April 17-19, 2009 Gyeongju

안 녕

For my last trip in Korea I decided to return to the promise land, Gyeongju. I say return because apparently I visited the area in 1998 with my mom, but don't remember much. I figure I was young and naive so I must have overlooked all the history and culture of Gyeongju. The trip started out nicely though, our train had an aracde, private norebangs(karaoke rooms) and a food & beverage car. This definitely helped since we didn't arrive at our hotel until 4 am. Throughout the entire trip I was reminded of the amazing history of Korea, Bulguksa Temple, Seokgulam Grotto, and Cheomseongdae. The Buddha at Seokgulam Grotto was especially amazing, but I couldn't take any pictures, sorry. It was also a really nice break from being in Seoul: clean fresh air, wide open space, beautiful scenery and we even got to rent bikes. The weather and company also made the trip refreshing. Seventy degrees and sunny all weekend and even though there were eight of us we all got along really well (shout out to Hannah, Brian, Heidi, Angela, Trevor, Judy and Kim). We also had some amazing galbi chim (slow cooked beef), I felt like I was eating all weekend. That doesn't sound like me does it? Enjoy the pics.

Bulguksa Temple

inside Bulguksa Temple

Sokkatap Pagoda

2 of the 4 kings guarding Bulguksa

Cheomseongdae Observatory

April 1 & 5, 2008: Korea, Double the Fun!

안 녕

With my year in Korea coming to a unexpectedly quick ending I've been trying to do all the things I've wanted to but just haven't. This last week I experienced two of the coolest things in since I've been here.

On April 1st I went to a World Cup qualifying match between North and South Korea in Seoul. I was completely blown away. I've been fortunate enough to go to a lot of sporting events in my life and nothing even comes close to this experience. So a little background before I get into the game. This match was going to determine who would take over 1st place for the World Cup qualifying pool, North Korea was currently in first over South Korea by 1 point. I also heard that the last 4 or 5 matches between the two had ended in draws. So other then the fact that there still at war this seemed like a pretty important game. The atmosphere of the stadium was incredible to say the least. I don't really see soccer as a major sport in the United States but in Korea it's huge. The build up of the game was pretty nerve racking, South Korea had lots of opportunities but they just couldn't close. And at the 87th minute off of a free kick, South Korea scored and the stadium went insane. I was jumping up and down in my seat and hugging everyone around me, and I'monly a casual soccer fan. So I can only imagine the emotions of an avid fan. But it's hard not to be involved in such a celebration when everyone around is going wild. It was the most intense feeling of happiness I've had at a sporting event. I can only hope that I ever feel that excited at a sporting event again. But as I was told by my friend David, national pride plays a larger role then the game itself.




Since being in Korea I've been introduced to some pretty amazing things, but I have to say that one of my favorites is b-boying. My friend Mindy suggested a documentary called Planet B-Boy and since then I've been hooked. If you're interested at all I would highly recommend checking it out. So for Mindy's birthday I decided to take her to a b-boy show this last Sunday. The original show, Ballerina Who Loves B-Boy is actually playing on Broadway in New York, so if your planning on making a trip out there I highly recommend it. The show I went to wasn't the original, instead it was called "The 2nd Story" but it still got very good reviews. Thanks to my friend David we just happened to get front row seats, so we were essentially part of the stage. I was completely blown away by the sheer skill of all the dancers. There was such an eclectic mix on the stage: break dancing, ballet, pop n lock, and etc that it made the show so different. Everything from the costume designs to the stage props fit the show so well, and it even had a nice hint of humor. Even after watching the documentary seeing all of the dancing live is just uncompromisable. These are videos I took during the show and they'll give you a little peek into what I experienced. Enjoy!

Super Awesome!

Feb. 9, 2009: TIme To Play Catch Up

안 녕

Well it seems to be about that time for me to update my blog. Can you believe it, I've been here for 9 months now! I knew the time would go by fast but it feels like just yesterday that the US economy was good, I was rockin' the green Volvo, and saying "I swear I'm gonna go to Korea". For those of you who haven't heard I'll be returning to the States early in May. I've been doing a lot of thinking and planning about my upcoming move so if any of you have leads on a job, a place to live or a car I would really appreciate it. Now, onto the adventures.


1. I had the opportunity to go to my first hockey game and man, was it awesome. I've been told by many Canadians that the quality of the game was not near NHL but I still had a good time. I actually enjoyed sitting in the rink all bundled up, oh and the zamboni too, but that figures. I'm definitely hoping to visit some Sharks games back in Cali.



