Jeju Island

One of the big items on my to-do list in Korea was visiting Jeju-do. It's considered one of the most beautiful parts of Korea and has fantastic beaches. Unfortunately, the only practical way to get there is by plane. Sure, there's a ferry, but by the time I arrived I would have to turn right back around. I put it off as something I would try to do eventually, since whenever I looked plane tickets seemed to hover around $300.

I was looking at what to do over my summer break (since 3 days in the US was not sufficient for the effort it would take to get there), and decided to look at prices for Jeju flights just to take a break from figuring out my trip to Japan. (Yup, stay tuned, I'm going to Okinawa.) With Coupang, the Korean equivalent of Groupon, my coworker and I found tickets for...drumroll..$116.

Done.

Ideally we would have gone over Memorial Day weekend since it was three days instead of two, but we would have had to pay quite a bit more. We decided on the next weekend instead.

Instead of trying to find a hotel, we decided to crash in saunas. It ended up giving us more flexibility - we decided at the last minute to switch up our itinerary and stay the first night in Seogwipo instead of Jeju-si. It was also significantly cheaper: less than 10 dollars a night each. Granted, we were sleeping on the floor in a community area, but that's nothing new to us. Saunas are our friends. (LonelyPlanet has a lovely guide to Korean bathhouses/saunas that might give a clearer idea of why this is a good budget accommodation.)

Day 1: Going to Jeju!

I have Korean classes every Saturday and Sunday from 9-2. Fortunately, our flight left at 5pm, so I didn't have to miss Saturday's class. As soon as class was over, I booked it out of there and went straight to the airport. I'd never gone through Gimpo before, so I was very curious how different it would be from Incheon.  It definitely has the feel of a smaller airport, but checking in and getting through security was really fast. (Side note: not having to take off your shoes at the airport is wonderful. I've never had to take off my shoes anywhere but the US.) On top of that, since it was a domestic flight, I was a little excited that I could get on a flight without my passport for the first time in years. Obviously I still brought it just in case, but I ended up only ever needing my Korean ID.

Along with many other firsts, this was my first experience with a budget airline. We flew with Jin Air, and I was pretty impressed. Check-in was quick and easy, we got nice seats (you don't get to choose in advance), and everything was clearly marked. Our flight did get delayed by about half an hour, but that was no big deal. There was no screen on the back of the seat in front of me, but unless I'm on a flight that's longer than 6 hours I hardly use that anyway. What I think I liked best, though, was that it felt very relaxed and casual, yet still professional. The Jin Air employees all wore uniform polos or button down shirts with nice jeans and Converse (high tops, of course), and they were all very nice and helpful. I was actually disappointed when our return flight got canceled and we were moved to a Korean Air flight. (Korean Air is Jin Air's parent company and is known for being all-around excellent.)

After we landed in Jeju, we had no checked luggage so we went straight for the bus. The first bus was easy. The second one we waited for took a bit, but it wasn't too bad. The third bus....well, the third bus never showed up. According to the tables we found online, we figured there would have been one or two more buses that were going to the "station" (post on the side of the road) where we got off. Nooope. We sat there for an hour before deciding to just hail a taxi to take us to the sauna.


Day 2: Adventure day!

We got up at 5 a.m., got ready, and left by about 6ish. We caught a bus to the first destination: 천지연폭포/Cheonjiyeon Waterfall. I'm pretty sure that this bus and the first bus we took from the airport were the only ones we didn't have to wait forever for on this trip.

At the waterfall park entrance, we had our first encounter with the dol hareubang (돌 하르방): the famous "stone grandfather" statues.

People say the hats are supposed to look like mushrooms. Yeah...mushrooms. Right.

It was drizzling, so the park was practically empty. There was a small stream with beautifully clear water, and the waterfall at the end was gorgeous. I really wanted to go swimming, but we were short on time (plus I don't think swimming is allowed there, even though I didn't see any signs). My coworker wanted to jump off the top, but I'm not quite brave enough to want to try something that daring. We ended up agreeing that it would be a bad idea, though - the water at the bottom was probably too shallow.

