Well, I finally met up with my best friend after more than a month of being without her. I went to visit her in the city of Ilsan which is just north of Seoul. It is nicknamed the Garden City because of the beautifully landscaped boulevards and large expansive parks. The trip was relaxing and a nice get away for the weekend. We went to sushi bars, coffee shops, walked the parks, and SHOPPED!

If there is one thing that I have noticed since arriving in Seoul is that Koreans really know how to spend money. Its no wonder that there economy is doing so well. It seems like every weekend hundreds of thousands of Koreans flock to the stores and buy everything in the country! The two great shopping venues in Ilsan are La Festa and the Western Dom which are both located near Jeongbalsan station on subway line 3. I think that this is an interesting weekend for anyone to try if they are tired of the congestion of Seoul.

Cheers!

Koh Samui is Thailand's third largest located in the Gulf Of Thailand.It is about 700 km south of Bangkok. The island was first settled about 1500 years ago by ethnic Malay fishermen as well as immigrants from Southern China. Little written history of the island exist but there are two theories as how the island was named.The first suggest that the name of a commonly found tree called "mui" was extended.The second is "Saboey" which is a Chinese word for safe haven adopted by the Chinese fishermen. Until 1950 Koh Samui was without roads or cars.The island had almost no contact from the outside world. I have visited Samui three times.The first was great ,the second good, the third still O.K...Koh Samui still grooves along to it's mellow tunes,but time has change since I last visited Koh Samui over 10 years ago.Then ,there was no airport,only dirt roads, huts ,dance on the beach and not many people spoke English..I remember the group of Aussie girls and Brit guys I hung out with. We drank funny mushroom tea and ate the local omelette playing charades.We enjoyed many endless days on the beach and partied all night.Not to mention getting chased by a pack of hungry dogs.Koh Samui was still very "raw "back then. Now Koh Samui has developed into a "safe haven" for tourists from all over the world.It is still an idylilic island retreat with little traffic ,white-sand beaches,sapphire-blue sea and friendly locals.However everything kinda of cost more... On this second trip to Samui we flew here directly from Bangkok on the cheaper 6 am flight.It took about 45 mins.The plane landed as the sun was rising and we got our accomadation sorted without fuss at the airport.Who said it's never as good as the first time? My sister and her family had arrived afew days earlier so we were keen to hook up with them.They were staying at the very nice five star Nora Resort on a hill just before Chaweng beach.We were at the end of Chaweng closer to the shops with a good beach. The most developed beaches are Chaweng and Lamai on the east coast.Here you can find a wide range of accomadations,restaurants, night spots to suit every taste.Therer are so many to choose from.However most seem to be fairly upmarket.Budget travellers have to look alittle harder. For the next few days we rented a car and drove around the island checking out the sights,,swam,got brown,drank lots of cocktails and ate some nice food.Koh Samui style..

People i met here who contributed to, and improved my trip:

I woke up later than expected on Thursday and had the decision of whether i could be bothered to go to Suwon or if i was going to spend the day trying to catch up with my travel blog, which was slowly but surely not getting updated enough! Thankfully the sensible and active side of my brain kicked into action and i found myself aboard the subway a little after 13.00 and on my way.

Something always strikes me as both peculiar and funny aboout Koreans on the subway. Basically they will all rush to get a seat, but whenever they reach an empty seat next to me, there's a look of desperation and 99% of the time they just turn around and stand somewhere else! The people seem absolutely petrified to sit next to a Westerner, and usually it will be some old man or woman that has probably fought in a great war that musters up the courage to take up the challenge and plonk themsleves down :p Bless them.

The previous night i had been to watch FC Seoul play Suwon in the football and after a quick look in my book i realised that they had a World Cup stadium also, so plans of walking around the walled city were immediately put on hold! The tourism office by the station were incredibly helpful and gave me a map, cards with Korean writing on to show bus drivers and all the relevant information i needed to co-ordinate my trip there. I was soon on a bus heading into the suburbs and within no time found myself outside the Suwon Football Stadium.

