The Roundup

With only 9 days until we return to Canada, we've been busy - especially because we booked a final trip to Beijing from this Thursday morning until next Monday, which means that we've only got 5 days or so left in Korea.  Needless to say, we started trying to pawn off our furniture and pack early, and have nearly gutted our apartment of unnecessaries.

This final month of classes started off with a bang, slowed to a crawl mid-month (I might have gotten a little over-eager and made a to-do list too early in the game), and then whizzed to the final few days of work.  I find it hard to believe that Tuesday will be my last day of full-time work in over a year.  The way we've been going out for dinner lately would have you believe that I'm getting a promotion instead of entering a year of graduate school in September.

Jon ran a half-marathon on June 14 - in great time, of course - with Patrick.  I opted out of the race because the previous weeks had replaced workouts with eating out.  I also received a clear sign that I shouldn't run: Keedo ate my race chip.

The past few weekends have been spent with our friends, browsing knick-knack shops in Insa-dong, drinking beer on patios, and cruising around Hongdae, a hotspot for art students and club-goers.  We've finally tried noori-bang (i.e. karaoke rooms); bought lots of little Korean souvenirs; drunk cocktails from a bag on the street; tried out an ice bar; gone drinking with our managers (a must in Korean corporate culture - I kid not); planned the trip to Beijing; and generally just started preparing ourselves for life in Canada.  I welcome any advice on reverse culture shock from those who have also lived abroad for long periods of time.  Gangnam could not be more different from Georgetown or Gads Hill.

We've also started reminiscing a little early about Korea.  We'll miss cheap transportation, having nearly everything we needed close by, inexpensive meals out, being able to drink alcohol on the street, sharing food with everyone at the table, and Korean food, most definitely.  Our job has been enjoyable and the students we teach are, on the whole, pretty interesting.  Most of all, we've met some amazing friends that we'll really miss when we return.

There are, of course, some things we won't miss.  I won't miss having to throw used toilet paper into a smelly, open-top garbage can; the smell of rotting garbage on the street in summer time; air pollution, of course; and the inability to run in my own neighbourhood without dodging cars or hitting a red light.  I hope to never again have to wake up at 5:30am to get ready for work; or stay up really late to make a run-of-the-mill phone call home.

About some other things, I have mixed feelings.  The speed of life here is breakneck, making for an excitingly fast lifestyle that is sometimes impossible to keep up with.  The rabid consumer culture, while repulsively thoughtless at first, is recklessly fun.  About other things, it's just too early to tell.  I guess we'll know 9 days from now.

Cows are Bigger than Old Volcanoes

I'll try to keep the most recent happenings short and sweet, and start with the most recent off-duty event: a long weekend on Jeju Island, in Korea.

On the ferry to Udo Island, just off the east coast of Jeju-do.  In the background is an expired volcanic mountain, currently a UNESCO heritage site.

Like our January trip to Shanghai, this was another last-minute group trip, 4 days long and under 2 hours away.  I didn't know much about Jeju-do (Jeju Island) before we left.  I knew that it's just off the southern coast of mainland Korea, and that it's a common destination for vacationers and honeymooners.  It also hosted 3 games of the 2002 FIFA World Cup, which has been called a failure because it brought in far fewer tourist dollars than expected.  The 2009 ASEAN conference is currently happening where the World Cup happened years ago.  I also knew that nearly all Korean students I've taught who have been anywhere outside of Seoul, have made their way to Jeju.  Doing this trip would make us ultra-cool with students, which is, of course, why we do everything.

Kidding aside, travelling to Jeju is the Korean equivalent of going up north for the weekend - but in a plane, rather than in a car.  Sidewalks felt empty; taxis were less expensive; locals paid attention to the big foreigner crowd; and the oranges - oh, the oranges! - were fantastic.  Locally-grown stuff I was even allowed to take with me on the plane.  After living in the middle of Seoul for so long, knowing that it takes more than a little while to drive produce from the countryside into Gangnam, I'm tired of throwing out rotting veg only a few days after purchase.  Jeju - oh, Jeju! - actually had farmland for oranges, peanuts and goodness knows what else.  *Sigh* It made me miss being home for a bit.

We arrived at about 10pm on Wednesday night, and after about 10 minutes of looking for a hof (Korean-style pub) with empty seats, Jon, Jay, Richard and I happened upon basement-level screen golf.  Now, I'd never heard of this thing before, but maybe some of you golfers have given it a try during the off-season.  Imagine: a large room dominated by a massive projection screen stretched floor to vaulted ceiling and about 20+ feet wide; a rubber tee mounted on a moving platform to mimic a real course; and a system of lasers and sensors that accurately reflected how terrible our golfing skills are.  Jon aside, of course.

Great fun.  We lasted until about 3am - 4 hours for a foursome to complete 9 holes.  Don't even ask about the score ...

L to R: Jay, Jon and Richard sitting on the fence singing their usual song: "So, where should we go next?"

