in the midst of enormous snow covered peaks, only a few minutes before we had been literally on a sandy coast line. Not to mention that earlier that morning we had been in the world's second largest metropolis.

We made our way towards the park's entrance but not before doing a little souvenir shopping along the way. Nate and I both picked up bandannas that doubled as maps of the park. At the time I wasn't sure why exactly I bought one other than that it was too cheap to pass up and the idea of a map bandanna was simply alluring. Little did I know that it would eventually serve me as a helpful headband and later an interesting wall decoration!

Finally making it to the gate we both coughed up the 2,500 won entrance fee that would have easily been avoidable had we simply kept walking past the small ticket booth that we both almost overlooked. For an additional fee we could have bought tickets up the cable car which I was finally able to talk Nate out of based on the grounds that it literally led to nowhere. Although it was a hard sell, I'm glad we didn't take it as we barley were able to see everything that we did before the weather eventually turned!

Enter Seoraksan National Park!

With no real idea of where to go and miles upon miles of hikeable trails in the park, we decided to forgo Daecheongbong, the park's highest peak at 1,707 meters, and head instead towards Heundeulbawi and Ulsanbawi, which for all we knew, were a pair of famous 'rocks' in the park. According to an information sign, the first part of the hike was to be easy while the last hundred meters or so fell into the difficult arena. Even so, for a hike of only a few kilometers, I thought that the estimated time of about four hours was somewhat exaggerated. We obviously had no idea what we were getting in to!

Seated Bronze Buddha

Not far into the park we came across an enormous seated bronze Buddha, labeled just that. While there was no temple covering this immense statue, people readily shuffled up the stairs to drop to their knees and offer prayers and incense at the figure's feat. Not wanting to untie my oversized hiking shoes I decided it best to venture no closer than the stairs.

Soon the paved open walkway of the park's entrance gave way to a stone covered path cut out of an ever thickening forest. As we made our way gradually uphill we passed dozens of middle to highschool aged students, apparently on a variety of field trips, as many didn't seem to be hiking by choice! When we weren't battling too-cool-for-schoolers for footing on the rocky path, we were able to stop and take in the incredible beauty of our surroundings.

Just a walk though Seoraksan

Every few hundred meters the scenery would change completely as we passed numerous creek beds, most of which were dry, temples set in to the foothills, mountains that shot up from nowhere and endless forests of strange but somewhat familiar pine trees. My only regret is that we weren't there about two weeks later as I can only imagine how beautiful the area would have been in full spring blossom!

Clearly the 'new' bridge in town. . .

As the crowd around us thinned the trail began to grow steeper. With each bend in the path I swore we had to be approaching our first destination, Heundeulbawi. Only after declaring that we were 'almost there' a half dozen times did we finally emerge on a small plateau guarded by a small mountain temple and an enormous wobbling boulder. Well, to be honest, the boulder wasn't wobbling but we had read that if pushed just so, it can in fact be moved.

Heundeulbawai, or 'Rocking Rock' is well known throughout Korea as the majority of it's residents have at one time or another taken the opportunity to try and roll this teetering boulder off the each of the cliff on which its balanced. While to this day no one has been successful, the nation of Korea has plenty of snapshots of people doing their best Superman impersonation (see below).

Both Nate and I took a whack at it and, while it at first seemed impossible, the boulder does in fact get rocking side to side when enough force is applied at just the right, very short, intervals. This later discovery lead me to question the reliability of the text I read that claimed no matter how much force is applied, the rock will never fall from it's current position. . . .I know a guy named Newton that might disagree, but then again, he probably wasn't scared to sleep with the fan on either.

Supermaning at Heundeulbawi

After taking the obligatory snapshots at Heundeulbawi, we continued up the trail towards Ulsanbawi. Immediately the path took a sharp upward turn which was quickly noted by our sleep deprived bodies. For what must have been an hour or so we climbed a seemingly never ending path that head straight up towards the base of an incredible cliff. The large looming rocks we correctly assumed were Ulsanbawi. Unfortunately, what we did not correctly surmise is that we would eventually be climbing the rocks themselves. From the trail it seemed as though the bottom of the rocks was the goal, not their peak!