2. I visited the National Museum of Korea with my friends Angela and Trevor (happy Angela). It's pretty amazing to be in an area where I have such easy access to cultural centers, gotta make sure I fill my quota. The other really nice thing about visiting museums and other tourist attractions is the ridiculously cheap entrance fees. For this particular museum it was free because we came pretty late but normally its only about $3. The museum was HUGE, I've read on the reliable Wikipedia that it's the biggest in Asia and 6th biggest in the world. The collection inside was interesting but I really enjoyed the architecture and layout of the building.



3. One recent event that brought me back home was seeing The Roots in concert. The show was amazing, one of the best I've ever seen. Keep in mind that it's also possible that I've been so deprived of live music that I forgot what it sounded like. Nonetheless I had an amazing time and a bunch of my friends caught souvenirs that they were throwing out to the crowd, Justin caught a drum head and Hannah and Heidi caught drum sticks. But none for me :(. The venue was really nice and small so I was right up there near the front. I'm also hoping to go see John Legend in late March.


4. I'd have to say out of all the things I've done recently, having my mom visit was the best. After being here for 9 months seeing a familiar face was amazing. For Seollal we went down over the 4 day weekend to visit relatives. It was surprisingly a really nice and relaxing trip; everyone was so excited to see my mom that I flew under the radar. Which is where you want to be when visiting Korean relatives, believe me. The trip also gave me a chance to learn about my parent's past which is a pretty intriguing story. I'm glad that I also had a chance to hear it while in Korea because the context would have been lost any other way. Another amazing tidbit is that I found out that I have 46 cousins, crazy! Here's one of them, cute huh?



5. For those of you that love sushi, this last story is for you. Before my mom left, one of my cousins and her husband took us out to dinner to this Japanese restaurant. There was only 6 of us but they served enough food for 12. This first picture is the appetizers they served us. Keep in mind that this picture only shows half of it because the same thing was on the other side of the table for the other 3 people. Next came the tempera, pajangs (Korean pancakes), and other various side dishes (no pic). The picture on the right is the entree they brought out next. After eating all that other food this is what they expected us to eat. But wait that's not it. Following the entree they brought out a soup made from all the remains of the fish. Pretty ridiculous but amazing at the same time.


Well I hope you enjoyed the post and I'll try my best to be more diligent about writing but I can't promise anything. Hope all is well.

~Sunny

Jan. 4, 2008: Winter Vacation

안 녕

Happy New Years!!!! Well I hope everyone had a great holiday season. I have to admit it was tough being away from everyone this time of year but I made the best of it. I'm really looking forward to starting off the new year right and enjoying the rest of my time here. As of today I've been in Korea for 8 months, and the time seems like it's flying by. I feel like this last 4 months will be a blur. I've been getting a lot of questions about my return, which will most likely be at the beginning of May.

Well I am on the last night of my holiday vacation which has been pretty low key. I decided to stay in Korea to try and save some extra money. With the tumbling economy here and abroad I thought it best to play it safe. Nonetheless I had some adventures and took care of some business.

One part of my vacation that I didn't really enjoy were the multiple visits to the dentist. It's a frequent habit for foreign Koreans to get dental work done when they return to Korea. With the national health coverage it's extremely cheap for people to have dental work done so I made a couple visits over break. To give you a perspective of the cost, the two wisdom teeth on my right side were removed in the US for $800. In February I'm having the other two on the left side removed which will run me about 12,000 Won, equivalent to about $11, amazing huh?

On the brighter side of my vacation I felt I had a very "big city" New Years Eve celebration. So in typical fashion my evening started really late, met up with some friends around 11:30 PM. I know this may sound absurd to many of you but Seoul doesn't really shut down. In my 8 months here I've only heard "last call" once and it was at 4 AM. So we visited Hongdae a very popular spot and rushed to a bar where we enjoyed some drinks. From my prospective it didn't seem that the stroke of midnight was that big of a deal. There was no elaborate countdown and most people didn't really acknowledge the occasion. Nonetheless the night continued on, which led us to a couple of clubs and eventually 5 AM. Now by this time we decided to head home, but getting a cab in this area can be very difficult and expensive. So we decided to get a bite to eat and wait for the subways to open at 5:45. When it was all said and done I finally hit the sack at 7:00 AM. To say the least Korea is always an adventure.

