Sunday, August 27, 2006
Thailand
For my meager summer break, I decided to go to Thailand with Julie to enjoy the few extra days off. We booked an overly expensive 4 day trip to Phuket at a 5 star resort. The week before the trip all weather forcasts were shouting thunderstorms all weekend long and I was sure that my vacation would be ruined. Julie is great company, but spending 4 days with her indoors watching the rain poor would have probably been a disaster for our relationship. I can be a suck when things don't go well...
Anyways, luckily we had perfect weather the entire time and I had a perfect vacation! It was of course too short, but still it was a welcome change to the pace that I have been living the past 8 months. Here are some random pics from my trip, click on them to enlarge. And yes, all of those Thai women are actually men.
For my meager summer break, I decided to go to Thailand with Julie to enjoy the few extra days off. We booked an overly expensive 4 day trip to Phuket at a 5 star resort. The week before the trip all weather forcasts were shouting thunderstorms all weekend long and I was sure that my vacation would be ruined. Julie is great company, but spending 4 days with her indoors watching the rain poor would have probably been a disaster for our relationship. I can be a suck when things don't go well...
Anyways, luckily we had perfect weather the entire time and I had a perfect vacation! It was of course too short, but still it was a welcome change to the pace that I have been living the past 8 months. Here are some random pics from my trip, click on them to enlarge. And yes, all of those Thai women are actually men.
Tuesday, August 01, 2006
The Red Devils and the Toga Party
Koreans have become huge World Cup fans, ever since their Red Devils did well, they have caught the fever. Having such a huge city going crazy for soccer is actually an exciting experience. I jumped on the bandwagon and started cheering for Korea as well. I have never seen so many people wearing red shirts and sporting flags as there were in Seoul. For the first game vs Togo, we went to Olympic Park to watch it on some public big screens. There were so many people there it was amazing. All of them were wearing red devil horns and red t-shirts. What was scary was that Olympic Park was one of the smaller venues, I heard that there were at least a few million people all throughout the city watching in public parks.
For Korea's final game a friend decided to throw a toga party. I have never actually been to a toga party so I didn't know what to expect. We got to his apartment and he cut us some sheets to turn into togas. The sheets were red of course to show our support for the soccer team. We moved onto his roof and chilled for a few hours before the game (which was showing at 4 am). We pretty much got trashed up there until around 1 am.
We then decided to head out to the busy clubbing strip in Seoul to watch the game. I gotta say, we stood out just a bit, 15 foreigners in red togas screaming, yelling, and singing Korean soccer chants. part of the journey to the strip was to take the subway. On the subway we turned our car into a giant party, with Koreans either joining in, taking pictures, or just staring in shock. The doors were opened in between cars and we could see Korean heads leaning over to watch the show. After the subway, which was a crazy and fun ride, we marched through Hongdae, which is the clubbing district in Seoul. We pretty much turned into a drunkin parade with Koreans cheering, taking pictures and giving us high fives... When I think about it now, I have to say, that it was one of the most rediculous nights I have ever had. It was also one of the most fun ones. Korea ended up losing and my hangover was terrible, but I can't think of a way to top that night here in Seoul.
Koreans have become huge World Cup fans, ever since their Red Devils did well, they have caught the fever. Having such a huge city going crazy for soccer is actually an exciting experience. I jumped on the bandwagon and started cheering for Korea as well. I have never seen so many people wearing red shirts and sporting flags as there were in Seoul. For the first game vs Togo, we went to Olympic Park to watch it on some public big screens. There were so many people there it was amazing. All of them were wearing red devil horns and red t-shirts. What was scary was that Olympic Park was one of the smaller venues, I heard that there were at least a few million people all throughout the city watching in public parks.
For Korea's final game a friend decided to throw a toga party. I have never actually been to a toga party so I didn't know what to expect. We got to his apartment and he cut us some sheets to turn into togas. The sheets were red of course to show our support for the soccer team. We moved onto his roof and chilled for a few hours before the game (which was showing at 4 am). We pretty much got trashed up there until around 1 am.
We then decided to head out to the busy clubbing strip in Seoul to watch the game. I gotta say, we stood out just a bit, 15 foreigners in red togas screaming, yelling, and singing Korean soccer chants. part of the journey to the strip was to take the subway. On the subway we turned our car into a giant party, with Koreans either joining in, taking pictures, or just staring in shock. The doors were opened in between cars and we could see Korean heads leaning over to watch the show. After the subway, which was a crazy and fun ride, we marched through Hongdae, which is the clubbing district in Seoul. We pretty much turned into a drunkin parade with Koreans cheering, taking pictures and giving us high fives... When I think about it now, I have to say, that it was one of the most rediculous nights I have ever had. It was also one of the most fun ones. Korea ended up losing and my hangover was terrible, but I can't think of a way to top that night here in Seoul.
Sunday, June 25, 2006
While here in Korea, I've been splitting up my time by working, partying and sightseeing. Im going to post all about the touristy sightseeing things I have done.
Gyeongbokgung Palace
Not much to say about this palace except that it is giant, it is currently being rebuilt (Japanese burned it to the ground in WWII), and it is beautiful.
I'm just going to post a few pictures of the area for you to check out.
Gyeongbokgung Palace
Not much to say about this palace except that it is giant, it is currently being rebuilt (Japanese burned it to the ground in WWII), and it is beautiful.
I'm just going to post a few pictures of the area for you to check out.
Seodaemun Prison
First I should comment on how most Koreans have a seemingly irrational and unjustified hatred for Japan. My kids all hate Japan but when I ask them why, they never have an answer. It seems they are taught from a young age to hate the Japanese but don't really know why. This prison tour was supposed to help us foreigners understand why.