The story of Ulsanbawi

"According to the legend, Ulsanbawi comes from the city of Ulsan in the southeast of Korea. As Mt. Geumgangsan was being built, Ulsanbawi walked to the north as the representative of the city. Unfortunately, Ulsanbawi arrived too late and there was no more room. Ulsanbawi was ashamed and slowly trudged back to the south. One evening the rock went to sleep in the Seorak area. Ulsanbawi felt the area was so beautiful there that it decided to stay for good. The view of Mt. Seoraksan from the rock is outstanding." -The Sky to Sea Activity: Sokcho The Sokcho Tourist Information Center

Even as we approached the bottom of these giant rocks I for some reason presumed that I had finished and that the stairs, viewable in the background of the below picture, were simply, I dunno, for show?!

Where's Adam!?

As we stopped to catch our breath I chatted with a couple from the south part of Korea who try and make it out to Seoraksan a couple times each year, both for the exercise and the incredible scenery. From where we sat, it wasn't hard to imagine why people would return to this spot year after year. Though the park is obviously smaller than our Stateside national parks out west, when you're up in the midst of Seoraksan and can't see anything but the surrounding mountains, it's easy to imagine that you're in the middle of the Rockies. . .though here some of the hikers wear highheels.

A view worth coming back for!

After pausing sufficiently long enough to be laughed at by hoards of hikers who simply climbed on by without stopping, we eventually turned to face the enormous metal stair case that hugged the side of what seemed to be a near vertical face. Starting up it quickly became evident that the remainder of this hike would in fact be 'difficult.'

It's getting colder!

Climbing higher and higher, the altitude became apparent as we began to pass more and more patches of ice and unmelted snow. The particular mini-glacier you see behind me above eventually fell in a deafening roar, just as we made our way around and bend and out of its sight. Even without seeing it, we guessed what had happened and on the way back down, confirmed our suspicions.

The only way to describe the rest of the hike upwards is grueling. Sure, there were stairs and we didn't have to do a whole lot of scrambling, except at the very top, but even so, it went up, quickly. As I tried clamoring up the stairs without stopping (a feat I will posit as impossible), we passed at least a couple people who had literally resorted to going up on all fours, determined to make the summit, not so much by their own will but by the demands of their climbing partners who clearly egged them on!

Made it to 875m!

Alas, we did eventually 'summit' Ulsanbawi only to be greeted with a spectacular view of the northern part of Seoraksan Park and the dwarfed city of Sokcho below. Out in the distance we were able to see the East Sea but a thick haze blocked out any chance of sighting Japan off the coast. Though that didn't stop a gang of young Korean men from screaming out in anger towards the east, presumably with regards to Korea's recent loss to Japan in the World Baseball Classic.

I done did it! 875m

Though it was tempting, we opted not to have our photo taken and placed in a big 8x10 plastic folder that could be worn around the neck. I didn't feel bad though as the vendor at the top selling such a ridiculous souvenir did not seem to be short of customers at all!

Having seen enough, and beginning to get a bit over crowded at the relatively small summit, we turned back for a harrowing journey down what must have amounted to almost a thousand stairs. We of course paused for numerous photo shoots along the way as Korea has made us both pick up the side hobby of amateur nature photography. . .enjoy!

Solitude

Heavy Lifting!

Loner

Descending back down the way we came, we took a pause at Heundeulbawi to peek into Kaejoram, a temple literally carved out of the mountain. Said to be built in the year 652, it has apparently undergone a good amount of upkeep while still retaining a very ancient, and cave-like atmosphere.

We finally made it down to flat ground and immediately plopped into the first chairs we came across. While we would later feel bad for not patronizing the neighboring food stall, as the man working there was very kind to us on the way up, and down, I wouldn't have passed on our meal for anything. We ordered a bottle or makgeolli, or Korean rice wine to start as it's a Korean mountain climbing tradition that we have learned to embrace enthusiastically. When our drinks came without the normal side of anchovies and vegetables we decided it best to order some real sustenance, even though I had packed a bag pack full of nuts and berries, for some reason assuming we would be without civilization for days on our single night excursion.

