Wednesday brought cloudy skies but no rain!!! I was happy we would be able to go out and see things outside and not be kept indoors. After a morning bike ride with Luke, we set off for Suwon and the fortress wall. I was excited because I had never been there and I knew this was something fun for Dana and Luke. The fortress wall is a big wall that is about 5 kilometers in circumference. It was built in 1794 by the king so he could show his respect towards his parents. It also had a outlook on the top of a small mountain where they would watch for enemies. When we got to the wall, we just started walking. It was pretty cool and we eventually made it to the base of the mountain and had to climb a few stairs. By "few" I mean about 100 or so. After we climbed, we kept walking to the look out. There was had an amazing view of Suwon and all the surroundings. We took about 200 pictures from the top, then we continued to explore the rest of the wall.
We spent most of the day there and by the time we were heading home we were pretty tired. Since it was the actual Chusok day, nothing was really open so we decided to make dinner at home. We relaxed and ate dinner then decided to head off into Seoul to go to the Seoul Tower. This is a tower, kind of like the Space Needle in Seattle, with spectacular views especially at night. I was excited to go because, like many things on this visit, I had never been there before. We got into Seoul around 8:00 or so and I took Luke and Dana through Myeong-dong to get to the Seoul Tower. Myeong-dong is a really big shopping area for foreigners and it was really fun to have Luke and Dana walk through and be engulfed by the madness that is Myeong-dong.
We made our way up to the tower and the cable line that took us to the top. After waiting in line for a bit we made it up, bought our tickets, and waited in another line for the elevator up. Once we got to the top, all the waiting and lines was worth it. It was a clear night so we could see all the city lights! It was pretty fun to walk around the top and look in all different directions. We took more pictures, took in the view, and finally made our way home.
We got back to the bus around 11 o'clock. We were all exhausted and we all crashed on the bus. Luckily we woke up before we missed our stop. We dragged ourselves back home and went to bed.
Thursday brought clear skies and great weather....finally!!! I was so happy Luke and Dana would be able to enjoy real fall weather, not the monsoons we had earlier in the week. It was a good thing we had such great weather because we had a jam packed day.
We headed into Seoul around 11am and started our day at one of the biggest palaces in Seoul. Gyeongbokgung Palace is one of the greatest to see. I like to take visitors to this one because once you see this palace, you have seen them all. We spent a good amount of time at the palace and they both took lots of pictures. They enjoyed it but they both agreed the Korean Folk Village was better because it was more intimate and personal. I would agree but the palace was still pretty cool.
After the palace, we went to a small temple close by. I had been to this temple earlier in the year and it was really neat because there were 3 huge Buddhas inside the temple. I really wanted them to see this and we were lucky because they had the big doors open and we had a great view of the wonderful artwork and the Buddhas inside. We also got to witness many many people worshiping. I felt a bit like I was intruding but it was really cool to be able to see that many people praying at the same time. I just wish I could have understood what they were saying!
After the temple, we grabbed some food and headed to Insadong road. This is a great place to do shopping for traditional Korean gifts. Luke and Dana were both really excited for this, seeing as though they had brought SO much money to burn on souvenirs. We spent about 2hours walking and shopping. I had a great time because I love Insadong and my bank account can attest to that! They both had a great time and got their fair share of gifts. Once they were satisfied, we headed home.
It had been another long day. We relaxed for a bit at home then headed back to Travelers for some dinner and a drink. We didn't last too long there either and headed home pretty early. It was a great day and Friday was the DMZ, or Demilitarized Zone. I was excited for that but I was also a bit sad because my time with Luke and Dana was quickly coming to an end.
Thursday, September 30, 2010
Tuesday, September 28, 2010
Luke and Dana's visit
As I said, I would go into more detail about Dana and Luke's visit. So here it is...
It took us about an hour or so to get home from the airport. We got home and they were both pretty hungry so I took them for their first taste of Korean food. We went to a kimbop shop, which is Korea's equivalent of fast food. They both tried dolsot bibimbap, which is rice, vegetables, and a raw egg served in a stone pot. In Luke fashion, he ordered two and proceeded to eat both of them and the rest of Dana's. Once they were done eating, we headed home and crashed for the night. But I couldn't sleep! I was so excited they were there I think I slept a total of 3 hours that night.
Saturday I let them sleep as late as they wanted and I went out for a bike ride. Once I got back, they were both awake. We got ready and set off to explore Migeum so they could see where I lived. It was a gorgeous day and we were able to walk around and see the area.
We got back home, grabbed some food and got ready for Luke and Dana's first real Korean experience....Korean baseball!! We caught the subway for Jamsil for the LG Twins/KIA Tigers baseball game. It was an experience neither of them had ever encountered. The game was another great display of bad fielding and hitting and even more terrible pitching. But the talent factor had nothing to do with the experience of the game. Both Dana and Luke enjoyed the game and the chance to see what baseball is like in another country. After the game we were all a bit tired and hungry so we headed to Travelers in Seohyeon. It is a foreigners bar with good American food. We got some food, had a drink and we were spent. We headed back home to get some sleep.
