Steve in Korea June 2006 - June 2007

2008-02-16T04:34:00.000-08:00

The real last weekend (party at my place)

2007-10-07T00:08:00.000-07:00

There was lots of dancing

sleeping and drinking

Dillon just being sleepy
A few moments of drunken behaviour from Mick

Some dodgy 4 string guitar playing.

Stealing jackets????

making candles

playing on the balcony

Til we were told we were too noisy and had to go back inside.

Phil, Dillon, Cheryl, David, Chris, Kara, Mick (hidden) and Martyn at my place.

Jack and Steve chillin on the balcony
Cheryl and Sunny
Eating meat from a stick
or just playing with it

From dusk til dawn

Me, Mick, Jack, Cheryl and Martyn

The last weekend (but one)

2007-10-06T23:12:00.000-07:00

We originally thought that this would be my last weekend in Geochang and it also coincided with Chris's birthday. So we thought we would have a singsong at a norrybang.

Obviously we had to give Chris the bumps.
Phil sang his heart out.
And Micheal danced away his.

In the bars we tried bamboo shots.
While the girls chatted away.

Megan came back from Daegu to join us and reunite with her brother.

I'm not sure if we were having a staring competition or not.
Lauren, Dillon and Chris
Goodbye to J & B. hope to see you again one day.

Sally, Sunny and Micheal

A big group of westerners drinking is enough to scare any korean.
Martyn and Sunny still looking good together.

I'm pretty sure they have no idea whats going on... ever.

Steve likes to share his crisps.
David and Jack wondering why they came out!
Hyun Joo serving us all drinks

The cake and
THE HAT. Another Sunny in the background
Smoky Phil and Kara

I forgot the night started with a nice bbq meal, Here is Sally, cheryl and David enjoying it.
blurry pictures of blurry people.. and Dillon aka Superman

Buddha's birthday

2007-09-29T23:11:00.000-07:00

We were in Good ol Geochang for Buddha's birthday and saw a few temples and places of worship. These two were very nice and invited us in for watermelon
This is a statue by where the live and meet other buddhists, it's so old scientists are arguing over a 100o years as to when it was made
They also made us write down wishes and hang them to lanterns

Here are some of the temples in a small town

Deokgung palace and a shrine (nuff said)

2007-06-14T05:55:00.000-07:00

big palace
hello king (and conky)
a procession of peps

Some spectacular waterfalls.

main building was closed for reconstruction while were there.
I had an amusing thought.

Interesting place to have a shrine and make gifts.

Should have mentioned this is all in Seoul FYI

Just have a graze around, see where sacrifices were made, etc. Normal day.

Insadong, a very famous shopping and tea place.

This tea is called jujube and it tastes a little like cinnamon and fruit. you gotta try these things while in Korea.

Adults spend a lot of the day playing board games in parks.

Seoul palace no.3

2007-06-13T04:06:00.000-07:00

This is a cool palace in Seoul used by the most recent kings and their concubines... so I took my conky to have a look. That door you can see leads to a huge beautiful and supposedly secret garden but we'll get to that later.
I just wanted a pic of what is was like walking down the halls.
These animals represent those that defend the palace and are on all of the outer buildings.
The passage in the background between the two buildings is what seperates the kings and queens rooms. It wasn't mentioned but I'm guessing although relations are impolite in korea this passage was a front for "the booty call".
Before he died the king left some furniture in his room.

It's an absolutely huge place that takes an hour and half to walk around quickly.

Ok so we went through the gate and saw lots of cool stuff... suitable for a king (me) nonetheless.

This pond is filled with lily's and well hidden from view.
This is in the centre of the secret garden. It used to be a library but I'm guessing the king loved going here for a break from the queen and his concubines.

Those shots were all of the same place.

Walking around the gardens is fun but unfortnately you have to be part of a guided tour to do it as the grounds are protected like a nature reserve.
The concrete gate you can see apparently gives eternal youth to anyone who passes through it. At least thats what the inscription claims. i got a bad back rushing through.

all in all wondering around this palace is a great way to spend time in Seoul.

In the summer though you just gotta hide in the shade.

Maisan

2007-06-07T06:18:00.000-07:00

These stupid pictures are out of order and should be with my temple pics you'll see in a bit (temple is painted gold - but not real gold - it looks a bit tacky up close but you can't tell on these photos)

This was a pleasant mountain range we visited. It's called horse ear mountain - try and guess why.

I tried to get a few distant shots from a moving bus.

It actually has a few names dependant upon the season, it's other popular one is the sail boat (spring)

Being the only officially recognised male / female mountain in the world its a hotspot for the buddhists. Here is the only gold temple I have seen in korea and it's based at the foot of the twin peaks.

Even the bus station has things to look at.

This was made by a buddhist believer who apparantly mastered heaven, earth, fire and water and found balance. He then put these rocks together without any cement and they stood for a long time.

Just so you know I looked and would guess that the rocks have been given some support since though you are not allowed to actually touch them still in case they fall over.

not bad for a foot of a mountain. His image (not buddha's) is actually prayed to by the locals presumably asking for knowledge.

I think the statues were added afterwards!!!

Looks impressive from the top looking down too.

This is the first peak you see from the base. It's the male one and is rounded (flat) and shorter than the female one.
It's an interesting walk up though until 2012 you can only go half way up the female one and to the raised adjoining sections of the two. It's still enough to get me out of breath.

They love their dragon images here.

It's a beautiful park you have to hike through to get there.
This is the highest we could get and I took a pic of the mountain as a marker.

That's the way down.

In the mountain as you get up there are natural caves. If you drink water in this one it will help you become pregnant with a boy. I didn't try it.

these fresh water items are all over korea though not always coming out of animals mouths.

I bought a present for my mom. Just to prove I had to hike up a mountain to buy it off some buddhists I took the picture.

This has nothing to do with Maisan but I just wanted to show the korean craze for putting potato on pizza. It's the number one selling topping.

A bus tour around Gyeongju

2007-06-06T06:49:00.000-07:00

You may remember I visited this place on foot previously and described it as an open air museum but there are many places you need transport to see so Conky and I took a bus tour. This grave was our first stop.

Surrounding the grave were wise men, warriors and lions. The scholars were a little mystery as there faces resemble those of people from west Asia and no one knows why.

I always like the photo's where you can see the background of places as korea is really beautiful and they choose nice places to bury their royalty.

