Who knew eh?

That being a Canadian, living outside of Toronto that the first time I'd go snowboarding would be when I get to Korea?
Its actually sad that the only time I've been skiing was on a field trip back in Elementary school (some odd 15 years ago) and I've never really had the opportunity to go back- or just never chose to.  Well finally, I had the ability to go away to Muju Ski Resort on one of my few free weekends.  A little hesitant at first, I thought about skiing because I figured it would be the easier of the two.  However, at the last minute I changed my mind and bought the snowboard rental instead.

I was incredibly nervous, and thought to myself "how could it be that hard?"

Fun-filled ice activities!

From Daegu there are no buses that go straight to Muju.  Our trek started by taking a KTX to Daejeon, then a bus from there to Muju.  If you can find a cab, it'll set you back about 25,000w to drive you to the resort or you can wait for the shuttle bus.  Waiting for the bus we came across a frozen pond where a variety of ice activities awaited us.  You could skate, sled, tube down the small hills, ice bike, or kneel on this small wooden sled-like device and use ice picks to help you glide along.  The kids playing on the ice were incredibly friendly, talking any English they could and raced amongst us. 

Alas, the shuttle came around and we hopped on for the two hour bus ride.  You can rent virtually everything you need for skiing/snowboarding from the goggles to the boots.  However, I rented the equipment from the resort itself so I just got the jacket, pants, board and boots and started the evening run.  The slopes are open from 6:30am-2am with a two hour break from 4:30-6:30.  There are no waivers to sign and no liability to anyone but yourself if anything were to happen either. For the cheapest room in the area, you get a small room with no bed and do what the Koreans do- sleep on the ondol heated floor.  If you're smart, you bring a burner and cook your meat.  If you see garbage cans in the middle of the hallway, don't move them!  They catch the leaks from the ceilings.  Yet, it sure beats traveling for about 3 hours to get there and then suffer another 3 hours to go back, making sure you don't miss the last bus.

Now I am a klutz.  I've ruined both my ankles doing the most random things, my knees are not the strongest- I can't ride a bike without falling or running into something, so I was preparing for the worst.  I got up the hill and with no surprise, I could barely stand up without moving and falling back down again.  Now I know when you boarding anywhere else in the world and fall down, you'd move to the side if you want to take a breather or go slow, but of course, nothing in Korea is ever common sense.  There'd be rows of Koreans sitting in the middle of the slopes waiting (for what seemed like forever) to get back up again.  But I loved snowboarding at night.  It wasn't that cold, and after 10pm means not so many people, and there's something that I love about snow at night- it makes me happy.

Koreans= Super cute animal family!

I'll give credit to my dad for this, but I started watching what the other new snowboarders were doing and tried to keep at it and learn how to board.  After much, much, much time had passed I was finally able to stand on the board without falling on my poor, sore butt and could move very slowly down the slopes while facing the bottom (board parallel to the base).  Around 12:30am, I couldn't last anymore.  My knees were sore and I could barely sit on my butt.

...and then I'm down!

Finally up and at 'em

However, I went back at it again the next day and decided to go on the bigger hills.  Of course, longer hills equals faster speed which means harder, bigger, and tougher falls, and falls I did!  By the end of the first run,  my knees were raw and I was losing upper body strength trying to get myself up all the time.  My second run proved much better however, and I could actually make it about a good couple of minutes without falling!  Of course I have to go back before the season ends, but this time I need to give myself more time to recover. 

Teacher Shaun helping me guide my toes

Doing what I do best!

Oh-ri-ons-ah!

Yes, they are not known as the Samsung Orions (which belong to our baseball team, the Samsung Lions), we have a sports team where we can proudly show off our city name.  Unfortunately, our pro basketball team isn't much to proud of.  Now, I hail from Canada, a little outside of Toronto and I will gladly support the Toronto teams even though there isn't much to cheer for, so I was more than happy to cheer for the Orions, despite knowing that at the time they were ranked 9 out of the 10 Korean teams (currently 10 out of 10 in the Korean Basketball League- somehow I feel eerily at home with those stats!). 

