Mount Sorak Tourist Hotel Sokcho

... Cardiff Hilton! haha
So the trip back down was pretty long because we were all sleepy, but the constant stops the Norae bus was making meant everyone kept waking up and so our tired energy was converted into 'potato -sweet potato- potato chips' chatting energy! .... And pretty much i think the next few hours and days were spent sleeping and aching by all! Good times - totally worth it. All over again next week!

Im having thhheeeeeeeeee best time!!

... fun - Pepero is not very expensive and it's delicious. (I for one was happy to embrace Pepero Day - especially being more on the receiving end).

However, that's not all. Koreans really like the idea of COUPLES. Couples outfits are really popular and you will actually see (somewhat frequently) a boyfriend and girlfriend strolling along in the exact same outfit. So with all this emphasis on couples and love, it's no wonder that Pepero ...

... discuss.

Water - too low
Minerals - too low
Protein - too low

FAT - too high
"Waist to hip ratio" - Too high

He explained all of these to me in very precise detail and then outlined what he deemed a good workout plan to help me get rid of all that FAT, and apparently get that ratio to the ideal position.

So, despite the extremely personal nature of this interview, I had a pretty good attitude about it all. First of all, not only are Korean body types ...

... 93% on www.hostelworld.com - always a reliable indicator. True to form, the Korean owner was incredibly friendly, helping with hiking routes and bus information. I didn't fancy a dorm room though, especially when considering the singles with en suite were so cheap! I'd booked a few weeks in advance just to be safe, as to say that Seoraksan is busy in Autumn is like saying that I am quite partial to beans on toast, i.e. a complete understatement!

This last point was proved ...

... Apparently bowling was next. As vaguely unaware as always, I was bundled off into a car for 2 rounds of bowling, during which time I managed to thoroughly do shame to the United States of America, and had to listen to suggestions on how to improve my throw. (throw? roll? swing?). Most of these suggestions were either fairly obvious - "straight" (arm motion down the middle of the lane), fairly confusing - "slow" (slow motion hand motion), or just sympathetic - "it's ok..." (sympathy high ...

After a few days' break from my bus boyfriend, this morning, halfway through my commute, who should I see but, MINION, this time without the crutch but still lurching like he needed one. ( I don't know if he has some kind of advanced arthritis - he's only 25, or if he might be part robot )
I thought . . .ok, maybe, the bus is really crowded, I'm listening to some music . . . Maybe Minion will take a break from me today.

This is not even close to what happened.

Sokcho, Korea Rep. maryberry

Every morning I catch bus number 9 into Yangyang, where I work. Even though it's a 25-30 minute ride, I really don't mind it. I can almost always get a seat on the left, and watch the ocean wave at me, while listening to my iPod, and have some chillout Mary time. That is until recently.

What used to be my "quiet time" is now time with my "bus admirer." My bus admirer is a 25 year old Korean guy who has ...

... to chat with people who are also new to Korea and still figuring things out.

In general too, all of the Korean English teachers have been a lot of fun to work with. There is one teacher at the high school that interrupts me to scream at the girls and physically assaults them at times, but the rest are all just the sweetest people, and help me out with tricky English vocabulary when the students don't understand a thing.

So - I guess it all sounds a ...

Joo & her husband helped us plan our trip outside of Seoul and they wisely wrote all the locations we were headed to down on separate pieces of paper in Korean, so we could get some help if we got lost on the way. At their suggestion, we rented a GPS when we picked up the rental car and it gave directions in English but had to be programmed in Korean. So during our 5 day trip, we would take ...