Jon in Korea

2006-12-08T07:56:00.000+09:00

2006-11-29T21:36:00.000+09:00

I've said my goodbyes to Tongyeong. I'll be in Seoul for the next few days, and then flying home Sunday.

I look forward to seeing all of you in person again.

2006-11-24T10:03:00.000+09:00

2006-11-23T08:34:00.000+09:00

2006-11-22T08:21:00.000+09:00

2006-11-21T09:01:00.000+09:00

2006-11-20T08:44:00.000+09:00

2006-11-19T08:57:00.000+09:00

2006-11-18T09:12:00.000+09:00

2006-11-17T08:34:00.000+09:00

2006-11-16T08:37:00.000+09:00

2006-11-15T00:46:00.000+09:00

2006-11-14T06:35:00.000+09:00

2006-11-13T08:05:00.000+09:00

2006-11-12T21:39:00.000+09:00

2006-11-11T06:53:00.000+09:00

2006-11-10T07:13:00.000+09:00

2006-11-09T09:36:00.000+09:00

2006-11-08T07:42:00.000+09:00

2006-11-07T07:39:00.000+09:00

2006-11-06T09:10:00.000+09:00

2006-11-05T07:13:00.000+09:00

2006-11-04T07:16:00.000+09:00

2006-11-03T08:09:00.000+09:00

Looks like I'll be coming home Nov. 30th, unless plans change.

2006-11-02T07:00:00.000+09:00

2006-11-01T08:56:00.000+09:00

2006-10-31T07:40:00.000+09:00

2006-10-30T09:01:00.000+09:00

2006-10-29T06:21:00.000+09:00

2006-10-28T07:10:00.000+09:00

2006-10-27T08:05:00.000+09:00

2006-10-26T07:46:00.000+09:00

2006-10-25T07:09:00.000+09:00

2006-10-24T08:00:00.000+09:00

2006-10-23T07:55:00.000+09:00

2006-10-22T07:22:00.000+09:00

2006-10-21T07:21:00.000+09:00

2006-10-20T09:32:00.000+09:00

2006-10-19T07:59:00.000+09:00

2006-10-18T07:18:00.000+09:00

2006-10-17T07:05:00.000+09:00

2006-10-16T07:12:00.000+09:00

2006-10-15T21:50:00.000+09:00

2006-10-14T08:26:00.000+09:00

2006-10-13T07:09:00.000+09:00

2006-10-12T07:49:00.000+09:00

2006-10-11T08:37:00.000+09:00

2006-10-10T07:35:00.000+09:00

2006-10-09T19:52:00.000+09:00

Three morning scenes from Beijing.

2006-10-08T09:27:00.000+09:00

2006-10-01T11:07:00.000+09:00

Well, I'm at my hostel in Beijing, thanks to a series of serendipitous events. Almost left my tickets at the school, but found them at the last minute, only because I was rifling through my books to kill time while waiting for friends. Also stumbled on the hostel that I'd booked by chance, spotting it out of the window of the airport shuttle, saving myself two extra bus rides that I'd been told I'd need. Lovely.

Arrived late afternoon on Saturday, and strolled around the alleys near the hostel. This city is alive. So many people, so many things happening. It's overwhelming in a great way, and feels absolutely unique from any city that I've been to before. I'm close to the Forbidden City and Tiananmen square. They're impressive, but I haven't explored much. I went early this morning with the intention, but was met with a massive crowd that had gathered in the square for a holiday today. I didn't feel like diving into the press, so will go back tomorrow. Have been mostly just wandering, exploring, eating questionable food from street vendors. The good stuff.
I'm here mostly without a plan or itinerary, which is fun. I'll probably end up doing some touristy things, like the great wall, and an acrobatics show, but mostly just want some time to unwind, walk around, sit in parks, read, drink coffee.

This seems like a fantastic city, though, so I'm sure I'll find lots to do.

2006-09-29T19:15:00.000+09:00

I'll be leaving tomorrow to spend a week in China. Back next Saturday. Best to all.

2006-09-27T07:03:00.000+09:00

2006-09-26T07:06:00.000+09:00

2006-09-25T10:53:00.000+09:00

Out for Japanese.

2006-09-23T11:40:00.000+09:00

Another ECC gym day. The light wasn't quite so good this year, and I'm not thrilled with the pictures, but a couple that I liked:

2006-09-23T08:19:00.000+09:00

2006-09-21T09:10:00.000+09:00

2006-09-19T06:56:00.000+09:00

Waiting in the bus station.

2006-09-18T07:12:00.000+09:00

2006-09-17T07:19:00.000+09:00

2006-09-16T09:23:00.000+09:00

2006-09-15T06:49:00.000+09:00

2006-09-14T07:00:00.000+09:00

2006-09-13T07:48:00.000+09:00

2006-09-12T06:01:00.000+09:00

2006-09-11T06:20:00.000+09:00

2006-09-10T13:13:00.000+09:00

2006-09-09T06:03:00.000+09:00

2006-09-08T07:24:00.000+09:00

Every few weeks ECC brings in a zoo animal and speaker for the children. We've had alligators, iguanas, chinchillas, armadillos. This week it was a burmese python.

