Salt, Sand and Sea (31 July)

By our last full day on the island, we realise that we’ve done little more than laze about on the beach and it shows.  Both M and I are feeling more relaxed and there’s no argument from either side about spending yet another day on the beach but first we have active plans for the morning.

We head to the Salt Museum where we go on a tour of the salt plains.  I tune out for the talk that lasts nearly an hour and it seems even the Koreans around me who can understand the talk are not really paying much attention to the speaker either.  Mercifully, the talk ends before my soul successfully escapes my body and we’re told to get a pair of white boots.  Once dressed in our stylish boots, we head to a salt plain and each grab a broom.  Sweeping up the salt for harvesting is hard work and the salt layering our skin doesn’t feel too great.  However, we’re impressed with the quantity of salt that we manage to sweep up.

Salt, Salt and More Salt

With our salt harvested, we are shown over to a huge barn like structure that is half-filled with a floor to ceiling pile of salt on one side.  We’re then showing back to our starting point and each handed a 1kg plastic bag to fill with salt and take home as a souvenir.  I’ve never really been a fan of salt and since being in Korea, I’m even less fond of it.  The Korean diet is very high in sodium and it seems that salt is added, in copious quantities, to pretty much everything.  It’s especially prominent in the kimchi making process.  In contrast, it would probably take me the rest of my life to use a 1kg bag of salt!  M is delighted when I tell her that my salt will be going home with her for her mom to use but first we have to pose for a photo with our commemorative bags of salt.

After a quick tour around the salt museum and a nearby garden, we head back down to the beach for a final afternoon of lazing in the sun.  We realise that we’ve spent several hours in this routine over the past few days as the guy in charge of the umbrella and lounger rentals promptly finds us a spot.  Equally familiar with us are the people in the nearby snack stand.  It’s been a peaceful and relaxing vacation of doing very little and I feel ready to face work once more as we turn in for the night.

Jeung-do Explorations (29 July)

We get a late-ish start this morning as we only wake up after 8:00am.  After a quick breakfast of bagels and cream cheese, M tells me that we’re going to Pa-do, an island connected to Jeung-do and one where a popular Korean drama, “Thank you” was filmed.  The road to Pa-do is very narrow and involves a long stretch across a narrow road between two parts of the ocean where the tide has gone out.  At the location where the drama was filmed, there is simply a house with a few cardboard cut-outs and posters.  We take a few photos and then head back to the main island. 

Mudhoppers

On the way back,  we stop to take more photos of the scenery and discover mudhoppers, which is what many of the Koreans around us are attempting to catch.  I’ve never seen a mudhopper before and it reminds of the scene in the movie, Matilda, where The Trunchbull comes to do a class visit of Miss Honey’s lesson and the kids put a newt into her water jug.  The mudhoppers are interesting to watch and it’s amazing how big some of them can get.  The birds circling overhead are clearly also interested in the mudhoppers and we decide to leave them to their hunting.

Chill Time

Back at the beach, we rent an umbrella with two loungers and laze about for four hours.  It’s so relaxing to sleep, listen to the waves licking the sand, the sound of kids enjoying a weekend break and enjoy the warm sun while reading.  We’ve also discovered that Jeung-do is holding a mud festival of it’s own this weekend and we head over to the stage to watch the performances. 

I’m a big fan of traditional Korean percussion groups and I love watching these performances.  There are also traditional dances, some traditional songs (of which I’m not such a big fan since they’re usually sung by old ajummas and seem to last forever) and a few…interpretive…dances.  Hungry once again, we head to the food tents where I’m horrified to see that mudhoppers are on the menu.  Although we choose the buffet option, I’m limited in what I can eat due to the large quantity of shellfish provided.  We, therefore, seek a second dinner of fried chicken at another stand before finally heading back to our minbak and just relaxing for the rest of the evening.

On the Road Again (28 July)

Being a Korean English teacher at a hagwon, M gets only five days of vacation per year – two of which are a weekend.  I’ve scheduled my leave to coincide with her vacation dates so that we can travel together.  We have the same idea: We want a quiet beach vacation where we can simply laze on the beach in the sun.  M discovered the perfect place and has made all of the bookings for us.

I meet M at E-Mart at 10:00am.  I’m worried that there’ll be a lot of mould in my apartment again after the four days but there’s not really anything that I can do about it:  After all, it’s not like I can spend my days sitting at home and watching mould grow!  We do a spot of shopping for a few basics before heading to a car repair shop where M needs to get her oil changed before we can hit the road. 

Roadtrip

The roadtrip to Jeung-do on the southwest coast is a pleasant trip and it’s great to just goof around.  We arrive in Jeung-do at around 15:00 but it takes us a bit of time to find our minbak (inn) at which M has made the reservation for the first two nights.  When we do finally find it, we take a short nap before trying unsuccessfully to find the tourist information centre.  Giving up on the tourist information centre, we head for the downtown area to find a local mart.  There are only two choices and neither is particularly big or well-stocked; this is when we realise just how small the island actually is as it makes Soryong-dong (my neighbourhood in Gunsan) look really well-developed. 