The grave itself is surrounded by the twelve mystic animal warriors carved into the mound. Here are six of the most visible as some have eroded a little.

We stopped to eat by the sea. As you can see it was a lovely rainy day. The peice of rock to the right of Conky is actually a sea tomb. We knew we were going there but didn't even realise we were until we on the bus to our next destination. I really should have practiced more korean. Anyway this king wanted to defend Korea against ocean invaders and so he asked to be buried at sea so he can turn into a dragon should anyone attack.

Our next stop was a grotto built by buddhists with an impressive interior of purpose built buddha. No photo's were allowed thouh I did sneak as much video as I could on the camera before I got some dodgy looks. I'll post it on my video blog.
The outside was quite a nice place anyway so enjoy these next few photo's.

I mentioned the dragon earlier well this was his defence. These pillars are just about big enough for him to pass through and defend Korea. They are famous landmarks here though unfortunately one was being repaired during our visit. Still try and enjoy the size and beauty and check out the background scenery again.

Our next stop was a little annoying as it was really cool but the bus driver only gave us 30 mins there. This is where many images were carved into the cliff faces. It's thought to be over 1500 years old.

A buddhist dog - you can tell by the necklace.
Aside from all the buildings here are those cliff carvings.

It's a fun walk up to go and see them

This was taken by apond near a temple at our last stop.

Conky and Buddha had a hands experience.

Nice temple huh?
In the middle of the temple these pagoda's are very famous as they symbolise all buddhist believe which can't be taught vocally.

I'm not sure if these are guards as buddhists are supposed to be peaceful.

One favoured trick to prove patience is to balance stones. It helps your harmony.

It's the year of the golden pig and we found one in the temple though it looked like the year of the rat may have been reused.

So we had fun there, lots more pics to show you as I am seriously behind on blogging and this trip was about 3 weeks ago.

Bondeggi.

2007-05-28T06:09:00.000-07:00

This is Bondeggi. It's silk worm lavae and it's a very popular snack in Korea. You can get it on any street.

They eat it like we do chips and although it looks disgusting I thought I should try some.

It's roasted but the shell is still very crunchy and splinters in your mouth like chewing a stick.

The taste isn't nice but it's not strong enough to be overwhelming so try putting a few in your mouth at once.

Needless to say this time I stole Conky's ice cream, didn't finish the cup and vowed never to buy anymore.

Daegu herb medicine festival

2007-05-27T05:36:00.000-07:00

A few weeks back I risked skeptical awakenings and went to a herb market, with Megan, Jack and Cheryl who from now on will be known as Conky.

People making the stuff, rolling it, putting it into cabinets.

Jack and Meg trying some, this one was quite nasty.

People selling random things (I liked the turtle shells and antlers but wasn't sure if they were really herbs)
People growing it.

A rather tasty Ginseng drink that did keep me sleepy if not relaxed.

They turned it into soap.

Made pictures about it, of which I bought one.
As you can see everywhere was busy so I took lots of pics of koreans.

Nice friendly mascots.

they bottled and pickled the stuff.

Gave it us a drink - this one wasn't so nice.

they even fried it and it was very chewy.
lots of bottles that I don't think they knew what to do with so they just hid a few roots in them

Wedding

2007-05-23T23:23:00.001-07:00

Last week a teacher from my school got married. Korean weddings are a little odd yet noticeably similar. This particular one was set in a wedding hall at the only hotel in Geochang.
Some of the odd things included a lack of vows as the husband and wife didn't actually say anything during the whole 20 minute ceremony. Some students from our kindergarten helped out the cuteness with a few songs and littering petals everywhere.
The chaos of getting a photo in Korea is incredible.
The husband rushes to the altar in the same way as an angry wrestler in the WWE enters but rather than attack anyone he energetically frops to his knees and bows to each set of parents sitting at the side. This picture was taken just after the traditional first kiss which the spouses and koreans in the room were clearly embarrased by. Next the husband gets on his hands and knees and does push ups while his new wife sits on his back.

The room is covered with everything from a smoke machine, bubble machine, petals and all the confetti and streamers you could never get away with England. What was remarkable was how quickly it was cleaned up (before the bride and groom even left the room).

I couldn't get any good pictures so I stole these from another website. In the same building after the service is a huge room for practically anyone you know to attend and a lot of food. I couldn't help but wonder how many people came for the free food as the happy couple didn't even attend this.

As always everyone was keen to see the foreigner so after posing for many a photo and saying my congratulations (wow he spoke english and she understood) I crept away.

Join me for a walk around Geochang

2007-05-17T06:26:00.000-07:00

Cheryl took the camera a walk in a hope to show you some more pics of our little town. I think you must have seen everything by the end of this!!! This is the crossroads at the bottom of my apartment we're gonna turn left.

This is the main street downtown.

On our left is the market which has many smells and sights but mainly just smells.

Nearly at the epicentre of Geochang... It's roundabout.

The government building on this roundabout has a few fancy statues.
We're going right at this roundabout.

This is where I took some korean classes... er two to be precise cos I'm usually busy and know enough to get by.
Random sellers in the street amuse me as it's like a carboot sale in a city centre. This one sells anything wicker but most popularly hats.

A favourite little end of town as it holds many bars capable of holding large crowds (most korean bars have tables for 4 people.
An American phenomenon but the american batting cages are a little fun and only cost 500won for a machine to launch balls at you at either 130 (me being a baby) or 140 km per hour (me being drunk)
There are also many machines outside to have competition with. A lot are the remnants of 2002 world cup which gave the koreans a love of football and picking things up with a 3 pronged claw.
Apparently my technique sucks but I have gone from hitting one ball per turn to hitting most of them.

If you cross the street you get to Geochang library with many a tribute, basketball court, pagoda's and er... books.
The view around the library is nice to sit and read in the summer.
And there are some cool horses for kids to play on if you're looking for a break.
This is actually the new library as you can see by it's artsy exterior.

This basketball court is something else the koreans have borrowed from America. It's floodlit so you break your ankle in the dark.
The memorial is a tribute to those lost at times of war... and a handy place for kids to play. These next few statues are all next to each other.

This sign makes me laugh as most Korean signs are informative and text book like without any bias, agenda or provactive words. This one considers facts a little differently though and is in front of the aforementioned statues.

These next few shots are of an ancient though redeveloped centre for the scholars of Geochang. They're heavily influenced by buddhists.

