Goes Together Like Nuts And Gum

Finally, someone thought to bag apple slides together with tomotoes. Only cheon Won at a Lotte Mart near you.

Complaints About Busan

I would now like to make 20 complaints about Busan. Following this, I will mention 5 things I enjoyed. This was our weekend:

#1- To save money, we took a bus down to Busan. It was 33,000 Won each cheaper than the KTX and still only a 4.5 hour drive. Not bad, until you realize you're sitting right next to the heater and the driver is trying to turn the bus into some kind of jimjilbang. It was so hot and so, so sickening. Luckily, we've been taking Korean lessons and I have achieved my goal of being able to complain in another language. At a rest stop I told the driver that the bus was very hot. Please change this. He responded by pointing out that we were sitting next to the heater, so that was obviously why we were hot. Very helpful.

#2- Upon arriving at Busan bus terminal, we headed towards the metro to travel to our hotel. JUST as we approach a tall escalator, a guard puts a a rope in front of it and tells us to take the stairs. The stairs RIGHT NEXT to the still moving escalator.

#3- The bus station absolutely reeked of stinky tofu/old gym shoes.

#4- Oh yeah, AND the bus station is an HOUR away from Busan train station. An HOUR from Haeundae. An hour from anything! Who puts a bus station someplace like this?

#5- Upon swiping onto the subway, we realized that my t-money card works in Busan, but Mel's doesn't. While she bought a different transit pass, we missed the train. Also, when we eventually got off the train AN HOUR LATER her pass didn't let her exit the station so she had to jump over the railing.

#6- Busan is too big. Although I should have realized this, since it's one of the 50 largest cities in the world, it takes too long to get anywhere! Any time I calculated the distance between stops on the subway, it was like "59 minutes", "48 minutes". Who has time for this? Get your stuff together, Busan.

#7- While looking for a decent love motel near Busan Station, a group of Korean cops looked us up and down at least three times.

#8- There are a severe lack of love motels around Busan Station with whirlpools!

#9- A taxi driver that we flagged down refused to take us to the motel we wanted to go to. Even though we had the address in Korean AND he had a GPS.

#10- Our motel room was so hot! You can't control the heat in most Korean motel rooms and the heat comes through the floor. It was stifling and a sick reminder of our long, hot bus ride. Because of the heat we turned on the air con and, as a result, were so dry all night. Neither of us got a good night's sleep.

#11- During our salty breakfast at Amby's on Texas Street, a weird old guy hit Mel on her way to the bathroom and gave her a creepy "hi" as he chain smoked with his buddy.

#12- We went to Yongungsa temple, which was about an hour and a half away by bus. Despite the fact that 4 of the 5 buses visitkorea.com recommends taking from Busan Station don't even exist anymore, we managed to get on a bus heading the right way. This was the busiest bus on earth, and the driver kept stopping short and jerking us around. It took nearly an hour to get a seat, and you know how I feel about that.

#13- The bus announced “Songjeong Beach” in English (our stop), so we got off. The connecting bus we needed to take wasn't listed at the bus shelter and upon closer inspection, we weren't at the Songjeong Beach stop at all. The stop was labeled: “gas station”.

#14- For lunch we went to Happy Thai in Haeundae. When I saw the menu I nearly barfed at the prices. It was more expensive than any Thai place in Seoul, which is already too much. We ordered a main and a side of noodles, both of which tasted nice but were ridiculously small portions.

#15- The fake Dairy Queen under the Aquarium has been turned into a fake Baskin Robbins.

#16- It was too damn cold.

#17- Also, there were no heated bathrooms anywhere, and I never once got to wash my hands with warm water anywhere.

#18- As I mentioned earlier, I can now complain in Korean (I can make excuses too!), so we asked the guy at our hotel to turn down the heat in our room. "It's too cold in your room?" he asked, misunderstanding me. "No- so hot," I said, making a fanning motion with my hand. HE WELL UNDERSTOOD THE SITUATION, so imagine our surprise when the room felt like a sauna again Saturday night.

#19- For reasons unknown, the computer monitor in our room messed up and somehow the only solution was to use the giant plasma TV as the monitor instead.

#20- In the morning the hot water no longer worked in our hotel room, so we couldn't even shower or have one last whirlpool.

By this time, we'd had quite enough of Busan, so we changed our 4:30 KTX ticket to an earlier time and just went the hell home. We'd been there once before... in the summer when the beach was amazing. So maybe we should have just left the memory the way it was. Anyway, here were the 5 things we did enjoy:

#1- Despite the problems with the heat and hot water, our hotel room was clean and nice. We enjoyed whirlpooling, wining and watching Oprah on the big screen.

