My Past Year in Korea (and Japan) - Part 1
Today marks my year-a-versary of living in South Korea (although since I'm posting this two days later, that would actually be a lie), and as such, I have decided that it's time I make a new blog post. Yeah, I kind of gave up on this blog about 7 months ago... but today I will revive it in order to bring all of my (lack of) readers a look back on this past year. I will write about some of the major highlights of my trip, in no particular order. So, without further ado, let's begin. 1. Boryeong Mud Festival
As the cold weather has finally left us over here in Korea (sorry folks back home... that snow will melt eventually... but don't quote me on that) and spring is here to stay, I can't help but start thinking about when I will be able to hit up the beach with a nice big bottle of Cass. As it stands, I only made it out to a beach once last summer (at least when it was nice enough to go swimming), and that was during one of the greatest events of my year thus far (and also my most recent blog post before this one...). The Boryeong Mud Festival is an annual event spanning two weekends, and bringing in a huge amount of foreigners and locals alike. This festival, located right on the beach, contains many different activities that involve getting down and dirty in the mud, as well as live music performance, parades, fireworks, and much more. However, for me, it wasn't just the activities that made it such a wonderful experience, but it was more about the friends I travelled with, and the friends that I made. Oh, and all of the alcohol definitely helped as well...
Taken on the last day of our trip, before we had to catch a bus back so we can go to our non-muddy jobs and carry on with our non-muddy lives with our non-muddy friends... lame.
2. 2014 New Years Ski Trip
This next experience takes us away from the hot weather and sandy beaches to the snowy mountains, and subzero temperatures... yet surprisingly contains more swimming. This past year, I decided to ring in the new year at the Pheonix Park Ski Resort, located in the county of Pyeongchang. No, I didn't say Pyongyang, the capital of North Korea (maybe next New Years?). However, Pyeongchang may still sound familiar to some of you, as it will be the location of the next winter olympics in 2018, where Canada will once again make up for our lack of medals in the summer olympics. Anyways, this trip took place over the span of 4 days and 3 nights, and included way more than just skiing (or in my case, snowboarding). Organized by Adventure Korea, this trip had everything from skiing/snowboarding (leading to the biggest, blackest bruise on my ass ever), a water park (with a lazy river that goes outside into the freezing cold, in which I decided it would be a good idea to hop out of the water and roll in the snow, because why not?), and an ice fishing festival. I must say, one of my most memorable experiences was when I, disappointed by the fact that we didn't catch any fish during the ice fishing part, decided to participate in the bare handed fishing event. Yes, that's exactly what it sounds like. A group of insane individuals throw on a pair of shorts, a t-shirt, and non-fitting water shoes, and when given the signal, hop into the ice cold water in an attempt to grab a fish with your bare hands. Fortunately, I managed to scoop one of those slippery bastards out of the water (at the expense of any feeling in my toes and fingers) and made a delicious meal out of it. Unfortunately, I failed to get the contact info of the person who took a video of me doing it, so I have no proof. Instead, I'll just post a picture from the Adventure Korea Facebook page of other people participating in the event, so you can get an idea of what it was like.
Hundreds of people stand around, bundled up in their warm clothes, watching, and laughing at the fact that they're not you right now.
After the ice fishing festival was over, we proceeded back to the resort where we all prepared to say goodbye to 2013, and welcome 2014. From what i remember (which... may not be a whole lot), the whole night was a blast! From playing drinking games with the Adventure Korea group in our hotel room, to watching the fireworks and seeing the skiers ski down the hill holding torches, to trying to run up on the stage... because why not? Needless to say, it was a great way to ring in the new year!
Yes, that's me in the middle, and yes, I was wearing a Santa Claus hat most of the night.
3. Ulleungdo
As long as I'm talking about my Adventure Korea trips, another one worth mentioning is the first trip I took with them to the beautiful island off the east coast of Korea, Ulleungdo. As far as islands in Korea go, the most famous seems to be Jeju Island (which will be mentioned later on), yet in my opinion, Ulleungdo was superior to Jejudo (which should in no way take away from the beauty that is Jejudo). Ulleungdo is a small, volcanic island with subtropical temperatures, and contains lush forests, warm waters, and really cool rock formations. I went on this trip during the Korean "Thanksgiving" holiday known as Chuseok (추석), and (despite getting sick at the very start of the trip), I had a blast. After a gruelling overnight bus ride and ferry ride, we arrived on the Island of Ulleungo and the fun began. The trip contained bridge jumping, a bus tour, cable cars, waterfalls, and more. The trip also contained an optional hike through the interior of the island, which, despite the fact that I was sick and felt like crap, I decided to do anyways.