After New Years Eve I spent the next night visiting Seoul Tower with Mindy and her friend Dawn from the US. I'm not really a fan of tourist attractions so I generally leave those things for when people visit. We took a gandula up to the base of the tower and rode an elevator up 777 ft to the observation room. It was a really clear night so we had a great 360 degree view of the city. The thing that I found most interesting were the city names posted all around the observation windows. Each one was placed in the direction of the city and how far away it was from the tower. You can see an example in the Picassa. Another interesting tradition I learned about was the fence of locks. There is a fence at the base of the tower that is covered in locks, and I mean covered. Apparently couples use these locks to symbolize their love, throw the keys away. I can only imagine all the keys that sit at the base of this hill.

Over the break I also had a chance to visit the DMZ, which was far more interesting then I expected. With the US military presence in Korea my friends and I were able to take a tour through the USO. During the tour I actually had the opportunity to see North Korean soldiers only 50 meters away. In the picture above I was actually standing in North Korean territory; fortunately that 6'6'' Korean soldier was guarding the doorway. It's incredible that these soldier who hate each other have to face off everyday with nothing to stand in between them. If you get a chance take a look at the picture of the North Korean flag that flies just across the border that has a dry weight of 600 lbs!

Well I wish I could extend my vacation longer but someones gotta teach these kids English. Hope all of you are doing well and I'd love to hear from all of you.

~Sunny

PS: Check out this hilarious video of Korean cuisine.

Dec. 1, 2008: Let Christmas Begin!

안 녕

Merry Christmas! I hope everyone had an amazing Thanksgiving; I sure did! Celebrated Thanksgiving with a bunch of old and new friends. Had two amazing turkey dinners, give it up for Costco. Truly the best green beans and stuffing in my life. November has been a really busy month. I've made some new friends so I've been running around a lot. But Korea is still awesome! I mean just two weekends ago I went to an ET themed bar. This placed was decorated with all sorts of ET mannequins and paintings. The neon colored backdrop and cds glued to the ceiling were also a really nice touch. I'll try to see if I can find some pictures.

I also visited a traditional Korean fortress in Suwon. It's really interesting how they built around the fortress, integrating the history into the city. I posted some pics.


The main reason I decided to post a blog is to wish everyone a Merry Christmas. Many of you already know how much I love Christmas so this is probably no surprise but it's gonna be new this year. This is the first time that I'm completely isolated so it will be an interesting experience. I'm keeping an open mind but I can already tell that Christmas is celebrated differently here. However I've been really pleased with all the lights I've been seeing around town. I'll try to take some pics and post them. Well don't be a stranger and keep the Christmas music flowing.

~Sunny

Nov. 7 - 9, 2008: Way Over Due

안 녕

Well as many of you can tell I've been really slacking on my blog postings. I guess my lack of an attention span is finally catching up to me. Nonetheless it's been a pretty active month since my last post. I've made a bunch of new friends, really good people, and revisited some old friends. I traveled to the west side of Korea, Anmeando on a company getaway. And also traveled to the east side of Korea, Seoraksan and saw some of the most beautiful mountainsides. Celebrated Halloween with Mario, Luigi, Elvis, and a star studded womens relay team. And singing all the while at norebangs. I may have even recruited two more singing fanatics.

Anmeando: About a month back I visited the west shore of Korea with my school. It was a great trip; I met a bunch of new teachers and devoured some amazing Korean bbq. The turnover rate for teachers is so high here that there's always an opportunity to meet new people. On the trip we visited a resort that had a pretty amazing spa. There were about 10 different spas all with infused with a different flavor: rooibos tea, jasmine tea, California mud, mint, salt water and etc. One of them also overlooked the ocean which was pretty amazing at sunset. We also took a tour of a famous pine forest that provided some interesting pictures of wooden carvings. When evening rolled around we had some awesome bbq and a whole lot crazy adventures to say the least (one included a Costco apple pie).

Halloween: Me being a huge loser I didn't dress up for Halloween this year. I had plans to dress up as Kung Fu Panda (which I think would have been perfect), but the evil spirits of laziness destroyed what little will power I had. I know, I know I'm weak. I'm hoping that I can make up for it next year. Fortunately I still went out and met up with a bunch of friends; where we proceeded to continue our crazy adventures. Sorry no pics of my own.

