Field Trip To Lotte World

Picture an itty bitty generic brand Disneyland, but still super fun, and in South Korea. Because that's kinda what it's like. Rather than taking pics with Mickey and Minnie Mouse, you've got Lorry and Lotty, the raccoon mascots. There's a castle much like the Disney's princess castle, and children's live music starring Bang Bang Band, where the drummer just might be Goofy's long lost brother and the setting is much like Chuck E. Cheese's Pizza band...but not as creepy.

Lotte World, right off of Jamsil station in Seoul, is definitely a great place for kids and adults alike, and so happens to be the largest indoor amusement park in the world. You start with the multi-story indoor park with kiddie rides, food, and an ice-skating rink. But in my opinion, the outside area is where all the fun happens for us adults. After a few glasses of makgeolli from a restaurant representing an old fashioned Korean village, you head outside to the roller coasters and rides. 

But be warned, tho! If you decide to go on a day where two hundred thousand (or so it felt) Korean students are compacted in this amusement park for a day of field trip fun, well have a great time waiting in two-hour long lines for two-minute rides! I must admit, these long waits were worth my time, especially for the Atlantis Adventure Roller Coaster. What. A. Rush!

 The best perk of the day was seeing all my middle school students running around outside of the classroom. I love those kids. And I love roller coasters. In that case, this park on this day was a winner in my list of fun!

Soccer, Beer, & Hot Dogs for 10,000 Won?! Sold!

Well, they actually had me at beer, but soccer and hot dogs were just a few extra perks for 10,000 Won. On September 11, I spent my day watching FC Seoul play (and beat) Daegu FC at the World Cup Stadium in Seoul. And no, it wasn't just the beer that dragged me from Uijeongbu. It was my first soccer game in ROK, and definitely worth the train ride! One thing about Koreans is that they know how to have fun, especially when it comes to soccer. They show spirit and enthusiasm through songs, sexy cheerleaders cheering on the crowd, mascots running around like crazy Energizer bunnies, and, of course, the fireworks. They LOVE their fireworks! 

The free hot dog and beer were compliments of 10 Magazine hosting a foreigner's day. They also had pre-game excitement with soccer ball kicks, kiddie slides, makgeolli tasting, free popcorn, free Seoul FC paper fans, and a stage with b-boy dancers and rappers...needless to say, they went all out to show us foreigners some fun. And fun it was! But seriously, they just had me at beer.   ^^

2010 Hi Seoul Festival (Yeouido Along the Han River)

I didn't hear about this festival until the last day. I took an hour and a half train ride from Uijeongbu to Yeouido in Seoul, where there were already masses upon MASSES of people spilling out of the station and pushing through a very narrow sidewalk where street vendors sold their usual street food such as instant ramen noodle bowls, kimbap, juicy silkworms called beondegi, soju, beer, and fermented rice wine called makgeolli. Once you manage to push through and pop out of this crazy little sidewalk, where I myself felt like a squirming canned beondegi, you find yourself staring straight at the Han River with a Seoul skyline and green hills resting behind.

First of all, this day, October 9th, was probably the most beautiful day I've experienced in months...maybe even years. True, my eyes were still in shock from their recent LASEK surgery and everything seemed surreal. But if there were a top five most beautiful days ever, this would be somewhere way up there on the list. It was clear and crisp, cool and bright. I had a bag of chips in one hand, a makgeolli in the other and this insane world in my eyes.

Hi Seoul was a two week festival, where hundreds of artists of every kind came to show, and thousands...and  thousands of Koreans and foreigners came to see. Although I was only there for the last five hours, I saw artist-enhanced fish bicycles, art exhibits, sculptures, live music, and the great fireworks finale. Everything about this festival was colorful and beautiful, and it was all scattered along the Han River. So, with each performance and exhibit you see, you can move onwards down the river to see another view and another artist.

Along with this Saturday being one of the most beautiful days of my life, this day also held the most spectacular fireworks display I have ever seen. This show lasted nearly an hour, with extravagant explosions and colors. Every enormous boom was echoed by thousands of "Whoa's" and "Waah's" and "Ooh's" and "Ahh's". The audience's sound effects were as pleasing to the ear as the colors in the sky were to the eye.

By the end of the show, I was drunk off makgeolli, comfortably chilled from the clear October night, and content with life.

Korea, you get me every time. Keep amazing me!  

When Decisions Get Tough, Just Kai Bai Bo

See, the Koreans don't mess around when it comes to decision-making. Sure, they do love a good game, and have much passion when it comes to this! But, they also put many decisions in the hands of fate...or the fate of hands. No battling to death, no flipping a coin, no long drawn out "Eeny Meeny Miny Moe" rhymes. Just a simple game of "Rock Paper Scissors", otherwise known as "Kai Bai Bo". Koreans use this basic game system for pretty much everything. If life were as easy to simply Kai Bai Bo any indecisive matter, oh how great that life would be...

Kai

Bai

Bo!

Weather and Nature in Focus

Six Day Adventure in Beijing, China. Clicky for a looky! :D