A wild weekend...

Most Koreans (and foreigners living in Korea) work hard during the week and play hard on the weekends. This weekend was no exception. It is currently 7pm in Korea and I feel like I could still use another day to rest and recover from the events over the last few days. I began the weekend a little early on Thursday night going out with some foreigner friends for dinner. We had galbi (I think its called). It is some sort of meat cooked over hot coals like a bbq. They cook it right at your table which is pretty cool. After it's cooked, you put a variety of vegetables and sauce on the meat and wrap it in a leaf (yes that's right, just like the kind you find on trees) and eat it. It is a very big meal with many dishes and we of course we had to enjoy some drinks with it. Again, I am very impressed with the Korean cost of living as the whole meal including drinks cost 10,000 won (~$10) each.

I officially finished the workweek on Friday at 8pm. Shortly after that, it was off to the Deep In; one of the foreigner bars in Jeonju with my foreigner friend Frasor and my Korean co-worker Christine. While there, we were able to discuss the ups and downs of the past week with the other foreigners, most of whom are teachers as well.

Originally, we had planned to make it a short night in preparation for the following night. But when the bar decided to close at 330am, there was a small contingent of people who wanted to keep the good times rolling and I was among them. It was decided that we could go to a norebang (Kareoke room). So we left the DeepIn and as we walked to our new destination, made a pitstop at the local 7/11 to stock up on some more beverages. The norebong is much different than a typical North American kareoke room. It is a large area with many different rooms. So we rented out a room for a nominal fee and we were able to choose our own songs and sit on some very comfortable couches. It was a very cool kareoke experience since there was a room of 15-20 of all people you know.

I didn't look much at my watch for most of the night, but when the night came to an end I was surprised to see that it was already bright out. It turned out to be 7am by the time we left the norebong. So much for a short night...

After what felt like a very short sleep, it was time to get up and go to a BBQ at my coworker, Betsy's house. After getting lost due to miscommunication between the taxi driver and myself (that's all I am going to say about that as I am still angry about it), I arrived just in time to meet my friend Fraser and his girlfriend Emily to go to the Jeonju world cup stadium to watch some K-League soccer (the top league in Korea). The best seats were only 8,000 won (~$8). We saw our home province Jeonbuk Hyundai against Seoul. It was an exciting match that started with the homeside going up by one in the first half. But Seoul came back in the 2nd half with 2 consecutive goals. The end of the game was very exciting. Despite our team losing, they came very close.

This is a picture of the field from where we were sitting. I took it with my cell phone camera. It is a better quality picture than I expected. We were very close to the sideline. At one point, there was a yelling match close to us. If we could understand Korean, I'm sure we would have known what they were talking about.

It was a very fun experience at the game. Behind each goal were the hardcore fans of each team with drums, dances and chants. They were fun to watch. Another nice benefit to living in Korea is the difference in stadium food/drink prices. I was shocked to find out that one of those tall cans of beer was 2,000 won (~$2). So I had to take advantage of that.

When the game finished, we returned to Betsy's rooftop BBQ to tell of our soccer experience and enjoy some very good western BBQ food (hamburgers, hotdogs, etc.) We got into the soju (Korean rice liquor) again and things got a little crazy. We found some kind of metal chute up on the roof and decided to put it to use. So we would pour soju into one end and hold it up on an angle so it could be received by the other person at the lower end. I think the metal gave the soju a nice kick. After much more of the same it was yet another late night. Today is my recovery day as I haven't left nor plan to leave the house. I am happy to report that starting tomorrow, my overtime at work is done. As opposed to starting at 10am as I have been doing up to this point, I will start at 1130. I can't complain about that. It allows for a nice sleep in. Next weekend, I will be purchasing my scooter so that should make for a fun-filled weekend!

You know you are getting used to living in Korea WHEN...

I have been living in Korea for a month and a half now and have gotten somewhat used to some of the things I once found very strange and different. So here is my list:

You know you are getting used to living in Korea WHEN...
1) You eat at a restaurant, sitting in a chair is a bonus.
2) A meal without chopsticks just doesn't feel right.
3) When your food is served without the traditional kimchi side dish you question the integrity of the establishment.
4) you go out drinking and time is not a factor but sometimes you will leave the bar and it will be bright out, bringing you to the realization that is must be 6am or later.
5) Dodging cars driving on the sidewalk is a daily occurence.
6) even you stare at other foreigners that you don't know.
7) you pay more than 5000 won ($5) for a meal and then complain how expensive it was while trying to recall the last time you paid that.
8) You no longer notice your Korean illiteracy when trying to find a certain store on a street. Instead, you just open the door, have a look inside to see what they have and quickly move on until you find what you need.
9) you get really excited when you see a sign in English and you are tempted to go inside just to say hi.
10) The streets have no names and you don't wonder why.
11) The streets have no names but you can still tell taxi driver's where to go.
12) McDonald's doesn't serve breakfast until 10:30am. In fact, they do not serve it at all. (see # 13)
13) you accept the fact that in Korea there is no breakfast, lunch and dinner. There is just any kind of food, any time of day.
14) The amount of motorized scooters on the streets competes with the number of cars and trucks.
(15) you see someone run a red light, it isn't such a big deal. EVERYONE runs red lights.