I may not look too sick in this picture, but trust me... I felt it.
One of the nicest parts of the island, in my opinion, was the Haengnam Shore Walkway. This is a trail built right along the cliffs of the island, that takes you all along the coast, and made for a great walk. At the end of out walk, we arrived at another town where I tried the freshest fish I had ever had (as in, minutes before I ate it, it was still swimming around).
I couldn't find a picture of the path from my trip, so I stole one from the internet instead... deal with it!
4. Tokyo, Japan
Always longing for more and more raw fish, I took the time during one of my breaks to go to Japan, where my sushi cravings could be satisfied. Although the whole process of getting there was one long headache (booked the flights on the wrong day, lost a ton of money, needed to find new flights, blah blah blah), the whole Japan experience made it well worth it. Tokyo had more than enough to offer for our 5 day trip. While there, we visited temples, checked out the arcades, explored the zoo, and ate more than enough sushi (and it was some of the best damn sushi I'd ever had). When it comes to restaurants, Tokyo has some pretty unique themes for them. They had restaurants made to be like a prison, where they will handcuff you, take you to your cell, and the prison warden waiters will serve you food in lab equipment. They also had robot-themes (of course) restaurants, maid cafes, vampire restaurants, etc. However, my long-term dream of becoming a ninja led us to the Ninja restaurant. Not only does this restaurant contain ninja-servers who try to silently sneak up on you, ninja-themed foods, and secret passages, but the restaurant itself was like a ninja! With a single door that fully blends in with the balck wall, and a tiny sign, we must have walked by the entrance 5 times trying to find the place, before finally asking for help. Another interesting, and unique experience from our Japan trip, was the tuna auction. Since the auction is at super-early-o-clock, and it's first come first serve (pretty much requiring you to get there around 4:00/4:30 am), we didn't bother sleeping before making our way to the auction. Once there, a group leader takes the group into a building, where hundreds of frozen tuna lay on the ground, with part of the tail cut open so the buyers can judge the meat.. The potential buys then walk around looking at the fish, and hacking at the meat with a sort of pick... although I'm not fully sure why. Once the auction ended, we made our way to the closest sushi restaurant to taste some of the delicious tuna for ourselves.
Nothing like a delicious sushi breakfast after staying up all night to watch a tuna auction!
5. Adventurous Eatin'
Although sushi restaurants have become much more common back in North America, many people may still consider eating raw fish to be bizarre and disgusting. If only those people knew just how much more bizarre it could get. If you are reading this blog, I assume you know me personally (and if you don't, then welcome stranger!), and if you know me personally, then you know that I REALLY like food, no matter what it is. Unsurprisingly, this has led me to try some dishes here in Korea that might make some of my family and friends back home a little queasy. In fact, my very first weekend here I had myself a taste of some silkworm pupae, and although I didn't particularly like it (although I have tried it again since, and it has become more enjoyable), that wasn't going to stop me from continuing to try more unique foods. Since living here, I feel as if I've eaten almost every part of the pig and the chicken. I have had chicken feet twice (although I don't really care for it too much), pig feet multiple times (much more delicious), chicken gizzard, pig intestine, and of course the more common stuff such as chicken wings, breast, etc. Although sometimes I just can't be satisfied with this stationary food, and would prefer a food that is a bit more... lively. I'm talking about octopus that is so fresh that those little arms and suckers and still fully active. Although it is possible to get actual LIVE octopus, these guys were by all means dead. However, that doesn't stop the suckers from attaching themselves to the inside of your cheek, or for one of those legs to try crawling out of your mouth. Although it was definitely a fun experience, I didn't find that they had too much flavor, and they were a bit too chewy for me. My last unique dish that I will mention is one that I am not particularly proud of. It is something that I do not support, and I would not put any money towards the dish. That being said, when my friends had already ordered the whale meat, I was willing to try some pieces (and sadly, it was delicious).
The expression "I'm so hungry I could eat a whale" has never been more relevant
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
And thus ends part 1 of my post. I feel like if I put everything in one post, it might have been a bit too overwhelming. Hopefully this post wasn't too long for you. In fact, I think you should give yourself a nice pat on the back for finishing it. If you're having trouble patting your own back, perhaps get a friend or family member to do it for you. It's alright, I don't mind waiting.
........
........
Done? Good! Anyways, part 2 will hopefully be posted soon enough!