Sometimes i just like the view from these places.

For more on the education facilities read here.

As you can see they have redeveloped it nicely.

Walking uphill and out of town we find a lot of rice and plant farmers that hide a few secrets.
follow this path to the right.

And you come across a small hamlet with a few houses and updated cobbled streets.
This plaque will tell you about the statue well hidden in the hamlet off the small path. I wish people new more about what used to be here.
One stone temple of sang rim ri.

You can take me anywhere and I'll do anything to look silly on camera. Anyway we next head up the path towards a small mountain.
If you lie on your back half way up then you get this view.
I love this lamp post and the various other similar ones that remind of the Lion, Witch, Wadrobe thing that C.S. Lewis wrote.

I've shown you picks from this three tier hut before, the view is amazing.

The path is fairly straight up the mountain so unless you want to detour you will come across a small exercise park.

Thats right... walk up a mountain then start exercising. I'll demonstrate for you.

None of these pictures were posed.
Promise
This picture is clearly in the wrong place so just remember it for later.....

Next you find a second park, this time more for playing. the stones are aids for massaging your feet.
They actually hurt while you walk over them but despite my scepticism I have to admit after you've finished your feet do feel a lot better (not just because they stopped hurting) and you are a little more relaxed.

This will explain that wall (well actually an old fortress) that Cheryl was sitting on earlier.

Here we are, nice for a picnic but it's a long walk back if you both forgot to pack something.
During Japanese invasion s this wall was a lot higher and not used by idiots pretending to jump. it was actually a successful defence except the japanese drove the koreans out of the mountains and forests by killing all the animals and food that was there. There is very little wildlife there today.
Cheryl pauses to reflect on that for a while.
While I take advantage of feeling on top of the world, or fairly high.

Hope you enjoyed our little walk (about 2 and half hours) and saw a little more of where I have lived for the last 11 months.

Jirisan

2007-05-07T07:06:00.000-07:00

My director took us to a mountain range/national park. Here is our chinese teacher and our korean english teacher. We stopped at a rather interesting though deteriorating restaurant on the way. Still there were some nice photo's.

this was a coffee house half way up a mountain Some of the views were amazing though we drove more than we hiked.
I really liked the don't feed the bear signs that were everywhere. I never had any intention of doing so, least of all hand feeding them.

Gimchi.... You wouldn't believe how many convenient car parking places there are.

Look I'm a funny guy.

I've actually cut down on all the pics taken (and this is just on my camera)

Introducing.....
Steven....
Sum Wing Won or as I call her Helen teacher (told you I was funny - look at the laugh) Chi Louse which I think means Che teacher

And my director who the kids call 'Mommy teacher' (cute I know)
Gimchi pots
This is a korean pose for wink.

A korean meal full of many dishes.

Daegu herb medicine market and festival

2007-05-01T05:52:00.000-07:00

At a lovely little park in the middle of Daegu (It was quite a find as it was well concealed) we found an interesting korean display.
There was a lot of traditional things
instruments, dances, actions, bells, songs
re-enactments including what we assume to be a torture display (we didnt see it but heard screams and found a medieval style rack)
The gumdo kids loved us. I wanted to watch their sword fights but we were running later and had to put up with their WAYGOOOOOK! calls.

And for some reason break dancers to a traditional beat, If i can get my other blog up and running i'll show you.

Things took place all over this beautiful (clearly buddhist) park

I love the effort they go into, even with giant drums.

This is the entrance to a herb medicine market that is the largest in Korea. It has an attached museum for both this market and herb medicine in general. Suffice to say I left a little skeptically though.

Nice place, can't fault it on appearance and the things they have kept
Check out the gate they left as they built modern roads and buildings around the market.

And a lovely western style church to compensate for all the heathenry taking place inside.

The main things you could buy were turtle shells, deer antlers and other such wierd remedies that I wasn't sure were particulary herbs. We'll be heading back there for another festival we heard about soon.

Sumchunpaw and Namhae

2007-04-30T04:17:00.000-07:00

this is a delightful little park called sumchunpaw.
Myself, Jack and Cheryl were taken by a nice korean with a photography hobby called Junjae.
He has sent some of his far more impressive photo's that I will blog shortly but until then you'll have to put up with my amateur attempts.
a river crossing

inside a green house
I'm not especially impressed with flowers and tree's but everyone else seemed to think they were good so i'll keep quiet.
Jack and Jeon Jae swopping photography tips.

There were less impressed with my West Midlands signs.

poppin in the green house

A camera battle.
This is in Namhae (literally translated as south sea) with a few nice islands and some beautiful spring time yellow.
The scenery was amazing.
As were the little walks. Especially as three of us were nursing sore ankles for on reason or another. I just like these guys selling stuff everywhere. This one sells roasted nuts.

ain't spring (or Bon) beautiful.

a traditional jetty.

I don't mean to screw up my face it was just a beautiful day and to get in the bridge meant facing the sun

We got candy floss or as the north americans say "cotton candy"

Jeon Jae is notoriously shy being on camera rather than behind it but i caught him by suprise a few times.

The beach was a little rocky but surrounded in the smallest crabs I have ever seen. I literally didn't realise there were there til i knelt down.

This was actually our first stop and provided a few interesting sights, you can see the yellow islands we were on.
I nearly caught a wedding parade but i'm too slow.

Seoul tag park

2007-04-28T03:53:00.000-07:00

a park in the centre of Seoul has many well crafted sites. The wall is surrounded with these murals of Korean history. As you can see the korean war is well documented.

There is also one of the major national treasures. You can read this to find out all about it.
Here I am in front of it being a waygook.

These bells and pagodas are very traditional
A full shot of the national treasure encased in glass.
Tried to show the detail on it but my camera doesn't work well through the glass

Someones probably been naughty.

This is on 'Jongno' or bell street
It's very impressive in the centre of Seoul with cars whizzing by. At New years they strike it.
Can't quite get a good pic, flash on or off.

Suwon

2007-04-25T07:15:00.000-07:00

A city south of Seoul with a big history is Suwon.
There is a large fortress surrounding the original city that has been mainly restored but still gives a glimpse of how it used to be.
It's a popular spot for those looking to brush up a little on korean history and marvel at some of the architecture.

The new city has built itself outside of the gates and makes an interesting contrast.

Inside is a palace of the provinces kings. There were many and here is me with some of his girls.

