My husband did a video of our campsite at the Mt. Yumyeongsan (Yu-myeong-san) Recreational Forest. It's not great quality but you can get an idea of American's camping in Korea!
Wednesday, August 18, 2010
Seoul Summer
Sorry for those of you who read the blog. I've completely abandoned it. But here's to recap the summer. HOT and HUMID. Coming from the Southwest, I never really experienced humidity or a monsoon season like here. The cure: constant showering! I hate those days when I shower in the morning and the first step outside requires yet another shower. It's an endless vicious cycle.
Here's what I've been up to this summer:
We've been camping twice. It was rather difficult to find any information online regarding camping in Korea, in English. But we did manage to go twice. Once to Mt. Yumyeongsan* for Memorial Day weekend. The park was about 2hrs away from Seoul. We tried finding somewhere we can go camping similar to the States. Well we found this Recreational Forest which has a camp ground with platforms to pitch a tent at. They also had cabins which many Koreans use to "camp" but it's more like a lodge.
We also went to Incheon for Fourth of July and camped by the beach. We had found a spot near Eurwang-ni Beach, Incheon*. We expected to be able to swim, but we were mistaken! We were supposed to head out early Friday morning but were delayed due to the monsoon rains. By the time we got to our spot the rain began and we were in a rush to pitch a tent and tie the tarps above. The next morning the tide was in, we explored along the beach and found some interesting little critters. By lunch time, the tide has receded about a mile out. That's when we realized this is not a swimming beach. The water was dirty, muddy and poles were sticking up about 50 meters in. However we spotted several people with buckets going clamming. We did try and walk in, it was very muddy and there were several jellyfish. If it weren't for my husband I would have stepped right on it.
We also went to the COEX mall Aquarium*. It took us about an hour to get through, it didn't seem as small as it really was and it has lots of interesting fish displays. I was surprised their shark tanks were opened. You really could just stick your hand in with the sharks and many other fish tanks.
After being in Korea for about 6 months, we finally made our way up to Seoul Tower*! We arrived via cable car which you can catch off Myeong-dong. Although it's quite a hike up to the cable car, it's nothing compared to how hard it would have been to actually hike all the way up to the tower. The 360 views are amazing. You can see for miles out. We were even able to spot our apartment from the tower as well as other landmarks. They've got places to eat, shop and relax. Once the cable car drops you off on top, you still need to walk up a few stairs. Okay, there were a millions stairs before you get to the tower. It was tough hike on a humid day to say the least. I plan on going again sometime in the fall, when the weather is nicer! Once on top, you can wander around and check out the views from the deck area, sit and have some lunch under a gazebo or take a break from all those stairs!
Here's what I've been up to this summer:
We also went to Incheon for Fourth of July and camped by the beach. We had found a spot near Eurwang-ni Beach, Incheon*. We expected to be able to swim, but we were mistaken! We were supposed to head out early Friday morning but were delayed due to the monsoon rains. By the time we got to our spot the rain began and we were in a rush to pitch a tent and tie the tarps above. The next morning the tide was in, we explored along the beach and found some interesting little critters. By lunch time, the tide has receded about a mile out. That's when we realized this is not a swimming beach. The water was dirty, muddy and poles were sticking up about 50 meters in. However we spotted several people with buckets going clamming. We did try and walk in, it was very muddy and there were several jellyfish. If it weren't for my husband I would have stepped right on it.
This is our campsite was on a hill. They also had platforms you could rent cheaply for a day or hourly.
Fifi decided she'd go looking for clams and got stuck in the mud. As a result she ended up with "boots."
It's not Fourth of July if you don't have fireworks!
These are the posts I was talking about. When the tide was in there were invisible. Word of advice, be careful when you go swimming out at Incheon where there isn't a marked "swimming beach."
We also went to the COEX mall Aquarium*. It took us about an hour to get through, it didn't seem as small as it really was and it has lots of interesting fish displays. I was surprised their shark tanks were opened. You really could just stick your hand in with the sharks and many other fish tanks.
Fish in the toilet display.
They have over 40,000 fish!
Here's one view looking at Myeong-dong area.
