http://www.travelblog.org/Bloggers/Stroh/ Travel adventures in journals and photos from Stroh en-us Sun, 20 Dec 2009 20:20:53 +0000 Sun, 20 Dec 2009 20:20:53 +0000 Wow it has been a while since i wrote my last blog. I have done so much since then and have had little time to sit down and write. Truthfully my trial edition of microsoft word has expired and i find myself a bit to lazy to upgrade to something a bit perminant. However here is what i have done in the last few months. Changdeokgung PalaceAs I find new things to see i start to realize that they http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/South-Korea/blog-137269.html Hey all I'm using this blog for two reasons...1 i want to see if you will get a notice this time when i post it cause the last blog i sent a few days ago hasnt notified you and 2 i havent written much more lately so i thought pics would be a good update as i know pictures can at least entertain you a bit in between the blogs. As always...i hope life is treating you all well wherever you might http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/South-Korea/Incheon/blog-122319.html Christmas in KoreaYou would assume that globalization would be a bit of a comfort when traveling or living in a foreign country. The traditions that you hold close to your heart would be the same no matter where you go right Well not when you live in Asia. The times of the year that you instinctively begin to prepare for are not as instinctive when no one around you really cares about your holi http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/South-Korea/Incheon/blog-121661.html With 2007 creeping up on us it's only fitting that I wish everyone a very Merry Christmas and a happy New Year. So much has happened to everyone in the past year. Some of you have been on some crazy adventures others are expecting a new child and a few are going through their final year of school. It doesn't matter what we have planned for the upcoming future but plan to at least have fun and p http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/South-Korea/Incheon/blog-113071.html The real reasonAs more and more friends of mine pour into Korea I wonder how this craze all started. I base it on the principal known as the lsquobutterfly effectrsquo. If you donrsquot already know this effect explains how the flapping of a butterflyrsquos wings can start a hurricane half way across the world. With millions of chain reactions which support and magnify the initial flap pe http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/South-Korea/Incheon/blog-111550.html DanyangAbout a month ago Kristin and I managed to escape the gravitational pull of our city and escaped East to the mountains. A friend of mine that I met on my North Korea trip put a small hiking trip together and invited us along. The area really has no real significance that I know of except that its name is an abbreviation of two Korean words YeonDan and JoYang. The first refers to a hermit http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/South-Korea/blog-110115.html BusanThe most exciting thing about traveling in Korea on the weekends is the anticipation that hovers over you through out your work week. Once Friday FINALLY comes you run home to grab your backpack already packed 3 days ago and jump on a bus only to be stopped down the road by Friday night traffic. As you belt out AHHHH CRAP in your head you put on your head phones and settle in for what http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/South-Korea/blog-108967.html ...update...With the threat of a nuclear attack against the US behind us I figured it would be a good time to come out of hiding to give you all another update. Since I have been settled here I have no longer considered my time here like the vacation as it all seems to be. Korea has now become home that like when I was back in Canada appears to be uneventful and boring. Not necessarily true bu http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/South-Korea/blog-103494.html Korea is the relationship you have always wanted. It has beautiful curves and great scenery that you want to show off but has mood swings wild enough to last months. It gives you crazy and wild unforgettable nights but ends up throwing dirt in your face when you least expect it. This is what makes your time here worth it. Most of my blogs have been mainly about what I have seen during my time h http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/South-Korea/blog-91078.html Fan DeathKorean has its quirks that can make any foreigner laugh. One of these favourite quirks is the concept of death by fan. Forgive me for doing this but I am basically going to copy and paste an excerpt from Wikipedia.com. This site gives a good breakdown of something that most of the population here believes in. I asked a Korean coworker about this ldquotrue factrdquo and he assure http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/South-Korea/Incheon/blog-87046.html As the months have rolled on and each school day behind me I begin to realize how fast my time here has gone by. Irsquove witnessed a proper monsoon season with torrential downpours and a summer heat that can almost be matched by the heat waves that exploded across North America and Europe. But I had yet one special day in mind that will change my time here indefinitely. It has been some time http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/South-Korea/Incheon/blog-87039.html ldquohellip I will explain a few rules. First no taking pictures while on bus. Secondhelliprdquo Our guide spoke with a degree of clearness that I havenrsquot heard yet here from a Korean until now when he began stating the rules of our trip. As he continued to further explain the seriousness of breaking these rules the mood began to set in as to where we were about to go.The Japanese r http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/North-Korea/Kumgangsan/blog-75726.html I haven't thought up anything yet to write about and it has been about 2 weeks since my last entry so i thought i would share some pictures with you instead. The ones that i hope you havent seen already. I did manage to get down to Busan last weekend but nothing really exciting happened to talk about. However i added some photos of the beach there and some of the surrounding land marks and a te http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/South-Korea/blog-67756.html Japan vs. Korea Sake vs. Soju This weekend will mark my 4th week here in Korea. So far I can accredit my time here to a few things late nights white people and fun Korean drunkenness. As some of you might admit to I was basically whisked away to Korea on short or little notice. I was aware of this prospect but I was not aware of the likelihood that I would be leaving without being able http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Japan/Fukuoka/blog-63622.html ldquoSo tender yet strong. How is this prepared Is it always in a souprdquo I inquired. I have been here almost two weeks now and I still havenrsquot grasped the seriousness of my situation. Living in a country where the average height of a female is 168cms and not understanding a word of Korean can create a daunting task for some like me. My first indication as to where I was going happe http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/South-Korea/Incheon/blog-60008.html