After paying 1,000 won ($1), a nice man showed me into the football museum, which had an interesting collection of memorablia. Things which caught my eye included boots worn by David Beckham and a shirt worn by Luis Figo. There were many more fascinating things too, but i won't go into too much detail or bore you any further! In the 2002 World Cup, games that took place here included Brazil 5-2 Costa Rica, Spain 1-1 Republic Of Ireland, Senegal 3-3 Uruguay and USA 3-2 Portugal, so the hallowed turf had seen many famous names do their stuff here.

After 30 minutes wandering around the museum, i was ready to go and take a look inside the ground and figured i would just get shown into the seating section. But the nice man instead walked me down the players tunnel and took me pitch side, where i got to pose for photos and sit in the managers dug out! It was a very nice experience and i always get a buzz with pretty much anything to do with football - or soccer as you silly Americans choose to call it, pfff.

So after receiving my football fix for the day, i caught the bus down to Paldalmun Fortress Gate, from where i began my walk around Hwaseong - Suwons fortress wall. The wall stretches for 5.7kms and begins with a steady climb up to 143m, where there are some nice panormaic viewes on offer. The wall has been fully restored over recent years, but it does nothing to take away from its beauty and charm.

At regular intervals the wall has observation towers, command posts, fire beacons and a few very impressive entrance gates. I spent nearly 3 hours clambering my way up and down steps and i was in my element, i absolutely loved this place! Many of the passers by had a smile and a polite bow to exchange with you and i just couldn't stop grinning like an idiot! Why was i the only foreigner there, why wasn't this place clambering with national and international tourists? Im damned if i know the answer to that, because i was blown away by it.

Some of the views of the city were also enchanting, with one towering church dominating a section of the skyline. There were also smaller churches and a mosque that were on view as well as the World Cup Stadium. But what really struck me was the contrast between new and old. Towering skyscrapers rose above the small tiled roofs of older buildings and the mixture was something to behold. I thought Korea wouldn't have much to see or do, but my first week in the country had made me eat my words and i was now just itching to get to see some more! I had a date with Soju back in Seoul, so i caught the subway back to the capital around 18.30, drawing to an end a thoroughly fascinating and enjoyable day trip.

So the week after my training ended I wanted to go to the school a couple times during the week and see what it was like actually teaching all the stuff i just crammed into my brain.  Then spend the rest of the week getting my apartment together, prepping my classes, and finding out where things were in town.  Lets just say that my franchise had something different in mind.

The Friday night I got in they set me down and told me how a lot of the things I was taught they didn't do, or that they did differently.  After that they asked if I wanted to go out to dinner.  I politely declined because all I really wanted to do was go to sleep.  I get to my apartment and to be honest it scared the living daylights out of me.  The entrance wasn't lit and I dont get off work till 10 and then I still have paperwork and dinner with coworkers so most nights I don't get home till after midnight.  Then the apartment was dirty.  Food had been left in the cabinets and fridge smelled like something died in it.  It was cold because they hadn't turned of the heat and I was tired.  I pulled out my blanket and pillow that I had brought from home and laid down.  It was about at this time that everything hit me.  

I was in a foreign country for a year, there was a good chance I might hate my job, and I MOST definitely hated my apartment.  One of the cools things about South Korea is the floors in most apartments are heated.  I couldnt stay warm on the bed so I pulled my blanket down to the floor and sleep there the first night.  Actually I cried myself to sleep the first night.  That morning I woke up, back hurting and eyes bloodshot red then proceeded to cry some more.  I found some free wireless and I emailed my family to let them know I had passed training.  I then cried again.  That weekend was kind of blurry because I spent most of it with tears in my eyes. 

Shawdowing wasn't too bad.  I tried not to look like too much of a new teacher, otherwise the kids will chew you up and spit you out. 

This past Saturday I met up with my friends Alex and Ryan, and a few of their friends, to head down to Suwom to hike and explore their famed fortress walls -- called Hwaseong. The pictures are featured prominently in all the guide books, and it looks like a very authentic and real experience, so I was very excited to go. The walls were started by King Jeonjo in the late 18th century, to honor and house the remains of his father Prince Sado, who was forced to commit suicide by being shut in a rice chest by King Yeongjo. Crazy.