With an unfamiliar Korean menu we did the best we could and ordered up something with the word kamja which I recognized as potato. Turns out we correctly selected and order of kamjacheon also known as potato pancakes. Nearing passover time I found this coincidence to be slightly more than amusing, especially as the pancakes were absolutely fantastic. No, no sour cream or horseradish to douse them in but even so, they were deeeelicious! And to wash it down with mountain style kimchi and a bottle of makgeolli, mmmm what a treat! Just don't ask me whose are better, Grandma's or the Mountain's!

Ulsanbawi from Camp Eats!

While lunching we met a nice group of young Korean men who were studying broadcasting and making a documentary about their day climbing Seoraksan. I had noticed them earlier trying to take candid video of Nate and I so clearly they were excited to talk to us and actually ask our permission to film a few shots. No clue what our role was to be but with a number of friends huddled around us at a table it made for a great shot. I gave my e-mail address to one of the guys who promised to send me the pictures but alas, it doesn't look like we'll ever receive them. So, you'll have to settle for one of Nate and I having potato pancakes on the mountain!

Lunchin'!

As we finished up our lunch a large sheet of clouds rolled in and swallowed up the sun that had warmed our climb so nicely. Growing chillier by the moment we decided it was time to head down and get outta the park before the weather really turned nasty! On the way down we did take the time to swing by Shinheungsa Temple, set right at the foot of the surrounding peaks.

Kicking it in the temple courtyard

Rocking out with the temple guards

We found our way back out the front gate and caught the 7-1 bus back towards town. With no real idea of what to go or where to stay, we decided to hike it towards the water. Darkness soon fell around us though in Korea it's often not a problem as cities are more than well lit and crime is simply non existent!

Wandering through town we passed a number of 'love motels' but decided to keep wandering towards a bit more, well, happening area. Though Sokcho is a relatively large town, every street we turned down seemed to be dead and usually, this is not a good sign in Korea. So, we kept on walking. Turns out wandering led us into some nice surprises as we came across a group of locals playing around in a parking lot. While we initially were going to simply ask them for directions towards a 'populated' area, we ended up kicking and throwing balls (soccer- and base-) with them for quite some time. Alas, all we got out of our friendly pitstop was a good work out which, at that point, neither of us really needed!

Somehow we did eventually make it to the beach and were greeted by a brightly lit boardwalk. Walking closer we began noticing fireworks taking to the air all along the beach. No, we didn't have impeccable timing for the annual show but rather people were buying them from the corner stores and setting 'em off themselves all along the beach.

Sokcho Boardwalk by Night

As it began to drizzle, we grabbed some refreshments from the corner store and headed out to the beach to sit, relax and enjoy the 'show.' Eventually we gave in to temptation and bought some fireworks ourselves. Even as the rain and wind picked up, people remained on the beach, enjoying the firelights of their neighbors.

Fire Flies

I too had some great fun with giant sparklers. It took only took a few tries to grab the picture below!

That's me!

As the rain grew to be too much we darted in to the corner convenience store where we again implored about something to do in Sokcho. The shop owner grew excited, asked us if we would like a club to which we agreed as long as he could figure out how to get us there. Now, I'm not entirely sure why we would have agreed to this after a day of hiking, still in our sweaty and again wet clothes but, it turned into quite the fun little adventure. The man gave someone a call and told us to sit tight as we would be picked up.

A few minutes later a mini van appeared outside and he ushered us is. The driver quickly swept us away to a large building adorned with neon lights that read Arabian Nights. We were led inside past a number of men in business suits congregated in circles smoking outside. Around the first velvet lined corridor we came out in to an enormous room of 50+ 'dining' tables that made a semi-circle around a club like dance floor. Complete with booming music and laser lights we were undoubtedly in the middle of Sokcho's nightlife.

