Trip to Gyeongju (경주)

For about a month I had been aware that I would be going on a trip this weekend to Gyeongju.  Soojeong's friend told us of a tour where foreigners could go for free because the Korean Tourism Organization was doing some kind of research and they wanted people to go test out the application they had created.  For those of you who know me, you know that I am not one to usually go and hang out with a lot of people from western countries.  This is not because they are not nice people, or that I dislike them, it is because I think that by hanging with people of such similar cultural and linguistic backgrounds, I cannot really experience the culture fully.   Call me a hater if you will, but there is no denying that a large majority of the people who come never make an effort to learn the language, never read up on history and culture, and never open their minds to trying different foods.  Those are the kind of people that I do not like to be associated with.

Anyways, getting back to topic. I was really looking forward to going with Soojeong, Seth, and Lucy, until I was made aware that Seth and Lucy had plans for a Han River tour/beer tasting, and Soojeong would not be allowed to go because she is not a foreigner.  Given the choice to stay and miss out on a FREE trip (and I mean everything from food to lodgings) or spend time at home regretting not going, I decided to suck it up and set out on a journey that became unforgettable.

I arrived at the departure point an hour before the scheduled time.  It was rainy, it was cold, and it didn't look like anyone else was coming as I stood alone under the overhang of the Korean Tourism Organization.  I did notice, however, that buses were passing by and some even pulled to the side of the building.  I made my way over there and was greeted by a tour organizer who told me which bus to hop on.  I hopped on the bus to find three Canadians....and that was all.  We waited for about 30 minutes for more people to show up while we sipped on coffee and at sandwiches.  At last, one more person showed up and we set off down the hightway; one American, three Canadians, a Korean-Japanese woman, and three tour guides.  What would have been a trip of 14 or more foreigners, was now down to five.  As they say though, the show must go on.  Everyone was really nice and I had a great time getting to know them throughout our trip.  I was able to use English, Korean, and Japanese and it was a lot of fun.  Mrs. Choja was very interesting to talk to, and I really felt that I bonded with her after hearing her stories and chatting about various things.  The Canadians were all very nice as well, and we had a great time joking and talking with one another throughout the trip.


On we went and four hours later we arrived at our destination of Yangdong Folk Village (양동만속마을) which is a UNESCO world heritage site that contains many national treasures. We ate lunch there and walked around as the rain continued to drizzle lightly.  It was very beautiful walking up and down winding streets and hills that were lined with trees changing to every fall color that you can imagine. The foggy air really added to the atmosphere and made it seem like something out of a novel.  A place not of this time.

After the village tour we loaded up again and headed to the Gyeongju National Museum (국립경주박물관) where we had an hour or so to walk around on our own and look at all of the different pieces. They had a great collection of golden jewelry and Buddhist art.  After departing the museum we headed to Anap Pond to check out the reflections in the water at night. We then  had dinner at a restaurant and headed to the Kolon hotel where we were to stay for the night.  Since the tour group was supposed to be much larger, they had originally rented 12 rooms for all of us, but because of the no shows, we were able to pick a key and have a large room all to ourselves.  We met up for drinks after checking in and then headed to back to our rooms to call it a night. That shower and double bed will not soon be forgotten.

The next morning we woke up early to make it to breakfast before the crowds came.  I was expecting a breakfast of toast and maybe some juice, but I was delighted to find that there were tater tots, boiled eggs, scrambled eggs, french toast, maple syrup, sausages, cereal, fruit and so much more.  I left that table a very happy man.  Speaking of the table, the view from the dining area was quite superb.  The hotels looks over the golf course and down through the valley to where you can see even more mountains.  I walked around near the golf course before we headed out for another day of exploring.


Our first stop was Bulguksa Temple (불국사 ) which is also a UNESCO World Heritage Site.  It is a temple that has been around since 751 during the Silla Dynasty.  The temple had many beautiful areas and the stone pagodas there are quite famous.  One is even featured on the back of the 10 won coin.  Some people get burnt out of temples and shrines quickly, but to me, they all have a unique history and look to them that makes going to see them exciting.  I had a great time there.  The weather was perfect and the fall leaves were dropping down like rain.