Sunday brought a bit of rain but we didn't let that stop us. We went to the Korean Folk Village, which is a pretty cool way to see Korean Culture in a small area. We walked around and saw all the sights, then the downpours started. Thankfully we had already seen much of the village and so we waited it out a bit, finished looking around and headed home. Since I had to work the next day, we had an early night and went to bed pretty early.
Monday brought more rain but it didn't matter because we were spending the day at school. It was Chuseok Fun Day at school so all the kids wore their Hanboks, Korean Traditional Clothes, and all the teachers also got to wear Hanboks. Since it was our only day of school that week, we didn't do any studying and just had fun. It was a perfect day for Luke and Dana to be there. We played traditional Korean games, took pictures, and made traditional Korean food. The kids loved playing with Luke and Dana, once they warmed up to them. At first they were all a little scared of them but it took all of 2.3 seconds for them to be hanging on them and asking them all kinds of questions.
It was great for me to have Luke and Dana there because now they can put faces to the kids I talk about. And they can picture my school and know where I go to work every day. It was a long and tiring day but it was really fun. Monday night we went out for some more Korean food, this time it was dak galbi, which in essence is chicken and vegetable stir fry. They both like it but I think they both like dolsot bibimbap better! After dinner we meet up with all the girls I work with for a bit of Noribong, Koreans karaoke. It was a great time and I was happy they both got to experience the magicalness that is Noribong.
Tuesday morning started off cloudy but no rain so Luke and I went for a bike ride, we would have gone running but I hurt my heal right before they came. I was bummed I couldn't run with Luke but I was happy we could at least go biking and Luke could see where I run every day. The bike ride was good and since it was cloudy and looked like rain, we decided to go to the Korean War Museum in Seoul. And it was a good thing we had indoor plans because on the way into Seoul it started raining, and by raining I mean the most torrential rain I have ever seen! It was an adventure getting to the museum. First we had to take the bus to Seoul, then we had to hail two cabs in the downpour. Once we got two cabs we had to find our way to the museum. With the help of the Korean Help Line, we finally found the museum but that was not the end of the adventure. The museum entrance was a bit of a jog from the curb and it was a jog through huge puddles and the pouring rain. Instead of getting my shoes completely soaked, I took my sox and shoes off and leisurely made my way to the doors.
After trying to dry off, we started looking around the museum, and it was worth the rainy adventure. We learned more about the Korean War than I had ever known before. We learned how the war started, why the North attacked the South. How the North almost captured the entire peninsula and how the South fought back. We also learned how the border came to be and how the two countries still have strides to make before unity is possible.
Once we were done exploring the museum, it was still raining cats and dogs. Instead of trying to wait it out, we decided to just start heading home. Since we knew finding a cab would be tough, we just took the subway. It was a bit scary when we went down into the subway and one of the lines was closed because of flooding!! After about an hour on the train we finally got home and it was still raining! We grabbed some food at the kimbop shop and headed home. Once we got home we looked to see how much rain we had gotten, Seoul had got 10 inches of rain in about 5 hours!!! It was like a monsoon!
That night we invited some of the girls over and just watched a movie. We headed to bed pretty early to get rested up for more jam packed days.....
It took us about an hour or so to get home from the airport. We got home and they were both pretty hungry so I took them for their first taste of Korean food. We went to a kimbop shop, which is Korea's equivalent of fast food. They both tried dolsot bibimbap, which is rice, vegetables, and a raw egg served in a stone pot. In Luke fashion, he ordered two and proceeded to eat both of them and the rest of Dana's. Once they were done eating, we headed home and crashed for the night. But I couldn't sleep! I was so excited they were there I think I slept a total of 3 hours that night.
Saturday I let them sleep as late as they wanted and I went out for a bike ride. Once I got back, they were both awake. We got ready and set off to explore Migeum so they could see where I lived. It was a gorgeous day and we were able to walk around and see the area.
We got back home, grabbed some food and got ready for Luke and Dana's first real Korean experience....Korean baseball!! We caught the subway for Jamsil for the LG Twins/KIA Tigers baseball game. It was an experience neither of them had ever encountered. The game was another great display of bad fielding and hitting and even more terrible pitching. But the talent factor had nothing to do with the experience of the game. Both Dana and Luke enjoyed the game and the chance to see what baseball is like in another country. After the game we were all a bit tired and hungry so we headed to Travelers in Seohyeon. It is a foreigners bar with good American food. We got some food, had a drink and we were spent. We headed back home to get some sleep.
Sunday brought a bit of rain but we didn't let that stop us. We went to the Korean Folk Village, which is a pretty cool way to see Korean Culture in a small area. We walked around and saw all the sights, then the downpours started. Thankfully we had already seen much of the village and so we waited it out a bit, finished looking around and headed home. Since I had to work the next day, we had an early night and went to bed pretty early.