Unfortunately, or perhaps fortunately, we didn't last long as our waiter insisted that we purchase a pair of beers for 10,000 won each. He eventually discounted them I believe by a dollar or so before telling us politely that he would see us again but that we would be asked to leave now. No problem! Thanks for letting us sit for a bit though!

Back out in the rain we figured it was hotel time for sure. I thumbed though LP desperately looking for direction. Coming to an entry about the castle shaped Samsung Love Motel, I suddenly remembered that we had passed by such a building only a few hours before. I called the number in the book and asked if they had rooms available for 40,000 won, the prices listed in LP. They agreed, or at least I think they did, and we hopped in a cab, only to arrive a few minutes later.

The Samsung Love Motel in Sokcho

With the 40,000 in hand I reassured that we could get a double room. Money quickly exchanged hands and we were taken upstairs! Fantastic! While we shunned the first room as it seemed to have only one sleeping set up (on the floor), we were shown to a second with an actual real life bed. As doubles clearly aren't an option in love motels, the owner, or worker, kindly brought in a yo or floor mattress for the second set up. For less than $40 USD, we'll take it!

After changing out of wet socks and what not we slipped out for a late night snack of kamjatang, potato soup. Unfortunately, the soup lacked potatoes and instead was filled with giant rib bones of some creature that too lacked any meat. This meal was far from satisfying but, being beyond exhausted, I had no trouble getting to sleep on my thing floor mattress back at the love-tel.

Sunday morning we woke early and headed out into the gray morning. We first ventured back towards the water front where we passed two separate parties of hikers whom recognized us from the day before. We then walked out and along the water to a pier that stretched out towards a small island, Jodo, inhabited primarily by birds.

Morning on the Boardwalk

Along Sokcho Beach

At the end of the pier we stopped to take pictures under the love tree and I can only imagine thousands of couples do each summer as Sokcho's beaches are flooded with tourists wanting to escape the grind of life in Seoul.

Hanging in the Love Tree

As we stood and looked off towards the horizon, we noted a boat in the distance growing larger. We waited long enough to watch it pass and head towards a dock near the city center. I joked about it being the 'ferry to Russia' that I had read about in LP. Turns out, I was right. . .

Nate longing for an escape to Russia

Sokcho Beach from the pier

As we wandred north along the beach towards the city center, we were eventually forced up off the sand by a long wall of barbed wire that we had seen previously driving into the city.

Protection

Sokcho Seawall Selfie

Continuing north we eventually came to the Cheonghodaegyo Bridge which spanned the Cheongchoho Lake separating downtown Sokcho from, well, wherever we were. Unfortunately, the older part of the bridge didn't exactly span the full way but stopped on a pier unconnected to the downtown mainland. While a new bridge seemed to lead right into the heart of town, we learned upong further inspection that the bridge wasn't exactly, well, ready to be used yet. See the picture below for clarification!

A Bridge to Nowhere!

Seoraksan National Park from the Cheonghodaegyo Bridge

Argh! As this relatively small inland lake seemed un crossable, we turned around and headed back towards where we came in order to go around the outside of it on foot. While it seemed to be quite the detour, we knew of no other way across. Even so, walking along the lake shore provided us with an interesting view into the life of Sokcho's many fishermen, the majority of whom seemed to lie dormant on Sunday afternoon. Not even the starfish were dancing today. . .

Sokcho's brightest stars

While the whole town seemed to be dead, we did again see signs of life at sea. A ferry boat passed us at one point, exiting the inland lake from a small channel. As I watched, I noticed that the people on board, primarily middle aged women, seemed to be lined up, waiting to approach a man dressed in monk's garb who stood at the front of the crowd. After approaching the monk, the women would then dump a bag of fish over the edge of the railing and return to the line. I can offer no more insight on this situation that what you can surmise from the above details. . .yes, it was strange. If you expand the picture below you should be able to see the monk in orange towards the back of the boat on the first level. Good shot Nate!

An ever so mysterious ferry. . .