I got the chance to have a python hug, as well... but was too busy putting on a show of being creeped out for the kids that I forgot to be creeped out. Maybe that's the trick.

2006-09-07T08:07:00.000+09:00

2006-09-04T08:02:00.000+09:00

2006-09-03T08:30:00.000+09:00

Bowling!

2006-09-02T23:25:00.000+09:00

For Dave.

This is the reality most often faced by the tall caucasian guy with the camera trying to quietly take pictures on the street, or even just go quietly about his life. Blending in with the crowd around these parts is not easy.

2006-09-02T07:14:00.000+09:00

2006-09-01T19:08:00.000+09:00

2006-08-31T07:32:00.000+09:00

2006-08-30T06:40:00.000+09:00

2006-08-29T07:25:00.000+09:00

2006-08-28T07:14:00.000+09:00

2006-08-27T08:46:00.000+09:00

2006-08-26T07:17:00.000+09:00

2006-08-25T08:59:00.000+09:00

Things have been blurry since returning from Japan. Picture me with speed lines extending behind. Between school, social networks, and the new apartment (!!!), I haven't had much chance to stop moving.

But changes are happening. We've had one new teacher arrive at our school, and another comes tomorrow - which means that my schedule becomes much easier. I'll be losing a couple of classes off of the end of my day, which combined with a beautiful new living space - huge patio, lots of windows, great light, big room, new kitchen/bathroom - have made me happy as a clam. Will start cooking for myself again, actually have time to take pictures, read, relax, go climbing. Plus, one of the new teachers at a different school is into film photography as well, so we're tossing around the idea of setting up a mini darkroom between the two of us. Only a dream right now, but very exciting.

So apologies for the long delay - my internet was only set up yesterday - life seems to be returning to a semblance of sanity.

We had a mini-party/bbq last sunday on the porch of the new place, with some good friends... and are having a big housewarming dig this sunday. It's not a house, ma'am, it's a home.

2006-08-11T09:35:00.000+09:00

Japan. Tokyo. Day 5.

Spent the rest of the day wandering Ginza, the upscale fashion district, and Ueno, where I was based, before catching the skytrain out to the airport.

Had an amazine Thai meal in the lounge (not sure if it was so good only because it's been so long), and then met up with Natasha, one of the Korean teachers who'd also been in Japan for the holiday. Narita airport has to be one of the nicest I've been in. It didn't take us long to find the massage chairs.

Flight home, bus to Masan, quick bite, and then back to Tongyeong with a maniac taxi driver who made the 45-minute drive in about 20 minutes using all of the tricks in the book to evade slow-moving traffic and the speed cameras.

2006-08-07T08:02:00.000+09:00

Japan. Day 5. Tokyo. Tsukiji Fish Market.

More pictures:

2006-08-06T09:31:00.000+09:00

Japan. Day 5. Tokyo. Tsukiji Fish Market.

Wednesday morning I woke up very early to visit the Tsukiji fish market. I stopped on the way for breakfast, eating a delicious noodle soup with thick, delicious slices of pork roast at a street stall. It was cool - you'd stand at a high table right on the street, elbow-to-elbow with the other early risers. It felt very communal, exchanging smiles and slurping sounds with the Tokyo natives going about their early morning business. Little did I know that the tasty bowl of soup was going to mark the beginning of an epic day of eating some of the best food I've had.

I arrived around 6:00, which was the perfect time to get there. The market was an uproar of activity: electric carts zipping by at breakneck speed, workers flinging giant tunas left and right, saws buzzing to slice the giant frozen fish, people haggling over every form of sea-life you've ever seen. Sensory overload at its absolute finest.

I wandered the market for several hours. By eight o'clock most of the action had died, and by nine, the place was overrun with tourists. It pays to go early.

After seeing so much fish, I was dying for a piece of it, so I found a little sushi shop nearby, where I had a few pieces of tuna sashimi that I will remember for the rest of my life. Also had some amazing sea eel, abalone, and some other assorted whitefish. Yum.

2006-08-05T10:03:00.000+09:00

Japan. Day Four. Tokyo.

I took the morning train to Tokyo. Found my hotel, walked around, took some pictures.

Impressions to come.

2006-08-04T07:12:00.000+09:00

Japan. Day Three.

We hit the mall first thing Monday morning. Mike and Anna had been telling me about and import food store where I could buy spices, macha tea, cheddar cheese, and other goodies. We had a quick breakfast in the food court - omelette and crepes - and then went shopping. I found everything I needed - garam masala, tumeric, cumin. I can cook curry, again!