You can sample traditional korean life here. This was the kitchen. The palace is set out like a story book of one girl. In this room she passes her chef's exam. Many of the ancient artefacts remain.

This is part of a praying (to Buddha) room.

Cheryl hiding when the camera is near.
The back of my new favourite t-shirt as I'm looking around it says "waygook saram" I wonder who can guess what that means.

This man and horse were getting ready for a demonstration which I will show you shortly...

I took this picture just as a snap of korean life. This is just outside the palace but these men are just sitting, chipping at the brick while tourists ignore them.

There was a display for the entrance of the king. It was very impressive. The korean life continued inside with pottery and paper making.
The king observes his subjects in almost a roman gladitorial way.
The flags of the returning hunting party.
Trumpeteers

These guys were actually playing shells and it sounded pretty good (for a horn)
Musketeers proving thier hunting skills.
And the archers followed suit.

We were able to get pics with the king who made the most of his acting role. He recieved a great ovation and shook everyone's hand. I was almost sure he was really noble.

The base of statue for buddhism, just wanted to show the detail as well as the size.

No bad people are allowed in Suwon. It's as if the ancients knew where modern people were going to build the train station!
More monuments to Suwon's fallen heroes. Korea loves to recognise it's brave.

The statue I showed you the base of earlier.
Inscriptions on the wall. These show many things about the traditions, almost like cave drawings.

Seoul Grand Park

2007-04-24T05:15:00.000-07:00

south of Seoul there is a a huge park which contains a zoo, an amusement park, an art centre and an expo convention. There was also an aquarium at a nearby shopping centre so we thought we'd take a look.

I don't know if Cheryl prefers playing with the fish or the kids but she helped the koreans feel the fish furthest away.
The turtle stayed fairly still for this pic in a shark tank.

If you enlarge these pics you'll see that koreans have wierd fish tanks, check out the tv's, fridge and washing machine.

A sea lion and dolphin show was realy impressive. I'll try and post some video.

There was a cool chairlift around the park that gave some great views.

Finally we ate dinner in an Egyptian restaurant. Thats right in Korea I have been to Egyptian, Morocan and Indian restaurants. The Japanese sushi doesn't appeal to me though.

Beheaded Hill (Seoul)

2007-04-17T06:13:00.000-07:00

This hill runs straight down into the Han river.
The building you can see at the top is actually a catholic church although it never used to be.
it is the site of a massive catholic massacre so a god place to put a church and museum huh?

We're not supposed to take pics in here but the art depicting the events is quite graphic so I was cheeky.

Many catholics were punished and tortured here cos the french upset the korean king.

Here are some of the things they did.
He decided the hill should be washed clean with catholic blood so he ordered all of them living in Seoul to be executed.
They were apparently a stain on the land.
There are statues and monuments everywhere to those who feel, those who fought the attrocities and those who helped educate the koreans in the catholic way.

I haven't tested but apparently there are always candles burning.
These are in the gardens outside. There are many of them but honestly I found these the funniest and wanted to start a create your own caption competition.
The guy on the cross with the swollen hands ( a bit exaggerated!) maybe about to hit those poor two underneath.
you can enlarge this picture and read about things here.

This guy helped the first christian university in Seoul to be formed. As you can see we're mates.

More reading material for you (though it may be the same - I can't remember as we went a few weeks ago)

The church is right behind us as all of this is on one small hill.
Quite literally beheaded hill

The korean name is Jeoldusan which means martyrs shrine.

Here are some general pics of Seoul I took just wondering around while we there.

Changwon festival

2007-04-14T22:04:00.000-07:00

A new city in Korea had a bit of a party to celebrate it's fifth anniversary. Fortunately I had some friends who live there who let me know about it.
There were huge parades though the streets, many Makkoli tents (it's like a korean rice wine) and huge amounts of support.
Laser displays and fire work shows impressed the kids.
There was confetti pouring from the top of every building (and they are all tall in Korea)

Many strange tributes to other countries, lots of korean snacks such as silkworm lavae, octopus legs, roasted chestnuts and other things replacing our burger and hot dog stands
performances by many dancers

Balloons for the kids, especally cartoon characters with crazy faces

And finally a pop concert in the middle of a large roundabout. Each building fired off fireworks and we even shot off a few of our own hand held ones.

(sorry about the pics but they are taken with a rubbish camera phone as I forgot my digital camera)

Haeinsa

2007-03-16T21:50:00.000-07:00

Cheryl's iconic pose
A huge temple where many buddhists and the original scriptures are

It's a tourist trap. We were dragged into this restaurant. Often in Korea the food is prepared and you cook what you like.

So buddhists live on limited and needed items eh? Whats that satellite dish and security camera?
Most temples are set in the mountains on beautiful national parks.

The original carved scriptures.

Some famous tree we found. Try and read the sign.

It's spring but there is still plenty of ice around.

Even the rocks are carved into, there are many like this, I
guess the buddhists must get bored.

A wet day in Geochang

2007-03-08T05:03:00.000-08:00

Last week was a celebration of a man who helped Korea claim their independance from Japan. He put up many fights during the frustrating period between 1910 and 1946 when Korea simply didn't exist.
The festival was a bit of a washout so we went for a walk instead and found this scarecrow very amusing simply because of it's simplicity.

Back at the rain soaked festival there were pictures of Geochang past which were excellent viewing simply to see how much the town has developed even since the 1970's when mud huts and traditional rags were being used and worn.
I didn't quite understand the rules of this game but it included smashing some dough with a hammer. The older koreans loved it and there was clearly a winner and a loser (winner stays on - a'la pool rules).
The heap of wood on the right is going to be burnt down and the market shrunk and attracted less visitors simply due to the weather.

Even the sign was sinking in the heavy atmosphere despite the huge balloons. There are still some scenic places to walk within minutes of any starting point in Geochang.

The fire gets lit and many people watch. One thing I find really funny about Korea is the amount of umbrella's. They simply love them and use them for anything and everything. Even if there is a light drizzle of rain people get out the umbrella's and have funny rituals when passing in the street in order to work out who holds their umbrella the lowest.

A marching band didn't so much march but make a circle under a marquee.

