So we have officially been in Korea for a month (we arrived on August 10th and it is now September 10th) and we have been in our permanent apartment for a little less than two weeks. We finally got organized enough to take some pictures so that we could post them on the blog.
Our front door from inside our apartment
View from the front door, you can see the beds and fridge
The "kitchen"
Entrance to the bathroom, good for extra seating if you have guests over...
Sink and shower
Office/Dinning room
Home theater
Our "balcony"/walk in closet/laundry room Washing machine Some views from our many windows A meal that we make often with either chicken or pork. Wrap the meat, onions, peppers and toppings in lettuce and eat up!
A Sprite/ginger ale and Fanta (known as Quanta here). Notice the different can size.
So we have finished our first week of teaching and it went really well.The kids have been pretty good for the most part and we are getting used to the routine and the programs that we are teaching.The days can be pretty hectic with cramming so much into a 40 minute class and then rushing off to the next one.Don and I have both been evaluated by our supervisor and the feedback has been good for both of us.It was a busy week and we were definitely happy when Friday came around!
Grocery store close to our building
These stairs and escalators take you about halfway to ground level
Gusan Subway station platform
On Saturday, Don was invited to go hiking, so he met up with a hiking group and ended up climbing one of the tallest mountain in the Seoul area!I will let him tell you about how it went.
So a friend from work (Brian) asked me if I wanted to go hiking with him on Saturday and being the adventurous person I am I partook. I asked him on Friday how long it was going to be and he said maybe 4 hours, 2 on the way up and 2 on the way down. Apparently it was supposed to be a beginner hike, at least that’s what it said in the email. However, it wasn’t a beginner hike and it ended up lasting 8 hours. A full day of “hiking”, really it was more like mountain climbing.
So Brian and I headed to Mangwolsa Station on the subway at 10 am. We arrived there at about 11:15 and met up with the others from the Facebook hiking group. After letting the organizer know that we were there, we went across the street to get some money and snacks at the local 7 Eleven. As I was paying for my goods and Brian was getting some cash from the ATM, I lost sight of the group, which was across the street. Brian quickly popped his head out to see if he could see where they went and they were about 300m down the street. We then followed in quick pursuit because we didn’t want to get lost before we even started!
Mangwolsa Temple
Buddhist bell
Along the first few kilometres and throughout the rest of the hike we chatted and met new friends who shared in our experiences. We all seemed to fit into one of three groups: English teachers, friends visiting English teachers or Korean Foreigners who have returned to be with family or work. The incline began as sloped pavement and brick, then changed to wooden and rock steps, and finally to steep rocks with metal and rope railings once we reached the top. The climb to the final peak of 740m with the route we took (as there are many) was definitely not a beginner hike but none the less it was a great time. It was a high of about 35oC with moderate humidity and everyone was sweating and constantly wiping their brow, but the vistas were worth it.
Apartment buildings pop up really quickly around here
Taking a break
Brian
We made it to the top, finally, after about 4 hours of climbing and continued to skirt the ridgeline, up and down, until we reached the 740m summit. Along the whole hike we were surrounded by other Korean hikers that were decked out way more than us novice hikers. They had sweat towels, hiking poles, full lunches, etc. I was definitely envious of there preparedness as I was now without water and rationing my few snacks. However, being in a big friendly group we all shared our food and water.
Some well prepared hikers having a picnic
Helicopter pad
A bunker on the top of the mountain
Surprisingly, on the decent, those who braved the entire hike and stayed with the main body were treated to a special homage to Mike, the organizer of these events. This was his last hike, as he was heading to China, and a fellow friend opened up his pack to unveil a fine spread. Wine, champagne, crackers, and hard to find cheeses, feta, goat, and brie all kept cool. It was quite a treat and I and others contributed what we had to share and we all had a nice break.
Mike's going away party
Soon after we were on an easy decline to the bottom, reminiscing of the hike and sharing in who we were and where we were from. I soon left the pack as they headed for supper since I wanted to get home to Nat as she would probably be worried about me, since it wasn’t supposed to take as long as it did. An hour and a half later I was home and with one hell of a story to tell.
On Sunday we decided to head over to the National Museum of Korea.We figured this is a good time since they have free admission and pay day isn’t until next week.We had driven past it on our bus tour but didn’t get a very good look at it.It is huge and the architecture is pretty nice.We took a few pictures both inside and out of the building.
First, we walked around the first floor of the museum which showcases archaeological finds.We found it pretty interesting how some things seem to turn up in many parts of the world and are pretty similar, such as tools and weapons.
