After Burn, Kayaking & Mudfest

Post Korea Burn, my sunburn got incredibly worse. I can officially say that was the worst sunburn I have experienced in my life. Monday morning I awoke to pain and part of my forehead being swollen. I wasn't too concerned and went on with the day. That night the swelling started to drain, leaving part of my eye a bit swollen, only to wake up in the morning with my entire face being swollen and unable to open my eyes. I did not go to work that morning, rather was taken to see a dermatologist who gave me shots in the butt (Korea's specialty), several pills for the next few days and hydrocortisone cream. Thankfully by the afternoon the swelling had gone down quite a bit. I went into work feeling really down but tried to take it as an opportunity to educate my students of the importance of sunscreen, despite the fact that I haven't learned it myself. I can say though since that experience I have lathered it on in every instance, although with much displeasure. I think what made it so bad this time is that I was literally sunburnt everywhere, I'm pretty sure my body was in shock :(

Pre-swollen photo 

I don't think I mentioned it in my last post, but the weekend before Korea Burn, I had the chance to see an old friend! Paul, whom I travelled with in China was in Korea for a week on his way back to China to get married to his other half, Cathy. Congratulations again to the two of them! We spent the day catching up and exploring Seoul together. A good portion of the time was spent at World Cup Park, but we also walked through another park, had lunch at Craftworks and some drinks at Rocky Mountain Tavern. 

Paul and I being lazy taking the trolly up the to the top of the park 

We walked through these painful clay balls barefoot, it's supposed to be good for you? Only made it half way!

World Cup Stadium in Seoul 

The following weekend, Mel and I had signed up to go kayaking through a MeetUp group that I used to do a lot of events with when I first arrived in Korea. We were up nice and early to head to the meeting spot then off we were to the Hongcheon River. Given the ferry incident that happened this year, safety measures have been increased, therefore we were required to wear both lifejackets and helmets while kayaking, despite the fact that the river was rarely more than knee deep due to the lack of rain in July. Some points in the river were so low that we had to get out and carry our kayak for a bit. All in all it was fun though and so nice to be back on the water. We took a brief stop to swim and again later for lunch. It still amazes me that most Koreans do not know how to swim. Some pictures from the day, some from Mel's phone that was in a waterproof case so they are a bit blurry and some from Harry Yoon, the organizer:

A bunch of us from the trip!

Mudfest was also in July! I did not know about this festival until shortly before departing for Korea. Lisa told me about this festival and insisted I had to go since when she was travelling in SE Asia, she met tons of people who talked about it. Last year, I arrived the weekend after my co-workers had gone so I was happy to be able to go this year. Unfortunately, due to the fact that it was a mud festival, there are few pictures to show for, and the few that were taken I have yet to see surface. Mudfest takes place in Boryeong which is know for its mineral mud. Every summer people gather to have mud fights, go down mud slides, get painted by mud, then swim in the ocean to wash off. I would recommend doing a quick Google search to get an idea of what it's like. 

The trip started off a bit rocky which was unfortunate. Mel, Noelia, Tatiana, Maynah, Chris, Scott, Michael and I all arrived at the pick up spot and awaited the bus. It came and we found out that there was not enough spots on the bus for all of us (poor planning and organization on Seoul Hiking Group's part, which isn't uncommon). This meant that some of us had to sit in the aisle on the ground between the seats and/or sit on someone's lap. So I sat on Noelia's lap for a good 2-3 hours down to Boryeong. Not only that, Noelia had booked for her and a few of the other girls months prior yet they did not have a room reserved for them, despite constant emailing from Noelia to try to figure out what was going on, only to not get responses from the organizer. Thankfully while driving down they were able to get a room set up for them. 

Chris and I in the water swimming and getting the mud off

Fireworks later in the night, it was quite foggy? smoggy? The whole sky lit up as one colour.

The rest of Saturday night was spent listening to music off the main stage and then going from different spots along the main strip for drinks and dancing. It was a memorable night, some poured drinks for others, some danced and sometimes fell off of chairs, we all met a ton of cool people and listened to great music. 

Relaxing on the beach Sunday before heading back to Seoul

July was packed with awesome weekends and to finish it off we had our summer vacation which I spent in Malaysia! More to come on that and a school update soon!

<3

Korea Burn 2014

I was so incredibly happy to be able to take part in Korea Burn again during my time here. The first one I went to last year still tops as one of the best weekends I've had in Korea. Again, Korea Burn is based on the principles from Burning Man in Nevada - Korea Burn is just a much smaller scale. It was located on the same beach this year which made things even more welcoming and familiar. Last year I went with Emmalee who I had only met a few weeks prior. This year I went with Emmalee again, but also, Tina, Mel, Tatiana, Maynah, Noelia, Martin and Scott. As a result, I bought a tent this year which meant bringing much more than I did the previous year.

