Waking in the Land of the Morning Calm

On the Home Stretch

2009-09-18T19:15:00.002+09:00

With two and a half months of traveling behind me I am looking forward to the cross into Thailand for our last 5 weeks of backpacking. Right now I am in Siem Reap in Northern Cambodia - I've spent the last couple of days exploring the ancient Angkor Temples that were once the epicenter of the Khmer Empire in Southeast Asia. I've been fortunate enough to sit in front of the great Angkor Wat at sunrise among many of my experiences here. With Laos and Vietnam behind us there is still much more that awaits - the monsoon rainforests of eastern Thailand, the lazy charm of Mekong River villages, the vibes of of Pai, Chaing Mei, Chaing Rei, crazyBangkok, and the white sand beaches of the south for some R&R (rock climbing and rest).

Here is the route we have taken so far through southeast Asia: starting in Hanoi south to Ninh Binh, back up to Halong Bay, north to Sapa, into Laos at Tay Trang, following the Nam river south to Muong Khua, Non Khiao, and onto Luang Prabang. From there it was 9 hours north to Luang Namtha for trekking then back down to LP before heading south to Vang Vieng, Vientiane, and Savannakhet. This was our last town before heading back into Vietnam at Hue. The road south took us to Danang, Hoi An, and Nha Trang before catching some cool highland climate in Dalat. Ho Chi Minh was our last destination in Vietnam before moving along into Cambodia as we didn't have the time to get to the Mekong Delta. In Cambodia we moved rather quickly stopping only in Phnom Penh, Battambang and here we are now in Siem Reap.

There has been alot of change in plans as you meet other travelers and things don't always go your way because of time, money, and illogical bus schedules. There are many ways to do the route, this was just our way. If youre not already traveling, I advise to get on the road - there are more people out here than you think. It's easy and undoubtedly inspiring.

Talk soon, justin

All is Well in Vietnam

2009-07-21T20:52:00.002+09:00

It's been a while since updating anything on this blog but I'd like to just take the moment to catch up with the past few weeks. Caitlin and I have arrived in Hanoi, Vietnam on July 6th and we have been travelling around the area for the past two weeks.

So far, we have been to Ninh Binh where we explored Cuc Phuong National Park, Tam Coc Karsts, and some local temples. After that we headed back to Hanoi where we stopped momentarily before visiting our friends from Korea, Matt and Ashley. Matt works as a rockclimbing/adventure guide on Cat Ba Island in Halong Bay. We spent about four days there exploring the Island, the bay and getting to know the locals. We took a private boat out on the bay and did some kayaking under/around/through the giant karsts, tried my will at deep-water soloing on some gnarly cliff faces, learned how to ride a motorbike, and explored a Vietcong secret hospital that was built inside a hidden mountain.

Now we are in the town of Sapa, the northwestern region of Vietnam. Sitting beneath mighty Fansipan, the city is quaint and almost European. With french colonial architecture, a large town plaza, and walkable streets the local charm is attractive. We are enjoying a break from the unbearable weather up here in the mountains and making some good friends among fellow travelers.

We are doing things from early morning to early evening here - there is much to do, new food to be eaten, and great people to get all chummy with. The living is cheap and adventurous if you don't mind forgiving some modern conveniences (like cleanliness). All is well and I will be updating with pictures and stories to come.

Talk soon, Justin.

Out

2009-06-25T12:30:00.004+09:00

Today, Thursday, is my last day of work. After ten months of living and working in Gwangju, South Korea the time has arrived to move onto bigger and better things. For those of you wondering my plans for after SK, here they are:

After packing up my life and either donating it or shipping it home, Caitlin and I will be trekking around South Korea for one more week before departing. We are planning a week long camping trip with our friend Shane starting in the Southeastern islands of the peninsula. We will leave the city of Gwangju on Sunday and head for the island of Geoje-do, just south of Busan. From there we will seek out the private botanical island of Oeido and enjoy some beachfront camping. Next we will head of the eastern coast and to Seoraksan National Park in the Northeastern corner. Beyond some more camping and hiking through beautiful wilderness, we will make our way over to our final destination - Seoul. After saying goodbye to some friends and taking in the last waves of Korean culture over the July 4th weekend, we will depart Korea forever heading for the city of Hanoi in northern Vietnam on July 6th.

The next three months of the summer are still being hashed out but our basic scheme is a three month tour of the Southeast Asia Peninsula. Starting in the north we will do a loop through the uppermost mountain regions of Vietnam and Laos, stopping to checkout major (and not so major) cities along the way, climb Fansipan, explore tropical rainforests, and do a bit of volunteering along the way. From there we will return to Hanoi and head over the Cat Ba Island in Halong Bay to visit our friends Ashley and Matt, who are now living there and working as rockclimbing/adventure guides for a company called SloPony.

After a rendezvous with our good friends the route will continue down the eastern coast of Vietnam stoppig in the likes of Vinh, Hue, Hoi An, Phong Nha - Ke Bang National Park before arrving in Da Lat and Saigon. From there the best way into Cambodia will be a ferry trip up the Mekong River Delta. Pnom Penh and Siem Reap will not be our only stops in the beautiful country of Cambodia as we are sure side trips and travel buddies will come with the wind.

Thailand will be one of our final destinations and we will try to explore as much into the vast country as we can. If time and budget permit, we would like to adventure south towards the Malaysian end of the peninsula. There is still much to figure out along the way but as budget travel permits itself to living by whats cheapest, safest, and most convenient at the time - plans will change. In our experience with traveling the good nature of local people always help guide you in the right direction.

Our departure plans are set for either Bangkok or Kuala Lumpur, depending on which country we are in at the end of our travels. From there I hope to fly into the west coast of the United States, visiting university friends in L.A. then heading up to the Pacific Northwest to see Ryan and Jen, little Jenny, and maybe even baby RJ. If it is possible I would like to check out Vancouver and Portland as possbile places to live and work while I am in the area.

Everyone take a deep breath.

Then its finally back to home. Where I hope to be greeted by family, friends, and mounds of assorted cheeses.

I won't have a computer on the road but there will be many PC Rooms that I will be able to drop a line every now and again to update everyone with progress and pictures. I hope to keep in touch with everyone near and far so I will be using my email more frequently. You can reach me at justinmrazik@gmail.com.

So long for now and take care, Justin

Bogil-do

2009-06-20T19:18:00.003+09:00

Enjoy some photos from our weekend on Bogil-do, one of the southernmost islands stemming from the Korean peninsula.

Jirisan National Park

2009-06-10T23:49:00.013+09:00

Caitlin and I took a weekend trip to Jirisan National Park. The park is absolutely gorgeous, you could spend an entire week there trekking up mountain and through valleys. We did not have the leisure to do the longest walk in the park (65km from western to eastern end) but we did a fair amount of hiking. We covered about 8-9 hours of wilderness hiking in total by the end of the weekend.

We started at Hwaesom-sa temple, worked our way up to Nogodan Peak where we stayed for the night. The following day we took a valley trail down the mountain and ended our day in the little riverside village of Banseon.

Before embarking on the mountain, we were bombarded by a hordette of snacking Korean children at least 20 deep. They spotted us entering the park and were quick to try their "hellos" on us. As soon as one child discovered that we really did speak English and that we really were not form Korea, it wasn't long before we became the new attraction for the entire field trip.

It was their lunchtime so if you can imagine being surrounded by a group of kids all snacking on big, dirty bags of chips and bugles while sucking down pints of sugary red juices you can't help but feel like a sideshow to them. We fielded all types of questions from their little-kid, crumb-encrusted mouths. "Where are you from? Who is your favorite baseball player? Do you like Kimchi? Are you married? Do you like bananas? Is your hair real? " and others...

(there are oranges in my backpack)

Little Kid: "Do you like oranges?"
Me: "Are you going through my backpack?"
Little Kid: (motions away from backpack)

One little girl made Caitlin move her cell phone off of the bench to make room enough to sit next to her. We were being inspected, analyzed by their little Korean minds and their grubby little cheetoh fingers. They left us with the premonition, "you will see a bear today!"

...and up we went.

The mountain was foggy the entire weekend so we weren't fortunate enough to take in the full vistas of Jirisan but we were still gifted with beautiful virgin forests, peculiar natural oddities, and cascading rivers. The variety of trails and maturity of wilderness in this area has made it one of my favorite hiking spots in South Korea.

Upon arrival at Nogodan mountain hut after a somewhat empty hike up we were surprised to see that there were crowds of people at the top that had driven to the peak to spend the night with their families. A wonderful location indeed to do so, but we felt they had cheated the grueling demands of the mountain. Not only that, but we were late to claim a room for the night and didn't have a plan B.

On top of the mountain at 6pm with minimal food and no place to sleep: "So, Mr. Mountain Man Sir, what happens if no room opens up - where can we go?" He replies in broken Konglish, "You...uh...you, uh, must...go down." Ok? We ended up waiting for an hour and a half and a couple slots opened up for us to stay the night, thankfully.

