Geoje-do

So after leaving Jinju in the evening we caught a bus to Geoje Island. The Islands are connected by bridges and driving through them offered beautiful scenery. We took a taxi from the bus terminal to the Geoje Island Hotel in Okpo. Though the room was a bit expensive (110,000 won) it was a really nice place to stay. We had a queen size room with a balcony overlooking the harbor. Plus, the room had a bathtub with a jacuzzi!

Since we were tired from the day, the night in Geoje consisted of only going out for dinner. Of course, it was Korean bbq.

Sunday morning we woke up and went to the roof-top restaurant for breakfast. The only thing missing from this great hotel, was breakfast being included in the bill! We paid 10,000won each for an "American Breakfast" plate. It was pretty good, and the view was nice!

We checked out of the hotel and decided to take a ferry around the Islands for 16,000 won. The ferry took us first around Haegeumgang, also knows as the Sea Diamond. This rock island is part of Hallyeo Marine National Park. This is definitely a must see if you go to Geojedo!

After going around Haegeumgang the ferry stopped at Oedo Botania. This island garden was cultivated by a Korean couple, and is the first Island in Korea to be owned and developed by an individual. Walking the path around the island you see a lot of sculptures and it seems a blend of an art gallery and a garden. Though a bit cheesy at times, the island was nice and I'm glad we went there.

We got on the ferry again and returned to Jangseungpo terminal. After a failed attempt at finding Tanguy oysters for lunch, we settled for a meat restaurant for dwegi galbi. Unfortunately, after lunch we didnt have time to do much else on the island. We went to the information desk at the ferry terminal and tried to ask what we could do in just a few hours, but to everything we asked the lady just said "impossible". So, instead we took an early ferry to Busan to catch a bus back to Gyeongju. Though we maybe didn't see as much as we would have liked to, it was another great weekend!

Jinju

So the second weekend of November marked the second weekend away with Tanguy. After a week of research we finally decided to spend Saturday in Jinju then go to Geoje-do that night and leave sunday.

So Saturday morning I woke up and met Tanguy to get the 8:50 bus from Gyeongju to Jinju. We were told by Tanguy's korean colleague that it would take 2 hrs and 20 minutes, but it was almost 3 hours. We finally arrived in Jinju and walked to Jinju fortress - only a 5 minute walk from the bus terminal!

Jinju fortress is famous for 2 things. First, holding off an army of 20,000 Japanese soldiers with only 3,800 Korean soldiers during the Japanese invasion of Korea in the 1590s. Second, for Nongae a female Korean entertainer. During the invasion she seduced a Japanese general and took him to a cliff over the Nam river, embraced him then jumped into the river, killing them both. There is now a shrine in the fortress complex dedicated to her heroic action.

Next in the complex we came across a statue of Kim Si-min, a Korean general during the Joseon Dynasty and is famous for defending Jinju castle from Japanese invadors. The statue also reminds me a bit of Uncle Sam.

I also really enjoyed seeing Hoguksa Temple. Though I'm sure those who don't particularly enjoy seeing temples would think this looks like every other Buddhist temple in Korea (and smaller), I enjoyed it. This temple was the base for the monk army during the Japanese invasion

After making our way to the other side of the fortress grounds Tanguy and I took the riverside path back to the entrance. It is such a beautiful place, wonderful scenery and the fall colors were gorgeous!

Pictures from Jinju can be found on my picasa account:
http://picasaweb.google.com/aeihrig/Jinju#

Here are some sites I found interesing. I'm mostly putting them on here so I can remember them.
http://yisunsin.prkorea.com/imjin.htm - about the Japanese invasion of Korea
http://www.wordiq.com/definition/Korean_Buddhism - Korean Buddhism

Seoul

So November started a month of travel in Korea with Tanguy. My new French friend will leave Korea at the end of the month, so we have decided to spend our weekends travelling to parts of Korea he hasn't had the chance to see yet.

