Back in Blogging Business: Boseong Green Tea Plantation

      After a rather exhausting week of prep and after hours work, we decided to travel to somewhere a little more relaxing and scenic, the Boseong Green Tea Plantation. Each year, they decorate the tea fields with Christmas lights similar to ones you would find back home. We took an hour and a half bus ride to the southwest coast of the Korean Peninsula to visit the plantation built on the steep banks overlooking the ocean. Although we were a little skeptical as to whether the trip would be any good, the visit was well worth the time. Arriving just as the sun was setting, we were able to get a beautiful view of the fields with the ocean in the distance. As the sun went down the Xmas lights came on and illuminated the fields. Considering the weather was very very cold, we found some refuge above the fields in a little restaurant where we drank green tea (what else?) and ate green tea ice cream. Although it didn't compare to maybe the Buchart Gardens in Victoria, it definitely got us in a festive mood, just in time for the holidays.

Winter Hiatus

Pungam Reservoir at Night

   Just over the two month mark in South Korea, and it's been an amazing experience so far. Each day is filled with some new adventure, both big and small, adventures that I never could have imagined myself experiencing before. I've really enjoyed keeping this blog, as cliche as it is, most experiences are not complete without sharing it with others. Thank you for reading and commenting, it helps me fight the inevitable and dreaded homesickness that I'm sure awaits.
      Currently, our school is preparing for our winter camp in January, graduation in February, and all the extra Christmas event planning. As such, this means that us teachers are saddled with a lot of work and a short amount of time to complete it. Unfortunately, this also means that both my time to explore Gwangju and my time to record it on "life abroad", is going to be very limited over the next few weeks. From now until Christmas I will apologize for the infrequent posts, but I will resume as normal after the holidays. Thanks for understanding and Happy Holidays from Korea!

Laying Low

Tokyo at night, photo cred: trialx.com

   After many weeks and weekends filled to the brink with working, exploring, and celebrating, we decided to take a weekend off and just hang low.  Considering Christmas is just around the corner and there is lots going on at school, we thought we could use the rest for the upcoming weeks. The good news is that we have booked a trip to Tokyo for our break over Christmas! We will be there from Wednesday, December 28th to Sunday, January 1st. If any of you readers has any suggestions or things that you may have heard about Tokyo, please leave a comment!

May 18th National Cemetery

 

     I remember the first time I researched the city of Gwangju and reading this:


"Gwangju is best known for the Gwangju Massacre of May 18, 1980, in which at least 207 (or far higher depending on whom you ask) students were killed by army forces suppressing a pro-democracy demonstration."
   
  Not necessarily the claim to fame that I would have thought to advertise, but after visiting the May 18th National Cemetery and learning a little more, I now have a better understanding of what this event meant for the city. It meant that after this moment, Gwangju became the forefront of the democracy movement in South Korea. The people of the city are proud of the uprising and tend to be at the forefront of any political upheaval in the country. There certainly is a bit of an underlying progressiveness to the city of the Gwangju, as they focus heavily on the arts and constantly striving for modernity amidst a fading traditionalist austerity.

    The park itself contained many sculptures and monuments dedicated to the uprising, as well as an underground exhibition hall that displays all the names of the students who lost their lives. There was also a walking path that lead up the top of a hill, where you are then able to climb a three-story pagoda and take in some wider views of the city. It was our first real opportunity to see the expansive city from above as we begin to familiarize ourselves with different areas of the city. And with semi-blue skies and autumn coloured leaves that have yet to fall, it was the perfect day for some afternoon exploration. 

N Seoul Tower

    The best part of our trip to Seoul, and perhaps the most touristy thing we have done thus far, was going to N Seoul Tower. At 236.7 m tall on the top of Namsan Mountain in the middle of the city, it truly is the symbol of Seoul. The tower seemed to always leer in the distance, especially at night, when it's blue lights act as a beacon for the city centre. To get up and down Namsam Mountain you can ride the Namsan cable car to the top, which also offers beautiful views of the city. 
    The tower itself has 4 observation decks, with restaurants and many gift shops. More importantly it offers 360 degree views of the city with information on the different parts of Seoul and other interesting landmarks throughout the city. Although the visibility was low on the day we went, it still puts in to perspective just how expansive the city truly is. 
   Also at N Seoul Tower are thousands of 'locks of love'. At the base of the tower, fences are adorned with thousands of decorated locks hung by couples from around the world. The idea is that couples leave the locks there as a symbol of their everlasting love, a vow never to separate and to throw away the key. 

It's also tradition to leave your mark on one of the many wooden railings

Foggy view from the observation deck

Not too far away I guess...

