First Visit to Busan

We had a fabulous time on our first visit to Busan.  We arrived somewhat late in the day and searched for a place to grab a quick bite.  What we ended up doing was an entertaining story all in itself (for another blog) - but, suffice it to say, we didn't know what meat we consumed but the consensus was that it was gamey.  Yum!  After that appetizing meal, we headed to the Busan Cultural Museum and UN Sculpture park.  Above picture is Julia and Crista arriving at the museum 20 minutes before it closed!  haha..

Even with only twenty minutes to look, we got a good tour of the museum and even had time to meditate on a few large black and white photos of Korea from ages ago - here is Crista in front of a photo of an old building.

After it closed, we were still able to hang out in the courtyard and people watch.  There was a very tall Korean model with a gaggle of photographers apparently on a photo shoot.  She was beautiful but she was so tall and her thighs were so large (but shapely) that we couldn't help thinking that she resembled a transvestite.... hmm..

And of course, we took some silly photos - here is us dying to call all of you back home - fighting over the phone!!  yuk yuk..

That night we stayed in a jim-jil-bong, which is a Korean spa.  You can stay there overnight for $8!  Of course, you are sleeping on the floor with many other Koreans - usually drunks who crashed at the nearest spa instead of trying to get home.  I opted for the private sleeping chamber which eerily resembles a huge animal kennel and costs a whopping $1.  We spent a long time at the spa, relaxing in the hot tubs and sauna rooms, sitting in the massage chairs, taking a swim in the pool and watching soccer on t.v.  That particular jimjilbong also offers a gold driving range (indoor) and a gym.  Oh!  and a restaurant which we ate a very nice meal of seaweed soup and sweet potato.   Not only was it delicious, but healthy after a spa visit AND there was NO MEAT!  



The next day when we were finally able to pry ourselves away from the spa, we headed up a mountain to the "Beacon Monument" - which is just a bunch of rocks on top of a mountain... but it has an excellent view of Busan below it:
And we, being the beacons of light that we are, decided to pose atop the monument:

But, being on top of a mountain, it was incredibly windy and rather cold.  Julia and I cozied up to the edge of the platform for maximum warmth until everyone was ready to head back down the mountain...

We were very fortunate to be able to hitch a ride back down the mountain with a young Korean couple.  It was a lovely weekend and we hopped the last train back to Ulsan at 10pm fully expecting to visit Busan regularly to experience everything it has to offer.  

Market Day

Hey Everyone!  

Julia and I decided to start a blog together about our stay in Ulsan, South Korea.  Tune in for pictures and brief descriptions of life here teaching children, trying new food and visiting new sights.  For more detail, send us an email at da.mep.dah@gmail.com!!  Wanna know what that means??  Email us!  =P

Today was market day.  Every thursday, the (mostly) old women of our area Cheon-guk dong, Ulsan, get together and sell food, clothes, and some household items - but mostly food.  

Here's Julia talking to a woman who was trying to sell us some strange herb.  We didn't recognize it and she didn't speak any English so we just shrugged at her and said "morugeta" - which means "i don't understand."  Later, Julia bought "sagwa" (apples) from another older woman who spoke a little bit of English.  She was very funny, laughing and upbeat.

Here are some of the fish/seafood options for purchase:

I'm pretty sure that in the lower left you will see a flayed sting-ray...  and upper left?  I dunno... eel??  There is a lot of different kinds of fish and we don't have a clue which is which.  I think that if we figure it out at all, its possible that a book on korean fish and food will be spawned to aide future clueless wey-gooks.

    Octopuses?  Yes... that IS the plural of Octopus...

Squid?  This stuff is all so very abundant and popular here.  I don't think Koreans have any concept for "too chewy" or "too fishy" or "too spicy"....  basically, they expect that you will eat just about anything and smile after saying "Mashee soy yo" or "Mashee cho-y-yo" --- both mean "it tastes good!"

There is also a lot of stuff that is still alive at the market...  moving and pissed off!  We'll post more about the thursday markets, etc. in other blogs... thanks for tuning in!