Have your heard of locking your love? Well At Seoul Tower you can purchase a lock that you can write on and lock onto one of these "metal trees." This is very popular during Valentine's Day.
Our last summer adventure was to Seoul Forest*. It's a large park made of several smaller parks or areas. You can access the park via subway as well and it's free to enter. Many people go to the Forest to have a picnic, ride a bike or walk around. We didn't really know what to expect. We were hoping to rent a tandem bike which we never found the place to rent one. So we walked the park. We went through the kids area, which has two big slides. Not meant for anyone over the age of 10. I found that out the hard way when I couldn't slide down because, one I was too heavy, and two I was just too old. But I tried anyways because I just couldn't resist the slide! We walk down to the deer are. You can purchase deer food from a nearby vending machine. You can also walk down to the Seoul Forest Han-gang park.
Here's the fun looking slide meant for only children. Doesn't it look fun though?
There were several deer. Their habitat was actually quite large.
*I have linked all the places of interest to a English site where you can find more information on the location, pricing, how to get there, etc.
Tuesday, March 9, 2010
Longest Winter
Seems like there is no end to the winter in Korea. This year they broke a 100 year record for most snow. I heard it was about a foot of snow accumulation, the most in over 100 years. I arrived just a few days after the big snow fall. The snow lingered for a couple of weeks, and then quickly melted away one sunny day. But since I've been here, I've experienced only one week of good weather earlier in February. Then suddenly, it began getting cold. After a week of about 40-60*F weather, the temperatures quickly dropped back down to low 30s and 20s. Today it's 26*F and snowing furiously.
I thought for a while maybe it's just cold and it'll get warm again, but of course it's got to snow before it gets warm again. That's how it has worked the last few times it has snowed. One week it snows, then the next it begins to warm up. We've been dealing with volatile temperature and weather. Now why can't Mother Nature decide on how it's going to treat Korea.
Today however, the snow has been more aggressive. Sticking to everything, including the roads. Cars have been driving down my street covered in snow, with only part of the windshield cleared for viewing. Fifi, my Maltese mix decided she absolutely needed to go outside. I tried to ignore her and hoped she's just relieve herself on the puppy pad. But even after several hours, she still hasn't gone to the bathroom, where the puppy pad is. So at about midnight I suit up for the snow and wind and leash her up and head downstairs. I'm sure the guards in my building were laughing about going outside with a little dog in this weather. Had I know my little 4-legged brat was going to play in the snow I'd taken my camera along. I thought it might be a quick trip considering she doesn't enjoy the rain or wet weather. But since being in El Paso, Tx, Ruidoso, NM, Salem, OR and now Seoul, ROK, all when it's snow since December, I think she's grown fond of it.
It was windy, wet and cold. The snow was sticking to Fifi's fur and to my jacket, pants, boots hands, anything exposed to the elements. I somehow think that Fifi knew it was snowing and that is why she was so persistent in going outside. I'm hoping the roads clear up soon, the weather warms up and we finally get the sun out to bring spring. I feel like I've been stuck in winter for far too long!
Tuesday, February 23, 2010
Making Court Cakes
This video is of a Korean making the traditional court cake, made from honey and malt with nuts and sesame seeds in the center.
A month and a half later...
We're half past our second month living in Seoul and I could not be any more excited. The city has been welcoming and always an adventure. The first few weeks here we not what I expected. Living in a hotel with no transportation, no sense of direction, no knowledge of the language or culture was not inducing any comfort. However, we began getting comfortable with the subway, getting used to our daily 10 mile walks, occasionally riding our bikes, and with a little help of a pocket dictionary and our helpful "Take me to" cards we've managed to roam around the city.
At the beginning of February we moved into our apartment in the city, Central Namsan that is. At the center of the city, with beautiful views and walking distance to many of the great markets and shops. I'm loving it here. Watching the snow fall atop all the roof tops earlier this month was wonderful. At night when the sun sets and the city lights up you can see the city twinkling in the dark. Seoul is beginning to feel like home. It also helped that we received our first shipment from the states. Mainly clothes and kitchen items and of course our LCD t.v. with built-in DVD player. We haven't been able to watch t.v. shows but at least we're watching DVDs! We've also been able to cook what we like with our cookware and eat on our plates, etc. But I've also had to wash the cookware and plates and all the clothes we now have. We got our bedding, and it makes sleeping much better especially when it's cold.
