Weiguksaram

Four Days in Beijing

2005-05-08T10:55:00.000+09:00

The past weekend Justin and I spent in Beijing, hitting most of the tourist spots as well as spending a fair amount of time with Emily shopping, eating, drinking and dancing. Okay, I did the dancing with Emily. Justin danced a minimal amount. We went with our friend Kyle, a teacher from our same school, also a friend of Emily's.
Justin and I decided to take the package tour of Beijing as it was cheaper. Also, the monuments are pretty far away from each other, so having a driver was in our best interest. It turned out, we had our own personal driver, Mr. Choi and tour guide, Annie. We stayed in a four star hotel, although that turned out to definitely be a relative term in China. Our days started early, meeting Annie at 8:30am in the lobby.
After landing and checking into our hotel the first day, we toured the Temple of Heaven. It's a huge temple complex used by the emperors to pray for good harvest during the solstice and celebrate a good harvest during the equinox. The structures were enormous and beautiful, all positioned along a meridian, a wide long road with ancient gates. The gates had three doors, the middle one only reserved for the gods. In the temple complex we visited a local art institute's gallery. The students showed us around a bit, explaining in close to perfect English the symbolic nature of traditional Chinese art. I bought two small oil paintings that we done by one of the professors. They are very abstract images of Buddha, with very thickly applied paint in various shades of orange. One is painted on a dark red background and one on a blue/grey background, symbolizing heaven and earth / yin and young.
That night we met Kyle at the 'Acrobatic Macrocosm' circus show our tour included. The circus show was impressive, especially the young acrobats and contortionists. Every act included a symbolic element meant to represent the Chinese culture and tradition in some way. The next night we saw an equally impressive show about the history and culture of Kung-Fu, called "The Legend of Kung-Fu". It was not part of the tour, but Kyle, Justin, Emily and I opted for this rather than the Chinese Opera, which some akined to 'the sound dying cats',even our Chinese tour guide! The Kung-Fu show was a bit over the top in the onstage visual effects, but nevertheless was impressive as the cast was full of talent.
The next morning we made our way to the Great Wall of China. We climbed the Badaling section of the wall, the most complete portion of the wall and by far the most touristy! But that doesn't mean it was the easiest to climb. The first part of the wall Justin and I were climbing the steep stairs with throngs of German, Italian, Russian and Spanish tourists (suprisingly not many English speakers). After the first 15 minutes of climbing, the crowds thinned out significantly for water breaks at the various towers along the way. Then we got to climb the rest of the steep wall more privately. Some of the stairs were as tall as my knees and significantly worn down. I think it was the most amazing part of the trip, as the views were incredible. Despite the hazy air, the surrounding mountians were still very visible and neverending.
That day we also visited the Ming Tombs, which are situated in a deep valley surrounded by three mountian ranges. The tombs are arranged along a north-south meridian, with huge incredible gates at each site. The tomb of the last emperor of the Ming Dynasty is actually in a hill behind an incredible temple. One property of the Chinese ancient art of feng shui is that a house should be with its back to a hill or mountian. This is why they enclosed the last emperor in a man made hill behind one of the temples.
Our next stop before dinner was a Chinese tea house. We got a private tea cermony lesson from a woman in one of various rooms which can be rented to groups. Justin and I drilled the woman on the various teas, to which she seemed a bit suprised. We bought some lychee tea leaves from her. Later on the trip I bought a beautiful black tea pot from one of the Chinese markets Emily took us to. I tested the quality of it by dertermining the tightness of the lid, a tip I learned from Phil. (It was tight)
That night after our wonderful Beijing (Peking) duck dinner, where a man carved the roasted duck in front of us, Justin and I met up with Emily and Kyle again. We went to a very modern bar near the bar street area, which was full of expatriates. It was '80s night so we ended up staying out dancing and drinking cheap drinks until 3:30am. Eventually we all left, and Justin and I got into a taxi, showing the driver the address of our hotel in Chinese. He decided to take us, despite not knowing where it was. As we flew by the Beijing Railway Station, we knew we were headed in the wrong direction. So with a variety of hand movements, swerving all over the road and 'yes' or 'no' vocal grunts (as we didn't even know these words in Chinese!) we finally were able to end up near our hotel at 4am.
The alarm clock at 7am was a shock and we made our way to Tian'amen Square, which was actually closed to the public due to the Taiwanese Leader's official visit the same day. After being shuffled through the massive crowds, we reached the entrance to the Forbidden City. It's the world's largest temple complex and was the imperial palace during the Ming and Qing dynasties. The complex contains over 9,999 buildings surrounded by a six meter moat and a ten meter high wall. It took us over three hours to view the complex, stopping breifly at the various gates. One of the many magnificent temple buildings was built specifically for the emperor's wedding night and never used again.
Our last day in Beijing we spent with Emily, who took us on a pwer shopping trip to the three different markets. Justin bought a huge cloth painting of Mao and had to do some hefty bargaining to get it. I bought some (really cheap!) clothes, a coral necklace and my beautiful tea pot. The bargainers in China are really quite difficult as you have to invest a good amount of time bargaining and talking to them, a change from the Thai shopkeepers who drop the price in an instant. The Chinese shopkeepers also really try and play the 'friend card', saying things like "Oh, pretty hair. Beautiful! For you, my friend, I give you 120 yuan. For everyone else, 380 yuan!"
But of course, no Chinese buyer would take 120 yuan. They'd actually pay about 50.
Our four days in Beijing was really a testament to the rising economic power China is proving itself to be. Although it is technically a communist country, the spirit of consumerism and capitalism invades everything and everyone. Many businesses (gas stations, department stores, grocery stores) are still owned by the government, I think privately-run businesses are becoming a bit more prevalent. I do wish we could have visited Shanghai, the center of China's real economic rising, or some of the more rural parts of China, which of course show the other, neglected side of communist China. As for visiting the largest country in the world, I don't think four days was sufficient but we did our best and certainly saw and did the most we could.

