well let this be a lesson to knock on wood.
1) After noting with joy the warm spell in Korea this February I awoke today to find a blanket of snow on the city. As of 3pm it is still coming down, though much lighter than before. This is not unseasonable weather, but it did seem as though the worst of wintr was behind us. Although the -15 of January isn't here, it's still unpleasant.
2) I have been discussing the quality of my camera to two different people this week, how I bought the whole thing for $600 over 5 years ago, taken it everywhere and it was still working great. So when I went to load up the pics from my vacation yesterday afternoon I was saddened to see the lense had been hit by..... something and was no longer working. I honestly have no idea how it was hit hard enough to dent the lense and effectively break the camera. There is a Sony service centre near Gamsam so it's not too hard to get it looked at, but unless it's a cheap repair I'll probably invest in a newer model camera before Taiwan.
Let that be a lesson to you :)
Sunday, February 13, 2011
TAIWAN :)..... and the rest of the weekend
well it's official. Tickets Seoul to Taipei are booked for May 5th. Jeff and I are getting 6 days on Ilha Formosa to see Taipei and Taroko Gorge (a two day jungle trek not dissimilar to the one I did on Penang in Malaysia, but that was like 4 hours not two days). While it's hardly enough time to see it all it seemed like a good compromise for a 6 day trip, as on mainland China it's founding of the People's Republic week (something I'm reasonably sure won't be celebrated in Taiwan :P) where everyone has a holiday and heads out to see things like the Great Wall or the Forbidden City making Beijing or Shanghai less attractive. Japan was also discussed but price and the short time made it seem less appealing. I've also heard nothing but amazing things from people who have been to Taiwan, and it seems that it really is the undiscovered gem of Asia. I suppose I'll find out in 3 months :P
We also found a great Indian restaurant near the north gate of Kyungpook Uni. Our friend Barry told us about Maya out there so after booking Taiwan we headed out there to try it. It was amazing and I'm sure I ate too much, but finding good Indian food in Korea is difficult (emphasis on good, you can get kimchi curry and "Indian" bokimbap at a few places). Then we went to the WaBar downtown, which adds another WaBar to my list (I think I'm at 8 now :P)
Sunday I talked to my Dad to wish him a happy birthday and also managed a chat to Ingolf. The actual day was low key, which after two weeks of travelling and working was nice.
Overall a nice weekend )
We also found a great Indian restaurant near the north gate of Kyungpook Uni. Our friend Barry told us about Maya out there so after booking Taiwan we headed out there to try it. It was amazing and I'm sure I ate too much, but finding good Indian food in Korea is difficult (emphasis on good, you can get kimchi curry and "Indian" bokimbap at a few places). Then we went to the WaBar downtown, which adds another WaBar to my list (I think I'm at 8 now :P)
Sunday I talked to my Dad to wish him a happy birthday and also managed a chat to Ingolf. The actual day was low key, which after two weeks of travelling and working was nice.
Overall a nice weekend )
Friday, February 11, 2011
a bit of February
Well after our unseasonably warm winter break it's realy dropped back down to regular February weather. So much so that today we had snow for the first time since December. While it didn't stick it was disheartening, as I am ready for spring weather again. I know parts of North Korea and northern China are being dumped on right now, so I guess I should be grateful we are just getting flurries. I know many people love snow, and so do I, provided I can stay home with the heat on and watch it fall. I felt this way in Canada where roads are salted, it is even more true here.
I'm also getting more than a bit excited for this weekend. Saturday we are booking Taiwan and Sunday is (sort of) Valentines Day. I think after it's booked I will have a lot more to write about with that.
I'm also getting more than a bit excited for this weekend. Saturday we are booking Taiwan and Sunday is (sort of) Valentines Day. I think after it's booked I will have a lot more to write about with that.
Thursday, February 10, 2011
My 29th
well as of Feb 9th I'm in to the last year of my 20's. How time has flown by. In many ways, I still feel like I'm 22 or maybe 26, which is a good thing. In other ways I am aware that I am not, and am starting to feel pressure to get back in to a classroom or in to a suit (naturally, I'm choosing the classroom :P)
For the actual day, being that is was a Wednesday and my last class ended at 9 I didn't get up to too much.
The Tuesday night before I went out with Jeff and Kurt down to Sydney St and then to a hof/soju. We had meant to do Trailer Park Tuesdays, but Mark had a good crowd, including Barry and Drew, an Irish/American couple who I met a few weeks ago and who I really like (I could listen to their African adventures all day) so we decided just to hang out and chill for a bit talking. The three of us then left for a hof/soju where we had some food and a drink.