This prison is over 100 years old as was used by the Japanese when they invaded Korea to hold, torture, and execute Korean rebels. When we got there, we were lucky enough to find a volunteer tour guide who showed us around. This was key to helping us understand where this hatred came from because most of the exhibits were in Korean and we would have missed out on most of the commentary. The entire place is full of pictures, documents and artifacts from the occupation and with the tour guides help, we really got a solid view of why Koreans hate Japan so much. There was a huge push by Japan to wipe out the Korean culture of the day. The Korean royal family was killed, many of their temples and cultural icons were destroyed, and anyone who didn't conform was tortured and killed.
When our tour started we had a very bleak view of the Japanese of the time and being in the torture rooms with the animatronic wax figures didn't help. They had scenes set up with moving manicans with sound effects depicting how the Korean women and men were raped and tortured. It was a very potent show except for the evil, maniacal laughs that the Japanese figures had. Apparently many Koreans took this tour and were very angered by this because the walls were all covered with Hangul and English swearing and calling the Japanese names. Stuff like 'Japanese are baby dog eaters' and such. At this point in the tour a Japanese woman joined us and the tour took a totally different tone. It seems that this prison is a very touchy subject with the Japanese as well and our Korean tour guide didn't want to offend. This showed me some of the awkward tension that still exists between Korea and Japan.
We got to see the cells and torture chambers and we even got to see the execution chamber where people were hung. Apparenly even after the occupation, the chamber was still used up until 1987, a year before the Olympics were held. It was a very interesting trip and helped me understand where the tension comes from between Korea and Japan.
First I should comment on how most Koreans have a seemingly irrational and unjustified hatred for Japan. My kids all hate Japan but when I ask them why, they never have an answer. It seems they are taught from a young age to hate the Japanese but don't really know why. This prison tour was supposed to help us foreigners understand why.
This prison is over 100 years old as was used by the Japanese when they invaded Korea to hold, torture, and execute Korean rebels. When we got there, we were lucky enough to find a volunteer tour guide who showed us around. This was key to helping us understand where this hatred came from because most of the exhibits were in Korean and we would have missed out on most of the commentary. The entire place is full of pictures, documents and artifacts from the occupation and with the tour guides help, we really got a solid view of why Koreans hate Japan so much. There was a huge push by Japan to wipe out the Korean culture of the day. The Korean royal family was killed, many of their temples and cultural icons were destroyed, and anyone who didn't conform was tortured and killed.
When our tour started we had a very bleak view of the Japanese of the time and being in the torture rooms with the animatronic wax figures didn't help. They had scenes set up with moving manicans with sound effects depicting how the Korean women and men were raped and tortured. It was a very potent show except for the evil, maniacal laughs that the Japanese figures had. Apparently many Koreans took this tour and were very angered by this because the walls were all covered with Hangul and English swearing and calling the Japanese names. Stuff like 'Japanese are baby dog eaters' and such. At this point in the tour a Japanese woman joined us and the tour took a totally different tone. It seems that this prison is a very touchy subject with the Japanese as well and our Korean tour guide didn't want to offend. This showed me some of the awkward tension that still exists between Korea and Japan.
We got to see the cells and torture chambers and we even got to see the execution chamber where people were hung. Apparenly even after the occupation, the chamber was still used up until 1987, a year before the Olympics were held. It was a very interesting trip and helped me understand where the tension comes from between Korea and Japan.
DMZ
Im going to start with the DMZ tour, it was definitely one of the most interesting things I have done to date. The DMZ is the Demilitarized Zone that separates North Korea and South Korea. It boasts the largest minefield in the world with something like 2 million mines and keeps one of the dreaded 'Axis of Evil' at bay. It spreads all across the border between the North and the South from coast to coast. Strangely enough it is also an incredibly large wildlife preserve. Considering no man has stepped foot into the area in 50 years, there is wildlife there that doesn't exist anywhere else on the continent. (Mind you, many of the animals get smoked by the mines..) Blah blah onto my trip...
The trip consisted of all foreigners on a bus driving through the secured zones on the South Korean side. Apparently Koreans are not allowed to take this tour because it could be dangerous for them. We made four stops on the trip which were very interesting. First we got to see the last train station in Korea, at one point they were going to connect the railway to Pyeongyang (Capital of North Korea) but the Commies changed their mind. Now there is a railway station that doesn't go anywhere. This was also a spot that P. Bush visited on one of his tours. Check out the sign.
The next stop was much more interesting but unfortunately cameras were not allowed. We climbed down to a secret tunnel 70 meters underground that was dug by the North Koreans trying to get spies into the South. This tunnel was spotted before it was finished and the South Koreans dug a hole to intercept it and to fill it with water. The tunnel was VERY creepy because it was so deep, cramped and long. We went over 1 km to its end where it was blocked up under the DMZ.
After that we went to a UN Tower where you could get a good view of the DMZ and a very interesting North Korean town called Propaganda Village. The reason this town is called that is because right in the middle of the town is a GIANT North Korean flag that is the biggest in the world. It is like 150 meters high and I think I heard the flag itself weighs 600 pounds. This town is pretty funny because it is all built up with nice condos and buildings but apparently it is deserted. The town was built strictly to try to entice South Koreans to defect to the North. Up until a few years ago they had loudspeakers that would constantly say how wonderful North Korea is, and how amazing Kim Jong Il is, and would ask for South Koreans to move to the North.. Very strange. It was raining all day so I couldn't get a good pic of the flag or the village.