These walls are really different from other Korean walls/gates because they were made after they had made initial contact with Europeans -- so different architectural themes were incorporated. There are four separate gates, North, East, South and West. Apparently when they built these gates they were also thinking about moving the capital from Seoul to Suwon.

After meeting up with the gang at the train station we settled in for the hour long train ride. They had only slept about 2 hours (and at a jimjilbang to boot!) from their escapades the night before ... but were still ready for the adventure. Once we arrived in Suwon, we stocked up on soju (because what is a hike though a Korean fortress without soju?) and then headed out. One girl in our group had chosen to wear three inch high heels to go hiking, so we actually had to traipse around Suwon searching for different shoes for her for a while. Anyways, after we'd gotten her situated we searched in vain for a while to find the gates, and then miraculously after two failed bus attempts, and standing around in the sunshine saying "Well I dunno..." Alex said, "Let's just walk this way." and lo and behold, there it was!

We climbed up to the top, and stopped every once in a while to admire the greenery and glorious views of the city. Seoul has about 7 trees, Suwon has more than that in a 3 meter plot!! The city actually didn't afford such great views, but set against the mountains it really made for a breathtaking sight. Once at the top we posed for pictures, and then walked most of the perimeter of the walls. Along the way we celebrated with shots of soju. We were even able to ring a MASSIVE bell -- bigger than my car at home!! To ring the ancient bells in Korea you take a big log and pull it back and then slam it into the side of the bell for a very gratifying CLANG noise. We sat in a little pagoda for a while discussing life and joking about Korea. I separated myself from the group for a moment when we were getting ready to leave, and stood looking out over the city. I just stared, awestruck, at the rest of the wall curving through the city, set against the backdrop of the mountains. I'm reading 'Eat Pray Love' right now, so I'm kind of in a zen mood ... and this really sent me over the edge. How great is this world that things like this can exist and experiences like this can happen? I wanted to stay until sunset, but we were all so hungry and SO cold that we decided to make our way down to find something to eat.

We wandered back to the train station, met up with some friends of my new acquaintances who live in Suwon, and then went in search of Indian food. We found a place pretty quickly, and then proceeded to wait nine years for our food. It was glorious when it finally arrived .....

We sat and chatted for hours, and enjoyed one another's company. I felt very blessed/humored by the whole day reflecting back on it ... It's not everyday that people from America, Canada, England and New Zealand get together in Korea to explore ancient fortresses, drink soju and eat Indian food. :)

Suwon was great. Meant to be a little town, but it was huge, it had all of those domino-style highrises that you see in South East Asian hubs.

I caught a taxi to the fortress. You would have thought that "free interpretation" on a taxi would imply English speaking, but sadly no. Maybe it meant Japanese? There are a few (only a few) Japanese tourists here, but almost no western tourists. Luckily I had a picture of the fortress in my book that I could point at. Surely Suwon doesn't have so many attractions that a World Heritage site isn't the obvious place to take someone?

Very odd, a World Heritage site with no souvenirs or postcards, no tourists, just some locals sitting quietly or doing exercises. Very novel. Very nice. The taxi driver dropped me off at the best bit (not the bit Lonely Planet mentioned). Beautiful wooded hills with ramparts and forts lining them, rising up to the summit of Mt Paldal. The rampart is 5.7km long. Hwaseong Fortress was built between 1794 and 1796 under the reign of King Jeongjo (in honour of his father killed by being locked up in a rice basket - such is life). 80% of the fortress is intact, and much was been restored, making it a very impressive structure. The city continues through the fortress, but along the walls you can pretend it doesn't. It looks quite like Tallinn, except with pagoda-style roofs on the fortifications. There are four Jeokdae (gateguard platforms), two observation towers, two Dongjangde (command posts), five firearms bastions, five sentry towers, five secret gates (what fortress is complete without secret gates? They were cool), two floodgates (the south was destroyed though), a beacon tower, two nodae (multiple-arrow launcher platforms and a 170m bastion. Only seven of the fortifications were destroyed. Walking up and down hills for several hours in 35 degree weather made me sweat litres *bleh* but I got to see cuckoos and this wonderful fortress. I also saw an odd squirrel. The only let down was the South Gate (that Lonely Planet recommends), designated National Treasure #402, as are most historical National Treasures that are now the centre of round-a-bouts *smile* Much preferred National Treasure #403. What are those beautiful Japanese trees that make up the woods?