I'm not to sure if it was safe but that can this young child is holding was lit from the bonfire and he swung it round his head til his little arms dropped. Many children played this game.
It became a meeting point and a place to get free milk!!!! Uyu was offered everywhere.
I couldn't get a picture of one last game but it involved throwing sticks in the air and moving a counter based on the amount of sticks that landed on a certain side. It was amusing just to see how many adults got into the game and cheered on their favourite

Woobang Land

2007-02-28T04:58:00.000-08:00

We visited Woobang land which is a small amusement park in Daegu based around a tall tower. inside the tower is a rather smart aquarium which we had fun in.
apparantly 'Snappy' doesn't like turtles. Cheryl found it amusing that I gave all the animals nicknames.
Timmy and Tricia liked each other.
They had a much smaller and duller environment than the playful penguins we met in Busan but Percy, Peter and Petulia seemed ok. Don't make Howard angry or he'll move and give you a stare. (just as we were wondering if he was real or plastic he moved and gave us a look like he understood what we were saying and had insulted him - I nearly believed it but I wasn't talking in Korean)

Around the park properly were allsorts of amusing transportation. We wanted to play on these but the younger kids kept beating us to them, we even played on using them as a getaway truck in a Goldie Lookin Chain take off. Would have made a good photo!
The entrance. I've given up putting things in order. Compared to english amusement parks it was really cheap and all inclusive.
There wasn't even much queing.

The pirate ship (or as the Koreans and Canadians called it viking ship) was amusing as we were copied in our arm waving. I'm not sure if the Koreans were going to do it anyway but we certainly started it and they were happy to join in. We tried this on other rides too and you would be amazed how much a vowel scream, whoosh or swoop impresses the kids here.

The parade is like a small version of disneyland but with scary characters. Look out for my next blog for a full video.
the tower looked impressive lit up at night.
The log flume looked tranquil.
Like everything else here in Korea the park was set amongst the hills and allowed for some amazing views while you waited in line.

The ghost house was tame but allowed us to be mischevious scaring Korean kids with yelps and running....
The monsters dancing outside were scarier though the odd gasp of gas just seemed mean as it made some people jump.

I'm not sure which one is meant to be the permanent fixture. (I'm gonna get really beaten up for this post)

The fun house was ..er.. fun. We kept up the silliness anyway.

There was a pretty cool sledging section that we tried out.
Cheryl was meant to be in this picture but she got stopped at the top. I laughed but actually managed to barrel role the sledge myself.

Not the best photo but if you enlarge it you'll notice it's Cheryl with windswept hair on the nearest sledge. (I'm refusing to write sled).

Inside the tower is an observatory platform, a science exhibition, the afore mentioned aquarium and an ice skating rink.
I shouldn't go skating with canadians when I can't skate much better than a baby elephant. This is where I pay for my earlier comments. Look I'm standing... GIMCHI!
The crash helmet was needed. It's best to take photo's like this as I can pretend to be standing.
Apparently even putting on my skates was amusing.

In the next post along with the video of the parade will be me doing a lap.... without falling over. Watch this space.

Korean Theatre (Miss Saigon)

2007-02-28T04:34:00.000-08:00

So we went to the theatre and saw a few humerous things. Firstly the amount of flashes that went off for the encore gave me the impression that I was allowed to take photo's inside!!! As Korea is a very private country I was disappointed to find out that even in the brothel there wasn't any semi-nudity! We had good seats towards the front as well.
This is outside the theatre, which they describe as opera house. (side note - having being writing American for so long it's really tempting to spell it theater.)

Don't we look sweet all dressed up. I asked a friendly Korean to take the photo and wasn't sure which one looked best so you get both! It was interesting following the production in Korean. They had even re-worked all the songs but the performance was top notch and if I could have understood it fully would have thought it amazing. I knew what was going on as I have seen it before in English.
Another shot of the impressive opera house. There were many funny moments in the play where some things were mis-interpreted such as when they sung "The American Dream" they had a cartoon video of the statue of liberty getting a boob job and humping an american dollar. Quite amusing.

Told you we had good seats. This was taken without a zoom. I wish I could have the set in as it was really good and moved very convincingly.

a backwards birthday post

2007-02-27T03:06:00.000-08:00

First here are some pics from my actual birthday in Geochang at a place called Chingu ya which means "Hey friend". Here are some of my friends Martyn and Sunny.

I had to share my cake with the whole bar (as is Korean tradition) luckily my fans were kind enough to buy me two cakes! The flash doesn't half make it look like I've gone red.

Who did we give what to?
I'd love to tell the story but I really can't remember what was happening here.

So this was a triple birthday party including my own as we had birthdays within 3 days of each other. Like an idiot I have posted these so the pics of us drunk are at the top and the getting read pics are at the end.
See... I told you we were drunk.

Only the classy bars sell those background t-shirts.

There was some dancing amid the drunken chaos.

I don't always hide behind the camera.

Here are the three of us blowing out our birthday candles.

Here they are getting ready.
The birthday girls.
no I'm not turning the picture around.. they were levitating.

Our meal at Bennigans.

These pics were taken around the same time and i don't have another post to put them on.

The Little Disneyland musical.

2007-02-20T04:56:00.000-08:00

Our academy performed a musical, it was actually two musicals, speeches, performances and presentations.

in these photo's you may find Snow White and Peter Pan that were converted into musicals
some speeches from our really skilled students.
me looking silly in a prince outfit - though all my students said i looked handsome and i've never been given so many flowers before.
We hosted the evening and helped out with presetnations on jobs, cultures, countries and a few songs and dances.

We even borrowed from a movie classic.

The kindergarten can be really cute.

Everyone on stage for the finale.

some of the costumes worked really well.

A photo presentation of a year at little disneyland. I should name my blog something similar.

A winter BBQ

2007-02-15T06:04:00.000-08:00

So we went into the country (Gabo) for a bbq though it was a little colder and with more guns this time.
This was actually back in warm sunny Geochang playing cards, judging from my drunken expression I was losing.

Martyn preparing for his hunting.
Both of us (the women weren't invited) westerners felt a little funny at shooting the birds so we just kinda tagged along and took some shots at hitting paper cups. We hit a few too though I wouldn't call myself a naturel marksman.
And we had a little harmless fighting. I escaped without scratchmarks. Mowgli was so proud he hit a small and cute bird that it got plucked and bbq'd.
The feast was pretty good.
some people are always teaching whether they are her students or random family members of friends... of friends.
Like good traditional korean women the girls stayed back, kept the babies happy, prepared vegetables.
As soon as the cup went down it was gonna be shot at. If we hadn't drunk the contents first our aim would have been better.
Jack the galbi chef.