Seoraksan: This last weekend I visited the eastern shore of Korea, Seoraksan. My mom has been insisting that I visit this area in the Fall because the mountains and changing tree colors provide an amazing backdrop. Man was she dead on. I also travled with some new friends, which added a new exciting dimension to the trip. Even though it rained most of the weekend I think we still had an amazing time. I truly believe that the pictures I've posted on here don't do the scenery justice. It's a sight that you have to see in person. The array of colors and the shear volume of trees is amazing. And finally you know the weekend had to be capped off with a stint at the hotel norebang; this is where I think I hooked two new singers. Combined with the great company, amazing scenery, delicious food and cheap cost I would definitely peg this as one of my favorite trips.

I hope you enjoyed this post because knowing me it will be a while before the next one. But I hope your all doing well and remember Christmas is just around the corner!

~Sunny

PS: I'm so happy that I'll be returning to a country run by Obama :)

Oct. 3 - 5, 2008: Busan

안 녕

This last weekend I went on a trip to Busan/Pusan with some friends. If you didn't know, Busan is the 2nd largest city in Korea and is located on the southern coast. Busan is about 280 miles south of Seoul so a pretty lengthy drive especially with traffic, unless you take the KTX. The KTX is amazing, it's a bullet train that travels all throughout Korea and a trip that would have normally been 5-6 hours of driving was only 3 hours on the train. Come on California your slacking here.

PIFF: We planned the trip so we would be there during the Pusan International Film Festival (PIFF). This being my first film festival I didn't really know what to expect but by the end I was throughly impressed. I ended up seeing three movies: Lion's Den, The Sky Crawlers and Gomorrah. Luckily I picked three movies that were completely different so there was no monotony. Lion's Den is a story about a pregnant Argentinian woman and her struggles as she's imprisioned for murder. The Sky Crawlers and Gomorrah were a double feature shown in an outdoor theater on the beach, about 3,000 people. The Sky Crawlers was an amazing Japanese anime and Gomorrah was a "contemporary Neapolitan mob drama based on an expose of Italy's criminal underbelly". Unfortunately I watched all three movies on the same day so by the end I was pretty much spent. But if any of you get the chance to see one of these movies I would highly recommend it.

Adventures: So there is a funny/scary story that I need to share with all of you, mostly funny but a bit scary. We arrived in Busan on Thursday night around midnight and went straight to our hotel to get settled in. Afterwards we decided to check out Haeundae Beach. While walking along the boardwalk I saw one of the funniest things I've seen in Korea so far. At most of the beach locations in Korea you'll find people selling fireworks and bottle rockets to tourist. Most people hold onto the bottle rockets while they shot out into the ocean. So as we're walking we spot a father and 6 - 7 very young children with bottle rockets in their hands. Mind you, me and my friends are standing there thinking about how this is a really bad idea. As the father goes through and lights them all, the children are holding them almost straight ahead rather then in the air. And as the fireworks shoot out there exploding onto a bunch of couples that are walking along the beach. It takes a while before many of them realize it and in the confusion they just scatter. Eventually after 8 to 10 shots the father realizes it and goes through pointing them all up. Fortunately no one was hurt which is what makes the story funny rather then scary. But amazingly I wasn't surprised by the events, I've come to accept that safety is subjective and in Korea somewhat overlooked.

Haeundae Beach is the biggest and one of the most popular beaches in Korea. This is just how busy it can get during the peak summer time. This isn't a picture that I took but one that I found on the internet. Compare it to the one that I took above. Many of you are probably thinking that this was photoshopped but I've spoken to people that have actually seen it this crowded.

Well I hope you enjoyed the posting, for more pics check them out at the following. (http://picasaweb.google.com/sunny.bae) Especially the bumper cars, they were awesome.

~Sunny

Sept. 16, 2008: Nori Bang Fun

안 녕

I was looking through my blog recently and realized that I haven't talked about one of my favorite places in Korea, the nori bang. Nori bang translates to singing room; which is a private room fully equipped with a karaoke machine, tv, surround sound, and to top it all off, tambourines. Most people usually go there after a night of drinking (drinking? who's drinking?) to sing their hearts out. It's a pretty amazing place to sober up and blow off some steam. You may be asking, aren't all the songs in Korean? Well most of them are, but there's actually a pretty decent selection of American songs (such as We Built This City). These places are open all night and conveniently located everywhere, and I mean on every corner.

It's a pretty common activity for people of all ages; I've heard old ladies and families usually go during the day and the younger crowds and businessmen frequent them at night. Unlike the U.S. people here aren't embarrassed at all about singing in front of other people. That was something that took me some time to get over and occasionally I'm still a bit hesitant. But when your with your friends it's pretty relaxing. I'm also really impressed with how well Koreans sing, most of the people I've gone out with have blown me away. But as most of you know I'm no Marvin Gaye. Nonetheless the night feels empty if I haven't gone to a nori bang. So if any of you make it out here plan on singing.