After exploring the first floor we were getting hungry so we decided to go in search of the food court.There is a nice cafeteria type food court with very decent prices (total cost with drinks was about $12) close to the entrance of the museum.I ordered rice and curry and Don had pork cutlet, both meals were very yummy.
After lunch we explored the second and third floors of the museum, where there were exhibits of Buddhist paintings and sculpture, life in Vietnam, Japanese and Chinese art, and Calligraphy.There were some really interesting pieces that gave us some insight into Korea and the rest of South East Asia’s history.
Vietnamese fishing traps on a bicycle
Other than our tourist explorations we have also found a couple department stores (E-mart and Kim’s Club), both of which are massive.They are both multi-storied, with between 6 and 9 floors.You can get everything from groceries to clothes to house wares and more.
Almost every car that you see here has signs of having been in an accident, diving is almost like bumper cars, and no one seems to care too much when they smash into someone else. So I was going to write a post about the horrible driving in Seoul (I will never complain about Sudbury drivers again), but then I found a great tongue in cheek article online. So I will just add it here for you to read:
Normal sight of a car driving on the sidewalk
Street Survival in Seoul or: Becoming a Road Scholar
By Curtis Desjardins
Tips for the Motorcycle/Scooter Driver
It's important to wear protective clothing. T-shirts, shorts, and open-toe-sandals would be considered appropriate.
Ride against traffic whenever possible.
If you're not riding on the street, ride on the sidewalks like you damn well own them (pedestrians must make way for YOU; you have the "I'm a motorized vehicle and you're not" rule of right-of-way on your side).
When leaving the sidewalk to ride on the streets (against traffic), make sure you rocket out between two parked cars.
If there are no parked cars in your vicinity, it is perfectly lawful to run pedestrians down at the nearest crosswalk.
Overload the back of your scooter with a heavy, unwieldy package
...and ride one-handed
...while carrying a huge box of take-out food in the other hand
...with your two-year-old daughter standing up in front of you, holding the speedometer to keep her balance
...and don't give her a helmet.
During times of heavy traffic (read: at all times) weave in and out of stationary and slow-moving cars. Removal of any pesky side mirrors getting in your way is expected.
Tips for the Average Driver
First thing: don't let those scooter drivers get away with any of the cheap tricks outlined above. Your car outweighs them by 20 times, so don't take any of their crap.
Change lanes at every opportunity. Don't bother with shoulder checks, that's what mirrors are for (Duh, gee Beav, what's a blind spot?).
Use mirrors for reversing, too.
No parking spaces? Bah. Double park.
Still no parking spaces? Bah. Triple park
Still no parking spaces? Bah. Run over pedestrians on the sidewalk and park over their cooling carcasses (it's their own fault getting in your way; after all, you DO have the car).
U-turn at every given opportunity
...during rush-hour gridlock
...with the widest turn radius you can manage
...and use the sidewalks if you have to.
Keep a cellular phone in your left hand at all times, supergluing it if necessary.
Never use your brakes; it shows weakness. Just lay on the horn and accelerate around the problem.
Those lines on the road? Just very loose guidelines (a "two lane" highway can easily fit three, and even four abreast).
Crosswalks? Just pretty road decorations.
Always pass slower cars on their left side, even if doing so will bring you over the yellow divider.
One-way streets are one-way for everyone but you.
Red light, schmed light, just go whenever you damn well feel like it.
And if you become lost (with Korea's lack of roadsigns and street names this is not a possibility, but an eventuality) stop in the middle of the road and gawk around until you decide that, yes, you are in fact lost
...then flag down another motorist to ask directions, and block up the remaining lane
...and ignore the honking masses behind you, as they shouldn't be in such a hurry anyway. Don't they know "Speed Kills?"
Never wear a seatbelt. Windshields will stop you most of the time.
If a taxi driver insists you wear a seatbelt, GET OUT immediately. Any taxi driver so unsure of his driving is sure to get you killed.
We thought that we would add a subway map to the blog so that everyone can see where we go when we mention certain places. We live closest to the Gusan station which you can see better on the second map; it is found on the brown line also called line 6 on the portion of the line called the Eungam loop. We are hoping to head over to Costco sometime in the near future, it is close to Sangbong station which is on line 7 or the olive green line.
So this may be helpful, but most likely just confusing. But really the subway system has been very easy to navigate and it is very clean and well maintained.
Our front door from inside our apartment
The "kitchen"
Entrance to the bathroom, good for extra seating if you have guests over...
Sink and shower
Office/Dinning room
Home theater
Our "balcony"/walk in closet/laundry room
Washing machine
Some views from our many windows
A meal that we make often with either chicken or pork. Wrap the meat, onions, peppers and toppings in lettuce and eat up!