A Thai Christmas

2005-03-18T11:03:00.000+09:00

Our last day of classes in December fell on Christmas Eve last year. Since our last class ended at 7:50pm and no international flight leaves out of Seoul past 8 o'clock at night, all of us were stuck in the city for the night before Christmas. That night Justin and I had a Christmas Eve Party of drinks and dessert at our apartment.
The next day we left for the airport to fly to Bangkok with our three friends Claire, Tracy (from New Zealand) and Tanya (from Canada). We doned linen Thai pants and t-shirts in six degree (C) weather and hustled to the bus stop with our backpacks to catch the airport bus.
We landed in Bangkok at mignight local time. Walking outside to the transportation platform, we were hit by the musty, hazy, polluted air of the city. Instantly I felt my throat effected by the horrible air. We spent the night in a big backpackers hostel off Ko San Road in the middle of Bangkok.
The next morning we flew an hour to Surat Thani, a port city in the south of Thailand. We took a bus and eventually a ferry (with tons of fellow backpackers) to the island of Ko Samui, one of Thailand's most popular islands known for its gorgeous beaches and the infamous Full Moon Parties on the nearby island of Ko Pha Nan.
We stayed on Big Buddha beach on the north side of island, appropriately named for the enormous Buddha statue at a temple off Big Buddha Pier. We rented small (airconditioned!) bungalows fifteen meters from the beach in a quiet, not so touristy area of the island. The night of the first day was the Full Moon Party, so after some great curry at a nearby restaurant, we hopped on a speed boat, destined specifically for the party on Ko Pha Nan. The drivers of the boat, not Thai nor Westerners, are sure to be making a huge profit, since they cram as many party-goers as possible onto this high powered boat. There were three boats driving back and forth from the island all night. Our boat tickets were on a string (I'm assuming so we wouldn't loose themm in the coming chaos), reminding us of us in bold print the times we were to catch the boat back to Ko Samui when we'd had enough of the party. The earliest time was 3AM and the last at 11AM.
Arriving onto the island of Ko Pha Nan, we made out way through the small town of clothing shops, 7-11s and curry bars, until we reached the huge beach on the north end of the island. I couldn't believe the masses, as we stepped out onto the sand. There were people pouring out of the beach front bars with buckets of liquor, dancing on large platforms on the beach, surrounding bonfires and firedancing performers and the occasional party-goer releiving himself in the ocean. Men and women, to be exact... The party was fun, a long night of dancing and drinking cocktails out of buckets. Then it started to rain so we headed back to the pier and tried to get a spot on the next boat back to Samui.
The next morning we rented motorbikes, one of the biggest highlights of the trip by far. Justin and I enjoyed them so much, we're looking into getting one here in Seoul. Although even driving through the busier beaches I was a bit nervewracked trying to keep up with the madman Justin. Also, getting used to driving on the left side of the road was a bit hard for us North Americans, but no sweat for the Kiwis among us. At one point we were heading back to our bungalows via motorbikes from the other side of the island, and of course Claire and Justin were leading (racing, actually). Only the slower 'ajimmas' (as Tracy and I called ourselves) didn't fail to see the huge blue sign to turn right to head towards Big Buddha beach. Tracy and I ended up spending two hours drinking a couple Chang Beers outside the little shop across the street from our bungalows with a couple of German guys, waiting for them. Two hours and one full tank of gas later, they rolled in. They ended up circling the whole damn island before ending up at the spot that took us twenty minutes to get to.
Of our four days on the island we spent a lot of time shopping at Chaweng Beach and Big Buddha Pier. We got quite good at bartering as well. I admit I was a bit hesitant to push such a low price on the shop owner, but eventually I got real into it. Although each shop owner differed in how much they would budge, most of the time if you follow a simple formula you'll get the lower price. The formula is this: always cut the price by half and then debate from there. Once you get just over half, start really pushing your price. If you really think they're bluffing, say no and walk away. Most of the time, they fold and agree to a price. Many shop owners pause when you ask the price and look you up and down (probably trying to figure out if you have the money to pay double) before offering a price. The bartering is really expected on their side and look stunned when a foreigner agrees to the first price they shout out. It's a real game, and so many of the shop owners are really good at it. Although some have a few selling speeches in common, such as "Good for me, good for you." or "Give me more. Give me more."
We spent our last three days in Bangkok. We took the ferry to Surat Thani and then an overnight train to Bangkok. Both our ferry and train rides we spent with three French men, traveling the same route. One seemed like he belonged in the 1980s, sporting a portable radio blasting American rap. On the ferry ride, which was packed with travelers, he tried to start a dance party right there on the deck! In the morning on the train, he set his radio above the communal sink and danced to the rap as brushed his teeth! We should know, as our beds on the train were right in between the sink area and their beds. In any case, they were good fun.