My coworker Chuck was also going, so the two of us got ready after work on Friday and headed out to get dinner and drinks in Jeongja (where we would be picked up) at The Harp (an Irish bar) before the bus would be picking us up. It just so happened that it was Independence Day that day, so The Harp had beer pong set up and we played a few close games.

We all gathered in Jeongja at 11pm well stocked with Soju and tonic for the ride down to Cheongpo Island. To date, that was the most fun a bus ride has ever been. No one stayed in their seats, everyone was standing, mingling, playing games, sharing drinks, just overall really a great atmosphere. A funny moment from the ride down was that we had to make an emergency bathroom break on the side of the highway. There was some bushes along the side but after being terrified by the spiders everywhere, this led to a line of girls squatting along the side of the highway. Definitely an odd sight for anyone driving past.

Martin, Naomi, Mel and I 

We arrived on the island between 2-3am. Emmalee had arrived earlier so we connected and she brought us to the spot where she had put up her tent. After everything was set up, we went down to the beach where there was a DJ playing and people dancing around a bonfire. We stayed awake all night long and watched the sunrise. It was really cool because Emmalee and I ran into Blessing, whom we met at last year's burn, so it was cool to reconnect.

Tent City (taken in the morning by Scott or Tina?)

Tatiana, myself, Mel and Maynah

Hula hooping while giving Scott a high five

I did finally take a nap around 9am and spent the rest of the day checking out the different camps set up. Two of my favourite ones were the Relaxation Tent and Rooted Camp. At the relaxation tent you could get face paint done, your tarot cards read or just simply sleep and relax on the masses of pillows and blankets they had. I took a nap here later in the day as well. Rooted Camp put on a series of Yoga Classes throughout the weekend but did something special at their camp as well. They had everyone write their motto or what you want to leave behind in the world on scratch paper (black paper, and you write on it with a stick that scratches away the black to leave a mutli-coloured backdrop) which they would then create a book later on with. After doing this, they took your picture with a polaroid camera and you attached your picture to the fabric tree they created. There was also a Bucaneers camp that did scavenger hunts, a camp that cooked bacon for everyone all weekend, another camp that was spaced themed that put mini trampolines into the ground.

Mel and I napping in the relaxation tent 

Rooted Camp!

Emmalee and I doing the scavenger hunt and we can't find the token

Found the token!

I didn't eat much during the day but by the time "dinner" rolled around, I was craving the ramen I brought and did not want anything else. But there was one problem, I had no way to make hot water. But Tatiana and Maynah had asked a guy earlier to help them out with opening bottles and they figured he could boil water for me. So we found him and he was kind enough to do it! We sat down with him as he boiled the water and later were joined by two of his friends. So many incredible stories, him and his friend have been all over and have experienced the coolest things. That is one thing that I love about Korea Burn, the truly incredible people that you meet. He even made us coffee which tasted like the best thing in the world in that moment. So wherever you are - Thank you Eli!

By the time evening came, I realized how burnt I had got despite it being cloudy all day long. (I know, I know, you can still get burnt.) So I was on a desperate hunt for pants in order to be covered up for the rest of the day and for Sunday. Of everyone I knew, the only person who had pants was Greg. I literally went up to him, he was wearing pants, asked if I could have his pants and he got up changed and handed them over due to my need. Could you be kinder? Honestly, he was a lifesaver - thank you Greg!! Had I not had those pants I would have gotten burnt even worse - and it was already worse than I thought. (Fast forward to Monday and Tuesday when my whole face became swollen due to my burns.)

That night they had an incredible fire show and burned the Burning Man - incredible.

Sunday was spent packing, and trying to stay cool and out of the sun as much as possible, but still very relaxing.

I loved this year's Korea Burn. I cannot say which year was better because both were different and both were great. This year's overall vibe - in my opinion - was focussed more on relaxation, whereas I found last year there was a lot more to do and experience. Like I said, both years were different but equally awesome. I am so glad to have been able to go, share the experience with new friends and share the experience with Emmalee again at our second Korea Burn together!

Other highlights:

Our second Korea Burn together!

             

Got to hang out with Glenn (pictured) and Luke again who we met at last year's burn

Another cool camp, you were supposed to write something you wanted to let go of on wooden pieces and put them up in the installation. 

Awesome performers who made life size puppets that they later walked around in

<3

Chuncheon and other updates!

Earlier this month, we had a long weekend. Normally I try to take advantage of these weekends by travelling but decided not to this time. It was my friend Alison's last full weekend in Korea, so I wanted to spend as much time as possible with her before she headed back to Scotland.

We had Friday off work, so a bunch of us headed to Yeouido Park to have a picnic and spend the day in the sun. Something unique to Korea is that when the weather is nice, everyone heads out to parks BUT everyone brings a tent. Parks are always full of people in tents (to be shaded - despite pitching their tents in the little shade you can find from trees). There was a bunch of us there, but apparently I only took pictures with a few people.

