So I was contacted by Mr. Kim from the climbing website about an opportunity to participate in a Korean Culture tour that was being filmed for a documentary by Arirang TV. The deal was that they would pay for me to travel to different places every month as long as they could film it. I figured it would be a good way for me to get out and see the country on someone else's dime.
This past weekend they had a Buddhist temple stay scheduled. We were supposed to go and live the life of a Buddhist monk. I wasn't particularly thrilled about this, but I figured it would be a good experience. I was picked up in Jamsil by the tv crew in a Mini Cooper. This was quite possibly the worst car for them have rented. I had also figured there would be other people besides me going. I found out it was just me and the tv crew.
On the ride to the northeastern part of Korea, I was informed that the temple stay had been cancelled. I figured 'great, I just got into a car with strangers who aren't taking me to where I thought I was going'. They told me we were going to the Hwacheon Sancheoneo Ice Festival and handed me a packet of information.
We got there sometime around noon and stopped somewhere for some lunch. I will spare you the details, but for the whole trip we ate only Korean food. The good part was that we ate at a lot of very good restaurants and I didn't have to pay for any of it.
After lunch we went to the festival. The festival is based around a river that they dam up so that the water freezes. They also focus on a type of trout that is only found in this river. The main draw for the festival is ice fishing on parts of the river. Lucky for me, I was able to participate in the fishing (one of my goals in Korea). What I did not know was to what extent I would be fishing.
The tv crew asked if I would be willing to participate in a bare hands fishing contest. I figure I would be wading in some part of the river with some waders on, trying to catch a fish with my hands, Survivorman-style. This wasn't the case. They had created a pool in the river that they stocked with fish where I was to jump in and try and scare the fish to the wall to grab with my hands. All the while, I am wearing a t-shirt and athletic shorts that were provided for me. The water was ridiculously cold and the fish were very slippery. Unfortunately I was not able to catch a fish.
After drying off and warming up, we set off to go ice fishing. I was excited because I had never been ice fishing, or even walked on a frozen river. We set up around some holes that had been abandoned by less fortunate fishers. The cool thing was that you could tell where the fish were schooling by tracking the screams around the river. As soon as some people started catching fish near me, I started jigging my lure like crazy and ended up gut-hooking a trout. It was pretty exciting lifting the fish out of the water. Everyone gathered around me and congratulated me on the catch.
We stuck around for a little while longer to try and catch more fish, but alas, there were no more hits. We bagged up the fish and headed over to the tents where you could either grill your fish or have it cut up for sushi or sashimi. The line was too long for the cutting, so we decided to grill it. Well, not really. We actually gave my fish to a nice man who had just finished cooking his own fish so that we wouldn't have to wait however long it would take to grill the fish. his fish tasted good, and I can only assume that mine tasted even better because it was bigger, and because I had caught it myself.
When we finished eating, we went out to a part of the river designated for sledding. They had square wooden boards that had two ice skate blades attached that you sat on to sled across the ice. You propelled yourself with two sticks with nails at the bottom that you jammed into the ice and pulled to get moving. I started to get pretty good at it and only managed to scare a few families by almost running over their small children.
Afterwards, we walked around and got some gratuitous walking shots around the festival. I swear I must have done some of the shots like five or six times before we got them right. After that we drove to a hotel to get rested for the next day.
Upon waking, we left for the Pyeongchang Snow Festival. The city of Pyeongchang is most famous for its winter sports venues. It is also known for making several failed bids at the Winter Olympics, but it appears that after getting a steady increase in votes each time around that they may be a lock for the 2018 Winter Olympics.
On the way there, the tv crew had decided they were going to climb a mountain to get some extra shots for the show. I decided to stay in the car because they said it was an hour up and an hour down, plus I had tennis shoes on. So I fell asleep in the car while they trekked on. The funny thing was that it actually took them about two and half hours each way, and on the way up a small snowstorm came through and dropped a few inches of snow on the ground. I woke up in the car with all the windows covered.