#2- Yonggungsa Temple was beautiful. Situated right on the coast, this temple has quite a bit to see, even for someone like me who's quite templed-out after 3 years in Asia. It was full of scenery, Buddhas, bridges and worried looking statues.

#3- On Sunday afternoon, we went to Busan tower. Despite looking like a giant lamp post, the view at the top was cool and it only costs 4,000 Won to go up. We saw the harbour, the hills, the clustered, ugly concrete apartment buildings... it was great. At the bottom of the tower, there's a great photo exhibition of old images of Korea. It's amazing how different the country looks now, versus how it was 50 years ago when it was a bunch of fields, huts and stores with signs written in Chinese. The photos were our favorite part of the tower.

#4- After visiting the tower, we went shopping in Nampo-dong. It was a lot of fun. Sort of a cross between Myeongdong and Paldalmun, and there were a lot of stores selling guys clothes. There was much more fake merchandise on the street as well, which is what I like to see. We got Domo coffee mugs, which have to be the find of the year so far.

#5- BBQ Chicken- this is a chain fried chicken place that I've seen all over, but never actually tried. Friday night we decided it would be really nice to eat some fried chicken in the hot tub, so we picked up a box of it from BBQ. Not only was it delicious, but the ajumma behind the counter was the salt of the earth. She gave us directions to our hotel and even slipped me an extra Coke, with a wink and a smile.

On Saturday night, when our bottle of wine required a pizza to go with it, the BBQ lady hooked us up, since they randomly sell pizzas. Let me tell you, this was the best pizza I've had in ages- there was actually SAUCE on it! And no corn. I say this, without hesitation- BBQ Chicken is the best thing in Busan. And since you already have one in your town, maybe you should just stay your ass home.

Our Precious Water

I have to admit, when I heard that our school spelling bee had been changed into a speech contest, I was a little skeptical. I didn't think my students would be able to memorize speeches very well... I mean they are 5 years old and this is a second language. What were YOU doing at 5 years old? Anyway, they all surprised me. Everyone remembered alllll of their lines, even if they might not have necessarily known what they were saying (Mommy and Daddy helped a lot of them write their speeches). Here's my favorite speech, Tom's plea for the conservation of water. Drinking from the cup was a last minute addition. Enjoy the cuteness:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gkedo3AIIgM

Sneoul

We got a few inches of snow this afternoon, probably the most accumulation we've had so far this season. I celebrated the occasion by wearing a blanket and watching Dr. Phil until 8pm when Mel finally forced me to throw on some fleece and go for a walk. Glad I did. It's kind of pretty out there tonight and, for once in a long time, it's not freezing cold.

I Love Lucy

Friday night we went to Suwon. There was a pair of dress shoes I wanted to buy there, but of course my size was "opso" so I was forced to buy a bunch of clothes instead. Anyway, we do this shopping trip to Suwon every couple of weeks so I wouldn't normally blog about it except that we stayed in the best love motel for the night! We usually stay at a nice place by Paldalmun Market, but it recently closed and became an officetel. Luckily, we found an awesome strip of new love motels near where we used to live... behind the park opposite city hall/Home Plus. On Friday night we tried the Lucy Motel, because it had a plastic Spiderman model on the roof- a sign of quality if ever there was one.


I didn't take too many pictures, but here's a few shots of the hot tub area. It was a massive tub surrounded by mirrors and facing a giant, rotatable LCD TV. The TV was hooked up to the room's TWO computers, so we downloaded some shows and watched them in the tub.

The rest of the room was super nice too- everything was marble and leather, and the bed was really comfy too. All this for 55,000 Won (cheaper on weeknights). We decided we're going to treat ourselves to another night there over the Chinese New Year holiday in two weeks.

As I mentioned, we went clothes shopping at the market. I feel like you need to be made aware of Korea's hot trend for ladies this winter: puffy coats paired with short shorts. Shorts! In winter! Did I mention that this is the coldest winter Korea's seen in a century? Common sense just isn't common enough.

