Baywatch Korea

As soon as Sam told me there was a place in Korea with cathedral sized limestone caves, beaches, and giant penis sculptures, I knew we had found our perfect vacation spot. Since we are both saving money for our big back-packing trip in about 3 months here, we opted out of a trip overseas and decided to spend our vacation exploring another part of Korea.

We met in Seoul on Monday morning and bought bus tickets to Samcheok, a city straight east of Seoul, along the coast of the East Sea. A four hour bus ride brought us to this quiet fishing town near the water. We found a motel, a love motel no less, and practiced our bargaining skills and got the room for a fantastic rate for the next three nights. We changed clothes and headed straight for the beach to soak up some late afternoon sun. When our stomaches were making noises and the sun was lowering in the sky we went off in search of dinner. There were tons of seafood restaurants all along the beach with tons of fresh seafood swimming and crawling in the tanks outside waiting to be purchased, killed, and cooked. We chose sea scallops and had them grilled right in front of us. They were delicious. We ended the night with a beer on the beach.

There were a couple of sights that we wanted to see and chose to take a trip to the caves the next day. We took a bus to the sight of the Hwanseon and Donggul caves. There was a straight uphill hike to the cave entrance or there was a long line of families waiting for a snail-slow lift, so we chose the hiking route. It was mid-day and super hot, so by the time we arrived at the entrance I was dripping sweat and thanking God for natural places like caves that are very cool inside. The Hwanseon cave is one of the largest limestone caves in all of Asia. I don't know exactly what I was expecting, but it wasn't this. The cave was absolutely huge. Huge. Huge. Huge. There were metal walkways through the entire thing and it took Sam and I over an hour and a half to make the walk. I was constantly amazed by the natural wonders we found inside: rock formations, waterfalls, strange nooks and crannies, etc. It was one of the coolest things I have seen in Korea. We ended the day at the beach.

the huge cave

Sam and I inside the cave

The next day's trip took us south of Samcheok to the little fishing village of Sinnam. This place has an interesting history that will help explain the bizarre finding here. There is a penis park with tons of huge penis sculptures and totem poles of all shapes and sizes. A strange thing to find anywhere in the world, but especially here in Korea where sex is pretty taboo and not talked about openly. Sam and I were in awe of this penis park, it was extensive even boarding on over-load, but it was surrounded by a beautiful rocky coastline and the scenery was gorgeous. Ok, so the story behind the penis-infatuation. Apparently there is a legend in the town that a virgin drowned in the water and her boyfriend tried to save her, but was unable to because of the rough water. The fisherman began having a difficult time catching anything and thought that the girl cursed the waters. One fisherman "heeded the call of nature" towards the water and realized that after he did so, the catch of the day was plentiful. The fisherman followed suite and there was a giant penis sculpture created facing the water in hopes of pleasing the frustrated ghost of the drowned virgin. The penis park sprang up, (no pun intended) and there is even a shrine to the virgin ghost to help bless the fisherman and their catch. Really all I can say about the penis park is that it was a lot of laughs and was definitely a memorable part of my travels here in Korea.

penis park in Sinnam

me and a big penis at the park

the rocky coastline

The rest of our vacation was pretty much spent at the beach, enjoying the sun and trying to work on our tans. I realized that once you begin using SPF 50 instead of lathering on oil, you are officially getting old. If there is anything I learned about Koreans at the beach it's this- they love to bury each other in the sand and they swim with their clothes on. No joke. Clothes on. Some people had bathing suites on underneath their clothes and Lord knows why they didn't wear them, but nope. Some people even swam with shoes, baseball and beach hats, long sleeve button up shirts, sweaters on. I am not kidding. It was one of the strangest things I have ever seen at the beach in my life. I don't know if they are paranoid about sunburn, don't wanna show of their skinny bods, or can't afford swim wear... still don't think any of those are the reason. It's a mystery to me. The life guards, however looked like Baywatch Korea with their almost-black skin and tiny little spandex. Sam and I were dying.