Next stop was Jusangjeolli Cliff (주상절리). It was a long bus ride followed by a bit of a walk to the ticket booth, but once we actually got to see the cliffs...man, it was worth it. The water was a gorgeous emerald color, and the dark color of the volcanic rocks made it pop even more. At first there were just average volcanic cliffs with beautiful water...

...but then we got around the bend in the path and saw what we had come for. Somehow the lava here had naturally formed into hexagons.

Look at that water. Absolutely gorgeous.

I wish there had been a little more space where we could stand and look. Even on a cool, overcast Sunday with near-constant mist/drizzle, there were quite a few people competing for space next to the railings.

After that, it was off to 만장굴 - the lava tubes! We made the long walk back to the bus stop, where we caught the first of three buses we intended to take. Our planned route had us going (roughly) clockwise around the island, from the cliffs to Seogwipo City, from there to Jeju City, and then from Jeju City to the lava tubes. We were the only two people on the bus when we first got on, so the bus driver asked where we were going. I told him, he asked how we were getting there, and he insisted that there must be a faster route. He then proceeded to call the Jeju Island information center, ask them for a better route, and then after the phone call he forwarded me the text message they sent him with directions. We thanked him and took the new route, but halfway through the insanely long bus ride we realized it was a counterclockwise route that had us going for nearly three hours on the same bus. I had deliberately planned on avoiding that route simply because we would be spending so long sitting on the same bus. Oh well.

We finally got off the bus after what felt like forever, and we walked 2km to the lava tubes. Once we got there, we discovered that there were lockers where we could store our backpacks. Score! Then we went down into the cave. As soon as we went below ground level, the temperature dropped dramatically and I found myself wishing for the jacket I left back home in Seoul. It was pretty cool to see all the different parts of the cave and read about how they formed.

This was once an underground river of lava.

Leaving the lava tubes was the biggest bus SNAFU of the whole trip, and that includes the bus that never arrived. We missed the bus to Jeju City by about 5 minutes, and we had to wait an hour for the next one. While we waited, a dude in an OSU shirt walked by and we chatted for a bit before he grabbed a taxi. We thought we were the smart ones for fending off the pushy taxi drivers. The bus finally got there...and it didn't go where we needed it to go. Whaaa? Apparently all the buses with the same number don't actually go the same route. The driver said he would drop us where we needed to transfer, so we figured that would be the end of it. Nope. We had to wait another hour at that stop as well, and we spent a decent chunk of that time trying to figure out if it was even going to show up.

Lesson learned: Jeju buses are ridiculous. You might think you have them all figured out, but that is a lie.

Eventually,after quite a bit of effort, we made it to Jeju City, sat in a Starbucks and charged our phones for a while, and then made our way to that night's sauna for dinner and relaxing.

Day 3: Going home

We thought we woke up in plenty of time to walk to the airport, but we ended up catching a taxi halfway through because we realized there was no way we would be able to walk there in time. Oh well, no big deal. The person at the check-in counter had trouble with our names and how they were processed in the system, but in the end we got our tickets without too much extra trouble. Then we saw the line to check the tickets. Not get through security, just go from the ticketing area to the place where we would go through security. There were probably three different massive travel groups ahead of us, and we started to worry that we might be cutting it close.

We got in line, and I finally learned firsthand why Chinese tourists have a bad reputation. We were waiting in line between the poles and ropes, just like any other reasonable and rule-abiding travelers. The line was double-file, but there was a little space on either side because nobody likes to be squished up against the boundaries and/or other people. Instead of waiting in line properly, a huge Chinese tour group starts pushing through the line. There was space to move? They took it. An orderly line became total anarchy. I ended up getting death stares from an old grandma because I wasn't letting her pass, and then returning those death stares when she eventually managed to barge past me.

