Gyeongju (part 3)

Monday was our final day in Gyeongju, and the weather was perfect: not a cloud in the sky, and the warmest February day I've ever known. Spring officially started in Korea a couple of weeks ago, but it felt like summer today. At one point while we were cycling around a holiday resort on Bomun Lake I felt almost like we were in the Mediterranean. Later in the day Christa would remark that the path were were following, across a patch of farmland and through the narrow back-streets of the town, was evocative of Mexico. These were not comparisons I ever imagined making when we came. Indeed, we did both return home with a little colour on our cheeks, so I swear I'm not exaggerating. Our bus wouldn't be leaving until almost 7pm, so we had a full and exhausting day of tandemming ahead of us. After a decisive bout of rock-scissors-paper ('gowi, bowi, bo' in Korean), I climbed aboard the back seat and we were off. This is Bomun Lake. It's artificial so nothing to get excited about but it was our first stop. It's pretty large and there's a load of touristy sites along one side. We stopped for ice-creams. There were a crazy number of mini-bikes and diddy 4-wheelers flying around the resort. It was like being at the dodgems but with no walls or rules. Everyone was zipping around our ankles (bearing in mind we were up on the tandem), from the old: ...to the very young (spot the kiddo): We'd plan to go around the lake and continue South and finish up doing a huge loop, but we went a tad off-map so had to improvise a new route en route. There's so many tombs and shrines in the area that it was no major problem anyway. This is Historic Site No. 172, one of the five (supposed) tombs of King Pak Hyeokkeose, founder of the Shilla kingdom and ruler for 61 years. After he died, his body ascended to heaven, only for it to fall back to earth again seven days later. It is said to have fallen in five parts, hence the multiplicity of mounds. This is Christa up a tree. Here's a shot of some bamboo I defaced. It's not that easy to write on bamboo with a bent keyring, although Christa's was much neater than mine to be fair. The illegible (even to Koreans probably) Korean at the top should say 장 혁, or Jang Hyok, my Korean name. Hyok either means 'strong' or nothing at all, depending on who I ask. I just picked it because I like the sound; it was suggested by one of the Korean staff here, his best friend having the same name. Most Korean given names have two syllables so the kids sometimes tell me I can't be called that but I know better. Carla gave me the family name Jang. I only found out later that it's also the same name as a famous Korean actor. Christa's name is 이 수정 , or Lee (pronounced 'ee') Sujeong. Sujeong means crystal in Korean. We also went to the tomb of a general and the birthplace of a dragon, which were interesting to us (well, no, the dragon thing, not so much), but you don't need to see any more photos of hills I think. And so it was time to say a sad goodbye. We did not want to say goodbye, Sujeong in particular being very depressed at the thought of returning to Seoul. Here's the courtyard of the lovely little place we stayed Saturday and Sunday nights: And the cosy kitchen/loungey area we had inside: And our trusty bike, which we gave a name to, but who's name I've now forgotten: (Can I say "who's" when I'm referring to an inanimate object? Someone rephrase that sentence for me.) And, uh, we came home. PS. We have no children here next week so no work for after tomorrow until next Friday! We only found this out for sure yesterday but if we can get the plane tickets in time (Christa's off to the travel agent tomorrow lunchtime) we're going to Jeju Island for a few days! And Dayna's gonna come too! Yay!

Gyeongju (part 2)