Yes, you get balloons to fling around and get static clung to!

Now all the teams are allowed two foreigners and one Korean-American, probably so the Koreans get a chance at playing and teams don't import a whole foreign lineup.  Our superstars for the night were #2 Glen McGowan,  #9 Otis George, and the super fantastic #40 Lee Dong Jun (or Daniel Sandrin as he is known in the States (and by no coincidence, these three are the tallest on the team ranging from 200-206cm).

#9 Oh-tis-uh!

As we sat through the game and listened to all the chants- the most recognizable being "de-pens" (defense!), we started recognizing what they actually were.  The "Oh-ree-on-sah" chant made us giggle the most, but what I found the most intriguing was that the foreigners have their own chants.  The crowd chants "Oh-tis" whenever he has the ball whether he gets the ball in the net or not, and after I asked why Lee Dong Jun didn't have his own chant, I heard it play over the speakers.  #40 truly is a legend on the Orions, even though this is my assessment from just watching one game, he plays the entire game (except the last couple of minutes because they've already lost) and he is this super tall, long haired, lanky player (you really can't miss him).  Poor guy would beat himself up when he missed a shot, but who can blame him?  When you play the entire game, you're gonna get tired after a while.

#40 doing what he does best.  Did it go in?  I guess we'll never know.

However, while we watched the game and saw the point difference grow larger and larger, they don't stop short on entertainment value.  The cheerleaders aren't the best dancers, but with their constant costume changes, and the mascots giving out free stuff during any break time there was always something to keep your attention going.

Those cheerleaders in their cute outfits and the mascots

Would I go again?  Of course I would!  I would never miss an opportunity to cheer for my city's team whether they are winning or not, and for only 9,000w, how can you go wrong?  Unfortunately, the season is done and I'll just have to wait to run into Daniel Sandrin again somewhere downtown.
How do you get there?  Either you can take a bus (706) and get off around the Kyungpook University area and then take a cab to Daegu gymnasium, or just take a cab from downtown. 

I actually can't wait to check out the baseball games when the season starts back up.  Until then, I'm going to have to watch the indoor volleyball games to get my fix!

Baby, Its Cold Outside

Its freezing in Daegu.  I'm not talking about from my Canadian perspective, but to fellow Daegu-ers, it is cold in this city.  Everyone tells me that this winter was the first time they have seen snow, and this is the coldest its been- ever.  I'm not sure how true this is, but I do know this, according to the Chosunilbo,  

"Seoul's morning low was -17.8 degrees, the coldest since 2001. Other areas also experienced their lowest temperatures this winter with -24.3 degrees in Cheorwon in Gangwon Province, -23 in Munsan, Gyeonggi Province, -16.1 degrees in Daejeon, -13.1 in Daegu, and -11.7 in Gwangju.

  

Experts attribute the record chill to climate change, which is pushing cold air masses from the North Pole through to the southern parts of the Korean Peninsula.  The North Pole has recently seen the mercury soar 10-15 degrees from an average -35 degrees in previous years, resulting in a decreased gap between temperatures in the North Pole and middle latitude areas. That in turn has pushed southward the Jet Stream, a fast upper wind current generally flowing from west to east and often preventing cold air masses from moving south."

This cold weather has made me stay indoors a lot.  As I sit on my floor heated by my Ondol heating system, I've become addicted to watching Korean TV and music videos.  My new K-Pop fascination lies with GD&Top.  G-Dragon and T.O.P. are from the humongously popular Big Bang boy band.  As I was sitting on my floor watching this music video, I realized that I am in love with T.O.P (the blond guy).

Another thing that I love watching is anything with Kang Ho Dong.  It seems that he's in some sort of variety show (and Koreans LOVE their variety shows) every hour, and I could watch all of them.  1 Night 2 Days, is my favourite at this point.  Its 6 guys that go somewhere for 1 night and 2 days and participate in crazy events.  Kang Ho Dong is wearing the green New York Yankees hat.  Ohhh 진짜!