Eventually we made it through the line and through security. I picked up a quick breakfast at a convenience store and we waited at the gate. Soon we were joined by a large group of deaf Chinese tourists. The language nerd in me was really excited because sign languages are fascinating and I got to see a non-English one being used in real life and not videos.  On top of that, I figured the previous group must have been the odd group of rude people, so this group was probably much nicer and knew how to queue properly. HA, wrong. Once it was time to board the plane, they were worse than the first group. There was an older Korean family in front of us (in the LINE where you are supposed to WAIT YOUR TURN because that is how queues WORK) and they actually turned around and made a great effort to convey to us that the people being rude were not Korean and this was not how Koreans acted. Seriously, how rude do you have to be to cause locals to turn and try to make sure foreigners don't look at their country poorly because of your behavior?  I'm sure not all Chinese people act like this when they travel, but still, geez...

Despite the delayed flight, my coworker and I still made it back to Seoul in enough time to drop our things at home, change, and relax for a little bit before heading in to work to teach at 1:00. Another nice thing about flying in and out of Gimpo is that it's actually in the city of Seoul and not an hour away in Incheon.

Overall, I had a lot of fun on Jeju Island. I definitely want to go back sometime and actually experience the beaches (and some nice weather), but I don't think I want to rely solely on buses again. That was a nightmare.  My experience with a budget airline was also a pleasant surprise, and I'm much less antsy about my upcoming budget airline flight to Okinawa.

FC Seoul

This past Sunday, I got to see another professional sports game in Seoul - soccer!

It was a special event that I heard about through Facebook: foreigners got discounted tickets, and there were special performances before the game. It sounded fun and was at World Cup Stadium, which is pretty close to my neighborhood, so I figured I'd give it a go.

First of all, the area around the stadium is really nice. There are lovely little parks nearby and it's right next to a stream with a bike path (which I happen to use all the time because it leads straight to the Han River). There's also a movie theater and a grocery store on the lower levels of the stadium, so while I've never actually been to a soccer game here, I've been to the stadium a few times before.

It wasn't exactly packed, but it's October and a bit chilly in the mornings. It also didn't seem to be an important game, so that might have had more to do with it than the weather.  Before the game started, I went ahead and bought an FC Seoul scarf. Why not, show some spirit for the home team, right?

The tickets were open seating, which was nice. We got pretty good seats, but also ended up behind a bunch of super fans. They were standing and cheering the whole time, which was simultaneously fun and annoying. It was cool to have such team spirit right by us, but they kinda impeded my view of the game. Maybe I'm weird, but I go to sports events more for the game than the cheering.

 I was a bit surprised at how few people were there...but then I remembered that the stadium was originally built for a global event. No way would they be able to fill it on a regular basis. I also hear way more from my students about Korean baseball teams than about soccer. Not that I'm complaining - soccer is fun, but baseball is still my favorite.

Everything was going great, but then I managed to lose my phone within the first ten minutes of the game. Go me.  I hit the restroom, went to grab refreshments, and realized when I got back to my seat that I had set my phone down in the bathroom and never picked it up. I went back to find it and it was gone. I used my friend's phone to call it...nobody answered. Worry worry worry, ask for a lost and found, get told there isn't one, walk around with a stadium employee who doesn't really know what to do either, start trying to figure out how the hell I'm supposed to get a new phone...and suddenly the guy I'm walking around with notices some of his coworkers huddled over something: my phone. Woo! Safe and sound.

After that, it was all about the game...ish. I was really amused by the kids behind me, who were screaming like banshees and cursing out the players for this and that. In front of me, there were some really enthusiastic people with flags who knew all the cheers. In particular, there was a drunk dude (who sounded American) and he was kind of obnoxious. His poor Korean friend kept trying to rein him in, but it was a losing battle.  He and another one of his friends (who also sounded American) ended up taking their shirts off in the later part of the game and a lot of people were looking at them really awkwardly. The Koreans they were with told them to put their shirts back on multiple times, but they kept taking them off again. It wasn't even warm out - why did they think it was at all necessary to cheer half-naked? Somebody please explain. (Actually, don't.)