The mountain hut is an interesting experience. There are basically two bunked up platforms, the lower one for men and the upper for women. Visitors sleep side by side beneath the number that you are designated. I was given number "73."

I slept next to an elderly Korean man whom I'd repeatedly wake up with his hand on my face. On the other side, a bulbous rolly-polly whom wreaked of Korean plum wine and couldn't keep his farts to himself. Not to add that you wake up delirious from the piping heat...a wonderful place to sleep. Seriously though, at W7,000 a night - you cannot find a cheaper sleep in Korea.

From Nogodan Peak hiking down the valley the next day was wonderful. The trail down Baemsagol Valley runs almost entirely alongside a cascading river. There are so many places to stop and eat lunch on the middle of a warm, flat rock surrounding yourself with gushing whitewater. This 5 hour hike allows plenty of time to make friends with the teams of Korean hikers. One group of fellow hikers shared with us their lunch of freshly-sliced squid, totori (acorn tofu), sticky bean rice, fish salad, and various types of Kimchi. We left them with a bag of trail mix as thanks.

"In every walk with nature one receives far more than he seeks." -John Muir

If you are planning a trip to Jirisan yourself from Gwangju the bus runs to Gurye about every 30-40 minutes from U-Station, costs about W7,000, and takes 1.5 hours. From Gurye we took a 20 minute shuttle to Hwaeom-sa temple for W1,000. We entered the park from the Southwestern corner of the park at Hwaeom-Sa Temple.

From there, the hike to Nogodan Peak takes about 3.5 hours. If you are planning on staying in one of the Jirisan mountain huts be sure to have a reservation in advance, bring sleeping gear, and any food or cooking equipment you might want. Most information says they provide cooking equipment, but they don't. We had to ask the hut staff to boil us some water just so we could cook noodles. You can rent warm blankets for a chun each, which I recommend - they are very warm. The rooms are also pumped full of heat and the number of sleeping bodies crowded together can make for a sweaty night.

You can hike north through the park and come out the other side at Banseon, where you can catch a shuttle bus to Namwon (about an hour ride, W6,000). From there you can catch a bus back to U-Station. Here is a map of Jirisan:

Trail map of Jirisan National Park. Click on it for a larger view.

More Jirisan Pictures

Green Update

2009-05-27T14:26:00.004+09:00

The sunnier days have made my plants grow at a faster rate than ever before. My large succulent is sprouting all kinds of limbs and the base of the trunk is hardening even more. You can see in just a month's time that the upper limbs are multiplying rapidly and more leaves are appearing with each day.

The avocado below is maturing quickly and the leaves have finally unfolded. They double in size within a week and the stem has quadrupled in size within a fortnight's time.

Sinji-do Beach

2009-05-27T10:05:00.008+09:00

This past weekend a group of us ten large went to the southern coast of the Korean peninsula to enjoy a beach weekend at Sinji-do. The land mass breaks up into a cluster of hundreds of islands in the south so it is simple to find adventure within a couple hours' travel. From Gwangju, you can take a 2 hour bus ride to Wando [W14,000] and then get on a shuttle bus to Sinji-do (Sin-jee-do Beach-ee) for W1,100.

There is a small town that hosts beach goers mostly through the summer but its nicer to get here earlier in the season before the organized hordes of Koreans arrive and take over the coast. It was clear that this beach gets packed as there was a public restroom every 100m down the entire boardwalk. You can camp here if you like but there were so many of us that we rented out two minbaks and spread out on the floor. They only cost W30,000 per night so its the best bet if you have a large group of people without tents.

We brought with us a slew of vegetables, weiners, fruit, and homemade dips to chow on. The minbaks provide mini ranges and refrigerators so its best to bring your own food because the coast towns don't have much but ramen and snacks in their bodegas.

It was cloudy at first but the sky cleared up and we got the best of the beach weather. We met a trio of Italians - Alissio, Fabio, and ???? - that work for a boat engine manufacturer in Mokpo and miss cheese as much as we do. Also, we witnessed a series of Korean families participating in over-organized beach games. This included relay races up and down the beach amongst 50-60 year old Korean men and women dressed in hiking gear. They also played a game in a circle where you hold one leg up in the air and attempt to knock others down with your remaining balance. Quite the show.

Of course we played some of our own games too. Matt devised the literary version of the popular Korean wrestling game, his rendition included a Venn Diagram that each player was required to stay within without being forced out by your opponent. You will get the gist from the pictures.

One of our friends also broke/sprained her ankle going up the stairs and since there were no hospitals open within a 50 mile radius we succumbed to our better resources. She was up and running again with an ankle support made of fishing net and twine. Later I fashioned a crutch from a pine limb and leftover twine.

This upcoming weekend we are saying goodbye to our friends Matt and Ashley as they finish up their year in Gwangju and head to Halong Bay in Vietnam. Matt will be working as a rock climbing guide and Ashley is transforming herself into a an avid adventurer...I mean she's already got the gear for it.

The Italians, Jess Lewis, and a bunch of our other friends will be descending on Gwangju to join in on the festvities...which include a group campfire at the secret pagoda up on our ridge, an international food and talent festival at Honnam University, a Korean body-building competition, final group bike rides along the stream, and a JoEun Villa rooftop yard sale.

One month left on the contract and every weekend is booked.

Sinji-do pictures.

HDR

2009-05-22T17:38:00.005+09:00

This is my first attempt at an HDR Image. The construction site you see in the foreground is a luxury apartment complex that they began putting up around the time I arrived in Korea. You can see that they have no problem putting a couple buildings up at a time, adding to the already-clustered valley of high-rise apartments. I took [then later altered] this picture from the 24th floor of an adjacent complex right across the street.

Miniature Korea

2009-05-18T17:45:00.003+09:00

Here are some photos that I have been working on. I have been experimenting with tilt-shift effects and I think the results are rather enjoyable. Tilt-shift is another way to make it appear that you are taking photos of a small model. If you want to try for yourself, here is a tutorial on how to do it.

This Kid's Name is Tobias

2009-05-03T22:10:00.003+09:00

Alot of the kids that attend Avalon have never had an English name before so there has become the interesting ritual of "naming" our children. In my one elementary class most of the kids are first-time Hogwon students and have yet to be given an English name. There is a traditional name list and a creative name list that you can pass around to the kids and let them pick one. Some of the kids, like Tobias, don't even know where to start when picking an English name so I usually have to choose one for them. There tend to be some unusually named children at our school given the satirical attitude of the foreign teaching staff.

This is Bear. However, the other kids made fun of his name so I took the privilege of changing it to Noah. I think he will grow up to be a virtuous young man.

The kids pictured above are name Tom (green), Steel (back left), and Kyd. Some of the more peculiar names I've come across have been:

Brain
President
Thunder
Star
Guy
Santa
Chalice
D (like the letter)

If any of you are planning to have kids anytime soon...gimme a call. I've got experience identifying children with a proper name.

Octopus Ocellatus

2009-05-01T14:34:00.007+09:00

Since I am destitute of my own mother's home cooking here I have to cop meals off of my Korean friend's mothers. My friend and co-worker, Kihyun, offered to have her mother cook me some of her specialty octopus...I was quick to accept. A week later she showed up at my door with containers full of octopus ocellatus, rice, and kimchi. A meal here wouldn't be complete without a full spread.

Kihyun said she eats this dish with her family regularly.

The octopus is separated in half - tentacles from head - and cleaned. It's then mixed with an assortment of vegetables - mushrooms, carrots, onions, peppers - and cooked in sesame and a spicy red pepper sauce. It leaves the mouth tingling with delight.

Yes, I always take my meals without a shirt on...it gives me a much more primordial experience of eating.
Pictured above is the full culinary ensamble. This photo wouldn't be complete without the unintentional yet aptly placed copy of Michael Pollan's In Defense of Food.

Honam Marathon

2009-04-26T14:29:00.008+09:00

1:39:31 - my final time for the Honam Half Marathon. The race last Sunday was everything I had hoped for. My original goal was to hit 1:45:00,so it was exciting to come in more than 5 minutes faster than what I had planned. The race was fulfilling for many reasons...it was great to bring two months training into fruition, I met some wonderful people, and racing competitively again brought back some good memories of running high school XC.

I thought I would be running alone the day of the race but it wasn't far into the first kilometer before finding a friend. A fellow foreigner pulled up beside me early in the race, introduced himself to me and we stuck a healthy pace together for the first 10 kilometers. Chris (pictured below) is a brewer from South Africa and, along with his wife Daniela, a longtime avid runner.