During the first couple of weeks living here, the borrowed furniture was starting to stick out like a sore thumb! Green sofas weren't what I considered cozy furniture. Thankfully we found YONGSAN SECONDHAND STORE near Yongsan post behind WORLDMARK apartments, across Gate 1, or if you take the subway, Samgakji Station Line 4 or 6. If I take Exit 11 in Samgakji I end up on the other side of the street. I think the one on the side to the Secondhand store is Exit 10 (don't take my word on it though). Where we found an awesome and oh-so-comfy leather chair and our t.v. stand (where we can also store our music and movies, and put our WII and DVD player). They all fit perfectly in the apartment. However we still had one sofa and coffee table which we didn't like! We looked at a place over the river by Nonhyeon Station Line 7. But it was a lot of furniture shops catering to those with a larger budget than ours. Don't get me wrong there were many pieces we absolutely loved! And also ABSOLUTELY out of our budget. So I kept searching and searching and finally found Sadang furniture street. The mostly have office furniture but if you look hard enough and walk through both sides you'll see they have much more furniture. That is where we got our couch which came with an ottoman and also bought a coat hanger. If you take Line 4 or 7 to Chongshin University (Isu) Station and exit 1 or 14 walk straight ahead (GS gas station will be at your left if you are going in the right direction) you'll see the sidewalk lined with furniture. Don't be afraid to ask or look inside. Many places have upstairs or downstairs full of furniture too. That's how we found the couch, upstairs a little shop that looked to have nothing.
Aside from turning our apartment into a home, we've been out eating and meeting new people. There's this delicious place by our apartment that serves lamb chops and they grill them at your table! They just melt in your mouth. We've also had the bulgogi (marinated thin slices of beef, like brisket,with veggies). It's right by Chungmuro Station (Line 4 or 3) Exit 8, when you walk up to street level turn around and you'll see the pictures of raw meat (its not how its served!) It's the restaurant downstairs. They also have English menus and they speak a little English, but prices and service is good. So far what we like to eat here is the bulgogi, bibimbap (rice and veggies with an egg on top), i like the fish cakes that have the red bean paste inside. They sell the out on the street and look like a giant goldfish pastry. They're delicious and usually cost about 500 won a piece, but out by Chungmuro station exit 8 you'll find them 6 for 2,000 won (or about $1.50). We tried the tteokbokki, which are rice cakes in spicy red sauce but I called them the hot rice noodles, because they look like noodles. We also got together with a few new people at a bar in Itaewon Line 6, I can't remember what exit. It's the one across from the Hamilton Shopping center. We stayed at the bar all night, but I must return because above the bar they have a Latin club called Caliente. That night on the way home there was this guy in selling kebab according to my husband. But if you ask me, it's shawarma. Which I hadn't eating since I lived in Canada, and he, since he was in Germany. It was delicious and the second spicy thing we've eaten here.
On a shopping note, Sadang station has a few shopping kiosk. They have some great boots for jaw-dropping prices, the quality looks good, they'll be able to convert your shoe size to what they have and the size run narrow. At the Namdaemun Market station Hoehyeon Line 4, they have an underground shopping place I have yet to visit. And when we were over at Sadang and were walking back towards the subway we walked through an cobblestone alley way that led us to a "Family Dollar" kind of store. They had great kitchen ware like serving utensils and dinnerware. Then as we kept walking we ended up at an alley full of vendors selling food and eateries. If we continue to experience weather in the high 30s to 40s we'll be able to get our more and explore Seoul. Today it's an amazing 63 degrees according to my weather bug. Let the warm days continue.