In my ways of seeing what Daegu has to offer, a couple of friends and I visited the convention centre EXCO for their Trick Art show exhibit.  Its amazing what 10,000w can get you here!  This show was simply amazing.  It was loads of fun and you can easily spend three or more hours taking wild and wacky pictures.  I would go again and I would tell anyone else to go if they could.  Lasting until February 22nd, 2011, this is one of the many reasons I find myself falling in love with Korea.




Another way to stay warm during Winter- book a trip to the Philippines!  I'll be on my way in about a week and hopefully see if I can catch the tail end of Lunar New Year in Seoul when we get back!
As all Koreans tell me- be safe and stay warm so you don't catch a cold!

A Comedy of Errors

So, school officially gets out for the kids on December 24.  I have officially started my desk warming life in Korea.
However, for Christmas weekend we headed off to Namwon and rented a log cabin.  I have been fortunate thus far to know some good cooks, but I wasn't anticipating the feast that I was to consume!
Curry and homemade naan with mulled wine and rice krispies squares for dinner one night.  Eggs, sausage, bacon, hashed potatoes for breakfast, and 3 chickens, pork, mashed potatoes, gravy, grilled vegetables and stuffing for Christmas dinner.
Cabins as far as I know are always full of things to do outdoors, but being out in the boonies it was spent with Christmas sweaters, bb guns, Wii and mafia games, with a whole bunch of Canadians!

Then we were off to Thailand.  I can't say much because we really didn't spend that much time in Thailand.  Two days dedicated to busing up to Incheon airport and flying, then we spent two more days busing from Bangkok and Koh Chang.  So all in all, we had 2 full days in Thailand- one in each city.  What I plan more to do in this post is tell you what not to do.  That seemed to be our vacation.  And while our trip seemed like a disaster I wouldn't have wanted it to happen in a more beautiful place that is Thailand.

So.  Travel tip #1: Book your accommodation and transportation if you're traveling during the busy times ahead of time
This would seem logical.  But it was the last thing from our minds.  I managed to find some couchsurfers that could put us up.  The hardest part was finding a way from Bangkok to Koh Samui.  All flights were booked and every day we would find a new train that was booked to.  Luckily Bangkok has enough hostels.
We headed to the train station the day after we arrived to Bangkok and spent a good couple of hours finding out that there was no trains to virtually anywhere.  Then after talking to an agent we found out that what fit our itinerary and budget was a bus to Koh Chang.  A bus that we were told would only take 5 hours (including the ferry ride), which leads me to

Koh Wai Island

Travel tip #2:  Always add at least two extra hours to travel times.
We were told that if we got on a bus at 9am from Bangkok we'd arrive in Koh Chang off the ferry at 5pm.  However, we didn't get on the ferry until about 6pm and checked into our hotel at 7pm.  That pretty burned a whole evening for us.  The ride back was even worse.  We spent 6 hours on a bus with no air conditioning.  That was the worst part but getting on the bus is for

Travel tip #3: Nothing is ever organized properly.  Ever.
Most of the times with anything we did in Thailand I felt like we were like penned sheep following the herd.  Almost like the blind leading the blind.  There's no point asking anyone questions because they give you the runaround (like they're politicians or something), so you're just doing whatever any other foreigner is doing.  We were told when leaving Koh Chang to be on a ferry at 11, but our bus wasn't leaving until 12:30pm.  After hearing one thing from the front desk about taxis going to the port, we found out we had to hail our own taxi.  Let me explain these taxis a bit.  They're more like trucks where they try to pile as many people into the back as possible (and if possible they can stand on the back) with all the luggage thrown on top (with nothing restraining it down.  How the luggage stays there is beyond me), and they drive to different hotels seeing if people are there regardless if they or not.  This taxi ride ended up being about 20 minutes longer than expected.  When we got to the port, we ran to a travel agent to call the bus and tell them we might be late.  As soon as she finished we walked towards the ferry to find that they just started sail, so we had to jump on... literally.  So we get off the ferry and there's a bunch of us on that bus.  They take one load of people in a taxi and tell us to wait.  About 15 minutes later the taxi comes back and takes us to the drop off point, however, there's nobody there.  It seems the bus took off even though they knew there was another bunch of people coming.  We wait half an hour, get on the heatbox bus and begin our travels back to Bangkok.

