Kim's Birthday Weekend

Kim's Birthday weekend in Seoul was quite the debacle. It started early as Jake and I sprinted up 15 flights of subway stairs to the KTX speed train station just minutes before our train departed. After pushing our way past reams of travelers we spotted the rest of the crew on the tracks. Phew, sometimes trying to save a few by taking the subway instead of a taxi just isn't worth it.

Aboard the train, Jesse started the day lavishly with champagne. We popped the bottle and played some rummy which granted us plenty of stares from the other patrons. It was 11:00 am - give us a break. In just under an hour, we arrived in Seoul.

The first stop was Itaewon. We dined at the Ecume wine bar for lunch. Jake was in a state of bliss as he savored a rare, blue cheese steak. Generally, steak doesn't come with a temperature request here and is served well-done if served at all. Kim was less lucky in her meal selection and ended up with an anchovie laden bowl of olives that was deemed pasta. Then, things got worse when she put her long-sleeve white shirt in a pool of red wine that the chef slash sommelier left as a parting gift on the table. That coupled with a few dropped olives on the chest resulted in some raucous laughing. Hey, when stuff goes wrong you might as well stay up beat.

The day continued with a stop at Bill and Robyn's luxury apartment. They are friends of Kim and Jesse from back home, but Bill works for an automotive company and is hooked up. The surprises continued with a delectable, chocolate birthday cake and more champagne.

An hour or so later, we made our way to the Samseong area to catch what was supposed to be the highlight of the day - the Hedwig Musical. While the show was visually enticing, the entire script was one man singing his story. Lack of acting and visuals left us perplexed in a sea of Korean. Good thing there was lots of rock music and spastic melt downs on the stage to wake us from our champagne induced naps. Maybe the theatre should wait until it's in English - ha, ha.

After catching back up with Jake, the only wise one who refused to spend 60,000 won on a musical, we headed to Apgujeong. This is a posh dining area full of trendy shops. We went to a aesthetically impressive Thai-Italian restaurant called, "Zen Living Space." Naturally, we had a humongous corner with three plush red couches the size of beds arranged around a large wooden family style table. Bamboo screens kept us hidden from the other restauranters. I think this may have been intentional ; ). Jake and I were winding down on our budget, but shared some tom yum soup, pad see yu, and sangria. It was lovely.

Of course, the night would not have been complete without more drinks and fun so the shenanigans continued to the Wa Bar which boasts an island of beers in a built in bar which we moseyed up to. After a few drinks, people parted ways. Jake and Michael were too sleepy to continue. Reluctant to end the Seoul journey early, I met up with Sabrina and a bunch of her friends. We tried our feet at salsa and then headed to a funk dance club until way too late. All in all, a good trip.

The "REAL" Halloween Party

Unfortunately, Jake's sickness required a change in location for the planned festivities. Luckily, Michael was willing to get his room trashed for a good cause. We decorated with the minimal supplies we could find in Korea. Trust me, this is several days and numerous stores later...so don't knock it. Kim's tissue ghost streamers really took the room to the next level though. Saddly, only about half of the Korean's wore a costume and the others disappointed us. We meant to paint their faces, but got distracted by games and fun.

Jake and I had created a silly scavenger hunt earlier in the week. We invented corny riddles that hinted at locations around our apartment complex to find clues from the roof to an old, smelly mattress in a stairwell. Then, we hid small treasures with the clues and had the Koreans divide into two teams for the battle. It ended up being hysterical. Watching them frantically run up and down stairwells searching for more riddles. One involved Trick-or-Treating at Kim and Jesse's where they got to sample their first jello shots. The downer came when they had to venture to the park in the rain. Carrie jumped up to reach the clue and slipped down the slide into rain, sand, and mud. Note to Erin: You are taller than most Korean women.

The other hit of the evening was SwAMp PuNCh. I concocted a mixture of rum, cider, lemonade, limeade, melon sherbert, and plastic fingers. It turned out a mucus green, but tasted delish. I lured many to the dark side with the tastiness. I originally bought a pretty punch bowl for the mixture, but shattered it after an incident that involved opening the ice bag with a butcher knife over the sink. No more details necessary. Ha, ha.

Well, we hope everyone had a fabulous Halloween. Jake is still not feeling too great and was sad to miss all the excitement. I'm sure it would have been 100x better with him aboard.

GnB HaLLOwEeN!

The hagwon was transformed into a frightening haunted school in one short evening. I was shocked by the amount of decorations and random, recycled junk that the school had accrued for the Halloween festivities. We decorated after work on Thursday till nearly midnight. The pictures don't do the rooms justice; they were way spookier in the dark with strobe lights, black lights, and eerie music. All in all it was a blast.