What I'm really excited about is that 29 is shaping up to be a great year of my life. I'll end my 20's on a high note I think :)
For the actual day, being that is was a Wednesday and my last class ended at 9 I didn't get up to too much.
The Tuesday night before I went out with Jeff and Kurt down to Sydney St and then to a hof/soju. We had meant to do Trailer Park Tuesdays, but Mark had a good crowd, including Barry and Drew, an Irish/American couple who I met a few weeks ago and who I really like (I could listen to their African adventures all day) so we decided just to hang out and chill for a bit talking. The three of us then left for a hof/soju where we had some food and a drink.
What I'm really excited about is that 29 is shaping up to be a great year of my life. I'll end my 20's on a high note I think :)
Saturday, February 5, 2011
Winter Vacation 2011
Well winter vacation was a blast. It was essentially a tour of Chuncheong-do, taking in a few major cities and some small towns. The weather was amazing the whole time, even in places that were snow covered the daytime highs were 7-10 degrees and it was sunny when we got there. Anyway, the trip went a little something like this:
Tuesday night Geoff and I met at DongDaegu St. at 10 and took the KTX up to Daejeon. We grabbed a hotel room in an area that was clearly near the red light district (who'd have guessed a $30 motel near the train station would be sleazy?). After escaping several Madam's looking to take us to their "bar's" we then hit a German ice bar (it's a bar where they have a frozen cup holder built in to the table) in the downtown area to get food and a beer. Daejeon itself is an okay city. A smaller version of Daegu with a bit more of a working class feel. I'd like to go back for a night out there, but there's not exactly a lot to see besides the people. We then went back to our rooms and crashed.
Wednesday we got up early and took the bus to Gongju to meet Angela. Gongju is one of the capital cities of the old Baekje kingdom, one of the three kingdoms that pre-dated unification. The big thing to see there is the Gongju fortress and the tomb of King Muryeong. Jeff and I got up and went to the Starbucks for real "drip coffee" and then headed to the bus station. We were supposed to meet Ange at 11 but there was either a miscommunication or a scheduling issue as she got there around 10 (about thirty minutes before we left Daejeon). However we did meet and after a brief setback when Geoff forgot his camera on the bus and we had get the company to track the bus down we managed to make it to the castle by about 1. The fortress itself was not quite what the hype had made it out to be. There were many areas fenced off with signs saying "this is where __________ stood". It was cool but after seeing the ones in Suwon and Jinju it was a bit of a letdown. However we had a lot of fun just walking around and the views from the walls are actually fairly amazing. We then went to Muryeong's tomb, which is famous as much for the fact that it escaped grave robbers and was only discovered in the 1970's (with instant "Korea's King Tut" references being made) as for the site itself. Again, the park and city were far more charming than the place itself, as were the people there who tried to teach us a few traditional Korean games. We then went in a very roundabout way back to the main road at the front of the museum where I was sure we would find many taxi's to take us back in to town. Finding no taxi's we began the walk back in to town which was enjoyable but after a day of hiking we were getting tired. Eventually we got a cab and took the bus back to Cheongju where Ange lives (she was going to put us up for the night. Being new to Cheongju (and Korea generally) she wanted to go out and meet a few people so we hit the western bars. It really reminded me of the bars back in Ulsan and, to be honest, I thought they were about as much fun (insert sleeping/yawning noise here). However, I think Geoff and Ange were having a better time so I tried to get a bit more in to it. Ange was especially enjoying it as I think she was making a few new friends in her own city, and partied hard.
Thursday I woke up feeling okay, as did Jeff. Ange did not. Jeff and I hung out playing old 70's layed back albums (10cc, Supertramp, Steely Dan etc.) and went out shopping. Ange was sleeping :) Thursday was the actual New Years holiday so virtually nothing was open and travel was a bit of a nightmare so we decided to hang out another night in Cheongju, it was more of a watching Futurama day.
Friday we got up early and began the 3 hour jouney to Danyang. Danyang is a beautiful mountain town that really reminded us of a town in central BC. We had to take a 90 minute bus ride to a small town called Chungju (I think people in this province deliberately make all their town names almost identical) and then connect to Danyang. As we left the city behind we were greeted with snow capped mountains and a huge, partially frozen lake. When we got there we found just about the most beautiful town in Korea. Being that it was already mid afternoon we decided to just walk along the lakeside promenade and get dinner and drinks at a meat restaurant. The meat was fantasic and the beer was Korean. We then went to a small pub and enjoyed the views of the lake and bridge, which was all lit up.