Travel Tip #4: Know basic etiquette and survival language

Ahh!  Nothing like some tropical fruit!

This goes for any country you go to.  I find its the most amount of respect you can pay someone if you can at least say hello and thank you in the language of the country you are in.  You also don't seem like a dumb or ignorant traveler.  Having said that, I was just like this in Thailand.  I had no idea how to say hello or thank you for the entire time I was in Thailand.  It was just nice to actually speak in English to the natives that I took advantage of it.  Also, living in Korea, you don't tip when you go anywhere (great perk by the way!), but we had no idea the entire time we were there if you do tip or not in Thailand.  Also, the taxi's and tuk tuks in Thailand have a tendency to go off meter when they know they're driving tourists.  Its always good to know how much it costs to go from here to there, and remember you can haggle when buying anything, including taxi fares.  Getting off the bus from Koh Chang, a taxi driver told us it would cost 200baht each to drive us to our hostel, when in reality it only cost 50!

Dr. Fish- Thailand style!

With all of this, and the many other disasters that came upon us, this trip was still worth it.  Thailand is beautiful.  Full of culture, history and a million things to do, I'd definitely come back here time and time again.  We were warned about people taking advantage of us because we were female tourists but as long as you know what you're doing and don't believe everything you hear- you're fine.

Palaces, Buddha's, beach, bike rides, Kho San road, Dr. Fish, Thai massage, snorkelling, tourists from everywhere but North America- it was a great trip although short lived.  Hopefully the next time I go it won't be so crazy

I've got Seoul but I'm not a Seoul-dier

I have to dedicate this blog to Justin Timberlake, and I guess subsequently to The Killers.  I was recently reminded of Justin Timberlake's death in Southland Tales.  The movie is quite the mindsplasm (for lack of a better word).  Awesome concept, but too many storylines and big name actors to count for anything.  One of the best moments in the movie is when Timberlake is dying to the song of "All These Things that I Have Done".  Having watched Edison a few years back, the only time I thought I liked Timberlake's acting was when I was a giddy little kid watching the Mickey Mouse Club (I actually remember liking the large majority of popular ex-Mouskateers), but it seems, he only gets better with age.

Anyways, I digress.  So, I went to Seoul for the past two weekends where I did not have to study or listen to lectures.  I needed a weekend away from my little city so I ventured away.

First up on the docket: food.  By the time we arrived in Seoul we were craving galbi (갈비), so we set off around Hongdae to get some food.  I don't know why I love Christmas so much, but anything to do with lights and decorations turns me into the happiest person alive!  Of course, everything looks better when covered in snow, but I take what I get here and live off the lights whenever I see them.  One thing I love about Korea, everything is open.  We found a restaurant that was packed at midnight.  Where in Canada do you find that?

On Saturday we made it up N Seoul Tower.  N Seoul Tower much like the CN Tower is a communications tower, standing at 236.7m.  We took the cable car up Mt. Namsan (which you could trek up for free, but I didn't have the muscle for it).  Something I have never witnessed were the traditions of "Locks of Love" or love padlocks.  The tradition is, a couple places a lock on the fence and throws away the key.  What it does is symbolize their eternal love for each other.  This custom is practiced worldwide and I, quite personally, love it!

Of course, me being the creeper with a camera that I am, followed the love story of a couple getting ready to put up their lock.

Girl waiting

Boy writing message on lock

Like every girl, they're always looking in a mirror

After spending 5 minutes looking for the right place,
they find the perfect spot for their lock!

And then we headed even higher into the tower.

Yes, exactly how far I am from the homeland!

Then we ventured to the Korean War Museum.  I knew the vague history of Korea and its invasion of the Japanese and then the North Koreans, and I'm not one to actually like museums, but this museum is truly amazing.

Made of all the fallen soldiers dogtags

Nothing ends a great day other than shopping!  Myeungdong is every shopper's dream.  Kinda like Oxford and Regent streets in London but condensed along one major strip.  I had my first Forever 21 shopping experience- quite the experience indeed!