Mans work is never done. Better get the fire started.
Sunny and Cheryl were about to go off for a country work to get an appetite.
Hide and seek with photo's is cool at a cabin.

For more photo's of this trip visit Martyn or Cheryl's blog from my links of fellow Geochangers

My apartment

2007-02-15T05:42:00.000-08:00

Now I'm getting the hand of this. Here is a surround view from my balcony taken at night.

Geochang parade

2007-02-15T05:21:00.000-08:00

This video is from ages ago but I've only just worked out how to put video on blog.

If you wanna see the report find my photo's from geochang festival

Those missing pics

2007-02-15T03:20:00.000-08:00

Hopefully fourth time lucky. These are the pics from the last post. Here's megan looking out into no mans land.

Bridge of no return Post quiet time drinks. not sure who was offending who.

the line that splits north and south
No gestures, those north koreans have big guns.

Looking through the train station to the north.

Time for thoughts and recollection.
Freedom bridge at an innoccuous train station where prisoners were exhanged.
Don't mees with the guards.

The train into a tunnel that doesnt exist
your not allowed to take photos any closer (seriously there's a line). Holding your camera in the air clearly doesnt work.

the first train station towards reconciliation. Empty.

It's a little bleak sometimes.

Don't sign this waiver.

My souvenir.
the Geochangers on tour in Seoul with funky hats.

DMZ

2007-02-05T06:19:00.000-08:00

I know I visited this place mid-December but I thought the pics were still interesting. The De-Militirized Zone (DMZ) between North and South Korea (or as I should say Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) and the Republic of Korea (ROK) respectively) is a truly fascinating and scary place.
You are only allowed to take photo's at specifically approved points. This is the railway station built in an effort to reconcile. Unfortunately it's never been used. The ROK will quickly correct if you try and say it's the last station in the south as it's purpose is to be the first step towards reunification. This is the site of a tunnel found very close to Seoul with many of the DPRK's army involved in the digging. It officially doesn't exist and is denied by the DPRK's government. It's strange being somewhere that doesn't exist.
You can't actually take any photo's in there but me (from left to right) and fellow Geochangers Phil, Martyn, Kara, Megan and Jack did enjoy looking silly in our hats.
This is the train that takes you into the tunnel. The tunnel is full of painted black rocks which apparently is meant to be coal and DPRK's reason for digging. One problem... in order to find the tunnel the ROK dug through granite and it's difficult to find coal in granite. In fact, it's impossible.

When the ceasefire was agreed (technically their still at war but the last shots fired were in the ninties) this tiny train station was the humble point of a trade of prisoners.
It has been named freedom bridge.

You can see through to the other side to the North and where the transfer took place. It's frighteningly jagged and empty.

They get a little funny if you try and break the rules.
This is where the first sight of many loved ones was founded.

This bridge is called the Bridge of No Return. It's basically unguarded and anyone who wants to be a traitor can cross it. However you will be shot immediately and often if you decide to take a round trip.
This land is basically no mans land. Literally. No man has set foot on this ground for 50 years. This is agreed by both sides. It is the scene of many a koreans death, often at the hands of his relations as families were split by the war. Out of such chaos and sadness has become a nature preserve home of some of the worlds rarest animals.
That flag you can see in the bag ground is the home of a propaganda village. The only village you can see of the DPRK without breaking flight regulations. The village is perfect in almost everyway and in stark contrast to the stories of dictatorship, starvation and poverty you may have heard. I say perfect in nearly every way because it's actually a ghost town. No one lives there and the only people you will see are paid to keep it looking fantastic. The only purpose of this village is to prove how great the DPRK is.

Looking out and hearing the stories is a solemn experience.

These headquarters are actually where all of the treaties are signed. The building is half built in the DPRK and half in the ROK. Technically I have stepped onto North Korean soil. (for a few seconds til I saw the guards watching me.)
This table is where the action happened. That soldier will not move unless touched. We are advised to take photo's from a safe distance as his psychologically prepared for war. When you see the armed guards outside jeering at each other from both sides you can understand why.
You are not allowed to make any gesture at all. The main problem is pointing which will be used as propaganda and slander against the ROK because thats where we were standing.

So I bought myself a little souvenir. Never thought I would pay for a bit of barbed wire, but this is a definate reminder of what we saw. I wish I could have taken more photo's.

This is the declaration I had to sign to go on the tour. It basically say's if I get shot it's my own fault. If you want to read it click the picture, tilt your head, and if you want to make me laugh send me a picture of you doing the hokey cokey.

Busan

2007-02-02T21:58:00.000-08:00

So on new years after everyone else decided to leave us, Cheryl and I decided to explore Busan. Coming from central Canada (which I keep being reminded is the biggest country) Cheryl has never been to an aquarium. It was pretty cool.
There were sharks you could take a boat ride with.
Yay, my photo's are out of order! So this is Busan at night. This bridge is pretty famous and spectacular during the day. The photo doesn't do it justuce as it was taken with full zoom from a long distance.

Ok back to the aquarium. Look there's a fish behind me!

The Penguins entertained us for ages. Because we're so important, this one stood to attention.
Yeah, I'm still silly.

These are the grounds around Beomeosa temple. They are well kept by buddhists so we (ok, I) decided to play around.

And we took a cable car up the mountains. It was quite impressive and the view of Busan is amazing.

Bunny fingers (cos I know everyone likes them)

And this is Busan tower. It's nowhere near as tall as Namsan tower in Seoul (see previous entries) but I still didn't get too close to the edge. It's quite impressive as it's set in a park with a (smaller) aquarium, art exhibition and many tributes to Buddha and brave wartime koreans.
Here's the the stillest photo I took.
Yep, she's a lot braver than me when it comes to heights.

This is Beomeosa temple that I mentioned earlier. I really wanted to get some shots inside as it's quite well decorated but I decided it was inappropriate as people were praying.
The temple is set up high in the mountains but it's worth the effort to get there. (We caught a cab)

Thought I'd try and show a close up of some of the items in the court yard. You can't really tell unless you go but everything is sculpted.

The lanterns are all made of paper and decorated.

Some buildings are more accessible than others.

Below are some photo's I meant to edit but they have been posted so long now that you can guess what's happening. the temple is still Beomeosa, it's quite a large area.

Busan pics cont.

