미국 사람 입니다 (I am American)

So I’m sure all of you are wondering “but where was Sam on your holiday Courtney?” And it is absolutely ok to wonder where I was, because in fact I wasn’t with Courtney on her holiday at all. Yep, we decided go on two completely different holidays so that our loyal readers could get two vacations for the price of one. Aren’t we thoughtful?

Yeoncheon Train Station

So after our great Chuseok dinner at Sally’s in Yeoncheon, Courtney and I went our separate ways. As you already know, she went to explore the vast beauty of one of the many Korean mountains. I on the other had, decided to explore the jungle; the concrete jungle that is. You guessed it; I spent my 3 day vacation in Seoul! It was really a fantastic time!

We were bright eyed and ready for an adventure!

Sally, Geoff, Colleen, Ashli and I took a train to Dongdaegu, and from there we hopped on the KTX (otherwise known as the bullet train!!) to Seoul. The train ride was very pleasant and it only took about an hour and a half to get to Seoul from Dongdaegu which is crazy because they are on opposite sides of the country! Once we got to Seoul, Sandy had planned out exactly where we had to go to get to our hostel. We took the subway and when we got off on our stop we were supposed to be able to see our hostel from the stairs of the subway. I saw a picture of our hostel before we left; it was a cute little yellow house looking place (it was called the Yellow Submarine), but when we got out of the subway there was no yellow building to be seen. We walked around a little bit trying to see if it was around corners but we couldn’t see it anywhere. Sandy called the place and they told her where we had to go was actually quite a bit of a walk from where we were, but the guy on the phone couldn’t explain well enough for us to understand so we didn’t know what to do. Luckily Sandy came to the rescue and asked a Korean guy on the street if he could help us. Not only did he direct us in the right direction, he walked with us the whole way to the hostel which was about a 15 minute walk from where we were. He was really nice and didn’t have to do what he did. So we made it! Then we went inside only to find out that we had walked to the WRONG hostel! Apparently there are two hostels with the same name in Seoul.

You can't not snap a picture of a street name like this.

It wasn’t anyone’s fault really, it was just a miscommunication between us and the person on the phone. It turns out that we were right below our hostel when we got out of the subway earlier. The one we were staying at wasn’t a small yellow building, but the 3^rd and 13^th floor of a huge building. So we walked back to where we started (which was actually a nice walk because the weather was amazing) and figured it out from there with no more problems.

The amazing view from our hostel.

13 isn't the unlucky number in Korea so we were ok. Now, if we were on the 4th floor there would be a problem. Thats the unlucky number here.

On our first day in Seoul we made our way to Itaewon, which is the foreigners part of town. We weren’t really sure what to expect so we once we got to Itewon we just walked around the streets and looked at the shops. On the streets we actually ran into my neighbor Erinn and her boyfriend which is crazy because Seoul is huge! But I suppose it’s where the foreigners go so maybe it wasn’t the biggest “small world” situation ever. Anyway, we walked along the streets and at some point stumbled into a huge English bookstore called What the Book. I got really excited because I had actually heard of this place! We browsed in there for a bit; I bought a Korean phrasebook.

Apparently there was some intense ground breaking rain before we came to Seoul.

Just a normal street in Itaewon.

The fantastic vintage store we stumbled upon, with an even more fantastic sign out front.

This street was really cool!

We did a bit more city walking and then we had dinner at some Irish pub. It was great, we had comfort foods! Seoul is one of the few places where you can get almost any kind of food you want, so even though it might sound like we weren’t being open minded by getting western food (instead of traditional Korean food), one has to understand that almost all we eat in our own towns (Pohang and Yeoncheon) is traditional Korean food. When we finished dinner we met up with Geoff’s friend from South Africa for a drink.

The view from the pub window. I just really love those crosses! Its there in the far background. You might have to squint your eyes but its there I promise.

After drinks we convinced him to come with us to the N Seoul Tower. Sandy and I read in Geoff’s travel book that it’s much better to go up it at night so that’s what we were hoping to do. Geoff’s friend Lloyd was a huge help in guiding us to where the tower was. We took a really cool cable car to the top of the hill where the tower sat, and then took an elevator to get to the observation deck. The view up there was breath taking. It was really amazing! We stayed there for about 25 minutes and then headed back down. After the tower we headed back to our hostel because it was already about midnight and we were exhausted.

N Seoul Tower from the top of the hill.

View of Seoul at night from the observation deck of the N Seoul Tower.