MOUNT DOOM

I started off all gung-ho about our fall trip to Mount Woraksan. A few kilometers in, my spirits changed. The leaves were incredibly vibrant and the views were striking, but the hike was pure death. If you think you are in good shape, I challenge you to MOUNT DOOM. Even the seasoned Koreans said it was difficult. We are talking pulling your weight up vertical rocks using metal poles and maneuvering down ropes courses. It was sort of like being on one of those rehab challenge shows where your mental abilities are tested by strenuous, never ending tasks in the woods. You know, when you are screaming, "I can't do it anymore!" And the leader is yelling, "You woosey, is that all you got? Push." Anyways, you get the picture. We should have turned around after the first peak, but our need to conquer urged us to push forward. This energy was dampened when we were climbing down boulders at dusk. Woopsies. Good thing we didn't see any Goral (devilish mountain goats).

After collapsing onto pavement, we pulled ourselves together and hobbled to a restaurant for dong dong ju (fermented rice liquor-tastes like boozy bananas). I'm not so much a fan, but the men love it. Once we had enough eumph to push forward we tried to navigate to a bus stop. Needless to say, we were now on the other side of the mountain, after dark, in a podunk village. We debated about sneaking on to an Avalon English tour bus that we spotted parked outside a restaurant, but opted for questioning the convenience store staff. The man directed us to the super market for bus times, which was no where in sight down the blackened road. Eventually, we glimpsed the neon super market sign and met a new friend who informed us that the buses were finished. After 5 minutes of staring at a handmade time schedule we requestioned him on our destination. Alas, we located a bus leaving in 10 minutes. However, it happened to be on the other end of town. We bolted across a river and followed a windy road and magically found a bus. I really don't know how it worked out.

Once in Suanbo, we checked into a cheap motel and went on a mission for food. We demolished some bulgogi and veggies and we easily became light headed from a drop of alcohol. After, we decided to meander around the town. Michael heard music emanating from a building next to a mart we were stationed at. So, he lead the way in and we entered into what I can hypothesize is the Lion's club of Korea. Everyone was over 60, drunk, dancing, and singing karoakee. We were instantly pulled onto the dance floor and began grooving. Jake was dancing on the stage with old ladies, Michael held it down on the dance floor and old men were showing me their mountain moves. I realized the oogling and escaped to the restroom. When I returned, Jake basically blurted, "Let's get out of here!" and ran to the door. I followed promptly in confusion just to find out some creepster man grabbed his junk! Ah ha ha....oh, korea.

At the final bar, Jake ordered some strange plate of food just prior to falling asleep in the booth from pure exhaustion. I tried to feed him what looked like fiery spaghetti noodles but he karate chopped the fork across the room and it landed on the speakers. At this point, we decided it was time for bed. Thank you Mount Doom. All 11 km of you.

Aliens, Universe, Robots ... All on a Day's Walk

These photos may strike you as outlandish for a normal Saturday stroll, but that is why Korea can be so revitalizing. You never know what to expect or when you may find the most peculiar forms of entertainment.

Our coworker Jesse had a brilliant idea to invite each of the Korean staff to take us to their favorite restaurant on Saturdays. That way, we could sample some new flavors and mingle more. Carri brought us to a famous dubu (tofu) restaurant where we had an array of spicy tofu, kalguksu (handmade noodles), and mandu (dumplings). It was delicious and ridiculously inexpensive.

After lunch, we decided to take advantage of the beautiful day and explore around the Dunsan neighborhood. We had no plan, yet we stumbled upon many wonders.

The art museum was hosting an incredible universe exhibition with numerous interactive pieces including green screens, constellation simulators, and mission impossible laser shows. We couldn't get enough.

Next, we traversed to the nearby arboretum. The wild flowers were stunning, but the real eye-catcher was the displays of miniture animal scenes made from acorns and other various shells. The orchestra set is bound to make you laugh aloud.

When we thought the day was over, we heard bumping music across the way. To our surprise, the Daejeon Space Festival was in full effect in the Expo Park grounds. We called Michael to meet us asap. The concert featured b-boys, Kpop dancers, and masked mimes. The follow up act was perhaps the winner though...The Robot Road Show! A stage of 10 robotic dogs (wearing accessories and fashion clothes of course) danced it out to choreographed Kpop routines. Then, traditional robots popped up and performed "the robot." There was even a human-like robot as the announcer.

On the other side of the Space Festival we spotted a gigantic blow up tent with a banner reading, "TOUCH THE SPACE." Immediately, our sarcasm kicked in as Michael began shouting, "I need to touch THE space." I chimed, "I must touch THE space." And Jake rallied, "We will touch THE space." After a ten minute line, we entered a wonderland of gyro rides, tramplines with bungee cords, and space walking simulators. To our dismay, a staff member approached us and declared, "Sorry, kids only." Pretty sure Jake cried.

All in all, it was a rather interesting Saturday.

Gapsa Web Album

About an hour from our apartment is Gyeryong National Park. Last Saturday, we ventured to Gapsa for a short hike. The bus ride wound through spooling curves for an endless hour, leaving both Jake and I feeling queasy. That was impressive considering neither of us have generally been prone to motion sickness. Despite the nauseating ride, the day was incredible. The sun was beaming through the mountains and bouncing off of the golden rice paddies in seamless rays. The farmers were busy harvesting their crops under the powder blue skies. I was shocked at the pics our tainted kodak managed to capture. Have a look....

GAPSA Side of Gyeryong National Park