In Bangkok, we met up with Justin's friend Matt who had been living in Thailand since he came to see us in Korea. We stayed at a great hostel/bungalow style motel near KoSahn road. We shopped along KoSahn road almost every day, but did get out of the touristy area to see the Gold Mountian Temple and Grand Palace, among some other places. We hired two Tuk Tuks for the day, as they charged only 30 baht per Tuk Tuk. The Thai government tries to increase tourism, by giving Tuk Tuk drivers gas coupons, if they bring tourists to diamond shops and tailors, in between taking them to various monuments around the city. The first tailor we went to, we didn't stay long enough and act interested, so our driver didn't get his gas coupon. So we agreed to stay at least fifteen minutes in the diamond shop and act as if we could afford the diamond jewelery. I made the most of it, trying on a $37,000 diamond ring! I actually didn't want to take it off and that frightened Justin a bit. We all tried on the most expensive rings, necklaces, bracelets we could find, with the exception of Justin and Matt.
Another great thing we did in Bangkok was take a long boat ride along the canals in the city, where we could see more of Bangkok that wasn't in Lonely Planet. The ride took us through mainly residential areas in Bangkok and then along the river that flows through the city. Our driver paused at one point where we bought bread from a little stand on the bank ofa small canal and fed an enormous school of really fat catfish. Their heads were about the size of baseballs! The driver even encouraged us to try and pet them. Justin did, of course. We witnessed some other interesting sites along the way, such as a man opening a window of a rickty wooden house, leaning out and puking into the canal! And a short distance further, a little Thai boy bathing in the canal.
On our last day before we flew back to Seoul, we took a bus from Bangkok to the famous floating markets, which were two hours outside of the city. At first we thought the ride was much shorter and were worried we'd miss all the market action. But we were lucky and made it there with plenty of time. We hired another long boat, although this one was much lower in the water than the one in Bangkok. Our driver, a young Thai man, took us through a small, somewhat abandoned canal and then turned a corner which revealed a large explosion of the colors, action and liveliness of the floating market. As we slowly drove into all the action, vendors in boats wold approach us selling things from sliced mango and pieces of coconut, to small wooden dishes and other Thai souveniers. The banks of the narrow canals were packed with vendors squating amongst their goods, waving people over to dock their boats and take a look. A couple times we pulled up to the side of the canals and admired the hand carved furniture, or handmade traditional Thai hats. But most of the time I was snapping pictures of the vendors in their boats. There is absolutely no space wasted in the floating market, as with every inch you move there's another vendor, boat or possible sale in your face. Our driver kept warning us to kkeep our hands inside the boat, as we often collided with other boats. We got out of the main canal to one of the smaller areas of the market, which was mainly a food market. My favorite vendor was an old woman selling huge raw pieces of red meat which were layed all over her wooden boat, covered in flies. Tanya, the vegetarian in the group, especially enjoyed that one. We tried to buy some pad thai from a woman who was stirring some up on a wooden boat/kitchen, but she said she was "sold out", as she was making it for the enormous group of male vendors all pulled up beside her. Our driver ended up taking up to a small stand near the bus terminal, after the ride was finished for some amazing pad thai. The floating market was definitely the best thing we saw in Thailand, not only because of the dizzying array of colorful smells and sights but because we got to see a part of Thailand that isn't aiming to please tourists, where tourism isn't their main industry.
Bangkok is a great city, as it doesn't seem as dense as other major cities, in terms of population. But it certainly is dirty. Walking down the streets, you can see dark stripes of dirt on the formerly white facades of the older buildings. Of course, the enormous portraits of the Thai King framed in gold at every intersection does distract one from the dirtiness. One portrait, on the exterior of the BMW dealership, is over two stories tall! Thai people I thought were very friendly, always offering helpful advice in English. But of course, a fairly disturbing part of the Thai society are the young Thai women on the arms of older western men. It's hard to ignore it, as they were everywhere we went, from Ko Samui to Bangkok.
And of course, as most people will tell you, the best part of Thailand, despite it's friendly people, golden temples, gorgeous beaches or great shopping, is the food! By far, I think the best pad thai or red curries we had were the ones that cost the equivalent to a US$1 that we bought on the street in Bangkok. We watched most of them cook it right in front of us, in stands about the size of phone booths. Everywhere we went, we ate amazing food, right down to the ferry terminals!
After our contract is finished in Korea, Justin and I are going to travel for the month of July to Vietnam, Thailand and Malaysia. Because, of course, no one in their right mind can resist seeing Thailand twice in one year.

