Hi all,
Checklist: things I need to make posts about
-Bukhansan
-Gwanaksan
-Buddha's B-day
-Busan
-misc.
Lets start with Bukhansan.
Bukhansan is one of the taller mountains in korea and the tallest in Seoul; a majestic eruption of granite partially masked by the not so majestic pollution blanket hanging over Seoul. Its rough steep climb has been made highly accessible by a series of metal cables, railings, and the occasional bridge. It's quite popular and is easily as crowded as an average Seoul street.
One of the best things about hiking in Korea is the vendors on every mountaintop: You can typically buy ice cream, kim chi, water, and, most importantly, makoli (Korean rice wine).
Here is one of the less obnoxious videos I found of Bukhansan, although, the constant spinning is a little bit much. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K42qS4AC2Rk
you can easily see lots of pictures and videos if you search for 'Bukhansan'.
On this particular hike, the first I had done in eight months or so, I was out of shape and was good and tired by the time we made it to the top...but that was the wrong peak! So, we hiked down that mountain, and then back up the correct mountain. The fight to climb the second peak was comparable to scene in Rocky where Rocky gets the @!#% punched out of him (You pick whichever version you prefer: the mountain or me getting pulverized)! So many stairs.
Sunday, June 12, 2011
Wednesday, April 20, 2011
Seonyudo Park - The coolest thing ive seen in korea!
Hi all,
I just wanted to make this short post mentioning Seonyudo Park as its so fantastic! The park consists of an Island in the middle of the Han River. I think i heard that there never used to be an island there and that it is in fact build of mostly trash, but maybe im thinking of somewhere different.
Anyways, the place used to be a sewage treatment plant, now it is a lovley park! I really love it; it all looks a bit post appocolyptic and is even a bit mazelike in places. It reminds me a bit of the the scenery from Stalker, except much nicer.
I think this video shows it pretty well:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=coVSfxCgqoM
Here are some pictures:
http://www.mstrum.com/onmywaytokorea/2010/05/15/sunyoudo-park/
http://hiddengemtravel.blogspot.com/2011/02/parks-seoul.html
I just wanted to make this short post mentioning Seonyudo Park as its so fantastic! The park consists of an Island in the middle of the Han River. I think i heard that there never used to be an island there and that it is in fact build of mostly trash, but maybe im thinking of somewhere different.
Anyways, the place used to be a sewage treatment plant, now it is a lovley park! I really love it; it all looks a bit post appocolyptic and is even a bit mazelike in places. It reminds me a bit of the the scenery from Stalker, except much nicer.
I think this video shows it pretty well:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=coVSfxCgqoM
Here are some pictures:
http://www.mstrum.com/onmywaytokorea/2010/05/15/sunyoudo-park/
http://hiddengemtravel.blogspot.com/2011/02/parks-seoul.html
Tuesday, March 29, 2011
Still working on this post - will finish later
Please note; if you are having trouble viewing the sideways images just turn your monitor on its side :D
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| Pine flavoured candy! Tastes like Christmas! |
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| Tree fungi in the traditional market |
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| Pizza! With....shrimp, potato, crab, and no tomato sauce! |
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| This is actually a chicken and beer restaurant in Bucheon! |
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| Severe cold hits Korea! Tempatures plumit to a staggering nationwide low of...-24.3 degrees Celcius! |
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| This is actually a chicken and beer restaurant in Bucheon! |
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| A sink that drains into a bucket - class act. The bad part though is that someone threw up in the sing :P |
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| A buhdist prayer bell. 1000 won per ring! |
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| Ramen noodles as a side dish in a pub... |
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| If you are ever in trouble on a korean subway, just activate one of the many nearby pokeballs! |
Wednesday, March 2, 2011
Korean Food Adventures!
What is korean food like? Well, white sticky rice, and a variety of pickled and/or fermented vegtables come standard with every meal. Some fermented side dishes have a mild flavor while some will knock your socks off; pickled turnip and fermented fish guts are about on opposite ends of the scale. Korean cabbage, bean sprouts, various greens, tofu, garlic, and bean paste are amoung some of the standard fermented fare. Hot pepper paste - sweet and mildly spicy - is put into almost everything. If a dish has a red colour to it, it has red pepper paste.
Lots of the most popular restaurant food is some variety or animal + vegtables and gets freshly grilled on coockers built into each table in this style of restaurant. Garlic, onions, and often mushrooms will be presented with whatever animal is being griled. Fresh lettuce can then be used to make something of a Korean burritto: animal bits + fermented side dishes + choice sauce.