Koreans swimming with their clothes on at the beach

My second mini-vacation of my vacation week was awesome and the beach was so relaxing and refreshing. It was great to spend time with Sam and see more of what this country has to offer. Now it's back to the grind for two more weeks until my next (and last) vacation in August.

Namaste

"I Can Smell North Korea From Here"

One whole week away from school seemed like a dream come true. As soon as 12:30PM last Thursday afternoon hit, I grabbed all of my things, hustled out of school, and jumped in the rental car passenger side with Sean in the driver's seat and we were off. We decided to check out the northeastern part of Korea and typed in "Sokcho" on the GPS and drove for miles until we reached the mountains and the beach. Sokcho is located on the East Sea (or Sea of Japan, although Koreans hate to use that name) and almost right next to Seoraksan National Park, the most beautiful national park in Korea with the tallest mountain top. We found a reasonable motel and decided to walk around and explore the area a bit. Besides the beach there wasn't a whole lot going on in Sokcho, but it was a nice relaxing get-away spot.

The food was delicious and Sean and I both got to try some new things. One night we ate grilled clams and oysters for dinner. They were really yummy. We also tried a local delicacy. Sundae is traditional Korean sausage which is a mix of different things cased in pig intestine. This local sundae, called ojingeo sundae, is made from ingredients wrapped in squid and then fried in egg. It sounds strange, but was actually quite tasty.

seafood dinner

the shells were so hot I had to use gloves

ojingeo sundae

Our evenings were spent relaxing and having drinks on the beach as we watched families, couples, and people of all ages enjoy the summer nights. People were going crazy over fireworks and they were being set off all over the beach.

Sean and I did a few day trips and got to see some pretty amazing things during our vacation. We drove north of Sokcho to a town called Hwajinpo and saw the former North Korean leader, Kim Il Sung's villa where the family used to vacation. There was an old photograph of his son, Kim Jung Il on the very steps that we were standing on and it was a little eerie to think the lunatic himself once stood there too.

We also drove to the very tip of South Korea and got as close to North Korea as possible without crossing over the DMZ line at the 38th parallel. The further and further you drive towards the boarder, the more desolate and creepy the feeling gets. We passed miles of beautiful beaches that were deserted and lined with barbed-wire fences and look out towers. There were even giant concrete blocks lining the roads that will be tipped over and used as road blocks for tanks in times of war. As we got closer, Sean joked "I can smell North Korea from here" which of course he couldn't, but still made me laugh. We reached an education center and had to stop and fill out our information and car number before moving forward on our journey. There were lines of cars and we had to wait until a certain time to go ahead and drive the 10 or so more kilometers to the Unification Observatory sight. Once we arrived at the gate dotted with barbed wire and patrol men, a South Korean solider examined our papers, saluted to us, and let us pass. After parking the car, Sean and I hiked up the steep hill to the look out point. From the look-out point, you can view the shore and mountains that run into North Korea, the most isolated country in the whole world. This is about as close as South Koreans can get to their neighbors in the north. North Korea completely caught my attention as I became more and more interested in the separation of this country and what's happening in the north right now. I began scouring the pages of my Korea Lonely Planet for as much information as possible and as soon as I got home I was engrossed in watching some documentaries that people have filmed in North Korea.

our paperwork

the gate

figured a smile had no place in a photo of me and one of the "axis of evil", North Korea

I want to share some things with you that I had absolutely no idea about and maybe you yourself never realized either.