Saturday was an improvement. The rains held off and we set out for the bus tour we had booked. One snag: Christa had left me in charge of the tickets, and I'd left them back in our room. Thank god the tour guide was forgiving and issued us another, and we set off. Because Seollal is so important to Koreans, they must've all been at home, as there were only five tickets sold for our tour, and we had the huge bus almost to ourselves. Gyeongju is sometimes known as the 'museum without walls' as there is so much to see. We saw many tombs, temples and Buddha statues. Here's my favourite: Rock on. Or maybe this one: Ok, that's enough of Buddha for now. Our favourite spot was the underwater tomb of King Munmu. Really it just like any other rocky outcrop, but it meant we got to go paddling in he East Sea. And boy was it cold. Some of us got more wet than others. We got back around four, and hooked ourselves up with the tandem that would be our sole means of transportation for the next two days. A few people had said that Gyeongju is best explored by bike, and it was certainly much more fun than the taxis! This is Tumuli Park. These 1000-year-old tombs are scattered through the city, and I couldn't help thinking of the pyramids when I was standing among them in the park, though I can appreciate that in my photos you're really just looking at a bunch of hills. This is Anapji pond. I'm sure there's a fascinating story to it, but all you really need to remember is that we were here taking photos. There's a narrative. We cycled back into town hoping to stuff ourselves with sushi at a restaurants we'd seen earlier in the day. But boo! It was closed for the holidays. We were standing on the street outside debating where to go instead when a young Korean couple came up to us. They had seen us previously at the pond taking pictures and wanted to say hi. Actually, they said quite a bit more than that, as without further ado they invited us to eat dinner with them! His name is Moo Hwan, and his girlfriend is Yeon Kyeong. At least, I think it's that way round. His English was pretty decent, she wasn't as confident but both were real nice. Well, they paid for our meal anyhow! He'd recently been to Canada where some locals had treated him, so he was after returning the favour. I guess I'll have to be on the lookout when I get back so I can do the same! And dinner was delicious. Afterwards, me and Christa went to another nore bang until we were too hoarse and exhausted to sing any more. We were both looking forward to bed, but it was no to be. The guest-house owner stopped us in the yard and redirected us to the kitchen/common area, where all the other foreign guests were having drinks to toast the new year. It was strangely jarring to hear the voice of a lad from Sheffield in amongst all the yanks, but they were all real friendly and willing to share their liquor with us. However we were both too whacked to stay more than another or hour or so, so it wasn't long before we slipped away to bed...

Gyeongju (part 1)

Christa and I spent last weekend down on the South-East coast in Gyeongju City. There were originally supposed to be at least a dozen of us going, but we (ie. Christa) were the only ones organised enough to book bus tickets early enough. The new lunar year (Seollal in Korean) began on the 18th (it's now the year of the Pig), so many Koreans had to return home to their family homes to pay respect to their ancestors, hence the bus and train tickets all sold out real fast. We were told many times that the ride would take 8-10 hours. It actually only took 6 hours to get down there, and 4.5 back, so we very happy and relieved to get there. We actually thought we were stopping for a bathroom break up to the point when we started pulling into the bus station. We arrived around midnight, throw our bags into the nearest yeogwan (cheap hotel) that was acceptable to Christa's tastes, and headed out to party! Huh. We resorted to plan B, karaoked for a couple of hours. Went to bed. Saturday was miserable. Anne, one of the teachers who couldn't make it, donated to us the reservation she'd made for the next two nights. We must've spent 90 minutes walking back and forth along the same stretch of road looking for the damn place until we finally gave up and went to tourist information, where we found out that bloody Moon guide book map was wrong! Only Lonely Planet from now on. We were gonna hire bikes but couldn't because it was raining and the rental shops had shut. We wasted about half the day just going back and forth across the city trying to find something to do. We ended up at a museum all about Gyeongju's history as the ancient capital of the kingdom of Silla (pronounced Shilla). The Silla people ruled most of the Korea peninsula from the 7th to 9th centuries, and many sites dating from the period are still there to see. Of course, they're all outside, and we were trapped inside, bemoaning the fact that we had ever left Seoul. Honourable mention for highlight of the day (vegetarians stop reading now, this is not gonna be pretty) goes to the delights of Gyeongju market. I don't know what poor creature's been skewered in the first picture, either. Despite these tempting treats we sold out and went to Pizza Hut for lunch. Having no desire to tramp around town in the rain looking for signs of nightlife again, we stocked up on sake and wine at the convenience store and headed back to the ranch to drink and play cards.

New Personal Best.

