I've been pretty lazy at keeping up this blog. Shoulda been more diligent. Anyways...
The past month has been crazy. In 2 weeks I got the chance to visit places that have:
1. Made me realize that Korea has much more to see that can be seen in these 6 months.
2. Realize that Korea has a ton of culture, that I am stoked to discover more of.
3. Korea makes smashing tea.
After being taken on a Cultural Trip to Jeju for 3 days, flight and accommodation paid for courtesy of the Office of Education, Linds and I decided to stay for an extra 2 days for the weekend. Needless to say, paying for the flight home was well worth it. Had the chance to tour around Jeju on our own and it was amazing. Although it rained,the weather didn't hamper much of the adventure. Waterfalls at night, waterfalls in the rain, and brunch at a seaside cafe in a small out-of-the-way town. The only major downer was getting to the ferry terminal to Udo and then seeing that it was closed due to the weather. Jeju was basically telling me that I had to come back eventually if I ever wanted to bike around Udo. Which is exactly what I'm planning to do. Eventually. The hostel we stayed at was pretty awesome as well. New hostel which was pretty much a hotel. Cheap as hell, only 17,000W per night, and best of all, the owners were awesome. Not only did they provide us with free food, but at the end of the night, they provided free alcohol. Maekolli Parties ftw. Although we were surprised they couldn't handle more than one drinking game at a time. Hah.
Surprisingly, leaving Jeju was actually pretty difficult. It seemed like it's own little world, and odd enough, it actually felt like home. I know if I had stayed in Jeju for maybe 2 weeks, I probably would've been over it. Given that there was still so much to explore in Jeju, it's probably why I was feeling a tad heartbroken. Yes, I was heartbroken. Getting on the bus headed to the airport (for a flight we just barely made) made me really sad. But it got me thinking, if leaving Jeju was that hard, I can't imagine the day when I have to leave Korea. Being 4 months in, I know it's coming eventually. Some people are talking about tickets, booking flights, asking when their last days are, while some people are extending. Bastards. My only comfort is knowing that one day, I will be back in Korea, hopefully on at least a year contract.
Back to the awesome 2 weeks, as Jeju was only part 1. 3 days of work, and I booked it to Jeonju to celebrate the coming 5 day weekend. T'was awesome. Good night of drinks and dancing, all the way till 5am. Post-hangover, we made it to the Festival Hopping part of the weekend. It was a blast, and once again bad weather tried to kill the mood. Too bad the festivals were tea festivals. Take that cold. Had many teachers at Boseong, a soap master, a tea master, then got interviewed. Yay, being waygook. On top of that, even though the tea making part was over, they looked for us on the festival grounds just to tell us that they wanted us to have the chance to make the tea. Waygook points +2. Even though it took a while, and we felt kind of bad that they all stuck around to wait for us to dry our leaves properly, it was amazing anyways. I wish they'd let us pay tho. They told us that since we're foreigners, we didn't need to pay. Waygook points +3. Felt bad tho, I really wanted to pay since it was such an inconvenience.
Post Boseong, we ate at Jangheung and met a really cool Korean, who cooked our food for us. Random? Yes, but quite Korean. She ended up giving us picture holders as a gift, even though we only met her once. Pretty dope. After Jangheung, headed to Namwon for the Chunhyang Festival. Korean love story, very famous, had to watch the drama of course. Pretty awesome, ended up having dinner at a Cafe Mulgogi-esque restaurant. So spicy though, wish we had the non-spicy. Post-dinner, was a night of drinks. What better way to celebrate the greatest Korean love story than with drinks?! Post Namwon, we headed for Hadong. After a couple of detours, like Gurye for some smashing bibimnaengmyeon, we eventually made it. Although it was a bit rushed because we had missed our stop and then needed to catch the last bus to Busan, it was still worth the trip. Boseong + Hadong was a major haul in green teas. Too many, but it has to last me 2 years before I can taste it again.
Busan was once again, awesome. Although it rained, (I swear Vancouver weather is following me) it was still pretty good. Shopping, and a rainy Burgers and Beach session. Followed by a great night at a fancy lounge. Pricey drinks, but so worth it. Ended the night, once again, with dancing till the early hours of the morning. Oh Canada, how boring you will be.
Jeju, Boseong, Namwon, Hadong, Busan. 2 weeks with great company and of great times.
I hope the remainder of my stay here in Korea is like this. I have two years to survive on these memories before I can come back. Brutal.