Not long after witnessing this magic ferry, we came to a gate that at first seemed to force us to again backtrack as we were already doing. Alas, we realized that just on the other side of the gate people were boarding a small barge/raft that seemed to be attached to a line running across to the other side of the channel! We were saved!

We quickly pounced through the gate and rushed up the 'captain' who pointed us towards a small ticket booth. There, another man asked us for 200 won each in exchange for boarding the boat. He actually needn't have really asked as there was simply a sign saying 200W hanging above a big bowl of coins into which people presumably throw their money and make themselves change.

We hopped on the raft just before things stated rolling. The cable that I at first thought was attached to the boat was in fact stationary and attached to both sides of the channel. In turn, the 'captain' and other men on board took turn using long hooks to drag the barge along by pulling against the anchored cable. An ingenious, efficient, environmental friendly water crossing! What a great mode of transportation!

I probably could have ridden back and forth another couple of times before I tired of the system. Over our initial shock of the twenty cent solution to our problem, Nate dove into the action and helped to 'drag' us across the water where we disembarked on the opposite shore.

All aboard the raft express!

Safe on dry land we headed towards the city center, first passing through the Sokcho Fisheries Market, or Jungang Market. Though some of the raw fish looked tempting, we were both too nervous and uncertain of the situation to take advantage of what many people claim to be an excellent place for sashimi. Oh well, maybe next time, if we have a Korean guide with us!

Sokcho's Jungang Fisheries Market

We followed signs to the Lighthouse Observatory and Sunrise Pavilion, both of which had been visible earlier from the pier at Sokcho Beach. Headed towards the north end of town, we passed Dongmyeong-hang Port in which the majority of signs were written in not only Korean but English, Chinese and Russian as well. I guess the sign wasn't lying when it said international terminal. Turns out the giant boat we spotted earlier was in fact the ferry to Russia! What an odd place to be that there just happens to be a 'ferry to Russia.' Last time I checked that's something I haven't previously encountered in my life.

The Ferry to Russia

Venturing up a small hill I was provided a great over head view of the Yeonggeumjeong Sunrise Pavilion that jutted out into the East Sea. At the same time, Nate decided to take the the small bridge out towards the pavilion. . .can you find him in the picture below?!

Yeonggeumjeong Sunrise Pavilion

Playing on the breakers

Though I'm sure it offers great views of the city, we decided to pass on making the short hike up the Lighthouse Observatory as we felt we had already conquered enough stairs for one weekend's adventure!

The Lighthouse Observatory

Finally, exhausted from a day of hiking and a morning of trekking aimlessly around a seemingly deserted city, we turned back towards the intercity bus terminal where we prayed there would be something, anything leaving for Seoul. We never did brave the famous Dongmyeong Raw Fish Market and instead settled on a glorious lunch of steamed kimchi, kimchijjim.

Back on the luxury express towards Seoul I immediately conked out, only to wake up just in time to snap a quick picture of Ulsanbawi and it's sister peaks that had been covered in snow while we slept peacefully at the Samsung Love Castle.

Snow Peaks

I didn't again stir much until we reached the traffic jam just outside of Seoul where we were treated to a hazy sunset over the Han River.

Sundown on the Han

I don't remember much about the subway right home but I'll tell ya, I was glad when it was over! For a two day get away Seoraksan was just the place. I'm sure I could go back and spend days hiking through the park but then again, why would I spoil such a great trip by trying to repeat it.

As for my next intra-Korea adventure, well, I guess I'll have to wait for another bye week in soccer! Or then again, it might just be coming sooner than I originally intended. . .more on that to come.

What a lot a' hoopla about nothing. . .It's bed time.

Pardon The Interruption

2009-04-13T01:56:00.002-04:00

If you'll allow me to explain. . .

A few weeks ago while having my early afternoon breakfast, I managed to upend a precariously balanced cup of pineapple juice. Unfortunately, my desk doubles as my dining table and my laptop takes up the majority of space. Thus, when the pineapple juice went pouring towards earth, a decent amount of it ended up on my computer.