• North Korea and South Korea are still technically at war. A Peace Treaty has not officially been signed, even though the fighting stopped over 50 years ago.
• North and South Korea are separated at the 38th parallel by the area known as the DMZ. (Demilitarized Zone) Funny they call it that because it it one of the most heavily guarded boarders in the whole world, with North Korean soldiers to the north and South Korean and American soldiers to the south and undisturbed land mines throughout.
• President Bush called North Korea part of the "axis of evil" in his first inauguration speech.
• Kim Il Sung was the original leader and president of North Korea until he died in 1994. He is still the president of the country even though he is dead and his son, Kim Jung Il is now in power. Anyone else find this strange?
• North Korea has the largest army in the world. There are over 1 million people that make up their armed forces. Men are required to serve a minimum of 6 years in the military.
• There are no cell phones and very very very limited internet access in North Korea.
• North Koreans need to have a permission slip from the government to travel to another city or area of the country.
• North Koreans are fed anti-American propaganda every day of their lives. They still believe we are Imperialists and are attacking countries all over the world for no reason. The North Korean people are also taught that Americans are the ones who have caused such damage as poverty and starvation in their country. Essentially, they are taught to hate Americans from birth.
• Kim Jung Il has only ever spoken one sentence in public. He has also promoted bizarre self-propaganda facts to the people such as he is the one who created the hamburger, he is the best natural golfer in the world, the world loves him and all over the world people celebrate his birthday.
• If someone is caught doing something the government disapproves of, that person's family can and most likely will be punished or murdered up to three generations. We're talking husbands, wives, children, parents, grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins' lives at stake for one person's mistake.
• The population of North Korea is around 23 million, but they don't actually know the real number. It is estimated that about 1/3 to 2/3 of the population is malnourished or starving.
• People are given a ranking according to their servitude to Kim Jung Il and the regime. The lucky people get to live in the capital, Pyongyang, and are said to lead the best lives.
• Only "chosen" people are allowed to speak with foreign visitors to the country.
• If you visit North Korea, you are forced to bow to a giant statue of Kim Il Sung and give flowers.
• Less than 2,000 foreigners visit North Korea a year.

Ok, so I'm done ranting about North Korea, but it just amazes me that we are so close to them here in South Korea and it's like a whole different world. I had no idea that there were so many people only a few hundred miles from me that are literally living in hell on earth. I just really feel sympathy for the people of North Korea and pray that somehow, someday their lives can be changed for good.

After exploring around Sokcho, Sean and I headed west to Seorksan National Park for our last night. We stopped in the park on the way and took the cable car up the mountain. The view of the park was absolutely stunning. The mountain peaks were amazing and the sights were incredible. We also walked through the park a bit and saw a giant Buddha statue which of course amazed me and I had to stop and take tons of pictures of. I read in my Lonely Planet that there were hot springs south of the park, so we hopped in the car and went that way. When we got to the little town we found out that there were no natural hot spring pools sitting up in the mountains as I had imagined, but a hot spring water pool in a hotel. Boo. At least I got to shower with natural spring water from the faucet. Somehow not quite the same.

Sean and I 800 meters up

catching dragon flies

big Buddha

I snuck a picture of the monks praying and chanting

We arrived in Seoul on Sunday a little earlier than expected and since we still had the rental car for a bit, decided to drive south of Seoul to Suwon and see the Hwaseong Fortress, an ancient fortress and fortress wall that dates back to the 18th century. The wall is expansive and surrounds the city. Walking it would take about 2 hours. Since it was about 90 degrees with the sun blasting down on us, Sean and I opted out of the walk, but drive a little around it and climbed a bit for a photo-ops.

Hwaseong Fortress

photo-op, I am becoming quite Korean posing for pictures by myself

I rested up Sunday evening from a fantastic weekend and unpacked and repacked again for my next adventure with Sam.

Namaste

A Lovely Afternoon

My co-teacher picked me up from school today and took me out to lunch. Her friend, Jeanie, another English teacher came with us too. We ate a delicious lunch at a western buffet restaurant and had some great conversation. My co-teacher asked me if I had ever had a foot massage before and I told her no, then her and Jeanie decided we needed to be treated to one.

When we finished eating, we stopped by a cosmetic counter so my co-teacher could get some make-up. She was helped by a young guy and after she purchased and we left the store, her and Jeanie commented on how strange it was to see a man working at a cosmetic counter and wondered why he would want to do that. I just stated the obvious and told them that it was probably because he was gay. I mentioned it without hesitating, not thinking about how homosexuality is a very taboo issue in Korea. They both looked at me like I told them there was no Santa Clause or something, very shocked. The issue of homosexuality is basically not talked about in Korea at all. There is a small grouping of gay bars in Itaewon in an area called "Homo Hill", but besides that other gay establishments are all underground and not spoken of. Many young gay Koreans have to hide their true identity from their families and will probably never be able to come out to them unless things change sometime soon. It's a shame that Korea is moving forward so quickly with some issues, but stuck in the Medieval times with others.