Another subway trip, then a spare hour to have a shower and write.

Korea, is best seen by taking walks through the country, I wouls suggest having a solid map to get you around the area. However, nothing is better than having people that love to take adventures into the unknown. This picture here shows one of the many open air markets that are commonly found in Korea. The vast and strange smells protruding from the markets can be enough to drive people nuts. But hey, the local fauna is interesting, specially once you see that it's served for food..;) As I said earlier, some basic korea would help, the train and subway system is writen in their native language and unless you know where you are heading, you can and will get lost easily. There are some people that are willing to spend the cash to take a cab (most cabbies have some basic english). But still it's easier to converse knowing their native language.
    One of the many trips taken there during the welcome to Korea tour. We hit up an American-Korean appreciation association, we were taken to some of the local sights. Starting off with some classic Beef and leaf meal at a local dine in place. Beef and leaf is essentially pan fried beef, with lots of spices (red peppers, grown at a large scale), some bean sprouts and various vegetables. You take the beef, slap it on a leaf of lettuce add some rice, maybe some Kimchi to taste and slap that bad boy back.   Just remember that if you walk to some extablishments, you can't question wether it's beef or something else. lacking any language skills, it's best to eat and never ask questions.  Keep in mind that some places (very few and rare) will serve Odie over a bowl of rice. This would be considered a delicacy as it's rarely provide in the open.
    During the tour we got to see some of the local, dances preformed with loudly beaten drums, and beautiful dances. We further dwelled in to one of the local temples and were allowed to see the small museum they had there. So of those pictures are listed in this section of the blog. The colors are bright and vibrant and the combinations are tasteful.

After leaving Goldsboro North carolina heading towards Raleigh Airport, Caught a flight to Atlanta international. Little did I know that my flight to Seoul Korea would last over 12hrs. Gotta love direct flights. Once there in Seoul, I was picked up by the commander. A semi downside, the day there was fairly dreery. The monsoon season was upon korea. What I didn't know was the it would rain every single day until the height of the summer. Man I didn't know there were places like that. I mean yea being from Florida you are used to getting rain "almost" everyday. However, you do have more sunshine than Korea.
    It was all good, The drive was interesting the world seemed new, as tired as I was. Nothing was more interesting than staring out the window and checking out the new home. The first night there at Camp Red Cloud, I headed to the KATUSA bar, I took the liverty of taking a taste of Korea. My partner in crime had me take a taste of Bulgogi Rice (basically beef and rice) Man was that good. As I settled in to the area, new tastes were tried, Beef and leaf, Dakalbi, and the hundred of times we went drinking, and nearly breaking curfew (Americans stationed in Korea are under curfew). Even with the curfew, there is plenty of things to get into.
    Overall my Korea experience was worth while, and I wouldn't mind taking a second tour there, but preferably not with the army. But hey beggars can't be choosers. For anyone that takes interest in this blog, I suggest going to Korea (civilians will enjoy the freedom of no curfew). As for the military ppl, by all means have translation book, take some basic korean language course (helps to get past the language barrier). I didn't have much problems communicating with locals, mostly through hand and pointing conversation. Didn't get much out, but there was infinite patience by the locals.

