Busan : Authentic

We had a long weekend thanks to Buddha's birthday. It was also the weekend before B's birthday, so a group of friends decided a trip to Busan was in order. Busan is the main port of Korea. Famous for it's seafood markets and seaside beaches, Busan is a popular weekend destination.

Hoping for optimal sun-soaking time, we chose to take the KTX trains. These trains travel at a top speed of 350km an hour and cover a large area of Seoul. Some friends took a city bus to Busan. They arrived 7 hours later. Our KTX trip was a total of 2.3 hours. I think we win.

Trying to save our money for drinks and more travels, we booked rooms at Love Motels over the regular hotel. What is a Love Motel? I thought you'd never ask! Because most Korean's don't leave their parent's homes until they are married, young couples have to go elsewhere for alone time. And the Love Motel was born. The rooms are less than half the price of a normal hotel room and come with a lot of extras. Our room was spacious, with a big screen TV, strobe lights for mood, and a jacuzzi tub that lit up in the dark. I'm sure it would be a black light nightmare, but we took our complimentary toiletries, complete with bubble bath and condoms, and we all unpacked.

Friday's weather was great and we hit the beach. There were loads of other teachers and foreigners. It was strange understanding all the conversations around me. We met up with the rest of our group and rejoiced the warm weather with drinks and mexican food. We hit up a local bar for the night and even hopped into a mosh pit of well choreographed Koreans. They knew every dance to every song. GET A JOB. I kid.

beach fireworks

awesome sand sculpture of Buddha

jamming with the locals

We also ventured to the casino for kicks. B actually doubled his money in less than five minutes. I have never gambled so I bet $10 and like the newby I was, I lost it within the first hand. At least I got to breathe in some really great oxygen, via casino manipulation. Thanks!

Saturday took a turn for the worse when the weather shifted. An annoying drizzle and cold winds kept the beach pretty empty. We all decided to grab a tourist map and wander the beach towns. We ended up finding that we weren't too far from "The World's Mystery Library". Boy did it live up to it's name. It was a mystery all together just finding it. When we finally arrived, we were greeted by the library owner, or the wife of the library owner that is. She was amazing, and so was the library.

detectives in training

I was immediatly filled with a jealous envy that I won't easily shake for some time. There was shelf upon shelf of first edition mystery classics. Pictures of Virginia Wolf, Sherlock Holmes, Hitchcock, and LeRoux... nicknacks filled every table, and the smell of old books was eye watering. The owner told us of her husband, a famous Korean writer, and her family. She told us that should we even open the top floor of the library, which she said was very special. We spent a few hours browsing the walls and asking her questions. We even met her husband over tea and coffee. It seemed that it wasn't a popular place to visit, like the aquarium and shopping malls, but we had such a great time.

framing this

view from the library

sketch of the owner's wife...loved her.

scott and marie

After our hike to the museum, we thought a few hours in a jinjilbang was in order. A jinjilbang is like a day spa, where you can bathe in aromatic pools( totally nude of course) or lounge in the communal saunas. We got dressed in our sauna attire (picture mental patient smocks from the 50's) and walked into the first sauna. HOT DANG! It was 160 degrees Farenheit in there! No joke! I could only last a few minutes before I started to smell bacon. I opted for a lower degree and took a quick nap. Then, Elizabeth and I headed to the women's spa for a full body scrub. I was nothing short of terrified, but I took the plunge and entered the giant nakee spa. I had a scrub that pretty much removed my outer layer of skin. No kidding, the lady showed me handfuls of my own skin. It was gross, but afterwards I felt smooth as a baby's butt and a few pounds lighter.

We spent the rest of the day running through the rain, eating fried chicken, and playing this amazing drinking game we created with the help of a $3 children's toy. We laughed so much I thought my face was going to fall off. Our group of travel buddies was the perfect blend.

alligator game!