Finding a Chinese restaurant in the downtown area, we eat a filling meal of jjajjangmeong, sweet and sour pork and mandu before heading down to the beach to watch the sunset.   The beach has a bit of a quasi-tropical feel with it’s grass thatch umbrellas and wooden loungers scattered at precise intervals.  We settle on two of the loungers and chat until long after the sun has set and the tide goes out before heading back to our minbak for the night.

Treasure Island and Horror Films

Astro joins us on our second full day on the island and M leaves early in the morning to go and meet him at the bus station.  We then pack and head to a different minbak located in the countryside where Astro shows just how much of a city boy he is.  The main house of our minbak, however, appears to be very traditional and is beautifully built.

Treasure Island

Since our room isn’t yet ready, we leave our bags and head back to the beach for another day of just lazing about.  Astro, being a sun-worshipper, is happy to tan on his towel on the sand while M and I laze about on the loungers again.   Incredibly, six hours whips by all too soon and before we know it, the sun is preparing to set.  M tells us about a place called Treasure Island and we head there to watch a spectacular sunset.  While waiting for the sun to set, Astro plays up to the camera and does mock fitness videos using the benches on the observation deck. 

Near the observation deck is a restaurant built as a ship.  Apparently the owner of this particular spent millions of US dollars to build this restaurant and we decide to see what all the fuss is about.  Unfortunately, it’s a sushi restaurant and we’re not too keen on the menu so we head out in search of somewhere else to eat dinner.  As we drive back towards our minbak, we pass a family style restaurant that looks appealing.  The galbitang there is delicious and Astro insists that we’ll be back there the following day for dinner, at which the owners simply laugh. 

Horror Films

Back in the car, Astro lives up to his nickname of snail and I tell M that we should pretend to leave him behind.  This clearly becomes an entertaining game for us all as we continue to drive just fast enough to make Astro chase the car up the hill.  He then asks us to make a horror movie of him running in front of the car.  I film the scene as we chase him up the darkened hilly roads with him screaming over his shoulder.  At the sight of another car, we decide that we’re probably going to be reported to the local police and we finally allow Astro to get back into the car.

Back at the minbak, it’s still early and Astro and I have have a good chat outside on the lawn overlooking the countryside.  We’ve never really spoken much prior to this and it’s great to get to know him a bit better as we talk about jobs, aspirations and travel plans before turning in for the night.

Happy New Year (31 December)

It’s New Year’s Eve and hopes are high

     Kiss one year in, wave one goodbye…

Engaging With A Cute Doctor

Once again, my day starts with an acupuncture appointment with the cute doctor (last photo on the linked page).   I now know what to expect and where to go so I’m not really paying attention as I enter the Oriental Medicine section.  Out the corner of my eye, I see someone else approaching the department from the opposite direction but I’m busy sending a text message to the international coordinator to let her know that I’m at the right department so I’m somewhat surprised to realise that the person opposite me is in fact the cute doctor who is now greeting me.  He seems to have come in early just to fit me in this morning because I’d said that I’m leaving for Seoul this morning.

We’re soon going through the now familiar steps of the acupuncture procedure and I get the feeling that the cute doctor and the coordinator are talking about me.  I’ve understood a few random words to know that he’s asked what I do, where I work, where I’m from and the usual five questions I’m asked on a regular basis.  He occasionally throws in an English word or two for my benefit which I appreciate so, when he excuses himself to attend to another patient, I ask the coordinator how to say “Doctor” in Korean.  She tells me and, having asked his name the previous day, I practise saying “Thank you Dr Kim” in Korean. 

The final step of the procedure is a somewhat chiropractic manoeuvre that apparently is intended to re-align the spine or something similar.  Usually, the coordinator is with me each step of the way but, for some reason, she has excused herself from this final step and drawn the curtains around the cubicle in which I am now alone with the doctor.  When Dr Kim finishes this part of the treatment, he seems uncertain as to what to do next since he’s not comfortable speaking in English and, as far as he knows, I don’t speak or understand any Korean. 

I Don't Understand!

I’m determined to thank him in Korean because he’s the first Korean doctor who has actually treated me as a person and not a non-entity which I truly appreciate.  I hastily jump up, bow and say the line that I have so diligently been practising for past twenty minutes.  I’ve barely finished speaking when I hear several women laughing just outside of the cubicle. Dr Kim resembles a deer caught in headlights and I’m surprised to see him blushing furiously. He seems too shocked to say anything more coherent than “Oh” at first and seems to quickly think of something else. “Enjoy your party,” is all he manages before fleeing, leaving me more confused than ever. 