Hwaseong Fortress is located in Suwon, Republic of Korea.  King Jeongjo (22nd King of the Joseon Dynasty) ordered construction to begin in January 1794 in order to honor and move the remains of his father, Crown Prince Jangheon (AKA Crown Prince Sado), from Yangju to Suwon.  Construction was completed in September 1796.  The short time in construction and the relative low price was attributed to Sihak (a new type of practical learning in the 18th Century).  During its construction, the Geojunggi (type of traditional Korean crane) was developed in order to transport the large stones.  The architecture combines Eastern and Western influence which sets it apart from other Korean buildings.  It consists of forty-eight facilities but seven facilities have not been restored due to destruction from Japanese colonial rule, WWII, and the Korean War. 

The pictures from the Paldalum up to the "Performances of 24 Martial Arts Demonstration" are arranged in a clockwise tour of the Fortress.  Hwaseong Haenggung and King Jeongjo's Bronze Statue are located in the central area of the fortress.  This was taken over two days (April 21st-22nd) due to the fact that I did not have a memory card for my camera and started a little late.  The walk around the fortress is almost 6 kilometers and it normally takes about 2 1/2 hours to walk. 

You can get to Hwaseong Fortress by taking the Blue Line/Line #1 and getting off at Suwon Station (stop P154).  From there you take the bus (#11, 13, 36, or 39) and it will drop you off at Paldalmun.  On the opposite side, the same bus lines will also take you back to Suwon Station.  Entry fee into Hwaseong Fortress is 1000 won (approximately $1) for adults, 700 won for youth, and 500 won for children.  Entry fee for Hwaseong Haenggung is 1500 won for adults, 1000 won for youth, and 700 won for children.  Groups of at least 30 get a reduced rate.  The fortress is open daily from 9:00 AM to 6:00 PM but closed on Mondays.  There is a "Performance of 24 Martial Arts" show every morning at 11:00 AM.  The weekends has shows from the last weekend in March to November at 2:00 PM.  Saturdays feature a show composed of different genres centered on traditional performances that give Suwon's unique sights and activities.  Sundays feature the "Jang Yong Yeong (Royal Guards) Security Guards Ceremony". 

Official link:  http://ehs.suwon.ne.kr/asp/02/05.asp

NOTE:  On October 8th from 1000-1300 there is a re-enactment of King Jeongo's visit to his father's tomb.  The march covers some 8 kilometers and about 2000 marchers.  It is a reminder of "filial piety". 

Hwaseong Fortress is located in Suwon, Republic of Korea. King Jeongjo (22nd King of the Joseon Dynasty) ordered construction to begin in January 1794 in order to honor and move the remains of his father, Crown Prince Jangheon (AKA Crown Prince Sado), from Yangju to Suwon. Construction was completed in September 1796. The short time in construction and the relative low price was attributed to Sihak (a new type of practical learning in the 18th Century). During its construction, the Geojunggi (type of traditional Korean crane) was developed in order to transport the large stones. The architecture combines Eastern and Western influence which sets it apart from other Korean buildings. It consists of forty-eight facilities but seven facilities have not been restored due to destruction from Japanese colonial rule, WWII, and the Korean War. Entry fee into Hwaseong Fortress is 1000 won (approximately $1) for adults, 700 won for youth, and 500 won for children. Entry fee for Hwaseong Haenggung (which is in the central part of the Fortress) is 1500 won for adults, 1000 won for youth, and 700 won for children. Groups of at least 30 get a reduced rate. The fortress is open daily from 9:00 AM to 6:00 PM but closed on Monday. There is a "Performance of 24 Martial Arts" show every morning at 11:00 AM. The weekends has shows from the last weekend in March to November at 2:00 PM. Saturdays feature a show composed of different genres centered on traditional performances that give Suwon's unique sights and activities. Sundays feature the "Jang Yong Yeong (Royal Guards) Security Guards Ceremony". The walk around the fortress is almost 6 kilometers and it normally takes about 2 1/2 hours to walk. NOTE: On October 8th from 1000-1300 there is re-enactment of King Jeongo's visit to his father's tomb. The march covers some 8 kilometers and about 2000 marchers. It is a reminder of "filial piety". I have 29 pictures from the Fortress on my travel blog "Land of the Morning Calm - Republic of Korea (July 2005 - July 2007)" located under Suwon.