I shared a brief hello with the couple before the race, thinking to myself that I would see them again later in the day. I was right when he pulled up beside me in the first leg and we enjoyed a short chat. It was good to have Chris' encouragement during the run, it really does help to have a fellow runner push you along...it was good teamwork all the way to the half mark. Chris managed the strength to push ahead, finishing two minutes ahead of my own time. He was nice enough to send me our shared splits the week after the race:

1st km = 4:15

2nd km = 4:30

3rd km = 4:41

4th km = 4:38

5th km = 4:17

6th km = 4:37

7th km = 4:34

8th km = 4:48

9th km = 4:42

10th km = 4:42

Thanks.

I had a bit of worry halfway into the race when I began to cramp up and the pain became crippling. It was one of those awful stitch cramps that gets you in the gut and paralyzes the rest of your body. I had a moment where I thought I had screwed my chances for a good time. After pushing through it and gaining control of my breathing, I managed to catch back up to my original pace. It was helpful to have some of the other racers push me on. Even though there were only 2-3 foreigners in my race, the comradery with the Korean runners was encouraging the entire way.

I thought I was well into two hours when I hit the stadium because the cramp had slowed me down. Quite surprisingly I was well ahead of my mark as I approached the finish line. I ended up hitting halfway at 53 minutes and managed the second leg of the race even faster than the first at 47 minutes...much quicker than I had imagined at the time.

Altogether it was a fulfilling day. The girls - Leah, Caitlin, and Cassandra - had a great run together and we all finished the event on a happy note. This race has inspired me to go for longer distances, adventure out into the countryside more, and set more challenging goals for myself. Perhaps a full marathon, a distance bike journey, or even a transnational walk will be in the books, who knows?....maybe Greg Allen.

I have to give full credit to my lanky British friend, Stuart Beesley, for the beautiful photographs of the day. He really is a nice guy once you get to know him...don't let his dead-person eyes fool you.

Food

2009-04-23T18:19:00.003+09:00

Three upcoming documentaries about the food we eat:

FRESH trailer from ana joanes on Vimeo.

Food Inc. from Jason Cairns on Vimeo.

New Specs

2009-04-20T12:50:00.005+09:00

Check the new rec specs...eye care is wicked cheap in Korea. At home I could buy a new pair of frames, lenses and an eye exam all for about the happy price of 200-250 bucks. Plus, I'd have to wait a week or two for my glasses to be ready...I love complaining...but if/when all of you come to Korea this is the place to upgrade your specs.

I enjoyed an eye exam, prescription lenses, and new frames for 50,000 won (current equivalent of $37USD). Also, since Caitlin and I were such nice customers the optometry staff also decided to offer my frames to me as "service," or as we know it better, "free." This was all put together for us in a matter of fifteen minutes while we enjoyed a cup of juice on the couch and caught up on Christina Aguilera's latest weight gain in Glamour Magazine.

In A Dream

2009-04-15T00:07:00.002+09:00

IN A DREAM: Theatrical Trailer from Herzliya Films on Vimeo.

For anyone familiar with all of the mosaic murals in Philly, here comes a documentary about the man behind them all - Isaiah Zagar

The Long Now

2009-04-13T15:44:00.005+09:00

This is one of my favorite TED Talks and an ideal multidisciplinary design project. Forward-thinking, listening to the natural environment, and working with a cooperative team of highly specialized professionals.

Green Update

2009-04-09T13:31:00.003+09:00

Remember this short little guy? Well, look at him now. Not only has he grown twice in height but he is now morphing into a whole new animal. There are entirely new limbs replicating out of the main stem of the plant. Not only that but the stem is beginning to form a protective bark at the base of the plant. He seems to want to branch out and explore a new axis of life..it may be time for a re-potting soon. How metaphorical?

Caitlin's Granola Bars

2009-04-09T13:28:00.003+09:00

Here are some snaps of Caitlin's latest creation. These homemade granola bars are perfect for a grab out of the ol' pack on your way up the trail...

Wolchulsan II

2009-04-09T12:03:00.008+09:00

Caitlin and I went back to Wolchulsan National Park over the weekend and decided to camp the night instead of heading back to Gwangju. Our original plan was to hike from Dogapsa Temple in the West to Cheonhwangsa in the East (8km, about 5-6 hours) with all of our gear. That plan was quickly fumbled as our jackass taxi driver sped off towards the wrong end of the park. He tried charging us 5,000 won for a 1 minute taxi drive that had us buckled up and hanging on for our lives...when we got out I flashed him the stink-eye and stiffed him with a measely 4,000 won. Prick.

It turns out that he got the best of us, as I later found out that the mouthpiece of my camelback had come loose in his trunk and we would be without a water carrier for the day. We hadn't planned to be on this side of the park and our water was gone so we decided to setup camp on the Cheonhwangsa side of the park, hike the peak, then return the way we came. It worked out much better this way because the course was much steeper than we expected and would have been an unwanted pain with our packs.

Hiking up to Cheonwangbong at 809m is not the highest of peaks but it is certainly one of the most beautiful in Korea. Wolchulsan has some of the craggiest landscape I've seen in any park here and a cool sky bridge to boot. Just before crossing this bridge, we were invited by a troupe of adjumas to share in their Korean feast. It would be rude not to indulge so Caitlin and I were glad to accept some of their mysterious Korean wraps. After being reassured there was no meat inside, Caitlin ate hers only to find that it was oddly crunchy and tasted like putrid fish. She was polite and swallowed even though the taste could have ensued vomit. Caitlin hurried away before losing it to the pavement and tried washing the taste out of her mouth with a granola bar and pumpkin bread snack. The strong taste, however, remained in her mouth for the rest of the day and made for some bouts of queasiness. Gross.

Reaching Cheonwangbong, we snapped some pictures of adjumas at the top then rested with the perky-eared squirrels to have some lunch. We had a pbj and a veggie sandwich, homemade granola bars and bread, and a couple handfuls of cherry tomatoes. From up here you could see Yeongam to the north (where we arrived by bus), spreads of rice fields, and the descending western trail to Dogapsa. After a brief lunch we gathered our things and headed down the valley path before Caitlin would lose full circulation in her fingers. The peaks and valleys here and very windy and can make your extremedies rather numb.

Tempted..hell, you couldn't stop me from calling it a "bread-shaped" rock.

During the descent we came across a disappointing, dried-up waterfall, a rock that looked like a "book," and caught a pack of climbers ascending the main ridge up from the valley floor. Upon returning to our campsite, I found that a family of Koreans had taken over my fire pit and were using all of the wood I had collected that day. Naturally unphased by the situation, I gathered more wood and had a blaze aset in our new pit within two shakes of a kitten's whiskers. We spent the night enjoying my favorite Korean beverage, Makgeolli, eating cream-filled cookies, and throwing wood on our amazing fire.

Koreans camp much different than we do. They do not have open-flame fires or pitch their tents right on the ground. Rather, the campsite was contained and manicured, allowing for tents only to be setup on designated platforms and lacked any fire pits. All of the other campers had with them portable stoves and cookware for making elaborate Korean feasts and early-morning noodle dishes. We even one spotted one group of campers had their kids glued to a television set inside of their family tent. Caitlin and I opted to setup camp away from the buzz, constructed amazingly complex bench structures, and enjoyed an unweilding American fire.

If you are coming from Gwangju, you can catch a direct bus from U-Terminal to Yeongam for 6,000 won that takes about an hour. From Yeongam, you can ride a shuttle or a taxi to either end of the park. There are many labeled trails to the peak from either side, tea fields, temples..there is also a hot spring just north of the city and a rock climbing gym in the area.

Here is a park map for those of you planning to go hiking here.

More pictures from our weekend in Wolchulsan are here.

Top Eleven List

2009-03-31T16:32:00.008+09:00

Here are a list of movies that I want to see in 2009, 10, and 11:

1. The Fantastic Mr. Fox stop-motion directed by Wes Anderson, based on Road Dahl's children's book.

2. Severed Ways: the Norse Discovery of America set entirely in North American Woodlands, the story of two stranded vikings in the new world.

3. 9 Animated film produced by Tim Burton.

4. Tokyo! Three directors: Michel Gondry, Leos Carax, Bong Joon-Ho.

5. Tyson starring Mike Tyson.

6. Where the Wild Things Are Childhood favorite, director Spike Jonez.

7. Daytime Drinking Foreign comedy about the Korean drinking culture.

8. Public Enemies Gangster flick directed by Michael Mann. We all have a crush on Johnny Depp and crazyhorse Christian Bale.

9. Alice in Wonderland (2010) directed by Tim Burton.

10. Pee Wee's Playhouse (2011) Paul Reubens is back.

11. Arrested Developmen t (2010) original cast.

Bali II

2009-03-31T10:35:00.002+09:00

Believe it or not, more photos from Bali.

Bali + Lombok

2009-03-31T00:08:00.003+09:00

The photos are up from our venture into Bali.