First on his list was Seoul. We took the KTX from the new Singyeongju station in Seoul. We were running a bit late on time so we took a taxi from Yong Gang Dong to the station and it cost about 18,000 won and took 20 minutes. It now takes about 48,000 won and only 2 hours to get to Seoul! Such a relief to the 4 hour bus ride or 3 hour trains!

We arrived at Seoul Station and checked into the New Korea Hotel. It was a decently priced hotel for a decent room. It was clean and had a bathtub!

After checking into the hotel we started our adventure in Seoul by wandering around Namdaemun market, conveniently located about a 2 minute walk from the hotel. It was a decent market with stands full of clothes, shoes, bags, coats, etc. We grabbed lunch at a nice fried rice restaurant.

After Namdaemun we took the subway and went to the Gyeongbokgun Palace. Unfortunately, we arrived just as it was closing and could only observe from the outside. We took a few pictures in the front of the palace and went on our way.

Outside Gyeongbok Palace there is a median in the road that has a statue of Admiral Yi Sun Shin. Behind the statue there is a stairway that leads down into a small museum dedicated to the life of "King Sejong the Great and Admiral Yi Sun Shin."

We spent some time walking around the statues and decided to make our way to Insadong. For those who don't know, Insadong is a market for traditional Korean souvenirs. We wandered around the shops, bought a few things, and returned to the subway.

Our last stop for the night was Seoul Tower. We took the subway to Myeongdong station and walked up the hill to the Tower lift entrance. We stopped for dinner at a Korean restaruant and ate bulgogi. Though it was more expensive than the same dish in Gyeongju, it was pretty good!

After eating dinner we took our place in line for the lift. There is an option for hiking up to the tower, but seeing as it was dark and we were both pretty tired, we decided the lift was better, plus a better view! Though the line was long, it moved faster than I expected. The lift offered a great view of the city and got us to the tower in just a few minutes. In the observatory of the tower we were able to see out to the whole city, though the view wasn't very clear because of the weather. The best view was from below the tower.

Below the tower is a gazebo area for visitors to sit. There were also rows of trees with messages of love tied to the branches. After spending some time outside the tower, we took the lift back down the mountain and returned to the hotel.

Sunday morning I was feeling a bit sick. Tanguy went by himself to a palace and returned to the hotel near noon. After checking out of the hotel we went to Changdeok Palace. The palace was built in the 1400s, but like every other structure in korea was burnt down during the Japanese invasion and has been rebuilt. It is probably my favorite place to visit in Seoul (I had been there one time before). Behind the palace there is also a 78-acre "secret garden". We were not able to see the garden because you have to enter with a tour and the last tour was at 2:00. Be aware of required tour times if you visit this site. I had seen the garden before, and highly recommend it!

After visiting the palace we met with on of Tanguy's french friends for dinner and took the KTX back to Gyeongju.

More pictures from the weekend can be found here:
http://picasaweb.google.com/aeihrig/Seoul112010#

Gyeongju Awesomness

So, it's been a pretty busy month for me here! Been spending almost every day finally working on Grad School applications...the process sucks! In the end I should be applying to U of Pittsburgh, Johns Hopkins, American U, U of Maryland, and a few Unis in the UK through http://www.studyacrossthepond.com/. Hopefully I get into one of them!! I mostly applied to Religious Studies programs, but also to Classics for JHU and U of Maryland.

While that has taken up most of my time, i've still had plenty of time to enjoy my life here. I may not exactly be happy with my job these days, but i'm content with my life here. ^_^

First, there is hiking behind my apartment. I went and explored the mountain and the temples in the area. I've never been surrounded by so many great hiking opportunities. I love just being able to wander through nature and see what I find. So here is what I found...

There is still another temple on that mountain I need to go explore. I've been pretty lazy this past week, but maybe this weekend...we'll see.

