Buddha on a rock. Haeinsa Temple

Buddha on a rock. Haeinsa Temple

Amy, JP and Nicola.

Boryeong Mud Festival

(Click on the pictures to view full size)
Have you ever wanted to roll around in mud with reckless abandon, like you did when you were a little kid? Well, that's exactly what I've just done... for a whole weekend!

Boryeong... where it's all at.

We went to the Boreyong mud festival about half way up the west coast of Korea. It was a blast. We arrived there about 5pm on Saturday afternoon and with in half an hour of being there we looked like this....


I love a good roll in the mud :)

There was a whole crowd of people from around the country but the number of westerners that crashed this place was amazing. And for the most part, they were all well behaved, with Koreans and Waygook playing and partying side by side.

I have to say, there were a lot of beautiful people!

Cute-e... even covered in mud.

I went down with my friends EJ and Vanessa, but we met people we knew from Seoul, Mokpo, Suncheon and all over. And I don't think there was a person there who didn't get into the spirit of things.

Mum... Where's the hose?


You betcha!

I wonder if he's noticed the shark?

The mud is a lot of fun and there are many ways of applying it. You can roll in it, paint it on, splash into it from a slide, have it thrown on you while you are in jail, or just get it over you from bumping into others but however you get it on you, it feels very strange when it goes dry...

Pick the Albino.

But they say it's good for you. I'm not really sure how true this is, but the girls seemed to take it as gospel.

Well... they say it's good for your skin?!?

When they say "she applies her make-up
with a paintbrush", I've always assumed
it was a figure of speech. Guess I was wrong.

All in all the entertainment was great.

Aww... aint that prurrdy

Mud wrestle anyone?

Two happy chaps.

But after all this fun and entertainment, you can get a little worn out.

The morning after the night before... 12 in a room. How cosy.

Well worth checking out. I know I'll be back next year!

I have to say a special thanks to EJ for organizing all of this and for being our chauffeur for the weekend.
Thanks EJ. You're the greatest.

To see more photos from this crazy event, check out my flickr site: goulash75

The Crazy Things You See...


Random... very random.... but it somehow appeals to me :)

Open planning Korean style.

Where's my Pigs Head???


I buy a new car, spend heaps on insurance, take it in to a mechanic to give it a quick check over.... As you can guess, I'm feeling a little broke at the moment. So my co-teacher informs me I have to throw a party for the new car.

Basically I have to throw what I can only dub a "Car Warming Party".

I was told that traditionally when someone bought a new car, they would throw a party and there would be a pig's head that people would bow in front of, praying for safe driving (not sure if they mean by the driver of the new car, or the other drivers on the road in general) and then shove money into the pigs mouth.

This pigs head then gets taken out and buried and the owner of the car gets to keep the money.

So I threw in $50 for the party and my co-teacher organized everything for me... but no pigs head.

I guess traditions are changing here in Korea. Still, there was some good tucker layed on and hopefully now, I've been given some extra protection when driving on these streets of mayhem.

Introducing: "Black Betty"

The day after I got back from my teachers camp, I headed over to Gwangju with my friend and Korean mentor, Riann, and went car shopping.

>
Objects in the mirror...

I was hoping to get a Kia Sportage, but after meeting a couple of Rianns Korean friends, they convinced me that the Hyundai has the more reliable engine and is better value for money. Personally I think it may just be their bias, as they both work for Hyundai... but I went along with it.

The car: Hyundai Galloper Inter-cooled, turbo-charged, 2.6L diesel, short-wheel-base 4WD.

The car I bought is basically the same as Riann's and he's had no troubles with it so far. I figure it's handy having someone with the same make of car anyway.

So after a half hour of looking, we came across a car that looked perfect. A little more than I wanted to pay, but certainly not out of my budget. Of course the offer for a test drive was put forward and we happily took it.

Unhappily, before we even left the parking lot, we found the engine wasn't running so well. Then Riann realized there was no fuel left... That must
be the problem.

After some running around, the car is finally fueled... but still not running well. We finally decide the battery isn't charged.

Volts are a bit low VRRRrrrrrrrooooommm

All the while the used car dealer is trying to tell us he will reduce the cost of the car by the amount of a battery and wanting me to sign the papers then and there. We tell him, there is no way we will buy the car without taking it out for a test drive first. He seems to have difficulty understanding this concept, but eventually agrees to let Riann put the batter from his car into this one so we can test it. The used car dealers seem surprised that we know how to do this. I get the feeling they don't know much about what goes on under the hood.

So the new battery goes in and she's now purring like a kitten. You know... that deep throaty growl that lions sometimes get. This is a diesel after all.

Off we go on a test run, and right away it's apparent that the
intercooled,

turbo engine

has much more grunt than Riann's. After a good run round the streets, highways and a quarry that we got kicked out of, we decided this was a very good deal.

A couple more hours of negotiating and I drove out with my new car.

I'm a happy man.

So Please say "HI" to my new car.....

"Black Betty"

And they say Aussies can drink....



I've just spent a night away with my co-teachers and some teachers from another school. Crazy stuff.

And that's just to start

There is a small group of Korean English teachers here who belong to a group called the Toast-Masters Club. They get together each week and wax lyrical in English as a way to improve their language ability.



So on Friday, I went with this crew to a beautiful little sea side village on the west coast of Jeollanamdo. It's a rugged coastline with some beautiful cliffs that have strong strata layers to give beautiful texture and colour.





The coast is beautiful in this area

A bit of sightseeing and it was back to the hotel (Sydney Hotel!!!) for a bit of tucker and some drinks. And then after dinner we had some drinks. And then after drinking, we went to a Nori ban (Kareoke) for some singing and drinks... Needless to say, everyone got a little tipsy. If you can imagine an office party, held in a Kareoke bar, this comes fairly close to my experience.



So next morning was not so crash hot. Made worse by the traditional Korean breakfast of fish (whole) with many side dishes of very spicy foods. Ugh! I'm glad to say I was not the only one who had to run off to the bathroom during that meal.




Beer & Congnac "One Shot"!


Interesting intro to the Korean drinking culture!

Some Photos...

Flags in Mokpo

Where am I?

Hmmm... Yummy.

Cute-u.

So I've just spent my first two months in Korea and already this place is shaping up to be a country of fun and excitment. But first some background...

I spent the last 2 1/2 years living and "teaching" in Japan, and to keep things simple, I didn't like it much. I was a country boy living in a big, dirty city, working for a big, dirty company. But when I was offered a job in South Korea, teaching at a public girls school, I was in two minds about taking it.

Everyone I had talked to in Japan about Korea, told me it was a dirtier country where the people are more rude and pushy and not very friendly at all. Was I jumping from the frying-pan into the fire?

The answer to date is a resounding NO!!!

I have to admit, it may just be the "country" factor, living in a small village, but so far the people I've met here are some of the most friendly and hospitable people I've met on any of my travels. And they don't hide their feelings behind a fascade of polite indifference. The feelings here are genuine and apparent. If they like you, they let you know. If they don't, generally they leave you alone. But so far, the most common reaction they seem to have when faced with a Way-Gook (Foreigner) is one of true interest.

My time here started with a 9 day orientation where I experienced Korean culture, food, sports and entertainment at its best. It also started with 13 other new recruits who fast became close friends. Most of my experiences and adventures so far in this country has involved one or more of these friends.

Some of the more fun adventures so far, have involved challenging climbs up rugged mountains to gain some of the most spectacular views I've seen in a long time. To give you some idea, go check out my flickr site...
Goulash75

Hopefully, you'll check in every so often to see my adventures and discoveries in the land of 대헌민극 (Dae-Han-Min-Guk)