Korean Bakeries: Is that a delicious chocolate or vanilla cream in the middle of that pastry...nope, its bean paste! mmmmmm, beany goodness! try another....its filled with green stuff... peas? beans? I have no idea what it is.
You can also find phallic day old looking 'sausage bread' and many variety of soft breads with some combination of fake tomato sauce, fake sausage (like bad hotdogs), mayo, and a variety of other colourful sauces.
White or slightly off white bread are the only options. There is not hearty whole wheat bread. No heavy winter grains. All bread is soft and light.
'Paris Bagguette' often does not have any bagguettes in stock.
Fun New Foods! Lets start with a good one - BBQ pig organs! Seriously, they are quite delectible! Animals in Korea are given something of a healther, or at least sanitary, diet so that ALL the bits are fine to eat. I would serously think twice about touching a pig intestine from the U.S. and can vouch that the taste of pig liver between the U.S. and Korea is quite different. One tastes bad, the other tastes like a rich pot roast.
Grilled pig skin is, although not bad, certainly the leaste tasty bit of the pig. If you eat pig or cow intestine from a soup, expect a little bit of a poopy flavour; a bit grassy as well with the cow. But grilled bits are fantastic!
Bondegi - silk worm pupua - is terrible. And I don't care if it "Has lots of protein", so does beef or chicken, and those dont often taste like old dirty cardboard!
I had a strange seafood which was small, grey, looked a bit like a crecent shapped tumour, and exploded a slatly briney intense liquid into my mouth upon the first chew. After that initial shock the suspicious blob was very chewey and, once the gross liquid was gone, mostly flavourless. I am told the food has no name in English - anyone know what it is?
The cheese is a lie! Yes, it may look like a delicous pizza, but tasting it will reveal that the sauce is not made from tomatos, the cheese is fake, and finding corn, sweet potato, and unshelled shrimp are not uncommon. then you cry from the torment of shattered false cheesy hopes - much like the shells of the misplaced shrimp! Rice flour may be used in the place of wheat flour - the taste and texture just isnt quite right!
Street Food: odeng, of reshaped boiled fish bits, are not tasty! Why does everyone love this food so much!? Imagine a stick scuring a long wavy unbreaded fish stick which is dripping with the liquid it was cooked in. At least you can dip it in hot pepper paste to cover up the bland fishy flavour.
Street food = fried everything. Fried sweet potato, shrimp, 'sausage', chicken, pepper, octopus, dumpling, vegtable, rice wrapped in seaweed,
-will write more later
Lots of the most popular restaurant food is some variety or animal + vegtables and gets freshly grilled on coockers built into each table in this style of restaurant. Garlic, onions, and often mushrooms will be presented with whatever animal is being griled. Fresh lettuce can then be used to make something of a Korean burritto: animal bits + fermented side dishes + choice sauce.
Korean Bakeries: Is that a delicious chocolate or vanilla cream in the middle of that pastry...nope, its bean paste! mmmmmm, beany goodness! try another....its filled with green stuff... peas? beans? I have no idea what it is.
You can also find phallic day old looking 'sausage bread' and many variety of soft breads with some combination of fake tomato sauce, fake sausage (like bad hotdogs), mayo, and a variety of other colourful sauces.
White or slightly off white bread are the only options. There is not hearty whole wheat bread. No heavy winter grains. All bread is soft and light.
'Paris Bagguette' often does not have any bagguettes in stock.
Fun New Foods! Lets start with a good one - BBQ pig organs! Seriously, they are quite delectible! Animals in Korea are given something of a healther, or at least sanitary, diet so that ALL the bits are fine to eat. I would serously think twice about touching a pig intestine from the U.S. and can vouch that the taste of pig liver between the U.S. and Korea is quite different. One tastes bad, the other tastes like a rich pot roast.
Grilled pig skin is, although not bad, certainly the leaste tasty bit of the pig. If you eat pig or cow intestine from a soup, expect a little bit of a poopy flavour; a bit grassy as well with the cow. But grilled bits are fantastic!
Bondegi - silk worm pupua - is terrible. And I don't care if it "Has lots of protein", so does beef or chicken, and those dont often taste like old dirty cardboard!
I had a strange seafood which was small, grey, looked a bit like a crecent shapped tumour, and exploded a slatly briney intense liquid into my mouth upon the first chew. After that initial shock the suspicious blob was very chewey and, once the gross liquid was gone, mostly flavourless. I am told the food has no name in English - anyone know what it is?