The best part of the trip by far was the last part. We got to go into the UN base inside the DMZ. This base is actually shared with the North Koreans and at one point there are 2 buildings facing each other with nothing in between. That is the border between the North and the South and we got to stand right on it. They had some robot-like South Korean soldiers standing guard taking very intimidating stances facing off a few meters away from the North Koreans. They even wore sunglasses because it adds to the intimidating image. These soldiers took up positions facing the North Koreans and did not move an inch the entire time we were there. Apparently there were a few incidents in the past where the North and South got into skirmishes in the base and soldiers were killed. I think during one of the fights an army captain got chopped up with an axe. We were all informed not to point, talk or make rude gestures to any of the North Korean guards because it could cause an 'incident'...
Anyways, we got to go into the negotiation room that sits right on the border and we literally stepped into the North Korean side. We were told that the room was bugged 24/7 by both sides so me and my buddy decided to play the Penis game, mind you we didn't get very loud. The tension in this area was intense. you could really feel it in the air and in the soldiers faces. To be honest, I was really relieved to get out of there.
Click on the pics to get a better view.
And of course like any large war zone, we got to buy some great tourist memorabilia!
I dont have as much to say about the other two places I visited although they were both really interesting as well.
Im going to start with the DMZ tour, it was definitely one of the most interesting things I have done to date. The DMZ is the Demilitarized Zone that separates North Korea and South Korea. It boasts the largest minefield in the world with something like 2 million mines and keeps one of the dreaded 'Axis of Evil' at bay. It spreads all across the border between the North and the South from coast to coast. Strangely enough it is also an incredibly large wildlife preserve. Considering no man has stepped foot into the area in 50 years, there is wildlife there that doesn't exist anywhere else on the continent. (Mind you, many of the animals get smoked by the mines..) Blah blah onto my trip...
The trip consisted of all foreigners on a bus driving through the secured zones on the South Korean side. Apparently Koreans are not allowed to take this tour because it could be dangerous for them. We made four stops on the trip which were very interesting. First we got to see the last train station in Korea, at one point they were going to connect the railway to Pyeongyang (Capital of North Korea) but the Commies changed their mind. Now there is a railway station that doesn't go anywhere. This was also a spot that P. Bush visited on one of his tours. Check out the sign.
The next stop was much more interesting but unfortunately cameras were not allowed. We climbed down to a secret tunnel 70 meters underground that was dug by the North Koreans trying to get spies into the South. This tunnel was spotted before it was finished and the South Koreans dug a hole to intercept it and to fill it with water. The tunnel was VERY creepy because it was so deep, cramped and long. We went over 1 km to its end where it was blocked up under the DMZ.
After that we went to a UN Tower where you could get a good view of the DMZ and a very interesting North Korean town called Propaganda Village. The reason this town is called that is because right in the middle of the town is a GIANT North Korean flag that is the biggest in the world. It is like 150 meters high and I think I heard the flag itself weighs 600 pounds. This town is pretty funny because it is all built up with nice condos and buildings but apparently it is deserted. The town was built strictly to try to entice South Koreans to defect to the North. Up until a few years ago they had loudspeakers that would constantly say how wonderful North Korea is, and how amazing Kim Jong Il is, and would ask for South Koreans to move to the North.. Very strange. It was raining all day so I couldn't get a good pic of the flag or the village.
The best part of the trip by far was the last part. We got to go into the UN base inside the DMZ. This base is actually shared with the North Koreans and at one point there are 2 buildings facing each other with nothing in between. That is the border between the North and the South and we got to stand right on it. They had some robot-like South Korean soldiers standing guard taking very intimidating stances facing off a few meters away from the North Koreans. They even wore sunglasses because it adds to the intimidating image. These soldiers took up positions facing the North Koreans and did not move an inch the entire time we were there. Apparently there were a few incidents in the past where the North and South got into skirmishes in the base and soldiers were killed. I think during one of the fights an army captain got chopped up with an axe. We were all informed not to point, talk or make rude gestures to any of the North Korean guards because it could cause an 'incident'...
Anyways, we got to go into the negotiation room that sits right on the border and we literally stepped into the North Korean side. We were told that the room was bugged 24/7 by both sides so me and my buddy decided to play the Penis game, mind you we didn't get very loud. The tension in this area was intense. you could really feel it in the air and in the soldiers faces. To be honest, I was really relieved to get out of there.
Click on the pics to get a better view.
And of course like any large war zone, we got to buy some great tourist memorabilia!
I dont have as much to say about the other two places I visited although they were both really interesting as well.
Friday, May 26, 2006
A couple of trips 2:
Sokcho.
Sokcho is on the north east coast of Korea fairly near the North Korean border, it is a small town that is supposed to get really busy in the summer because of its beaches. I went for a long weekend with Julie to relax and enjoy the weather. We stayed at this neat hotel overlooking the beach that was equiped with a sea water Jim Jil Bong, which is a sort of bath house.
Well the trip did not start well with our bus ride into town taking 5 hours instead of 3 because of traffic. Seoulites all try to leave the city on long weekends. The weather was also bad, as apart from the Friday night, it rained the entire time. But we still managed to have a good time, the Friday night we chilled and drank on the beach, the Saturday we visited a very cool Buddhist temple overlooking the sea, and we ate some awesome seafood. I also got to have my first Jim Jil Bong bath with a bunch of old Korean men. Fun fun! The Sunday was chill as we spent 6 hours on the bus trying to get through traffic to get back into Seoul. The real kick in the pants was that once we drove over the mountains, the weather cleared right up and we had sunny, hot skies all the way home... Such is life!
The bus ride out of Seoul. The one small thing that throws me off about Korea is how they like everything organized. Every bus I've ever taken in Canada or anywhere else is first come, first serve. In Korea, each bus seat is numbered and everyone has to sit in their assigned seat. Its not a big deal or anything, but it confused the heck out of me the first time I took a bus like this, Koreans kept on kicking me out of my seat and I didn't know why...