Udo Diving Women

2004-10-27T23:56:00.000+09:00

Udo
Originally uploaded by katevsnow.

The next day we set out from our little yogwan at Seongsan to the small island of Udo. It's known as 'Cow Island' because of the shape of it on the horizon looks like the back of a buffalo emerging from the water. The island is very relaxing and rural, with a total population of only 1750.
On Udo there is a small community of haenyeo, Jeju-do's famous diving women who collect shellfish from the depths of the south sea. There have been several generations of these women on the island, whom often work until they reach the age of seventy. They use no scuba gear (only wetsuit, face mask, net, gloves and a basket) and are able to hold their breath for over two minutes and dive to depths of over 65 feet.
Justin and I rented bicycles for three hours to peddle the flat neatly paved road which circled the island. The beaches of Udo were starkly white, ranging from rough coral to smooth sand.
We caught up a group of haenyeo taking a lunch break near the lighthouse on the north side of the island. They were friendly and let me take their picture, as I'm sure many other tourists had before.
The east side of the island is the'head of the buffalo', the highest point of the island, and is thus very un-bikeable. So, after a couple hours of biking, we thought we shold be able to cross the island to head back to the starting point of the ferry dock. We chose an inland road and biked uphill for aways through small housing complexes with four foot walls built by black volcanic rocks. We paused up top to take in the view and suddenly saw a small Korean man appear from one of the houses. The small dog near his side started barking ferociously at Justin on his bike, while I stood behind them and took a great picture of the rabid little beast. The man did nothing to try and control his pooch and all but started laughing as we quickly rode away.

Manjanggul Lava Caves

2004-10-27T10:29:00.000+09:00

ManjanggulCave
Originally uploaded by katevsnow.

After getting more than we could handle of pig parts and dead animals walking, we took a taxi to the center of Jeju-si, where we took a bus to the Manjanggul Lava Caves. The caves are a huge tourist attraction, but we thought we'd give them a shot since they were claimed as the world's longest system of lava caves, at over 13km long with a height and width varying from 3m to 20m. The caves were wet and cold, as expected and packed with Korean locals and tourists. I struggled to get a good shot of Justin without bypassers and managed to take this green tinted photo near the end of the cave.

Jeju-si Oiljang (Five Day Market)

2004-10-27T10:11:00.000+09:00

FiveDayMarket
Originally uploaded by katevsnow.

After a long first term here, Justin and I decided to take a trip to see the Korea that lives outside of Seoul. We took a four day trip to the southern most part of Korea, the island of Jeju-do. They call it 'the honeymoon island' because it's where most young Korean couples go after, of course, getting married and because it's the closest thing to a tropical vacation. There are palm trees scattered throughout the island, and although some say they're imported, I doubt it.
The first thing we did was go to the five day market in the city of Jeju-si. The market is only held on calendar days ending with a 'two' or 'seven'. Since we arrived on the 27th we thought we must go. It is the largest open-air market I think I've ever seen and I don't think we even saw half. There you can find anything from kimchi pots, plants and clothes to fish, beans and live animals.
We were just walking into the meat and seafood section of the market when I heard a loud squaking. I turned and saw two ajimmas carrying two big live geese in canvas bags. It was then that I noticed we weren't just at a meat and seafood market, we at a butcher's shop as well. Ajimmas (and strangly only the ajimmas, not the Korean men ajashis) were casually hacking apart cow and pig carcasses with huge rusty clevers at their wooden booths and tossing the parts into seemingly organized piles of flesh. We didn't stay very long in the area, but long enough to see large 3 feet long sections of shark meat with no heads or tails, lying on a wooden table surrounded by tons of small silver fish. Suprisingly, my little fear of sharks does not go away even when their meat is for sale at the market!

Muuido Wharf

2004-10-24T18:28:00.000+09:00

MuuidoWharf
Originally uploaded by katevsnow.

On the way back to Jamsildo from Muuido we had to wait a couple hours for the tide to rise, because the ferry was moored half way between the islands. So we enjoyed tuna and crackers for lunch, sitting on a concrete wall watching
stranded families collect clams and snails from the beach.
On our way through Yeongjongdo we stopped at the Haesupia Spa, a luxury seawater hot spa. We didn't know it was separated into men and women, nor that it was nude, but I suppose we could have guessed. In any case, it was really relaxing after two days of hiking from island to island. I enjoyed the oriental medicinal bath outside for awhile. It felt like I was soaking in a pool of Green Tea, and looked that way too. Other baths included the Deep Seawater Massage, Fresh Water Hot Baths, Deep Seawater Cold Baths and very hot saunas.
It was the first time I had been out of the enormous city of Seoul and it felt good. Although Seoul is where a quarter of the population of South Koreans live, sometimes it dosen't feel like Asia at all. It just feels like another big city that happens to be half way around the world from the States. Being on the islands made me eagar to explore other more rural parts of Korea and Asia.
So, Justin and I have planned a trip to Jejudo, the island off the south coast of Korea, for next week. Our first term ends on Tuesday and we fly out on Wednesday morning.