After they got back we left for the festival, which was only a ten minute drive away. The snow festival was pretty bland, but the amazing snow sculptures made up for it. I walked around while they got the shots they needed and I took some pictures of the festival. Towards the end of the day I decided I would walk up a hill and tube down a tunnel they had created for the event. The hill was very icy and I almost fell a few times. The ride down was awesome and they got it on film.
I hope that I can get some of the footage, so that one day I can show you some of the stuff I did. In the meantime, I have posted some of my photos on my flickr website at http://www.flickr.com/photos/31272063@N08/
It was a great experience and I hope to go out with them again to more interesting places.
Monday, January 19, 2009
Wednesday, January 14, 2009
Mega Post Part 3
For your viewing pleasure, I am posting pictures of the day I dressed up as Santa for the school. Enjoy:
Tuesday, January 13, 2009
Mega Post Part 2
So I managed to sneak away from Korea for a week during Christmas Break. I flew back to the States on Christmas night, leaving Korea at 6 PM, and with the time zones and the International Date Line and a little bit of Christmas Spirit, I made it to Tampa at 10 PM on Christmas night. My dad and my brother picked me up at the airport.
I got back to Venice a little before midnight and woke my mom up. She started freaking out and crying because she thought something was wrong. I found it hilarious and I am still surprised everyone was able to keep the secret from her. I shared some of the gifts I had brought back and passed out due to the lack of sleep on my 20 hours or so of flying.
It was nice to be with my family after not having seen them for the past three months. For once, it seemed like mom was feeling ok and wasn't having any major health complications (with the exception of being in the process of getting a cold or something). It was also interesting seeing how much bigger my brother has gotten after working out pretty seriously for the past few months. Kind of makes me want to go to the gym more often. It's not like I've been slouching about though, seeing as I have lost 35 pounds in three months.
During my trip I was also able to meet up with some friends, as well as completely miss out on seeing some completely. I managed to see my little brother from my fraternity, my friend Megan, as well as some of my coworkers from Busch Gardens. I also passed out at home instead of going to a party with all my old high school friends, mostly due to some pretty serious jet lag.
One thing I learned while I was back home is that my stomach has definitely changed. I ate some different fried foods and they all upset my stomach. I also can't eat nearly as much as I used to. This in itself is a good thing, but it was upsetting because I didn't have the stomach to eat a lot of the foods I had been craving. (I had to throw this in because my dad pointed out that I talk about food in almost every post and I have to keep up with the tradition)
It was hard to come back to Korea, but it was the right thing to do. I definitely miss my family and friends, but I couldn't help but realize how unhappy I would be at home. Venice is a great place, but I need something more than what it has to offer at this point in my life. It doesn't help that my degree and resume aren't exactly the kinds that are in demand right now, and I would most likely be working in a job out of my field that would not be utilizing my skills. I also wouldn't have the same social life as I have over here. Plus I would completely miss the subway system over here. Still, it is hard to be away from my family and friends.
On my flight home I met a nice man who lives in Guam and has sailed around the world. We had some interesting conversations with the girl seated on my other side, who was visiting family in Thailand and studying to become an epidemiologist. After we landed in Tokyo, the man invited us to come to the Business-Class lounge. It was awesome. They had comfortable seats, free internet, and of course, free food. I got to try some interesting Japanese food, which is something I had never really had before. (More food references)
I managed to fall asleep on the flight from Tokyo to Seoul, which was very surprising. Upon exiting the airport I realized that all the bus ticket windows were closing and I had to run to get the last ticket back to my area. This was huge because the bus ticket is around 12,000 won, whereas a cab ride could have easily been over 80,000 won.
I still have more stories to tell, but this seems like a good ending spot for this post. Goodnight, and goodbye.
I got back to Venice a little before midnight and woke my mom up. She started freaking out and crying because she thought something was wrong. I found it hilarious and I am still surprised everyone was able to keep the secret from her. I shared some of the gifts I had brought back and passed out due to the lack of sleep on my 20 hours or so of flying.
It was nice to be with my family after not having seen them for the past three months. For once, it seemed like mom was feeling ok and wasn't having any major health complications (with the exception of being in the process of getting a cold or something). It was also interesting seeing how much bigger my brother has gotten after working out pretty seriously for the past few months. Kind of makes me want to go to the gym more often. It's not like I've been slouching about though, seeing as I have lost 35 pounds in three months.