This was actually the first professional soccer game I've ever attended. I always meant to go to a Crew game back in Columbus, but I never ended up doing it. This would definitely be an awesome thing to do with a group of people...why did I never do this in college? WHY? It would have been fantastic!

So, yeah! Good times were had and I would definitely consider doing this again...minus the bit where I lose my phone.

DE 4

I've decided to call the events that my school's director finds and coaxes her foreign teachers into - mostly volunteering and special guided tours - "director's excursions" (DE for short).

The first DE was a trip out to Namhansanseong, which I wrote about in a previous post.  After that was a trip to a palace garden, which also got a post.  A few weeks ago, we went out to a mountain and were part of a campaign to prevent forest fires.  (산불을 예방합시다! <-- I swear I said this, like, a couple hundred times. Never going to forget the words for "forest fire" and "to prevent," that's for damn sure.)This past excursion, we went to North Jeolla Province/Jeollabuk-do (전라북도), which is in the southern area of the peninsula.

We had to be downtown at 8:30, which meant an early morning and a crowded subway ride. Luckily, we already knew basically where we were going, so we didn't have to plan too much extra time into our commute.

When we arrived at the meetup point, we encountered a Vietnamese couple whom we had met on the first DE. It was definitely nice to see some familiar faces, but they were on the other bus so we didn't see them nearly as much this trip as on the other one.

Unfortunately, it was the weekend before Children's Day, so the traffic was insane. We were supposed to arrive around noon and eat lunch right away, but we didn't get there until nearly one and had to eat very quickly. The food was really good, but there was a lot of seafood so I didn't eat very much.  There was an awesome mushroom soup that I really wish I knew how to make, though. Maybe someday I'll find a recipe somewhere.


Right after lunch, we went to see a 농악 (nong-ak) performance.

I was behind a few people, so I couldn't get many pictures (or see very well, actually). Luckily, I had seen something similar before, so I didn't miss too terribly much while I tried to see past the heads in front of me.

After that, we listened to a lecture on Ganggangsullae (강강술래), which is another traditional dance.  We had an interpreter whom we could listen to via headphones, but I did without for most of the lecture just so I could test my Korean ability. I definitely missed out on some things, but I feel like I understood a fair bit about the history of the dance.

Before we went to the hotel, we walked to the local mulberry festival for some special events. We didn't get to spend much time there, but it was still neat to see a local festival in a smaller town instead of just in a part of Seoul.

The hotel was about an hour away (I think...I fell asleep on the bus, to tell the truth), and it was by the ocean.

Yay surprise beach trip!

We only had a little time in the room to clean up before dinner, which was very enjoyable barbecue. There were 6 people to a table, so we sat with our two Vietnamese friends and two of their friends (another Vietnamese couple).  After dinner it was completely dark, and the beach wasn't the long type you can walk along for ages. The plan was to get up early and explore the rocky area under the balcony, but the tide was in when we woke up so there was no way to get there but to swim. Rather than attempt that, we went back to sleep. Still, being by the beach was still awesome, even if there weren't many opportunities to enjoy it.

After breakfast, we took a trip to learn about the Saemangeum Seawall.  It was cloudy, so we couldn't really see much from the center where we learned about the project's construction and the future work that would be done in the area.  We got a tour that explained all about the project (the interpretation was sequential rather than simultaneous this time, so I listened carefully to the original Korean and the translation this time) and learned about the plans to develop the area. The seawall is a really cool accomplishment, but I'm not sure how I feel about the project as a whole. They plan to build a city there that's supposed to be a center for trade or something...but how do you just plan a whole new city and say it's going to be super important? Important cities aren't built up all at once; they just kind of...grow. And then there's all the argument about the environmental impact, which they entirely skimmed over with a couple sentences. I would have liked to hear more about that.  Still, it was a really interesting tour.

Traffic back to Seoul was crazy once again. We had to make multiple stops at rest stations (which are 1000 times better than the ones I've stopped at in the States), and we ended up taking around 6 hours to get home.

