Back to Seoul

So I decided to  run off to Seoul for the weekend to get in some dancing. I have to say that although the trip cost roughly $60 return and took between 2h50 and 3h30 each way (I took the bus there (cheaper and more comfortable) and the train home (faster but more expensive)), it was definitely worth it :D.

 This was the view from the mid-route bus stop. It made me think we really need to learn a thing or two about rest-stations in the west!

The station was complete with playground, shopping mall and viewing platform!

I also managed to get some shopping done at the express bus terminal - $15 for a great spring jacket! - before running off to class.

The dance classes at Seoul Tanz are truly fantastic. I took not only an advanced ballet class, but a contemporary jazz class that was phenomenal :). To top it all off, the studio is on the 13th floor of a building in the bustling Sinchon area of Seoul. These are the views from their terrace :).

As dance finished a few hours before I was due to meet up with Minjung, I took the opportunity to wander (read: shop) through the Sinchon and Hongdae areas at their liveliest - on a Saturday night.

Sinchon is really neat and lively, but nothing compared to the backstreets of the Hongik University area (Hongdae). Smalls streets filled with clubs, art, street shops, food, music, hordes of young people and, best of all, amazing buskers!

 Here's the crowd gathered to listen to one of the groups sing.

After a delicious dinner with Minjung's family and a good night's sleep, it was time to hike Gwan Ak San.  Minjung's parents, along with dozens of other athletic Koreans, make the 4 hour hike every weekend, and having seen the views, I can definitely understand why!

 Seoul from the south.

 

 The scores of colourful weekend hikers that can be found on mountains all over the country - proof, in my opion, that hiking should really be named Korea's official national sport.

We also saw some awesome rock climbers and an ancient stone dog on our way up.

While it was a gorgeous day over all, there was still snow and ice at the top, and we did get a few flurry's on the way up.

 

 Also at the top, as with so many mountains in Asia, was a beautiful Buddhist temple. 

  

Post-hike, it was time for some delicious Korean pancake and sea-food soup before hoping on the train back to Gwangju. Amazing.

 

Mountains, Mountains Everywhere!

Although I was initially disappointed by the fact that I live in the flatter region to the west of Gwangju and not closer to the mountains that border the city's eastern rim, I soon realized that "flatter" is an even more relative term than I had ever thought. Not only is everything on a hill here, there are miniature mountains in the middle of everything! (You can see many of these poking up in my hiking photos here.) I was happy to note on the first day of school that one such bump exists right near me and, today, I finally got the opportunity to investigate.

Here is what I found on the top:

It made me so happy! Not only were there mini climbing walls, much like the hill tops in Taiwan and those we encountered on our hike the other weekend, this one had a full out door fitness gym! Unlike the other hilltops mentioned, this one also had two playgrounds, tennis courts and a basketball court! I have no idea how it all fit!

The best part of this discovery, however, had to be the adorable old man who saw me staring at it all in wonder and insisted on teaching me, in Korean of course, how to use all of the apparatuses! It priceless, he wouldn't let me leave until I'd completed all of my sit ups on the bench! 

The Inevitable Food Post

Right, so I've held off this long, but anyone who knows me knows that I love food. Thus far everything has been delicious. Some things I like more than others, but overall, it`s been great - especially, oddly enough, the cafeteria food at my school!

We had our staff dinner the other day however, and I felt there were some dishes that might be of interest.

The first course, delicious steamed seafood :)

 (this is a picture of the pot after we'd half decimated it. Yes, those are oysters lining the bottom, there were more before we got to them!)

The seafood was amazing, as were the two courses (seafood soup and seafood bibimbap (mixed rice) ) that followed. What was most notable for foreigners (or 'waygooks'), were the side dishes. While anyone who's ever had Korean food knows that all meals come with an endless supply of refillable side dishes, I had never had one of these particular side dishes offered to me before.

The upper central dish in this picture is silkworm pupae! Since having them last Friday, I now seem to encounter them everywhere. At street stands. In pubs. You name it, they're there! I have to say that, while they don't taste bad, they're not my favourite. The flavour and texture are really hard to describe. I might do better as I encounter them more and more.

After dinner, it was off to the Norebang (Korean karaoke rooms) for some singing. Sadly, as all of us were wiped out from the school week, we didn't get up to too many antics.

K-League Soccer

Last Weekend a bunch of us got tickets to the season opener for the Gwangju Football Club - Gwangju's K-League (the Korean Professional Soccer League) team.

Gwangju, in their lovely yellow jersey's, were playing the Pohang Steelers - last season's top team. While it wasn't the best soccer I've ever seen in my life, it was a pretty fun game, with Gwangju sneaking in an early first goal and holding off the Steelers for a quite a while before the Steelers managed to tie it up. 

The best part of the game however, was definitely the fans, we were seated beside the Gwangju supporters - and boy do they love their team! They were a lot of fun, singing, shouting, drumming, waving their flags and cavorting with Gwangju's mascotts - two bright orange chickens (I'm not joking).

It was also great to get a change to check out Gwangju's World Cup Stadium, left from when South Korea and Japan jointly hosted the 2002 World Cup. It's a gorgeous open air stadium with really simple elegant lines. I'm definitely a fan.

The only downside to the day was the fact that (despite the glorious sunshine) it was freezing cold! So cold in fact, that it was snowing on my way to the stadium. Now, this wouldn't normally be odd, Korea does get some snow in winter, except for the fact that the day before we'd all been out playing frisbee in our t-shirts!

Hiking!

Although I'm dying to do the day-long hike up Mudeung Mountain on the East side of Gwangju, the weather of late has made such an expedition unlikely. So, rather than hiking the whole mountain, some friends and I decided to head out (in the rain, with their adorably well trained dogs) to hike the trails along some of the smaller ridges leading up to Mudeung.

  

Ettic & Love

Although we all got soaked, it was definitely worth it. We got some spectacular views of the city.

(I would love to point out where I live, however you would have to imagine you could see through the mist in the upper left section of this photo)

Apartments, Korean Style!

Now that I'm all cozily moved into Gwangju (it's so much warmer here than it was in Seoul!), I figured people might want some sense of what a Korean apartment looks like - at least in Gwangju.I'm told we have way more space down here than do those stationed in Seoul.



Entryway


Living area/bedroom with view into kitchen.


Bedroom side of living area.

Kitchen

Appliances

And that's all folks!