I hear voices outside amidst the laughter so I quickly grab my coat and bag and step outside to see what’s going on.  The coordinator seems to have rounded up all of the female staff in the Oriental Medicine Department because they’re all standing there talking and laughing at Dr Kim.  He’s in the middle of saying something to them when he sees me, blushes even more while re-enacting the deer-caught-in-headlights look and literally runs out of the room, across the hall and into his office where he quickly closes the door.  The only response from the women around me is to laugh even more and point out how much I’ve made him blush.  The head of the department, and Dr Kim’s immediate supervisor, asks me if I’m happy with the treatment I received: I’m very happy with the acupuncture but very confused as to what is currently happening.  Clearly, I’m missing a vital piece of information. 

While I talk to the head of department and a nurse, the coordinator goes across the hall to Dr Kim’s office and, while trying not to laugh too much, tells him something that I don’t understand.  I understand that I seem to have embarrassed the cute doctor but I don’t understand why so I step into the hall to wait for the coordinator.  Dr Kim’s eyes seem to widen further and further each time he sees me so the coordinator quickly takes my arm and ushers me out of the department as the laughter follows our departure down the hall.  When I ask her to explain what just happened, she simply laughs and tells me that I made him blush – I already know this; what I don’t know is why.  As she ushers me through the accounts section and to the front door, the only answer she seems willing to leave me with is: He’s worried about how much Korean you understand.  Instead of reassuring me, I leave the medical centre wondering what he could possibly have said that would make him blush so…..

Hello Again...

I head straight back to my apartment to meet Freddy so that we can meet Catfish at the bus terminal.  We’re soon on a bus and heading to Seoul where we’ll meet up with NZ2, his friend and KiwiKat in Itaewon.  The subway isn’t nearly as busy as it was the previous Friday but thanks to slow moving passengers, I’m the only one who manages to get onto the subway before the doors close – Catfish and Freddy simply wave goodbye from the platform and I mime getting off at the next stop which is Jamwon…and completely deserted.  We quickly communicate that I’ll get on the next train and either find each other on the train or at the station where we change lines. 

Out the corner of my eye, I glimpse a coat that seems familiar but my brain registers that it’s not who I’m looking for so I don’t pay closer attention. As I look up and down the carriage for my friends, I hear an incredulous voice say, “I don’t believe it!” and I look up to find myself looking at the man Catfish found herself inadvertently nestling against on the overcrowded train on Christmas Eve.  He then asks me where my friend is and I quickly text Catfish who thinks I’m making a joke about the subway being too busy.  Little does she know that I’m actually standing next to Mr Pillow man which is precisely what I clarify when we finally find each other at the station where we change lines.

From there, it’s a smooth trip to Itaewon where we stash our belongings in a locker at Itaewon station (a very convenient and cost-effective overnight storage option!) before heading to What the Book? to meet the Kiwis and co. Along the way, we encounter high school students who need to interview English speakers as part of a winter camp project so we happily volunteer our services. After a quick look around What the Book? where we purchase two incredibly funny Korean books that read like bad romance novels (Making Out in Korean and Dirty Korean), KiwiKat shows me the ‘Plus Size’ store in Itaewon where she buys all of her clothes and introduces me to the woman who runs the store.  When I hear that the store will be open the next day, I tell her that I’ll be back then since we’re going straight to the party and we’re once again on our way so that Freddy can have a haircut, I can look for new gloves, and we can all do general errands that are just so much easier in Itaewon. 

Countdown Seoul

With our errands complete, we head to Yeongdeungpo where the concert is being held in Seoul’s Times Square (Kyungbang) which is basically a large shopping centre.  We discover that we need our reference numbers (which were emailed at time of booking) in order to collect the tickets.  KiwiKat has the reference numbers for the three tickets that she booked but Catfish hasn’t written down the numbers for our tickets.  The solution: We head to Starbucks where people are working on personal laptops and she approaches a Korean man and asks if she may borrow his computer for a few minutes to write down the reference numbers.  Fortunately, he agrees and we’re soon heading back to the ticket counter where we discover that we will not be able to collect our tickets for another hour.  Not to be deterred by this, we decide that a proper dinner is in order and head back towards the subway and on to TGI Friday’s for some western food. Unfortunately, too many people seem to have decided on this and we’re not able to wait an hour for a table which is how we ended up eating KFC for dinner on the last night of the year…

Our hunger semi-sated, we stop by a local bookstore to look for cardboard and markers to make Free Hugs and Kisses signs.  We leave with no cardboard but a new confusion about the "Elglish" language section as we once again head back to Times Square to collect our tickets.  Catfish and KiwiKat get into the queue while the rest of us fool around and tell them to hurry up since we’re cold.  I surreptitiously attempt to take a photo of a cute Korean guy standing in the queue (much to the amusement of my friends) but, after several failed attempts, I give up. Tickets in hand, we head inside and find a spot to take over while we orientate ourselves with the layout of the venue and the schedule then we get ready to party Korean style…

…or maybe not!  We head upstairs to the club room since the performances downstairs will only start at 22:00.  Upstairs, we’re treated to the sight of a handful of people standing in the centre of the dance floor bopping only their heads to the music, and most people sitting on the chairs along the wall.  If this is Korean style partying, we’re bound to be disappointed.  We commandeer a table in the centre of the room and proceed to pile all of our jackets and bags on top before getting our first drinks.  It doesn’t take long for Catfish to meet a cute guy…much to the disgust of his girlfriend who seems to be watching Catfish very carefully.  Each time we encounter Alex and his girlfriend that evening, she is quick to move him along and discourages any conversation.