The cheese is a lie! Yes, it may look like a delicous pizza, but tasting it will reveal that the sauce is not made from tomatos, the cheese is fake, and finding corn, sweet potato, and unshelled shrimp are not uncommon. then you cry from the torment of shattered false cheesy hopes - much like the shells of the misplaced shrimp! Rice flour may be used in the place of wheat flour - the taste and texture just isnt quite right!
Street Food: odeng, of reshaped boiled fish bits, are not tasty! Why does everyone love this food so much!? Imagine a stick scuring a long wavy unbreaded fish stick which is dripping with the liquid it was cooked in. At least you can dip it in hot pepper paste to cover up the bland fishy flavour.
Street food = fried everything. Fried sweet potato, shrimp, 'sausage', chicken, pepper, octopus, dumpling, vegtable, rice wrapped in seaweed,
-will write more later
Saturday, January 1, 2011
A note on foreigners (or as I like to say, "big noses", after an engrish sign in China)
One would expect that if you are an expat traveling or living in a foreign country that other expats would be friendly and willing to hang out and spend time with eachother, but not in Korea. The large majority of expats I have run into are very akward and clearly uncomfortable with other expats randomly starting up a conversation at a subway station, bar, store, ect... Many pretend they do not see you and avoid eye contact. If someone does chat with you, expect it to be short lived. Canadians and Californians have been vastly more friendly than any other group of expats; this has surprised me as, usually, from my experience in the U.S., americans are loud people eager to tell you what they think and willing to invite stangers to hang out.
Most teachers work in schools with a small crew of foreign teachers; as little as two or three to as many as 15. In these schools, the English teachers that work together naturally become friends and, i guess, arnt too interested in making new friends once they already have a few close ones.
Koreans have been consitantly more friendly, more kind, more outgoing, and more willing to grab a beer or some food. Unfortunately not many speak fluent English nor understand many jokes :(.
A Canadian friend of mine here told me that all the 'wierdos' come to teach English in Korea. To her credit she has been one of the most friendly expats I have encountered in Korea. Perhaps part of being a 'wierdo' is being very uncomfortable and unconfident when meeting new people. Perhaps I am a 'weirdo' for being completely comfortable starting up random conversations with people in subways, stores, ect... It's just a little chat, I figure, its not like im asking to move in with people!
Perhaps living in a compartmentalized expat culture in a foreign country makes people a little more uncomfortable; it seems like the majority of expats here learn basic Korean phrases to get by and then stop there...
Anyway, I just with expats in Korea were more friendly! I have heard that, in most other places in the world, expats are very friendly and warm to each other. Here in Korea, "akward" describes well how most expats act.
Most teachers work in schools with a small crew of foreign teachers; as little as two or three to as many as 15. In these schools, the English teachers that work together naturally become friends and, i guess, arnt too interested in making new friends once they already have a few close ones.
Koreans have been consitantly more friendly, more kind, more outgoing, and more willing to grab a beer or some food. Unfortunately not many speak fluent English nor understand many jokes :(.
A Canadian friend of mine here told me that all the 'wierdos' come to teach English in Korea. To her credit she has been one of the most friendly expats I have encountered in Korea. Perhaps part of being a 'wierdo' is being very uncomfortable and unconfident when meeting new people. Perhaps I am a 'weirdo' for being completely comfortable starting up random conversations with people in subways, stores, ect... It's just a little chat, I figure, its not like im asking to move in with people!
Perhaps living in a compartmentalized expat culture in a foreign country makes people a little more uncomfortable; it seems like the majority of expats here learn basic Korean phrases to get by and then stop there...
Anyway, I just with expats in Korea were more friendly! I have heard that, in most other places in the world, expats are very friendly and warm to each other. Here in Korea, "akward" describes well how most expats act.
Monday, December 20, 2010
Hard Learned Korean Mannerisms, Korean Government, and Cultural Reflections
Hi all(the hundreds of people that read this blog)!
Korean mannerisms are surprisingly hard to get a grasp on, even when you live in Korea, because they are sometimes contradictory, many Koreans are not aware that what others might call 'mannerisms' are specific to Koreans, and if you ask about such a topic few people will give you a completely accurate answer as they may try to be 'polite'.
Luckily a new teacher at my work place is a self described western-korean cultural hybrid and has been forthright about the topic! So, for anyone that ever makes their way here to Korea, here are some useful tidbits.