Saturday we got up early and went to the Gosu caves. They are the largest cave complex in Korea and are amazing to see. The best part, with it being a national holiday weekend we only got stuck with one Korean tour group. As a quick aside, Korean tour groups seem to me to be like army slogs. File in, see the caves, take a picture at designated picture taking spot, move along, get back to the bus, next location. I'm more of a absorb the beauty at a slow pace type. Anyway, the caves themselves were amazing, with rock formations that look like they should have David Attenborough commenting on them. The caves took about an hour and we then left and went to a restaurant which, as it turned out, was a vegetarian restaurant where we had fried ginseng and a pajeon. After some souvenir shopping we walked back in to town over the bridge, grabbed a coffee and relaxed by the promenade. Jeff had bought these reflexology sandals and we were admiring them. So much so that Ange wanted to go back. They wanted to go back but I was sure there would not be enough time with only 40 minutes left so they decided to go while I stayed, watched the bags and tried to figure out how to tell our bus driver that my friends were coming but were going to be late in Korean. 20 minutes later they returned with three pairs of sandals. I felt rather foolish though I must admit I was suitably impressed by their speed. We then boarded the bus back to Chungju where Jeff and I parted from Ange and transferred to the Daejeon bus. With a two hour stopover in Daejeon we managed to get a coffee and dinner before boarding the KTX back to Daegu.
I had a great time and I think they did as well. I'm also happy to know that I have two people I could easily spend a trip with again. In fact, as a confession, I was probably the most difficult person of the group. I was trying to use my new found Korean skills when getting around but found the accent in rural Chuncheong-do incomprehensible (like trying to understand Welsh accented English) so there were a few times when Jeff or Ange were asking me to ask the (bus driver, motel manager, waiter) a question as the (bus driver, hotel manager, waiter) was talking to me in a language I don't have a real grasp on in an accent that is very difficult. Having three people talking to you in two languages at the same time can be a bit much, especially if you have been travelling a lot or are a bit hungover and I think I got visibly annoyed a few times, though I was much more annoyed with my own inability to communicate with the Koreans than anything else. There were a few times when pantomime seemed to get things done faster. Well, it's just insentive to study more. My Sunday was supposed to be spent doing just that, but my language partner texted at 830 to cancel. I think I have had to cancel on her a few times so I wonder if she is a bit annoyed with me on that one, but I have another one Tuesday morning that is consistent and very helpful. So this Sunday can be spent relaxing and maybe going for a walk in the unseasonably warm February weather.
Tuesday night Geoff and I met at DongDaegu St. at 10 and took the KTX up to Daejeon. We grabbed a hotel room in an area that was clearly near the red light district (who'd have guessed a $30 motel near the train station would be sleazy?). After escaping several Madam's looking to take us to their "bar's" we then hit a German ice bar (it's a bar where they have a frozen cup holder built in to the table) in the downtown area to get food and a beer. Daejeon itself is an okay city. A smaller version of Daegu with a bit more of a working class feel. I'd like to go back for a night out there, but there's not exactly a lot to see besides the people. We then went back to our rooms and crashed.
Wednesday we got up early and took the bus to Gongju to meet Angela. Gongju is one of the capital cities of the old Baekje kingdom, one of the three kingdoms that pre-dated unification. The big thing to see there is the Gongju fortress and the tomb of King Muryeong. Jeff and I got up and went to the Starbucks for real "drip coffee" and then headed to the bus station. We were supposed to meet Ange at 11 but there was either a miscommunication or a scheduling issue as she got there around 10 (about thirty minutes before we left Daejeon). However we did meet and after a brief setback when Geoff forgot his camera on the bus and we had get the company to track the bus down we managed to make it to the castle by about 1. The fortress itself was not quite what the hype had made it out to be. There were many areas fenced off with signs saying "this is where __________ stood". It was cool but after seeing the ones in Suwon and Jinju it was a bit of a letdown. However we had a lot of fun just walking around and the views from the walls are actually fairly amazing. We then went to Muryeong's tomb, which is famous as much for the fact that it escaped grave robbers and was only discovered in the 1970's (with instant "Korea's King Tut" references being made) as for the site itself. Again, the park and city were far more charming than the place itself, as were the people there who tried to teach us a few traditional Korean games. We then went in a very roundabout way back to the main road at the front of the museum where I was sure we would find many taxi's to take us back in to town. Finding no taxi's we began the walk back in to town which was enjoyable but after a day of hiking we were getting tired. Eventually we got a cab and took the bus back to Cheongju where Ange lives (she was going to put us up for the night. Being new to Cheongju (and Korea generally) she wanted to go out and meet a few people so we hit the western bars. It really reminded me of the bars back in Ulsan and, to be honest, I thought they were about as much fun (insert sleeping/yawning noise here). However, I think Geoff and Ange were having a better time so I tried to get a bit more in to it. Ange was especially enjoying it as I think she was making a few new friends in her own city, and partied hard.