Proof that we were actually there!

People come here and put locks on the tree to symbolize their unbreakable friendships and relationships. It was really cool to see.

This was an art installation at the tower. This picture turned out really awesome, I love that the figure really looks like a ghost floating.

The next day we woke up early because we didn’t know when breakfast ended. We assumed it was from 7-9 so we went down to the office at 8, only to find out that it didn’t even start until 9. After breakfast we headed out for our first and only full day in Seoul. Our first stop was the Changdeokgung Palace. It was really a beautiful place. All of the information plates were in Korean so we just walked around it and enjoyed the vivid colors and amazing Asian architecture. Sandy, Colleen and I brought our umbrellas so we fit in great with all the older ladies at the palace with their parasols shading themselves.

This castle looks strangely familiar...

Sandy had already been approached about a million times by Koreans thinking she was Korean so she figured she would sit on their side of the subway and try to fit in. The morning commute includes a mandatory nap before work.

This is a squatter toilet. They are not uncommon, trust me.

The colors are so beautiful.

Sandy planned everything down to her umbrella matching the palace color scheme.

Inside one of the temples.

After the palace we set off to look for Insadong, which is a street that is known for its traditional Korean crafts. We followed our maps and walked around for about 2 hours before we gave up on finding it. There was no Insadong in sight unfortunately. We stopped for lunch at a little “hole-in-the-wall” restaurant where I had the spiciest Bibimbap so far in Korea, but it was only 4,000 won which converts to about $3.50! A full delicious meal for the price of half of a Starbucks coffee!! After lunch we searched a tiny bit more for Insadong, but ended up stumbling across our next destination on accident. As we entered onto a main street I looked up at dozens of tall office buildings, and then looked down at the most amazing stream! We had found the Cheonggyecheon without even trying! The stream was amazing; it was huge and full of greenery. We walked down the stairs to below street level and walked along the stream for a while. It was really relaxing and refreshing to be around all the plants and to hear the sound of the running water. We sat along the stream for a bit before moving on to our next destination.

It was so amazing in person, its hard to capture it in a photo.

The clouds reflected off of the windows, it was really cool!

Next stop: The Olympic Park. This was really exciting for me because the Olympics were held in Seoul in the same year that I was born! That park is the same age as me. It was really cool to see how we preserved it was too. After hearing about how the Bird’s Nest in China is deteriorating, it was really amazing to see how this place in Seoul is still being used and enjoyed by all, 22 years later. This was another really nice walk. We made it there before sun down so we got to see the sun set while walking along the different Olympic stadiums. At around 7 we headed out of the park and on to our next stop which was the Han River.

The sun was setting through the sculpture at the Olympic park.

The girl from the Ring was on the subway.

Our plan was to get to the Han River, buy tickets for the 9:30 Han River water taxi tour, then go eat dinner, and get on the boat at 9:30. That is not exactly how it ended up working out. We got to the river a lot later than we wanted to, and then we couldn’t find the place that had these water taxi tours. So what we decided to do was to just grab some food from the convenience store close by, and eat dinner along the Han River. This river was definitely the place to be if you were a teenager and/or on a date. There were tons of people there doing exactly what we were doing. The convenience store was packed with people getting ramen and kimbab (Korean sushi) to eat outside on the river. Sitting along the river was a really nice experience. Our vacation was all about seeing Seoul but it was also about relaxing and having a good time, and times like this were definitely the highlight of the trip. We finished eating around 9:15 and as we got up to walk around some more, we saw the water taxi pulling into a building that we originally thought was a restaurant on the river. So when we saw it pulling in, we all rushed over to the building and managed to all get tickets for the 9:30 Han River water taxi tour! It was great luck that we managed to keep our plans despite the fact that we gave up on that idea hours earlier.

I loved how the bridges were all lit up so nicely.

Colleen soaking in the view from our romantic 5 way date.

I see why people come here on dates.

The boat ride was really great. The weather at night was pretty cold (actually the whole trip was on the cooler side, which made it even better for me) and I was actually coming down with a cold myself, so by the end of the hour and 30 minute ride we all went downstairs and inside the boat to warm up a bit. It was yet again another relaxing and fantastic part of our holiday.

All of my photos came out blurry because we were on a moving boat, but they still look pretty cool.

The blue light was actually from the subway passing through the bridge. I just got really lucky when I took this photo to catch it.