If you have never had a Thai foot massage, then I suggest you go and get yourself one. It was fabulous. We were taken to a dimly lit room filled with enticing incense and Buddhist decor and seated in some comfortable chairs. The women working on our feet couldn't have been taller than me or weighed more than 120 pounds, but the power they packed in their hands and arms was astonishing. My massage was surely painful at points, but my feet feel amazing now. My co-teacher told me that most Asian people believe that the bottom of the foot is connected to all the major organs of the body; therefore, foot massage and stimulation is a big part of eastern medicine.

Sean and I are leaving for a weekend get-away tomorrow, not quite sure where we are headed, but it will be wonderful to get out of town. Sam and I are taking a trip together next week to the Eastern part of Korea. I cannot wait for vacation!

Tomorrow is my 10 month anniversary in Korea. This year is flying by. Time stands still for no one.

Namaste

Ipod Inspiration

"There are places I remember

all my life

though some have changed

some forever, not for better

some are gone and some remain

all these places had their moments

with lovers and friends

I still can recall

some are dead and some are living

in my life I've loved them all."

-The Beatles, In My Life

Namaste

Rain, Rain Go Away

I'm sure that the childhood rhyme will not do us any luck over here in South Korea where the monsoon season has begun. Everyone warned me that the rainy season is bad. I had no idea how bad. Friday after work I walked about ten minutes to the subway station and arrived soaking wet. My jeans were soaked to my thighs, my shirt drenched, and my leather Marc bag was in a pathetic state full of unhealthy moisture. Did I mention I had an umbrella?

umbrellas are the new black

Due to the spontaneous torrential downpours and unpredictable wind, my weekend plans changed. Most foreigners made their way down to the west coast for Mud Fest, but I decided last minute to forgo the mud and rain and thunderstorms and stay somewhere dry. Instead, Sean and I spent Saturday afternoon at a local cafe and enjoyed some quiet time reading, listening to tunes, and sipping on tea and fresh juice. I hadn't had a cafe afternoon in a long time and it was quite relaxing.

the little stream has turned into a dirty river

After we cleaned up, we headed to Seoul to see the most critically acclaimed live show in Korea, Nanta. The live show features four chefs who are frantically trying to cook enough food for some weddings within an hour. During the show the actors were actually making music out of the ordinary kitchen utensils while dancing, doing comedy, and cooking. Because of it's audience interaction and wildly entertaining drumming, chopping, and acting, the show has had the longest run of any in Korea's theatre history. During the show the actors pulled audience members on stage for a few different things. At one point, a male chef came towards our isle and grabbed my hand to pull me on stage. I was taken to a cooking table, a chef hat plopped on my head, and I followed what the female chef showed me to do which was make mandu- grab a disc of dough, fill it with cabbage stuff, ball it up with my hand, ring a bell, and when four were made, roll it down the food conveyor belt. It ended up being a kind of contest between myself and another a few others pulled on stage. Sad to say my team lost because we were not fast enough, but it was pretty hilarious getting pulled up there in front of the whole audience. Sean tried to get a photo, but of course my camera had just died.

the stage of Nanta

Sean and I

show poster

When we got out of the show, the rain had not let out at all, so we jumped in a cab and headed to Itaewon to try a restaurant I had been wanting to eat at for a while, the Macaroni Market. The food and drinks were not quite up to par with the prices, but I did have the most excellent salad I have had in Korea, or maybe anywhere with gorgonzola cheese, red lettuce, apple slices, walnuts, celery, and honey dressing. Mmmm.