Monday brought more rain but it didn't matter because we were spending the day at school. It was Chuseok Fun Day at school so all the kids wore their Hanboks, Korean Traditional Clothes, and all the teachers also got to wear Hanboks. Since it was our only day of school that week, we didn't do any studying and just had fun. It was a perfect day for Luke and Dana to be there. We played traditional Korean games, took pictures, and made traditional Korean food. The kids loved playing with Luke and Dana, once they warmed up to them. At first they were all a little scared of them but it took all of 2.3 seconds for them to be hanging on them and asking them all kinds of questions.
It was great for me to have Luke and Dana there because now they can put faces to the kids I talk about. And they can picture my school and know where I go to work every day. It was a long and tiring day but it was really fun. Monday night we went out for some more Korean food, this time it was dak galbi, which in essence is chicken and vegetable stir fry. They both like it but I think they both like dolsot bibimbap better! After dinner we meet up with all the girls I work with for a bit of Noribong, Koreans karaoke. It was a great time and I was happy they both got to experience the magicalness that is Noribong.
Tuesday morning started off cloudy but no rain so Luke and I went for a bike ride, we would have gone running but I hurt my heal right before they came. I was bummed I couldn't run with Luke but I was happy we could at least go biking and Luke could see where I run every day. The bike ride was good and since it was cloudy and looked like rain, we decided to go to the Korean War Museum in Seoul. And it was a good thing we had indoor plans because on the way into Seoul it started raining, and by raining I mean the most torrential rain I have ever seen! It was an adventure getting to the museum. First we had to take the bus to Seoul, then we had to hail two cabs in the downpour. Once we got two cabs we had to find our way to the museum. With the help of the Korean Help Line, we finally found the museum but that was not the end of the adventure. The museum entrance was a bit of a jog from the curb and it was a jog through huge puddles and the pouring rain. Instead of getting my shoes completely soaked, I took my sox and shoes off and leisurely made my way to the doors.
After trying to dry off, we started looking around the museum, and it was worth the rainy adventure. We learned more about the Korean War than I had ever known before. We learned how the war started, why the North attacked the South. How the North almost captured the entire peninsula and how the South fought back. We also learned how the border came to be and how the two countries still have strides to make before unity is possible.
Once we were done exploring the museum, it was still raining cats and dogs. Instead of trying to wait it out, we decided to just start heading home. Since we knew finding a cab would be tough, we just took the subway. It was a bit scary when we went down into the subway and one of the lines was closed because of flooding!! After about an hour on the train we finally got home and it was still raining! We grabbed some food at the kimbop shop and headed home. Once we got home we looked to see how much rain we had gotten, Seoul had got 10 inches of rain in about 5 hours!!! It was like a monsoon!
That night we invited some of the girls over and just watched a movie. We headed to bed pretty early to get rested up for more jam packed days.....
Sunday, September 26, 2010
Dana came to visit....and brought my brother!
Dana, my best friend from childhood, had planned on visiting me in Korea before I even left. Once I got here, she started looking at a good time to come visit. We decided on the end of September because I knew I had four days off of work and I could spend a lot of time with her. By April, she had her plane ticket booked and she was set to arrive Friday, September 17th and leave Saturday, September 25th. Little did I know Luke had been talking to her while her and I were planning her visit and they booked their flight together. Somehow, they kept if a secret from not only me, but our entire family for 6 months! I can't put into words how surprised and excited I was when I saw him walk through the doors of baggage claim. But before that happen......
....I went to pick Dana up from the airport Friday night and I was so excited to see my best friend! I felt like a kid waiting for Christmas to come. I was so giddy I couldn't control myself. I got to the airport and her plane had already landed so I hurried to baggage claim to see my friend. I waited impatiently for about 20 mins and then I saw her. I couldn't control my reaction and I ran to her and hugged her so hard. I was already crying and couldn't breath or talk. We hugged and she backed away from me and said she had to wait for her friend. I said, "Your friend?" And she said, "Yeah, I sat next to this guy on the plane ride over here and I said I would wait for him after baggage claim." I was like, Okay that's cool, "where's he from?" And she said, "Chicago." We waited there for a few seconds then the doors from baggage claim opened. It felt like it took my brain hours to process who was walking in the doors. I saw his sweatpants and sweatshirt and I thought to myself, 'I know that sweatshirt, I know those sweatpants' then it all clicked in my brain, it was Luke!!! It felt like a dream. I thought he was going to turn around and leave! I couldn't stop crying. I was sobbing. But so excited to have my brother here, with me, for a whole week.
Details on the week to come....
