Gwanaksan hike, and another weekend living the dream.

The weather has been finally getting nice, so I am able to do the things I love once again. Because of this I am finally starting to see all the great things Korea has to offer. Saturday I went hiking with Suzy and Samantha, at Gwanaksan mountain which is 5 minutes away from my apartment. The views were incredible, and when we reached a look out point a bunch of Korean kids were yelling hello to us. They were so excited to see us foreigners on a hike. Naturally I saw this as a great photo op. The climb was a great time , and I even got to do a little bit of bouldering. All in all it was a great day. After the hike all of us went to the park and basked in the glory that was us. I played a little badminton with one of Suzy's many Korean guy friends, and then called it a day. You will be proud to hear that I did not do much drinking at all. I had 2 beers with a couple coworkers, and that was it. I think I have successfully weaned myself off of the devil's juice. LOL I will end as i have in the past; optimistically. I am still looking forward to my year here and what sort of shenanigans are in store for me.

Seonyu-do Bike trip

First let me begin with a few negatives about Korea. First I would just like to say that the couples wearing matching outfits has lost it's novelty to me already, and every time I see a Korean couple wearing matching shoes, shirts, and jeans it makes me want to do such terrible things. Also The Ajimas (younger Korean grandmothers) continue to piss me off with their constant pushing, shoving and horrible manners. LOL, now that that is over let me begin with my weekend, which was awesome. I finally had a chance to get out of the pollution here in Seoul, and to the islands just off the coast. I spent the weekend with my closest friends here, which are all girls, ironically. We enjoyed some biking, hiking, and kicking back. The Islands were incredible, and it was a very poor area, but the scenery was magnificent. There were dozens of small Islands all around the main island we were on. The first day we biked for a few hours all around the 2 square miles island we were staying on, which had a population of 1200 people. The only crap part of the day was when my bike chain snapped off, and i had to walk it back to the rental shop which was a mile or so away. Once I got there the people that were renting the bikes didn't know how to fix it, so I had to. Still, it was a great time. The day was topped off by Suzy and I daring each other to jump off of a cement dock, and into 38 degree water. Suzy would not do it in less I went first, so i did. Then she was afraid to do it by herself so i did it again. Both times were equally shocking, exhilarating and oh yeah; cold. Then it was off to dinner, which was awful so we left and got our own Korean barbecue. The next day I went to the beach to catch these shell fish that reminded me of small gooey ducks. Later on I had the distinct privilege of eating it. It tasted similar to oysters. Then I went on a hike with my friend Lana, and had the chance to see one of the best views ever. Once I reached the summit of one of the islands I was looking out on all of the small islands, and the breathtaking nature all around me. Also our hike was mostly led by a stray dog that took a liking to me. He was both friendly and mangy, however when he realized we were too slow he ran off ahead never to be seen again. This was the sad part of my day. Either way Korea still continues to amaze me, and I find myself loving more things about it everyday.

*****

1) Myself and the crew ready for our day

2) Fixing my bike chain...... Pain in the ass

3) The Shell fish we caught and ate.

4) A bunch of Ajimas rocking their standard issue hiking gear and visors. How I am beginning to loathe them

5) A view from my hike

Fish and Strip???

Sorry for the delay I had a bit of a late weekend. This weekend was pretty eventful yet again. I went out friday night with some coworkers, and the very much missed Charles (aka: "The Korean pimp). The destination was a club in the city of Anyang that played all western hip hop. It was packed full of Koreans, and I was one of maybe a dozen foreigners there. I danced the night away, and spent most the time feeling like I was a rock star, or someone high profile. Koreans have a way of making foreigners feel like they are on top of the world. The night ended pretty late, and I went to bed only to wake up to another long day. Myself and a few co-trainees all went to the Coex aquarium, which is one part of the Coex mall. The Coex mall is the biggest underground mall in the world. Believe me it is an absolute maze to navigate. Even with a map, myself and a few coworkers had trouble navigating it. The aquarium was pretty entertaining, but I have seen better to be honest. The mall however was amazing, and I was able to find really cheap jeans, which I needed after ripping a hole in one of my few pairs. The jeans were 28000 won, so about 24 dollars. They are one of the nicer quality pairs of jeans I have ever purchased. The store I got them from is called Uni Qlo, and apparently is a really trendy clothing store similar to H&M apparel, but with nicer higher quality clothing. I then went out to Korean barbecue with some more trainees because it was my friend Melissa's birthday. We then went to the bar, and then naturally ended at another club. Based on my recommendation we all agreed on Guerilla, where I lost my stripping virginity. This time however it got a little more out of hand. Some crazy drunk Korean girl pulled my pants down exposing a couple bits of me that I shall leave anonymous. I was pretty pissed, but no one really saw so when I told her to stop she tried to pull my shirt off. As intrigued as I was by her persistence I finally submitted, and gave her dominance over the pole we were sharing. All in all it was a fun time, but I will be taking it a bit easier for a while. I have a quiet weekend planned for next week, and a biking trip planned for the following.

*****

1) My favorite part of the aquarium..... Manatees

2) One part of the exhibit at the aquarium where they incorporated fish tanks and aquariums into every day household appliances.

3) The coworkers and I at club MC

4) The birthday girl and I tearing up some stage

5) A few of the trainees making fun of my Jersey roots by fist pumping. Damn you Jersey shore I will never hear the end of you.