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So on Saturday 21st July I arrive in South Korea and meet Joanne at the train station. We headed off into Busan to meet some of her friends and then we all went out drinking together. At the end of the night we caught a bus to Ulsan and then a taxi to Hogae where Joanne stays. The next day we went back to Busan with Joanne's Gumdo school (Korean sword fighting) where people were trying for their black belt. Joanne's friend Thu was one of the 100 or so people who had to demonstrate their skills, including fingertip pressups...not bad for a chick....she even won a top marks medal. In the evening we went to a cultural show where the Masters showed their sword skills, chopping up all kinds of bamboo and straw stacks...pretty neat. On the Monday I went with Thu and her boyfriend Dong Hyun to eat some dog soup...very tasty. The meat was very tender, so I guess the dog had been beaten with a stick quite well when it was strung up to die....oh well, Que Sera, Sera. Then I took a trip to Gyeongju, which was the capital of the Shilla dynasty for 1000 years, from around 640BC in Korea...loads of cool ancient stuff there.
The 3 of us spent a few days exploring Busan together, including the Jagalchi fish market and the Beomeosa temple high up in the mountains, with practising monks. Chris and I also went to the Hurshimchung public baths...the largest in Asia. Here all men are naked and relax in hot waters...or freezing waters...depending on whether you're mental or not. We got speaking to a Korean guy with good English and he showed us all the different areas, such as the sauna, yellow mud pool and the cherry, citrus and grapefruit pools. We spent about 3 hours in there before we even thought about what time it might have been. Fantastic experience...there was loads of pampering stuff as well, like exfoliating washes and massage jets.....don't think i've ever been cleaner. Mind you, we walked outside and started sweating heaps all over again. Baz never came with us though don't know why, he missed out on a brilliant experience.
We then met Joanne again and went the 4 of us went to Seoul. I reckon the highlight here was the DMZ tour, where we learned from a tour guide all about the North Koreans and their attempts to invade South Korea by digging tunnels under the demiliterized zone after the war. The war museum was also fascinating...I spent hours in there wandering about checking out the violent history of Korea...dating back to 600 AD. The others weren't too impressed with me though...and were waiting a while outside for me to finish wandering about. We also checked out the old imperial palace and saw the changing of the guard there.
Now, being the lucky sod that I am, I happend to be offered a job teaching English by Joanne's boss. With one month's work in Korea I could save more than twice as much as I would working a month in OZ. Plus there was free accommodation on offer. So I returned to Ulsan with Joanne, while Baz and Chris left for Vietnam. Now I'm no teacher, but things worked out all right I guess. The other teachers Molly, Stella and Shin were cool and it was a great experience. I also reckon I'm gonna miss my wee kids as well. Some of them were so cute, and the older ones were good to speak to about travelling and football. It's unfortunate for Koreans that the pressures they have to find employment, after studying, means they rarely get a chance to leave their country, let alone their own province. They have hardly any holidays either, so it's difficult to get away. A bunch of my kids want to travel, but for some of them it's unlikely they will ever get a chance....it's a shame. It's also a shame for them that I had to leave...it must have been upsetting for them knowing they would never see such a great guy again.
I've also been rockclimbing a couple of times...the real thing too....no easy climbs...proper hanging from flat walls. Had a lot of fun doing that, quite challenging personally when your knackered half way up and can barely hold on. Needless to say I struggled on and got to the top. I suppose there was a few hairy moments where my life hung in the balance, but i'm a brave survivour...it takes more than a 60 foot fall to unnerve me...I just had to show the wall who was boss. At the top the views were a mixture of beautiful forested mountains and high rise apartments in the city. The majority of people seem to live in these high rise apartments in urban areas. They are very ugly looking too and do a good job of spoiling the landscape.
Now, in between teaching kids and climbing rocks, the other things i've been getting up to include quite a bit of Gumdo. We went to a beach one weekend and watched a cultural show where Gumdo was part of the programme. Because Dong Hyun's school is the best in the region they were invited to put on a display, to the sound of traditional music. Very cool stuff....bamboo chopping and synchronised sword fighting (see videos sections). I've also been improving my own fighting skills by attending the local video arcade which is only 5 mins from my flat. I am now 'extremely' good at Tekken 5 and can beat some of those pesky kids who appear to play it constantly. Reckon I'd beat anybody back home, if they were daft enough to challenge me. Joanne and Thu are pretty good at the old Gumdo thing. Both have achieved their black belts and won awards at competitions in just one year. Not too sloppy for a couple of waygooks (foreigners). Thats one word I heard a lot of when walking in the street. Then you know that the locals are talking about you! It's ok though because I quite often heard the word handsome in the same sentence :)
I have also been eating a lot of local foods here. In Korea I've now eaten Blowfish, blood noodles, dried liver, kidneys, lungs and intestines. Then theres the Silkworms, whole crabs (and i mean whole), dog soup, chicken feet and dried squid. But the thing I'm really gonna miss is the Cham Chi Kim Bap- rice and tuna with various vegetables, rolled up in seaweed....one of my favourite foods ever. I really need to learn how to make it when I get back home...I'm gonna struggle without it. I have a picture of it in my album. All meals in Korea also come with a side dish of Kim Chi....which is fermented cabbage... whether it be the leaves or the stalk. Sounds nasty, but is actually really good. Takes about 1 whole day to make. Drinking can be good to. I like the rice wine.....looks like muddy water and doesn't taste of much...but it doesn't half do the job. The soju though can be a bit strong so it's not my favourite...buts it's cheap as chips and about 20% strength....so not all bad.
I should maybe mention the driving here. This country easily has the worst driving i've encountered yet. People seem to go through red lights...(as long as it's safe), barrell down lanes with walls two inches either side from the wing mirrors, or sometimes just drive up on the pavement. Now in fairness, they always seem to avoid accidents. Drivers and pedestrians seem to expect the worst from each other, and drive / walk accordingly. As it is, I now feel very safe when being driven, despite the speeds and conditions and the fact there are never any seatbelts. I even got in a taxi one night and the driver was stinking of alcohol. I could see his eyes closing as he was driving along long stretches of roads. Joanne was freaking out a little but I seemed to find it funny....not that I condone it....but it was a bizarre experience. There was one time Dong Hyun was driving a minibus full of sword holding kids, with no seatbelts, at about 60 miles per hour on the freeway....then proceeded to let go of the steering wheel and reach over to the passenger seat to get some food from Thu, with both hands, for about 6 or 7 seconds, presumably knowing that the van would continue going straight and nothing could possibly happen. Still, it's things like this that make life interesting (or shorter).
Korea isn't really the most beautiful country to look at, but the people and culture are incredible and I am gonna miss being here. I think I'd still prefer a trip back to Japan over Korea, but I'll always have a soft spot for Koreans now.
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