Hi there. So. It's been a while. Mianhamnida. Is anyone still here? So yes, there seems to be a pattern developing with regards to the (in)frequency of my posts these days. I see that. I won't promise things will change, because I've done that before and I feel my words may be meaningless now. Instead, I'll give you the run-down on how my weekly routine has been as of late, and next time you're here and I haven't posted, you can just use your imagination instead. Weekday mornings usually see me working my mojo in the magic classroom . This one's definitely more entertaining than teaching, but it can be fun for me too. I'd be happy doing 45 minutes of card tricks, but there's also a bunch of magical props in the room to mix things up. Most of them are pretty lame, and the kids can usually see straight through the tricks, but they enjoy it anyway. Sometimes, you'll get one kid who just wants to BELIEVE! and he'll imploring the others to 'just accept it! and stop spoiling the fun. My afternoons are even slacker, as I'm teaching pool! Despite the theme, the kids often end up using more English that they do in my other classes. This is because I put them in a three-minute time-out if they use any Korean at all, and since they really want to play, it forces them to stick to the rules to the letter. Few have played before, so we've not yet managed to get through a whole game. The way some of them handle the cue, you'd think they've never held any piece of sporting equipment before. Not that I'm one to talk about sporting prowess. I'm finally working day-shift again, so I can actually go out to play with my friends after work! Yet somehow I still seem to have very little free time. Monday and Thursday nights are Korean class 7 - 9pm, after which I'll come back and do my homework if nothing else is going on. Wednesday has become our weekly poker night, which I am yet to make a profit on. Tomorrow night being Valentine's day, half of regulars have bailed on us, so tomorrow night is Single's Night! Friday or Saturday night will probably find us singing karaoke until 5am, leading to the following day being mostly spent in bed. I really should post more often for my own sake - with my memory I completely forget what I've done otherwise...did I ever tell you about the time we accidentally ordered tripe soup? The only photos of interest I've taken in the last couple of weeks are from this Sunday's visit to Seoul Tower, one of the major tourist attractions that I've somehow never quite reached before. I think I said back before Christmas how refreshing it was not having to see any decorations being put up in November like back home. We are however still living with them mid-February. The Mighty Han. Public theatre. There's video too, but I can't do that to her. Or at least I won't, on this occasion. This weekend is the Lunar New Year, so a massive bunch of us are heading down to Gyeongju on the East coast. I don't have the faintest what the sights are down there, but it's my first time properly out of Seoul in seven months so I'm very excited! You might even get another post next week! The holiday means we get a three-day weekend to enjoy, but ultimately we're no better of as it just means we'll be teaching Tuesday-Saturday next week instead of Monday-Friday! But at least we'll be well rested. Or maybe not. There's a bit of a sickness going round again, but it's only mild this time. I have a bit of a runny nose and tickly cough is all. Not much, but it is enough to crack open the medicinal whiskey. There's a Korean citrus 'tea' called yu-ja-cha, which honestly looks and tastes exactly like marmalade, but I've discovered that with a shot of whiskey it is almost worth being sick for. I put the kettle on to make some about 45 minutes ago when I started writing this damn post, and now I'm finally going to let myself go and finish the job... Chal ja.

