Category Archives: Travelling Korea

Dec 9

There is no possible way to sum up the experience of this weekend other then that I am truly living life to the full. So many places, so many amazing people, so many photos and so many different feelings that even though I am dead tired I can’t switch off. As many of you know I plan to write a book, a mix of a memoir, travel experiences and realizations about the cultures I have integrated with. I use facebook and this blog as a place to record snippets so that when life has slowed down I can look back and begin the real story. So here is a snippet of the weekend that was had.

Saturday – Met up with one of my favorite couples in Korea. Alex (my pineapple forever from, dare I saw it, freaking America) and Claire (my lovely Scottish lass), a brilliant, well traveled couple that I am able to have a banter with and speak my mind. We enjoyed Italian that was cooked before our eyes and served with a complimentary glass of wine. Brilliant way to start a weekend I must say and as we paid we were able to gorge on real Haribo gummy bears nom nom nom.

Claire and I then traveled up north to join Chelsea who is involved in The  Women’s Global Solidarity Action Network.  This was a charity event screening of the documentary Red Maria and it was a powerful and moving film.

 

Extract from the event page on facebook

In Korea, Japan and The Philippines, there are many women with diverse jobs and her stories. Among them, this film focuses on women who are called housewives, sex workers, dispatched workers, migrant workers, comfort women, homeless and so on. The camera tracks them as they go about their everyday lives. These women have never met one another, and their lives look quite different from one another. However, their lives are connected across national borders by the one thing they have in common. That’s their bodies and labor. How can such different forms of labor be linked to the women’s bodies in such a similar way? As we search for answers to this question, we are forced to confront another question: ‘the meaning of labor’ as an ideology that is reproduced in society. https://www.facebook.com/events/370272919729052/

Saturday Night – At 6pm the partying started as I choose to partake in SantaCon, an event where hundreds of Santas drink, sing, party hard and walk around Seoul basically shocking the pants off the locals. Tons of fun was had and I’m sure these photos will explain it all!

Sunday – Another early start and another missed lay in but I tell you it was worth it! An almost to good to describe experience in Yangpyeong about an hour east of Seoul with the K food Crew. Hannah, Sungjin, Noe and myself went on a pilgrimage, as Hannah put it,  to try traditional Korean cuisine with a modern twist. Sandang Restaurant set right on a mountain side was a once in a life time experience that bought serenity and calmness to our minds and stomachs! Check it out here http://www.sandang.co.kr/

Here are a few pics, all the relevant info will be in the video that was made today and is currently being edited by the one and only talented Noe. I will post as soon as it is ready.

After a rather sleepy journey back we decided we didn’t want the day to be over just yet so we headed to Apgujeong to seek out Super Dogs that was recently featured on an episode of semipermanent. We were looking forward to the famous hotdogs with real bacon, chili and cheese but blow us down it was closed 😦

We hadn’t walked all that way in the numbing cold for nothing so we found this swanky burger place and ate to our hearts content.

Also came across this gem 🙂

No idea what are why? Oh Korea

If you would like any info on any of the content featured, please leave a comment and I’ll be happy to tell more!

Night xx

 

Nov 5

Apple Festival

“Aww red, so cute” Ok that’s new. On previous trips to my local Gs (dairy) I’ve been told I’m beautiful and have a nice smile but never been told I’m red. Maybe I caught the sun today while out enjoying a beautiful day with my Gangnam friends in the serenity of the country. I collect the litre of water I purchased and make my way up to my apartment as quickly as I can as the box of apples, my bag, the water  and the jacket hanging off my arm are seriously heavy. I open the door, drop my belongings and thankfully flop onto my bed. Trips out of Seoul are always amazing but really take it out of me. Ok, decisions need to be made. I’m wrecked, dead tired, it would be so easy to have an early night but the girls are all having drinks tonight and just recently I’ve developed a fomo! Thanks Kelly for that line, I think it is you that instilled this fear in me, probably because we have so much fun whenever we go out! Yes, as I only have 4 months left in the city and with the close group of friends that are my family here I have a fear of missing out. So the decision is made pretty smartly, I gotta go!

Under the streaming jet of water washing away any thoughts of an early night I glance in the mirror and laugh! There on my check is the cute little cartoon apple that I got painted on my face during the Apple Festival. So that explains the red comment. As the bathroom steams up thoughts come back about the beautiful day that was had today.

The 2012 Chusa Apple Festival was announced on AdventureKorea.com and as soon as I saw that you were able to make your own Apple Pie I was hooked. Oh to bake again how wonderful!

We left Seoul fairy early and headed down country towards our first stop the Sudeoksa Temple. The temple itself is around 1500 years old but I was more interested in walking around in the fresh air taking in the gorgeous autumn foliage and investigating all the fresh produce and cutesy souvenirs that were on offer to buy. It was so refreshing to be amongst nature, hear the streams bubbling away and see the beautiful golden leaves amongst the evergreens. Oh I know that at heart I am a country girl and it took me back to my childhood days in Oratia living in amongst acres of bush. We had an hour to explore the grounds and we came across an unexpected, but amazing art gallery. The building was a contemporary design and seemed out of place on the temple grounds but inside the art captivated me and I was very close to buying a piece. I could talk for pages about the works and how they made me feel but instead have a look at these pics I secretly snapped and I am sure you will see why they resonated with me.

With half an hour before the bus departed and rumbling tumies we started to explore the little shops and came across some treasures that we were quick to snap up. My favourite being a little string bag full of 3D shapes carved from cedar. The smell of the wood alone would have tempted me so the cute shapes of hearts and stars and such meant I just had to have them. I’ve always liked the ideas of small objects being used as warm fuzzies in the classroom and I’m constantly on the search for resources while I travel.  I like the idea that there will be a story behind the various resources that I collect. We snacked on rice crackers that are everywhere in Korea and fascinate newbies by the way they are made.

On the bus with an hour drive to the festival we jammed along to the tv and stereo blasting all of Pys hits. I’m truly over the Gangnam Style song but you just can’t help singing and bopping along to it. I learnt an interesting fact from Lucas (the boy I tutor) He said that Psy designed the beat of the song to be in line with the beat of your heart when you are excited or have just done exercise. Hearing the beat of Gangnam style tricks the heart into thinking it is excited and that’s why it has been so successful as you just can’t help but bop along to it! Interesting huh!

Finally we arrived at the apple fest and had a nice walk through the orchards to get to the area where it was all happening. As there were around a 100 of us from 3 buses we all gathered together to hear about the days activities and then were invited to join in a apple peeling competition. Of course I raised my hand and got picked to represent the kiwis. After introducing ourselves we were given a bloody sharp knife and a minute to get the longest apple peel! I failed miserably as I was so scared that I would cut my hand off but had a lot of fun and was rewarded with a box of apples. ( I was stoked as apples are sooooo expensive in this country!)

The first activity that we got involved with was “Experience Sausage” Lol at the name

Turned out to just be a sausage sizzle but it was amazing nom nom nom!!!!!!

Did I mention that it was as much house beer, Makgeolli and apple wine that you could drink!!!!!! So of course we loaded up on free alcohol and then set off to make some apple pie!!!!

More to come, I’m new to wordpress and I can’t find a way of saving this without posting