I got a kitten! Charlie was found on the roof of a building in Busan by my friend Jennifer. She was unable to keep him so I adopted him. He's so cute and so playful!

Last week I went to Anapji with my French friend Tanguy. We had thought there was going to be a musical performance, but there was no such thing. It was still an enjoyable place to be anyway - a great walk around a peaceful place with a good friend.

That's about it for now. This weekend Nina and I are going up to Seoul for some shopping and dinner. It'll be nice to get away and get my mind off things. I've been way too homesick!

Osaka!

So September holds a Korean Holiday called Chusok, basically the Korean version of Thanksgiving as I have been told. Koreans spend the 3-day holiday spending time and eating with their extended family. What this means for foreigners is this - 3 days of no work! While many of my friends got an extra day off and had a 6 day holiday, I was not so lucky. Chusok this year fell on September 21st-23rd, which was a Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday. I still had to work Monday and Friday....so pointless.

Anyway...While I was originally planning to explore Korea I made a last minute decision and book tickets to Osaka for about $400. So Tuesday morning I headed to the Busan airport and arrived in Osaka that evening. After a grueling 2+ hour line just to get through passport control (a 2 minute procedure) I finally got on the subway and made my way into the city.

Before I left I got in contact with a few people on http://www.couchsurfing.org/ and asked if they would show me around and hang out while I was in town. After leaving the airport I met with a CSer named Tim who took me to a Japanese bar. It was very similar to a Korean bar. We ordered a few chicken side dishes, some rice, and of course beer.

After we finished our food and drinks, I made my way to my hotel, which luckily was only a 10 minute walk from where we had eaten. I stayed at the Hotel Mikado for less than $20 a night. The facilities were very simple, there was a public bath area (but was women's only from 630-8am and 930-12 pm so I didn't use it since I was either sleeping or out, and it was men's only or cleaning the rest of the time), one shower room, hot water for soup, two computers, and the simplest room to sleep in. But really what more do you need?

Wednesday morning I got up and did some site seeing. First on my list was Osaka Castle. It was really easy to get to using the subway. (I bought a one-day pass which ended up being a really really good investment that day!) Osaka Castle is one of the most famous castles in Japan. It was built in 1583 by Toyotomi Hideyoshi, a feudal lord who played a major role in the unification of Japan.

Before going into the castle grounds I walked around the park that surrounds it and made my way to first gate and crossed the first moat. It was a nice, peaceful area. There were families walking around, people jogging around the park, and of course all the tourists. For the tourists they had a train that went around the park, and I believe to the gates of the castle. No, I did not ride the train.

After walking around the park and the areas surrounding the castle I finally crossed the second moat (a dry moat) and saw the castle.

Though Tim had told me the night before not to bother buying a ticket to go inside because it wasn't that great, I did anyway. And I must say, I'm glad I did. Inside there was a museum of the history of the Castle and of Toyotomi Hideyoshi. Also, at the top you get a great view of the city. 

After exiting the castle I continued to explore the gardens around the castle. It really was beautiful!

Eventually I tore myself away from the castle grounds so I would have time to explore the rest of the city. I took the subway again and have the intention of going to the Shitennoji Temple, but after getting out of the subway, it wasn't immediately obvious where the temple was and I didn't end up finding it. Instead, I wandered around the area and found a few smaller shrines and temples. While these were still nice, I was a bit disappointed. 

When I got tired of wandering around this area I made my way back to the subway station and went to the Kaiyukan (the aquarium). The Kaiyukan is one of the largest aquariums in the world, and I was definitely impressed! This was also great, seeing as before going I wasn't actually fussed about making it to the aquarium, but I'm really glad I did! The first thing I saw when I was walking up to the building was this..

The building of the aquarium is actually really nice, and I could have sworn I took a picture of it, but i can't find it =(. So instead I stole a pic from the internet...