Beautiful wet view. The beach was actually pretty nice, just needed the weather to go with it.
Want to drink? Just buy your booze at the corner store, bring your bottles and cans on the beach and drink freely.
In Canada, fireworks are only legal on certain days, and they have specific ways that they have to be used. I know when I was a kid, my parents would have murdered me if they saw me shooting a roman candle stick from my hand, but here, parents give them to their 8 year old kids to shoot freely. I've always wanted to do it and my parents are too far away to stop me! Pew Pew!
The Buddhist temple was really interesting. It was a large complex with many buildings that we got to tour around and visit. It was raining and windy which actually made the experience more enjoyable. The temple was on a cliff overlooking the sea and having the salt water blowing around made it more potent.
The fish and seafood was excellent here and very.... fresh. We had some live squid and really fresh sushi. We had a bit of an incident after I took that first picture. Apparently the fish that the sushi was placed on was still alive and the moving eyes and fins really grossed Julie out. We had to get the fish removed for Julie to eat anything else. The staff was really nice and after seeing her horrified expression, removed the offending fish quickly. It didn't bother me at all.
Oh my god... Ok I was told about this fad in Korea where couples like to walk around in matching T-shirts. Well I had to see it to believe it and sure enough there it is! I've seen many couples since then sporting couples T-shirts happily and I just don't get it. Not only is is terribly cheesy to wear the same T-shirt, but they are always incredibly UGLY shirts as well! If my girlfriend ever asked me to wear matching T-shirts, I would probably break up with her just for the principle of it.
One of the rest stops on the way home, of course it's nice and sunny.
A few things to expand on from this trip. Jim Jil Bongs rock! I wanted to try the Korean style bathhouse since I've heard good things about them, but I had no idea what to expect or what to do. Finally I worked up the courage to go and really enjoyed it. You walk into the change room and leave your clothes in a locker, then its off to the public bathhouse where there are showers, hot tubs, saunas, and a giant sea water tub. Once you get used to all the naked Korean men, its actually really enjoyable. Shave, wash and just relax for an hour. It really is the ultimate way for a guy to pamper himself. They even have a barber in there who can cut your hair or give you a shave. It is definately something that I want to continue doing, its a great way to relax.
The other thing that I noticed that made me really understand that I'm not in Canada anymore happened while on the bus to the hotel. All the beaches had large spotlights facing the water and barbed wire fences spreading all along the beachfront. At first I thought that maybe the beaches were closed or something but then I started noticing the camo bunkers and army patrols. That was when I understood that the fences and lights and bunkers were there to stop North Korean spies and refugees from sneaking into South Korea. I found it so interesting because it made me realize how sheltered I really am. Barbed wire fences and army bunkers are not things that I am used to seeing in Canada, I sometimes forget that I am only a few hundred kilometers from one of the 'Axis of Evil'.
Speaking of which, my next trip will be a tour to the DMZ. I will be stepping into North Korea to see what's up. Anyone want me to give Kim Jong Il a message?
Sokcho.
Sokcho is on the north east coast of Korea fairly near the North Korean border, it is a small town that is supposed to get really busy in the summer because of its beaches. I went for a long weekend with Julie to relax and enjoy the weather. We stayed at this neat hotel overlooking the beach that was equiped with a sea water Jim Jil Bong, which is a sort of bath house.
Well the trip did not start well with our bus ride into town taking 5 hours instead of 3 because of traffic. Seoulites all try to leave the city on long weekends. The weather was also bad, as apart from the Friday night, it rained the entire time. But we still managed to have a good time, the Friday night we chilled and drank on the beach, the Saturday we visited a very cool Buddhist temple overlooking the sea, and we ate some awesome seafood. I also got to have my first Jim Jil Bong bath with a bunch of old Korean men. Fun fun! The Sunday was chill as we spent 6 hours on the bus trying to get through traffic to get back into Seoul. The real kick in the pants was that once we drove over the mountains, the weather cleared right up and we had sunny, hot skies all the way home... Such is life!
The bus ride out of Seoul. The one small thing that throws me off about Korea is how they like everything organized. Every bus I've ever taken in Canada or anywhere else is first come, first serve. In Korea, each bus seat is numbered and everyone has to sit in their assigned seat. Its not a big deal or anything, but it confused the heck out of me the first time I took a bus like this, Koreans kept on kicking me out of my seat and I didn't know why...
Beautiful wet view. The beach was actually pretty nice, just needed the weather to go with it.
Want to drink? Just buy your booze at the corner store, bring your bottles and cans on the beach and drink freely.
In Canada, fireworks are only legal on certain days, and they have specific ways that they have to be used. I know when I was a kid, my parents would have murdered me if they saw me shooting a roman candle stick from my hand, but here, parents give them to their 8 year old kids to shoot freely. I've always wanted to do it and my parents are too far away to stop me! Pew Pew!
The Buddhist temple was really interesting. It was a large complex with many buildings that we got to tour around and visit. It was raining and windy which actually made the experience more enjoyable. The temple was on a cliff overlooking the sea and having the salt water blowing around made it more potent.
The fish and seafood was excellent here and very.... fresh. We had some live squid and really fresh sushi. We had a bit of an incident after I took that first picture. Apparently the fish that the sushi was placed on was still alive and the moving eyes and fins really grossed Julie out. We had to get the fish removed for Julie to eat anything else. The staff was really nice and after seeing her horrified expression, removed the offending fish quickly. It didn't bother me at all.
Oh my god... Ok I was told about this fad in Korea where couples like to walk around in matching T-shirts. Well I had to see it to believe it and sure enough there it is! I've seen many couples since then sporting couples T-shirts happily and I just don't get it. Not only is is terribly cheesy to wear the same T-shirt, but they are always incredibly UGLY shirts as well! If my girlfriend ever asked me to wear matching T-shirts, I would probably break up with her just for the principle of it.