Seoul at night from our apartment, pork grilling at our table for lettuce wraps, Bulgogi hot pots and all the fixings
At the beginning of February we moved into our apartment in the city, Central Namsan that is. At the center of the city, with beautiful views and walking distance to many of the great markets and shops. I'm loving it here. Watching the snow fall atop all the roof tops earlier this month was wonderful. At night when the sun sets and the city lights up you can see the city twinkling in the dark. Seoul is beginning to feel like home. It also helped that we received our first shipment from the states. Mainly clothes and kitchen items and of course our LCD t.v. with built-in DVD player. We haven't been able to watch t.v. shows but at least we're watching DVDs! We've also been able to cook what we like with our cookware and eat on our plates, etc. But I've also had to wash the cookware and plates and all the clothes we now have. We got our bedding, and it makes sleeping much better especially when it's cold.
During the first couple of weeks living here, the borrowed furniture was starting to stick out like a sore thumb! Green sofas weren't what I considered cozy furniture. Thankfully we found YONGSAN SECONDHAND STORE near Yongsan post behind WORLDMARK apartments, across Gate 1, or if you take the subway, Samgakji Station Line 4 or 6. If I take Exit 11 in Samgakji I end up on the other side of the street. I think the one on the side to the Secondhand store is Exit 10 (don't take my word on it though). Where we found an awesome and oh-so-comfy leather chair and our t.v. stand (where we can also store our music and movies, and put our WII and DVD player). They all fit perfectly in the apartment. However we still had one sofa and coffee table which we didn't like! We looked at a place over the river by Nonhyeon Station Line 7. But it was a lot of furniture shops catering to those with a larger budget than ours. Don't get me wrong there were many pieces we absolutely loved! And also ABSOLUTELY out of our budget. So I kept searching and searching and finally found Sadang furniture street. The mostly have office furniture but if you look hard enough and walk through both sides you'll see they have much more furniture. That is where we got our couch which came with an ottoman and also bought a coat hanger. If you take Line 4 or 7 to Chongshin University (Isu) Station and exit 1 or 14 walk straight ahead (GS gas station will be at your left if you are going in the right direction) you'll see the sidewalk lined with furniture. Don't be afraid to ask or look inside. Many places have upstairs or downstairs full of furniture too. That's how we found the couch, upstairs a little shop that looked to have nothing.
Aside from turning our apartment into a home, we've been out eating and meeting new people. There's this delicious place by our apartment that serves lamb chops and they grill them at your table! They just melt in your mouth. We've also had the bulgogi (marinated thin slices of beef, like brisket,with veggies). It's right by Chungmuro Station (Line 4 or 3) Exit 8, when you walk up to street level turn around and you'll see the pictures of raw meat (its not how its served!) It's the restaurant downstairs. They also have English menus and they speak a little English, but prices and service is good. So far what we like to eat here is the bulgogi, bibimbap (rice and veggies with an egg on top), i like the fish cakes that have the red bean paste inside. They sell the out on the street and look like a giant goldfish pastry. They're delicious and usually cost about 500 won a piece, but out by Chungmuro station exit 8 you'll find them 6 for 2,000 won (or about $1.50). We tried the tteokbokki, which are rice cakes in spicy red sauce but I called them the hot rice noodles, because they look like noodles. We also got together with a few new people at a bar in Itaewon Line 6, I can't remember what exit. It's the one across from the Hamilton Shopping center. We stayed at the bar all night, but I must return because above the bar they have a Latin club called Caliente. That night on the way home there was this guy in selling kebab according to my husband. But if you ask me, it's shawarma. Which I hadn't eating since I lived in Canada, and he, since he was in Germany. It was delicious and the second spicy thing we've eaten here.
On a shopping note, Sadang station has a few shopping kiosk. They have some great boots for jaw-dropping prices, the quality looks good, they'll be able to convert your shoe size to what they have and the size run narrow. At the Namdaemun Market station Hoehyeon Line 4, they have an underground shopping place I have yet to visit. And when we were over at Sadang and were walking back towards the subway we walked through an cobblestone alley way that led us to a "Family Dollar" kind of store. They had great kitchen ware like serving utensils and dinnerware. Then as we kept walking we ended up at an alley full of vendors selling food and eateries. If we continue to experience weather in the high 30s to 40s we'll be able to get our more and explore Seoul. Today it's an amazing 63 degrees according to my weather bug. Let the warm days continue.