After the Bulguksa, we headed to see the Silla tombs at Daeneungwon (대능원), and to see the Cheomseongdae Observatory (첨성대).  Both places were very interesting.  Those old tombs are quite a site to see.  They look like hills that are round in shape, and they can very from small to very large.  The observatory was used as a way to determine the time of the year to plant and harvest, as it was designed in a way that nearly matches the 365 day calendar.

 Those were the last two stop on our journey. We loaded back onto the bus and headed west to Seoul. I had a great time and I hope that others get the chance to go and visit there sometime as well.

Jeju Island Pt. 2

The remainder of our journey took us here, there, and everywhere.We went to 정방폭포 (Jeongbang Waterfall), 천지연폭포 (Cheonjiyeon Waterfall), 외돌게 (Oedolgae Rock), 주상절리 (Hexagon shaped rock formations), 중문해수욕장 (Jungmun Beach), 우도섬 (牛島- Udo Island), and 만장을 (Lava Tubes that are listed as UNESCO World Natural Heritage Sites). Everything was so beautiful and I wish that we could have spent more time there, especially, on Udo Island where the white coral beaches were incredibly beautiful. We had a great time and I would love to go back to Jeju Island again and spend more time.

Jeju Island Pt. 1

As most of my family and friends know, this past Chuseok (Korean Thanksgiving), Soojeong, Seth, Lucy, and I went to Jeju Island for a three day and two night adventure. We took a 50 minute flight from Seoul to Jeju, where we set out to spend a few needed days away from work, taking in the island scenery. At the airport, we met the man who would be driving us around the island in a taxi for the next three days and set off on our adventure. He was very nice and took us along a scenic coastal road that took us past homes partitioned off by volcanic rock walls, and past rocky outcrops that jutted out into blue and green water.

 We spent a good part of the first day looking around a park and at a beach that had some of the clearest water I have ever seen. It also had a weird phenomenon where fresh water from the mountains is pressed out via natural springs into the seafloor, so what you end up with is this bubbling sand that when stepped upon, sucks you in like quicksand. It was really interesting and fun to play with. There were many little hermit crabs that scuttled to and fro along the rocks, and fish and shrimp that were nearly translucent.

 We checked into our hotel and then set out again to a cliff dotted with caves made during the Japanese occupation of Korea. They were made to be a form of defense in case of invasion. The beach there was very rocky and big. Not too far from that area, two Chinese ships had been partially sunk and destroyed by typhoons that had passed through. The view from that beach of the island in the distance was quite beautiful and I would have loved to have brought a picnic lunch there to enjoy it all longer.

We spent the rest of the evening relaxing at the hotel, walking about, and talking about all that we had seen  and done. It had been a good first day.

Jimbo's Japan: Project KICKSTARTER

I realize now that it has been since August since I last made a post about my life here abroad.  Things have been busy to say the least.  For those of you who also blog, maybe you can understand where I am coming from when I say that taking the time to upload pictures and write up a post can be quite time consuming depending on the day.  Since my last post, I have visited Jeju Island with Soojeong, my brother Seth, and his wife Lucy.  It was a wonderful vacation and the scenery there was beyond words.  I will eventually get around to posting those pictures here as well as my other recent adventures, but this post is not about me today.  Today I am writing about my friend James.


James and I met in an survey of art history at class at Oklahoma State University.  Realizing that we both had lived in Japan, and studied Japanese, we hit it off quite well.  We took another Japanese class at OSU together and would often meet up for drinks at the pub or at his place.  I have  spent many a good night reminiscing about life in Japan and other things with James as we drank and talked. James has also contributed countless man hours to the Japanese Earthquake and Tsunami Relief Fund at OSU by participating in various events. That being said, my friend James and his wife Mayumi have been in the past four months, coming up with a plan to visit Japan next spring and film different episodes about Japanese culture and nature for James's blog Jimbo's Japan (http://www.jimbosjpan.com/).  James has the heart of an adventurer, and like me, believes in getting off the beaten path to discover things that are overlooked by most tourists who are most of the time content with just enjoying the things found in a guide book.  His writings are humorous, insightful, and really reflect a love and appreciation of Japanese culture and customs.