....I went to pick Dana up from the airport Friday night and I was so excited to see my best friend! I felt like a kid waiting for Christmas to come. I was so giddy I couldn't control myself. I got to the airport and her plane had already landed so I hurried to baggage claim to see my friend. I waited impatiently for about 20 mins and then I saw her. I couldn't control my reaction and I ran to her and hugged her so hard. I was already crying and couldn't breath or talk. We hugged and she backed away from me and said she had to wait for her friend. I said, "Your friend?" And she said, "Yeah, I sat next to this guy on the plane ride over here and I said I would wait for him after baggage claim." I was like, Okay that's cool, "where's he from?" And she said, "Chicago." We waited there for a few seconds then the doors from baggage claim opened. It felt like it took my brain hours to process who was walking in the doors. I saw his sweatpants and sweatshirt and I thought to myself, 'I know that sweatshirt, I know those sweatpants' then it all clicked in my brain, it was Luke!!! It felt like a dream. I thought he was going to turn around and leave! I couldn't stop crying. I was sobbing. But so excited to have my brother here, with me, for a whole week.
Details on the week to come....
Thursday, September 16, 2010
What? You're pregnant? I hope this doesn't effect your teaching!
No, I'm not pregnant, but Sheena is. She is due is February so she is about 4 1/2 months along. I couldn't be happier for her since she has been trying to get pregnant for a couple years now. She has waited to tell the moms of our kids for some personal reasons. Since she is starting to show, she decided now was a good time to tell the moms. She had to call all of them and tell them she was pregnant and that she will be leaving in February for one month. Now, when I heard Sheena was pregnant I was so happy! I congratulated her because that's what you do when someone is going to have a baby. I thought this was a universal reaction to pregnancy, well at least wanted pregnancies. Apparently that's not the case in Korea. As Sheena told the moms of our Leeds class, their reaction was not that of joy and happiness but almost of resentment and anger. One of the mom's response was, "I really hope this doesn't negatively effect your teaching". What!?!? That's what you say to a woman who is going to have a child!? I just don't get it! Not only were they acting upset that she is pregnant but they were offended she waited so long to tell them she is pregnant. I guess "personal life" means nothing to these people! Not when you pay as much as these moms do to send their kids to Helen Doron!
Jeez!!!
Jeez!!!
And I do teach once in a while....
I realize it has been a long time since I wrote about school and teaching. I have just been having too much fun doing everything else :) But o-my, the changes that have been happening at school, where shall I begin....
After Brian and Justin left the school, I still miss both of them very much, our class was down to 5 kids. Another 7-year-old class, Preston, was at 4 kids. Instead of having these two classes separate and have two different teachers, the school decided to combined the two classes. It made sense, financially, because the school didn't have to have a teacher for a small class and they were able to create another class, which means more money for them. It also made sense because Heidi, the teacher of Preston, was leaving because her contract was up and the kids were without a teacher. But it also means huge headaches for me and Sheena. The two classes were studying completely different books and were/are at different academic levels. Plus, my class grew from 7 kids to 9 kids, with some very strong and contrasting personalities.
It was a bit of a struggle at the very beginning. Trying to get the "new" kids caught-up in the lessons and workbooks was challenging, but it was very encouraging to see how well the new kids were adjusting and rolling with the punches. Kids are resilient. The Preston kids had switched teachers, books and classrooms and they didn't even flinch. Of course they were sad Heidi had left and they were a bit nervous to start new books and learn new things, but it didn't take them long to feel comfortable in their new class.
About 2 weeks after the classes combined, Bristol got one more "new" student. Amy joined our class from another 7 year old class in the school. Our class is now at 10 students, 7 of which are girls!! If ever I have kids, I pray to God they are boys!! Oh my goodness! These girls are 7 going on 13. They have attitudes, they are catty, they gossip, and they do it all right in front of me and Sheena. We have been one class for about 3 weeks now and we have already had tears being shed because of teasing and bullying. They act like best friends one minute and the next they are fighting over who was done writing a sentence faster. It's been very trying and has taken some creative seating arrangements to stop the bickering and cattiness.
Even though it has been an interesting and exhausting past few weeks, I have really enjoyed getting to know my new kids. They have started warming up to me but I can still instill fear in them, by taking away their stickers!!
After Brian and Justin left the school, I still miss both of them very much, our class was down to 5 kids. Another 7-year-old class, Preston, was at 4 kids. Instead of having these two classes separate and have two different teachers, the school decided to combined the two classes. It made sense, financially, because the school didn't have to have a teacher for a small class and they were able to create another class, which means more money for them. It also made sense because Heidi, the teacher of Preston, was leaving because her contract was up and the kids were without a teacher. But it also means huge headaches for me and Sheena. The two classes were studying completely different books and were/are at different academic levels. Plus, my class grew from 7 kids to 9 kids, with some very strong and contrasting personalities.