Today the forecast is rain, again. Of course. So Sean and I are headed to COEX mall to see a movie and eat some Mexican food. All in all, a great, dry, relaxing weekend. Looking forward to a four half-days workweek and vacation begins Friday. Olleh!

Namaste

"So Do We Get Paddles?"

I ventured to the eastern province of Gangwon-do this past weekend for an adventure filled trip through a tour company called Adventure Korea. Some friends and I decided to get out of the city Saturday and enjoy a day of white water rafting and bungee jumping. The white water rafting was not as 'good' as it might have been because the water level was low. The rapids were nothing compared to the mighty White Nile and it was just more relaxing than nerve-racking. The scenery up the river was absolutely gorgeous. We were drifting along through a canyon of shear cliffs on either side. Along the way there were several waterfalls and some beautiful and interesting rock formations. Our raft was dubbed "team soju" since our guide had a soju hang-over and several of our group had taken some swigs of soju on the bus before the rafting. After a few hours we were finally back the the starting point for some showers and lunch. When we finished lunch we headed to the bridge a few miles away for the bungee jumping portion of our trip. This was the highlight for me. Because so many people wanted to jump it took forever to get through us all. The longer we stood up on the platform the more I contemplated my decision to tempt fate yet again, but of course I went through with it. The jump was 52 meters high and I jumped solo by my ankles. The jump was quite bouncy compared to my other jumps and I actually saw stars from spinning around so much while I was hanging in the air. Several Korean people tried to jump and chickened out. One man tried three times before throwing in the towel and doing the walk of shame back down from the platform. One Korean girl bungee jumped in high heels. Yes, high heels. Only in Korea. It was a great day, but I arrived home more than 12 hours later exhausted, sunburnt, and more than likely missing a few more brain cells.

Sean and I with the river in the background

my jump courtesy of Alex Yang

Check out my bungee jump here: http://www.facebook.com/video/video.php?v=10100245669278659

Sunday my friend Chris and I braved the crowds for the grand opening of Taco Bell in Itaewon. They were giving away free tacos and the mass of people waiting in line for them was crazy. The food actually tasted like T Bell from home. It was a little slice of America right here in Korea. Yum.

T Bell feast

Namaste

Get 'Yer Popcorn!

There have been a lot of movies coming out in Korea lately that I had to go and see in the theatre. Going to the movies in Korea is a real treat and I realized the other day after a viewing of the new Tom Cruise and Cameron Diaz film (don't know how new it is at home, probably been out for a while), Knight and Day, that I haven't mentioned it yet. First of all, you must reserve your seats in the theatre beforehand. You are actually given assigned seats, but you get to choose them. It's very practical and efficient really, there are no people sitting with one empty seat between them that could potentially be used in a sold out show. (So frustrating when that happens and you can't find a seat except the front row!) The concession stand serves caramel popcorn as well as regular and they even have fun treats like dried squid available. The American movies are all subtitled with Korean characters at the bottom. My first movie in Korea was strange and I kept being distracted by the subtitles, but now I am used to seeing them and I don't think twice about it. Watching an American movie as an American in a theatre full of Koreans can be quite the experience. There are lots of things such as humor, expression, and even some phrases that cannot really be translated into Korean, so when you are the only American (or one in a handful of them) watching the movie there are lots of times when you might laugh out loud or crack up while the Korean people around you are silent as mice. Pretty hilarious really.

I went to see the Blindside in theatres with my co-workers a while back and it actually made me feel a little strange. That movie is so American in every sense of the word- the southern families, football, high school, "ghetto" neighborhoods, racism, etc. I completely understood everything in the film because I am familiar with all of those aspects of American life, but Koreans on the other hand, have no idea what any of those things are about. There are no Friday night high school football games in Korea, no teen shootings, no ghettos, no Taco Bells (yet!), no college football scholarships. My co-workers must have been left feeling a little disoriented and maybe not quite sure of the entire story or message of the movie. Seeing that movie here in Korea definitely made me look at our American lives a little differently, but it also gave me a touch of nostalgia and really made me miss the U.S.