Mike and I spent the afternoon biking around Mizuho - it's a quiet, laid-back city. The population, at 50,000, is much smaller than Tongyeong, but the city is more spread-out. There are rice paddies on every block, irrigation canals lining the streets are swimming with carp and goldfish, and large canals and rivers run throughout. It's a nice little place.

I can't believe how genuinely friendly people are here, especially compared to Tongyeong. Bowing is big, and everybody we passed gave us one plus big smiles. Even drivers. We were getting drive-by bows. A drive-by bow trumps the agressive drivers here that have you diving out of the way because they sure as hell aren't going to stop for a pedestrian crossing.

At this point I was in completely in love with the place and the lifestyle. Mike and Anna had to work in the evening, so I took the train to Gifu to explore some there. I had some fun in a large arcade, poking my head into pachinko parlors and browsing the bizarre storefronts.

Later I visited a large shrine in the mountains, and then headed back to Mizuho to meet Mike, Anna, and two of their friends for supper. Akira is one of their adult students, and Mako is the secretary from the school. They were both lovely - Akira is all hip-hop on the outside, but very sweet-natured. He's a mechanic by trade, and has a souped-up car that you wouldn't believe, complete with a global positioning device on the dash that shows a video-game-like map of every road and turn as you drive. Unbelievable. Mako was a bit shy, but had a big welcoming smile and a quiet sense of humor. Anybody whose passion in life is her evening baths is okay in my books.

The five of us then went back to Mike and Anna's place to talk some more over tea and fruit. It was a nice final night in Mizuho. Seeing friends from home again was a real treat, as was meeting Akira and Mako.

2006-08-03T23:04:00.000+09:00

Japan. Day two.

Mike and Anna live such a healthy lifestyle. I'm inspired. I've got a batch of home-made kefir on the go as I write, and just stocked up on fruit. Melons and pineapple. Big pack of tofu in the fridge. Ate a lunch of raw fish and plum tomatoes, and felt energized and great all day.

Day two in Japan was sunny and hot. The plan was originally to hit Kyoto, but a report of thunderstorms sent us (back on the train, once more) to a mountain village called Takayama. Getting there was beautiful - we followed a rocky river most of the way that was a shade of greeny-blue unlike anything I've seen.

The city was a bit touristy for my taste, but we saw some nice shrines, sampled some amazing miso, stumbled on a fantastic eel restaurant by chance, cooled off in the river, and got a bit too much sun.

The Tanuki was everywhere. We debated what animal he might be - Anna thought badger, and I agreed. He likes booze and the ladies, apparently, and rubbing his gargantuan gonads is meant to give good luck. Mike had his hands full, while the Japanese walking by laughed.

We arrived back in Mizuho late, hung out some, and crashed.

2006-08-03T14:45:00.000+09:00

Japan. Day one.

Saturday was all trains, planes and automobiles. A quick tally during the final leg of the getting there yielded these numbers:
-one flight
-two taxis
-three buses
-three trains

That's what it takes to get from Tongyeong to Mizuho. Following some fumbling at the pay phone, I met Mike and Anna in front of the train station.

We zipped back to their beautiful apartment, driving the whole way on the wrong side of the road. It's strange climbing into the passenger seat on the left side. A quick shower, and we we were off again, to check out the fireworks festival in nearby Gifu city, which were apparently the largest in Japan that night. They were spectacular. Sat on a grassy incline overlooking the river, reconnected, ate some good food, and took in the insanity.

I was struck much more strongly by the differences between Japan and Korea this time around, but I think it's too soon to properly articulate them.

2006-07-29T05:45:00.000+09:00

I'm off. Back in five days.

2006-07-28T07:35:00.000+09:00

Leave early tomorrow morning to spend five days in Japan.

2006-07-27T07:30:00.000+09:00

2006-07-26T07:20:00.000+09:00

2006-07-25T22:20:00.000+09:00

2006-07-24T20:25:00.000+09:00

2006-07-23T18:48:00.000+09:00

Well, after a lot of frustration I've *finally* figured out how to do accurate color and level balances on the scans I get back from the lab. Maybe I'll start taking more color pictures again.

As much as it pains me to post a 'cute dog' picture...

2006-07-23T07:53:00.000+09:00

2006-07-21T23:07:00.000+09:00

The Boryeong Mud Festival.

We got dirty, we got stupid, and I had more fun than I can remember having since coming to Korea.

A $3 dollar mask might have been the best money I've ever spent. Sitting in a mud pool with Korean old-timers and an impish child armed with a muddy beach ball was an unforgettable treat. That kid was pure malice... and faster than me, even with those tiny little legs. It's impossible to eat too much samgyupsal, and making friends with the korean waiters at 4:00 a.m. is a perfect way to cap any evening.

It also helps to be lucky enough to have great friends to travel with.

Slide show here.

2006-07-21T07:44:00.000+09:00

A climbing friend and his son.