One of the rest stops on the way home, of course it's nice and sunny.
A few things to expand on from this trip. Jim Jil Bongs rock! I wanted to try the Korean style bathhouse since I've heard good things about them, but I had no idea what to expect or what to do. Finally I worked up the courage to go and really enjoyed it. You walk into the change room and leave your clothes in a locker, then its off to the public bathhouse where there are showers, hot tubs, saunas, and a giant sea water tub. Once you get used to all the naked Korean men, its actually really enjoyable. Shave, wash and just relax for an hour. It really is the ultimate way for a guy to pamper himself. They even have a barber in there who can cut your hair or give you a shave. It is definately something that I want to continue doing, its a great way to relax.
The other thing that I noticed that made me really understand that I'm not in Canada anymore happened while on the bus to the hotel. All the beaches had large spotlights facing the water and barbed wire fences spreading all along the beachfront. At first I thought that maybe the beaches were closed or something but then I started noticing the camo bunkers and army patrols. That was when I understood that the fences and lights and bunkers were there to stop North Korean spies and refugees from sneaking into South Korea. I found it so interesting because it made me realize how sheltered I really am. Barbed wire fences and army bunkers are not things that I am used to seeing in Canada, I sometimes forget that I am only a few hundred kilometers from one of the 'Axis of Evil'.
Speaking of which, my next trip will be a tour to the DMZ. I will be stepping into North Korea to see what's up. Anyone want me to give Kim Jong Il a message?
A couple of trips:
Since I've been here in Korea it's been pretty hard to get away for more than a day or so. I work 5 days a week and don't drive which does not leave much time for travel. However I have been able to see a bit of the country and I also have some trips planned in the near future.
Mokpo.
This 'small' port city is located in the south west of Korea and also happens to be Julie's hometown. She told me she was from a small fishing village so I was expecting mud huts and rice fields, instead I get a fairly large city with a population of 250,000. If Koreans think 250,000 people makes a town, then I don't know what they would call the towns outside of Toronto...
Anyways, after Julie's stay at the hospital she decided to go home for a few weeks to relax and recover. One weekend I decided to go visit and keep her company. I really enjoyed my stay there, I ate some delicious seafood and did a lot of sightseeing. Museums, ports and mountain hikes filled my time there. I was also introduced to San Nak Gee, which is live octopus that you eat while its still squiggling. (video to follow) Here are a few pictures from the trip.
I missed the spring cherry blosson festival in Seoul, but I managed to get a few good pictures in Mokpo. This is on the mountain, very pretty.
Near the top of the mountain was a lookout hut that had a great view of the city.
I can't exactly remember what this giant bell was used for, either it was to warn of the evil invading Japanese, or it was a gift from Japan... Same difference.
So yeah, Apparently there is this hero of Korea who was an Admiral in their navy, he outsmarted the Japanese by covering this giant rock with grain and making the Japanese think that there was a huge Korean army waiting for them. So this giant rock covered with grain scared the Japanese away and Korea was victorious... I thought this was funny and made a comment to Julie, she was all offended because this dude is a national hero. I guess I just don't get it. Well I guess if Laura Secord can be a National hero, anyone can.
Tiny fishing village of Mokpo...
The natural history museum was one of many new attractions that were built to try to boost the local economy.
My lunch in the city was excellent and included a 50 dish meal in a small private restaurant on the side of the mountain. My night was really fun on the port where the city was having some sort of festival complete with an outdoor stage with local korean pop singers performing, yay and a really cool fireworks show over the water that rivaled the Symphony of Fire back home. My only issue with being in a city like that was that there were no other foreigners to be seen, and I stood out like a sore thumb. Way more kids stopped and pointed while teenagers yelled 'Hello!' and giggled.
Since I've been here in Korea it's been pretty hard to get away for more than a day or so. I work 5 days a week and don't drive which does not leave much time for travel. However I have been able to see a bit of the country and I also have some trips planned in the near future.
Mokpo.
This 'small' port city is located in the south west of Korea and also happens to be Julie's hometown. She told me she was from a small fishing village so I was expecting mud huts and rice fields, instead I get a fairly large city with a population of 250,000. If Koreans think 250,000 people makes a town, then I don't know what they would call the towns outside of Toronto...
Anyways, after Julie's stay at the hospital she decided to go home for a few weeks to relax and recover. One weekend I decided to go visit and keep her company. I really enjoyed my stay there, I ate some delicious seafood and did a lot of sightseeing. Museums, ports and mountain hikes filled my time there. I was also introduced to San Nak Gee, which is live octopus that you eat while its still squiggling. (video to follow) Here are a few pictures from the trip.
I missed the spring cherry blosson festival in Seoul, but I managed to get a few good pictures in Mokpo. This is on the mountain, very pretty.
Near the top of the mountain was a lookout hut that had a great view of the city.
I can't exactly remember what this giant bell was used for, either it was to warn of the evil invading Japanese, or it was a gift from Japan... Same difference.
So yeah, Apparently there is this hero of Korea who was an Admiral in their navy, he outsmarted the Japanese by covering this giant rock with grain and making the Japanese think that there was a huge Korean army waiting for them. So this giant rock covered with grain scared the Japanese away and Korea was victorious... I thought this was funny and made a comment to Julie, she was all offended because this dude is a national hero. I guess I just don't get it. Well I guess if Laura Secord can be a National hero, anyone can.
Tiny fishing village of Mokpo...
The natural history museum was one of many new attractions that were built to try to boost the local economy.