Once the tour was over we were all pretty cold and ready to head back to the hostel for the night. But on the way back to the subway we stumbled upon an outdoor climbing wall! Its always so much better to come across something you love than to plan to see it. We all climbed the messed around on the wall for about 30 minutes before we decided to head home. It was actually great luck because we all warmed up a bit from the climbing, and so the walk to the subway was much more tolerable. Our second day ended with me crashing on my bed and Sandy getting me Halls and orange juice from the corner store downstairs after we returned from the hostel.

This little kid was climbing everything.

Thats me up there. Kidding, it was a really cool statue close to the climbing wall.

A night view from our hostel window.

Day three was short because we had to catch our train home at 1:30, so we decided to stay close to our hostel and explore the near by area. It was a shame we hadn’t done it sooner because we found out the street next to ours was a fantastic shopping street! The shops were all small and super trendy because we were really close to one of the universities in Seoul. We had breakfast at Dunkin Donuts – first bagel in Korea – and then strolled along the shops until about 12:30, when it was time to start our journey back to the train station.

Enjoying the Dunkin.

This shirt reminds me of Marcia for some reason.

The awesome dog that lived in the hostel!

Everything went as smooth as butter and we got back to Yeoncheon at around 3 pm. I had to catch a train back to Pohang at 5 so I sat in the train station for two hours studying my new Korean phrasebook. When I finally got home I was exhausted so I pretty much just made supper and read until I fell asleep.

Amazing view from the train.

This was another cool view from the train.

Found this in the train magazine. I didn't know Playboy did golf, but to tell you the truth, I'm not surprised.

My trip to Seoul was absolutely amazing! I’m so glad I went, and I’m even happier that everything worked out so perfectly. This was a great first trip to Seoul but I don’t think it was my last. I really look forward to going there again. Although, I will probably experience a lot more crowded streets and subways next time. Because we went on Chuseok, there were almost no people on the subways. The city was still busy with people everywhere but I can’t imagine how it must be when its not one of the most important holidays of the year. Anyway, until next time, I hope everyone enjoyed our polar opposite holiday adventures!

Cookin, Ground Scores, and Lesson Planning

Yesterday we went to the botanical gardens. Took a while to get there, was a little doubtful it existed when the bus dropped us in the middle of nowhere. But it did exist. And it was beautiful. We spent the afternoon there and headed home.

Sam and Melinde learning about plants.

Plants

When we got back, I was exhausted. I decided to spend a quiet night at home, cooking dinner and coming up with a lesson plan for the next day.

4:00 - When arriving home I see a bookshelf out on the street. Because of the lack of furniture in my house, I wanted it sooooo bad. Because of the amount of students walking around on the street, I didn't grab it. I would wait until the street was empty.

4:30 - Relax, clean up a bit, put things away.

5:00 - Decide that I will make dinner tonight! Then realize there is nothing to eat in my fridge.

5:30 - Ok, I have a lot of rice. And I have a rice cooker. I will learn how to use my rice cooker! All the buttons and directions are in Korean, but no big deal right? Isn't that what the internet is for?

5:35 - Start watching videos on how to use a Korean rice cooker

5:50 - I have learned what the buttons mean, but am still a little wary about using a rice cooker - I have never ever used one.

6:00 - I just go for it

6:15 - While cooking, noises come from the rice cooker

6:30 - I look at the rice cooker and there is a puddle of rice goo underneath it

6:35 - The rice is now mush rice.

6:36 - Ok, what do I eat with this rice? Oh, this can of chicken looks good. Ok half an onion looks good. Ok, these leaves look good. Ok, an egg too. Let’s mix in LOTS of soy sauce

6:45 - All my food is ready. I watch Robin Hood and eat.

6:46 - The food is gross - too salty. I eat until I am not hungry and then switch to eating ice cream.

7:00 - ok, that’s enough of my food, time to get work done. Let’s lesson plan!

7:30 - Am still trying to lesson plan

8:00 - ditto

8:30 - Still not getting anywhere

9:00 - Ok, that’s enough. I'll keep thinking while I clean up my kitchen

9:30 - Kitchen clean, I'll sneak downstairs now! Steal that bookshelf under the guise of throwing away a bag of garbage

9:31 - peer out the window to see if the coast is clear - it is

9:35 - Am back in my room with my first Korean ground score. I hope no one saw their English teacher stealing a moldy bookshelf from the trash pile,

9:45 - clean the mold, took a shower, and still no lesson plan

10:30 - Talked to my mom

11:00 - I'll just go to bed, lesson plan in the morning!

