Lady Gaga and Seoul

Long time no see!  I do have an excellent excuse though - my parents came to Korea to visit me!  I met them at Incheon Airport and took them into town.  My first mistake was taking them to Kims Guesthouse (instead of Mr Kims).  Ended up one subway stop and in the wrong guesthouse.  Oops.


We had my parents first korean meal - ice noodles and spicy ramen - and then headed out to the Seoul Olympic Stadium for the Lady Gaga gig.  She was really really good, despite the stadium being huge (and so all the seats were quite far away).  Donned the kilt with my stepfather, which got me a lot of attention at the gig and in Itaewon.


Saturday we headed to the electronics market to buy Mom a new DSLR.  Managed to get one for nearly half the price it would've been in the UK (and the rents got an extra 35k back in tax from the airport).  Headed to Itaewon for food, and the Imperial War Museum nearby.  Next on the agenda was Myeongdong to hang out and have a coffee in a private room cafe.  Coffeabang I guess.

In the evening we went up Namsan Tower - got the cable car from near  Myeongdong.  Saturday nights are NOT the best time to go, ended up queueing for hours and hours.  Mark and I got ourselves and my parents love locks to put up on the top of the mountain.  It's kinda a korean couple thing.  They had a shop where you could use photos of yourself to create really creepy voodoo dolls.  One of the weirdest things I've seen here.


Sunday was Hongdae time!  Went and wandered around the market before visiting the dog cafe.  Saw a cute little puppy exactly the same as my grans - Simons gonna tell his mom that it was a choose your  own dog restaurant and we went for the cute little puppy as a starter.

40th post / Last Korean Lesson / Parents Preparation

Happy 40th post and 500 pageviews!  Guess I've been here and blogging for about 40 weeks!  This is going to be a busy week - had my last Korean lesson at the YMCA this Tuesday - I really want to go to the graduation ceremony on Friday morning but I'm heading to Incheon Airport to pick up my parents instead!  

I Got a Golden Ticket (well, a dozen of them)

Next Friday we'll have a coupon party at my 학원- good behavior results in lots of coupons which twice a year can be exchanged for stationary, books, pencil cases and maybe some snacks.  We won't teach but instead watch a film all day.  Plans are Lady Gaga Friday night, Seoul this weekend and Busan next weekend.  I can't begin to tell you many bus/plane/train/ferry tickets I've gotten altogether but I'm finally thinking that I've sorted almost everything out!  Maybe if I can review my Korean Sogang 1B book then I'll start up the intensive 2A class after my parents have returned home.


Lastly, I was teaching recipes to one of my classes and along with instructions of how to make rameon there was also this: How to Make a Grenade.  Enjoy!

청도 Wine Tunnel and Bullfighting

This weekend I headed out to Cheongdo with a big group of foreigners on the Daegu Compass trip.  Had the usual dinner with the 각산 group.  Mark had an upset stomach, so he skipped dinner and also the day trip.


Headed downtown for the 9am bus which took us to the Wine Tunnel.  Befriended some of the new February EPIK lot. The Wine Tunnel is an old, disused railway tunnel that's been converted for aging persimmon wine.  It was pouring outside (and so a little drippy in the tunnel).  We tasted some of their wine (and then helped ourselves to some more).  After exploring the tunnel as far as it went, we decided to stop off at some of the food vendors outside for 맥주 and 소주 (which began the slow spiral that lead to C passing out drunk later that night in the rain!)

똥집

Next stop was the Bullfighting Theme Park (actually a small museum with a big 4D movie).  There were such invaluable treasures such as a mirror ball bull, a small recreation of an arena (despite the real one next door) and a strength tester where Victoria and I dragged the bull by the rope as hard as we could whilst still posing for the photo.  The 4D film essentially showed the Rocky of bullfighting - he'd trained long and hard in the field and so was just making a comeback fight when the film cut out (sorry, spoilers).  Grabbed a meal voucher and headed into the arena.


Had supper with the newbies as well as the photographer.  The new 대구 EPIK teachers all know the new 각산 girls, and hadn't tried all the new Korean food so that was fun.  According to Chris the girl I was sat next to at dinner was texting him later asking about me!  Started on the 동동주 and used some of the meal vouchers for takeout 소주.


Sat and watched a few... competitions.. matches.. not entirely sure on the nomenclature!  You could put bets on the matches, but it was all in Korean and honestly I couldn't be bothered.  Got told off firstly for having beer bottles (but the guy said cans were OK).  Afterwards he followed us up to where we were sat up away from everyone else minding our own business and confiscated our beer cans!  It seemed to be another example of "not for foreigners!" as many of the locals were sat with 막걸리.


Afterwards we drove out to pick strawberries in a big covered plot under a KTX bridge.  Got talking to some more people in the strawberry farm, met a lawyer for the US army.  Didn't really want to say anything but if there's anyone here who'll need a lawyer its that lot.  I think I annoyed some saffers - not to be mean but they employ Afrikaaners who I have trouble understanding when they speak English.  It's mostly accent but it's also a lot of slang.  They were going on about how amazing it is there and I pointed out that recent figures suggest that half of women in SA will be raped at some point in their lives.  I also wanted to point out that if they could've gotten jobs there they would've but anyway.   I guess everyone thinks the grass is greener somewhere else!

Saturday was Jims birthday celebration so headed straight out to 울산 when we got back.  Had another one of those caffeine pills which helped the night fly by.
  
