Merry Christmas!

Well, I have survived Christmas in Korea. Many of you have asked whether Christmas is a big deal here or not. It's a tough question to answer. In their quest to be consumers and involved in the materialism of the world, Koreans have embraced the gift-giving of Christmas. There are aisles of toys and decorations in the stores, though not nearly as much as in the States. The country is pretty much split between Buddhists and Christians, so the religion behind Christmas is definitely here. However, unlike the massive season of spending we have in the States, Christmas is really only a day. We get one day off work and school, then it's back to the grind the next morning. Though, we do get a week off in 4 more days (Yay!).

The thing I think I miss most about Christmas in the States are the decorations put up in each household. Since everyone lives in apartments around this area, there are no grand displays of Christmas lights on the lawn or Christmas trees in the windows. I did manage to have a Christmas-like dinner tonight. A friend and I successfully attempted to make stuffing and had chicken, stuffing, and veggies for dinner. I must say it turned out quite tasty, even if it was cooked in a toaster oven! I made Christmas cookies last weekend, so I did try to get into the spirit as much as possible. I have some of Tracy's ornaments hanging around my apartment (thank goodness they're cute and compact for packing).

My Tigers' Kindergarten Class before the concert! Aren't they adorable?

My school's annual Christmas concert filled up most of the past month. I was co-creating a concert for about 90 students. Until less than 2 weeks before the concert, we didn't know if we were going to have a venue or if we would have to put the show on in our library. We kept finding out about last minute changes to the time/place/program/resources/expectations until the day of the concert. We had a staff of sick people (including myself with strep throat), people fed up with management (we were unsure if they'd still be around this Christmas), parents who need to hear their children speak and sing in English, broken CD players and no practice space. It was quite a stressful month as far as that was concerned. The concert was a hit, though! My class' parents thought their students were the best. As long as all the parents felt that way, we did our jobs well. We had a combination of big group songs and class songs. The Kindergarten sang "Winter Wonderland" together, and we got 3 rows of kids swaying in opposite directions perfectly during the instrumental section! The whole school sang "We Wish You a Merry Christmas" at the end of the concert, after which we were bombarded by parents wanting to give flowers and good wishes to their students. My kids sang right before those 2 songs, so they'd sat through about an hour and a half of other classes before being able to be stars. We had 2 fabulous songs - "I Want a Hippopotamus for Christmas" and "Go Tell It on the Mountain." For the latter, the kids were swinging, clapping, doing head-bobs, getting into the full gospel rhythm of the song. All it was missing was choir robes! The audience was in stitches!


"I Want a Hippopotamus for Christmas" Check out the girl with the writing on her shirt in the front. This is Lucy, and she is absolutely adorable in this song!



Unfortunately, I don't have a good video of the actual performance, but I do have rehearsal footage.

Must-See Korean Stationary

In the basement of the building in which I bank is my favorite store - the stationary store. Pens, erasers, pencils, sharpeners, paper, cards, stickers, art supplies, office supplies, notebooks, schedulers.... more than you can ever imagine, and more creative than you will see anywhere else. Some of you have already been the recipients of my love for this store, as I could spend all day there! Many of you will soon receive the world's greatest Christmas cards, all purchased from this store. The best part about it all is the price - Stationary is such a hot commodity, a fashion item, here in Korea that things are incredibly cheap! That makes the shopping more dangerous than you can possibly imagine.

Among the stacks, racks, rows, and shelves are some really great finds, including the schedulers pictured here. Browsing through the English writing on the books makes for an entertaining hour or so! I had to share these two with the world.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Though I'm on the other side of the world, in a land where turkey can't be found, I wish you a very happy Thanksgiving! Eat extra turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes, and corn for me! I'll be thinking of all of you sitting down to dinner together, and I wish I could be there with you!

Bukhansan trek

A few weeks ago, I set out to climb a new mountain with 2 coworkers, Nola and Kelsey. You can see the peak in the photo above... the one WAY in the background! This mountain is located in a National Park just outside of Seoul. In fact, it is the world's most-visited National Park per square foot. Amazing fact, isn't it?

The leaves were absolutely beautiful during my THREE HOUR HIKE UP THE MOUNTAIN! Yes, you read that right - it was a THREE HOUR HIKE UP THE MOUNTAIN! That does not include the time going down, which was close to 2.5 hours! It was the most physically exhausting thing I've done in a long time, possibly ever.