Seoul... The Soul of Asia

   
      Despite being in South Korea for almost 2 months now, this weekend was our first opportunity to explore Seoul. The capital is a mere 4 hours away on a plush and spacious bus that only cost around $25 each way. We left immediately after school on Friday night, leaving Gwangju bus station at 6:50 and arriving in Seoul around 11pm. Seoul's subway system is very well planned and cheap, making it the easiest method of travelling around the city. After a quick subway trip we made it to our hostel. However, we weren't quite ready for bed so we walked to the Lucky Seven Casino, just down the street. The funny thing about Korean casinos is that Koreans aren't actually allowed to enter, only foreigners. As such, most casinos, like the Lucky Seven, are attached to hotels where guests spend their late evenings and early mornings. Baccarat was by far the most popular game, but there were the usual games like blackjack, roulette, slots, and poker. 
    On Saturday, we woke up early to go to Myeongdong, one of Seoul's best shopping districts. This shopping mecca included every store imaginable, from H&M to Forever 21, Nike, upscale second hand stores, and street vendors selling knock-offs. Although the area itself is less than 1 km squared, it is said that over 2 million people pass through it everyday. By the late afternoon, it was a struggle to walk through the streets, especially while carrying many shopping bags. Later in the evening we met up with some co-workers and friends to go to Itaewon, the foreigner district. Although this area is a little gritty, it was the perfect place to spend a Saturday night in Seoul. There are countless restaurants and pubs serving Mexican, Thai, French, American, Latin, and Indian food and beer with many shops specializing in "big sized clothing" suitable for foreigners. The area is also popular with U.S. Military personnel, so a dominant American influence is always felt. 'Hooker Hill' is also in Itaewon, which is Seoul's version of the Red Light District. We decided to embark on our own mini pub crawl through the area which included:
      - Strawberry pina coladas and jerk chicken fajitas at the Bungalow, a Caribbean restaurant          where guests sit on swings with their feet in the sand
      - Coronas and enchilada's at Los Amigos, a Tex-Mex restaurant with fake cacti and painted desert murals
      - Big Rock brews and Rockie Mountain Prairie fires at Rocky Mountain Tavern, a Canadian bar where the staff celebrated Movember surrounded by hockey paraphernalia 
      - Budweisers at The Grand Ol' Oprey, the MOST country bar I have ever been into where the patrons two-stepped to Toby Keith and Garth Brooks
  Sunday was a touristy day, with a trip to Seoul Tower, Seoul train station, and the traditional Namdaemun market. More on that later... We hopped back on a bus to Gwangju at 6, returning home very tired at 10, but certainly satisfied after a whirlwind trip in an amazing city. 

Lucky Seven Casino

Who knew the White Wizard lived in Seoul?

      

Myeongdong shopping district

One of the many cowboys in Itaewon

Erin and Sun's Wedding: Part 2

    Greetings from Seoul! We've had a pretty hectic past week between school and planning our trip to Seoul so this post is a bit dated. Part 2 of Sun and Erin's wedding is the reception, which took place at a bar called Hollic in downtown Gwangju. It's a rather nice bar, commonly frequented by foreigners and Korean hipsters, with a swanky yet urban vibe. It was a private party and about 50 people attended. They provided the guests (very graciously I might add) with an open bar and numerous bottles of champagne and vodka to toast the new bride and groom. Although it wasn't traditional by any means, it was a very intimate and joyful evening. Stay tuned from more Seoul and South Korea!

Erin and Sun's Wedding: Part 1

    This past weekend we attended our friend and co-worker Erin's wedding where she and her fiancee Sun were married in an incredible traditional Korean ceremony. The ceremony took place in Naju, a farming town just outside Gwangju, at an academy that teaches traditional Korean curriculum. Large and numerous temples, intricate tile work, the iconic curved roof structure of all the buildings, and the majestic mountains in the background made the academy the perfect setting for a wedding. 
    The wedding itself was, as you can imagine, quite different from one that you would experience in Western culture.  There was a large group of foreigners in attendance, as well as Sun's Korean friends and family. Even Erin's parents and brother came all the way from Canada to attend the wedding. We arrived about an hour before the ceremony began at which time guests mingled outside. The bride and groom (dressed in formal wedding outfits) were also outside to mingle with the guests. The ceremony began at around 11am with the audience seated on the floor while the bride and groom came in. The ceremony itself focused on honour and respect. A lot of bowing occurred, first between the mothers and then between the bride and groom. The bride is required to cover her face by keeping her arms up the entire time, which Erin later said was exhausting. Both the bride and groom also drank Soju (Korean wine) from two cups that were tethered together. For the entirety of the ceremony one priest chanted while another one commentated and said some vows (I think) in Korean. 
   Immediately after the ceremony the bride and groom stood together and posed for pictures with their families. Then we all moved outside where the bride and groom stood with all of their friends for another large group picture. After the group picture we moved to a group of tents where there was a very large and delicious buffet lunch. Oddly enough, after lunch is finished the whole thing is over. Most Korean ceremonies are very short and efficient, and although they all feature a buffet after, the guests just eat and leave without saying goodbye to the newly married couple. Sun and Erin however did have a reception later that evening, which I will feature in "Erin and Sun's Wedding: Part 2". Overall, the wedding was a unique experience that I'm sure I will remember for a long time and above everything else, it's always enjoyable to be a part of such a special day for two amazing people. 

Samgyeopsal Supper

   This Friday, a group of the staff at SnS went out for dinner to say good-bye to two teachers and to welcome the two new teachers. About 15 of us went out to a samgyeopsal (sam-gip-sal) restaurant just down the block from school. Samgyeopsal is composed of thick. fatty slices of pork similar to bacon. Like bulgogi, it is cooked on a grill at the table and served with a million different sides and fixings to make lettuce wraps. It is a popular Korean dish and tastes absolutely amazing. Although we made something similar at home, these pictures will hopefully give a little perspective about how intricate the meal can be. 

Munchen Ice Bar

   A couple of blocks away from our house is a bar called Munchen Ice Bar. Although it wasn't quite the icy-German experience that I expected, it has quickly become our local gathering spot. With $3 beers and complementary snacks that include sliced persimmons, corn chip like things, and  cherry tomatoes, it's hard to complain. It also has a karaoke bong, which is a karaoke booth big enough for two people. Where the ice part comes in is how the beer is served. Pints of Korean beer is served in a mug made of ice. After you are finished your beer, there is a target for you to throw it at. If you hit the target you can win an assortment of items, from orange juice, to a plate of sausage, to coupons. Although I haven't been able to hit the target yet, there certainly is a bit of incentive to go back again for some more beers.