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Published: July 21st 2009
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Buddha
The giant Buddha statue in Seoraksan National Park. So it has been ages since I've added anything to my blog, and unlike previous entries I'm not going to attempt to sum everything up for you. This is partly because I can't possibly remember it all, but mainly because I just can't be bothered. Instead I'll try and highlight some of the more memorable experiences and let my photos do the talking. For all my friends who might be reading, I don't have any wild and crazy drunk experiences for you because I've been surprisingly tame these past few months. It's lame I know...I promise I'll do better for my next entry.
Over the Children's Day holiday my gangsta ass bitch Jess and I headed East to Sokcho and Seoraksan National Park for a extended weekend of camping, hiking, and lounging on the beach. One of the main reasons I was making this journey was to visit the not well known (but soon to be I imagine) fishing village of Sinnam. Here is the legend..many moons ago a virgin was swept away by the tide, never to be seen or heard from again. Soon after the fisherman were unable to catch any fish, blaming the lack of swimmers on
Waterfall
Cheonjeyeon Pokpo in Jeju-do. the vanishing lady never being satisfied. So one brave soul decided to step up to the challenge, and "relieved" himself into the ocean. This, of course, was followed by the return of all the fish, leaving the village praising (and obsessed with) the power of the all mighty penis. The village's obsession goes so far that there are apparently penis sculptures all over the village, and they used to have a penis festival until the religious right shut it down. However, I really shouldn't be going on about this considering I never actually made it to the village. We walked around Sokcho (much to the dismay of my companion) for three hours before we finally figured out how to get to the village, and by that time we just couldn't be asked to make the trip. This will definitely be continued.. However, all in all the trip was awesome. Seoraksan is breathtakingly beautiful, the hiking was amazing, and even Sokcho was a good time despite the frigid temperatures of the Sea of Japan.
Another highlight was a much needed weekend trip to the beautiful island of Jeju-do. Often referred to as "Honeymooners Paradise" this island is a godsend being
Lilly Pads
Lilly Pads in Lake Park. only an hour flight from the apartment skyline of Seoul. What made the trip so much better was that Jess finally got her ass in gear and got her Korean drivers license, so we were able to rent a car and just cruise along the coast. We started our trip with a stop at the infamous Loveland, which is by far the most pornographic place in awkwardly shy Korea. It is basically filled with statues in sexual poses and art work bursting with innuendo. It would be a high school kids dream, or anyone with my maturity level for that matter. After that we headed to Manjanggul, the worlds longest set of lava-tube caves. I really wish I had a photo to capture the awesomeness of these caves, but it was far to dark in there, and anyone who is really aching to know can just Google it. Next we hit up Seongsan Illchulbong, which is a huge punchbowl shaped extinct volcano. It only took us about an hour to hike up (and that's with the girls complaining) and the views from the top were amazing. The next day we woke up early to go check out Cheonjeyeon Pokpo, this
Temple
The Buddhist temple in Beautiful Seoraksan. stunningly beautiful waterfall on the Southern part of Jeju, check out the photo. After bumming around on Jungmun Beach for the rest of the day we drove back up through the middle of the island (which surprisingly deserves it's own visit in the future) towards the airport. Anyone who ever comes to Korea must hit up Jeju.
A few weeks ago we decided to be ballsy and go white water rafting and bungee jumping. While I wasn't concerned about the rafting at all, partly because I know that the rapids in Korea aren't worth fuckall, but also because the last time I went rafting was on the White Nile in Uganda. Not to brag or anything but they are the best rapids in the world, and once you've been through that ass kicking no rapids can touch you. However, the scenery was amazing, and worth the trip. The highlight of this weekend was without a doubt bungee jumping. I've been skydiving before, but I don't remember coming as close to pissing myself then as I did this weekend. Naturally, I was talking mad shit until I stepped up to the edge and saw my life flash before my eyes.
Loveland
This one's for my mom who keeps hounding me to update my blog. I may or may not have blacked out mid air, but despite it all it fucking rocked and I would definitely do it again.
A few weekends ago Mudfest rolled into Boryeong and since every person I've met since arriving in Korea has been going on and on about it, I decided to check it out. Let me sum it up for you, it is 95% foreigners, 90% of them are wasted, and everyone is covered in mud. Despite it sounding like a frat party, it is actually a good time. Even if you aren't a party animal you should give it a shot, every experience is what you make it. While we didn't get as crazy as the majority of the others, we all had a great time. The weekend definitely had the potential to get sloppy, but the cold rain kept us in check. However, after closing the night with some norabanging my sidekick Jess and I decided it was a great idea to take this golf cart down the beach path at full speed, with something you might have seen on Jackass soon following.
Other Memorable experiences that I am just too lazy to comment
Jungmun Beach
This is the hidden beach beside Jungmun Beach in Jeju-do, and we had it all to ourselves. on have included: the Seoul World DJ Festival, LG Twins baseball game, the Toilet Museum at Lake Park (LET DOWN), Hiking up Bukhansan, Aiins World, and camping on the beach on Muuido Island.
Since my entry on all my latest tomfoolery is rather short I decided to bless you all with a little number I like to call "Seven Truths of Korea." While every foreigner in Korea's experience is different, and many interpretations can be argued or shot down, these are in fact not interpretations at all, but undoubtedly definite truths.
1.) K-pop rules the country. It is the strongest influence on Korean youth today, and surprisingly, many of the older generations have been hypnotized by it as well. I'm waiting for them to get political and skyrocket G-Dragon up to the presidency.
2.) Buses and taxi drivers will not stop at a red light. Nor will the delivery guys on scooters who are zipping on and off of the sidewalk at the speed of sound.
3.) You can bust out in a full sprint at any time, anywhere, for no reason at all. As it turns out, you don't actually have to be in a
Sunset
Sunset on Muuido Island. hurry to go balls out from one destination to the other.
4.) If you don't say English words with a Korean accent, people will have no idea what you are talking about. Example: Finished = Finishee
5.) Heels are appropriate to wear any time of day, regardless of the season or function. I've heard a lot of people joking about seeing girls wearing heels while hiking, I've seen it. True story.
6.) It is totally OK for a man to call another man handsome, even if you have never spoken to him before in your life.
7.) Ajumma's (old Korean ladies) will knock your ass out. It doesn't matter if you're on the street, grocery store, or standing in line for the subway. They will go for the shoulder check and they will win. Only when you pick yourself up and recover from your ARA (Ajumma Related Accident) will you truly know who is boss.
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