There was not so much a marked path up the mountain as a place where there were fewer trees. I scrambled up rock piles for about 2.5 miles up the mountain, often coming across piles that seemed like a wall, not quite knowing how to get up them!

Luckily, the three of us were of about equal physical conditioning and needed about the same amount of breaks.... toward the end of the 2.5 miles, the breaks were quite frequent. We set visual goals for ourselves, though it seemed like we stopped every 10 steps!


After hiking 2.5 miles up the mountain, in about 2.75 hours, I was faced with about 6 flights of stairs that led to a fortress wall running along the top part of the mountain range. So, I hauled my cookies up these six flights of steps, exhausted, yet inspired that the wall MUST mean that I was close to the top. Deception! Once through the wall, I turned left to discover another 10 flights of stairs leading to a granite peak. Now, I'm not just talking about a small granite rock... No, it was a good half kilometer of granite peak until I could finally stop at the top! But, the best discovery was yet to come...


At the top of that last 10 flights of stairs, I could see that the physical challenge of climbing Baekundae (the highest peak in Bukhansan National Park) was not climbing for nearly THREE HOURS UP THE MOUNTAIN, scrambling over rocks, trying to find the path, then being confronted with about 16 flights of stairs. No, the challenge is AFTER all of that, when your muscles have been worked to the point of exhaustion, when you think you cannot take another step because your bum is screaming at you, your quads are calling you all sorts of names, and your knees could use a hot tub. The challenge is in the form of a granite peak and a metal cable attached... a granite peak that is so steep and is impossible to scale without using all of your strength to pull yourself up the metal cable using your arm muscles (that have been exhausted by climbing for THREE HOURS UP THE MOUNTAIN) for another half a kilometer!

It's amazing more people don't plummet to their death due to an inability to hold onto the cable. This was insane!



The exhiliration in getting to the top was completely worth all of the exhaustion, frustration, and challenge of the day. The feeling of being on top of the world, well... at least on top of Seoul, was wonderful!


It was a great place to eat lunch, which we all had been needing, wanting, craving, almost breaking down and eating before we actually got to the top. We huddled behind some rocks to try to get out of the COLD wind and ate our sandwiches.

The hike down was nearly as dangerous (if not more so in places) than the hike up... And, it took just about as long. We spent the walk down wondering how in the world we actually made it the entire way up, as the walk seemed to take forever!

Our legs no longer functioned as we wished. I think it was Nola that said her feet stopped going where she tried to put them. We were EXHAUSTED! Knees, ankles, quads, bums, feet... you name it, it was tired and screaming at us... using very bad language to call us mean names! The memory was worth every moment of agony, though!

Strep Throat in Korea

Yes, from the title of this post, you can all guess that I've been sick! It's been going around my office, since my managers won't let people leave and get the rest they need and deserve when they're sick! They're making people stay at work with contagious diseases, and it's now spread throughout the entire staff. So, when we're all tired, cranky, and hardly functioning, they only have themselves to blame! Such is Korea.

The healthcare system here is great, though. I just get about 2% of my pay deducted each month, and I'm covered for any normal thing that could happen to me. It cost $3 to go to the doctor, and I didn't even need an appointment. Being a foreigner is a bonus, too, because they know me after just one visit! The doctor was wonderful, and he speaks very good English. Though, no words were really necessary, as he only looked at my throat for half a second before backing away! Being allergic to pennicillin is a great thing here because I got put on wonderdrugs instead. My strep throat cleared up in 3 days, where everyone else took over a week to recover. I am really grateful for that!

Pharmacies are amazing, as well. They package everything into dose-sized pouches. So, I'm on 3 medications, but I don't take them all everytime I'm supposed to take medicine. So, the pharmacy puts all of my morning pills for one day in a pouch, the afternoon pills in a pouch, and the evening pills in a pouch - FOR EACH DAY! So, for 3 days worth of medicine, I had 9 labeled pouches. This is what service should be like for everyone - no more fumbling through bottles trying to read the small print and open the child-proof caps! They're tear-open pouches! Wonderful! I did have to get a prescription for tylenol... I guess they don't sell that over-the-counter here in Korea. I know they have some type of Korean acetominophen, but not name-brand Tylenol!