Thursday I woke up feeling okay, as did Jeff. Ange did not. Jeff and I hung out playing old 70's layed back albums (10cc, Supertramp, Steely Dan etc.) and went out shopping. Ange was sleeping :) Thursday was the actual New Years holiday so virtually nothing was open and travel was a bit of a nightmare so we decided to hang out another night in Cheongju, it was more of a watching Futurama day.
Friday we got up early and began the 3 hour jouney to Danyang. Danyang is a beautiful mountain town that really reminded us of a town in central BC. We had to take a 90 minute bus ride to a small town called Chungju (I think people in this province deliberately make all their town names almost identical) and then connect to Danyang. As we left the city behind we were greeted with snow capped mountains and a huge, partially frozen lake. When we got there we found just about the most beautiful town in Korea. Being that it was already mid afternoon we decided to just walk along the lakeside promenade and get dinner and drinks at a meat restaurant. The meat was fantasic and the beer was Korean. We then went to a small pub and enjoyed the views of the lake and bridge, which was all lit up.
Saturday we got up early and went to the Gosu caves. They are the largest cave complex in Korea and are amazing to see. The best part, with it being a national holiday weekend we only got stuck with one Korean tour group. As a quick aside, Korean tour groups seem to me to be like army slogs. File in, see the caves, take a picture at designated picture taking spot, move along, get back to the bus, next location. I'm more of a absorb the beauty at a slow pace type. Anyway, the caves themselves were amazing, with rock formations that look like they should have David Attenborough commenting on them. The caves took about an hour and we then left and went to a restaurant which, as it turned out, was a vegetarian restaurant where we had fried ginseng and a pajeon. After some souvenir shopping we walked back in to town over the bridge, grabbed a coffee and relaxed by the promenade. Jeff had bought these reflexology sandals and we were admiring them. So much so that Ange wanted to go back. They wanted to go back but I was sure there would not be enough time with only 40 minutes left so they decided to go while I stayed, watched the bags and tried to figure out how to tell our bus driver that my friends were coming but were going to be late in Korean. 20 minutes later they returned with three pairs of sandals. I felt rather foolish though I must admit I was suitably impressed by their speed. We then boarded the bus back to Chungju where Jeff and I parted from Ange and transferred to the Daejeon bus. With a two hour stopover in Daejeon we managed to get a coffee and dinner before boarding the KTX back to Daegu.
I had a great time and I think they did as well. I'm also happy to know that I have two people I could easily spend a trip with again. In fact, as a confession, I was probably the most difficult person of the group. I was trying to use my new found Korean skills when getting around but found the accent in rural Chuncheong-do incomprehensible (like trying to understand Welsh accented English) so there were a few times when Jeff or Ange were asking me to ask the (bus driver, motel manager, waiter) a question as the (bus driver, hotel manager, waiter) was talking to me in a language I don't have a real grasp on in an accent that is very difficult. Having three people talking to you in two languages at the same time can be a bit much, especially if you have been travelling a lot or are a bit hungover and I think I got visibly annoyed a few times, though I was much more annoyed with my own inability to communicate with the Koreans than anything else. There were a few times when pantomime seemed to get things done faster. Well, it's just insentive to study more. My Sunday was supposed to be spent doing just that, but my language partner texted at 830 to cancel. I think I have had to cancel on her a few times so I wonder if she is a bit annoyed with me on that one, but I have another one Tuesday morning that is consistent and very helpful. So this Sunday can be spent relaxing and maybe going for a walk in the unseasonably warm February weather.
Friday, February 4, 2011
The Kpop post.
Kpop is the new wave of Korean pop music. It is HUGE, not just in Korea but all over most of Asia. In fact, about the only place it isn't popular is in the west. Anyway, a lot of it is full on pop, but it's catchy, and it has more listeners than Justin Bieber. It's hard to talk about Korea without talking about this. So I thought better to just show you. This has been top hits for me for the last 2 years.