It was a bit of a struggle at the very beginning. Trying to get the "new" kids caught-up in the lessons and workbooks was challenging, but it was very encouraging to see how well the new kids were adjusting and rolling with the punches. Kids are resilient. The Preston kids had switched teachers, books and classrooms and they didn't even flinch. Of course they were sad Heidi had left and they were a bit nervous to start new books and learn new things, but it didn't take them long to feel comfortable in their new class.
About 2 weeks after the classes combined, Bristol got one more "new" student. Amy joined our class from another 7 year old class in the school. Our class is now at 10 students, 7 of which are girls!! If ever I have kids, I pray to God they are boys!! Oh my goodness! These girls are 7 going on 13. They have attitudes, they are catty, they gossip, and they do it all right in front of me and Sheena. We have been one class for about 3 weeks now and we have already had tears being shed because of teasing and bullying. They act like best friends one minute and the next they are fighting over who was done writing a sentence faster. It's been very trying and has taken some creative seating arrangements to stop the bickering and cattiness.
Even though it has been an interesting and exhausting past few weeks, I have really enjoyed getting to know my new kids. They have started warming up to me but I can still instill fear in them, by taking away their stickers!!
Sunday, September 5, 2010
Samcheok: Rocks, parks, and caves
As small as Korea is, it has some magnificent things to see. After experiencing Seoraksan and all it's beauty, it was hard to imagine what more Korea could offer. Then I went to Samcheok and explored the caves.
Samcheok is also on the east coast of Korea and required another road trip. This time it was not just Jared and myself but two of my co-workers also went along. We left Friday after work and made it to Donghae, a town right next to Samcheok, in about 2 1/2 hours. We didn't have hotel reservations but thankfully in Korea it's quite easy to get a room. We found a nice place and settled in for the night. We didn't get up ridiculously early Saturday morning like we did in Seoraksan but we still were up and at 'em by about 10am. We had a lot to do!
We started the day visiting some famous rock, we weren't entirely sure why the rock was famous but nonetheless we stopped, took some pictures and moved on. Our next stop was a park that was dedicated to a Korean who won the Marathon in the 1992 Olympics. Jared had found this once on-line and put it on the itinerary just for me, how sweet!
The next stop was one of the reasons for the trip to Samcheok. It was the penis park. Now before you say, "excuse me, a penis park?" there is a reason and story behind the park. To make a long story short....
Long ago in a coastal village there was a beautiful girl who used to gather seaweed. In teh distance there was a rock called Aebawi where seaweed grew. One day the girl was taken out to the rock by a man, the man had a pack to marry her, he promised to return to the rock to pick her up after she collected seaweed and he went back to the village. The girl waited for the man but wild waves prevented him from going out and getting her. That night, a terrible storm came and drowned the ill-fated girl. From that time on, the fishing turned bad in the village and rumors started among the villagers that it was due to the dead girl's bitter soul. The people of the village decided to offer carved wooden phallics as a sacrifice in the village to the bitter soul of the unmarried girl. Mysteriously, after that, teh village again enjoyed good fishing. The ceremony where wooden phallics are offered is still held today on the first full moon of the lunar year.
So before you judge, what we visited has historical meaning! Nevertheless, it was both hilarious and disgusting at the same time. And we were all way too immature for that park!!
After we cleansed ourselves of the penis park, we headed to the caves, the real adventure of the weekend! It was about a 20 min drive to the mountains from the park. We parked the car, and made found where to buy tickets. We opted for the cheapest tickets, $4, and made our way up to the mountain. As we were climbing to the top we realized why our tickets were only $4, it was because we had to CLIMB straight up in order to get to the caves! We could have paid more and taken a cable car to the top but I guess the hike was good for us. After the 20 min hike we made it to the top and started our journey into the caves. Words can not describe how amazing those caves were! It was like we were in a cathedral of rock! It was so high and it went on forever! It took us about an hour to walk through the whole thing. There were different types of stone and different shapes the stone had taken from the years of water running through it. They are also known to be the biggest of their kind in all of Asia. They were absolutely gorgeous and some place I will never forget!
After we hiked backed down the mountain, we made our way back to the hotel for a shower and to rest before dinner. We headed out to dinner around 7 o'clock. The great thing about Korea is that you can just walk outside, wherever you are, and find a place to eat within 30 yards of where you are. And that is exactly what we did. We found a great Korean restaurant and had a wonderful Korean meal with the locals. The other great thing about Korea is that even though we are foreigners and we don't really know the language, people are usually very nice and friendly. Throughout dinner we had 3 bottle so beers and a few soju shots bought for us. We also had a table share their rice cakes with us. It was a great night with great food and maybe a bit too much to drink.