5 months to go

My contract officially ends in 5 months, at the beginning of July. I have no idea what I will do then, but neither do many other teachers, so at least I'm in good company. I'm certain that the time's just gonna fly by without me noticing, so I'll do try to do my best with the time I have left. The Lunar New Year is coming up soon, and rumour has it we'll be getting a day off work to celebrate, so hopefully we'll be using the long weekend to see some of the rest of Korea, maybe to Seoraksan Mountain on the East Coast, hopefully we can make it down to the South coast port city Busan, too. So the one New Year's resolution I made - to try and take more photos - has failed disastrously: I think I made it about eight days. I'll remake it again at Lunar New Year instead. See how long that lasts. I'm sure it's also been noticed that posts here are generally weekly rather than daily these days. That wasn't a conscious decision, so I don't know if it'll stay that way or not. From tomorrow I'm back on morning/day shift again for the first time in about 5 months, so my routine's gonna be completely flipped anyway, so anything could happen I guess. Right now I'm just focussing on whether I'll remember to get up in the morning. Since Friday was my last graduation for a while, I took my camera along, lest I forget the fun. Also, these Winter camp kids have been here for two weeks, so I got to know them better that you usually can. This last kid shook my hand every single time we crossed paths for two weeks straight. I later found out that he was doing it to everyone else too, so didn't feel quite so special after all. After graduation we went for a few drinks in Suyu with some of the Korean staff. Of course 'a few' swiftly escalated into 'a few tequila shots' (and precisely when that became habit I couldn't tell) so the rest of the night's pretty much a blur. Saturday daytime was mostly spent in recovery, but by nightfall we were ready to head back out was again, as our friend Kane was playing a set at a James Brown tribute night at a bar in Hongdae (the party zone in Seoul). There were around 10 bands, the idea (so far as I could gather) being that each had to play at least one James Brown cover each. Almost without exception all of the bands were quality acts - most were Korean but even the Korean songs were full of funk, I was very impressed. Plus, there were bongos! We didn't discover these until near the end of the night when everyone had started leaving (or was it just before?) but we wasted no time in finding the rhythm. God knows what the bands still trying to perform thought of our accompaniment though. Here's Kane anyhow, he enjoyed it: And here's a short video courtesy of Shawn. No prizes of course as to what we did after the show: But note that this time we tried a luxury Norebang for a change - not that you can tell here. I think luxury just means free percussion and ice cream, but what more could you possibly need?

99%

Christa bought me a present this weekend. We'd seen some chocolate in a convenience store Japan that was 99% cocoa (95% cocoa solids and 4% cocoa butter to be precise) which I didn't buy at the time, assuming it to be commonplace. Then we never found it again and I always slightly regretted not trying it at the time. Christa came across a bar on Saturday while visiting friends down in Chungju and remembering my sorrow, bought a bar from me. I guess it tastes just as delicious as you would imagine. Which is probably to say, not at all. I'm not sure what the other 1% is, possibly just some glue to hold the rest of it, as rather as melt in the mouth, it crumbled. It was powdery, and acrid, and left a bitter aftertaste in the back of the throat that could only be washed away with a large glass of milk. Truely, I don't know why they would make this. Maybe for cooking, as it's really not that different from cocoa powder anyway, which would surely be a lot cheaper. I love plain chocolate by the way, but I think 85% will be the threshold from now on.

I try to pretend it's moonlight

My room by night. Bathed as always in the warm glow of the security lights.

Temple Stay

Not one of mine, but here's the official group photo that was taken back in December at the Buddhist temple we visited. I knew it was to be posted on the temple's website but I only recently managed to track it down. The cute little Vietnamese monk in the orange robes really is that short, it's not just that everyone else is standing on a step and he isn't.

And his hat is too big...

I received art supplies from my friends here both for my birthday and for Christmas - apparently I've managed to acquire a reputation for being somewhat arty, despite not having picked up a pencil in months - so I'm back into a drawing phase again at the moment. I'm very slowly working my way through Rob's 'Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain' book, which claims that anyone can be taught to draw if they put their mind to it. I've just hit the nightmare chapter, and am finally being forced to face up to light and shadow. The ever so slightly humpbacked fella on the right is mine, and on the left is Gustav 'goos-tav koor-bay' Courbet's effort. Looking at it from this angle, I'm thinking maybe I haven't finished yet, but Betty (the author) strongly advises against over-working your work so maybe I'll just let it be.

National Treasure No. 1

Sungnyemun, or Namdaemun Gate, literally 'southern gate'. There used to be four great gates in Seoul, though only two remain, and even they are not the original structures. There is little left of the defensive wall (which, according to this wikipedia article, was to keep out tigers, though I'm sure it must've had other uses) that linked them, either. It was designated National Treasure number 1 on December 20, 1962. There are now 307 National Treasures in Korea, of which I have seen at least two. The Koreans also have extensive lists of 'tangible and intangible cultural properties', the latter including many Living National Treasures. As far as I know, I haven't met any of them. Maybe they'll make me one before I leave.

Rabbit

My evening activity for the past week has been paper-folding; I've been trying to perfect an origami rose for ages, and finally, with the help of one of the girls in my class last night, I was able to crack it. Some of the students are really good folders - I've definitely learnt more than I've taught. This is an origami bunny rabbit one of the girls made, alongside a hundred won coin for scale. One of my roses is hiding in the background blur.