Will You Kiss a Fish?

 

The DJs who start off the evening’s entertainment aren’t too bad even though one resembles an elf in his beanie and looks like he’s not even legally old enough to drink never mind be the entertainment in a bar.  We seem to be the only foreigners in this section but that doesn’t discourage us from having a good time and soon, more people have joined us on the dance floor.  By 22:00, almost everyone has arrived and we move down to the first floor where the main groups are going to be performing.  Catfish and I end up somewhere in the middle of the crowd where before we know it we are preparing to count in the new year.  Catfish has been chatting randomly to some Korean girls next to us and so, with the knowledge that the new year is only minutes away, she turns to them and asks if there are any single men.  The entire group start laughing and pointing to one guy who is blushing furiously and slowly starts backing away and we’re soon counting down the last 10 seconds (in a combination of English and Korean) to midnight.

In America, Catfish tells us that the New Year’s tradition is to find someone – anyone it would seem – with whom to make out.  This is precisely what she’d been hoping to do but, unfortunately, ended up with only me with whom to welcome in 2011 while balloons and paper confetti fell from the ceiling.  When she tells KiwiKat this tradition, KiwiKat leads the way determined to find someone for Maggie to kiss.  They find random Korean guys and ask if they’ll do the honours: two of them happily agree and the second guy even agrees to having the kiss photographed when his friend enthusiastically takes out a camera prompting KiwiKat to follow with her camera – and issue instructions ensuring the moment is captured perfectly even if it requires more than one take.

By now, the excitement of the new year has worn off and I’ve realised that I’m simply too old to still be attempting an all-night party – plus the current DJ is truly awful making it even more difficult to stay awake! The only act that I still want to see is 2PM. A K-pop band that is fairly popular with older teens and young adults, 2PM is not really one of my favourite groups but I ‘m hoping that having seen them perform live might just improve my street cred with my students.  Staying awake until they perform, however, is a far greater challenge than I’d anticipated and one that I ultimately lost as I wake just in time in the corner in which I’ve curled up to sleep. 

2PM @ 2AM

There is a significant irony in the scheduled performance time for 2PM although it’s a stroke of genius from a marketing and management point of view.  2PM is half of the group that split up in order to form two new bands: 2PM and 2PM; together, they form A Day (I don’t actually know if that was the original group’s name but it makes sense!). 2AM is apparently slightly more popular but 2PM was actually pretty good.  It’s ironic, however, that 2PM performed at 2:00am for 20 minutes but a stroke of genius in that it was the one truly big name performances and after the subways had closed for the night which ensured people would stay at the countdown until 5:30am when the subways re-opened.

Of course, I don’t understand most of the lyrics in K-pop and I couldn’t see very much of 2PM considering I was standing near a human mountain but overall, their performance was good and their dancing energetic.  It was interesting to see that their dance routines are exactly the same as those of their music videos.  In addition, they would stop between each song and chat onstage which meant that they only sang a couple of songs. Catfish and KiwiKat were lucky enough to be standing very close to the stage where they could get fantastic photos and even decent videos of the performance.

With 2PM’s performance over, we all felt age taking it’s toll and decided to catch some shut-eye until 5:30am when we could finally leave in the bitter cold.  Dozing in and out of sleep, I was aware of various people standing near our group and can’t help but wonder how many embarrassing photos random Koreans probably took of us sleeping on one of the biggest party nights of the year….

On the Third Day of Christmas (27 December)

Our final night in Jeju is rather quiet and my roommates and I spend several hours chatting about paranormal activity and other strange subjects before finally calling it a night and falling asleep.  Catfish and I had agreed to help KiwiKat organise breakfast on the last morning but wake up when breakfast is halfway through so we start the day feeling somewhat guilty although KiwiKat says not to worry.  After breakfast, we load our bags onto the bus, take photos of the random goat that has suddenly appeared outside of our hotel and head to the Oedolgae trail which is our first stop for the day. 

The trail is beautiful and fairly flat so we have lots of fun fooling around as we take lots of photos.  The views on this trail are more in line with the promotional slogan of Jeju as a ‘tropical’ island and we couldn’t have asked for better weather.  Naturally, halfway through the trail, there is gym equipment which we have to take advantage of before moving to our next location.  I’m becoming increasingly frustrated with my cellular phone which has been dying a very slow and miserable death: I can see that I have several text messages but I can only read the first line of each message – several of which are from my co-teacher with rather unpleasant news if the first lines are accurately judged.