PS- it is mostly girl groups, not just my bias :)
These have been the BIGGEST songs of the last 2 years. Like everywhere:
Nobody
Choco 사랑
Bo Peep
Abaracadabra
Run Devil Run
this one was really popular in Thailand, but less so in Korea:
See Ya
other popular ones:
boys-
뻑이가요
Heartbreaker
Lollipop
Again and Again
Girls-
HUH
Good Girl, Bad Girl
Lupin
Chu
치티치티 방방
Muzik
La Cha Ta
토요일 밤에 (a throwback to Korea (and Asia) in the 80's)
My real wish is that Frank Zappa had lived to see this.
Anyway, it's not an exaggeration to say that based on number of listeners, this is the most popular music in the world today. Enjoy :)
PS- it is mostly girl groups, not just my bias :)
These have been the BIGGEST songs of the last 2 years. Like everywhere:
Nobody
Choco 사랑
Bo Peep
Abaracadabra
Run Devil Run
this one was really popular in Thailand, but less so in Korea:
See Ya
other popular ones:
boys-
뻑이가요
Heartbreaker
Lollipop
Again and Again
Girls-
HUH
Good Girl, Bad Girl
Lupin
Chu
치티치티 방방
Muzik
La Cha Ta
토요일 밤에 (a throwback to Korea (and Asia) in the 80's)
My real wish is that Frank Zappa had lived to see this.
Anyway, it's not an exaggeration to say that based on number of listeners, this is the most popular music in the world today. Enjoy :)
Tuesday, February 1, 2011
all Vancouver in Korea
Well final numbers are in and this winter vacation will be an all Canadian group, heck it'll be 2-3 people all from Vancouver that will head all over Chungcheon-do for the next four days .I have to admit that that doesn't bother me too much. While I love having friends from all over the world here, it is sometimes nice to just chill and talk about where you are from. Also, with all of my co-workers being Korean or British it means I can spend days without talking to someone from Canada (or even North America). While it rarely bothers me I have to admit that I do look forward to being able to talk about experiences that are more than two years old with people who can actually engage (as opposed to telling stories to each other). Actually, as much as the destinations themselves I think I'm looking forward to that.
To muse a bit (skip paragraph if disinterested) one of the things you trade when moving abroad is having a group of people with the same experiences. By and large I love it. I have a best friend from New Zealand, I have good friends who are Korean, Chinese, American etc. That doesn't happen if you stay at home. Talking cricket with my English co-worker or the state of nutrition in upstate New York with Kurt, or how New Zealanders marvelled at the horseless carriage when it arrived in Auckland in 1978 (couldn't resist) is great. However, you do trade something for it. "I miss a pint at the Cambie", "Gordon Campbell is a schmo", "why is French an official language in Vancouver but Cantonese isn't?", "remember that time at uni when we got loaded on the patio and .......". You can't really do any of that. Also, with so many people coming and going you don't get the same opportunity to reminisce about life here. I only know a few people from my life in Ulsan that are still here (Paul, Jenny and Kwang-ho) and even of my Daegu life many have come and gone. The upside is that I'm constantly exposed to new people, new experiences (never just the same old group from school) and that is something that I still find very exciting. However, sometimes.... just sometimes, I really get excited about sitting back with a coffee or a pint and chatting about life before 2008.
next stop, Daejeon.
To muse a bit (skip paragraph if disinterested) one of the things you trade when moving abroad is having a group of people with the same experiences. By and large I love it. I have a best friend from New Zealand, I have good friends who are Korean, Chinese, American etc. That doesn't happen if you stay at home. Talking cricket with my English co-worker or the state of nutrition in upstate New York with Kurt, or how New Zealanders marvelled at the horseless carriage when it arrived in Auckland in 1978 (couldn't resist) is great. However, you do trade something for it. "I miss a pint at the Cambie", "Gordon Campbell is a schmo", "why is French an official language in Vancouver but Cantonese isn't?", "remember that time at uni when we got loaded on the patio and .......". You can't really do any of that. Also, with so many people coming and going you don't get the same opportunity to reminisce about life here. I only know a few people from my life in Ulsan that are still here (Paul, Jenny and Kwang-ho) and even of my Daegu life many have come and gone. The upside is that I'm constantly exposed to new people, new experiences (never just the same old group from school) and that is something that I still find very exciting. However, sometimes.... just sometimes, I really get excited about sitting back with a coffee or a pint and chatting about life before 2008.
next stop, Daejeon.
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