Hint: my free dessert was a cup of coffee

Not even one of my resolutions, but I got my hair cut again. I have no classes until 3:30 today so I figured I'd make a token gesture at being productive with my time off. Bonus points if anyone back home can name the restaurant.

Self Portrait

I saw Kiwi Tony leaving the 7-11 with his nightly ice-cream and decided to follow suit. Unseasonably delicious.

Gongi

These are gongi, a little present from my Korean teacher tonight. They're used in a traditional Korean game which may also be called gongi. At least, I think it's traditional. All the kids play it anyway. It seems to be pretty similar to another game that we have back home that I can only ever remember playing with my Mum, which I think is called snobs but the internet will have me call jacks instead. Back me up, ma.

New Year's Resolution

At least one of my New Year's resolutions is gonna be to take more pictures. I'm constantly seeing things I want to snap, but I never have my camera with me. So I'm going to start taking my camera around with me more often, and take at least one picture every day. I'm sure this will last for about a week, but that's not too bad as my resolution life expectancies generally go. And what better way to start than with a nice bowl of the delicious Kimchi that accompanied (well, was one of the many accompaniments to) this evening's galbi (simple but ever-tasty Korean bbq).

New Year's festivities

Sae-hae bok mani badeuseyo! (the meaning is left as an exercise for the reader) This New Year's Eve definitely ranks as one of my better ones. We started out with a heap of sushi in Suyu - and it was actually good sushi, especially compared to the half-frozen mostly chewy slop we choked down last time. Unfortunately, to get the decent stuff we did have to sell out and go to California Roll - previously we were being snobby about it and refusing to go, as some of the varieties they sell - like their salmon and cream cheese roll - barely qualifies as sushi at all - but after a recommendation from Vanessa, we checked it out, and it was indeed pretty good (though in fact we were not keen on the cream cheese one we ended up with). We followed this up with a trip to Dragon Bar, where we're fast becoming regulars, though in was in fact totally dead. Me and Christa were the only ones there until Tony, Robbie and Carla turned up a little while later. After winning and then losing to them at darts (drinks for the winners being the prize) we headed to the City Hall area for the main event. Despite the ten thousand (or was it a hundred thousand?) people expected there last night, we still managed to bump into the other half of the SEV teachers that were out last night (and where did we happen to see them but right by the beverage section of the convenience store that we had all descended on to buy beer). It was a crazy sight to behold. There was a stage with (I'm sure) some famous Korean pop acts performing, but, though we tried our best to sing along, we really didn't know who or what we were listening to. Meanwhile, traditional Korean musical troupes wove their way through the crowds, dancing and banging their drums and cymbals in time, but the real spectacle was the never ending hail of fireworks that went on from the moment we arrived to the time we left two hours later. Street traders were wandering through the square with bundles of Roman candles for sale. A lifetimes' worth of correct firework protocol instantly forgotten, we were soon twirling the firecrackers around our heads as the Koreans were. Children barely taller than the candles were long were flailing them around like we might a sparkler back home! Quite amazing, yet as far as I know nobody got hurt. Try and spot the cute little boy jumping for joy at the tail end of the video... At midnight, the old Boshingak bell tolled 33 times, and what felt like a million fireworks were simultaneously set off - I'm sure it was quite a sight, but my eyes filled with ash and sulphur as they were, it was hard to tell. Suddenly Tony and his umbrella didn't look quite so ridiculous. After this the crowd very swiftly dissipated, and we followed suit. The rest of the night reads much like a typical night out in Seoul - many more drinks were had back at the Dragon Bar, there was lots of bad singing, and we finally made it home just two hours shy of sunrise - it's apparently a Korean tradition to get to watch the first one of a new year, but it was never gonna happen. Maybe next year.

All that she leaves behind

One of two empty or nearly empty water bottles... A Winnie-the-Pooh splashback... An iced Coffee drink, a gift from one of the kids; I guess she forgot to drink it after all... One mostly-used toilet roll... A single sturdy coat-hanger. Most certainly 'Out'.