Luckily the juice avoided the all too porous keyboard as it puddled around the outer casing of my machine. Unfortunately, it just so happens that over the past two years my casing has been slowly cracking, in turn exposing a direct route to my computer's insides. Known for taking the path of least resistance, the pineapple juice quickly caught on to this shortcut to devastation.

I followed the normal procedure of shutting down, flipping the thing upside down and shaking it until I was worried it would fly from my hands. I then propped took out the battery and propped the computer upside down allowing it to drain. In retrospect, I should have let the computer sit for probably a day or more before trying to turn it on. In reality, I was extremely anxious to finish booking my flights to Boracay and thus flipped the thing back over and booted her up after returning from lunch, only a few hours later.

All seemed to be well as the computer started and even allowed me to get online. It was just as I was opening my e-mail that the thing decided to freeze, completely. A very uncharacteristic move for a MacBook. At this point, I knew I was in trouble.

I eventually had to shut down and attempt a restart which, to no surprise, failed. I did this a few more times in desperation before finally acknowledging that I had fried my computer. I didn't waste anytime getting to work to find the nearest Apple service center which, with my luck, was only a mere hour subway ride away. I mean, come on, in a technologically advanced city of 10 million plus people I have to travel an hour to get a diagnosis on my relatively benign piece of hardware?

Anyways, with Joseph's directions I made it to the U BASE Apple Service Center just outside COEX Mall. I was told, in broken English, that my mini grand canyon was in a 'very bad' location as directly below the abyss lay my computers hard drive. The outlook appeared pretty bleak at this point. I was informed that I would receive a call in a few days and what would likely happen is that I would have to purchase a new hard drive which could then be exchanged for my current juiced one. Just as I was leaving the service man bolted out the door and asked one more question.

'Do you mind if I erase your whole hard drive?' he asked.

Um, as if I had a choice?

'No certainly, please destroy everything that is there!' I kindly replied.

I mean, it sounded like a fair enough plan, if it could help restore my HD by erasing it well, then at least I'd avoid the cost of a new one. Plus, the majority of what I 'need' music, pictures and um, not much else, should be saved on my external hard drive. Though I haven't updated it in a while and have yet to confirm this hunch.

I week passed and I heard nothing about the computer so I put Joseph to work phoning U BASE. It took two days to get through to a person but he finally confirmed that they did in fact have my computer, had not forgotten about it, and were actually waiting to hear back from Apple about replacing my casing. Hmm, apparently somebody else noticed that the case wasn't looking exactly up to par.

A few days later I received a call telling me that my computer was up and running but without a keyboard. I was asked whether or not I minded having a keyboard with Korean lettering replaced with my current cracked one. Again, like I had a choice. I agreed assuming that the keyboard would be similar to the ones we have at school which have both English and Hanguel lettering on them. Worse comes to worse I figured I know my way around well enough that I could deal with an entirely foreign keyboard. Plus, what a great souvenir!

By the end of last week I received a Korean text message that had U BASE embedded somewhere in it. With the help of my students I confirmed that my computer was ready to be picked up. So, this morning I again hopped on the subway, armed with a book for the long journey, and headed down towards COEX to pick up my (hopefully) reinvigorated laptop.

I presented the serviceman with my receipt which didn't quote me any specific price but did indicate that I was responsible for purchasing a new hard drive. I winced as he pulled out an invoice, expecting to dip deep in to my Shinhan Bank account. Instead, he handed me a half sheet of paper filled with Korean writing. The only thing I understood was the long line of zeros in the right hand column.

Now, I don't know if someone got confused along the way and said that God had smitten my computer and thus I was not in fact responsible, but last time I checked, I told them very specifically that it was me who had dumped sugary, sticky liquid all over my device. Thus, I assumed that it was me who would bear the brunt of the blame for this mishap and, in turn, foot the bill.

I tried to explain to the Apple Rep that they had fixed my hard drive, given me a new casing, worked on the computer for weeks and were trying to give it back to me for free. Miraculously, he seemed to understand this and confirm that it was all correct! Well hot darn, ain't that something!