One point I specifically remember is using one of those fancy Japanese style toilets all in Korean correctly for the first time ever!  아싸!


Sunday I enjoyed the weather by hanging out in the park near 울산, eat 샤브샤브 with the 구영리 people before finishing the evening in the local Spa Valley 찜질방.  Well fed, warm and scrubbed clean to the skin is how all weekends should end!

경주 Cherry Blossoms

Sunday headed to see more Cherry Blossoms in Gyeongju.  I'm coming down with the flu, but a painkiller and some food sorted me out.  Got a bus and then a taxi out to the lake. 



Traffic was so bad ended up abandoning the cab and walking the rest of the way.  


Enjoyed the hundreds of Cherry Blossoms, a sudden gust of wind would make it almost look like snow.
Met up with Adon and Olivia, and headed round past a singing monk to a pier by the water.  


You can see the Gyeongju World theme park from there.  Lined up and went onto a big 4 man duck shaped peddle boat.  We snuck on beers and cake and proceeded to play boat dodgems with some of the Koreans.  After that we had a picnic, listened to some music and drank shoe 막걸리.  


Adon picked up a big pile of them to throw at people as we drove by.  People were surprised at first, but really didn't seem to mind a few extra Cherry Blossoms falling on them!


I had a quick dinner with Sophie downtown and picked up my microwave and vacuum cleaner (second hand thanks to Yumi leaving).

Cherry Blossom Festival / 동화사 / 팔공산

Friday night we had Spanish food at Caliente.  Food was good, but too many GI's and the music was way too loud.  I guess because by that time its mainly a bar.  Afterwards we went to the Shisha place nearby Bus bar.  

Saturday we headed into the mountains with Julian and Willy.  Got kinda lost a few times but eventualy made it to a small village.  Grabbed some lunch (and of course 동동주) and wandered around the Cherry Blossom festival.  After that we went further up to the Donghwasa temple complex.  Julian showed us how to do the 18 bows to one of the Buddhas.  Apparently I should have gotten a wish, or prayer.  Didn't head further up to 갓바위 as it was already getting kinda late. 

For dinner we had raw beef 육회, in sesame oil as well as the usual galbi.  It was a bit more expensive than usual, but if you're eating it raw it has to be super fresh (and so Korean). The taste reminded me a little of raw octopus.  Probably the thing strips of raw meet in sesame oil.  

Ulsan Tight and Bright Rubix Cube Party

Tuesday was Mark's birthday so I headed after work to Ulsan with Shelly.  Met Dan at the Ulsan KTX station.  The theme was Tight and Bright (self-explanatory) as well as Rubix cube (everyone swaps clothes).  

Dayglo boy paint was in excess, Shelly decided that what I was really missing from my getup was a glow in the dark penis on my chest.  Headed to 2 foreigner bars, where surprisingly few people cared that people were regularly stripping down to put on each others ridiculous pants and shirts. I managed to end up with my own clothes by the end of the night, but Mark went home wearing some girls tights!


The plan for the next day was a braai by the river.  Rain soon put an end to that, and we got soju and pizza and sat under the bridge.  Finished the day off playing Monopoly at a board game cafe (these places charge you for the time you're there, and provide a pile of games for you to choose from).

Bad English

So I thought I'd start a new post devoted to the joy that is terrible English (in Korea and elsewhere).





This Lotteria (fast food chain) was closed, presumable because it was not, in fact, "Injoyable"









These two toilet signs were at the same block at the 진도 Sea Parting Festival.

This store was in Mokpo near the waterfront.  I've heard about elephant dung coffee but really..

Jindo Sea Parting Festival

This was the last weekend before Koreans voted (I believe its kinda like their council elections as the presidential one isn't until December).  So there have been loads of people out drumming up support Koreanstylee - by singing and dancing in an open top truck.  As is traditional.


So.. decided to travel to the west coast of Korea.. without really doing the research.. or booking buses..

So we spent hours and hours on coaches.  I'll have to look up an alternative way for my parents to get to Mokpo when they come - instead of 6 hours on buses.  There are 2 stations in 광주, one of which runs the KTX.


We headed straight to 목포, walked about the sea front and did some hiking.  Saw some rock that was supposedly where the Buddha rested and forgot his hat.  Not sure that he spent much time in Korea but anyway..  Found a giant tire warrior, the Michelin man of Asia.


In the evening we sat and watched the Mokpo fountain show at the shore front.  They projected a movie at the start onto the spray which was really cool, supper and drinks.  Got talking and drinking with a couple of local Koreans.  Shelly told a drunken drill sergeant that I'm Japanese, at which point he jumped up, removed his shoe and started hitting it on the ground.

Sunday we went out to Jindo island.  The tide wasn't going to go out till 5 so sadly we couldn't walk across, but the festival market was fun.  Got to try some strong, strange, red coloured alcohol and saw the boat parade.  Also enjoyed the sunshine.  Rode this mad ride, looked like the 아저씨 had built it from an old tractor.

Spa Valley

This weekend we headed to Spa Valley.  There's a big outdoor part, which wasn't open yet, as well as a big indoor with a couple big pools and a 찜질방.  Mark bullied the kids and we went on some of the indoor slides.  Got talking to some teachers who were in the outdoor hot tubs.

Watched John Carter on Saturday and a hectic night out.  The 울산 people stayed at a hostel on a roof near Novotel.  It had a creepy Peter Pan painted on one of the doors - almost looked like it was a children's school by day, hostel by night.