My lunch in the city was excellent and included a 50 dish meal in a small private restaurant on the side of the mountain. My night was really fun on the port where the city was having some sort of festival complete with an outdoor stage with local korean pop singers performing, yay and a really cool fireworks show over the water that rivaled the Symphony of Fire back home. My only issue with being in a city like that was that there were no other foreigners to be seen, and I stood out like a sore thumb. Way more kids stopped and pointed while teenagers yelled 'Hello!' and giggled.
Sunday, May 07, 2006
Some Interesting Events.
Ok so 4 months here in Korea, living on my own, meeting new people, and creating a life. You must be thinking, there must be more going on there then what's been posted so far! Well you are right, but I've been finding it hard to post alot of it down for you to read. When someone tells a story, or relives an experience, the story is usually tailored for the specific audience that is listening. My stories range from scary to creepy and from fun to exciting, and telling them is difficult because so many different people read this blog. What is appropriate and what is not? Who will appreciate this situation and who will not? I'm going to forget about these problems for now for the sake of sharing some of my more 'interesting' experiences so far. Bear with me.
SCARY
I'll start with my first hand experience with the Korean (non-international clinic) healthcare system. My good friend Julie, who is a native Korean, had some health issues recently that forced her to quit working and studying. She got appendicitis. What started with loss of appetite and stomach pains ended up being full emergency surgery with side effects. Since I was with Julie at the time, I got to go with her to the private clinic where she was diagnosed and treated, and I got to be there for her operation and recovery.
Let me explain to you the Korean healthcare system. It is all private, meaning that there is no social healthcare. If you need help, you need to pay for it, or have insurance. There are large, quality facilities, but they always have long lineups and tend to be expensive. There are also tons of not-so-large, low quality, private clinics where you can get treated as well.
We ended up at one of these not-so-large, low quality, private clinics and Julie decided, despite my objections, to get her operation done there. 2 hours after her diagnosis they had her on a table for what would be a routine appendix removal. After a few hours it was done and I got to see what an appendix looks like outside of the body, (Think Alien and the thing that pops out of that guys stomach) and Julie seemed to be getting better. Unfortunately 2 days later she was rushed to a 'real' hospital because she was having some serious stomach issues as a side effect to the operation. It turned out to be Acute Hepatitis as a reaction to the anaesthetic that was given to her at the clinic, but it took the doctors a week to figure this out. I was there for most of this and got to experience some of the Korean bedside manner when at one point the doctors told Julie that she had 2 days to live.. THANK GOODNESS THEY WERE WRONG! In the end it all worked out and 2 weeks later she was much better, no longer yellow (side effect of hepatitis), and released from the hospital. It was a scary 2 weeks not knowing what was going on and not really being able to do anything about it, but after it all I have to say that I learned a lot about myself, and a lot about her, and those are some of the main reasons for coming to Korea in the first place.
CREEPY
That was my scary story, here is my creepy. At my work, there tends to be a bit of a revolving door with the Korean teachers, it seems that many of them take up teaching in private academies as a stepping stone to bigger and better things, so there are many that come and go.
During one of these changes, the school hired a seemingly nice, but strange Korean teacher named Kami. Right away you could tell that she was a bit different from the other Korean teachers I had met. Comments such as 'Only after 2 months do Korean girls hold hands in public with their boyfriends, and only after 2 months do they kiss.' made me and my fellow foreign teachers think that maybe this girl was a bit sheltered, because we had both had first hand experience with Korean girls, and they usually did more than kiss after just 1 date... but THAT'S a different story!
Anyways, after about a week Kami seemed to be paying a bit too much attention to me and was not acting like the good little church girl that she pretended to be.. She would keep on trying to follow me home and would constantly ask me out on a date. Now at first I was flattered but definately not interested, so I did my best to be polite but not return the interest, but she kept on insisting and didn't seem to take the hint. I was about to play my 'I'm gay' scam to get her off my back when, as luck would have it, she got fired.
I thought it was all over so I let my guard down, but wouldn't you know it, on her last day at work she managed to find my cell number and save it. That night I got 12 calls from her trying to get to know me. At this point, the situation got a bit weird and I made sure not to pick up my phone. I didn't want to give this strange Korean girl any openings to continue to harrass me. Finally the phone stopped ringing at 4 am and I fell into a disturbing sleep. the next morning I felt better and headed to work, my phone didn't ring again, Kami would not be at work because she had been fired, and I would not have to deal with her anymore. RIIGHT.
As I got out of the elevator to work I was intercepted by a determined looking Kami with a present. Normally this would be a cute thing, but after the phone calls the night before and some of the creepy things that she had said, I was not very happy. I talked to her in the hallway as fellow workmates walked by giving sidelong glances. I tried to tell her that I was just not interested in her in that way and that I could not accept the gift. I told her that I could not be friends with her because it made me feel uncomfortable and my 'girlfriend' would not like it. She seemed to take the hint and let me pass. I finally got to work and into the teachers lounge to face smirks and giggles from my workmates who knew what was happening. It seems that Kami had shown up to the office an hour before I got there to wait for me... At this point I was a bit embarrassed but relieved that it was over, or so I thought. 5 minutes later Kami walked into the teachers lounge asking to talk with me again. We went outside, but not before passing the vice-president who gave me a very unimpressed look and I had to be more firm with her telling her that I was feeling very uncomfortable with everything and that I could not talk to her anymore. I told her that the following me home, the phone calls, and the waiting for me at work had made it impossible for us to be friends. I felt really bad for her because she wasn't a bad person, but I was also very angry at being embarrassed in front of the people I work with and in front of my boss. She finally left and I had to suffer the jokes and comments at work for a week but it had finally ended. Of course I still recieved 3 text messages from her after asking to talk again but after they were done it was finally done.