Muuido to Silmido

2004-10-24T18:09:00.000+09:00

MuuidoStoneBridge
Originally uploaded by katevsnow.

The next morning we took a bus to the entrance to Jamsil Island, where we
walked around a small bend and then through a small fishing village. From there we reached a long concrete stretch of road linking the two islands, barely wide enough for two cars, much less pedestrians. So we waited for a break in traffic and walked briskly to the other side.
From the other side of Jamsildo we took a 20 minute ferry ride to Muui Island, where we walked through another small fishing village and up a very steep road to find the beach and camping area on the other side. From that beach we walked across this man made bridge of huge boulders and slimy rope, only possible in low tide.
At the other end was Simsildo, a small uninhabited island where we did another small hike to the other side to a beach where they filmed a popular Korean movie 'Simsildo'. From that beach you could look out onto the West Sea and see a few small islands in the distance. The tide was so low at that point in the day you could spot many ajimmas and ajashis digging for clams and snails on the mudflats.

Eulwagni Beach

2004-10-22T13:09:00.000+09:00

EulwagniBeach
Originally uploaded by katevsnow.

The rest of the night we sat on the beach, drank some rice wine and
lit off fireworks with the masses of Korean couples and families doing exactly the same. You had to be careful walking down the beach, there were fireworks (big ones) flying everywhere. One small Korean boy, about four years old, kept running up to us and trying to kick our fireworks over (lit or unlit)! I chased him while he ran and laughed loudly back to his family down the beach.

Jamjindo Sunset

2004-10-18T13:05:00.000+09:00

JamjindoSunset
Originally uploaded by katevsnow.

From the Wharf at Yeongjong we took a small, very packed bus on rocky narrow roads through small villages. We told the bus driver, a very nice round man, we were going to Jamjindo but on the bus we had decided to just go further on the island to Eulwangni Beach to spend the night. He stopped and suddenly started talking loudly in Korean, motioning for us to get off and wait for another bus. We couldn't tell him that we didn't in fact want to go there, but instead to the beach town and he was so insistent, we just got off the bus. Dumb move. We had to walk a ways and then catch basically the same bus (not the same driver) the rest of the way to the beach. But I did manage to get this shot of Jamjindo at sunset.
We found a small yogwan to spend the night, put down our stuff and strolled down the waterfront road, full of fresh seafood restaurants and mini mart/fireworks stores. We ran into a man who spoke a little English. He was trying to get us to eat at his wife's fish restaurant but we said we couldn't afford it (it was really expensive).
After a bit of bargaining and pointing to the live fish in the tanks outside, Justin and the man came to an agreement; we were to have two of the black striped fish (?) for W30,000. The wife eagarly ran out to the tank, caught the fish with a net, went around this small brick wall in the restaurant, and dumped the fish on the ground. She then picked up a blunt wooden mallet and beat it down twice hard, making a really loud sound. Then she came back with a clever.
The three of us enjoyed the fish with some soju, wasabi, rice, clam soup and (what else?) kimchi.

Wolmido Ferry

2004-10-17T11:55:00.000+09:00

WolmidoFerry
Originally uploaded by katevsnow.

The last weekend Matt was here visiting, we decided to take a trip out to the Incheon Islands in the West Sea. Saturday we took the subway an hour and a half to Incheon. From there we took a bus to the Wolmido Port, which is a promenade strangely similar to the Santa Cruz boardwalk, with carnival rides, candy vendors, etc.
From Wolmido, we took a ferry to Yeongjongdo (the large island where the airport is). While waiting for the ferry we noticed most of the families buying big bags of shrimp chips. As we got onto the ferry we noticed low flying seagulls. Children and their parents began throwing the shrimp chips up in the air, while a seagull caught about one in every large handfull. Needless to say, with the force of the wind and with the ferry moving, there were shrimp chips flying all over the deck. Justin began holding up a single chip, letting the seagulls hover awhile and then quickly take it out of his hand. The people around us were thrilled and began doing the same. The ajashi in the photo was holding up his daughter while she shreaked everytime a seagull got near.

Biking in Yeouido

2004-10-06T13:04:00.000+09:00

YouidoBikes
Originally uploaded by katevsnow.

On Sunday, Justin, Tracy, Claire and I rented bikes at Hangang Park along the riverside. Sunday is the day most Korean families come out to the riverfront, since it's the one day out of the week they don't work. I think on this Sunday every Korean in Seoul must have been in Hangang and Yeouido Park. On our bikes, we rode down the riverfront to see a friend play with the ex-pat Ultimate Frisbee club. We then headed to Yeouido Park, which used to be a landing strip but was converted later into a treeless cyclists park. In 1998 the monotonous asphalt was ripped up and the park was turned into a pseudo-ecological scenic park.
Yeouido park has a walking path and a two-way biking path, but I'm doubtful most Koreans know the rules, as they all seem to ride bikes just as fast and reckless as they drive cars. At one point the path was so crowded because of a crash ahead of us, we were all stopped. Then this small boy about four years old comes darting in between Claire and I at top speed on his bike (with training wheels) without a care in the world. This action clearly mimicks the motorbikers in traffic here. Later I was biking behind the same boy and retrived his pedal that had flew off during the course of his reckless biking.