Anyway, I've spent the weekend recovering and resting in my apartment. It was beautiful weather outside, too... I went to the farmers market and for short walks around town just to get some fresh air (well, as fresh as Korea gets around here). I'm all better, now, ready for the new week ahead!

The first REAL day of Fall

You know that feeling of the air biting you as the wind whips your hair into a mess. The first REAL day of Fall. Not the scientific start of Fall in September, but that first time you realize that Fall is here, and Summer is behind you. That was yesterday, and it was glorious! The first time you have to wear a warm jacket because it is actually cold (the other times were for mere comfort, but you would have been fine without). The first time you wake up to a chilly room and realize you might want to close your windows now. The first time the wind picks up and blows the clouds across the sky. In Korea, all buildings have a lobby with double doors that open to the rest of the world. Since I've been here, these doors have always been open, even in the rain. Yesterday, for the first time, the doors closed. Fall has announced its arrival. Every year, I forget how much I love the Fall... until it happens!

Scenes on the Street

It's time for another montage of pictures you'll only find in Korea!

This is a case, yes a CASE, of Spam sold at Walmart during Chuseok (Korean Thanksgiving). Chuseok is a time of gift-giving (instead of Christmas). I don't know what the fascination with Spam and this country is, but it's strange... Note that the light blue can is "Mild" Spam...???



Yes, people actually buy the Spam casses en masse... those 7 blue cases are Spam containers ready to be loaded onto a bus... Someone's family is super-lucky!





Another bit of merchandise from Walmart. Now, if it seems like Walmart is the only place that sells such strange things, don't be fooled. They're just the ones that don't care if I take pictures!







Every Sunday, the restaurant on the first floor of my building receives a shipment of vegetables. Now, in North America, would the FDA approve of veggies being stored on the street sidewalk?




What would you do with the cabbage on the street? What else but make kimchi ... on the street! Needless to say, I haven't eaten at this restaurant. I can't get over the street-grime!

Performing Arts in Seoul

The past month has been one of performances! I attended the Seoul Drum Festival in the beginning of October... loved it so much the first night that I had to go back the second! Then, I attended a performance in the Seoul Performing Arts Festival.... that was strange... billed as "A transvestite Alice in Wonderland meets a dwarf Little Prince." Who wouldn't be curious about that free performance? Below are video clips of both.


The Seoul Drum Festival ran from October 7-9. The setting was one of the many palaces in Seoul (a lesser-visited one), and it made for a very picturesque evening.



This first video is of a group from Belgium, New Dimension. They remind me of STOMP! in their use of non-conventional percussion instruments. For example, they use kneepads and chairs to create rhythm here.


If the video won't play in the blog, click New Dimension to access it!

The second video is also of New Dimension, this time using garbage cans!

Click New Dimension 2 if you can't see it on here!

This third video is of the Korea Percussion Orchestra doing Mozart. They are incredible.

Click Mozart if you can't see the video.

If you liked that, you'll like their version of Carmen, too!

Click Carmen if you can't see the video.

Finally, there was a Korean contemporary percussion group named Jamstick. Watch how they fly across the stage and are still able to play the flight of the bumblebee!

Click Jamstick if you can't see the video.


Now, onto the Seoul Performing Arts Festival. I found online a free performance of Alice. The following quotation directly from the website sums up my feeling on the performance: The result is that the audience is attracted into a world of integrated convergence by crossing the world of nonsense where lingual explanation is impossible. ( And, yes, lingual explanation was impossible!) For those of you who have seen or heard of "Les Petites Societies" you may understand the complete lack of understanding behind the art!

This first video is of the dwarf Little Prince (this is how it was billed) singing "Alice." At the end of the video, you can see the gigantic Alice, who was a person lifted up on a forklift with blue and white fabric draped down. Really... what?!!!!

Click dwarf Little Prince if you can't see the video.

Now, the dwarf Little Prince went into another song, during which two people dressed in black started to repel down the side of the building, which was partially cloaked with a white sheet. All of a sudden, they began to "dance" to the song.... again... what?!!

Click Repellers if you can't see the video.

I was thoroughly confused throughout the entire performance, as were the people around me! Nevertheless, it gives me a great memory of Seoul!