Scott, myself, Tatiana, Maynah and Mel photo bombing

Ben and Chris in the background as Michael sleeps

Serious pose. I love these Canadians. 

We enjoyed the day and then grabbed tickets for the "Han River Cruise" later in the evening. It sounds fancier than it is. It was basically a small little ferry type boat, everyone stood on the deck as it cruised along. It went to Banpo Bridge, which is known for having the 'moonlight rainbow fountain'. This is another thing I was able to check off my bucket list. Nightly, during the summer, there is a water show off the side of the bridge. So the cruise took us there, we watched, but before it was over, we started to head back which meant going underneath the bridge directly under the water show = people getting wet! Some of us had an inkling that we were going to be going under the water and headed for the undercover area, others did not.

Sunset on the Han River in Seoul

A good portion of the group

The tallest gold plated building in the world (so I hear)

The water show! 

Everyone running to take cover as we go under the fountain

Scott and I safe from the water

The aftermath: Ben was one of the many who were drenched

Han River at night

The next day Alison had gathered some people to go to Chuncheon which is northeast of Seoul (it's actually in the next province, but you can still get there by subway!). Chuncheon is known for its dak galbi, which is grilled chicken with cabbage, sweet potato and other veggies that you make lettuce wraps with. We decided to take the ITX since it is a faster train than the normal subway, so we arrrived in about an hour. From here, things became a bit of an adventure as nothing was planned. 

Since there was six of us, we got two taxis and requested that they take us to the themed pension we had booked. A pension is a room in a building you can book for cheap. They provide pillows, sleeping mats and blankets and you sleep on the floor. It's really a great option. There are a bunch of themed ones though, and Alison really wanted to stay in one, so we found a Wizard of Oz themed one to stay in for the night. We got into the taxi, gave them the address and off we went - only to realize we were about 50km away!! So after being in the taxi for however long, we decided to get them to turn around and take us back as we wanted to eat dak galbi before going somewhere 50kms away. Plus we saw swan boats that we wanted to ride. The drivers probably thought we were a bit odd, but that's okay. 

They dropped us off by the swan boats and we rented two for a half hour. So much fun! I have always seen these on the Han River and had thought about renting one before. 

Reid, Leslie and Alison in their boat

Chris, myself and Mel

After this, we headed to the famous Dak Galbi street and found a park along the way that was full of statues. 

Mel with the children

Dak Galbi Street!!

Leslie, Alison, myself, Mel and Chris

After deciding where to eat, there are tons of dak galbi places to choose from, and eating, we walked around for a bit and I found this guy. Not sure what his deal was. 

Finally we decided to do a little more research about where our pension was and discovered it was actually a few subway stops away. So we got back on the subway and headed to Gapyeong. Taking a taxi from there, still took a very long time. The place was really in the middle of nowhere, nothing else around, no stores, nothing but trees and mountains. We spent the night playing games and chatting. I was a little underwhelmed by the Wizard of Oz theme, I thought they would have went all out with the theme, but it was still cool.

Normally, pensions do not have beds, or two floors, so that was exciting. 

Our pension from the outside - it was a pumpkin!!

There was also a mushroom ... 

... and apple!

On our last day we decided to go see The Garden of the Morning Calm. Fun facts: It's the oldest among private Korean gardens, has 20 themes and about 4,500 kinds of plants. It was gorgeous to say the least. 

These ladies wanted a picture with us

At one point it started to rain, so Chris, Reid and I tried to stay dry under this tree. 

It was a fantastic weekend and looking at the pictures again, I still can't believe how beautiful it is there!

Since then, my weekends have been pretty relaxed. I went to a the play "Giselle" with my friend Myan. The only other notable thing was going out in Gangnam last weekend as we got caught in a crazy downpour while walking to Pandora (a $10 all you can drink venue). My shoes had puddles in them and my dress was sopping by the time we got there, but was still a fun night! Chris and I also checked out the French village in Seoul - which wasn't really very French at all. Some signs at French on them but that was it. 

A cool mural 

French pastries 

AND I found a Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory!! The prices were okay, $10 for an apple, the rocky pop was expensive, $12 for a 173g bag! I definitely enjoyed a few goodies :)

In other news - I just booked tickets to Hong Kong!! Mel and I are going for a weekend in August to go to the Disneyland there. If you know me well, you know I am beyond stoked for this! Next weekend is Korea Burn, the following weekend I am going kayaking, the following weekend is Mud Fest, then the next two weekends I will be in Malaysia. So much adventure ahead so wish for good health as there is something really bad going around at school right now!! I will leave you with pictures from Giselle. 

And a few pictures of my classroom wall because I love how it's coming together!! 

<3