This was not the first time something like that had happened to me, but this was very uncomfortable because of where I am. When it happened to me before in Toronto, I had friends, family, and a car to escape in, where as here I am isolated. Anyways, it ended and my firm belief, that all women everywhere are to some extent crazy, stands.
Ok so you heard my scary story and my creepy story, I have more but I have to save them for another time. My next post will have my fun story and maybe my exciting story as well.
Ok so 4 months here in Korea, living on my own, meeting new people, and creating a life. You must be thinking, there must be more going on there then what's been posted so far! Well you are right, but I've been finding it hard to post alot of it down for you to read. When someone tells a story, or relives an experience, the story is usually tailored for the specific audience that is listening. My stories range from scary to creepy and from fun to exciting, and telling them is difficult because so many different people read this blog. What is appropriate and what is not? Who will appreciate this situation and who will not? I'm going to forget about these problems for now for the sake of sharing some of my more 'interesting' experiences so far. Bear with me.
SCARY
I'll start with my first hand experience with the Korean (non-international clinic) healthcare system. My good friend Julie, who is a native Korean, had some health issues recently that forced her to quit working and studying. She got appendicitis. What started with loss of appetite and stomach pains ended up being full emergency surgery with side effects. Since I was with Julie at the time, I got to go with her to the private clinic where she was diagnosed and treated, and I got to be there for her operation and recovery.
Let me explain to you the Korean healthcare system. It is all private, meaning that there is no social healthcare. If you need help, you need to pay for it, or have insurance. There are large, quality facilities, but they always have long lineups and tend to be expensive. There are also tons of not-so-large, low quality, private clinics where you can get treated as well.
We ended up at one of these not-so-large, low quality, private clinics and Julie decided, despite my objections, to get her operation done there. 2 hours after her diagnosis they had her on a table for what would be a routine appendix removal. After a few hours it was done and I got to see what an appendix looks like outside of the body, (Think Alien and the thing that pops out of that guys stomach) and Julie seemed to be getting better. Unfortunately 2 days later she was rushed to a 'real' hospital because she was having some serious stomach issues as a side effect to the operation. It turned out to be Acute Hepatitis as a reaction to the anaesthetic that was given to her at the clinic, but it took the doctors a week to figure this out. I was there for most of this and got to experience some of the Korean bedside manner when at one point the doctors told Julie that she had 2 days to live.. THANK GOODNESS THEY WERE WRONG! In the end it all worked out and 2 weeks later she was much better, no longer yellow (side effect of hepatitis), and released from the hospital. It was a scary 2 weeks not knowing what was going on and not really being able to do anything about it, but after it all I have to say that I learned a lot about myself, and a lot about her, and those are some of the main reasons for coming to Korea in the first place.
CREEPY
That was my scary story, here is my creepy. At my work, there tends to be a bit of a revolving door with the Korean teachers, it seems that many of them take up teaching in private academies as a stepping stone to bigger and better things, so there are many that come and go.
During one of these changes, the school hired a seemingly nice, but strange Korean teacher named Kami. Right away you could tell that she was a bit different from the other Korean teachers I had met. Comments such as 'Only after 2 months do Korean girls hold hands in public with their boyfriends, and only after 2 months do they kiss.' made me and my fellow foreign teachers think that maybe this girl was a bit sheltered, because we had both had first hand experience with Korean girls, and they usually did more than kiss after just 1 date... but THAT'S a different story!
Anyways, after about a week Kami seemed to be paying a bit too much attention to me and was not acting like the good little church girl that she pretended to be.. She would keep on trying to follow me home and would constantly ask me out on a date. Now at first I was flattered but definately not interested, so I did my best to be polite but not return the interest, but she kept on insisting and didn't seem to take the hint. I was about to play my 'I'm gay' scam to get her off my back when, as luck would have it, she got fired.
I thought it was all over so I let my guard down, but wouldn't you know it, on her last day at work she managed to find my cell number and save it. That night I got 12 calls from her trying to get to know me. At this point, the situation got a bit weird and I made sure not to pick up my phone. I didn't want to give this strange Korean girl any openings to continue to harrass me. Finally the phone stopped ringing at 4 am and I fell into a disturbing sleep. the next morning I felt better and headed to work, my phone didn't ring again, Kami would not be at work because she had been fired, and I would not have to deal with her anymore. RIIGHT.
As I got out of the elevator to work I was intercepted by a determined looking Kami with a present. Normally this would be a cute thing, but after the phone calls the night before and some of the creepy things that she had said, I was not very happy. I talked to her in the hallway as fellow workmates walked by giving sidelong glances. I tried to tell her that I was just not interested in her in that way and that I could not accept the gift. I told her that I could not be friends with her because it made me feel uncomfortable and my 'girlfriend' would not like it. She seemed to take the hint and let me pass. I finally got to work and into the teachers lounge to face smirks and giggles from my workmates who knew what was happening. It seems that Kami had shown up to the office an hour before I got there to wait for me... At this point I was a bit embarrassed but relieved that it was over, or so I thought. 5 minutes later Kami walked into the teachers lounge asking to talk with me again. We went outside, but not before passing the vice-president who gave me a very unimpressed look and I had to be more firm with her telling her that I was feeling very uncomfortable with everything and that I could not talk to her anymore. I told her that the following me home, the phone calls, and the waiting for me at work had made it impossible for us to be friends. I felt really bad for her because she wasn't a bad person, but I was also very angry at being embarrassed in front of the people I work with and in front of my boss. She finally left and I had to suffer the jokes and comments at work for a week but it had finally ended. Of course I still recieved 3 text messages from her after asking to talk again but after they were done it was finally done.