-the word 'no' doesnt quite exist. It is considered extremely rude to ever say no! Instead, people will say sorry, or they will say yes but show some signs of hesitation and use a specific tone. I had previously beleived that koreans were prone to inviting people out for various events but not following through - as if inviting people out for things that they had no intention of carrying through was a normal polite exchange. In reality what has been happening is that when I have used a regular tone or thought for a second before answering ('do I have time for that?' 'Is there anything else I need to do'? ect...) people have generally assumed this to mean 'NO! I do not want to go to your party or have dinner with you'!! If you actually want to accept an invitation you must use an overly happy and excited tone and show little hesitation. It seems a bit silly to me, but thats how works! The same general idea applies to answering questions about likes/dislikes and other opinions. If you want to show that you sincerely like a meal for example, you must be really enthusiastic when you say it is delicious. What a pain! Can't you see I'm busy stuffing my face! I don't have time to show enthusiasm about the food im savagly devouring-unless i talk with my mouth full... Yep, eating very fast and talking with your mouth full are also fine (although woman of the same age or younger than the company tend not to talk with their mouths full).
-Peoples problems are not considered 'personal'. Whereas in North America it might be considered very rude or perhaps akward to openly tell strangers all kinds of 'personal' things, that is not the case here. People will comfortably tell you things like 'I have no friends', 'I'm lazy', or even 'I'm a mean person'. People will talk about some very personal things and, from what I can tell, appear to be fairly comfortable talking about them.
-Observations are not much more than that...usually. Expect to hear things like 'you look tired', 'you look thin', and perhaps even 'you are fat' although being a bit thin myself i cant say ive ever heard anyone use that last one.
-asside from mannerisms, people are really the same here as they are in North America or, I would like to believe, as anywhere else in the world. Everyone has their own individuality, their own unique personality, their own tastes, different senses of humor, insecurities, strenghts, people are sensetive, people are social, and yadda yadda yadda.
About the Korean government:
Since I have been in Korea the following web sites have been blocked pending the input of a social security number: Wikipedia, Myspace, Merriam-Webster, IMDB, and some blogs. This is absurd! Strangely enough, without divulging too much, some websites that should have definately been blocked have not been!
The government does alot to 'protect' Korea. Manys sports teams are subsidised. Trade barriers are extensive and cover some markets that make no sense; for example I read that it was not possible to import any products with live bacteria (dairy products namely) untill 2000! Even today, if not blocked, there are steep tariffs on lots of imported food goods. This makes no sense for some products, like cheese or good bread: there is NO market for them, so if imports are allowed, a market may develope, and this should be economically beneficial...
Porn and prostitution are illegal but walk around any night life distrit and there are fliers, buildings laden with pictures of geishas, and sometimes 'massuses' peddling their services all over the place and in plain sight. Similarly, there are all kinds of 'black market' stores that sell illegaly imported products (usually they can be found near US miliraty bases - I think you can understand how the good get into the country). Smoking is also banned in numerous public places, but that doesnt stop people from smoking like chimneys. I dont really know the thinking behind these contradictions, but a newspaper article i read today may provide some insigt: when asked about enforcing public smoking bans by an expat audience at a convention, a police official responded something along the lines of 'make a report if it is bothering oyu and we will take action'. In other words, the police can witness small crimes, black market shops, prostitution, and whatnot, but if no one seems to mind than no aciton is taken. I think this may be a bit naive, especially considering how passive Koreans can be even when they are uncomfortable or unhappy.
There are no public trash cans anywhere! Sometimes they can be found in subways...sometimes. The logic is that if public trash cans are put out that people will throw away their trash in these public cans and the government will have to foot the bill. Instead what happens is that people throw their trash onto the street, usually on curbs or sometimes on planter boxes. Then, every day, armies of city workers with brooms and big dust pans descend upon the city and sweep up all the trash! From an economic perspective, this makes no sense at all...
Toilet paper in public restrooms is sometimes on big rolles OUTSIDE of the stalls! Needless to say, this has the potential to lead to some very uncomfortable situations.
But thats enough reflecting for now, my eyeballs are about to fall out of their sockets....although that could be from the rare flesh eating disease I caught.... At any rate, cheers, ill blab more later.
Korean mannerisms are surprisingly hard to get a grasp on, even when you live in Korea, because they are sometimes contradictory, many Koreans are not aware that what others might call 'mannerisms' are specific to Koreans, and if you ask about such a topic few people will give you a completely accurate answer as they may try to be 'polite'.