I thanked him profusely and bolted outside hoping that one of Korea's ubiquitous Dunkin' Donuts was in sight so that I could at least offer some sort of compensation for his work. Instead, all I could find in the immediate vicinity was a Kraze Burger and a number of coffee shops. A hamburger seemed like a rather odd way of saying thank you and to be honest, I couldn't tell if he was a caramel latte type or more of a dark roast guy, though if I had to chose I'd go for the later.

I bolted 'home' to Doota where I pessimistically plugged in and booted up the machine on which I am currently writing this. After a surprisingly fan fare filled introduction my computer eventually booted to it's original desktop. One that I had long ago mucked with unnecessary downloads, unfinished files and incomplete attempts at video editing. While the one or two 'necessary' things are gone, it's kinda nice to start over clutter free. Now I've got a whole new HD to fill up with useless bits of electronic data.

Oh, and as for the keyboard, it's lightning fast, cleaner than my old one, and, if I need to, I'll have no problem banging out a letter to Mr. Lee in Hanguel. Other than, well, I don't speak Korean.

As for the lack of updates in the past few weeks, well, I hope you've managed to hang in there with out any. It's still gonna be a day or two before I get to catching up as I have plenty of important things to do fooling around with my 'new' computer. But, in case you're dying to know, here's a sneak peak. . .

-A whopping three weekends ago Nate and I took off for Sokcho via bus to hike around Seoraksan National Park. If neither of us have deleted any of the evidence off our cameras yet, you should be in store for a bunch of silly video blogging along with hundreds of beautiful pictures. As with most of our more 'natural' adventures, I'll try and let the pics to most of the talking.

-The Kochanski's Come to Korea. While they took off and did their own thing for the majority of the week, we did get a few solid day of tour guiding in during the weekend. At least one of the itineraries we took is particularly of note as I couldn't possibly imagine a better "Seoul in a day." Of course we also managed to nail down the staples including, but not limited to an early morning trip to the norebong, Friday night samgyeopsal, soju, dinner in Itaewon, 'clubbing' in Hongdae, taxi rides to no where and unlimited awkward encounters with the majority of the DYB staff!

-A three hour soccer game played yesterday. Nothing much to say other than that's by far the most exhausted I've been in, well, since I can remember! Plus I got a goal so of course it's worth mentioning.

-A hectic few weeks of negotiating my second vacation time which, as of now, I'm booked to take the second week of May. Boracay Island, here I come!

-Of course there was the blossoming, and then falling of the Cherry Blossoms but, that's pretty much dead and gone. I'll try and post a pic or two if I have 'em.

-Oh yeah, and it's hot now. Last time I wrote I believe it was still threatening to snow every few days or so. I hear Michigan got the real deal at the beginning of this past week! Can't say I'm dying to be there right now, though the though of a summer without going Up North is a bit depressing. I guess the Philippines will just have to do.

-Ah ha, and lastly. Today begins another three week testing period. Previously known as 'paid on the job vacation time' the arrival of the students' midterms is slightly less celebrated this time around as the majority of my classes are elementary school. All in all I'll only be getting six hours a week 'off' though I'm hoping for more as it's a possibility that my middle schoolers might not show for their special class. . .Ha, special class, that's been in interesting story, but not for sharing right now!

Thanks for staying tuned as we now return you to your regular scheduled programming.

Spitfires vs. Cheongju Match Report (Spring Season)

2009-03-22T10:21:00.002-04:00

Ironically I accepted Match Report duty for Cheongju, the same team that I (think I) incorrectly labeled Chungju last time. . . here's the report as posted on the Han River forum.

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Cheongju vs. Spitfires -- Match Report

On a fine second day of spring, the Han River Spitfires hosted Cheongju at their home pitch in Apgujeong.