So the family decided to come join me on my extended time in country. They actually love it here which is kind of refreshing. Living close to so many civilian contractors who work for the government, you hardly see someone that is adventurous and loves the experience that comes with living such a unique place as korea, thankfully my family falls into the minority of those who actually enjoy such an exciting time. We can now have great travel adventures together. WOO HOOO

All that sightseeing can be exhausting and nothing hits the spot like thai food! Right outside the entrance to the US Airforce base in songtan there sits a small thai food place. If you're into thai this is the place for you.

 As you walk in you are warmly greeted by a warm staff that promptly seats you and goes to great lengths to ensure your satisfaction. The meals are modestly priced and delicious, be warned however that one plate is plenty to feed two people.

 My words would not give due praise of this place, simply go, try it, and let the food and the atmosphere speak for itself

We woke up and were taken to a restaurant for breakfast today.  Jihye and her parents (my Dad's friends) and us walked to a nearby restaurant from their home.  It was another sit on the floor place where you take off your shoes and sit on the floor at a table.  For breakfast we had a big stew with pork spine, i know it sounds a little strange but it is really tasty and the meat was really tender.  We also had some ice cream for dessert. 

After breakfast we were waiting around for awhile because today my Aunt (on my Dad's side) wanted to see us again before we leave.  So today we would be meeting her at 1pm at a subway station.  So in the morning before we left to meet her, Steve and I tried to fit my backpack better and did some other things on the computer and such.  Then we left around 12noon to meet my Aunt.  Jihye took us to the subway stop where we would meet her and it was another hand off.  We met up with my Aunt and her two children, my cousins.  The girl is the same age as my sister and the boy is 2 years younger than us.  We first went to eat lunch and picked a nearby restaurant.  My aunt ordered for us and as always we never know whats going to arrive on the table.  After a few minutes of waiting, the waitress arrives with a big pot of a huge octopus in boiling stew and the octopus is still moving!  Its squirming around a bit until the boiling water finally kills it off and it settles down and then we let it cook for awhile on the burner on the table.  After a few minutes its ready to be eaten and the waitress comes and cuts the octopus into smaller pieces for us to eat.  I happen to really like octopus so I enjoyed it, although I've never eaten one quite so big or so alive a few minutes prior to eating.  After eatting the tentacles, we cut the head up into small pieces and black ink poured out of it.  The cousins and I refused to eat the black head but Steve, the international eatting superstar, had no problem.  It was really tender and good, Steve liked it ok but thought it was not that flavorful.  Of course Steve once again impresses everyone with his ability to eat a lot of anything. 

After lunch, the boy cousin had to leave, but the girl cousin and my Aunt and we took the subway to a place to do some shopping.  My Aunt really wanted to buy me some clothes, even at lunch she looked at the shirt I was wearing and said "did you pick that out yourself?...because it looks like old-lady clothes."  Ofcourse it saddened me to hear this considering that in general I like to be fashionable and look nice, but ofcourse on this trip Steve made me bring the absolute minimal amount of clothes and Shavonne and Steve insisted I bring only non-cotton quick drying, athletic type clothes.  But I knew that in Korea all my relatives and friends would think I was dressed like a no-fashion-sense tomboy because of the clothes I brought on this trip.  So my Aunt insisted she buy me some nice looking clothes but I was opposed since I didn't really need anything, insisting that back home I really do have a huge wardrobe full of nice clothes.  So in the end i suggested that we buy some hairclips instead since I could use a few and so we picked out some cute ones.  My Aunt said twice she wanted to buy some clothes for Steve but that was turned down.

Next we went to a nearby lake that was really nice to sit down at.  We sat and enjoyed the lake view for awhile.  When it was time to get up, I started to sit up from the concrete block we were sitting on, and felt something sticky on my bottom.  I had sat right in some gum!!  It was totally gross and it was really stuck and very obvious and we couldn't get it out...so of course my Aunt now insisted again, we have to go buy me a new skirt or smthg right now to change into!  So while trying to cover up my rear and having Steve walk behind me so no one would see the horrible stain on my butt, we walked quickly back to the store.  They picked out a few short jean skirts they thought would look good on me, but I thought they were too short.  Eventually we settled on this navy blue skirt and striped top which I thought made me look like a sailor or smthg, but oh well, at least it was something new to wear.  My Aunt felt much better that she could buy me some nice clothes and she and my cousin exclaimed about how much better I looked once I got out of those baggy, athletic clothes. 