My Dad and a Horseshoe Crab

2009-03-20T10:03:00.002+09:00

My Dad and a Heron

2009-03-20T09:59:00.005+09:00

2009 Honam Half Marathon

2009-03-19T23:43:00.012+09:00

20K

Exactly one month from today is the Honam International Marathon in Gwangju. I'm not hunting for the full length, but I am signed up and in training for the half marathon (20k). The race is a 13.1 mile loop that begins and ends at the Gwangju World Cup Stadium. I mapped out the route today on run.com. (click the satellite button for a better look)

I like this site because it has helped me map out new running routes in unfamiliar territory. I've got my local spread pretty much down pat because of it. You can also peruse some of my other favorite loops in and around Gwangju on the same site.

Caitlin is signed up to run the 5k race (3.1 miles) on the same day with Leah Potluck Dinner. She will be adorned with sparkling tights and a cape. Everyone should come.

Phillies in Korea

2009-03-17T13:30:00.003+09:00

I stopped going into this men's clothing store downtown because a creepy korean employee that wears too much makeup always followed me around inside. No matter how many times I see this girl she always asks me if I am a foreigner and then tries to get me to kiss her hand. Even if I ignore her, she continues to follow me and stands uncomfortably close. The store sometimes smells like vomit and her presence makes me feel sick to my stomach, so I don't go in there much.

But the other day was lucky enough to find the store surprisingly clean and devoid of creepo girl so I perused some of their new gear. I came across this little number. If you can't read it, the shirt says: "1000 Champs. Game Over. We Win. Pennant Race." Simply put.

Damyang Bamboo Forest

2009-03-12T09:40:00.006+09:00

One of the closest places to visit if you are living in Gwangju is the Damyang Bamboo forest. You can catch a direct bus from the Gwangju Terminal and it takes just 30-40 minutes to arrive. Jeollanam-Do (my province) is home to the the largest concentration of bamboo in South Korea and Damyang accounts for about 70% of that population. Many bamboo craftsmen still live in this area and much of the surrounding county survives off of their product.

The Koreans called us "crazy" for going outside on a rainy day, but we did it any way...these were the same Korean friends that suggest I have crampons to go for a short day hike in February. pshhh.

The village might have been fake but Milkis is a real boy.

Anyway, the paths were muddy but it was cool being surrounded by a thick forest of bamboo. Bamboo grows even larger than this, but many of the stalks we saw reached 6 inches in diameter and were 30-50 feet high. Pretty impressive for a grass. There was also this cool little eco-center full of wild plants, succulents, and bonsai trees. Also, on the back side of the forest, there was a traditional village in the process of being built. It was fake, of course, and is only being built to draw more visitors. Still nice, there are some close-up pics of the joinery used to put together a traditional roof and tea house structure.

Right before the entrance to the forest park there is a bamboo market. I am sure that people sell stuff almost every weekend but the entire market is open on days ending in the numeral 2 or 7. We went on February 22nd, a Sunday, and the main Bamboo vendor was open but we suspect there was more that we missed because we went late. My guidebook says the markets stays up from 7am-12 noon. Guidebooks. I bought a Korean dice game made from bamboo stalks..it probably looks alot more fun than it really is.

I'm realizing now that I didn't get any pictures of the actual bamboo...picture fail.

Here are the rest of the pictures from the day.

Wolchulsan National Park

2009-03-03T13:41:00.007+09:00

The weather has been getting better so we took a day trip down to Wolchulsan National Park to do some hiking and get those legs going again. To get to Wolchulsan from the Gwangju U-Station, take a bus to Yeongam. It is about an hour trip and costs W6,000. From Yeongam Terminal there is a bus that leaves every 20 minutes that will take you to the base of the park and only costs a chun. Admission to the park is W2,000.

Before going into the park, there is a street of cozy little restaurants that are great for a pre-hike snack or post-adventure chowdown. There is also a great two-story temple at the base that was built in the 1400s and they are still building newer structures in the surrounding area. The park was spread out very nicely and it wasn't too crowded this time of year.

The hike turned out to be one of our favorites so far in Korea. Although we got on the trail later than planned and the Koreans were all on their way down as we ascended, the hike was both gratifying and beautiful.

Wolchulsan is a craggy area with huge rocky outcroppings and sheer dropoffs upon the ridge. The forest peters out towards the top and tall grasses grow at the ridge summit. We later found out that the top had been wooded but it all burnt down and grass had grown in its place. It felt like being on top of a large dune and we were approaching the ocean.

The sun was setting and the wind had picked up once we reached the top so our time was short before heading back down. We were lucky enough to catch them sounding off the temple's evening gong just as we were leaving the park. With a mountain mist settling in, the ochre sun going down and the sound of the gong bellowing into the distance it made for a peaceful exit to the day's hike.

There are not many but you can catch the rest of the photos here.

Cupid

2009-02-19T14:16:00.004+09:00

Some snapshots from the Valentine's Weekend.

Hosang Park

2009-02-16T16:33:00.005+09:00

I came across some great shots by Korean photographer, Hosang Park. The title of this collection is "A Square" and he aims to reveal what he calls the "band-aid of nature" in areas of high-density development.

I like these photos because I see these parks everywhere in Korea. Public parks, apartment complexes, and rest areas in Korea are built very quickly and all seem to embody similiar physical and spatial elements. These places are usually overdesigned and crammed full of visual data in what Park describes as "landscape as signage:"

"their presence in Korea is both a reassurance and an investment: the trees, paths, and water features, no matter how artificial, push up property prices by providing an implicit guarantee of the 'environmental' benefits of a place where they belong...crammed together as visual shorthand for endless leisure. They are landscape as signage, a placeholder for the possibilities of a park."

Check out the rest of Park's photographs here.

Sepak Takraw

2009-02-16T13:48:00.008+09:00

Sepak Takraw is a popular game played in South Korea and much of Southeast Asia. It is played with 3-4 players on either side of the court and is pretty much a combination of soccer and volleyball. You can only use your feet and your team gets three hits to kick the ball onto the other side.

We caught these guys playing at the courts in Citizens Park in SangMu. They were not as hardcore as some of the Thai players in the video below, but its fun to play and requires alot of flying spin kicks. It's unfortunate that I only have a limited supply of flying spin kicks or else I would be awesome at this game. I rarely dish one out, only if I am in an emergency situation or someone is mean muggin' me.

Shane made the mistake of wearing the Koala Hat not knowing this little kid was going to beat him up for copying his outfit.

Halfway

2009-02-16T13:26:00.003+09:00

Five months down. Five to go.

Phillies Spring Training

2009-02-16T11:30:00.003+09:00

My dad has just informed me that the 2008 World Champion Philadelphia Phillies started their Spring Training schedule at Bright House Field in Clearwater, FL. To get you back into the spirit of the game, here is a picture of my phanatic mother at the final game of the World Series with her handmade rally poster. She's 5'2".

Korean Ginger Tea

2009-02-10T14:47:00.005+09:00

I tried my hand at making the Korean ginger & cinnamon tea that is commonly served here as an after-dinner drink. After eating fermented kimchi, savory soups, spicy red sauce, and cooked vegetables this is a sweet drink to cleanse your mouth. It is served cold and has a nice cinnamon taste to it with a kick of ginger that gets you in the throat. This is why it also good to drink warm when you have a sore throat or cough.

I added jujubes in addition to the cinnamon [kyepi], ginger root, and pine nut garnish. You have to break up the cinnamon stick, peel and slice the ginger, and chop the jujube before adding them to water and bringing it to a boil. Then you let it simmer on low heat for about 25-30 minutes before taking off the range and allowing the liquid to cool. While it is still warm you can add honey or sugar to sweeten [I prefer honey]. I also sliced up some asian pear and added it to the liquid before putting it in the fridge to cool so that some extra fruity sweetness would seep in.

Biking the Gwangju Stream

2009-02-03T23:36:00.012+09:00

The weather on Saturday hit the 50s so we went for a lil spin around Gwangju. Here is a video while riding next to the Gwangju Stream. The path curls around the entire city and we can ride from our Dong to Sangmu [where Leah and Stu live] in less than an hour.

Down the path we stumbled upon Kite Man. He was in the middle of releasing what must have been close to 800m [half mile] worth of strand. Half of the kites were birds and the other were diamonds. He would release one kite about every 15 seconds from a box at his feet. The entire span of the kites reached up and over the roof of the city. It was something spectacular to watch and one of those moments you only get once.

Happening upon Kite Man.

"Hey...that's my box of kites."

Check out the rest of the bike adventure and Kite Man photos here.

EMart: A Shopping Trip

2009-01-29T11:11:00.008+09:00

EMart is the largest retailer in South Korea. It is almost the equivalent of the American Wal Mart or Target but not nearly as obnoxious or filled with junk...so, its actually nothing like Wal Mart. EMart carries everything from home goods, electronics and apparel to live king crabs and mechanical pencil refills. They have an expansive food and grocery section in the basement floor that Caitlin and I take advantage of for our weekly restock.