On Sunday some of the group departed for Seoul and the rest of us stayed to visit the Art Museum. It was nice to see the exhibits and get out of the rain for awhile. Then we went to a market for dinner and coffee. I had made a note before the trip to visit the 2nd hand book alley. I wasn't sure we would find it, but my lucky stars we did. The alley twisted and turned into multiple stalls and tents. I was able to find some amazingly old classics and picked up a few thrillers in lieu of the Mystery Library.

book alley

Riding the KTX back into Seoul, I thought about how random our trip to Busan was. Most people go there for the beaches and outdoor bars, but when faced with the crummy weather, we all had to look elsewhere for entertainment. Our trip was completely authentic and I'm sure, without a doubt, that no other tourist that weekend had the same whacky experience.

I'd like to go back and visit Busan when the sun is shining, but I must say, I had one hell of a time. Stay mysterious, Busan.

-C

Teacher's Day

Teacher's Day was last week in Korea. Now...in no way do I consider myself a teacher. Maybe a "educational enlightener" or "constructive babysitter" or better yet "a has-been child so I know exactly what is running through your little brain".

Well, Teacher's Day is a day to thank your teachers and acknowledge their presence beyond the ringing bell. Children often give small gifts to say thank you. I received some candies, tea, and a little music box that plays a Korean folk song. It was really sweet.

My favorite gift was a note from one of my favorite students, Dorothy. She doesn't take crap from ANYONE, not even the smelly boys. I have taught her for close to a year now and it's amazing to have seen her grow from a below average scorer to the top of her class. She could own this country. I'm sure of it.

Her note:

If you don't have superman eyesight, let me help...

To Cassie,

Cassie, I'm Dorothy. First, Thanks to teach me every level. I'll prepare some present for you. It's not very enormous, but this is my one's true heart. Good bye.

I <3 you x 10


Ok seriously? I die. I'm not sure if it's the part where she tells me her name like I don't know her or the part where she says good-bye...where is she going? She is too cute for words. I can remember the special things my teachers said to me and I never thought that students could do the same.

Feelin' really lucky :)

-C

Do Good, Feel Good: Lotus Lantern Festival

With my time in Asia drawing to a close, it seems that time is flying faster and faster. I'm doing my best now to squeeze every second of history, culture, and experience into my time.

This past weekend, the downtown streets of Seoul were a'glitter with thousands of paper lanterns. With clear skies and summer heat, I couldn't have asked for a better day. There were dozens of booths offering arts & crafts...yes, I love to craft. Give me a hot glue gun and I will be out of your hair for hours, maybe days.

busy store front

We painted communal murals, made lotus candles, prayer bead bracelets, lotus lanterns, and incense.

So talented! ha

our lotus candles

making prayer beads

incense...before it's rolled into thin sticks

We got dressed up in wedding hanbok and didn't even mind the crowds of Koreans taking our photo.

oh...dear

We talked to monks, learned a lot about the Buddhist religion all over the world, and it built up even more excitement for our temple-stay in 2 weeks. We will be staying in one of the oldest temples in Korea, with the oldest Buddha shrine carved into a cave. Um...YES. We explored Jogyesa, the temple that was the base of the days events. It looked like a bag of skittles...so bright and beautiful.

lanterns inside Jogyesa Temple

We also had the opportunity to be "healed" of all of our bodily pains. A traditional and very old form of Korean healing, called Moxa, that uses the pressure points in the hand to sooth your pains. I told the old woman I had stomach pains ( don't really have pains...but, it would do). She ignored me and began to dig her nails into the veins on the top of my hand. After I screamed, she came to the conclusion I had back pain? Who knew. So she stuck these little things that look like cigarettes on my hands and lit them on fire. It burned a bit and smelled bad, but hey, my back feels great!

excuse my ghetto nails...I was bored

We stopped for some bbq and beer, then headed to stake out a spot on the parade route. I am small town America, so I do parades. Big time. Popcorn fest, Gay Pride, St. Patty's...you name it. Yeehaw.