James and His Harem

A musical clacking sound came from somewhere within the Nuribang, like castanets, but in a Middle Eastern setting. Carved stone and pseudo-ivory lined the walls. Ornate wall furnishings and decorations with carved elephants and embellishments towered over us on all sides. Led down the hall and asked to remove our shoes, the 9 women and James scuffled in our bare feet or socks to the room. Two large platform beds with oversized pillows and elaborate canopies filled the space. Three weaved cushions were scattered on the floor. A basket of tambourines and marracas sat at the front of the room.

On the beds were three thick books. It was time to get started. With a push of a few buttons, the ambience grew more exciting. Music came blaring out of the speakers, a few of the girls started to dance, and then one of the Korean teachers picked up the microphone and began to sing along! Yes, folks - a Nuribang is a private Karaoke room! Equipped with an excellent sound system, two screens, a mirrored wall, and... wait for it.... a laser light show! After the semiannual workshop for my school, my director took several staff members out for dinner, drinks, and a bit of self-created entertainment! He bailed on us partway through dinner, but left our Vice Director, James, there to pay the bills! The setting was hilarious since he was the only male! It was James and his harem, for sure.

Nearly 2 km of stairs up a mountain

As the sticky season has just about ended, the mountain-hiking season has commenced. My first attempt to hike Inwansan a month ago was met with disaster. Poor air quality, high humidity, and intense sunlight caused me to abandon my quest before even reaching the halfway point. With burning lungs, I headed back down the stairs.

Saturday, I finally made it to the top. The humidity has gone, and the air quality was much better - I could see the whole city from the top of the mountain. The trek up the mountain: nearly 2 km of stairs! My butt was definitely worked! I actually made a pact with a friend to come hike the mountain every weekend - we are going to have the most toned glutes ever! Ha!


This picture is from a flat area after the first section of the ascent. If you look closely, you can see the path of stairs going up the mountain as it follows the telephone poles. The wall on the left is the reconstructed wall that once surrounded Seoul. Final destination: The tallest peak.


At this point, you can see part of Seoul through the trees. The views of the city are quite impressive as you get higher and higer up the mountain.


At some points, the stairs are as tall as my knees! The entire path in this section is lined with a rope.... just in case! I had to grab on several times when coming down.











At other times, the stairs aren't so defined... It's choose- your- own- footing time!

I'm on top of the world!

Views of Seoul from the top of the mountain

Update on Work

Chaos: the perfect description for the past few days and probably the next few. The Korean school year begins in March, so September is the semester break. We don't have a vacation at this time, but classes change on September 1st. I went from teaching 5 disctinct courses in the afternoon (I taught each course to more than one class of students, but I only had to plan for 5 courses) to teaching 8 different courses, all of which are more intensive and require more planning! I didn't receive my books for the courses until yesterday, which didn't leave much time to wrap my head around these new classes. So I felt a bit like that headless chicken today.
Our afternoon schedule is broken up into 3 blocks of classes. A distinct group of students comes to the school for each block, and they sit through 2 classes in that block. I'm used to teaching the same course twice in one block (to 2 different classes). So, in one day, I only have to prepare for 3 courses. Now, I only have that situation during one of the blocks. During the other blocks, I teach different courses each period. Meaning I have to prep for 5 courses everyday. It's a HUGE difference! I'm teaching more reading classes now, though, which I'm quite excited about.

The big news for me is that I earned a promotion to Kindergarten Supervisor. I will be responsible for curriculum management and new teacher training on top of my regular morning teaching duties. It comes with a wonderful (ha!) raise of 50,000 Won a month (a whole $50! I know, I know - don't spend it all in one place!). Money is not the incentive to take the position - now I have the authority to implement some programs/practices that I've been anxious to see across the board. We'll see how it goes. Today was my first "official" day as Supervisor. Slowly, I'll manipulate things to work my way (I'm the only trained early childhood teacher on staff).

I'm looking forward to the weekend - it will be a nice relief from the chaotic atmosphere of work the past few days. Though, I do have a rather large pile of books staring at me.... I feel like I'm back in school with all of these textbooks laying around and no time to read for pleasure! That's an exaggeration. I do have plenty of downtime. In fact, a mountain is calling my name, wanting to be hiked tomorrow. A bit cooler now, the sticky season seems to have ended. Thank GOODness!