Seoul at night from our apartment, pork grilling at our table for lettuce wraps, Bulgogi hot pots and all the fixings
Friday, January 15, 2010
First week
Day one we arrived, tired and cold. With a 4 degree weather, an hour drived seem like an eternity. After 13 hours in a plane, Fifi, our Malshi (maltese/shihtzu) dog was ready to relieve herself and run around even if it was in 11 inches of snow; she only stands a mere 8 inches high! We were also anxious to walk around and stretch out our stiffened joints.
Finally 12am the next day we arrived in our hotel room, straight to bed we went. By about 6am we were ready to get up. Jet lag. In the next few days, 3am we both wake up, go to the bathroom and struggle to return to slumber. However, by 6am we are wide-eyed and bushy tailed, ready for another cold day.
Friday we did attend a meeting where we learned about the Korean culture as well as a few words and phrases to get us around. Some tips to get us through life here and other cultural must-knows.
Saturday morning we planned on a day out after being imprisoned in our hotel room. We woke up in routine, 3am, then again at 6am. Lounged around ate some breakfast, went over what we were looking in an apartment and got ready. The first apartment was such a let-down. Grungy and stinky I must say. Also, I should add it was dirty. I thought for sure we'd get something more trendy looking? But no, this sketchy tiny apartment in a questionable area. The second apartment however seemed to be more promising regardless of the narrow winding alley ways. And the third showed potential, a little renovation and you got yourself an awesome single-family home. But we don't have the time nor money or energy to do another renovation! The next couple of apartments were perfect. Great area, nice kitchens and bathrooms, which is what we are looking for, near work. Once we were done for the day, we decided we'd walk around town for a while, get to know the place.
Also, we were starving, at 1pm we still were searching for some grub. The more we walked and passed places with pictures of food we got hungrier. Finally, we saw somewhere we would like to try, of all places in Korea we decided on a Japanese restaurant. I should have seen the signs coming of what we were about to experience.
The menu was short, written in both Japanese and Korea (we recognized the characters used) Also a short description in English. Which served us no use. We walked in and immediately you see peoples shoes left behind, so we followed suit. But oh no, this time we were wrong. We needed to take our shoes off before we were seated. We ended up leaving them near the bench, which was also a step into this enclosed room where there is a table and seats with no feet. Yes we sat on the floor to eat. Hubby decided to order for both of us. He points at what we want, "lunch special" one for both, we were going to share. In the confusion that exists when things get lost in translation and weird sign language, our waitress picks up our menus and exits, sliding the door closed behind her. Brings us tea, and a space heater. With my aching knees and hubby's long legs, we finally managed to sit on the floor. Cleaned our hands with the hot towel and sipped on our hot tea as we awaited what we ordered.
Surprisingly, it was nothing we expected! First course, a miso soup, salad, and some interesting looking stuff on another plate. Feeling adventurous and brave we dug in. Soup was good, salad was good, the other stuff however would just now go down. We were definately not expecting such different tastes and textures. Then the waitress comes in again brings a larger plate, shashimi salad. Except it was 3 pieces of salmon and other chewy fish and another that tasted like trout. One thing I couldn't even bit and gold dust. You bet you ate all the gold dust! I'm kidding, it doesn't taste like anything and it was stuck to the questionable fish on our plate. We began to be disappointed at what we ordered. But there she came in again, with more food. A small plate of two small fish, one plate each. The little guy, I had to decapitate, I couldn't bite it's head, plus he tasted funky. The larger one however was yummy. Then more food! Soup, sushi rice. We were already full and had to order beer to get through all the other tastes we weren't too fond of. We'd already been there at least an hour and all we noticed was her bringing more and more food. I wanted to tell her to please stop but I didn't know if I should say it in Japanese or Korea. Considering we were greeted "Konichiwa" not "An-nyeong-ha-se-yo", the latter being "hello" in Korean. We realized it was the end when she brought some sweet drink, tasted somewhat like a cider and was delicious. We only like a few items of the infinate plates. But we learned our lesson on being quick to pick.