Strength of Nature

Our next stop is the natural rock formations where we’re greeted by the rather unpleasant smell of a Korean delicacy: silkworm larvae.  The rock formations themselves, however, are incredible and we spend a considerable amount of time taking photos of rocks and the waves crashing against them below us.  As each wave assaults the rock face before making a hasty retreat, we watch, mesmerized, by the smoothness of the rocks clustered together in defence.  All too soon, it’s time for us to start heading back to the bus.  When we see the hallabangs (scholars and warriors), Catfish decides that she wants to be a scholar and rushes towards the ones on the left.  Encouraged by KiwiKat, both Catfish and I sport beanies and strike the scholarly pose between the hallabangs making ourselves honorary scholars for just a moment. 

As we pass a display of rock engravings, a Korean family notice KiwiKat’s beanie which proudly states ‘New Zealand’ in Korean.  This prompts them to comment that their daughter has just come back from New Zealand and they quickly summon her over to talk with KiwiKat.  Naturally, a family photo with an actual Kiwi is the next logical step before asking if we like Jeju and bidding us farewell.  By now, we’re hungry so we’re only too happy to be back on the bus and heading to the restaurant where we’ll have lunch. 

Lunch is an interesting affair of the usual side dishes and a dish of octopus which surreptitiously gets moved to the very edge of the table.  The piece de resistance to the meal, however, is grilled mackerel served Korean style; this means that the fish has only been gutted and spatch-cocked so it still has it’s head and tail.  Foreigners don’t like having their food looking at them and it’s extremely disconcerting eating a fish that is staring at me with a rather accusing expression.  Catfish seems to think I’m being silly so I turn the plate so that the fish is looking at her.  She glances at it once while eating more fish before placing her napkin over the fish’s head so that it can’t see us.  We’re then able to finish lunch peacefully.  On our way out of the restaurant, we look at the different fish in the restaurant’s tanks, take silly photos kissing the fake tortoise on the desk and look at the meal options on display outside where Seokjin is pointing out the snapper fish that we had for dinner last night; this prompts KiwiKat to point to the photo above the display cabinet and comment, “I wouldn’t mind having him on a dish!”

More Gardens

After lunch, we’re off to Yeomiji Botanical Gardens where we head straight for the observation deck.  Since elevators here seem to only be able to hold about three foreigners at a time – we’re all ‘Big Size’ as many Koreans love to point out! – we wait a long time to get to the observation deck.  Impatient as I am, I decide to take the stairs since it’s only three flights; unfortunately, it’s another three flights after that to the actual observation deck since the elevator only goes half way.  I’ve no sooner made it up the stairs and to the observation deck where KiwiKat and Catfish are already waiting when they tell me it’s time to head back down again.  I snap a few random photos and follow them back down the stairs I’ve only just conquered.  From there, we choose a garden path to walk through and generally joke around. 

As we walk outside, we notice that the train that leads around the garden is about to depart.  Like small children, we all start sprinting towards the train and dive into a carriage much to the amusement of the Koreans already on the train.  When the driver comes around to collect tickets, we feel somewhat dejected as we get off the train.  He kindly points us in the direction of the ticket machine which is currently being repaired so we place Catfish in the queue while we make sure that the train doesn’t leave without us.  Tickets in hand, we once again enthusiastically board the train and get our cameras ready for the tour.  Each garden is themed according to country styles so the train trip is like taking a mini tour around the world as we pass the Italian, French, Korean and Japanese gardens and more.  Our train also seems to have picked up a hitchhiker along the way so when we stop to let this person off, we assume that we’re all getting off.  Catfish is the first one off and, as KiwiKat and I start attempting to get off, the doors close once again and we stay firmly in our seats.  Fortunately, the driver is paying attention in his rear view mirror and the doors re-open to let Catfish back on the train.

Messing With the Zen

All too soon, our train ride is over and we head back towards the Grecian style bridge to take photos.  When we spot mini-Holland, we head towards the windmills enthusiastically where Catfish and I attempt to do several cartwheels – once again, much to the amusement of several Koreans standing around and watching us.  When we tire of the cartwheels, we head over to a tree which Catfish attempts to climb and we do a few rather poor ballerina poses on the stumps.  We then move over to what looks like half of a giant Easter egg before making our way to the Japanese Zen-Garden where a little boy is happily running through the garden.  This leads to KiwiKat telling Catfish to go and play in the garden too.  The result: Catfish gathers a handful of stones and throws them in the air over her head – only to remember that what goes up has to come down at some point. I wonder if there'll soon be a new sign outside of the Zen Garden: Please keep children and foreigners out of the garden!

Where Do I Look?

Our final destination for the trip is

Ghost Road

and Loveland.  We’re still watching K-pop music videos on the bus and enjoying the quirky (and sometimes silly) differences in the style of the videos and outfits as we head to

Ghost Road

.  This road is an optical illusion: We are actually travelling downhill but the shape of the road creates the impression that we are travelling uphill instead and so, when the engine of a vehicle is switched off, we continue to move ‘uphill’ as though some paranormal phenomenon is occurring.