The lanterns were beautiful! I couldn't believe they were made of paper! I wouldn't have believed it, but during the day, we saw them being prepared and I touched one. It was definitely paper.

There were so many people, so many lanterns, and so many pictures. I wish the camera I used had better night-time options...but I will remember them in my mind. You know...how we did BEFORE the crazy camera phase.

You might be wondering why I chose to title this post "Do Good, Feel Good". Or not. I've been thinking a lot lately about my time here in Korea and my time on Earth in general. It may sound obvious, but doing good..for myself and others, makes me feel like this crazy contraption of a life I'm driving really does have a destiny. I'm not just aimlessly rolling down a hill. I have a Point B that nicely compliments my point A. Sure I'll make many of pit stops, but I'm getting there. If I can continue to stay positive and emmerse myself in all my surroundings have to offer, then I think I might just have something good on my hands.

Am looking forward to my 3 day week and a trip to Busan..the major port of Korea. Can't stop thinking about how exciting the next few months of my life will be...

-C

Happy Mother's Day!

It's a beautiful mother's day on my side of the world and I hope it's a wonderful day for my mother on her side. My mom is my constant in life and my biggest fan. Love and miss you. Happy Mother's Day!

"If evolution really works, how come mothers only have two hands?" ~Milton Berle

My mother is a poem
I'll never be able to write,
though everything I write
is a poem to my mother.
~Sharon Doubiago

"No one in the world can take the place of your mother. Right or wrong, from her viewpoint you are always right. She may scold you for little things, but never for the big ones." ~Harry Truman

"A mother is a person who seeing there are only four pieces of pie for five people, promptly announces she never did care for pie." ~Tenneva Jordan

SHUT DA MOUTH!

Saturday night was....I don't think I have any words. Seoul World DJ Festival kicked off the start of summer with a giant outdoor concert. The music started at 2pm and ended at 6am Sunday morning. Koreans love all night party benders, so it was quite the affair. There were thousands of people. Face painted, hipster blipsters, clowns, giant mooses, drum circle bros, and all the foreigners living in Soko.

I honestly wasn't quite sure to expect, but I was pleasantly surprised. The music was great, the weather was perfect, and I got to jump around and yell for 8 hours. Gettin the rage outta the cage.

My favorite DJ's were "Shut Da Mouth". What a creative name....ha. It was fun to just let loose for a bit with friends and coworkers. We had some drinks, some glowsticks (by force I swear), and an awesome time.

There were massive pits of people in front of the stages. We got right in the middle of the maddness and partook in the biggest Korean sandwich ever! Lots of screaming, lots of clapping, lots of "hands up"... lots of sweat. ew.

We left around 4, with sore feet, no voices, and ringing ears. Two thumbs up in my book :)

-C

Penguins, Lions, Antelope, Foreigners

Excuse my blog tardiness. It has been a busy week and everything has been piling up. Last weekend we went to the Seoul zoo to check out some critters. The weather has finally been coming around and it was a gorgeous day for a field trip.





I've been really upset with the way I've seen animals treated in Korea. This includes domestic animals and caged animals. Some of the parks I've visited in Seoul that feature animals have been down right horrific. Thankfully, this wasn't the case at Seoul National Zoo. The park was clean and the animal habitats were pretty spot on.

so beautiful

isn't this the fella from the ninja squirrel youtube video?

not a fan of these bros...bit my finger at a petting zoo when i was 7. instant lifetime grudge.

Some Koreans were thowing food to the bears. Idiots.

a zookeeper was chucking whole chickens and giant slabs of steak to the lions. and they caught them! 10 points!

and just in case someone falls in the lion pit...haha

It was great to see the animals. I didn't see many foreigners and I guess I understand why. We were getting stared at and "ooo, ahhhh"ed at. It didn't bother me though. The vendors had churros so I was pretty much in my element.

-C