We left, full and confused on what exactly happened in the last couple of hours of that feast. Also, instead of ordering one thing for both, it was two, one for each, hence the never-ending feast. On our last bit of exploration we came across a secondhand store, which we saw a couch we'd like and a coffee table, very cheap! The couch is orange leather. Yup! ORANGE! :) We'll need to go back once we get an apartment.
Finally 12am the next day we arrived in our hotel room, straight to bed we went. By about 6am we were ready to get up. Jet lag. In the next few days, 3am we both wake up, go to the bathroom and struggle to return to slumber. However, by 6am we are wide-eyed and bushy tailed, ready for another cold day.
Friday we did attend a meeting where we learned about the Korean culture as well as a few words and phrases to get us around. Some tips to get us through life here and other cultural must-knows.
Saturday morning we planned on a day out after being imprisoned in our hotel room. We woke up in routine, 3am, then again at 6am. Lounged around ate some breakfast, went over what we were looking in an apartment and got ready. The first apartment was such a let-down. Grungy and stinky I must say. Also, I should add it was dirty. I thought for sure we'd get something more trendy looking? But no, this sketchy tiny apartment in a questionable area. The second apartment however seemed to be more promising regardless of the narrow winding alley ways. And the third showed potential, a little renovation and you got yourself an awesome single-family home. But we don't have the time nor money or energy to do another renovation! The next couple of apartments were perfect. Great area, nice kitchens and bathrooms, which is what we are looking for, near work. Once we were done for the day, we decided we'd walk around town for a while, get to know the place.
Also, we were starving, at 1pm we still were searching for some grub. The more we walked and passed places with pictures of food we got hungrier. Finally, we saw somewhere we would like to try, of all places in Korea we decided on a Japanese restaurant. I should have seen the signs coming of what we were about to experience.
The menu was short, written in both Japanese and Korea (we recognized the characters used) Also a short description in English. Which served us no use. We walked in and immediately you see peoples shoes left behind, so we followed suit. But oh no, this time we were wrong. We needed to take our shoes off before we were seated. We ended up leaving them near the bench, which was also a step into this enclosed room where there is a table and seats with no feet. Yes we sat on the floor to eat. Hubby decided to order for both of us. He points at what we want, "lunch special" one for both, we were going to share. In the confusion that exists when things get lost in translation and weird sign language, our waitress picks up our menus and exits, sliding the door closed behind her. Brings us tea, and a space heater. With my aching knees and hubby's long legs, we finally managed to sit on the floor. Cleaned our hands with the hot towel and sipped on our hot tea as we awaited what we ordered.
Surprisingly, it was nothing we expected! First course, a miso soup, salad, and some interesting looking stuff on another plate. Feeling adventurous and brave we dug in. Soup was good, salad was good, the other stuff however would just now go down. We were definately not expecting such different tastes and textures. Then the waitress comes in again brings a larger plate, shashimi salad. Except it was 3 pieces of salmon and other chewy fish and another that tasted like trout. One thing I couldn't even bit and gold dust. You bet you ate all the gold dust! I'm kidding, it doesn't taste like anything and it was stuck to the questionable fish on our plate. We began to be disappointed at what we ordered. But there she came in again, with more food. A small plate of two small fish, one plate each. The little guy, I had to decapitate, I couldn't bite it's head, plus he tasted funky. The larger one however was yummy. Then more food! Soup, sushi rice. We were already full and had to order beer to get through all the other tastes we weren't too fond of. We'd already been there at least an hour and all we noticed was her bringing more and more food. I wanted to tell her to please stop but I didn't know if I should say it in Japanese or Korea. Considering we were greeted "Konichiwa" not "An-nyeong-ha-se-yo", the latter being "hello" in Korean. We realized it was the end when she brought some sweet drink, tasted somewhat like a cider and was delicious. We only like a few items of the infinate plates. But we learned our lesson on being quick to pick.
We left, full and confused on what exactly happened in the last couple of hours of that feast. Also, instead of ordering one thing for both, it was two, one for each, hence the never-ending feast. On our last bit of exploration we came across a secondhand store, which we saw a couch we'd like and a coffee table, very cheap! The couch is orange leather. Yup! ORANGE! :) We'll need to go back once we get an apartment.
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