Loveland should probably be a blog entry of its own so I’m going to just gloss over the main points of it.  If you’re not comfortable with the idea of 80 foot penises and very sexual images, this is probably a good place to stop reading!

Billed as the honeymoon vacation spot of Korea, Jeju’s Loveland is popular with newlyweds and seems to almost serve as Korea’s limited sex education programme.  For westerners who are generally far more comfortable with overtly sexual things to begin, Loveland is extremely entertaining!  In 2002, graduate art students of Hongik University created the sculptures which are, of course, all themed around sex.  For a country that it generally viewed as fairly conservative, it’s interesting that such a project was even assigned!  Loveland has a sex shop, sex museum displaying various toys, videos, and graphic statues showing various sexual positions.  It also has the largest penis statue in the world.  Being foreign, our first thought when we see this statue could only be: GROUP PHOTO!

The Korean couples walking around the park are far less engaging with the statues than the foreigners.  For us, it’s entertaining to turn the handles of interactive couples bonking and posing for photos behind rather comical and somewhat graphic cut-outs.  We take our time laughing over the absurdity of the park while the Koreans seem to hurry through it as something simply to check off an itinerary list.  They do, however, appreciate laughing at our apparent openness with sexuality even if we’re so embarrassed we’re not quite sure where to look at times.  Everything about Loveland is sex-oriented including the handles on the restroom doors: a penis for the women’s bathroom and breasts for the men’s room.  It’s a highly entertaining, if not very awkward, place to visit.

With our activities over for the day, we start our final trip to the airport where I’m surprised to discover that my suitcase has gained nearly four kilograms on this trip.  An unsatisfying burger and coke precede our departure to Seoul which has also experienced heavy snow in the three days we’ve been gone.  As a result, our flight is an hour later than scheduled although we’re grateful for this delay which means that subway traffic should be less daunting (and it is) as we make our way from Gimpo Airport to the Express Bus Terminal and back home to Gunsan to rest.

Post-Christmas Awe (26 December)

Considering what a late night we had had the last two nights – especially after an extremely eventful Christmas Day – I’m surprised to find that I’m not too tired when I wake up the next morning, dress and head down to breakfast.  Catfish has already been to breakfast and goes for a walk on the beach so I head down to a very quiet restaurant where KiwiKat and NZ2 are on breakfast duty.  The Kiwi breakfast looks good and it’s really entertaining when Seokjin comes along with his chopsticks to eat fried eggs.  With breakfast out of the way, we’re herded onto the bus and soon on our way to our first sight for today, Jeju Circus World, where we’ll watch a Chinese Acrobatics’ and Motorbike Show.  I can’t say I’m terribly enthusiastic about this particular activity but I’m blown away by the incredible performances that all end too soon.

Chinese Acrobatics and Motorbike Show

From the dancing girls with their spools and ropes to the acrobatic couples on the hoop suspended from the ceiling, and the tumbling acts, the performances seem to just keep getting better and better. By the time the three contortionists re-appear with several candlebras that they proceed to balance in various awkward positions while moving each other, we’re sitting on the edge of our seats.  The next act with the spinning fans is equally impressive and we’re all marvelling at the flexibility and dexterity of the performers when the next act starts. 

It involves two adult males and two kids (the girl is apparently 15 years old as we later discover).  It’s a tumbling act and the two men tumble and juggle these kids with their feet.  The strength required to do this is unthinkable and it really is an impressive act.  When both kids are juggled until they’re balancing on the legs of just one of the two guys where they all strike a pose, I can’t help but utter a semi-sarcastic, “What? No juggling!” much to the amusement of those around me.  The big finale is the motorbike part.  The act starts with a single biker who zooms around inside of an enormous sphere. Slowly, more and more bikers are added until there are a total of seven in a sphere that seems to have suddenly decreased considerably in size.

Green Tea Not Green Leaves...

Our next stop on the itinerary is O’Sulloc Green Tea Farm. As we arrive at the farm, it starts snowing rather heavily creating the impression that we’re part of a giant snow globe that’s just been shaken up.  Since it’s so cold, it’s probably the only time I’m ever going to see 30 plus 20-somethings, who genuinely like to party, head straight for the museum!  The rows of tea look beautiful in the snow and a group of us head up the road to take photos of “THE tree”.  I’m still not really sure why this particular tree is so important but it’s a beautiful sight nonetheless and we have a lot of fun taking lots of silly photos.  At this point in the trip, all of our cameras seem to be common property with several people happily snapping random photos on different cameras.  By the time we’ve finished taking photos and we head back down the road to the museum to have a quick look around and hopefully find a hot drink.  On the way, however, we’re easily distracted by the red berries on a tree and stop to take a slew of posed photos before finally heading indoors. 

Apart from seeing some of what looks like my art work on display, the museum doesn’t take very long.  Catfish and I need little encouragement to head back outdoors where it is once again snowing beautifully.  We spot some reeds in the garden which prompts another short photo shoot with some fantastic results.  We then spot the snow that has built up along the path – enough to start an impromptu snowball fight with each other.  Two Korean kids nearby see us throwing snow at each other and decide that it’s okay to join in which leads to Catfish and I chasing them around the garden in an attempt to throw snowballs at them.  The kids squeal in delight as they fly over the snowy grass – that we later realise is actually a roped off section on which we’re not meant to walk but it’s great entertainment at the time.