Kim Ki Youn Exhibition

2004-10-04T13:37:00.000+09:00

InsadongCeremony
Originally uploaded by katevsnow.

On Saturday Justin and I headed to Insa-dong to go to a Man Ray exhibition, but ended up skipping it and finding an amazing drawing exhibition by a Korean artist named Kim Ki Youn. She does 4' tall ink line drawings of hands. They were truly breathtaking, and I don't use that word very often. I haven't drawn much since I've been here. Maybe it's the tremendous overload of visual stimulation in this city that makes it seem impossible to try and capture anything on paper. That could be why I've been photographing so much. In any case, the exhibition made me want to start drawing again. Maybe I just need a larger size piece of paper?
On our way out of the exhibition we suddenly heard loud drum sounds and chanting. I peered out a small window in the stairwell and caught a glimse of traditionally dressed Korean men and women carrying flags, chanting loudly and beating on drums.

Suwon Chili Market

2004-10-03T11:17:00.000+09:00

ChiliMarket
Originally uploaded by katevsnow.

At the base of the Suwon stream, we came across a small food market and decided to take a break from the fortress to look around. I noticed this small street full of chili peppers, in bags and laying out to dry on cloths. Justin pointed out a big pile of saffron next to one of the huge bags. The street was quite a sensory experience, from the vibrant red colors to the stinging smells coming from inside the stores.

Bell of Filial Peity

2004-10-03T11:11:00.000+09:00

Bell of Filial Peity
Originally uploaded by katevsnow.

On the decent from the Seonodae is the Bell of Filial Piety, weighing 12.5 tons. While Justin and Kyle ring the bell here, I could feel the vibrations in the air taking the photo from more than ten feet away.

Hwahongmun

2004-10-03T11:03:00.000+09:00

Hwahongmun
Originally uploaded by katevsnow.

This is Hwaseong's north water gate and the most popular attraction of the fortress. The stone bridge has seven arches and a one-story building that make up the water gate. Obviously the day we were there, the Suwon stream was a bit dry.

Bongdon

2004-10-03T10:58:00.000+09:00

Bongdon
Originally uploaded by katevsnow.

Bongdon is one of my favorite structures along the fortress walls. It had the function of watching for enemies approaching the wall and rural palace. It signaled emergencies with light and smoke from its five fire pots. Two fire pots were used if an enemy had been spotted, three when the enemy approached the border line and four when the enemy invaded the line. In close battles, five pots were used.

Changryongmun

2004-10-03T10:52:00.000+09:00

Changryongmun
Originally uploaded by katevsnow.

Changryongmun is the east gate of Hwaseong with a one-story building over the halfmoon type gate. This view is from an observory, showing the massive sprawl of Suwon just outside the fortress walls.
While I was walking around the bend to the observatory, I noticed a small unassuming 'DANGER' sign posted at the top of the grassy slope, where the fortress path was. I looked across the field to a building that somehow resembled a driving range. A couple seconds later, I saw an arrow fly into the hill fifteen feet below me!

Seonamamun

2004-10-03T10:42:00.000+09:00

Lanterns1
Originally uploaded by katevsnow.

That night the six of us slept like sardines on yos in one room in a local 'love' motel. Mid-afternoon we finally got around to walking the fortress wall.
The Hwaseong Fortress and Rural Palace was built in 1794 around Suwon's Mt. Hwaseong. The half we chose to do first was the mountian ascent, climbing steps so steep you couldn't see where it was leading. The fortress was built with the most modern functions in terms of combating enemies approaching the walls. There are many secret gates, like Seonamamun, which lead to a secret passageway used specifically in war time.

Ch'usok Week

2004-09-28T11:29:00.000+09:00

Buk Poru
Originally uploaded by katevsnow.

Ch'usok in Korea is the National holiday where most Koreans flee the city to spend a long weekend with their families. It's also the paid five day weekend for foreign teachers. Unfortunately it's almost impossible to get a train or bus ticket out of Seoul, so a group of friends and I took a one hour subway ride to the city of Suwon, which is really just an extension of the massive Seoul. The city houses the Hwaseong Castle Fortress, it's main attraction. This is a photo of Buk Poru, one of the many small fortresses along the wall.
At a local bar our first night there, we were forced by an ajimma (an older woman) to order some anju (snacks) with our pitcher of Hite beer. Unable to recognize any of the Korean words, Kyle pointed to the second item on the menu. Next thing we know there's a whole dried squid on a plate with mayo on the side. At the table next to us was a group of young Koreans. One of the girls could not stop staring and giggling at Justin. Tracey had the idea of offering the dried squid to them, which they accepted graciously. One young man at their table then ran out of the bar and came back five minutes later with some kimbap, Korean style sushi.
We joined tables and shared a couple pitchers. Then we all wandered up the street and spent some time at an outdoor batting cage and video arcade. Jin Young, the young man who bought us the kimbap, told us he was a pitcher for his University. I tried to ask him what he studied at the University, but he said "Baseball. Pitcher." as he showed off his bicep. I asked again what classes he took, he replied "No classes. Only Baseball. Pitcher" pointing to his bicep again.
The most entertaining thing that night was the punching/kicking video game. I watched several Koreans (and members in our group) wind up and punch this leather punching bag on a steel rod as hard as possible, most of the time grasping their fist with pain afterwards. The game of course is to try to get the highest score measured by force. There was also a soccer ball machine.
Throughout the night, the young girl told Justin over and over again he was 'so handsome!' and finally she got a picture with him on her phone.
The night ended at 5am after several hours at a nore-bong, a private karaoke room. The Korean group took their singing very seriously, as they all seemed to have amazing voices.