Even with the amount of alcohol we consumed Saturday night, Jared and I were up at 6am Sunday morning to go on a bike ride. Even though it was early, it wasn't that hard to get out of bed the next morning. It was a beautiful day and I was excited to see the area on a bike. We were off and running (cycling) by 7:15. We headed away from the city to the valleys and mountains that Donghae had to offer. It was so great to be biking on little country roads and out of the business that is Seoul and Bundang. We were in the valley for about 20 mins, then we started our climb up another mountain (I'm beginning to pick up on the fact that Jared doesn't like to do things the easy way.) It took about 45 mins or so to climb this mountain and it was really cool to get to the top and look down on the valley we were just biking through. And even though the uphill is tough, the downhill makes it all worth it!! This downhill was the most fun I've had going down on a bike. I think it's because I'm starting to get more comfortable with the speeds you get up to doing down hill. After the downhill, we peddled through some more quiet valleys and then headed back to the main road and back to the hotel. We made it back by about 11am, just as the girls were getting up! We showered, got packed, and checked out just before noon. We were going to spend some time at the beach before we headed back but by the time we got lunch we were all ready to hit the road.
Traffic heading home was awful and it's a good thing we decided to leave a bit early. It took us about 5 hours to get home, when it should have taken about 3-3 1/2. Such is life in Korea. I wasn't going to let the traffic ruin another great weekend!
Samcheok is also on the east coast of Korea and required another road trip. This time it was not just Jared and myself but two of my co-workers also went along. We left Friday after work and made it to Donghae, a town right next to Samcheok, in about 2 1/2 hours. We didn't have hotel reservations but thankfully in Korea it's quite easy to get a room. We found a nice place and settled in for the night. We didn't get up ridiculously early Saturday morning like we did in Seoraksan but we still were up and at 'em by about 10am. We had a lot to do!
We started the day visiting some famous rock, we weren't entirely sure why the rock was famous but nonetheless we stopped, took some pictures and moved on. Our next stop was a park that was dedicated to a Korean who won the Marathon in the 1992 Olympics. Jared had found this once on-line and put it on the itinerary just for me, how sweet!
The next stop was one of the reasons for the trip to Samcheok. It was the penis park. Now before you say, "excuse me, a penis park?" there is a reason and story behind the park. To make a long story short....
Long ago in a coastal village there was a beautiful girl who used to gather seaweed. In teh distance there was a rock called Aebawi where seaweed grew. One day the girl was taken out to the rock by a man, the man had a pack to marry her, he promised to return to the rock to pick her up after she collected seaweed and he went back to the village. The girl waited for the man but wild waves prevented him from going out and getting her. That night, a terrible storm came and drowned the ill-fated girl. From that time on, the fishing turned bad in the village and rumors started among the villagers that it was due to the dead girl's bitter soul. The people of the village decided to offer carved wooden phallics as a sacrifice in the village to the bitter soul of the unmarried girl. Mysteriously, after that, teh village again enjoyed good fishing. The ceremony where wooden phallics are offered is still held today on the first full moon of the lunar year.
So before you judge, what we visited has historical meaning! Nevertheless, it was both hilarious and disgusting at the same time. And we were all way too immature for that park!!
After we cleansed ourselves of the penis park, we headed to the caves, the real adventure of the weekend! It was about a 20 min drive to the mountains from the park. We parked the car, and made found where to buy tickets. We opted for the cheapest tickets, $4, and made our way up to the mountain. As we were climbing to the top we realized why our tickets were only $4, it was because we had to CLIMB straight up in order to get to the caves! We could have paid more and taken a cable car to the top but I guess the hike was good for us. After the 20 min hike we made it to the top and started our journey into the caves. Words can not describe how amazing those caves were! It was like we were in a cathedral of rock! It was so high and it went on forever! It took us about an hour to walk through the whole thing. There were different types of stone and different shapes the stone had taken from the years of water running through it. They are also known to be the biggest of their kind in all of Asia. They were absolutely gorgeous and some place I will never forget!
After we hiked backed down the mountain, we made our way back to the hotel for a shower and to rest before dinner. We headed out to dinner around 7 o'clock. The great thing about Korea is that you can just walk outside, wherever you are, and find a place to eat within 30 yards of where you are. And that is exactly what we did. We found a great Korean restaurant and had a wonderful Korean meal with the locals. The other great thing about Korea is that even though we are foreigners and we don't really know the language, people are usually very nice and friendly. Throughout dinner we had 3 bottle so beers and a few soju shots bought for us. We also had a table share their rice cakes with us. It was a great night with great food and maybe a bit too much to drink.
Even with the amount of alcohol we consumed Saturday night, Jared and I were up at 6am Sunday morning to go on a bike ride. Even though it was early, it wasn't that hard to get out of bed the next morning. It was a beautiful day and I was excited to see the area on a bike. We were off and running (cycling) by 7:15. We headed away from the city to the valleys and mountains that Donghae had to offer. It was so great to be biking on little country roads and out of the business that is Seoul and Bundang. We were in the valley for about 20 mins, then we started our climb up another mountain (I'm beginning to pick up on the fact that Jared doesn't like to do things the easy way.) It took about 45 mins or so to climb this mountain and it was really cool to get to the top and look down on the valley we were just biking through. And even though the uphill is tough, the downhill makes it all worth it!! This downhill was the most fun I've had going down on a bike. I think it's because I'm starting to get more comfortable with the speeds you get up to doing down hill. After the downhill, we peddled through some more quiet valleys and then headed back to the main road and back to the hotel. We made it back by about 11am, just as the girls were getting up! We showered, got packed, and checked out just before noon. We were going to spend some time at the beach before we headed back but by the time we got lunch we were all ready to hit the road.