After all the snowball fights, we’re starving so we’re happy to arrive at the Greek-decorated Korean restaurant where we have a delicious buffet lunch.  Lunch is gulped down rather quickly and Catfish, NZ2 and I are soon back outside and rubbing the nose of the hallabong at NZ2’s instigation.  Koreans believe that rubbing its nose will make you have a boy baby.  We then take a short walk past mini-land where there is a miniature Eiffel Tower and Statue of Liberty among other things.  We also pass this rather self-satisfying (or self-gratifying) lamp!

Gone With the Wind on Songak

Since Mt HallaSan is closed due to the heavy snow, Seokjin decides we should go to Songak Mountain where we can see Cow Island and more beautiful scenery.  Like most Korean parks, this one has an outdoor gym – a concept which I particularly like since the equipment is all equivalent to actual gym equipment without the cost and guilt associated with a gym membership that only gets used twice a year.  This particular climb is fairly easy but the wind makes me feel like I’ve entered the moors in Wuthering Heights or some other Jane Austen novel and the people with whom I’m walking turn back fairly soon under the mistaken understanding that we need to be back on the bus earlier than anticipated – spot the English teachers who don’t listen to instructions!

Raise Your Hand if You're an English Teacher Who Can't Read

From there, we head to Hallim Botanical Garden where, once again, my friends and I apparently don’t understand clear English instructions (or signs) so we start the tour path from the exit and spend a frustrating 30 minutes trying to figure out why we have to keep climbing over fences and through bushes in order to get to the path that leads to the lava tube caves.  Feeling adventurous, Catfish pauses long enough to purchases Cactus juice which is reminiscent of cough syrup and tastes far worse. 

Along the way, however, we witness an entertaining Iguana fight.  This particular iguana was just ‘chilling’ on the branch and his amusing expression was what made us stop and take photos of him.  Not to be out-photographed, the biggest iguana of all pushes his way across the branch, over the other two (notice how the smallest iguana is hanging from the side for dear life) and proceeds to initiate a fight with the first iguana by biting his tail.  This fight continues for nearly 15 minutes and is well-documented by us.  The end result: Big iguana is thoroughly peeved and the original iguana gets the prized spot once more.  We then meet up with Seokjin who asks us if we want to see the caves that we’ve actually been searching for for the past 30 minutes.

 

The caves are an interesting experience with several key points.  There is a living rock in the first cave and Seokjin explains this to me – since I don’t realise that there are actually signs that explain key points to idiots like us.  The living rock is a piece of rock that fell from the ceiling of the cave but continues to ‘grow’ in size due to the chemical compounds within the rock.  Consequently, it is now considerably larger than the original hole in the ceiling.  Next is the Ssanyong Cave where there are two dragon caves – that is, the shape of the caves resembles that of a dragon.  At the end of the cave, just as one would expect to find, is a “Merry Christmas” light display.

Unfortunately, time in the caves is short and we’re soon hurrying through the caves in order to do some quick memorabilia shopping before Seokjin once again rounds us up and shepherds us halfway across the botanical gardens to where the bus is waiting to leave for the airport to drop off half of our tour group who only had the weekend free.  NZ2 is among those leaving while Catfish, KiwiKat and I still have a third day of exciting – and, let’s be honest, exhausting – activities to look forward to.  But first, dinner is a priority….

Merry Christmas Korea (25 December)

 
An Early Start

Despite a late night and a very early start, we’re all in good spirits as we leave the hostel at 7:00am the next morning.  The sun’s not yet up and it’s really cold but, wearing our Santa hates, we’re eager to continue spreading Christmas cheer in a country where Christmas doesn’t seem to be as big a deal as it is in Western countries.   At Hongik station, we relieved to see that it’s relatively quiet and it’s easy to find people willing to take group photos of us and wish us a Merry Christmas.

On the subway, we continue the merriment and I somehow find myself standing at the end of the carriage singing Christmas carols and dancing while taking photos of my friends. The Koreans on the subway don’t seem to mind – they seem to find it all rather amusing – and KiwiKat cheekily takes out a 100 won coin and throws it in my direction in mock appreciation of my impromptu ‘busking’ on the subway.  This, of course, prompts much laughter and false protestations all around. 

Airport Antics

Before long, we arrive at Gimpo Airport where we are to meet the entire tour group outside of Starbucks.  We have approximately 30 minutes to have breakfast and I end up eating yoghurt and granola with impromptu chopsticks from Starbucks.  KiwiKat and Catfish play the sliding game while the group slowly increases in size and Seokjin, who runs Adventure Korea (the company through which we do almost all of our travelling), starts organising the masses.  We’re soon checking in our luggage and queuing up for the security check where KiwiKat’s friend’s bag is thoroughly inspected in a bid to find the scissors that are unknowingly hidden somewhere in her backpack and definitely strong contenders for the 2010 Hide-and-Seek Championship Award considering it takes three people nearly 15 minutes to search her tiny backpack. 