That is all I can think of for now. It has been quite a journey so far. The end of this month will finally bring the purchase of my scooter! I am very excited to be able to boot around town and explore some more of the countryside on it. Also, my first trip to Seoul is coming up the first weekend in September (with my friend Sam from Western who will be arriving to teach at the end of the month and will be only an hour away). Oh, and I have a Korean cell phone! I feel like such a Korean now. The number is 010--2314-6985 (it doesnt cost extra to receive int'l calls, so give me a call!) It's been busy but fun so far. I even joined a gym and have some Korean friends there. We don't talk so much, but we do a lot of nodding to say hi and bye. Until next time...

The last of the Japan pictures!

Finally, this is the end of the Japan pictures and I can start talking about Korean life again. Here goes:

The entrance into Osaka Castle. The bridge crosses the first of two moats on the way to the castle.

A shot from on top of Osaka Castle. Always building something in Japan...

A view of the innermost moat from the top level of the castle. It was quite close to the castle itself, probably so whoever is crossing it can be attacked while in the water as they would be unable to fight back.

This guy was making a lot of noise, so I though it best to take a picture. I was a bit of a (safe) distance away so I couldn't see much of his face, but I prefered it that way. He kind of reminds me of Raydon in Mortal Kombat.

And this concludes my journey to Japan. Next: Back to life in Korea!

Osaka

These pictures are from my visit to Osaka Castle:

A view from the top of Osaka overlooking the rest of the city. The castle sits quite high above the city and is surrounding by many acres of lush greenland, which is quite rare in Japan especially in such a densely populated city such as Osaka (the 2nd largest in Japan).

Another view from a difference angle. Note the construction in the background. There always seems to be construction on huge skyscraper projects in Asian countries. Often more than one happening at the same time.

Another different view. The green surrounding the castle quickly turns into the bustling urban streets of Osaka.

A view looking up at the castle. It is actually 8 stories from bottom to top once you are inside.

Another view. That one building was pretty sleek. You can't see any lines in the glass reflection at all. It is a perfect reflection.

One of the two moats surrounding the castle. It was well protected! Quite a walk to get from the outside to the castle. Where this picture was taken was from an archer's post. The wall was carved out slightly at the bottom so the archer could rest his bow.

This is a picture of Kyoto. It is one of the walking streets with the old style paper lanterns. There is not much space between buildings. You can walk 2-3 people across, but that is all that will fit.

The castle itself was raised up off the ground from the hill it already rested on by another 20 feet so that if it was invaded, the intruders would be forced to enter through one entrance only since the walls surrounding the castle were unclimbable.

Another view of city/moat.
Check out this giant crab! You guessed it, its a seafood restaraunt. The still picture fails to capture the magnifience of this creature. Its limbs moved in an alluring manner drawing you inside (but it didnt work on me!).

More Tokyo Pictures

Some more... This is my hotel room in Tokyo. It went for about $50/night. As you can see, it is nothing more than a little fort. Kind of like sleeping in a coffin. There is a nice TV in there. What else can you ask for?

The tall buildings in Tokyo. Had to take the typical tourist picture of them. There are probably some taller buildings, but after only 12 hours in the city, this was the best I could find.. on the way to the subway station.

So this is the subway station by my capsule hotel. It was described to us by one of the locals as the busiest subway station in the world with more than 2 million people coming and going each day. I believe it.. just look at all those signs AND they are in Japanese. It was a challenge figuring out where I needed to go.

Another shot from inside my "capsule" aka fort or coffin. That is the radio/alarm clock. What can't they fit into these little boxes?? It even had air conditioning.

This is me in my capsule after a couple of pints. I was quite comfortable in there, but it was a bit of a challenge climbing up to my capsule.

The view from outside. A small, but comfortable pillow awaits inside and there actually was a blanket though you can't see it right now. To the left and right is a small kind of drape you pull down when you are sleeping. It keeps out the light pretty well, but not the noise!

Tokyo Pictures

These were taken during our rather brief trip to Tokyo. Total time spent in the city was just over 12 hours, but it was still enough time to find some fun!
In the background you can see a giant Citizen Clock. I am not sure what time it shows, but I believe it was in the wee hours of the morning. After a night out at Dubliner's Irish Pub.

Shots from inside the bar. Beside me is Sandra and then a Japenese English teacher, but I can't remember what her name is.

That is Dublin Dan on the left. He found the bar all the more appealing because it was named from his hometown, Dublin Ireland. He was also quite good at political conversations. We had a pretty good one.