Bought tickets for the opening of Twilight Eclipse in Korea tomorrow! I know, I know, you all got to see it the other week, but I cannot wait to finally watch it!

Namaste

An Educational Trip

The Korean War Memorial and Museum has been on my to-do list since I came to Korea and never got around to visiting until today. The outside of the building is surrounded by sculptures, reflection ponds, planes, tanks, and weaponry. The inside is a collection of information, artifacts, photographs, and videos from Korea's history through warfare. The part about the Korean War was particularly interesting to me. I was not alive when the Korean War went down and the dividing line was made, but it is something that did not happen that long ago and still affects Korea to this day. The American troops are still stationed here in Korea for some extra assistance and assurance that North Korea will more than likely not attack any time soon. I was surprised to learn that so many different nations and the U.N. had such a big hand in the war. The names of all the soldiers who fought and lost their lives are there on plaques as you walk into the main entrance. There was even a "war simulation" room where we listened to some Korean soldiers 'during' battle and heard and saw explosions and smoke as if we were there in the action. It was quite cheesy, but an interesting way to learn more about the war. The display cases inside the museum were all very well done and some were even interactive with animated models, lights, and sounds. The 60th anniversary of the Korean War was June 25, 2010 and so there was a special exhibit going on inside the museum to commemorate it. All in all, it was a very educational trip and I will definitely be watching some documentaries about the Korean War in the future to learn more about it.

war memorial and museum

Korean War museum

names on the wall

student art work, united Korea

U.N. members who were involved in the war

tanks outside

Namaste

Vertical or Horizontal: Which Are You?

I had the most interesting conversation with one of my co-workers today in my teacher's class. We began discussing some differences in culture between the east and the west. She told me that she thought Korean people think vertically and western people think very horizontally. At first I was a little confused, but after further discussion I understood perfectly. It was an amazing analogy. Korean people speak differently to other people according to their age, position, etc. Their language reflects that. The Korean language is also very harsh. People say things like "jow" which means "give me" all the time without any "pleases" or "thank you's". It's just the way people speak. Koreans constantly think of things like age and status, and therefore have a vertical way of viewing the world and themselves. It's almost like a modern caste system, but not really. Western people have a horizontal way of thinking and viewing the world in that we keep people on an even playing field. We would be just as polite to a mailman as we would be to the governor. Our language reflects that with words like could, would, shall, allow, may I, etc. We are also always apologizing for things and often ask instead of tell. Here is what I am talking about: a Korean student might tell his/her teacher "I want to go to the bathroom" whereas, an American student might ask his/her teacher "may I go to the bathroom?" It's just different.

My co-worker then brought up another very thought-provoking point. She told me something that actually helped explain to me the lack of manners in Korean society. She told me that Korean people speak harshly, but have a soft mind. She said that western people speak softly, but have a hard mind. She gave me an example that Koreans may bump into each other and not say excuse me, but they do not say anything because they trust each other not to get mad or upset or want to punch each other in the face or even pull out a gun. Western people, on the other hand, always say excuse me if they bump into someone because usually they just want to cover their back and not upset someone or allow someone to get angry or violent. Koreans are peaceful people. I mean, their police don't even carry guns! But why would they? Batons work just fine to settle down a drunken disturbance, probably about as bad as it gets here. In America, people are allowed to own guns and many people are "packing" wherever they go for self protection. If a policeman tried to break up a gang-related fight in America with a baton, how hard would those gangsters laugh?

Which brings up another thought. What the hell must people think of us Americans? We really are one of the most violent countries on earth. What a shame. I once was talking to some Canadian friends about always locking your doors and they thought I was nuts because people in Canada are not paranoid about that like we are in America. When I travel to "dangerous" places like countries in Africa people at home are always so scared and nervous for me, but it makes me wonder why we are not more scared and nervous right in our own backyards- because Obama has our back? Because our "great" justice system will prevail? Because we'll just pull out our 45 and take care of things ourselves? Just some food for your mind. Mine's been fed a lot today.

Happy July!

Namaste