After that we took some more pictures and then went to burger king for a small dinner since I was not hungry, Steve ate his burger and most of my chicken sandwhich.  Then we went back on the subway to meet my dad's friends family once again for the hand off.  My Aunt and cousin said goodbye and handed us off to Jihye's mom and she drove us back home. 

At home we repacked our backpacks and stuff, and then around 9pm had yet another dinner with this family.  It was spicy rice cakes (dup-book-ee) and other stuff.  Then after dinner, we watched one of the korean DVDs I had bought a few days before.  We watched one set in the olden times, like in the 1500s in Korea.  But actually we thought the movie was really weird although it was a number one hit in Korea. 

-Arum

Today we woke up and had a breakfast of some mix of stuff (rice, bean sprouts, mushrooms, and who knows what else).  The breakfasts here could be served for lunch or dinner, they usually are just as big and have the same kind of items, so it is like having 3 dinners each day.  Around 11 we went to church, which Arum and I understood absolutely none of it.  Not a very exciting hour.  It was interesting when the pastor would randomly say Halleluhah randomly while speaking Korean.  There also was a part where everyone including the pastor started verbally praying loudly and very fast.  It was intense.

The family we were staying with suggested we go get some pizza after church but we said we want to have Korean while we are here.  We all drove to the center of Seoul for lunch.  We walked down this little walkway lined with grills with a lot of fish.  We went to a big restaurant famous for this one dish.  You get a big pot with some whole chickens and water and cook it with a stove on your table.  You make a sauce out of red peppers, kim chi juice, and some mustard to eat the chicken in.  So this meal was not my favorite.  First off, holding the chicken with the chopsticks and getting the meat off the bone is beyond my ability.  I gave up on using the chop sticks or spoon and resorted to just picking it up with my hands like a barbarian.  This made my hands all nasty from the sauce.  The other part that was uncomfortable was that it was really hot in the restaurant from the stoves on all of the tables smashed in there.  I was sitting next to the stove so when I would eat it was like putting my face on the burner, which was combined with my heat from the spicy food.

When we got out of that hot box, the parents took the car back and we walked around with the girl.  We went to a stream with walkways along it that went through a big shopping area of the city.  Once we were done walking there, we went to a touristy street with a bunch of souvenir shops and food vendors, etc.  There were so many foreigners there that I didn't even stick out.  We saw a parade and parts of some performances that happen every Sunday.  We got some candy that had 16,000 stands of honey and was made while we listened to the show/sales pitch describing it in English.

Once we were done walking around there, we took a taxi to the bottom of a big mountain in the middle of Seoul.  After waiting in line and buying our cable car tickets, our host told us that she was afraid of heights and would wait for us to come down.  She also said the view is really good at night so we should spend 2 or 3 hours to wait until it gets dark while she waited at the bottom.  How boring.  We took the cable car up and the view was really good.  We didn't go up the observation tower on the top of the mountain but could see most of the way around without it.

Once we came down from the mountain, we took a taxi to a street that had a lot of nightlife and neon signs everywhere.  We went to a Korean barbeque where you cook the meat on the grill in the middle of your table.  It was very delicious!  We had 2 orders of ribs and some pork that you put melted cheese on.  Like with every Korean meal, there were a ton of traditional side items including a couple soups.  To make sure we didn't waste a lot of food, I had to make up for all of the girls' slack.

We took the train and a bus back to the apartment.  I tried to watch some of the England-Ecuador match at midnight but was too tired.  I think I fell asleep sitting there and when I woke up I could tell the score was 1-0 but since it was in Korean couldn't tell who was winning or what half it was so I decided to go to bed.



Steve