Here is one grocery trip's worth of the typical items we pick up on a weekly basis...you can see that a lot of the same things are available here as in an American grocery store. I also put this picture up to prove to my mom that, yes, they do have eggs in Korea. Gwangju is the fifth largest city in South Korea and is largely developed. However, according to Google Maps, EMart has yet to be built and the now-highly-recreational park across the street is still just tampered soil.

We typically get our fruit and vegetables from the outdoor market, but during this time of year the pickings are a bit slim [nor does the market have a fine wine selection]...

Of course, any trip home from the market would not be complete without utilizing the highly efficient Korean bag-sharing method...

Just one last tidbit of information...while looking up grocery stores on Wikipedia, I found that although many American grocery stores donate their leftover food "the USDA estimates that 27% of food is lost annually." Shameful, yes, but we can all help change the way our food systems work...in the words of Michael Pollan, "Eat real food, not too much, mostly plants."

... you could also sign this petition for Food Deomocracy Now.

Caitlin's Eats

2009-01-29T09:19:00.007+09:00

Here is a glimpse at Caitlin's awesome granola-making skills. I like to think of her as being in perpetual gatherer mode because her dietary intake consists mainly of leaves, nuts and berries. Whenever we go hiking, I often have to stop and wait for her to finish gnawing on the local flora and fauna before moving onto higher ground.

The general uncertainty of Korean ingredients and overall lack of oats and grains in the food system has brought Caitlin to a whole new level of nutritional self-sufficiency...

Oats, toasted pecans, cashews, sunflower seeds, dried cranberries, raisins, coconut, honey...

I didn't ask her to pose like that.

Seoul: Lunar New Year

2009-01-27T17:13:00.016+09:00

The Lunar New Year is an important time of the year for Koreans to migrate to their hometowns and spend time with their families. The Korean New Year is celebrated on January 26th and we were given both Monday and Tuesday off in recognition of the holiday. While everyone else is with their families and departing the large cities, the foreigners (us) took the four day weekend to trek it up to Seoul to enjoy some good food, diversity, and relaxation.

Caitlin's school had an extra day off on Friday so she took the bus up early to hang out in Incheon where there is a ceramics village and hot springs. I came up with the Avalon crew the following day on Korea's high-speed rail, the KTX. This high-speed train hits a maximum of 350 kph [217mph] but is not allowed to go more than 300 kph [186 mph] with passengers. They display the speed on a video screen inside the cabin and I only saw it hit about 284 kph [176 mph] at the max.

Although its not the fastest train in the world, like the French [574.8 kph] or Japanese Maglev [500 kph], it only took 2.5 hours to go from Gwangju to Seoul. This trip usually takes 3-4 hours, depending on weather and how much soju the driver has had. The train was quiet, comfortable and quick. They also do it right with their service here; you can get a beverage or snack on board for the same price [1W] as you would in a bodega. A bottle of water doesn't cost 6 bucks like it would on a train or airline in the states. The cost of this train rides is 38,000W [$ 27 USD].

The train ride up was snowy and felt like the Polar Express as we whizzed through a snowy Korean countryside. I was waiting for Tom Hanks to come through, punch my ticket and whisper something magical in my ear. Instead, I watched music videos with Lisa [including one of my all-time favorite animated shorts, Pixar's Boundin' ], read Matt's copy of the Economist, then fell asleep. Arriving in Seoul, the weather was about 10 degrees colder than Gwangju and a bit windier, similar to the 4-hour climate difference between Philly and Syracuse.

Pixar's Boundin'

The priority for the weekend quickly became food. We started with lunch, dinner, and the following breakfast with Mexican. For those of your visiting Seoul, we went to Dos Tacos in Hongdae [Hongik University metro stop] and On the Border, just one stop to the east. Later that night we went to Black Sheep, an "organic" Italian fusion restaurant. The food was good, but a bit costly and the service was poor. They also didn't have the first two things that I ordered, pasta and chianti, so half of the menu choices were eliminated. Buuut, they did give us a deck of Guinness playing cards on our way out.

The next day we sought out [Caitlin sought out] a place to get brunch in Itaewon. Because of her clairvoyant navigational senses, we were able to find the Flying Pan. Run by two Korean sisters, this cafe/restaurant makes its own bread and serves up some of the best eggs, french toast, pancakes, salads, herb-infused sausages, and decadent cake I have ever tasted. This was not only the best restaurant I went to in Seoul but perhaps one of the best restaurants I have ever been to. It was so delicious that Caitlin and I went back that night for dinner before heading back to Gwangju.

If you want to find the Flying Pan restaurant, take the metro to the Itaewon stop. Stay on the left-hand side of the main drag and make another left just after the Hamilton Hotel. The restaurant is below ground on the right, just keep an eye out for their sign...

The Flying Pan
Open 9 am to 8 pm Monday to Saturday
10:30 am to 5 pm Sundays
736-5 Hannam 2 Dong
[Reviews here, here, and here]

Seoul Subway Map

We explored a bunch of new places we had never been to in Seoul and managed to find some worthwhile nooks [Gwangju wouldn't even know what to do with a nook if it knew what one was]. We went to a cool Japanese Sake restaurant, a tea house that has birds flying around inside, and a bar small enough for ten people called Vinyl that serves their drinks in plastic bags. They have cheap mixed drinks, excellent wheat beers, and good music.

The lax public drinking laws in Korea are exemplified by Vinyl's drinks-to-go takeout window.

Vinyl

From the Hangik University metro stop, head up towards the main gate of the university and make a right. From there, walk down 5 minutes or so and you will see Vinyl on your right [it has a big robot].

At the bird tea house, you can get your own little cubby and sit amongst chirping little finches while sipping on warm jujube tea. A cup of tea runs about 6,000W but is definitely worth the flavor and environment. The bird cafe is located in Insa-dong, [get off at Anguk metro stop on the orange line] it is called The Old Cafe and is located down a little alleyway. You just have to keep an eye out for a sign with a bird on it.

We also managed to see a techno fashion show, dance our faces off in an 70s urban-chique owl club, try seven different kinds of canadian-brewed beers, and watch a Manchester United match on our hotel room [I don't have a TV in my apartment, this is huge].

All-in-all we found some of our new favorite hangouts in Seoul. Although the city is massive [metropolitan population of over 10 million], it is easy to navigate as long as you are savvy with the subway map.

The rest of the photos from our Seoul extravaganza can be viewed here.

...Aaaand, if I haven't bored your face off already and you are suffering from bad air quality in your office cubicle, here is some more web content to petrify your skull.

I Love Pretzels

2009-01-18T19:18:00.010+09:00

I crave pretzels, soft and crunchy-sourdough, more than anything else here. Sometimes I daydream of covering a warm, braided soft pretzel with mustard and sharing it with no one. Selfish, yes, but they are the perfect snack and the best lunch substitute known to my mouth.

Fortunately, my brother Ryan and his delicate-lotus-flower-of-a-wife, Jen, sent me a package containing, among other things, a 1.5 pound pack of Amish Pantry Dutch Soft Pretzel Mix. This is enough to make anywhere from 6-10 soft pretzels, depending on your rolling technique and size preference. Caitlin and I made the dough and rationed half of it into the freezer for later. We managed four delicious pretzels: one salted, one garlic, another Italian-seasoned, and the last was brushed with a mix of warm butter and salt.

They were delicious.

We could tell that this was the real thing because, after saving one for the following day, the pretzel got doughier and crinkly (just like those from downtown) after sitting through the night. The salvation to my Philly-cravings:

This is our little toaster oven. It can manage small baking jobs, bagels, toast, roasting nuts, granola, vegetable melts, and the occasional nacho plate.

The little gangly one that looks like its out of a Tim Burton flick is mine, the nicely-proportioned and well-seasoned guy if of Caitlin's doing.

Bam! Finished product

A week after making these I went back to the foreign grocery store and picked up The Six Pound Bag of mini pretzels. The last bag we got lasted about two months...we will see how long this one sticks around.

I love pretzels and so should you.

Urban Reconnaissance

2009-01-15T12:42:00.005+09:00

One of my favorite things to do in any new city that I live in is to snap photos of the local urban hardware. With a background in Industrial Design and a love for geometric compositions, it has almost become an anthropological mission of mine to capture visual data of the physical makeup of cities. What Gwangju lacks in architectural beauty, it makes up for with an almost scathed and honest culturally-raw urban skin. All cities share in these personal-but-public, functional aesthetic cues that let us deeper into the city's vein. Here is a morning's worth of some of my findings...