In case you haven't noticed, I've placed a link on the right to my online photo albums. On this site, I've posted the most interesting photos to tell of my adventures concisely. If you have any interest in perusing hundreds of photos (or you need to kill some time), click on the links to see more. Unfortunately, the first 3 I uploaded did not upload the descriptions. There are just too many photos to go through and re-do it. I'll be more careful from here on out.

I'll leave you with some photos of Hwajeong! Anyeonghikasayo!



My apartment building

I live on the 3rd floor, which is the floor right above all of the signs. You can't see my window, as I face the back of the building (and can have a conversation with the neighbors in the building across the narrow alley). On the 2nd floor, there is a Kumdo studio. This is a form of martial arts that I highly recommend googling (it's worth looking at the photos!... Imagine my face when I went to see what it was all about and saw strange figures dressed in hooded robes, metal masks, and large sword-like sticks!).

The entrance to my work building is a large ad for the Gestapo Hof Bar. WHAT???? This makes me laugh daily. I work in a building with a Nazi bar. Sad, sad, sad.

My work building at night (when I get off work). Notice the blue POLY written on one of the higher floors (the 7th). This is a view of the side of the building. The windows under the Y are those of the computer room. My room is around the corner to the left.

The "center" of town... at least, the transit hub. The structure in front of you is the top of the subway station. I go down into the bit with the curved roof on the left. The square fountain in front has only been active once since I arrived. There is a homeless man who lives in a tent that sells interesting, abstract paintings here in the plaza. After payday, I'm considering making a purchase... as a conversation piece if nothing else!

The main drag at night. We have dubbed it "Rodeo," as it's a pedestrian zone full of shops. This is a pretty typical Korean suburb, with the neon lights and busy pathways. Everything here is open quite late, so there are people milling about until well after midnight. This photo was taken close to 10pm on a weekday.

I know, I know....

I have been horrible at updating this month! I apologize. The only reason I have to offer is that I've been laying low. I have a few Korea-isms to share with you:

1. Costco - A mecca of samples! You think Costco (or Sam's Club) at home has good samples? Try Korea! I had the best lunch walking around the store last weekend. The ladies giving samles wanted to give more and more (especially to the foreigners). The best bit, though, was the table for sampling beer! Yes, she kept asking if we wanted re-fills! Hilarious!

2. Elevators - I love Korean elevators! Because there is such a concentrated population of people, the majority of buildings are quite tall. Hence, there are MANY elevators in this country. My favorite thing about the elevators is that if you press the wrong floor, you can cancel! Pressing a lit button inside the elevator turns the stop request off. Yay!

3. Store greeters - When you visit WalMart in the US, there are always greeters welcoming you to the store. Well, Korea takes this to the next level. Not only are there greeters, but the greeters bow to welcome you to the store. Yes, bowing is a tradition here in Korea, as well as in many other Asian countries. Usually, when I see someone in a store or on the street, I bow to say hello. You also bow back and forth after making a purchase or being helped in any way. However, the greeters at LotteMart (better than WalMart) do the full 90 degree bow. Makes one feel special entering the store.

4. Circulation - Korean people are as big on circulation as Germans used to be with garlic! There are MANY products on the market to promote circulation, there are footpaths all over the place to get your blood flowing, and there are massage parlors (yes, and "special" massage parlors, defined by 2 barber shop poles instead of one) all over the place. My favorite 2 purchases so far are the massage exercise ball and the massage hula hoop! The hula hoop took a while to get used to (as I felt thoroughly bruised around my midsection the day after my first use), but I now love it! Once I mastered being able to work it up and down my back as it circled my waist, I had a built-in massage!


5. Cute-ness - EVERYTHING here has a cute-factor! There is a huge emphasis on animation, on cartoon-characters being used in clothing and accessories, and on cartoon-like drawing! The kids here, as a whole, would out-draw almost any American child, but all of their drawings here look alike! The big bubble-like figures are all over the place. Even my trash cans are cute:

Hopefully this will end the drought of my posting to my blog! I am going to a traditional re-enactment of a Shamanist wedding on Sunday. Look for an update then!

Relief from the heat!

Does it get any cuter?