Traffic heading home was awful and it's a good thing we decided to leave a bit early. It took us about 5 hours to get home, when it should have taken about 3-3 1/2. Such is life in Korea. I wasn't going to let the traffic ruin another great weekend!
Seoraksan National Park
One of the prettiest places in South Korea is Seoraksan National Park. It is one of the highest points in all of Korea with stunning views and difficult climbs. Since I came to Korea, I have wanted to visit the park and a few weekends ago I finally did.
Jared and I left Friday night after work and headed east. The drive out was not bad at all and only took about 3 hours, which is good for Korea! We got to our hotel around 11:30 and crashed as soon as we hit the pillow. Saturday morning we got up bright and early so we could start hiking before it got too hot. The day brought clear and sunny skies, which is good because we knew we would have a clear view when we got to the top of the mountain but we also knew it would be a long hot hike. After a quick breakfast and a double check to make sure we had all the food and water we needed, we headed to the start. The hike we did was 5 kilometers and it was pretty much straight up. The recommended time to climb to the top and to get back down was 8 hours, now I am not a hiker but I knew we could do it much faster than that.
We headed off into the woods and stared our journey. The first part was pretty tough because my legs were just not used to using hiking muscles. After about 30-45 mins, my legs were getting used to the motion and didn't feel as tired. We hiked for about an hour or so before we took a break. We found a nice creek with lots of rocks to sit on to have a few snacks and rest for a bit. Since neither Jared or I are big on "taking things easy" we only rested for about 10mins and then we were on our way again. The path was a combination of stone, stairs, and dirt. The stairs were probably the most difficult thing to climb, and let me tell you there were plenty of them!! We would stop periodically to get some water or just take in the views but we didn't take another break until we got to the top.
We made it to the top in about 2 hours, half the recommended time and the views were absolutely breathtaking! We were on the highest point of Seoraksan, the skies were clear, and we could see for miles! It was one of the most beautiful things I have ever seen. I could have stood on top of that mountain for hours and not gotten sick of the sights.
We had our lunch and just relaxed for about a half hour before starting our descend. As hard as going up was, the down was actually more difficult. Once again, my legs were just not used to using those muscles for such a long period of time. Going down didn't take as long as going up but my legs were jello by the time we hit the bottom. Round trip took us less than 5 hours, 3 hours shorter than the recommended time, I felt pretty good about that seeing as though that was the first mountain I had ever climbed!
After we got back to the room and changed clothes, we headed off to the beach. We spent about 2 hours napping in the sand and swimming in the nice cool water, it was an exhausting day and it felt nice to not be moving for a while. After we got our fill of sand, sun, and water, we headed back to the hotel to clean up. By this time I was so pooped and hungry all I wanted was some dinner and to go to bed early! Jared knew a great restaurant in Sokcho, the town we were in, that was walking distance from our hotel. We made our way there, had some great Korean food and some much deserved wine. After dinner we headed back to the hotel and got ready for bed. It was only 7pm but we were both so tired we really didn't care we were going to bed so early. We tried to watch a movie but fell asleep about 20mins in. It was okay we passed out early because the next day was once again filled with physically taxing things.
We were up early, once again, but this time we weren't hiking to the top of the mountain, we were biking to the top! Yep, after a day of hiking and exhausting ourselves we decided to bike straight up the mountain. Now, I haven't spent much time on a bike so I was a bit worried about the 8K climb I was about to embark on. Thankfully Sunday brought some clouds so it was not as hot but it was still muggy and humid and the biking was not easy. It took us about an hour to climb all the way up, well it wasn't all the way up but it was a 3,000ft or 920 meter climb on a bike, it was tiring! But it was so satisfying to get to the top and be able to look down on what I had just biked!
The great thing about biking up something is knowing you get to go down!!! The downhill took much less time but man was it fun!! The first time I went down something steep on a bike I was terrified, but the more and more you do it, it gets less terrifying and more and more fun! After we got down, we got some water and snacks and headed out to do some trail running, because that sounded like a great idea! There was a small waterfall about 4ks from our hotel so we headed off after the bike ride. It was a very pretty run and definitely worth the jog. After we took in the views for a bit, we headed back to the hotel clean up, check out and head home.