This was not the first time something like that had happened to me, but this was very uncomfortable because of where I am. When it happened to me before in Toronto, I had friends, family, and a car to escape in, where as here I am isolated. Anyways, it ended and my firm belief, that all women everywhere are to some extent crazy, stands.
Ok so you heard my scary story and my creepy story, I have more but I have to save them for another time. My next post will have my fun story and maybe my exciting story as well.
Thursday, April 13, 2006
Jamsil
I want to talk a bit about the area in Seoul I live in, I've got to see alot of the giant city in the past 4 months and I have to say that I think I lucked out by choosing this area. It is definately one of the nicest places to live. Seoul is separated into large districts called "gu's" and then separated into even smaller areas. I live in Songpa-gu - which is in the south east of the city. Within Songpa-gu, I live in the Jamsil area, which is the second richest area in the city. It is not downtown so to speak, even though everywhere in Seoul is like downtown. Jamsil has been built up a lot since the '88 Olympics and it is even the location where plans are being laid to build the tallest building in the world. Some 200 floor giant phallic symbol.
I may not be right in the center of the city, but I am sitting on 2 subway lines, one of which runs right around the middle of the city. I am also in between 3 different subway stops which is nice whenever I need to go anywhere.
Right in my neighborhood there is the main street, Olympic ro, which leads straight to Olympic Park, a giant park with stadiums in the middle of Jamsil. Many Olympic events were held there so the area was really build up nicely. Its a great place to go for a walk or to shoot some hoops.
At the other end of the Street is a giant department store called Lotte. Lotte is a giant brand here in Korea with their hands in almost everything. Right on that block is Lotte Department Store, Lotte Mart, Lotte Hotel, Lotte World Amusement Park, and Lotte Castle Plaza. Lotte World is like Canada's Wonderland back home, except it's right in the middle of the city. Even though its so close to me, I havn't had a chance to check it out. Its definately on my list of things to do.
My area really feels perfect for me. Its not too westernized, so I get to really inbed myself with the Korean way of life, but there are still many different things to see and do and eat. For those days when I am dying for something western, I can just run to the Subway in Lotte Castle plaza and have a nice big turkey sub, but for the most part I enjoy only the Korean food.
I want to talk a bit about the area in Seoul I live in, I've got to see alot of the giant city in the past 4 months and I have to say that I think I lucked out by choosing this area. It is definately one of the nicest places to live. Seoul is separated into large districts called "gu's" and then separated into even smaller areas. I live in Songpa-gu - which is in the south east of the city. Within Songpa-gu, I live in the Jamsil area, which is the second richest area in the city. It is not downtown so to speak, even though everywhere in Seoul is like downtown. Jamsil has been built up a lot since the '88 Olympics and it is even the location where plans are being laid to build the tallest building in the world. Some 200 floor giant phallic symbol.
I may not be right in the center of the city, but I am sitting on 2 subway lines, one of which runs right around the middle of the city. I am also in between 3 different subway stops which is nice whenever I need to go anywhere.
Right in my neighborhood there is the main street, Olympic ro, which leads straight to Olympic Park, a giant park with stadiums in the middle of Jamsil. Many Olympic events were held there so the area was really build up nicely. Its a great place to go for a walk or to shoot some hoops.
At the other end of the Street is a giant department store called Lotte. Lotte is a giant brand here in Korea with their hands in almost everything. Right on that block is Lotte Department Store, Lotte Mart, Lotte Hotel, Lotte World Amusement Park, and Lotte Castle Plaza. Lotte World is like Canada's Wonderland back home, except it's right in the middle of the city. Even though its so close to me, I havn't had a chance to check it out. Its definately on my list of things to do.
My area really feels perfect for me. Its not too westernized, so I get to really inbed myself with the Korean way of life, but there are still many different things to see and do and eat. For those days when I am dying for something western, I can just run to the Subway in Lotte Castle plaza and have a nice big turkey sub, but for the most part I enjoy only the Korean food.
Tuesday, April 04, 2006
Spring is here!
I know its been awhile since I've posted but I have been really busy and distracted without much time to ponder my life here. This quick blurb is just to tell you all that I will be updating very soon with , hopefully, some interesting content.
In the mean time, spring is here and the weather is getting much warmer. It is also starting to rain. Rain here is very different from back home, and while its not monsoon season yet, it already rains way too much for my liking. In Toronto it rains for a few hours at a time, here it rains for an entire day and night before clearing up. All this rain bring hazards that I have never had to deal with before...
Like the umbrella war! Everyone in Seoul has an umbrella out when it rains, that coupled with the amount of people on the streets, makes it a dangerous game for an uninitiated like me. Walking to work yesterday, I was dodging flying umbrellas and trying to keep mine from crashing into others. Im surprized there are not tons of one-eyed or blind people stumbling around from getting their eyes poked out from stray umbrellas.
Anyways, more to come very soon!
I know its been awhile since I've posted but I have been really busy and distracted without much time to ponder my life here. This quick blurb is just to tell you all that I will be updating very soon with , hopefully, some interesting content.
In the mean time, spring is here and the weather is getting much warmer. It is also starting to rain. Rain here is very different from back home, and while its not monsoon season yet, it already rains way too much for my liking. In Toronto it rains for a few hours at a time, here it rains for an entire day and night before clearing up. All this rain bring hazards that I have never had to deal with before...
Like the umbrella war! Everyone in Seoul has an umbrella out when it rains, that coupled with the amount of people on the streets, makes it a dangerous game for an uninitiated like me. Walking to work yesterday, I was dodging flying umbrellas and trying to keep mine from crashing into others. Im surprized there are not tons of one-eyed or blind people stumbling around from getting their eyes poked out from stray umbrellas.
Anyways, more to come very soon!