Day 2: Off to Udo Island.  Thats right - Cow Island.  Only 4km from the mainland, I'm surprised it has its own name, and that those in Seoul know what and where it is.  I was even more surprised after we rented a 4-wheeler and toured around the island.  Many little convenience shops, lots of tour groups of hagimas (middle-aged women noted for wearing visors and having sharp elbows), lots of local peanuts and seaweed snack, and only a handful of small homes.

Perhaps the most interesting thing about Udo is the diving women who practice off its southern coast.  If it wasn't for dozens of pairs of legs waving from the sea, we would have missed them. I even initially mistook them for someone flailing their arms in the water, needing help.  We stopped for a few to watch them dive.  I believe these women have turned seaweed picking into an endurance sport.  Sporting retro snorkeling masks and wetsuits, they submerge and resurface hundreds of times per day.  Rumor has it that some are able to stay underwater - unaided by SCUBA gear - for two minutes or more.  Their technique is unusual - their breath sounds as if its come from a whale's spout and they often talk to one another with this bird-like whistle that, Jon told me, apparently helps them improve their lung capacity further.  And I thought these women were just a myth ...

The trip to Udo was ... short, to say the least.  After a few hours, we caught the last ferry back to Jeju along with many day laborers who must have picked peanuts, many in matching pink bonnets and all of them very tiny (some elderly in Korea suffered from malnourishment earlier in their lives).  Then, off to a UNESCO heritage site - an expired volcano.

The rest of the trip was ... food- and drink-oriented.  When David, Yuri, Brian and Joo-Yeon arrived, we ate local Jeju specialties - black pig with hair in the fat; local oranges and orange chocolate; and late-night McDonald's.  Half our party of 8 tried horse, which looked mighty lean next to pork.  I didn't try it.  I wouldn't have been able to withstand the questions from two horsey families upon our return to Canada; nor could I have looked at the beautiful horse paintings this restaurant had mounted on the wall.  Only in Korea will smiling cartoon animals encourage you to eat them...

Shots from Southern Vietnam

The final leg started on a nearly private beach in Long Hai, and began its denouement on the colourful streets of Saigon - or Ho Chi Minh City, as the officials call it - for great international cuisine, a Chinese temple, and that fragrant fruit, durian, before our flight back to Seoul.

Shots from Laos

From a gun on the counter at the top of the Mekong, two days down the river to Louang Phabang (experiencing all that riverside living has to offer), a bus ride to the beautiful falls of Vientienne and finally a quick jet to the next stop ... our only option, thanks to a little white book.

Shots from Thailand

From the busy city life and quiet temples of Bangkok, north to the calm sanctuary of Chiang Mai, then across the border into Laos.

Shots from Northern Vietnam

Northern Vietnam was our first and favourite destination, from sea-level in Ha Long Bay to Fanispan's peak.

Let's give this another go ...

It's been too long.

I'll be posting about a few things today or this coming week on:

1) Our trip to SE Asia - Vietnam, Thailand, Laos, then Vietnam again - for those who didn't hear all the details or want a few photos,

2) Our thoughts on Korea after a month away and that good ol' home stretch feeling,

3) Pagoda getting physical on the Hangang (very physical for some, far less physical for the managers),

4) Making, unmaking and remaking decisions for where to live upon our return to Canada,

5) Why this blog promotes Korea better than the Korean government,

6) And all the other little stuff that doesn't fit there; Beano in the oven, daring 5-year-old bikers, and a trip to Korea's tropical (yes, tropical) south.

Until then: HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY to Judy, Pauline, Margaret, Alison, Sallianne, Sally and Betty, and Happy PRE-Mother's Day to Maria!

Shanghai 2009

I posted photos from our trip online today, but did so on facebook in order to share with other travellers ... if this proves inconvenient for anyone, I'll repost here tomorrow:

To check out the small album, click here.

Shanghaied

None of us have been duped into sailing the high seas, exactly.  But on Sunday night, Lunar New Year's Eve, despite the chill bar lounge music in the Royal Meridian in central Shanghai, many stomachs were rumbling like the great oceans ...

Long story short: seven of the nine travelers got food poisoning at a popular family restaurant near our hotel before we rang in the Year of the Ox.  Jon, who must have eaten more of this poison than the rest of us, is currently in hospital here in Seoul on IV.  One of our managers took him after he'd called in sick Wednesday morning and I haven't seen him since.  Visiting hours, see, are within my working day, giving me only one hour in the morning to visit - not counting the unpredictable traffic that might turn a 30 minute drive into one over twice as long.  So, Ruda has set him up with stuff to read and - go figure - Jon had thought ahead and brought a few of his own things to the hospital.

Although I'd initially been pretty concerned, knowing Korean doctors' propensity to overprescribe medication and Jon's (over?)willingness to take it, I've since spoken with him and he's doing well on a dose of antibiotics while he awaits test results.  Actually, he's not only doing well, he's been asking about emails and phone calls and is more than ready to get back to work (mentally, at least).  Maybe I'm the one that's been Shanghaied?

More to come later today.