Papas Got A Brand New Bike

2009-01-15T12:04:00.008+09:00

I gave up hunting down the scoundrel that yanked my bike and decided to move on to better things. I picked up this stealth, new Lespo at the same place that I bought my first bike. After some quick detailing and technical adjustments, she is now ready to tear up the mean streets of Gwangju. Although I am sad that my first bike is long gone...this newbie has gifted me with an overall better ride. The gears transition more smoothly, the broad seat offers more cushioning so that I can tackle those rough n' bumpy parts of town, and the matte-black finish grants me stealth whenever I am engaged in hot pursuit during our bi-weekly "cops n' robbers" tournaments (Tuesday and Thursday nights, 11pm -2am, Bongseon-Dong, losers make breakfast).

It will be nice once the spring comes so that we can enjoy lazy bike adventures up and down the stream path once again. So far everyone in our neighborhood has a bike, excluding Milkis, who knows when that kid will get in the loop?

Haircut

2009-01-15T11:54:00.002+09:00

Same sweatshirt...new haircut.

New Photos

2009-01-14T11:45:00.003+09:00

Sorry I haven't updated in a while...I put up some new photos for you to gander through. Pictures from Christmas Day are here and New Years can be found riiiiiiight here.

I will be throwing up some new posts in the next couple of days so keep your eyes peeled.

Things Are Getting Hairier

2008-12-29T10:47:00.005+09:00

Look how much I've changed since arriving in Korea in September. Am I finally becoming a man or just getting hairier? Most likely the latter...

Green Update

2008-12-29T10:20:00.004+09:00

Sure enough, the Kumquat seeds have made their way into the soil. I decided to plant them with haste because I read that citrus seeds, unlike most other seeds, have to be planted immediately into damp, pressed soil so they do not dry out. The key to growing these guys is keeping them moist at all times. Kumquats are generally not grown from seeds but are more commonly grafted onto orange trees in places like China and Japan. The kumquat can be eaten whole, candied, or made into a marmalade. Let's see how they do.

Here are a few dried avocado skins. They have shriveled and hardened to form some nice organic shapes. I haven't come up with a use for them yet but I think they could be made into some nice handmade jewelry or painted ornaments.

Green Update

2008-12-28T23:58:00.007+09:00

One of the persimmon seeds that I began germinating more than a month ago has finally lifted its head and emerged from the soil. The seedling has grown about three inches in just two days. There are two more seeds on the way but they are still keeping warm beneath the soil.

In other good news, my succulent has been budding for the past week and it should bloom any day now. This guy has shown plenty of new growth within the month of December and I expect it will grow well through the winter.

Aaaaalso, I went grocery shopping today at Lotte Mart and they had Kumquats in the produce section. Sweet. I had my first-ever taste of Kumquat this summer back in Philly and I am happy to add these juicy little nubbins back into my fruit repertoire. You can count on seeing Kumquat seeds in the next green update.

Sustainable Greg only wishes he had such a knack for fruiting plants.

Merry Christmas

2008-12-26T14:04:00.004+09:00

Merry Christmas to all! Its weird not being home for the holidays..its during these times that I wish I could spend some time with family and friends. I miss you all and hope you are having a happy and healthy Christmas. Much love.

Graphic Tees

2008-12-24T01:43:00.006+09:00

Koreans love to wear tshirts saying things in english that they cannot understand. These graphic tees make some bold statements that are essentially jibberish. Despite their lack of proper grammar, spelling, or meaningful content some of them actually turn out to be mistakenly creative. Although the majority of them are just downright hilarious...

SEE FOR MAN
False of a Contented Man

Don't say it's over I'm waiting for my man ... here's a doodle in my sketchbook from when my pen exploded the other day, it got all over me, but this is what is happening so far
___

Walking to school this morning, I saw a girl wearing a long sleeve tshirt that read:

Girls Just Wuna Hawaii Num

That is all...for now.

Transportation

2008-12-21T21:44:00.003+09:00

Here is another sweet mini motorcycle...

Seoul

2008-12-21T19:41:00.003+09:00

Pictures from the weekend in Seoul are riiiiiight here.

Just When You Thought It Was Safe To Go Outside...

2008-12-19T13:25:00.003+09:00

[A collection of Jessie Berry's mouths]

Here is a link to celebrity "mouth eye" photographs.

Korean Happy

2008-12-19T02:00:00.001+09:00

A quick video of an impromptu sidewalk parade in Seoul...

No...Thank You, Cilantro

2008-12-18T12:13:00.007+09:00

Caitlin and I took a trip to Seoul this past weekend to meander the art galleries and to see Miso, traditional Korean stage. While in the largest city in South Korea, we took full advantage of the foreign food presence. It was a gift to the taste buds to eat something that did not taste like fish, sesame, or cabbage. On Sunday night before coming home, we ate at the Taj Restaurant. We ordered the Tandoori Chicken, Dal Makhani (black lentil curry), and Tandoori Khumb Aloo (vegetable and yoghurt stuffed mushrooms and potatoes).

Before getting on the bus home, we stopped in the foreign grocery mart to pick up, to us, what are a few pantry rarities - black beans, pita bread, hummus, wholegrain cereal, cumin, cloves, chick peas, lentils...but I have to add that my favorite pickup was a freshly-picked batch of cilantro. This is my favorite herb and I have been pining for that robust scent it gives off when you slice into the leaf. I brought my own seeds to grow the herb but I have to wait until the spring to cultivate them because they would otherwise fail indoors.

So, the first thing I did when I got home was pick up four avocados and get to the guacamole-making...

Mmm..fresh dirt still on the leaf.

There is nothing like a break from Korean food than a big ol' bowl of Guac to get you through the week. I know that the avocados are not in season and they probably lost a little bit of their luster on the shipping journey from New Zealand, but I could not resist a familiar taste. I know its a sustainbility sin not to buy local, but I can guarantee that I get my spinach from the patchwork just down the street.

A petition for creating a national sustainable food and agriculture policy can be found here.

Dirty Thieves

2008-12-17T10:30:00.004+09:00

At approximtely 10:52:48 on Monday night, my bike was stolen from the ground floor of the Avalon school building. Whoever it was, the thief managed to take off with my bike even though the wheels were locked in place. Out of the four or five bikes down there, he managed to abscond with mine..why mine? I guess this is confirmation that I did have the coolest ride on the block. Its a shitty feeling to have your bike there in the morning and then, when you are happy to get off work and anticipate an enjoyable ride home, there is an empty void in its place.

I already put up threatening bilingual fliers in the hallways and around the street posts of my area demanding the bike's return. What irks me most is that Caitlin left school around 9:45 and the bike was still there. I left a little after 10PM and the bike was gone...15 minutes! I would have loved to have caught him in the act and broken all of his dirty little fingers. Welp, not much we can do about it now.

Alot of the Koreans tell me that bike theft, both cycles and motorbikes, is very common and there is nothing you can do to prevent it (even if you do a good job locking up your transport). Caitlin had her first bike (luckily a cheapy) stolen over the summer and got a second one when I arrived. Now everyone is storing their cycles up on the second and third floors, out of reach from the thieving scoundrels who roam and pillage the ground level.

Good thing Christmas is approaching...I think I am ready to move off the training wheels and up to a shiny new red bike.

Transportation

2008-12-17T10:12:00.005+09:00

I love these little moped bikes. They are handy for a quick zip around downtown, deliveries, or a good way to curtail traffic. They have a very simple body, consisting mostly a metal frame joined to a small motor. This one in particular is not as stylized as most I have seen but I will be sure to send a glimpse of the cooler ones within time.

I think as city populations continue to grow, transportation options like this are a better decision for urban commutes. They share movable space with pedestrians, are less dangerous than higher speed vehicles, and they save on fuel costs. Even though walking and bicycling are the most efficient options, I wouldn't mind having one of these little nuggets around.

Avoiding The Truth

2008-12-17T10:01:00.001+09:00

When you just can't bare to face to facts...

New Gear

2008-12-15T12:57:00.006+09:00

Within the past month, a thrift shop has opened up right behind our school. Called "the Beautiful Store," its profit goes to the Church situated right above it. It has quality clothes and accessories for cheap prices. Anyway, I snagged this cap at first sight. I have never seen such a splendid fruition of color and context of this sort. The front shows three silver-stitched, caped Norsemen charging into unknown battle, set against an aquamarine and 80s-spectacular background...

Oh, and did I mention...

EAR FLAPS!

My Elementary Class

2008-12-10T13:33:00.004+09:00

I have one elementary class that I teach three times a week. This class is a handful of 9 and 10 year olds (except one 13 year old). The rest of my classes are middle school students - the kids who are too awkward to speak, are always picking at their faces, combing their premature mustache hair, and being little text-happy socialites during class.

These are photos of my youngest students from Halloween Day:

This is Jack. He does not shut his mouth in class and always raises his hand to ask if he can draw a picture on the board of his classmates with boogers coming out of their noses. He cries when I give him detention. I think he has a rash on his stomach.

This is Adam. He is quiet and never pays attention. Often, he just stares blankly at the wall in a world that I imagine to be full of dancing toothbrushes and jello squares. He also has strapped to his ankle a .22 caliber rubber-band gun.