The Ten Best Things To Do In Korea

For my 400th post, AKA my 400th waste of your time (40,000 of you over the last couple of years, amazingly!) I decided to write a list of my ten favorite things to do in Korea. Let's face it, Korea doesn't have that many famous sites and after a while things can get pretty stale unless you start looking for new things to do. For this list I decided to avoid things that most people would do anyway (like the numerous palaces and museums) and general things like "shopping in Myeongdong", "galbi", and "norebang". Some things that can be done in a day trip or are very similar have been combined. Maybe these things aren't your cup of tea, but I've been here for 2 years now and these are the things I've enjoyed the most :)

10. Incheon International Airport

One of the best things about living in Korea is that you can affordably fly to places that would be way too expensive to travel to from North America. Some of my best memories while teaching overseas have been the times I've been able to leave Korea! Plus, Incheon Airport is the most modern, organized and friendly airport I've ever used. It's super-accessible too: buses leave constantly from the airport to anywhere in the country, and the Seoul metro takes you from the airport to over 100 destinations across Seoul and Gyeonggi-do. Plus, there's a Kraze Burger!

9. The DMZ
Maybe the DMZ, a narrow strip of land that separates North and South Korea, counts as an activity that a lot of people will do when they visit Korea, but I've included it on the list because it's a very interesting spot to visit. We went on the USO Tour and had a very informative guide. We got to visit a few of the offices around the DMZ, a museum, and we also went into a cave that had been dug by sneaky North Koreans who burrowed their way into the South. We heard a lot of interesting facts, posed with serious-looking South Korean guards and gazed over at the North's giant flag and menacing soldiers.

View my original post about the DMZ HERE.

8.Sokcho and SeoraksanSure, you can go to Busan and sit on the crowded Haeundae Beach if you want to go swimming in the summertime, but if you're looking to get out of the city and relax at a much quieter, but equally nice beach... try Sokcho.

The golden-sandy beach is the highlight of the trip, but there's lots of other quaint little things to do too. Sokcho has a tower, Sokcho Tower, which offers a nice view of the city and beach for less than 2,000 Won. The heart-shaped tree makes for a nice photo-op, plus there's a decent shopping street with cheap deals, and a cool gazebo and lively strip of restaurants to check out near the ferry terminal.

Not too far away is Seoraksan, Korea's favorite mountain. Not special enough to warrant its own trip, but fun enough to combine with a visit to Sokcho. There's many hiking trails to choose from, and since it was hot, we hiked to a waterfall where we swam for a while to cool off. There's a cable car too for an easy view of the park.

View my original post about Sokcho and Seoraksan HERE.

7. Caribbean Bay/Lotte World

Mel and I love a good theme park, and since I couldn't decide which one I like more I decided to recommend both Lotte World and Caribbean Bay. We've been to Lotte World 3 times and the rides are top-notch. Their Atlantis rollercoaster is the best ride I've been on outside of the Disney/Busch Garden parks. The line is always long for Atlantis, but the other rides (a flume, another rollercoaster, haunted house, some carnival-type rides and more) are never too bad. And if you like parades of dancing Russians, you're in the right place.

Many of the obvious Disney ripoff things have been removed in recent years, but when we first visited the park there were murals of Ariel and Sebastien from the Little Mermaid. The Magic Kingdom ripoff castle remains.

Caribbean Bay is a great water park located about 45 minutes from Gangnam by express bus. It's pretty expensive to visit now (like 60,000 Won for one day), but we had a lot of fun there a few years back outside of peak season. There a bunch of slides, a lazy river, a huge wave pool and some aromatherepy baths. The facilities are really clean and modern. Too bad you need to wear life jackets in the wave pool if you swim in water higher than your waist, and you'll be turned away from the water slides if you don't have a swim cap. And an employee might call you fat.

View my original post on Lotte World visit #1 HERE

View my original post on Lotte World visit #2 HERE

View my original post on Lotte World visit #3 HERE

View my original post on Caribbean Bay visit #1 HERE

View my original post on Caribbean Bay visit #2 HERE

6. Hangang Park

It's been a treat living so close to Hangang this past summer. This massive park stretches the length of the Han River, on both sides. Even over-populated Korea can't make this expansive space feel too crowded. We've spent many nights by the water relaxing in the grass with a book, enjoying the cityscape-view, or having a beer at one of the many 7-Elevens dotted along the park. The 7-Elevens even sell draft beer on-site for $3 a pint. Nice-uh! There's always Han River cruises to enjoy, swimming pools in the summer, a waterfall/music show several times a day at the Banpo Bridge area, swan ride rentals, the 63 Building is closeby (at the Yeoido park), and if you're lucky enough...

...you might even spot an ajumma with her pet chicken.

View original posts about Hangang HERE, HERE or HERE

5. Ostrich SafariDespite being in an extremely inaccessible and remote location and providing near-hostile customer service, how often do you have the opportunity to ride an ostrich? It's as strange as it sounds.

