So it's been far too long, but here's an update on my last big adventure, when I crossed the big blue to Busan, Korea. This was actually written during said trip, but here it is anyways!
October 10th, 2012:
I'm currently sitting on a ferry on the way home from Korea. A quick blitz of Busan, which is just a 3 hour ferry from nearby Fukuoka City. Here are the highlights:
1) My darling and the love of all my fellow travelers lives, Cindy Tran. Cindy's my Explore/French Camp 2009 friend, and one of those gems you don't see often, but turn into giggling schoolgirls upon each new meeting. She's teaching elsewhere in Korea, but had been in Busan 4 days, and was the best tour guide we could ask for!
2) DISCO! The first of Cindy's Wonders, not to be confused with other lesser wonders like the Taj Mahal or the Pyramids. South Korea loves amusement parks, and Disco is part musical experience and part ride. You sit on a round seat and hold on as a DJ spins beats and tries to throw you off your seat while lambasting you in Korean and the occasional, "ENGLISH MAN, ENGLISH MAN!" At the end I danced Gangnam Style with a mentally disabled man who was obviously a regular.
3) The Food. Spicy Goodness for basically nothing. I couldn't get over how cheap Korea was. Asia is a mega cheap place, but Japan is definitely the exception, and is completely comparable to the North America. So going somewhere where you can stuff your face for $4 CAD was a definite plus.
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| Possibly not the best example, but it seems I didn't take any pictures of food. This gem from a fish market will have to do. |
4) The crowd. My friend Jess invited me to come with a group of teachers out of Nagasaki. 3 Americans, 2 New Zealanders, a Scot et moi.
Now, normally, there is nothing that turns me into a raging cesspool of madness, hormones and bile than travelling in a large group (ie, more than 4). What I didn't count on was that the people would be so amazing. It speaks for itself that I never once plotted murder. I'm calling that a rousing success.
5) Getting lost on a Korean mountainside while searching for a temple.
6) finally finding the temple....
In other Korea news, here's this one...
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| Because when you spend $16/night on a hotel room you miss out on amenities. Like fire escapes. |
I had an ultimate frisbee tournament the other weekend, which was fun. I'm not half as aggressive as I look (lie #1).
And now a quick blurb about me and my life here. I'm settled into a routine which is nice, though working 9-5 is something I feel like I'm going to need more time to get into. I'm super tired at school a lot, though I'm sleeping quite a bit. It probably has to do with me running 40+ KM a week... I'm training for my first half-marathon on November 18th, and then my first full marathon in February! Boy be lookin' toned...
A week ago I hiked the tallest mountain in Kyushu with my friends Marie, Andrew and Sean. My legs are like diamonds. Or titanium. Or titanium plated diamonds. Or something.
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| Unposed. srsly. |
And finally, this Saturday I put on my sourest face and went to a Halloween party as grapes. Don't judge me. I was low budget and more importantly, low initiative. As far as Halloween goes, Japan doesn't really do it, unless you're under five or foreign... Luckily I've got deep connections in both of these viable and valuable market niches...
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| We made my Adult conversation class bob for onions. Partly because apples are expensive here. |
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| But mostly because you get the gems that are faces like this. |
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| This is Shion. He is three. He is my neighbour. He is also the best Donald Duck at his Halloweeen parade And I am totally unbiased. And there was only one Donald Duck. |