It had been a great weekend but the adventures weren't over yet. Since Jared has been in Korea on and off for the past 6 years, he know his way around and knows where to find beautiful scenery. Instead of heading home on the normal highway we took a bit of a detour. He took me to a beautiful mountain lake with gorgeous views. It was so calm and peaceful I was grateful for the chance to see it. The rest of the drive wasn't too bad, meaning we didn't get stuck in too much traffic. We got back to Migeum around 4 o'clock or so and spent the rest of the night just relaxing and getting ready for another work week.
With so little time off it is so important to us to take full advantage of our weekends. That weekend was exactly what an overworked Foreign Kiddy teacher needs!
Jared and I left Friday night after work and headed east. The drive out was not bad at all and only took about 3 hours, which is good for Korea! We got to our hotel around 11:30 and crashed as soon as we hit the pillow. Saturday morning we got up bright and early so we could start hiking before it got too hot. The day brought clear and sunny skies, which is good because we knew we would have a clear view when we got to the top of the mountain but we also knew it would be a long hot hike. After a quick breakfast and a double check to make sure we had all the food and water we needed, we headed to the start. The hike we did was 5 kilometers and it was pretty much straight up. The recommended time to climb to the top and to get back down was 8 hours, now I am not a hiker but I knew we could do it much faster than that.
We headed off into the woods and stared our journey. The first part was pretty tough because my legs were just not used to using hiking muscles. After about 30-45 mins, my legs were getting used to the motion and didn't feel as tired. We hiked for about an hour or so before we took a break. We found a nice creek with lots of rocks to sit on to have a few snacks and rest for a bit. Since neither Jared or I are big on "taking things easy" we only rested for about 10mins and then we were on our way again. The path was a combination of stone, stairs, and dirt. The stairs were probably the most difficult thing to climb, and let me tell you there were plenty of them!! We would stop periodically to get some water or just take in the views but we didn't take another break until we got to the top.
We made it to the top in about 2 hours, half the recommended time and the views were absolutely breathtaking! We were on the highest point of Seoraksan, the skies were clear, and we could see for miles! It was one of the most beautiful things I have ever seen. I could have stood on top of that mountain for hours and not gotten sick of the sights.
We had our lunch and just relaxed for about a half hour before starting our descend. As hard as going up was, the down was actually more difficult. Once again, my legs were just not used to using those muscles for such a long period of time. Going down didn't take as long as going up but my legs were jello by the time we hit the bottom. Round trip took us less than 5 hours, 3 hours shorter than the recommended time, I felt pretty good about that seeing as though that was the first mountain I had ever climbed!
After we got back to the room and changed clothes, we headed off to the beach. We spent about 2 hours napping in the sand and swimming in the nice cool water, it was an exhausting day and it felt nice to not be moving for a while. After we got our fill of sand, sun, and water, we headed back to the hotel to clean up. By this time I was so pooped and hungry all I wanted was some dinner and to go to bed early! Jared knew a great restaurant in Sokcho, the town we were in, that was walking distance from our hotel. We made our way there, had some great Korean food and some much deserved wine. After dinner we headed back to the hotel and got ready for bed. It was only 7pm but we were both so tired we really didn't care we were going to bed so early. We tried to watch a movie but fell asleep about 20mins in. It was okay we passed out early because the next day was once again filled with physically taxing things.
We were up early, once again, but this time we weren't hiking to the top of the mountain, we were biking to the top! Yep, after a day of hiking and exhausting ourselves we decided to bike straight up the mountain. Now, I haven't spent much time on a bike so I was a bit worried about the 8K climb I was about to embark on. Thankfully Sunday brought some clouds so it was not as hot but it was still muggy and humid and the biking was not easy. It took us about an hour to climb all the way up, well it wasn't all the way up but it was a 3,000ft or 920 meter climb on a bike, it was tiring! But it was so satisfying to get to the top and be able to look down on what I had just biked!
The great thing about biking up something is knowing you get to go down!!! The downhill took much less time but man was it fun!! The first time I went down something steep on a bike I was terrified, but the more and more you do it, it gets less terrifying and more and more fun! After we got down, we got some water and snacks and headed out to do some trail running, because that sounded like a great idea! There was a small waterfall about 4ks from our hotel so we headed off after the bike ride. It was a very pretty run and definitely worth the jog. After we took in the views for a bit, we headed back to the hotel clean up, check out and head home.
It had been a great weekend but the adventures weren't over yet. Since Jared has been in Korea on and off for the past 6 years, he know his way around and knows where to find beautiful scenery. Instead of heading home on the normal highway we took a bit of a detour. He took me to a beautiful mountain lake with gorgeous views. It was so calm and peaceful I was grateful for the chance to see it. The rest of the drive wasn't too bad, meaning we didn't get stuck in too much traffic. We got back to Migeum around 4 o'clock or so and spent the rest of the night just relaxing and getting ready for another work week.
With so little time off it is so important to us to take full advantage of our weekends. That weekend was exactly what an overworked Foreign Kiddy teacher needs!
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