Running in Korea Part II

Hello everyone!

I hope you enjoyed Fluke's recent blog posts! Just reading about the pho restaurant made me crave it this morning! It's been getting colder and colder, so pho just sounds perfect right now! ^^ Anyway, on to the topic of this post...RUNNING!

I absolutely LOVE running. I didn't realize this about myself until I stopped running on the treadmill and starting running outside. Sure, sometimes it's hard to motivate myself to get started, but once I change into my running clothes and shoes (which are very important by the way--I'm a huge Nike fan now haha), I'm ready to go!

Some of you know that I ran in a few 10km races in Korea and recently just ran my first (hopefully not last!) half marathon this past weekend. The races are so much fun! I hate waking up early in the morning to get to the race start, but the races themselves are awesome. I've run around downtown Daegu, along Daedepo beach in Busan, through Daegu Stadium (where the AIIF championships were held and the World Cup!!), around the northwest part of Daegu, and last Sunday, I ran on the new path along the Dalseong River in Daegu. I would've never seen these beautiful parts of Daegu and Busan if I didn't run in those races! Here's some of my running photos! I have these photos thanks to Fluke! Each race he came to support me and our friends who also ran! Thanks Fluke!

Daegu Smiling Dalseo 10km

At the finish line!

Inside Daegu Stadium after the 10km race

Just started the half marathon...

Last hill before the finish line!

Made it! ^^

Now, you may be wondering how I find out about all these races and register in Korean. Here's how: The Waeguks Got Runs Facebook group! Anyone in Korea interested in running should join this group! Why?
1. The admins for the group post all running events (that they know about) in cities all over Korea. There are a TON of races in Korea and the race list is frequently updated as more are announced. I look at the list and decide which races I want to do!
2. There's a document in the Facebook group with step-by-step instructions on how to register for races in Korean. Once you learn the basic words to look for on a race website, registering is pretty much the same each time. 
3. The group is a community of runners with varying levels of experience. Sometimes, members post really interesting articles related to running. Since I'm new to running, I find these articles really helpful!
4. When anyone has a question about registering, paying for races, how to get to a race start from a different city, etc, someone will usually have the answer!

So that's my running update! I'm done with races for now because it's getting to be too cold outside! I think there's a few races left this year, but the half marathon yesterday was my last race. I'm looking forward to joining some races in California next year!! 

Mt. Seoraksan

This past weekend, Jenn and I got the chance to hike Mt. Seoraksan. We went with a couple of friends as well. We were very excited, because the Fall scenery at Mt. Seoraksan is supposed to be some of the best that you can see in South Korea. 

How we got there from Daegu:

- There are many options to get to Seoraksan. This is how we did it.

- We took a KTX to Seoul Friday night. 

- Saturday morning, we took a bus from the Seoul Express Bus Terminal (It's a subway stop) at 6:00 AM to Sokcho. We had already bought tickets in advance by asking one of our Korean co-workers to help us translate the website.

- The ride took 2 and half hours and once at Sokcho Express Bus terminal, we crossed the street outside, turned right, found the nearest bus stop, and took Bus 7 to Mt. Seoraksan. Get off at the last stop (or when all the other hikers do). This took about 20 minutes. 

- We got back the same way as well. Although this time, we took a taxi from Mt. Seoraksan back to Sokcho Express Bus terminal. (Cost about 12,000 Won). We had also bought our return tickets in advance as well. Note: Our bus back to Seoul left at 8 PM, but it's really easy to change the departure time to something earlier if you need to.

What we thought of Mt.Seoraksan:

- It rained on and off all day.

- This didn't ruin the experience for us at all. The rain actually made some parts of the mountain look really moody. With the fog peeking over the mountain tops, it definitely made for some cool pictures.

- I wouldn't say this was a tough hike. Of course, this depends on the route you take. We went to Bisondea rock, and then a cave. The hike to the rock was about 3 kilometers of which most of it was paved. There is a big Buddha statue on the way there, and a couple of bathrooms/restaurants along the way. In short, if you get hungry or have to use the bathroom, don't worry. 

- The hike to the cave was about 0.6 kilometers from Bisondae rock. This took about 35 minutes. This was more like the hiking that we are used to in S.Korea. It was all rocks, steep, slippery, and dangerous. Tiring, exciting, and frustrating at the same time.

- The Fall foliage was simply amazing. So many colors, and I felt that the rain emphasized the colors. It made them deeper and pop out more. If you were thinking about checking out Mt.Seoraksan because of this, I can say with confidence that you will not be disappointed. 

- Oh, and despite the rain, there were still a large number of people there. And they had Ponchos for 3 dollars. So we hardly got wet. Except for our shoes. That was terrible. Wet feet suck.

All credit for the awesome photos goes to our friend. Thank you!!!

Food Adventures in Daegu #2: Authentic Vietnamese Pho!

Vietnamese Pho. One of our all-time favorite foods. In California, it was easy to find a good Pho restaurant. Here in Daegu, there are quite a few Vietnamese restaurants that serve Pho. However, it just doesn't taste quite the same. It isn't quite as authentic. Not to say that it's bad. It's just clearly been given a Korean-ized taste/flavor.

So imagine Jenn and I's surprise when we heard that there was an authentic Vietnamese restaurant in Daegu! We had to check it out, despite it being almost an hour away from us.