This is Brandon. He is quick, witty, and loves to draw. Brandon calls my teaching illustrations "ugly" and thinks he could run the class better than I can. He prefers to draw massive battle scenes depicting the Japanese pillaging helpless villagers rather than do his schoolwork. I let him draw.

This is Sun. He is 13 and is bored with the work. He can only tell me so many times that "Lisa has the red shoes" before passing out on his desk.

This is Amy..I think she has a crush on Adam.

This is Alice. She draws little hearts next to her name on every test and homework. Her penmanship and pronunciation are excellent. She sits in the very front desk and always raises her hand. Can you tell shes the best student in the class?

Where Is That Dude?

2008-12-08T09:36:00.005+09:00

For those of you who haven't seen Seth Nyer lately...he's not working the fryer Sunday nights at Chuck's. He's in Johannesburg, South Africa and he's busy working at a cologne store on Tuesday/ Thursday afternoons. Here are some snapshots of the big guy:

Seth had gotten a tradition tribal piercing the week before from his buddy, Kaiser. He said its hard to sneeze with the hoop in, but he doesn't even think about it much anymore

Persimmon Sprout

2008-12-01T13:28:00.007+09:00

After four weeks of germination, two of the persimmon seeds have finally begun to sprout. I potted one of the seeds, hopefully it will begin to grow indoors as the temperatures get colder outside.

Cornucopia

2008-12-01T11:41:00.009+09:00

Jo-Eun Villa was host to a Grand Thanksgiving Potluck Feast this weekend. In total, 22 friends gathered round yonder floor to chow down, share some drinks and get holiday cozy. Among the delicious items on the dinner menu, Caitlin and I contributed pomegranate chmpagne, spinach-walnut pesto dip, honey-ginger carrots, deviled eggs, stuffed mushrooms, and a healthy mixed-greens salad. The food and company were both delicious, so much so that we turned on the heated floors and shared in a communcal after-dinner-nap.

This is my friend and co-worker, Simon Chin. He is very adamant about learning as many slang phrases and gang signs as he can. Currently, he has demonstrated his knowledge of the following lingo: whatchyamacallit, lemme take a stab at it, savage!, fresh. Although none of these have any practical function in our culture, he has picked them up quickly and doesn't falter to use them in casual conversation. He has even thrown out, on his own accord, the typical-American-nondescript phrase, "It's like..you know?!"

"Aw, man."

Stuart savors every bite.

Other menu items included:

warm wassle [with rum]
potato soup
candied yams
boiled cabbage
mashed potatos
stuffing
thai curry
boiled and pan-seared chicken
korean sweet chicken
[no oven big enough to cook turkeys]
korean potato pizzas
pizza
stickos
7 pumpkin pies
kahlua coffees

It was nice to get a taste of the holidays in Koreatown. Everyone contributed to a tasty feast and wore their Sunday-best. Overall the weekend was just like..so like..you know? Awesome.

The rest of the pictures from the weekend can be seen here.

Kids

2008-11-28T17:35:00.003+09:00

One of the kids in my elementary class saw this picture in his workbook, raised his hand and asked me "The Barack Obama has two wife?"

Transcontinental Thanksgiving - Granparents First Skype

2008-11-28T12:26:00.009+09:00

This is my Grandmom Skyping for the first time ever. She is so excited that she goes and gets the angel food cake she made for Thanksgiving. After having an epiphany that she could share her baking skills with thousands of people online, she decided to start her own online baking show, "Thursday Afternoons with Josie." Grandmom plans to rival 91 year-old Clara and her YouTube cooking sensation, "Meals from the Depression."

I got to catch up with the entire fam and talk to Jordan about his new kitten, Oliver Dunbar [will post pictures once he sends them to me]. Nana [below] thinks I am "so trendy" using "all of this cool technology..."

Pop, looking dapper as always, just got off the highway in his handsome, dual-exhaust Buick LaCrosse.

Even though Granpop and I are in completely opposite time zones, we still manage to wake up at the same time. Me, from a good night's sleep. Him, from an afternoon cat-nap.

Nice to see everyone for the Holiday. Still wish I could get my hands on some cranberry sauce, pecan pie, and a Guinness. The rest of the Skyping adventures with the Berrys and the Mraziks can be seen here.

Happy Thanksgiving.

1. Barack Obama Likes to Cook

2008-11-24T14:28:00.008+09:00

Who needs chief campaign strategist David Axelrod when you've got a promo like this in your back pocket:

[He is very handsome. His name is Obama. He is very smart]

Barack Obama's popularity has a further reach than Manute Bol going for the last piece of cake. The Korean locals love Barry and do not hesitate to pass on their positive energy about the election. After asking where I am from and answering "United States," many Koreans will often respond with a two-thumbs-up "Obaaaamaa!"

The youngest elementary class that I teach [10 year-olds] were chanting his name in class the day that he was elected President. They refer to our President-Elect as "The Barack Obama" and they think he is much more handsome than "the old guy." The kids don't pay much attention to his foreign policy but they do fancy him an experienced cook and ice skater:

[<---- jeans] [1. Barack Obama likes to cook] I asked the kids to write 3 things about Obama. Most of them could only come up with one or two. I'm glad this student knows his number one priority about the most powerful man in the free world. Here are the rest of my student's drawings. Enjoy.

Green Update

2008-11-18T10:55:00.008+09:00

As apartment 303 becomes a more civilized place to live with each passing week, there have been some natural additions to the green family. Here are the latest and greatest in my organic adventure series:

After a failed attempt at home to grow moss in my Dad's garden, I am now trying to transplant a small palette of moss that I picked up at Naejangsan onto this little rock garden that I zenned up last week. If this dies, I am going whip up a moss mixture and spread it onto the rock using the moss blender method. If that fails, then I might as well just call up Greg Buddha.

Here is the newest member of the plant family, just picked him up last week. I know that my buddy Jeremiah Curtiss had one of these plants in his room last year in 773 Ostrom and I took a liking to the species. After a swift repotting, the desk organizer [recycled egg carton] now has a cozy new neighbor.

This is my latest project. The seeds above are of the Persimmon Fruit [pictured below]. After placing the seeds into a period of cold stratification - simulating their natural dormancy - for the past three weeks, they are now incubating on my windowsill in the morning sun. I hope that they will sprout within the next several weeks, then I will be able to plant the seeds and anticipate healthy growth in my warm apartment deep into the spring.

The avocado cores are beginning to split. These guys have been hydrating for 3-4 weeks now and should be sprouting within the next two. Right now, the seed is beginning to split itself in half, from which roots and a stalk will begin to sprout.

In the news of splitting, the living rock is beginning a new growth pattern as well. Now that the window is shut, its central pod is opening up and the room has become warmer. As the split widens, a new pod will begin to sprout in an alternate direction from the plant's center and continue to replace old growth.

Oookay...now someone please send me piece of pizza.

Back to the Basics

2008-11-14T13:43:00.008+09:00

Here are a few recent pages from my sketchbooks.

Larger images can be viewed here. Thanks.

A Painted Landscape

2008-11-11T00:34:00.012+09:00

This weekend we hopped a 6:35 a.m. bus out of Gwangju and headed north for an hour to Naejangsan National Park. (For those of you planning a trip to the park from Gwangju, the bus runs from 6:35 a.m. to 7:50 p.m. and 13 times in between - the schedule can be found here). This park is located in the Jeollabuk Province (one of eight provinces in South Korea) and is one of Korea's twenty national parks (an English guide to the Korea National Park Service can be found here). Entrance to the park is 2,500 Won and lodging/ camping is available. However, I recommend that you plan this in advance if you are going to visit during a holiday or crowded autumn weekend.

Naejangsan is internationally know for having one of the most stunning array of autumn colors. With over 30 species of trees, photographers travel here from high, low, and medium for the chance to capture a rare palette of bold, natural beauty. The landscape looks almost as if an artist had masterfully dotted the mountainsides with their most vibrant colors: deep crimson, yellow ochre, hunter greens, olive green, burnt sienna, lemon and lime, pumpkin, and cadmium dark (no water).

Our direct destination was Baekyangsa, located in the southernmost entrance of the park. From there, we planned a 10 km hike from Baekyangsa Temple to Naejangsan in the northeast entrance of the park. This route takes you through 4 temples (Baekyangsa, Yaksaam, Guamsa, Naejangsa), up and down 3 mountain peaks (Baekhakbong, Sinseonbong 763m, Yeonjabong 675m), around Daegaje Reservoir, and gives you the option to explore multiple waterfalls and cable-car expeditions.

Although these peaks are not as high as those we can explore in the west, each area of the mountain range is unique from the other. Some are rocky and require a mindful ascent, others offer a more enjoyable winding ridge trail that is flanked on either side by low-lying bamboo growth. This park offers anything from a grueling trek to a pleasant day hike through shady groves, your call.

