Changwon Hotel

... accomodations we had. You can shop at a store when you get to the island, but bring your own food to the pension, cause its a hassle and expensive getting there and back. Although the weather was a little cloudy, we did get the beach and swam for a bit. It was about a 5-minute drive from the pension. Good stretch of sand!! On our second day, we went to Oe Do, which is a small little island a Korean family purchased back in the day and ...

... service. During this time the people set about the creation of a paradise-on-earth, where the ancestors of Korea could be venerated and the traditions of the land observed and preserved. Twenty years ago we couldn't have visited the village at all. But since then a paved road has gone up and electricity has come down to the village. And with these has come tourism. Rather than turn inwards, the people of Cheonghakdong have welcomed their ...

Journeyed by bus on a dreary damp morning to Busan. Explored the huge Jagalchi fish market -- the enormity in quantity, size and types of fresh, mainly live, fish was astounding. A little old Korean grandma prepared and grilled, over a charcoal fire, a scrumptious lunch of live clams and large snails along with some local beer; I'd want this little old lady on my side in any bar brawl -- she was even strong enough to ...

Touching down amidst the sprawl of Korea, I have to admit I was nervous. I was having trouble picturing the cultural adjustments I'd have to make. Asia is a totally different world after all... right? Not as much as I'd originally thought, as it turns out. Once I cleared customs in Seoul and grabbed my bags in Daegu, I was taken to my new apartment... completely furnished, conveniently located, stocked with essential groceries (the Frosted Flakes were a nice ...

... be doing my own nails in Korea. With my new pretty toes (I did a good job), I was ready for dinner. We ended up at a chain Korean restaurant Nobloo. We'd seen them quite a few times throughout our journey, and their prices were unbeatable. PFS- Club Keno was exactly where we left it, so we popped in for a drink. We were greeted by seven enthusiastic employees, and were ushered to another huge booth. The same singer from last time was belting ...

... stupid markings on them and I couldn't even find thin black rope or black straps. Thus, to make my leg straps, I had to use electrical tape . This also forced me to use an art-tube as a sword sheath for my back. My mask was simply a black t-shirt. I posted a link because I was surprised as to how many people never did this as a kid. The costume was a hit, easily outdoing the two or three other wannabe-ninjas. They just couldn't compete ...

So it's your Independence Day... whoopity doo! Have fun with that... I'm going to stay in my apartment and eat McDonalds food and try to enjoy the fruits of Western culture - so if you and your drunken citzens could keep it down outside, I'd be highly appreciative. Okay, so maybe this wasn't the best way to start off a letter to you... but you have to admit, YOU started it. That's right - you fired the first shot, threw the first pie, or ...

At four months in, I was feeling a little blue so I went to the foreigner's bar for a few drinks with a friend, and end up meeting one of his bosses. She's young and successful, owning a hagwon (English school) at 28 years old is no easy task. We had a fun time talking and were a little tipsy when she insisted we go to a club and recruited a couple other guys for the trip. So, it was me, her, and some Texans named Chris and ...

... research has shown me to be very typical of my signs. The woman throws in a few crazy/vague warnings of peril to come for good measure. I don't know if I got ALL of the information from Jenny afterwards (and, in retrospect, I'm thinking probably not) but here's a list of what the fortune teller apparently said: Body: My mouth is lucky. According to physiognomy my mouth is a pronounced sign of my good character. When I speak ...

... none of us brought our cameras, so many a photo op was lost. Most interesting of all was how many of the locals looked just as lost as we did. It seems that much like many "Christians" only go to church on Christmas/Easter, many "Buddhist" only go to the Temple on Buddha's birthday. Things are tough all over - even for deities.