While we wait, we snap photos of Catfish in her ‘naughty Santa’ hat which is currently standing up straight like that of an elf.  We don’t even think about the fact that she’s standing right in front of security so an airport official tells us not to take photos but, strangely, doesn’t make us delete the ones we’ve already taken.  Either she’s realised we’re harmless and were only taking photos of our friend or she thinks we’re just downright stupid – either way, we don’t seem to pose any immediate threat.

The antics continue in the departure lounge where we attempt to get the perfect photo of four people clicking their heels in the air simultaneously which, naturally, is almost impossible.  These unsuccessful attempts make the time fly by and we’re soon boarding the most awful flight I’ve ever taken.  Although the flight is only an hour, the cabin pressure and constant fluctuations in altitude make me quite nauseous and I’m not in the best mood by the time we finally land in Jeju. 

Merry Christmas Jeju

When I see that it’s snowing and we’re having a white Christmas after all, however, my mood improves considerably and we’re soon laughing away on the bus as we head to the restaurant where we have a traditional Korean meal of Jeju’s famous black pork.  Lunch is a fairly quick affair as we hungrily gulp down delicious traditional food and the snow outside is just too perfect to resist.  It takes Catfish and I only a few minutes to discover a patch of undisturbed snow behind the restaurant and I need little encouragement to immediately make a snow angel that Catfish documents. 

Seokjin sees us making snow angels and having a mini snowball fight and shows us a flower that only blooms in the snow.  After seeing this flower, we resume our snowball fight which quickly escalates into a fight involved roughly eight people (naturally all six of us who are travelling together, Seokjin and one or two other people).  Not even the arrival of another tour group entering the restaurant stops this fight – they’re simply another obstacle not to hit and we continue pitching snow balls over their heads.  A snowman is even attempted by someone in our group.  After about 20 minutes, everyone has finished eating lunch and we’re soon back on the bus and heading to the Trick Art Museum where we spend an hour taking ridiculous photos that create a rather realistic effect.  In the cafeteria area, Catfish and I can’t help but chuckle over the “Phohibition of Taste” sign!

 

The rest of the afternoon passes fairly quickly as we have a very short horse ride and take even more cheesy photos followed by an “easy” walk (according to Seokjin at least) up Seongsan Ilchubong which is also known as Sunrise Peak.  There are several man-made caves here that were created by Japanese soldiers to store ammunition and weapons during the Japanese occupation of Korea.  I can’t help chuckling every time I see stairs leading up the side of mountains – it’s even funnier to see mini-restaurants set up half way up the mountain and I can’t help but wonder if the delivery guys hate having certain customers since they have carry all deliveries halfway up a mountain for this particular restaurant.  It’s even more amusing to find arrows at certain points along the path just in case we’re not sure which side of the path leads to the top of the mountain and which side leads down.

In every hike, someone has to be last so I usually volunteer.  It takes me nearly an hour to get to the top of the mountain and I can’t even remember when I last saw someone from my tour group.  At this point, I’m puffing up the mountain solo completely oblivious to the fact that I’m all alone wearing a Santa hat which many Koreans seem to find amusing.  The views up Seongsan Ilchubong are incredible and it’s definitely worth the workout to get photos from the top.  I proudly take the last step, ecstatic that I’ve finally made it to the top and can now start looking for my friends when NZ2 and his sister greet me with: “You made it! Time to head back down or we’ll miss the bus”. 

Party Time!

Back on the bus, we head to our hotel where we sort out the room assignments and head straight to dinner and the Christmas Party that Adventure Korea has been kind enough to organise.  We have a proper turkey Christmas dinner, with cranberry sauce, and various more Korean side dishes – all eaten with chopsticks, naturally.  Our table is lively and Christmas cheer is all around.  Unfortunately, 'domestic violence' ensues between NZ2 and Catfish who, after only 24 hours of marriage, file for an immediate divorce!

  After dinner, it’s time for the gift exchange which involves each person choosing a gift, table by table, from under the Christmas tree.  Since our table is the last one to choose gifts, we’re allowed to ‘steal’ gifts that other people have already opened and that we like.  Catfish decides to steal the bottle of wine someone received and can’t conceal her smugness over this minor coup.

Once the gifts are all gone, it’s time for Karaoke.  The OzKo (Australian-Korean) and I kick off the karaoke with a few Christmas carols and proceed to line up several more before handing over the microphone to the people standing nearest us.  Catfish is looking rather glum at this point and sitting at the piano which is located on a very cool looking alcove above the bar.  Before long, we’re sitting side by side at the piano, singing along to the karaoke below us at the top of our voices.  Each sip of wine makes us a little happier and a little happy but, hey, it’s Christmas and someone has to liven things up from time to time….