Restaurant Name:

World Asia Market

How We got There:

We took the subway line 2 from our stop to Seongseo Industrial Complex (Toward Munyang). We took Exit 5 out, and then kept heading straight. If you see a big E-Mart on the opposite of the street, you're going the right way! As soon as you see your first bus stop, stop! It is toward to the right, tucked away behind a little street alley. Here is the bus stop name: (Igok 1-dong Community Center/이곡1동 주민센터)

The Food:

Truly authentic Pho. Beefy, soothing broth, and hot sauce to add to it that didn't taste like ketchup. We also had a serving of Vietnamese Iced coffee afterwards, which is amazing and highly recommended. They have other Vietnamese food options too, but the menu was entirely in Vietnamese so we didn't really know what else to get. Some food options do require a phone call made in advance. We found this out when we tried to order spring rolls. (Sorry, we don't have their number). We highly recommend this place, and have already made the hour long trip out there twice, with many more visits to come! Also, they have a lot of Vietnamese food for sale as well. Pho Noodle Packets, Candied Tamarinds, Fresh cilantro, and more are all available for sale.

Food Adventure's in Daegu #1: Philly Cheesesteak!

Jenn and I love food. We love eating new foods, discovering local restaurants, and, well, we're just your typical foodie. The thing is, in Daegu, it's a lot harder to find food. Don't get me wrong, there are plenty of great restaurants in Daegu. Great Korean restaurants. Finding Western food options is a bit trickier. And well, we often hear about places through word of mouth, and that usually involves going out of our way to find said places for these Western food options. We will often plan a day around finding a particular restaurant, and I thought it was about time that we started documenting it! 

Restaurant name:

South Street Grill

How we got there:

We took the subway to University of Education (two stops south of Banwoldang), got out at a random exit, and asked for the taxi to take us to Camp Walker, Gate 4 entrance. Once there, we walked up and down the street till we found the shop. It's a relatively small street, and you should be able to find it easily. It's very close to Hami Mami's if you know where that is.

The food:
Jenn and I both ordered a Philly cheesesteak w/a side of Smiley face fries. We also got an order of buffalo wings to share.

The Philly cheesesteak was very tasty. The beef was sliced thinly and chopped up, and we really enjoyed it. The buffalo wings were also pretty good, although they were a little sweet. We had no complaints about them, but we are still in search of the perfect buffalo wing in Daegu. Overall though, we really enjoyed this place, and definitely recommend it if you are looking for something different and authentic in Daegu.

Teaching Moments

Some teaching moments I've had over the past several weeks.

- Pulled a thumbtack out of a student's ear. He wanted an earring. Really?!?

- Got confused when a student told me she had a "Cope-y." Yeah...that's a nosebleed in Korean. Figured it out pretty fast though!

- Made a student write down 3 reasons for why calling other students trash is a bad thing. She could only come up with two. -__-

- Had a mother of one of my 7th graders come up to me today and thank me for helping her child study and learn English. She said he talks about me all the time. Made me feel warm and fuzzy inside. :)

- Had a girl student slam down her pencil case in frustration when she didn't finish her word search before class. Apparently, candy is a strong motivator. =)

Our trip to Vietnam!

Hello! We're back from vacation, back to teaching, and already missing Vietnam!!!

What we did:
1. Hanoi-explored the city, walked around the lake, visited the Vietnamese Women's Museum, Ho Chi Minh museum, the remains of Hoa Lo Prison, and a cathedral, and of course ate amazing  food!

Ho Chi Minh's mausoleum. The line was WAY TOO long, so we just took a picture from here. 

Hoa Lo Prison

Women's museum

2. Halong Bay-took a 2-night/3-day cruise with Indochina Junk which was amazing!!

We got to kayak twice!

 3. Sapa--took a 1 day tour with Sapa Sisters. Great views, learned a little about the local people, and got some good photos. The overnight Hanoi <--> Lao Cai (Sapa) train wasn't the best, but at least it left and arrived on schedule and got us to the stations safely. 

On our hike!

Got to relax for a little bit before catching the train back.

 4. Mui Ne-Beach resort area northeast of Ho Chi Minh city. Stayed at Grace Boutique Resort and had a great time. Relaxed by the infinity pool, walked on the beach, went to the sand dunes for the sunrise, walked in the "Fairy Stream," and enjoyed our last few days of vacation.

Infinity pool!

View from our room!

Sunrise :)

Walking in the Fairy Stream

 5. Ho Chi Minh/Saigon- got a personal tour from Oanh!! (former foreign-exchange student who lived with Fluke in high school) We visited the post office, saw the Notre Dame cathedral, went to the Unification Palace, ate yummy food, and... traveled by motorbike!!

Post office!

Reunification Palace

Notre Dame Cathedral

Having ice cream before we had to say goodbye. 

Motorbikes!

What we LOVED:
1. THE FOOD!!!!!!! (and the COFFEE!!!)

2. The views!!! Halong Bay, Sapa and Mui Ne were gorgeous!

3. The hospitality of all the hotel staff and the luxurious accommodations at every hotel we stayed in. Everyone was very friendly and welcoming. We never had any problems. 

Overall, our trip to Vietnam was amazing! We definitely want to go back sometime. And now, we're back to our routine in Daegu and setting into the second semester. Wish us luck! ^^