More shots of Tokyo. Neon lights galore! A very busy city, but also very clean. I don't know how they do it!

This picture was taken at about 4am. As you can see, the streets are still quite packed. Looks like there is more than one city in the world that doesn't sleep.

More coming.

More pictures

So my Japan trip has taken quite a while to get posted here. This is due in part to technical difficulties but I will try to finish the rest of the pictures today!

This is in downtown Kyoto. Many lights and tall buildings. All floors in buildings are often used in a building. That is why you will see signs on a building going all the way up to the roof.

I think this was in Tokyo, but I'm not sure. It could be in Kyoto. Again, many bright neon lights going all the way to the tops of the buildings. It's a lot to look at and take in...

This kid was awesome! He was like 9 years old and is already considered a professional. He has many bands and has been touring all over the world already. He was playing on a street corner with his band as a fundraiser so they can travel. He was really good.

Some kind of weird tower on top of hotel in Kyoto. What purpose does it serve?? No one knows...

The famous geishas walking the streets of Kyoto. They are quite common in the older part of the city. I even saw a male geisha. I didn't even know they existed.

This was at some type of shrine. People come in and splash this water on their hands with those giant spoons. I assume it is to bring you good luck and/or wellbeing.

This was posted outside of a restaurant. A rather nice restaurant on the outside, so this poster was a little strange to see on the outside. And the name of it? Please see the last picture.

Another shrine in Kyoto. The strange thing about these are that they are built in these plazas of clothing stores. You will have a shoe store, clothing store, then a shrine. It just doesn't seem to fit in.

This is the view of the shrine from outside on the street. It is pretty cool looking. Gotta like that roof.

And finally.. the name of the restaurant. No, unfortuantely I did not eat there. I don't think I could bring myself to do it.

Only a few more pictures to go!

More Japan pictures...

I have been slacking on my blog lately so I am trying to get the rest of the pictures from Japan on here.This is one of the signs for a monument in Hiroshima. If you click on it, you will be able to read it better.


A view of the Hiroshima Peace Park. In the distance you can kind of see a large Japanese flag. The grass in front looks like lawn bowling grass. I don't know why they would do that...

This is one of those Japanese bullet trains you hear about. Inside, they are pure luxury, it's like first class on an airplane. We were fortunate to be able to travel as much as we desired for 7 days all for one price.


Another picture of the train. They ride so smooth for going 300 km/hr (except when going through a tunnel and the wind bounces off of the side of the tunnel and back at the train).

This is the traditional Japanese hotel that I stayed at in Kyoto. There is not much to it. This is a view from the far corner of the room looking to the opposite corner.

This is the view from when you first walk into the room. It is pretty much a small rectangular room. One seat on the floor, and a coffee table. The floor is also made from some special material. I don't know what it was, but it was pretty nice to walk on.

This is looking from the window at the door into the room. There is another small room where you have to take your shoes off before you enter the room. It's not like most hotels, shoes must come off at the door!

This is a river running through Kyoto. It is only about a foot deep so many people walk around in it to cool off or just hang out by it. It was a fun place to be, very busy and some cool shops.
More of the river. You can tell it is man-made as it graduates to the lower level just like steps.

This is the view straight down from my hotel room. Below is a Japanese garden. They are quite common in Japan in the middle of very busy cities. It is where one can relax and be tranquil even if it is just for 5 minutes during a very busy day. They are big on the sound of running water, so of course there was lots of it there.

More pictures coming...

I think I figured out the problem with posting pictures. It looks like you can only post 10 at a time. So here are the first batch:

This is another memorial at Hiroshima Peace Park. The clock represents 8:15am, which is the time that the first Atomic bomb was dropped on the city on August 6, 1945. Wow, I sure do know my history...

This thing had a bell attached to it. So I wanted to take a picture while ringing it. Again, not really sure why it is there, but it is pretty cool.

This is the plaque for the entrane to the Peace Memorial Museum. Unfortunately, time did not allow to go into the museum, but apparently they have quite a few interesting artifacts.

People put fresh flowers in front of this every day in memory of the victims. It sounds like many of the victims family members still reside in the city after all those years.

This is a statue. I have no idea what it is there for.

This is the view from the Peace Park. It is strange because this very green park is in the middle of a city filled with tall buildings but it has a very small town feel in the park.

I think this picture was made out of thousands of tiny pieces of colored paper folded into doves. Many survivors from the A-bomb have made art that is displayed here.

Here is a picture of that crazy lady I was talking about in my early posting, the one who was praying over me. I told her that I really wanted her picture just so I could say, "Look at her, that lady is crazy."

This is one of those cool giant clocks. I believe it is a Citizen. The Japanese seems to be mesmerized by giant clocks. I saw some in Tokyo that must have had arms 50 feet long. I wonder what kind of battery powers those things...