Kaap Rugby

2004-09-20T21:23:00.000+09:00

RugbyKaap
Originally uploaded by katevsnow.

Saturday Justin and I played touch rugby, on a team made up of Kiwi, Canadian and American teachers from our school. We played in a tournament against other English-speaking teams on at at the Riverside sports park on Youido island on the river Han-gang. Before the first game, Kyle taught me the rules in about ten minutes. I think I did alright, only spraining my pinkie finger. It was quite fun running around trying not to slide too far in the mud puddles. It had just downpoured about an hour before it began.
The first game I played was a tie, the ref was a moron and the other team was cheating. The second game I played we beat a US Military team. On one play I even mistakenly tackled (actually fell on top of) one guy, as he slid on the ground before I could touch him out.
I'm working on a t-shirt design for the team, named 'Kaap'.

Overseas Absentee Ballot

2004-09-19T21:46:00.000+09:00

US Embassy Korea

I just figured out how to request my overseas ballot for the federal elections. It's quite simple, once you find the specifics for your state. Minnesota requires a passport number, or a notarization.
If you're living in Korea (and not part of the military), go to the US Embassy site above and click on the FVAP's main website. There you will find a link's to every state, which will include its specific requirements. Also, you can find the link to the online version of the FPCA. For many states you are allowed to electronically fax the application (a 1-800 number is listed on the Federal Postcard Application), but you must do so 30 days before the election. Otherwise you need to send it to your county auditor. Hurry! Time is running out. We don't need another four years of misinforming 'evil-doer' talk from a president who talks in sentence fragments. "We'll git 'em!"

Classes Begin

2004-09-13T11:32:00.000+09:00

We began classes last week. At first the thought of being in front of a class full of children who don't speak English was a bit frightening, but I soon got over that the first day when my first class (a beginning lower level) began horribly misbehaving. Sae Hihm has soon become my worst student, unable to keep his hands off anyone who sits next to him. He has recently become accustomed to being isolated directly in front of me, two chairs from the other children on either side of him. And yet he still manages to disrupt the class.

Overall my classes are great. Korean children are hardly different from children anywhere else. The middleschoolers (teenagers) are for the most part sullen and bored half the time, the elementary school boys try their hardest to physically harm and annoy their fellow male classmates, and the elementary school girls try their hardest to impress the teacher and ignore the disruptive boys. Also, if I even try and pair a girl with a boy at any age, from the looks I get, it would seem I have sentenced them to death. They regard the opposite sex as if they were another species. Despite the fact that they have already had about 8 hours of class bfore they step into my classroom that day, they still manage to somewhat pay attention and do their work.

T'aekwondo

2004-09-11T13:02:00.000+09:00

Taekwondo1
Originally uploaded by katevsnow.

As we were leaving Insa-dong, we ran into a youth T'aekwondo demostration. It included all ages of children and all skill levels. The younger children could easily punch and kick through pieces of wood, while the more experienced children opted for layers of thin brick. Other demonstrations included kicking an apple off the top of another child's head, various acrobatic moves and sychronized fights.
During one child's attempt to punch through layers of brick, an old drunk man, sitting about a foot from the mat, started harassing the boy. The man was yelling loudly and wilding waving his hands. Not that we had any idea what he was yelling, but the whole crowd had strange and suprised looks. The boy didn't seem to be paying sttention to him, as he quickly broke through the bricks with his fist.

Insa-dong Candy Lady

2004-09-11T11:28:00.000+09:00

Candy Lady 2
Originally uploaded by katevsnow.

Back on the main street in Insa-dong, we heard music playing and saw a crowd gather around this woman. To the rhythm of the music from her boombox, she added her own unique percussion, using scissors and a metal spatula to divide the candy. After, she stretched the long piece of the taffy, before portioning off small pieces of the candy.

Insa-dong Chili Ladies

2004-09-11T11:22:00.000+09:00

ChiliLadies
Originally uploaded by katevsnow.

Walking past the copper man's shop, I saw these ladies from a distance at the end of a narrow dead-end street. They worked very fast sorting and laying out the chilis, chatting away loudly.

Insa-dong Music Man

2004-09-11T11:17:00.000+09:00

Music Man 1
Originally uploaded by katevsnow.

