Kukje Busan

... to a baseball game, and boy was it fun! Busan fans are known for their enthusiasm. I had a fun time with my friend Becca, cheering and wearing the trashbag hats. Read my photo description to get the info on that--pretty funny....<br><br>The fireworks festival was fun again. I had a great time with friends. I think last year was a little better--better music, and I actually got pictures last year :P <br><br>I've had ...

... on, but overall the infrastructure seems very well established &#8211; roads, factories, apartments, entertainment, shopping centers<br><br>High tech &#8211; From cell phones to GPS &#8211; very technologically advanced &#8211; GPS shows diagram of each rest stop, tells where every speed camera is, wildlife crossings, speed bumps in the parking lots at the resort.<br><br>Spicy &#8211; Hard to find a mild dish in Korea outside BK or McD<br><br ...

... traffic, out of the 95% of Korean made cars, 80% were Hyundai. After half an hour of Hyundai this and Hyundai that, I finally got dropped in my hotel: the Hotel Hyundai, Ulsan. No kidding.<br><br>After a small nap, which helped survive but not fight the jetlag, I was expecting to go to the Hyundai offices and get to work. But I was told that the team was staying at the Hyundai hotel to work. ok, so I did that too. In the evening we went into town with 3 other colleagues (Scottish ...

... and bored. The bars in Busan. Apparently the rest of the group went out for samgyupsal after the bar and ended up getting a cool little show! A drunk guy was in the restaurant and yelling about random stuff. All of a sudden he leans forward and goes into a full head stand ON their table! Literally one moment he was standing and then he is doing a head stand ON the table! Ha! The best part is that he left a pile of dandruff all over their table ...

After a wonderful and much needed trip home to California, I'm now back in Korea. YES South Korea. Why do people always ask me that?? There are no Americans in North Korea, people--I will not be the first one to take up the cause. :) <br><br><br><br>The weather's been chilly--but nothing compared to how cold it was in mid-January when I left. In fact!! On my walk to school this morning, a Cherry Tree seemingly blossomed over night! Spring is in the air ...

... February, but since I renewed my contract (yes I'm coming back for another year...), I decided to use my vacation hours for a short trip home in January. I'm looking forward to that. Mainly seeing my family, my friends, and my animals :) Oh...and do some shopping while I'm at it. Unfortunately, the exchange rate leaves me with less money than I SHOULD be leaving Korea with. :( One of the main reasons I chose Korea was ...

... the streets came alive with cars, buses and people alike. We boarded the KTX at 6:15am. The KTX is a high speed bullet train that runs on magnets at speeds of 300km/h. We also met the other people from the surf club called "Seoul Board Riders". A mix of guys and girlies, all like minded, we were off. Nathan, the club leader is a very cool and super friendly Aussie working and living in Seoul. Once the train took off I watched through the window for ...

... People keep asking me if I know him, but yeah.....no. I don't. Well, we went to the game, bought tickets from a scalper (there were masses of people, and the lines weren't moving.) The tickets were good, we got in and everything, but.....there were no seats! There is no assigned seating in South Korean ball parks... People were sitting in the aisles, and on the steps. Pushing, shoving,--it was chaotic. Come to find out, not ...

... a great granitine buddha broods, surrounded by demons and deities, and separate from the stream of visitors by thick glass and 'no photo' signs. Back when this was still an accessible religious site the atmosphere in the tiny chambers must have been incredibly eerie and powerful. Now the crowds bustle through, the tide allowing only the briefest of pauses to reflect and appreciate. Outside the hills are on fire. The sky is as sharp as glass. After dark Gyeongju ...

... Ganchon for a night on the town. It has to be up there as one of my best nights out in Korea - just sitting outside different pubs, watching the local lads pulling crazy stunts on their motorbikes, chatting to randoms and even being asked to pose for photos (being white we were quite a novelty); on a warm summers' night it was just the ticket. Our plan for the following day was to hire some quads but we awoke to the sound of the heavens coming down. As torrential ...