In the two previous match ups between these Division 2 powerhouses, each team took home a win, and, a loss. Wanting to recapture the honor of the first victory, the Spitfires started the game blazing hot. From the get-go Han River pushed Cheongju back into their defensive third where they remained until the nil-nil score was broken. This did not take long.

After a few botched attacks, the Spitfires forced a quick turnover deep in Cheongju territory. Spying an opportunity, Joseph went with the quick restart, dropping a beautiful ball right at forward Jun Ho's feet. On the subsequent touch Jun Ho delivered a squeaky clean ball into the side netting, just out of the opposing goalkeeper's reach.

Spitfires 1 Cheongju 0

Though Cheongju was given the ball at the restart, they were barley able to maintain possession long enough to string together a respectable attack. With a solid line in back, and midfielders marking up on extra men, Cheongju was lucky to simply get the ball in Spitfire territory.

Not long after the opening goal, Sun made a few adjustments to the lineup, notably, bringing the All-American Doug on to the field at a crucial time. With his first touch of the day Doug won a huge header sent well across the field by Cheongju's goalkeeper. On the following play, our Big Man, found himself buried deep in the opposing box as Joseph wound up for yet another deadly laser. With an obvious height advantage, Doug was able to field the ball and drop it delicately at the feet of Hwi Soo, who, without hesitation, blasted a rocket in between a terrified goalkeeper and a helpless near post.

Spitfires 2 Cheongju 0

Unfortunately, somewhere along the line, the Spitfires decided that two goals was a cushy enough pillow to sleep on. They couldn't have been more wrong. It didn't take long for a heated Cheongju to exploit the Spitfires obvious lethargy. Thankfully, goalkeeper Don Shin had other plans as he thwarted more than one Cheongju attack with incredible saves of what could have easily been a pair of equalizing goals. Unfortunately, in typical Spitfire fashion, what should have been an easily defended throw-in turned in to a deal breaker for the clean sheet as a loose ball ricocheted around the box and passed "HanDS's" out stretched limbs.

HALFTIME Spitfires 2 Cheongju 1. . . 'the most dangerous score in soccer'

Kicking off in the second half, the Spitfires were challenged by having both the sun and wind directly in their faces. Yet, despite the unfavorable conditions, Han River managed to come out with a ferocity needed to fend off the second ranked Cheongju. For what seemed like an eternity, both sides battled back and forth with nothing to show.

Then, out of nowhere, on what should have been a routine corner kick, an unmarked Cheongju played managed to rise from the scrum uncontested. When an opposing player goes up without a defending body with him, well, we all know how that turns out. A fine header found its way in to the back of the net, not at the fault of our dear keeper in the slightest.

Spitfires 2 Cheongju 2

Not long after Cheongju tied the match, they decided that a change of pace would be in order. While intentions are yet to be determined, a brutal collision in Spitfire territory took out star sweeper Ammar, leaving him incapacitated for the remainder of the game. Nervous but excited to fill the role, Adam dropped back from stopper to play in the land of 'the last man.'

As the clock ticked down, all efforts seemed to be on 'not losing,' rather than actually winning. Then, just when it seemed like a draw would be inevitable, Jun Ho turned on the jets that he had until that point been harboring all season. Blowing by the opposing defensive line, Cheongju was left with only one option: take him out. Half a yard earlier and it would have been a free kick but, with such speed, Jun Ho managed to get himself into the box before going down from a vicious attack.

As the sarcastic chorus of "Hey Adam, get up there and take it" died down, Joseph calmly stepped up to the plate, ready to finish off the late Cheongju. It was evident from his poised demeanor that he had put his last penalty kick, an easy save, far behind him. Even a lucky guess by the keeper to dive left couldn't stop a low corner shot that sealed the deal in Apgujeong. With the go ahead goal on the plate there was no letting up for the Spitfire defense who held off a weary Cheongju in the game's final minutes.

FINAL SCORE Spitfires 3 Cheongju 2

While the Spitfires will have to put their winning streak on hold for next week's bye, it will certainly be a well earned rest after a grueling, but exciting, Week 4!!

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P.S. We were predicted to lose, by a lot.