Overall, definitely a really awesome event. Each person paid ₩10,000 (~$10 US) for this trip, and that included food, hotel, bus, and all the events. Preeeeetty ridiculously awesome. There were also some fun people that I hope I see again if I get to go on other trips this group puts on.

Cycling!

I've taken multiple bicycle outings since the weather started warming up.

The first one I went out with a coworker and we rented bikes. I'd bought a bike back in fall, but she didn't have one yet.  (That problem has since been remedied.)  We took a train to the other end of town, rented bikes with no fee but a two-hour limit, and rode out to Seoul Forest Park. It was a bit chilly and everything still looked dead, but it was still a very enjoyable ride. I'm really looking forward to returning once everything is a bit greener.

The second time, I set out alone from home on my bike and rode for the trail that starts at Eungam Station and leads all the way to the Han River.  I had no particular end point in mind, which was nice.

I had a great view the whole way.

 

 

I even saw some gorgeous little flowers next to the bike path.

Eventually I made my way to the other side of the river via the Banpo Bridge (반포대교) and tried to figure out the best place to get myself some lunch. I had meant to stop at a kimbap place and pick something up before I hit the trail, but I completely forgot.  Eventually I picked a random side-road and followed it. I had no idea where I was or where I was going, which made me a bit nervous.  I had to keep reminding myself that everything was fine - I could always just ask for directions or use my phone to find the nearest subway station.  Eventually I found a really nice kimbap place, got a roll to go, and took it back to the river.

The wind going back was terrible. It was very strong, very cold, and very annoying. I couldn't feel my hands by the time I got to Yeouido (여의도), where Ingrid was going to meet me.  I ended up hanging out by a river monster while I waited.

It even made sound when you stood in front of it.

We decided it was far too cold to ride all the way back home with no gloves, especially as it was dusk at that point, so we caught the subway back.


Sunday was supposed to hold a trip back to Yeouido for the cherry blossoms, but it was too rainy to be worth it. This weekend ought to have better weather, though, so hopefully I can make it back out for the flowers.

Seoul Lantern Festival

I accidentally ran into this festival while I was out studying (and waiting for Ingrid to finish her walk-a-thon that I managed to worm my way out of by saying I needed to study) and got restless. I left the cafe I was in and wanted to get some fresh air, so I wandered down to nearby Cheonggyecheon (one of my favorite places in the city) and stumbled on an event that I completely forgot was happening.

Other than that random moment of good luck, I have had terrible luck with this festival.  I got some great pictures the first time around despite the crowd, but I really wanted to head down again to try to get a few more.

Attempt number 1: I went out with Ingrid late one night after work and dinner because we both wanted to see the lanterns without all the crowds.  It was below freezing, and when we got downtown it was raining. It was around midnight when we got to the stream, and all of the lanterns were either turned off or gone.  We froze and took a bus home, disappointed.

Attempt number 2: Ingrid and I went out right after work, got dinner together, and headed downtown...but accidentally took the wrong train and then missed our connection once we got going the right way. We got there around 10:55 and found out the hard way that they shut everything off at 11. I did get a few really nice pictures of the fish lanterns, though.

Attempt number 3 is going to be tomorrow after I do some studying and find out where on earth my exam is.  I'm not sure yet if Ingrid will be joining me - she's going to a concert with another friend and might be too tired to make another attempt.

Changdeokgung cultural event

This weekend I went to another cultural event through my school.  The director hears about a lot of these opportunities and promotes them to the foreign teachers.  I really wasn't feeling going to something that started at 9am on a Sunday, but my director caught me while I was developing a video-based course and I was caught off guard so I wasn't able to come up with a reason why I couldn't go.  A few of other teachers got roped into going too, so I wasn't the only one she managed to catch off-guard.

So, at 9am on a Sunday, I was at Changdeokgung Palace (창덕궁).