2007-01-09T03:29:00.000-08:00

New years sun down to sun up

2007-01-06T21:38:00.000-08:00

So we headed down to Busan or more appropriately Haeundae beach for new years. Thought we'd try and make it a 24hr event and watch the sun go down and rise.

So during the day Cheryl tries to walk on water
and attracts lots of gulls.
We find sand sculptors
and statues. When it's Korean new year it will be the year of the pig or more precisely the year of the golden pig it would seem.

We wanted to catch a ferry while waiting for others to join us but missed it. The next day it was apparantly too choppy in the waters to ride (it blatantly wasn't).

So the sun made some interesting colours as we decided to find food

and check into a hotel. I don't know why girls want to wrestle me but who's complaining.
And we found a club to bring in the new year
With free drinks!!! and only a fiver to get in!
At midnight we missed the countdown do we headed out to the beach to watch the fireworks and greet confused koreans
and let off a few handheld fireworks of our own into the sea

apparantly the sand was freezing but some of us were clever enough to keep our shoes on

the lure of free strong alcohol had us back in a club and dancing

New years eve pics (more)

2007-01-05T01:29:00.000-08:00

The dancing continued til late in the night.

When we gave up it was time to head to the beach and wait til sunrise
these pics aren't in a very good order
it was pretty cold...
and the all nighter took it's toll on us.

but eventually we saw some sun starting to rise over the ocean

Made it... then we went to bed!!!!

Some extra xmas pics

2007-01-05T01:18:00.000-08:00

Christmas eve party and day

2006-12-26T05:27:00.000-08:00

So the christmas eve festivities started off at Cheryl's house where she found a stock of alcohol I can't remember what we're eating/drinking/doing here as I got a little merry.
People chilled out everywherre to movies, music and playstaion
Thats right, I finished my wine and champagne so I was drinking beer out of a wine glass.
Chrimbo decorations can be found in Korea
The big screen in your own home. We watched a Dr Seuss version of the Grinch and White Christmas to get us in the mood.
Thats right we got salmon and turkey
The chefs did a good job and beleive me they had small facilities
A toast to christmas
My first helpings
God knows how much Sunny and I had eaten at this point.

Egg nog. I've never had it before and believe it to be an american custom. All I know is that it had a lot fo rum.
Not sure when or where the chocolate fight started.
The dancing happened tp any song that was playing with Sunny's best english just knowing 'sexy' so thats what she sang. I both joined in and copied but you don't want a photo of that.
We then let off a few hand held fireworks as it got closer to midnight.

When we could get them lit that was.
Before a spot of carol singing in the centre of Geochang. Most people had headed off to bed or to make phone calls by now as it was well into christmas morning. About 10 koreans joined us a bit later.

Cheryl sharing the view from my place on a beautiful christmas morning (without the snow)
oops got my pics out of order. Some of the koreans bought us a load of makkoli (korean rice wine) to finish the night with. you drink it out of the bowls and it's served in the kettles.
Me on christmas morning with all the pressies.
Looks like I was a good boy and santa found me.
Our present swapping

The Friday before christmas

2006-12-26T05:20:00.000-08:00

We had a few friends in town so we went out around Geochang and found a seasonal looking bar with a great saxophonist.
The night got a bit to much for a member of the party called Garrett who says he was focusing on meditation to cure his spinning head!
We still got korean food despite it being christmas

Christmas lights and a touch of singing

2006-12-26T04:58:00.000-08:00

Thought I'd share a little bit of christmas with you. one of my friends brothers visited for christmas (above) so we treated him to some korean singing. Regular viewers know everyone and have seen norrybang before.

There's the happy family.
i have been asked if Koreans celebrate christmas... well this was in the town centre

Not quite sure what happened on this pic but I like it
Even the hospital that I live above has a (kinda) tree. 1 pt for spotting it.
A department store I found in Daegu. Being in the big city was busy enough to imagine christmas shopping.

Thanksgiving in Changwon

2006-12-17T05:28:00.000-08:00

Some pics from where I celebrated my first Thanksgiving
Changwon is a huge city that I visited with my Canadian friends and meet many other people.

We found Guinness and cheese. I miss both of them

In the middle of Changwon is a beautiful lake which lights up at night and has dancing fountains. As with everywhere in korea it is surrounded by mountains giving the city an awesome backdrop.

Playing with Canadians.

2006-12-17T05:10:00.000-08:00

I made some new Canadian friends and we all playing in the mountains.

Around Gyeonju and such presence

2006-12-07T05:36:00.000-08:00

Tagpole park. A kings garden.

I like the landscaping but I'mnot sure how original it is.

The museum with replica's of Gyeonju's most famous sites

The 'Emilie' bell. Legend has it that this bell was made by a small child and it's sound is like that of a child screaming which can be heard for 3 miles. They didn't let me ring it though.
Asia's oldest observatory. It stands as a monumnet to time in the use of 366 bricks (days were difficult to count) and 12 slabs at the bottom, each with it's own monhly symbol.

The entrance to a burial ground for many a famous king

Gyeonju

2006-12-02T04:29:00.000-08:00

The treasures of Gyeonju

2006-11-21T04:40:00.001-08:00

Gyeonju is a burial place for many of the Silla kings way back in the days when Korea was split across seven provinces. They lived a pretty life of luxery and these are some of the things buried with them. The silla empire were the first to officially accept buddhism as there religion.

This wall is totally amazing but you can't really see it from a camera indoors.
These are early signs of the zodiac

Looks like bling was in fashion then.

Tae Kwon Do and other pics

2006-11-01T05:04:00.000-08:00

My friend nicknamed Mowgli just passed his gundo registration and can now carry swords. I don't know how as the guy is a nutter but a friendly one.
I recieved this an age ago but thought I would photo it for posperity sake. If you click on the pic you can read it. I know it's not perfect but the girl is 11/12 years old (it's difficult to tell in Korean as they work out their age differently and are shy about telling you their birthdays) I know I couldn't write in German (what I studied at school) that well even now.
A villge camp montage where I went with my school in the summer. It's old but I got these photo's as a souvenir gift.
I'm in the newspaper with my Tae Kwon do class
Practising at home (spot the crafty hand on the chair as I wait for the camera to flash)

Here is the news paper in full. I don't think it's clear enough to tell but there are three of us foreigners in there.