Thank you to all of those that wished me a happy birthday, it meant a lot. No worries if you forgot, I've certainly missed plenty myself. I definitely had a good time though, dinner, drinks and of course the nori bang.

While I was looking through a list of some of the songs I came upon this music video by Lionel Richie. If you have the time you gotta check it out, it's amazing!

~Sunny

Sept. 7, 2008: Recent Adventures

안 녕

Recently I've felt like I've been in a rut so I decided to go do some exploring. The weather has been a lot nicer lately so it's been easier getting out. I'm still really looking forward to winter though, especially the snow. I don't think my friend Jon really thinks it's that much snow but he is from Minnesota.

Hiking: Recently Jon, Jamie and I went on a short hike near our houses. We hiked up to this very popular platform along the mountainside that overlooks the entire southern half of Seoul. Jon said that the view there was actually better than from the Seoul Tower. I've been back on my own and I'm still in awe of how huge Seoul is. I guess you really don't get the perspective until you see it from afar. Along the trail we also saw some bunkers and trenches that may be left over from the Korean War, but I'm not really sure about that. Either way they were pretty interesting.

Han River: Last weekend me and some friends went on a ferry ride along the Han River. The Han is the major river that runs through Seoul, kinda like the American but much bigger. Unfortunately it wasn't the greatest ferry ride I've been on, but it was still a good experience. The boat was moving a bit fast so it was tough taking pictures. The coolest thing I actually saw was this piece of volleyball art in the park where the boat was docked.


Korean War Memorial/Museum: This last Saturday I went and visited the Korean War Museum and man was I impressed. It was nice way to brush up on my Korean history and see an awesome array of warfare. It was pretty astonishing to see all these tanks, planes and artillery just sitting out in front of the museum. You can actually climb into some the tanks and planes.

~Sunny

August 30, 2008: Korean Sports

안 녕

I must be the worst blogger ever! It's been way too long since my last post, but I'll try to close the gap. It's been about a month since my last post and life has settled into a routine of work and weekends. It's pretty similar to back home except for being in a completely different country, so every things an adventure.

Baseball: This last weekend I went to my second baseball game and man am I hooked. It's amazing how much energy fills up the stadium. Right when you walk in you feel this overwhelming sense of awe from all the fans cheering and banging their thunder sticks. I know that baseball is America's past time but believe me Koreans know how to put on a show. The most surprising part for me was the amount of respect between rival fans. From what I saw there was no trash talking or heckling, it was pretty refreshing. And I'm officially a Doosan Bears fan; I've been to two of their games and hopefully more.

Olympics: Watching the Olympics in Korea was definitely a new and interesting experience. I've always lived in the U.S. so I've never experienced a foreign perspective. Since Korea is a small country it doesn't have near the number of participants as the U.S. or China. But believe me the entire country gets behind all the athletes and none get lost in the mix. I did get to see some events that are usually not televised in the U.S. archery, table tennis, judo, taekwondo and some others. Nonetheless I'm proud of all the medals Korea and the U.S. won, but I gotta hand it to the Korean baseball team.

~Sunny

July 26 - 31, 2008: Jeju Vacation

Anyung,

I just had my first vacation here in Korea and it couldn't come soon enough. I love living in Seoul but being from California you just gotta get out sometimes and explore the outdoors. Me and three of my friends Mindy, Erica and Aura went and visited the volcanic island of Jeju just off the southern tip of Korea. It's very similar to Hawaii in many ways, the landscape is very similar to Oahu and it's also a hot spot for newlyweds. I really enjoyed the slow pace of the island, it was a nice change from the lifestyle in Seoul.

Beaches: We visited three beaches while in Jeju, Jungmun, Hallim and Hamdeok. All three beaches were on separate parts of the island, Jungmun on the south, Hallim on the northwest and Hamdeok on the northeast. Fortunately we had amazing weather so it was nice to go swimming in the clear blue water. However the lifeguards were very restrictive in the areas you can swim, so that made it difficult to explore. Out of the three I enjoyed Jungmun the most because it had the best swimming area.


Halla Mountain: Since Jeju is a volcanic island, Hallasan the once active cinder cone volcano is the focal point for the island. On Monday Erica, Aura and I went to climb the mountain. We decided to take the easy trail up because based on our map it looked as if all the trails met a rim trail at the top. However when we got to the top there was no such trail which was pretty anticlimactic. However the trail up was beautiful, it followed a nice stream that then opened up to huge fields of green. I was really impressed with how well kept the trails were.