View my original post about the Ostrich Safari HERE.

4. Gyeongju and the Jasujeong Amethyst Cave

I really, really enjoyed our trip to Gyeongju. There's so many scenic little places to visit in a concentrated area: museums, parks, gardens, an ancient observatory, and all this is surrounded by tumulis (burial mounds). The tumulis make for a truly unique landscape that makes you feel like you are in a very different and historical place. There are nice parks built around the tumulis, and concerts nearby in the summer too. Plus, Gyeongju is a cheap city with nice love motels and good food to eat.
A short bus ride away from Gyeongju, and a recommended day trip, is the Jasujeong Amethyst Cave in Eonyang. The cave is fun to visit because of it's randomness! There's basically no amethyst left inside; instead it is full of random statues (one of Dokdo, the evolution of man, dinosaurs, ETs head), an ondol room, and shows (a Chinese family doing a contortionist act). If you want a good laugh, check this place out.

Read my original post about Gyeongju HERE

Read my original post about the Jasujeong Amethyst Cave HERE

3. Samcheok and the Haesindang Penis Park

First of all, Samcheok is a nice, quiet, quaint little town on Korea's east coast that is perfectly worth a visit all on it's own. The restaurants are good, the park is quite nice and the hotels are cheap. But the star of the show is about an hour down the road by bus: Haesindang, the Penis Park.

It's just an absolutely ridiculous place full of hundreds of statues of penises. Penis benches. Penis totem poles. Penis Zodiacs. A penis lighthouse. The park is right on the coast, directly by the water, so the location is beautiful as well. Don't forget to stop by the gift shop and pick up your very own penis totem pole or shot glass. We did.

View my original post on Samcheok and the Penis Park HERE.

2. Love Land and the Teddy Bear Museum

Okay, maybe you're starting to sense a trend here that is pointing out what kind of people we really are, but who doesn't enjoy a good sexy park? A few years ago, we went to Jeju Island. Jeju is really overrated, but it is worth a visit for a trip to Love Land and the Teddy Bear Museum.

As you can see, Love Land takes it one step farther than the Penis Park. There's a giant vagina that you can walk on. There's a gallery of penises like "the terminator", there's a museum of sex toys labeled in funny Konglish. There's a bike called "the tickler" and a gift shop with penis golf clubs. There's a car parked on a lawn that is constantly rocking up and down, with sex noises coming from it. The door handles to the men's and women's bathrooms are shaped like weiners and boobs, respectively. If this description hasn't resulted in you immediately booking tickets to Jeju Island, you're reading the wrong blog.

In something of a contrast to Love Land is the Teddy Bear Museum. It's just the cutest thing. In this museum, teddies re-create great moments in history. There's a teddy Mona Lisa, teddy Titanic (above), teddies at the Berlin Wall, first teddy on the moon... you get the idea. It's unique and a lot of fun.

View my original post on Love Land and the Teddy Bear Museum HERE

1. Jeonju and Maisan Provincial Park

Maybe it was the nice weather we were having. Maybe it was because we'd just had a disappointing visit to Incheon. I've never heard anyone else rave about this place, but I'll say it: I loved Jeonju.

We had an amazing (the best ever) love motel in Jeonju, with a hot tub right in our room next to our round bed. We spent a few hours at the historical and photogenic hanok village (above), which was full of cafes, little shops, and people going about their daily lives. We visited a fortress, a palace and went to a great little shopping street for supper.

But the real reason this place tops the list is because of Maisan Provincial Park. This park is actually in Jinju, about an hour away by bus. There's a cool temple with a bunch of statues (see the tiger, above) and music playing when you first arrive. Then, you follow the trail past a beautiful lake at the base of a mountain, where you can rent swan boats and buy some beer or snacks.

Keep following the trail to Tapsa Temple, maybe my favorite place in Korea. The temple is surronded by hundreds of thin piles of rocks that give the temple an interesting and mysterious atmophere. For as long as they've been there, the rocks have never fallen. When ice freezes around Tapsa in the winter it always freezes in the same shape as the rock piles. No one knows why.

You can keep on hiking, bang the ceremonial drum, or head back down the trail for some fresh barbeque at one of the many restaurants. I hope we have a chance to get back to Maisan before we leave Korea in the summer.

View my original post about Jeonju and Maisan Park HERE.

The Future Becomes Much More Clear

This week we:
-confirmed on our last working days in Korea (July 29th)
-decided on a little holiday in BC
-booked our Elvis-officiated Vegas wedding (August 6th)

The future is bright (and exciting!!!)