During my trip I was also able to meet up with some friends, as well as completely miss out on seeing some completely. I managed to see my little brother from my fraternity, my friend Megan, as well as some of my coworkers from Busch Gardens. I also passed out at home instead of going to a party with all my old high school friends, mostly due to some pretty serious jet lag.
One thing I learned while I was back home is that my stomach has definitely changed. I ate some different fried foods and they all upset my stomach. I also can't eat nearly as much as I used to. This in itself is a good thing, but it was upsetting because I didn't have the stomach to eat a lot of the foods I had been craving. (I had to throw this in because my dad pointed out that I talk about food in almost every post and I have to keep up with the tradition)
It was hard to come back to Korea, but it was the right thing to do. I definitely miss my family and friends, but I couldn't help but realize how unhappy I would be at home. Venice is a great place, but I need something more than what it has to offer at this point in my life. It doesn't help that my degree and resume aren't exactly the kinds that are in demand right now, and I would most likely be working in a job out of my field that would not be utilizing my skills. I also wouldn't have the same social life as I have over here. Plus I would completely miss the subway system over here. Still, it is hard to be away from my family and friends.
On my flight home I met a nice man who lives in Guam and has sailed around the world. We had some interesting conversations with the girl seated on my other side, who was visiting family in Thailand and studying to become an epidemiologist. After we landed in Tokyo, the man invited us to come to the Business-Class lounge. It was awesome. They had comfortable seats, free internet, and of course, free food. I got to try some interesting Japanese food, which is something I had never really had before. (More food references)
I managed to fall asleep on the flight from Tokyo to Seoul, which was very surprising. Upon exiting the airport I realized that all the bus ticket windows were closing and I had to run to get the last ticket back to my area. This was huge because the bus ticket is around 12,000 won, whereas a cab ride could have easily been over 80,000 won.
I still have more stories to tell, but this seems like a good ending spot for this post. Goodnight, and goodbye.
Thursday, January 8, 2009
Mega Post Part 1
So let's see, where did I leave off? I think it was around the time when I decided it would be a great idea to climb a mountain. I went out with the previously mentioned climbing group to Kwanaksan. In Western countries we would normally call a mountain 'Mount Blah-blah-blah', but I guess the 'san' part of the name actually means mountain over here.
I wore my Under Armour shirt, a long sleeve shirt, and my hoodie, as well as jeans and tennis shoes. I had been informed that this mountain would be of the hiking variety, as a opposed to a mountain requiring a significant amount of climbing. I was lied to. Not only was I freezing my butt off, I also was slipping on the thin layers of ice covering the rocks I was trying to cling onto for dear life.
The hike only took us 7 hours to complete (I was originally told it would be 4). We managed to hit 7 peaks along the way and to see a Buddhist temple as well. I have posted some of the pictures below for your enjoyment.
I wore my Under Armour shirt, a long sleeve shirt, and my hoodie, as well as jeans and tennis shoes. I had been informed that this mountain would be of the hiking variety, as a opposed to a mountain requiring a significant amount of climbing. I was lied to. Not only was I freezing my butt off, I also was slipping on the thin layers of ice covering the rocks I was trying to cling onto for dear life.
The hike only took us 7 hours to complete (I was originally told it would be 4). We managed to hit 7 peaks along the way and to see a Buddhist temple as well. I have posted some of the pictures below for your enjoyment.
Wednesday, January 7, 2009
Late night post
I know my last post speaks about me slacking, but this past month has made me enter a higher level of slacking on posting. Do not fret, I have been busy and I will post more on the past months events later.
I just woke up due to loud noises made by the garbage truck making its late night appearance on my street. Now I must sleep so as to have enough energy to both teach tomorrow and post a blog of epic proportions.
I just woke up due to loud noises made by the garbage truck making its late night appearance on my street. Now I must sleep so as to have enough energy to both teach tomorrow and post a blog of epic proportions.
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