According to the weathergirl on tv (and, according to my students all weathermen in Korea are actually weathergirls), we are out of the rainy season, and the sticky season has begun! I happened to choose one of the warmest days I've experienced so far to get lost wandering around Seoul on Monday (lost in a good way). I think I ended up walking in excess of 5 miles in the blazing heat and humidity. Needless to say, I did end up with a sunburn. Luckily I still have another day for it to soften before going into class and being called a tomato!


I came upon a wonderfully fun fountain in the middle of Seoul, outside the lawn in front of City Hall (the lawn, by the way, has a sign that states "Do not walk on lawn on Mondays".... strange!). Kids of all ages were taking the opportunity to cool off in this fountain! I walked around the edges with my bare feet, as walking around the city soaking wet would have been a tad bit uncomfortable! I don't mind the heat, actually, because at least we're finally seeing the sun!!!

...and then the bus broke down!

Me, Kelsey, and Lisa at the Korea Amethyst Festival

"Hide them!" the worker told us upon showing him our loot while exiting the mine area. Our findings WAY surpassed the amount that would fit in the small bags we were given. We had too much fun retrieving amethyst from the stream!...

A 4:30am alarm woke me from a deep sleep. After a moment to get myself oriented, I made a wake-up call to Kelsey, the new teacher (she has yet to get an alarm clock... as her neighbor, I'm acting as one). A mantra to myself not to forget the directions (little as they were) and toilet paper, I prepared for the day trip to the Korea Amethyst Festival. A 1.5 hour subway ride got us to the DongSeoul bus terminal in time for the 7:30am bus to Uljin, a seaside town on Korea's east coast. The bus was surprisingly luxurious... first-class-like seats throughout! Perfect to pull the footrest up, push the seat back, and take a nap! There were only about 8 people on the bus, so there was plenty of room to stretch out and relax.

What a treat to be able to see Korea's countryside. Once you leave Seoul, the land becomes quite mountainous, lush, and green. There were many private farms and small villages tucked into the folds of the mountain valleys. The views were breathtaking. We stopped at a rest stop about 2 hours into the journey, and I was able to snap a shot of the misty mountains. It doesn't even begin to do justice to the beauty of it all, though.

After the rest stop, we started on a trek along a winding mountain road. Many a sign said "Danger!" and a picture of a car falling off a cliff into the water was more common than I'd like to remember! At times, the road was just wide enough for the bus. Other times, there was no road, and we got to try offroading!

I highly recommend this drive for anyone travelling through Korea. Simply amazing! We followed a river as it wound down the mountain. The waterfalls and pathways carved through the rock were so picturesque. Unfortunately, the road was so windy that getting a picture worth anything was simply impossible!

We arrived in Uljin with the greatest need for a bathroom after 3 hours on a winding mountain road! There are 2 bathroom rules in Korea: 1. Bring your own toilet paper, and 2. Be prepared for a urinal!

Following the directions from the Tour2Korea website, we were to take a local bus to Sogwang-ri! Well.... asking around, we finally found that we were to take a bus on the other side of the road. Problem number 1 - the bus runs 2 times a day: 8:30am and 5:00pm. The bus got us in just after 12:00, so we were stuck! Sogwang-ri is not on the map... So, the adventure of trying to communicate to a taxi driver, find out an approximate price, and discover if the man knew where we wanted to go commenced. We tried the free translation service, but the man didn't know what amethyst was. This festival is not well publicized, and most Koreans don't know anything about the mines. We tried the tourist information person, who claimed there is no Korean translation for amethyst or mine (ok... sounds odd to me!). Finally, Lisa called her mom (who lives here in Korea) to talk with the taxi driver. A hilarious back-and-forth ensued that included Lisa's mom trying to haggle with the taxi driver for a better deal, trying to get him to take us to a good JimJilBang (sauna where you can stay for 24 hours) if we missed the last bus back to Seoul, trying to get him to pick us up at a certain time at the mines, and trying to explain why Lisa doesn't speak Korean! We were laughing hysterically already, and the trip had just begun! We stopped in the "town" of Sogwang-ri (which consisted of city hall and about 3 houses), and the taxi driver stopped to speak with an old Ajumma. From what we gathered from the conversation, we were to go to her house when we were finished (if we missed the bus back to Uljin), she would give us dinner and call him to come pick us up! Crazy! He then took us to the mine, where we (of course) had to pose with him for a picture.