To fund his activities, James has started using a program called KICKSTARTER, where-in people have 30 days to donate up to a certain predetermined amount before time ends and the dream goes a long with it.  For more information on this program, please refer to his blog for details.  With appropriate funds, they will be able to travel more of the country and show people across the world the wonderful things that they find.  They also plan to make DVDs, take location requests (for a fee), and have other merchandise. 

I am rooting for him and Mayumi, and hope that their dreams to get the project up and running are realized. If you have a chance to, please check out his blog and help James and Mayumi start to realize their dreams.

Here is a link to their kickstarter page:
 http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/jimbosjapan/jimbos-japan-season-one

Matsumoto- My Home

I have come to realize that blogging is not a strong point of mine. When I look at my friend James's blog (Jimbo's Japan <---awesome blog, check it out), I realize that he is what a great blogger should be...not me who posts once-in-a-blue moon. Having said that, let me begin with an update from my trip last month.

 Last month I went back to my old hometown of Matsumoto, Japan, for a week of spending time with friends, visiting my favorite old haunts, and participating in the biggest festival of the year Matsumoto Bon Bon.Words cannot describe what a wonderful feeling it was getting off at the bus station and being met by friend Chisato.  Although I had been gone nearly two years to the day, getting off the bus it felt as though I had only been gone for a few weeks.  Time really does seem to fly by when you get older.  I can still remember my first few days in Matsumoto, when my good friend Jesse and I headed there to live and study in 2009. What an exhilarating and exciting time that was. A few businesses might have changed, but for the most part, my town was just as I remembered it.  I had walked those streets and hidden alley's in my mind daily for nearly two years. 


I know that many people prefer large cities like Tokyo or Osaka, but I have always been a big fan of the small towns where nature and people really live together as one.  Matsumoto is surrounded by the Japanese Alps, the clear and beautiful Metoba River flows through the city, and crystal clear, natural wells dot the city, waiting to quench the dry parched throats of walkers and bikers alike I (one of the natural wells in pictured below).  The streets are immaculate and people landscape their homes and gardens so that everywhere you look is a colorful and pleasing to the eyes.  There is just something magical about wandering around a city like that where you never know if you are going to stumble across an old temple or shrine, or maybe even an apple orchard around any given corner.

I spent two nights at my good friend Daniel's house, and it was great being able to hangout together and talk like we used to do when he and I lived just two minutes apart.  He was a wonderful host and I was very thankful that he let me stay at his apartment and helped me get situated.  It was fun walking around the city at night like we used to, shooting the breeze, and talking about what we want to do in the future.  I also had the fortune to meet many of my other friends who still live there, most all of my old professors at Shinshu University, and even my friend Chris from Oklahoma State, who attended Shinshu the year after I did, and who is now working for a company in Tokyo. 

I am also very thankful for the wonderful dinner and conversation at the assistant director of the study abroad program, Sato Sensei's house. He prepared a wonderful dinner (himself) and invited a few of my friends over for an evening of catching up and talking about all that had taken place these past few years.  It was a night that I will not forget.  Sato Sensei goes above and beyond to make a difference in the lives of the students that study at Shinshu, and I am glad that I have gotten to know him better over the years.  We were able to meet at a Shinshu University alumni event held here in Seoul this past weekend.

The most wonderful part of my time in Matsumoto was when my beautiful girlfriend, Soojeong, was finally able to make it there after a few days of me being there without here.  Matsumoto is the place where she and I first met and fell in love.  Being able to visit our old favorite restaurants and take walks together like we used to, was something that made me happy beyond words.  We spent time with our friends, rode bikes around the city, participated in Matsumoto Bon Bon where we danced late into the night, and made many wonderful memories that we will cherish forever. 

 There are many wonderful and beautiful places in the world that I have yet to see, but given the opportunity for a job in Matsumoto, I would choose to live there over anywhere else in the world.