When I paid my admission and got my ticket I also got an English Guide. On the front of the guide said "Ocean, You Meet Whale Shark". Random, but I know my fellow expats will appreciate it =)

Anyway, inside the aquarium there are 8 floors. You take an escalator to the top and work your way down. Each floor has tanks on the outer part of the path and a large exhibit in the middle. The path you take wraps around and kind of spirals down into the next floor.Each floor has a few different sections (i.e. Japan Forest, Aleutian Islands, Ecuador Rain Forest etc.) but the main attraction is the Pacific Ocean Section which was in the middle part of floors 4-6. I think the biggest attraction were the 2 whale sharks. 

There were also a few other interesting animals, but I will share all this with you through pictures...

Quack!

Capybara: The largest living rodent in the world. 

Japanese Spider Crab

Goblin Shark

Following my adventures at the aquarium I made my way to the hotel for a nap. I was hoping that some of the stores and market area around the hotel would be open, but most of it was shut down. 

Then I met the second CSer that I had contacted, Deon. He's an English teacher in Osaka. I met up with him and we went to Dotonbori, the touristy shopping and eating district.  The first place he made sure to take me was to see the Glico Man, a giant neon sign which is the symbol of Glico Candy. 

We walked around the area a bit, then went to the local foreigner bar. It was owned by a westerner (He was either Canadian or American, can't remember). We got a sake bomb, which was more fun than it was delicious. The bar tender gave us two cups (which were fairly wide, more like a mug size) filled with cheep japanese beer then laid 2 chopsticks across the top. On the chopsticks he put a shot of sake. Deon and I had to bang the table with our fists until the shots fell into the beer, then we had to chug the drink. I won! haha. Again, I'm always lame and forget to take pictures of things so...I guess that leads us to the next thing. 

Since I was taking the subway back to my hotel I had to make sure to be at the station by around 11:45 pm. We left the bar and went to get food at the famous Kinryu Ramen restaurant. You buy a ticket from a vending machine saying what you want, then hand it to someone behind the counter. When your food is ready, you eat it standing at the counter where they also have kimchi and garlic you can help yourself to. I tried the kimchi, it had nothing on Korea! The ramen was really good! I mean really good!

I got to the subway and spent my last night at Hotel Mikado. In the morning I gathered my stuff and checked out. Thursday was pretty uneventful, I did my souvenir shopping. I went back to the Osaka Castle area to a souvenir shop, then back to Dotonbori and wandered around there and the surrounding areas. It was still really neat during the day and had lots of shopping!

 Though I did meet this Japanese guy...For the most part (I was told, and it's what I experienced) Japanese people don't pay a lot of attention to foreigners. I got a few guys saying hi to me, but nothing like it is in Korea. While I was walking around Dotonbori this guy on a bike passed me, smiled at me, and I kept walking. Before I knew it he was off his bike, walking beside me and trying to have a conversation in his very broken English. It wasn't charming or cute, he was kinda wierd. After trying to tell him I wanted to be left alone, then that I was meeting a friend in 5 minutes and he was still trying to talk to me, I just turned a corner and walked a different. The guy found me again within 10 minutes walking down the street. He just wasn't getting the hint. Eventually I managed to loose him and just went back to the subway station haha. 

I made my way back to the aiport to catch my flight back to Korea, and reluctanly to work the next day (so stupid especially since Fridays are just game days...I'm still a bit irritated! haha). But it's ok....I made a  new friend on the plane! Sitting next to me on the plane was Tanguy. He's a French guy who is currently living in Korea (though not a teacher! He works for a French Company), and as we got to talking we discovered that we actually live right down the road from each other! His apartment is literally a 5 minute walk from mine. Planes have been good luck for me lately with making friends (Miss you Matt!)

Well that's all I have on Japan so far. For Christmas I get 9 days so I'm thinking Tokyo and Beijing. We'll see...

More pics can be found on my Picasa site.

http://picasaweb.google.com/aeihrig