I think we were the only foreigners ever to have visited the mine! It was hilarious how well we were treated! The woman who sold us our tickets was tickled and embarassed to use her English! We got a personal guide around the property (which no one else had). He took us to the Amethyst Energy Room, where we drank from a communal pool of water purified by amethyst (from communal cups that were supposedly clean because of the amethyst water...???). We then sat in the cool, damp room and were told to close our eyes and breathe deeply for 10 minutes. We were the only ones doing this, and we had to of the guides making sure we kept our eyes closed! All of the Koreans visiting the room came in, drank some water, and exited! Finally, we were allowed to leave the room!

We were led to a stream in which we could search for amethyst rocks. There are 2 kinds of rocks - the lighter kind that can be used for purifying water and the darker kind for jewelry. There were a handful of people in the stream, so we dropped our bags, removed our shoes, and went into the icy cold water! We trekked up the mountain in this stream, searching for purple sparkles the whole way. How neat this experience was, we all thought! Then, we kept seeing a man on a motorbike riding up and down the path. Eventually, we heard a "plop, plop, plop," and we caught him throwing amethyst into the water! The theory developed that the whole thing is a hoax! The amethyst found in the stream is the reject pile from the amethyst used to make jewelry. This mysterious motorbike man (the amethyst-giver) spent the whole day throwing amethyst in the river for tourists to find! It was a hoot! We continued looking anyway because it was so much fun!

We hiked to the top of the mountain in search of the Purple Pond of Fortune. Instead, we found a nice, older man ready to give us a tour of the mines. Navigating through a low-ceilinged cave, we passed disgusting bugs, mushrooms, and followed a line of amethyst that runs through the mountain.

Our descent of the mountain was accompanied by a short rainstorm. At the bottom, we found the Purple Pond of Fortune (complete with amethyst rocks glued to the fountain), and we all wished on a coin.

From there, we planned to exit and make the trek back to "town" to catch the bus. We were stopped on the way out to see the amethyst we gathered and put it into purple bags. When we showed him our big shopping bag of amethyst, we were told to "Hide it!" Hilarious! We stuffed it into my backpack. The whole staff was outside as we were preparing to leave, and we were encouraged to walk on the amethyst footpath. There are different textures created from amethyst rock that were meant to promote circulation. OUCH!!!! It was like walking on a bed of nails, and it was LONG, too! The girl was laughing at us the whole time... probably because of the faces and noises we were making!

We needed to head out to the bus, but everyone was so kind and wanted pictures with the foreigners! We posed for many pictures and were even given souvenirs of amethyst earrings! The hospitality was amazing! We were also given a ride back to "town" in the mine's truck! Good thing, too, because a downpour began right as we were getting into the truck.

Look for the little white dog running after the truck!

While waiting for the bus, we were entertained by the locals (all 5 of them and their pets!).


We made it to the Uljin bus terminal with 5 minutes to catch the bus to Seoul! Thank goodness!!! We ran to get our tickets and get on the bus (this time there were even fewer people on the bus). I think we were all asleep within 10 minutes of heading back to Seoul. I woke up a a few times on the drive over the windy mountain road, and I forced myself to go back to sleep! It was POURING rain, and we were so close to the edge of the road. It was better to be asleep! A few times, I felt (and heard) the bus skid as the driver pressed the brakes! Yikes!

We stopped at the rest stop on the way back. After waiting for a straggler, the bus driver went to start the bus.... nothing! He tried again.... nothing! He tried several times, and we finally guessed that the battery was dead (at a rest stop somewhere in the middle of Korea). Well, you would think he'd get on the phone to dispatch to let them know what was going on... perhaps call a replacement bus or tow truck. You'd think. Instead, he stood outside in the parking lot under his umbrella. Doing nothing! Staring around the parking lot for a good 30 mintues. Finally, he went over to the gas station to borrow jumper cables and had a truck sitting in the parking lot jump us! By this time, we were over an hour late. Timing transportation in Seoul is important because the subways stop running at midnight or 1am. Well, being late, we took a subway that stopped way before our stop. We had to get a cab home at 1am. What a day!