Jinju fortress

2006-10-25T06:04:00.000-07:00

A wonder around the fortress at Jinju is eye opening. Officially the Koreans call it a castle but it isn't in the british sense of the word. This wall is a depiction (and mysteriously a celebration) of some of the wars. You have to be silent when you visit.
This bell is rung out to warn the town folk of invasion and has been chimed by many of Korea's heroes.
Sometimes it is hard to show the inside of buildings that have been beutifully hand painted.
Many of the living areas were quite nice too though.
This is actually a buddhist monumnet on the left of the picture. I didnt go to close as people still pray there and were doing so as I went past. All of this is within the fortress walls.
This is a museum that has been built inside. It describes two famous battles. Why they were fought (more of a strategy than a slaughter) and how they were won and lost. Even when the Koreans lost to the Japanese they damaged the forces enough to make further invasion impossible.
There are many stories of heroes hidden in these houses.
I've never been one to miss a picture of a cannon. Even one from 1592. The main weapon that the Koreans used though was boiling water. It makes sense really, try climbing over afortress when people are throwing boiling water at you.
All of the commanders are given memorial tablets that look more like grave stones. No one knows many of the final resting places but they are all honoured.
During the war there were close to 70,000 townsfolk. The fortress was designed to hold 10,000 people. Guess why this was built?
Many of the items in Jinju commemerate leadership achievements. Some of it seems like propaganda but this man was loved by many. He was never honoured by the Korean kings for (ahem!) political reasons but his actions inspired many and created many stories of heroism.
The locals were proud and honoured him as only Koreans can. The plaques describe his efforts during two Japanese invasions and make it sound like he won the first almost single handed.

This woman is an interesting patriot. She is also remembered as a hero with words chosen carefully.
This is her memorial tablet out on the rocks by the river side. She was fed up of Japanese tyranny and so lured a Japanese commander here before throwing him off the rocks. David beats Goliath.
She is described delicately as a 'female professional entertainer' and is a heroic inspiration to many of the women struggling against Japanese 'oppression'. While I wasn't exactly imaging a woman in a clown outfit as I read this it still struck me as odd that a Korean (usually reserved people) decided to point out that she was a prostitute fed up of rapists. So much for womens lib. (doesn't really exist but Korea has signs of taking on board western ideals even if some of the older locals are traditional)

Jinju town

2006-10-25T05:46:00.000-07:00

Last weekend I visited a city called Jinju. It's a medium sized city famous for its fortress and heroic town folk who valiantly battled against many invasions.
Jinju was seen as a tactically ideal place to control many Korean cities.
I actually wanted to put these photos in order but for some reason blogger wants to put the night time ones out first. I enjoyed all the bright lights.
The week before I went was a lantern festival but much of this reminds me of Seoul anyway.

I particulary like this flash board. That dragon moves and dances and shows 'analogue' quality tv reports. I heard all about Kim Jung Il just watching this.
The river is a mecca for kids
Beleive it or not this picture was taken from an e-mart. I guess Asia tries to blend the old and the new.

I liked this little boat on its own in the river. I have no idea if it was part of a show or anything as it just stands there.

Once more up the mountains

2006-10-24T06:23:00.000-07:00

So I thought I would have another crack at the nearby mountains and this time I made it to the top (3 hours scrambling)
Thought I 'd take a picure in every direction to both remember and prove it.

I also found this look out point.
And a new way home. It looked easier but it wasn't
I had no idea which way to go at times on the way down.
I nearly forgot to share the view.

You can see just how small Geochang town is.

Concert house

2006-10-24T06:13:00.000-07:00

We found somewhere in Geochang that serves wine. True it was a pretty fancy place called the concert house
and it had a large classical piano with expensive wine and cheese but we pretended we were upper class. Well nearly.
I thought many people wouldn' t beleive I ate wine and cheese from a menu so here is proof. True the red wine was chilled and inexplicably the white wine wasn't but that is normal in Korea.

Teh Koreans even tried to teach me how to hold things properly. As you can see I just looked a muppet.

More pics of Geochang

2006-10-24T05:48:00.000-07:00

Thought I would bore myself with some more pictures of the town I live in. This first one is the school that I work at.
Most of the rest of these are from south of the river. I don't go down that way often as I don't need to cos there is little there.
It is very much the poor end of town unfortunately.

Chuseok

2006-10-24T05:38:00.000-07:00

All over Chuseok, Geochang is very sleepy. I thought I'd get a few photo's taken while it's quiet. Chuseok is similar to Korean thanksgiving. Everyone wears traditional Korean clothes called a hanbok on this day. We had a chuseok party before we closed for the holiday. Here are some teachers and my director.
On Chuseok the population of each town goes to pay their respects to those no longer with us. This is the dedicated monument in Geochang.
They also give each lots of presents. I got a new shirt as you can see.
It was a beautiful day.

Daegu soccer match

2006-10-15T05:24:00.000-07:00

So I finally got to go to a soccer match in Daegu stadium. It is also purpose built for the world cup and is nothing short of magnificent.
A nice suprise when we got there was that we got free tickets. I tried asking how much they were and was just waved away. Result!
There are video boards and sculptures at either end of the stadium which was sadly empty despite the free tickets.

So we got a perfect view!
I even ran to the top of what must be at least a 50,00o seater.

i went with Martyn and Steve who aren't quite as enthusiastic as me about soccer.
The biggest suprise was that Daegu (who are struggling in the league) beat Seoul (K'league powerhouses) 2-0. the supporters went mad.
there were Mexican waves and dancing in the aisles (there was plenty of room). Thispicture is of the massive Seoul travelling support.
The night was the friendliest family orientated football environment I have ever seen. Everything was done for entertainment and the players were the epitomy of fair play before, during and after the match.

As with all stadia built for the world cup there are also purpose built parks for supporters to gather. This is an ariel view from the top of the stands.
It is all very impressive and worth walking around. It's shame that one korean told me the stadium hasn't been full since the world cup

Geonju town

2006-10-15T05:03:00.000-07:00

Geonju is quite a massive a modern town despite the guide books attempts to tell you about its traditions
It's quite strange being somewhere this size having been in Geochang for so long. This is simply a city comparable in size to any of the british ones bar London.
it still manages to hold some traditional elements even in the town centre, there is even a traditional meeting place in the middle of the hustle and bussle
it occurs to me that the photos dont really show the hand painted buildings in all their beauty but there all differently decorated with this kind of style. It depends upon which king made them.
Korea's history is evident everywhere.