Then we partied around Hongdae.  Out of the few bars I've been to in Korea, I must say that Motto is my favourite.  Not just because Kurt Cobain's MTV Unplugged session is on the tv screen, but their music feels like home to me.  They know their music- and I love that.  You can request music, and I'm not talking the pop that plays at Thursday Party, I'm talking good music.  I've met some good people at this place.

In case I hadn't shopped enough, Insadong is perfect for getting those Korean souvenirs and gifts for other people. and I filled my Subway craving!

All in all, I love this city.  I wish I lived there, and I will be back.  Plenty of times!

John Holt

Its unfortunate that most people have never heard of this man.  He is awesomeness personified.  Born in Jamaica then moved to UK, he is a legend in reggae music.  For those of you who say "John who?", he penned The Tide is High made famous by Blondie (I refuse to credit the most recent cover), but I have a sudden craving for him.

This is for my mom and Lloyd.

I'm thankful for...

So the last of my Thanksgiving's was last weekend. 
My first week in Korea happened to fall on the week of Chuseok (추석).  Korean Thanksgiving is similar to Canada in that it celebrates the end of the harvest.  Koreans usually flock to their hometowns and indulge in traditional Korean feasts.  However, it lasts for three days.  Being blessed with having met Chloe she made us dinner at Corinne's house... my first Korean family!


Then Canadian Thanksgiving rolled around in October and I ventured out to Busan.  Never did I realize that I would have a Busan family, but thanks to Jamie and all the girls over there I was able to celebrate my Thanksgiving away from home: chicken, mashed potatoes, nachos, mac and cheese, salad, pizza, pumpkin pie and dessert! 

According to Wikipedia "The history of Thanksgiving in Canada goes back to an explorer, Martin Frobisher, who had been trying to find a northern passage to the Pacific Ocean.^[7] Frobisher's Thanksgiving was not for harvest but homecoming. He had safely returned from a search for the Northwest Passage, avoiding the later fate of Henry Hudson and Sir John Franklin. In the year 1578, he held a formal ceremony in Newfoundland to give thanks for surviving the long journey. The feast was one of the first Thanksgiving celebrations by Europeans in North America. Frobisher was later knighted and had an inlet of the Atlantic Ocean in northern Canada named after him — Frobisher Bay."


Finally, comes American Thanksgiving.
Again, according to Wikipedia "The event that Americans commonly call the "First Thanksgiving" was celebrated to give thanks to God for helping the Pilgrims of Plymouth Colony survive their first brutal winter in New England. The first Thanksgiving feast lasted three days, providing enough food for 53 pilgrims and 90 Native Americans. The feast consisted of fish and shellfish, wild fowl, venison, berries and fruit, vegetables (peas, pumpkin, beetroot and possibly, wild or cultivated onion), harvest grains (barley and wheat), and the Three Sisters: beans, dried Indian maize or corn, and squash. The New England colonists were accustomed to regularly celebrating "Thanksgivings"—days of prayer thanking God for blessings such as military victory or the end of a drought."

Now, of all the people that I've met in Daegu, the large majority have been American.  In fact, I think I've met more South Africans than Canadians here, so it only seemed natural that I would be celebrating American Thanksgiving.  The first of it came with a Burrito Friday night party.  I still don't really understand the Taco Bell fascination that Americans, but I could never refuse a real burrito party.  And of course every good meal must end with dessert, which came from homecooked caramel and candy cane fudge!
Then came Thanksgiving dinner... turkey, gravy, cranberry sauce, mac and cheese, fruit salad, mashed potatoes, pumpkin pie and apple pie  (my delicious contribution).  It was an awesome night filled with a champagne toast!
And then of course the real stuff happens.  I left my phone in the cab and ended up getting it back thanks to the help to the great Shaun, got it back a couple of hours and 10,000won.  Then after being in a overly packed bar with low ventilation, I end up getting my cough, which doesn't seem to be going away anytime soon. 

But overall, having spent three months in Korea, I should say its all been worth it.