NEXT MORNING

I have an easy simple lesson plan that took me 5 minutes to come up with. I go to school, sit down, and start working on it. My co teacher comes up to me and says, oh...speech test start today.

That means I give speech tests....not my lesson plan.

Oh well, at least I have a bookshelf!

My bookshelf - all cleaned. Now I need more books!

Courtney's Adventure into the Mountains

Courtney’s version of the Chuseok holiday went as follows:

I met up with Harley at the bus terminal and we headed off to Juwangsan National Park. It was raining off and on all day, but not bad at all. We set up the tent in a seeming abandoned camp ground. I say this because it was quite empty of tent campers and camp owners (to pay our camping fee too) though there were some site-campers who were having a good time. After getting all set up we walked to one of the many restaurants on the street and had some dinner.

Rice Field around the campground

The next day was an early start. We woke about 6:30 and headed up the mountain shortly after. Because it was so early and so deserted, we followed a man decked out in hiking gear to the park entrance. He led us across a bridge and down a very sketch path – thru the woods. Soon we realized that the park entrance was on the other side of the river! We ended up coming to another bridge well into the park, having bypassed the park entrance fee (not that it was any huge fee). The park was a beautiful hike - instead of words it’s easier just to show pictures – so here are some pictures.

Because I love owls you know - and when I saw this owl I just HAD to take a picture. Plus, it was at the beginning of the trail so it reminded me of Zelda.

When we arrived at the lookout point, a man said to us "The clouds are dancing"

View of the campground -if you look really really hard (look for the orange tents)

Marker at the top of the mountain

Just a warning - but rocks might fall on your head

The stream that ran through the valley

After the main hike, we headed down through the valley, past some waterfalls, caves, and temples. All together, it was about 10.3k for the day (the guide mentioned that we were able to burn 2,160kcal) See these other pictures

Waterfall number 2

Harley and the path past waterfall number 1

Unfortunately we are unable to climb here on this rock

Some rocks near waterfall 1

A building at the temple

Part of the temple at the bottom of the hill

When we got back to the bottom of the park, we headed off to the bonsai greenhouse where we found a ton of bonsai trees growing. It was amazing how many they were and how old some were!

Buckets where you can buy stick chips

The Bonsai tree greenhouse

That afternoon we just relaxed until dinner then went to bed early. The funny thing about the campground though, was that it was now full. When we left it that morning, no one was there. When we came back, it was packed! We spent most of the afternoon relaxing in the tent watching different families struggle with their camp tarps in the wind and set up their stoves and kitchen utensils. One family even brought a giant video camera – the kind used to film the news! Most everyone had a cot, and some had tents inside their giant tents!

Our campground

A full campground

My tiny orange tent in among the giant house tents

The next morning we had another early start and walked up the second trail. The views were even better than the first morning! We even saw more wildlife (snakes, slugs, chipmunks, and a flying squirrel). The website mentioned wild boar and otters - but we saw none. I think it was false advertising. There was a little bouldering garden that looked good for climbing but had a tendency to fall apart when climbing up (maybe a little dangerous for those people who are spotting the climber).

Because my camera for some reason doesn't have a panorama view. Just click to see it bigger.

The view early in the morning - the valley was always full of clouds

A snake on the path

A chipmunk in the tree

After finishing the loop, we decided to head up the third loop (an extra 8.5k). It was only 11:30 – we could do it. Though it was a pretty intense route, the view was worth it. The path led out onto a rock ledge, from which you could see for miles and miles and miles (we were up 882.8m)! I could see the ocean, I could see a hundred million other mountains, I could see a windmill farm! I bet I could have even seen Florida if I looked hard enough.

The highest view ever

Me and the highest view ever

We kinda rushed down, mainly because we were starving. Walking 20.5k with only a bit of fruit to eat makes you hungry! We stopped at the first restaurant we saw and ate everything in site. Then headed back to the camp to eat some ice cream and relax. There wasn’t much going on that evening – we just sat around and I read a book. After it got dark, I went for a small walk into the woods. The moon was really bright, and it looked amazing next to the huge mountains.

The next day we woke up early (again – yes… three mornings in a row I was able to wake up at 6:30 – very impressive!) It was time to head home – so we packed up and got back on the bus home.

Just a fun fact - in Korea, no one eats the skins of fruits. Not even grape skins.

Though there isn’t much to write – I had an amazing time! It was great to relax outside away from the city for a while. It was a wonderful vacation!