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! ^^

Time for Summer Vacation!

Hello!
Tomorrow is our first day of our summer vacation!! Woohoo! Technically summer vacation began 2 weeks ago, but we were teaching English summer camps. This year, my daily topics were: under the sea (fun bubble wrap & paint art project),  desserts of the world (make/eat coke floats), carnival review (a ton of games requiring English vocab), animals (face painting!), and travel (pack your "suitcase" and make your own country). Lots of planning and preparing, but overall, English camps are really fun. I always plan activities that I think are exciting. I mean...if I think they're exciting, the kids will too...right?? That's my thinking anyway!

Now that English camps are over, we finally start our actual summer vacation. Destination?? VIETNAM!

Hope everyone is enjoying the hot summer weather! It's been super hot in Daegu, but I'd choose these 100*F summer days over the 0*F winter days every time! ^-^

Byebye~

Boryeong Mud Fest Round 2!

Hello!


I don't know if you remember, but Fluke and I went to Boryeong for a mud festival last year. We had heard at our EPIK orientation that of all the festivals Korea has to offer, the Boryeong Mud Fest was the one you should definitely go to. We had such an amazing time that we decided to go again!


We used Adventure Korea and got picked up in downtown Daegu early Saturday morning. We were really impressed with Adventure Korea last year, so why change tour companies this year?? :) Anyway, we got to Boryeong on a comfy AC-blasting bus (I napped pretty much the whole way!) and immediately changed into our swimsuits and hit the beach! We had about an hour before we headed to the mud flats nearby...


Side note: the mud used in the festival is transported to the beach from the nearby mud flats. With Adventure Korea, it is possible to visit these mud flats! ^-^


Here's some pics of Boryeong beach, the mud flats and the mud festival!! We got some really good ones this year thanks to my water-proof camera case!!

Beach! The water was actually pretty nice!

At the mud flats!

Playing a game...knock your partner over to win. I lost every time :'(

In the mud festival! Fluke won the race!

Getting ready to race!

Fluke one this one too :)

I won this one!! Yay!

Wearing a stretchy rope, run to the middle and hug your partner.
It's harder than it looks! and a ton of fun~

We had an amazing time, despite the cool weather and insane rainstorm at night! For anyone thinking of going to Boryeong for the mud festival...we highly recommend it!!!