Attractions: It's pretty amazing how many attractions there are to visit in Jeju. To see all of them you would need to be on the island for at least a month. Even with the limited time and transportation I felt that we visited a lot of places. We visited two waterfalls, Cheonjiyeon and Jeongbang; one of the few in the Asia that falls into the ocean. We also visited Manjanggul lava tube, which has the world's largest lava column and two lava tube caves in Hallim park, where a lava tube joins up with a limestone cave. I thought all the lava tubes were pretty cool but I guess that just because I'm a rock nerd. One of the more interesting museums I've ever been to was the Sex and Health Museum on Jeju. I guess we didn't actually visit the inside of the museum but I think the sculptures outside were plenty interesting. Towards the end of our trip a cab driver recommended Hallim park so we went for a day, which had one of the most extensive bonsai gardens I've ever seen.

Food: Jeju is really well known for it's seafood and oranges, so while I was there I tried a bunch of new foods. One of my favorite new dishes was abalone rice porridge, which was amazing. At the same restaurant, which was recommended by a cab driver, we had some grilled white fish (not really sure what kind) but it was also delicious. Surprisingly I had one of the biggest and best tasting burgers on Jeju. While at Hallim Beach we met some foreign teachers who recommended a burger joint to us. I was a little skeptical because they described it as a pork burger with mostly vegetables. But as soon as I bit in I was hooked. All the vegetables and herbs were grown in the garden out in front of the restaurant and the herb bread was baked fresh daily. The restaurant was also run by a very friendly Korean family who gave us two loaves of beard to take home with us because we were the last customers of the day.

If any of you are ever planning on visiting Korea I would definitely recommend Jeju, it was a one of the most beautiful and interesting places I've ever visited.

~Sunny

July 11 - 19, 2008: Danielle & Brooke Visit Korea

Anyung,

Sorry it's been so long since my last post. I've had so much to write about but just haven't taken the time. So my friend John had two friends visit from the States, Danielle, who is from Chicago and Brooke, who is from Washington D.C. It was a pretty eventful week, John was playing tour guide most of the time but I got to sit along for the ride. Danielle and Brooke said they had an amazing time, if any of you are thinking of visiting.

Fish Market: We visited a fish market for dinner on Friday night. It was late so all the vendors weren't out but it was still amazing to me. We got to pick out our own fish (red snapper, i think) and king crab for dinner. They killed the fish in front of us and sliced him up sashimi style, he was delicious. There is a bunch of restaurants below the market where you go to devour your meal. The restaurant also uses the rest of the fish to make a soup called meauntang, which translates to spicy soup. Which I was surprised to see how not spicy it was, but still yummy.

Seoul Racecourse: On Saturday we visited the race tracks, and man did I get hooked. There is an area that is solely dedicated to foreigners, which has big fluffy chairs and a great view of the track. It was interesting to learn about the betting system and the horse racing culture. Ultimately I only lost about 20, 000 won ($20) but I at one point I had a great opportunity to win a bunch of money. The excitement and sounds of the people and horses is well worth the little I lost, but hopefully I won't be returning too often.

Hongdae: After the race track we took the girls to Hongdae, which is one of my favorite night spots in Seoul. It is the area surrounding Hongik University so it has a very youthful and exciting vibe. We went to a kalbi restaurant for dinner, which I thought was pretty tasty. Afterwards we went to a hookah bar called "Bricks" which had a nice dark, intimate ambiance. It also had some very interestingly named drinks, such as the fuzzy nipple. We all had a pretty good time, but were beat when we got home at 5 am, which is early in Seoul standards.

Gwanaksan: We went for a hike up Gwanaksan on Sunday morning, after our night in Hongdae. Unfortunately I wasn't feeling my best but I rallied on, and I'm glad I did. Gwanaksan is a small mountain in Seoul with a beautiful Buddhist temple near the peak. I thought it was a pretty difficult hike, with the heat and humidity, but my friends were flying up it. At the temple it was amazing, so beautiful I felt no need to climb the last 0.6 km to the peak. At the bottom of the mountain we ate at a restaurant built along the river. We had some pajang, which is similar to a vegetable pancake and some makali, unfermented rice wine.

Unfortunately John and I had to go back to work on Monday, but Danielle and Brooke did their own exploring around Seoul. All in all I think they had a great time, so if any of you are thinking about coming out I would be happy to show you around.

~Sunny