The event was three musical performances at different locations in the "secret garden" of the palace.  The palace itself was absolutely beautiful, but the secret garden was even better.  Admission to it costs extra, but I highly recommend it. (I got in for free because of the program, though~)

The first performance was near Buyongji Pond (부용지).  We listened to pansori (판소리), which I absolutely love. (If you're interested in listening to a short selection, here's a good one on youtube.)  The piece we listened to was an excerpt from the story of Chunhyang.  There's actually a movie made from the pansori piece, which you can watch with subtitles on youtube.  It includes parts of the song in the movie, which is really cool.

This is Buyongji pond. It's probably a lot prettier in summer when there are plants growing in it, but it was still really beautiful.
 

The pansori performance:

After that, there was a daegeum (대금) performance.  I tried to upload the video that I took, but it's too large for this blog. Here's a youtube video of the same piece by a different performer instead.

I've heard traditional music before, but the only instrument I knew by name was gayageum (가야금). I'd never heard a daegeum solo performance before, and it was really interesting.  I was expecting the clear sound you get out of a metal flute, but there were actually some harsher, buzzier tones as well. 
Once I got over my initial surprise at the change in tone quality, it was actually very beautiful to hear how each different kind of sound was used in the song.

The last performance was a court dance with a musical ensemble.

Surprisingly, the smallest flute was the loudest. Go figure.

After the performances and the tour were over, my coworkers, school director, and the woman from Korea Tourism Organization (the same one who ran the Namhansanseong trip) all went out to lunch in Insadong.  Definitely found a great restaurant to take people to when they come visit!

Overall, even though I had to get up really early in order to do this today and didn't really want to sign up in the first place, I had a great time.  I'm a bit sad that I'm not going to the next event, which is a walk-a-thon in November, but that's right around the time of the TOPIK exam and I'll probably want to do some extra studying.  There will be plenty of other events though~

Costco and Namhansanseong~

This weekend was a tad on the expensive side...but worth it.

Friday night after work I went out clubbing in Gangnam with some friends.  We ran into Ashley, which was nice. I picked the club because she said she would be there and that it was a good place to go.  It was an extremely fun club, and most of us (including me) even got in for free because there was some random dude outside that gave us some bracelets for free entry.  We were out all night - I saw the sunrise on the cab ride home.

Saturday was Costco.  Glorious, glorious, crowded-as-hell Costco.  I was really hoping to find Goldfish or Cheez-its, but I found neither.  I did find some lunch meat, which I am super happy about.  Meat can be a bit expensive here, so I also ended up with some bacon and some chicken breasts.  Pickles are another thing that I got really excited about.  You get pickles as side dishes rather frequently, but they're always sweet pickles. Always. No exceptions.  So when I saw jars of dill pickles, I couldn't resist. My other purchases included enough cheese for an army (I got a little overeager. Oops. I see plenty of grilled cheese in my future) and a giant box of Swiss Miss.

I told myself that I wouldn't be the person who insists on only eating American food, but as I'm writing this post, I'm enjoying a ham and cheese sandwich with some pickles and apples (they were on sale at Emart).  Don't even care.


On Sunday, Ingrid and I went on this touristy cultural thing-a-thing that we signed up for through our school.  UNESCO designated Namhansanseong (남한산성) a world cultural heritage site this past June, so the Korea Tourism Organization set up an event for foreigners.  They took us there by bus, gave us food, and set up events for us to do.  They overbooked it, though, so they asked for five volunteers to separate from the main group and do something else. After some debate, Ingrid and I volunteered.  While what the other group got to do looked like tons of fun as well, we had a great time.


We wore more elaborate hanbok than the ones we tried on at the cafe in Insadong, which was really cool.

 

For comparison, the basic ones we wore in the cafe during Chuseok:

 There were lots and lots of group shots wherever we went.

 

I got to sew a book together, but I still haven't figured out what I want to write in it.

Here we're standing in front of what we would have been doing if we hadn't volunteered to split from the main group.

 We learned about traditional tea ceremonies from these two lovely ladies.

The weekend was an absolute blast, but I was exhausted at work today.  I made it through the day and even forced myself to make a trip to Emart so I could finally get myself a laundry basket.  I'm still working on building up my storage containers and setting up my apartment, but I can definitely see progress being made.