[Baekyangsa Temple, from above]

If you take your time exploring the temples, occassionally stopping to accept gifts of wine and tangerines from friendly Koreans, and break for scenic and nutritional intake - this hike can fill up an enjoyable 7 hours of your day.

Luckily, we got an early start before the gaggles of chattering Korean hikers had the chance to completely take over the park. After gearing up and stocking our water supply, we hit up Baekyangsa Temple before heading into the mountains. This temple was neatly spread between an idyllic autumn pond and the southern base of the park's mountain chain. We spent about an hour soaking in the natural beauty of the hundred year-old japanese maples before getting our tread on.

The rest of the day we spent hiking up and down a few of the park's more notable peaks. We were continuously surrounded by vibrant colors and there was always a chance to catch a stunning vista.

"It is like giving your eyes a drink."

At one point, we were even able to see Meudung Mountain off in the distance (this mountain is just outside of Gwangju) even though it was an hour's distance away.

[Meudung Mountain, in the distance]

I have to say that Koreans are the most giving of people. Caitlin and I must have left our hike with more food than we came with. It is not surprising to be handed off one or two tangerines from passing Koreans. They enjoy giving foreigners gifts for some chance of interaction, to practice their english, or just in the spirit of good will.

At one point in the hike, a Korean man was nice enough to share a couple swigs of his Makgulee [막걸리] wine with us. This is a traditional Korean wine that you will find common on most mountains and the reason why a 66 year-old Korean man had enough gusto to pass me on the ascent without shedding a glance. Either that or I just have yet to become a man?

[66!]

Anyway, here are some pictures from the weekend in Naejangsan National Park. If you are privy to long hikes through vivid autumn mountainscapes and eating trail mix, then this is your spot. If not, then you can go hang out with this guy.

[what hanging out with a vegetarian will do to your diet]

Mudeung

2008-10-28T09:55:00.007+09:00

Pictures from the trek up Mudeung Mountain can be seen here!

A Bonsai demo by Walter Pall can be seen here!

Lotus Hunt

2008-10-22T22:20:00.010+09:00

The lotus is a symbol of purity but it also has many associations as a representation of death and rebirth in eastern iconography. Above is a picture taken of the lotus garden, located right next to Anapji Pond in Gyeongju. We visited here several weeks ago and found that the lotus had bloomed earlier in the summer and all that was left on the stem were the flower's pods.

These brown "pods" seen hanging downwards contain the lotus seed and will eventually fall off of the stem, returning the seeds to the mucky water from whence they came. After sinking into the mud, the seed will germinate underneath the water. A new sprout will emerge in the spring and the lifecycle of the lotus continues.

My friend, Matt Hayden Raue, and I perfected the "grab n' lean" technique that must be demonstrated properly in order to snag a few of these precious seeds. It happens like this: the Grabber (A) reaches out into the lotus patch as the Leaner (B) grasps his opposing forearm. In an attempt to attain the precious lotus seeds (C), there must be a perfect balance of weight between the Grabber and the Leaner so as to prevent falling into the muddy shallows (D). The perfected equation, where m=mass, should look something like this: mA ∝ mB=C. The failure to complete this equation properly will yield results that look something like this (mA>mB=D).

Here are some photos of the pods and seeds we managed to collect:

If you want to see more pictures of a delicate lotus flower, you should click here.

(THE MORE YOU KNOW - the lotus ranks second in the running as the oldest successful human-assisted seed germination - 1300 year old seeds. First place goes to the 2,000 year old Judean Date Palm)

Gwangju City is Bike Friendly!

2008-10-19T21:57:00.007+09:00

After three failed visits to the local bike shop, we finally managed to get two sweet new rides! We tried to save some money by searching for used bikes but came up with nothing after a few pathetic attempts to wager in hand gestures and loudly-spoken Korean. We ended up caving and buying new bicycles. After only a week of owning these guys, they have already proven their worth. The ride to school only takes 2 minutes, the handy-dandy basket makes transporting groceries (vegetables) a cinch, and meeting up with our cross-town cronies has never been more convenient. The bikes here are all made in China and have cheap plastic brakes, erratic shifters, and an astonishing number of EXTREME decals (I did some aesthetic work and took mine off). If you want something other than a mountain bike you either have to get an old man bike or a mini.

We are so cool.

If you look at the map below, the red line indicates the Gwangju Stream (the red dot is our apartment complex). On the banks of the stream are pathways that are used for walking, biking, and exercise. The path runs the entire length of the city and if you follow it far enough you will start entering the countryside. Along the stream are many man-made cascades, places to sit and relax, and under-the-bridge-old-man-hangouts. It is common to see these guys playing and betting on card games, fishing, or having a smoke. Or if you are lucky enough, like today, one of them will challenge you to a strenuous bike race and then continue to make guttural motorcycle noises at you the entire way. He won.

The people in Gwangju are very friendly and have no problem taking pictures of foreigners with their cell phone cameras. This guy asked if he could take a picture of Caitlin and I on his phone. He is probably texting that photo to all of his homies and LOLing about it right now :) I made him get a photo with Caitlin as retribution. He has been to Denver once and saw the Grand Canyon.

This particular spot alongside the stream was a field of sunflowers. The bees were busy pollinating, a hungover preying mantis was having trouble navigating his leaf, and Caitlin got a bug stuck in between her teeth. We continued on this path to SangMu, the business district of GWangju City. Our friends Leah and Stuart live there and it is also were you will find Geumho world - a multi-level electronics and home goods store. I picked up a pair of clippers and was finally able to shave my scruff for the first time. Also, me and the guys can now have our monthly wine-tasting, cookie-baking, and head-shaving parties. Guys only. Guys.

The Universal Declaration of Human Rights

2008-10-14T16:20:00.000+09:00

A simple video with pleasant illustration; worth a watch.
This video was created in celebration of the declaration's 60th anniversary.

Plants

2008-10-14T09:02:00.001+09:00

Before you get a bank account, before getting paid or even buying food - any cozy home must be fitted with its first plants. Walking the streets of Gwangju you will see just as many plant stores as we have Wawas back home. I have spotted fig trees, bonsai, pitcher plants, and my longtime favorites - succulents! There is a lady by my school who sells these little guys for "chun won" (1 Korean Won - the paper money here is produced in denominations of 1000, 5000, and 10000).
Here are the plants I have picked up so far, I am open to name/nickname suggestions for each.

Living rocks! The first time I was given one of these, I managed to kill it within two weeks. I am giving it a second try - this time I hope to nurture it towards a healthy bloom. These plants are aptly named "living rocks" for their surface patterns generally resemble that of their surrounding rocky landscape. As they grow, a new bud will slowly emerge from the center, causing the current body of the plant to split off and die. They are members of the Lithops genus, a family of plants native to the arid climate of Souther Africa.

The lady I bought these from also gave me a pocket-full of clementines with my purchase. Apparently, gift-giving is customary in Korean culture. It is not uncommon to walk into your local Bodega and walk out with a free treat.

Apartment 303

2008-10-13T22:22:00.000+09:00

As is the case anywhere else, time moves fast in South Korea. It has already been one month today since arriving in Gwangju (Kwangju) and it seems like the next 8 will fly by. I can say that it takes the full first month to feel like you have any sense of place in the Korean culture. Since I am not going to recap an entire month of "blogging," here is a run down of some of the things I have learned since being here.

1. cab drivers watch television while driving
2. the bathroom is your shower, there are no sliding glass doors or curtains dividing the two
3. take your shoes off before entering a room
4. traffic lights are optional
5. October 9th is Korea Day, celebrating the birth of the Hangeul language
6. don't drink the water
7. having hot water means pushing a button and waiting 5 minutes for it to heat up
8. the 7/11 has soft pretzels - however, it is simply a sweet dough with a creme filling in the shape of a pretzel
9. toilet paper goes in the trash bin
10. Chuck Norris destroyed the periodic table, because he only recognizes the element of surprise

Here are some pictures of my bare apartment so far. It kind of looks like Drew's place in NYC, except here you don't actually need any chairs. (11. sit on the floor)

Things you won't find here:

1. cheese
2. deli sandwiches
3. soft pretzels
4. granola bars
5. good music
6. cilantro
7. good beer

That being said, here is my address. My mailbox will be accepting any of these items from now until forever.

Apt. 303 Jo Eun Villa
1086-1 JuWol Dong, Nam Gu
Gwangju City, South Korea 503060

I also recommend that everyone download Skype and create an account. (my username is justinmrazik - look me up. now!) This way, Ill be able to see if you are wearing any clothes or not when we talk about the weather. It is much easier to get in touch this way rather than figuring out phone cards, email is good too justinmrazik@gmail.com.

Until then, happy ventures. Check back often. Coming soon...posts about Honda pocket bikes, my snazzy new bike, a trip to Gyeonngju, and what's for lunch.