Luckily a new teacher at my work place is a self described western-korean cultural hybrid and has been forthright about the topic! So, for anyone that ever makes their way here to Korea, here are some useful tidbits.
-the word 'no' doesnt quite exist. It is considered extremely rude to ever say no! Instead, people will say sorry, or they will say yes but show some signs of hesitation and use a specific tone. I had previously beleived that koreans were prone to inviting people out for various events but not following through - as if inviting people out for things that they had no intention of carrying through was a normal polite exchange. In reality what has been happening is that when I have used a regular tone or thought for a second before answering ('do I have time for that?' 'Is there anything else I need to do'? ect...) people have generally assumed this to mean 'NO! I do not want to go to your party or have dinner with you'!! If you actually want to accept an invitation you must use an overly happy and excited tone and show little hesitation. It seems a bit silly to me, but thats how works! The same general idea applies to answering questions about likes/dislikes and other opinions. If you want to show that you sincerely like a meal for example, you must be really enthusiastic when you say it is delicious. What a pain! Can't you see I'm busy stuffing my face! I don't have time to show enthusiasm about the food im savagly devouring-unless i talk with my mouth full... Yep, eating very fast and talking with your mouth full are also fine (although woman of the same age or younger than the company tend not to talk with their mouths full).
-Peoples problems are not considered 'personal'. Whereas in North America it might be considered very rude or perhaps akward to openly tell strangers all kinds of 'personal' things, that is not the case here. People will comfortably tell you things like 'I have no friends', 'I'm lazy', or even 'I'm a mean person'. People will talk about some very personal things and, from what I can tell, appear to be fairly comfortable talking about them.
-Observations are not much more than that...usually. Expect to hear things like 'you look tired', 'you look thin', and perhaps even 'you are fat' although being a bit thin myself i cant say ive ever heard anyone use that last one.
-asside from mannerisms, people are really the same here as they are in North America or, I would like to believe, as anywhere else in the world. Everyone has their own individuality, their own unique personality, their own tastes, different senses of humor, insecurities, strenghts, people are sensetive, people are social, and yadda yadda yadda.
About the Korean government:
Since I have been in Korea the following web sites have been blocked pending the input of a social security number: Wikipedia, Myspace, Merriam-Webster, IMDB, and some blogs. This is absurd! Strangely enough, without divulging too much, some websites that should have definately been blocked have not been!
The government does alot to 'protect' Korea. Manys sports teams are subsidised. Trade barriers are extensive and cover some markets that make no sense; for example I read that it was not possible to import any products with live bacteria (dairy products namely) untill 2000! Even today, if not blocked, there are steep tariffs on lots of imported food goods. This makes no sense for some products, like cheese or good bread: there is NO market for them, so if imports are allowed, a market may develope, and this should be economically beneficial...
Porn and prostitution are illegal but walk around any night life distrit and there are fliers, buildings laden with pictures of geishas, and sometimes 'massuses' peddling their services all over the place and in plain sight. Similarly, there are all kinds of 'black market' stores that sell illegaly imported products (usually they can be found near US miliraty bases - I think you can understand how the good get into the country). Smoking is also banned in numerous public places, but that doesnt stop people from smoking like chimneys. I dont really know the thinking behind these contradictions, but a newspaper article i read today may provide some insigt: when asked about enforcing public smoking bans by an expat audience at a convention, a police official responded something along the lines of 'make a report if it is bothering oyu and we will take action'. In other words, the police can witness small crimes, black market shops, prostitution, and whatnot, but if no one seems to mind than no aciton is taken. I think this may be a bit naive, especially considering how passive Koreans can be even when they are uncomfortable or unhappy.
There are no public trash cans anywhere! Sometimes they can be found in subways...sometimes. The logic is that if public trash cans are put out that people will throw away their trash in these public cans and the government will have to foot the bill. Instead what happens is that people throw their trash onto the street, usually on curbs or sometimes on planter boxes. Then, every day, armies of city workers with brooms and big dust pans descend upon the city and sweep up all the trash! From an economic perspective, this makes no sense at all...
Toilet paper in public restrooms is sometimes on big rolles OUTSIDE of the stalls! Needless to say, this has the potential to lead to some very uncomfortable situations.
But thats enough reflecting for now, my eyeballs are about to fall out of their sockets....although that could be from the rare flesh eating disease I caught.... At any rate, cheers, ill blab more later.
Saturday, November 6, 2010
Pictures! Yahy!
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