Later in the day, we came across this man entertaining a crowd. He played slowly and consistantly, never looking up at his audience. Past the Music Man, we walked down a narrow street, away from the crowded main one, and heard a loud banging noise. I peered into a little workroom/shop and found an old man banging copper pots in the back of his shop. In his store were beautiful handmade pots, cups and all sorts of jewelry. I bought a ring made from thin copper wires and various glass beads in shades of amber. He seemed suprised at my infactuation for the seemingly insignificant ring and through out a price of 6000 won (less than $6). Despite the fact that it turns my finger green, I love it.

Insa-dong

2004-09-11T11:11:00.000+09:00

Book Store, originally uploaded by katevsnow.

On Saturday Justin and I set out to find a map and atlas store to find a map of Puk'ansam National Park, right outside of Seoul. After an unsuccessful attempt to buy a map in English, we wandered down the road and ran into the Insa-dong area. The Insa-dong district is full of local artists workshops and showrooms, galleries and unique restaurants. There I took this photo of a small bookstore packed floor to ceiling with books. The owner of the store was barely visible from the door.

The Colored Wall

2004-09-11T01:42:00.000+09:00

Colored Wall
Originally uploaded by katevsnow.

I noticed the colors of this wall from a couple streets back, while walking down the street in Insa-dong. The grey and rather dullness of its surrounding area really emphasized the vivid stripes of the wall.

Street Food

2004-09-07T12:54:00.000+09:00

From the first day we have tried different methods of eating, from the traditional Korean restaurants, noodle shops, and BBQ beef places, to the street vendors (egg sandwiches, cinnamon things, chicken kabobs), to the standing while eating microwave ramen/sushi in the LG25 mini mart type stores.
Justin has taken quite a liking to the street food, as he has been much more adventurous in trying the various foods than I. One of his favorites so far is the corn dog with french fries fried in the batter and ketchup smoothered on top. Another is the hot puffy bread with cinnamin and sugar inside.

First Mistake

2004-09-01T10:51:00.000+09:00

Our only mistake in the past days was switching to a cheaper motel, called a guesthouse, the second day near Seoul Station, which turned out to be downgrading sigificantly from our first, in terms of mosquitoes and the grostesque smell and state of our shower/bathroom. After the first night I had about four bug bites on the left side of my face. It took some getting used to, but we survived three nights there. We even managed to make friends with the old man who ran it, who was constantly sputtering in Korean despite our confused smiles. The day we left he walked with Justin to hail a cab near the train station to take us to our apartment in Itaewon. When we were leaving we politely thanked him "Kamsa Hamnida" and he managed in English "Thank you. Come back soon!"

Myong Dong

2004-08-31T10:40:00.000+09:00

It is certainly true what they say about Korea and its dynamic quality. Right down the road from the Namdaemun market is Myong Dong, the cleaner more contemporary style shopping area. Myong Dong includes various Starbucks, TGI Fridays and Outback Steakhouses. In fact, as Dennis (a former LTRC teacher) pointed out there are two diffrent Outback Steakhouses on a Myong Dong street only fifteen feet apart from each other. If they use the same kitchen, I don't know but in any case it wouldn't be a big one. A high class fitness center sits along the main thoroughfare in Myong dong, with a four story tall glass facade, exposing the elite on their treadmills and stairmasters. Although the stores are for the most part not all brand names, they are quite inviting through a Westerner's eyes. By this I mean they are all mostly multi-level with clean and contemporary looking storefronts and nicely dressed English speaking salespeople.

Namdaemun Market Sights

2004-08-27T11:21:00.000+09:00

Namdaemun Market
Originally uploaded by katevsnow.

We spent the weekend wandering around downtown Seoul where our school is located. Also, we ventured through the Itaewon area where our apartment will be, just behind and up the hill from Pizza Hut and the North Face store. We haven't seen it yet, but from the photos it looks good.
The Namdaemun market in downtown was full of interesting smells and sights, such as halves of pig's heads, live newts and eels for sale, pots of KimChee full of feasting flies and all sorts of unknown animal parts. I'm not sure if I saw the cooking larvae but I'm almost certain I smelled it. What suprised me, was that the various parts of the market seem to be very organized into their own section based on types of goods, a change from the Italian markets I frequented in Rome. I found the art supplies alley and was quickly infactuated with one small store's various stationary and ink pens.

First Days

2004-08-21T11:32:00.000+09:00

JustinBathroom
Originally uploaded by katevsnow.

Although I didn't sleep but one hour on the eleven hour flight, which was after twelve hours of traveling thus far, we got to our little motel, a Hogwan in the center of downtown Seoul, alright on Friday. The thin mats that were laid out on the wood flooring, 'yos' they are called, came as great comfort after the long plane ride. We slept a usual night's sleep only before awaking to the loud hammering of the typical construction work that occurs at 4 am on small dark downtown streets. It sounded as if they were actually using a jackhammer on the tile of our little bathroom five feet away, but apparently the windows were a bit less than soundproof. Later, the loud hustling and chatting of Koreans rushing off to work and school woke us at a more decent hour. Despite the fact that both Justin and I needed to significantly bend our knees in order to even attempt looking in the mirror in the bathroom, we got along great there the first day.