ZOO LAND, JOY LAND, & FLOWER LAND = O WORLD

The pictures really speak for themselves. Zoo land was amazing. We actually saw animals at nighttime; it didn't close down at 4 p.m. like zoos at home. A cougar prowled in a cage over our heads, a hyena growled with its jaw clenched like we were dinner, and a bear paced relentlessly like a madman. The zoo was lit with neon green nightlights that provided an alien-esque aura. This was exceptionally creepy when viewing the wolves in the spacious mountain side habitat.

Plus, an animal safari was included. We took a bus into a jurassic park like setting (picture metal gates, relentless vines, and loads of animals). I've never seen wild animals so close.

The cheesy amusement park rides were fabulous for reverting to our years as 12 year olds as well. Are you tempted to visit now?

MUDFEST

Sorry we haven't updated the blog much. We have been out of town on the weekends and busy working intensive summer classes during the week. We are doing well and having some ridiculous adventures.

We ventured to Daecheon Beach for the annual Mudfest on the 18th. The weather was insane. It was practically a hurricane on the beach. The winds were literally knocking us over and sand was blasting against our skin like a pellet gun. Sirens were going off non-stop to warn visitors of the no-swimming ban. Lifeguards were stationed every 20 feet to block the muddy intruders from the sea. The weather subsided a bit when we were in land.

Luckily, many mud events were still up and running. Jake stationed himself in the mud prison and walloped innocent by-passers from his cage. There were mud baths, blow up races, and rinse pools. We had some battles with the mud paint and no one made it out clean. The funniest thing was that our friend Kim refused to rinse off all day and by the evening she had a thick layer of cracking, turd-like mud pasted to her body. This beautiful look was enhanced by some lustrous pink lip gloss. Classy lady!

Late at night, a torrential downpour began. Instead of retreating to our hotel, we bought ponchos and headed to the rap concert. It was absolutely incredible. The rain added a whole other level to the dance party. People were going crazy in their plastic bag ponchos and busting moves. There were at least 2 encores. We had a blast dancing on the sea front and playing in the puddles all the way back to our hotel on the cliff.

The next day we awoke to a 90 degree, sunshiny day...too bad we had to head home. What luck, eh?

Busan for the 4th

So we ventured to Busan, the second largest city on the sea, for the fourth of July. We were hoping to find some western food and fun, but I think we got more than we bargained for. The beach party actually had more westerners than Koreans. Still, there is nothing like roman candles on the beach to ring in freedom. That being said, we definitely had some delicious food and fun. There is no shortage of seafood photos from Jake's expedition.

Behold DDONG!

From 2009-06-08 Weekend in Seoul

This post is semi-dedicated to Sabs, Christine Klein, Ms. Naditz, Dayna Plummer, Grac Culterson, Long Teacher, and all other Ddong lovers. For those of you who don't know, Ddong is a sensationalized character, ala Hello Kitty. However, Ddong just happens to be a poop. And not just any poop, but a happy-go-lucky turd that resembles chocolate soft-served.

I was first introduced to Ddong 2 years ago at SNET. In my homeroom, I was flabergasted as to why all the girls and boys were drawing smiling poop on their diaries. I soon found it was an adored character.

This time, I found Ddong in Seoul with Sabrina. But it was much better than a kitchy souvenir store. Oh yes, it was a Ddong pancake stand. Imagine biting into a golden, crusty, poop-shaped pancake and having creamy, brown, redbean paste squeezed into your mouth. Delish!

The downside to Ddong is that it comes with a hand gesture, much like making a gun with your two hands. It is said that some devious children poke you in the butt with the gun and scream, "DDONG." This has yet to happen. I hope Jake Teacher gets "ddonged" - ha ha ;)

The trek to school

The walk to school is a leisurely 45 minutes. We have been trying to do it atleast one way each day to cut down bus expenses and get some exercise. However, the body melting humidity has prevented some journeys to school.

We thought we'd take some pics to show you around the neighborhood.Our school is in Noeun which is by the World Cup Stadium and hosts an agricultural market on the weekend. The sidewalks are incredibly large with bike paths and all. We found some short cuts through rice paddies. At night, this is a little spookier due to guard dogs. After several walks with Jake, I felt comfortable in walking home alone. Yet, the first time I did I got approached and asked how much I cost for bed - YIKES! Guess I need mase.

Hope you enjoy the pics.

Annyeong! Erin