Yesterday’s echo.Tomorrow’s mystery.Today

Christmas & New Years!

Christmas was relaxing and enjoyable. Drew & Andrea invited many of us foreigners for Christmas Eve. I eagerly accepted and headed down to their place on the 3rd floor when the night arrived. My pictures didn't really turn out, but I did manage to get one of their tree.

Good looking little Christmas tree!

New Years!!! Ending one interesting year & beginning another!

I happened to be sick for New Year's Eve, so the majority of my friends went out to play with out me. However, Jina was kind enough to take me to Nampo-dong to witness the ringing of New Years.

Tree lights of Nampo-dong.

Street band at one of the main intersections.

We both were able to write a New Year's wish on a piece of paper. It was then folded & tied to the rope for good luck. The wood carving is most typically formed in the shape of a duck that will sail away with our wishes.

A band at Mt. Yongdu Park.

Almost ready to start the countdown for the bell ringing of New Years!

Drumming & dancing right after the ringing of the bell. Personlly, this made it feel like New Years! Everyone was having a blast!

Making Kimchi!

This was the event I've been waiting for! Thank you HanNaRae Culture Inc. for teaching us the how to prepare the final steps in the lengthy kimchi making process. In case you're not familiar, kimchi is basically a salted, pickled vegetable dish. Traditionally, Koreans used to prepare it as a substitute for fresh vegetables during the winter months. The most popular sytle, whole cabbage kimchi (Tongbaechu Kimchi), is what we made at this event. This is the classic kimchi, which you'll find on every Korean dinner table. Basically, each cabbage is cut lengthwise into two sections and soaked in brine. It's then drained, seasoned between the leaves, and left to ferment. The saltiness differs by regional preference. I ended up making about 3 cabbage heads, but took home 5 of them! I'm set for the rest of my stay in Korea! Fortunatley, I love this Korean side dish!

Our instructor, who braved the cold weather with no gloves.

Ye Rim striking a blowfish concentration pose, while I joyfully pack the seasoning between the cabbage leaves. I have her to credit for my kimchi turning out excellent!

Denis & Adrienne take a quick kimchi making break for this photo.

They then fed us some sweet potatoes that were baked in the outdoor fire cooker. Denis opens for a bite.

It was pretty cold, but there always seems to be a beautiful blue sky in Busan.

The next 3 pictures are taken from inside the temple.

YongPyong Ski Resort

This snowboarding trip turned out to be more spontaneous than intended. I had a blast, despite the lack of snow & amount of trails open. It felt incredible to taste a small dose of adrenaline! For about $10, I was able to rent a jacket, boarding pants, boots, & a snowboard! I couldn't pass up this opportunity! I have Christina & Joo to thank for setting this up through the 4 season sports club.

Excited to be on the snow!!!

A bunny slope that was open.

Christina, Joo, & Amanda on a beautiful sunny day!

The clear day gave us a view for miles.

Joo, Christina, & Ann with some of the men in charge of this trip.

A family of snowboarders. It was good to see that the skiing to boarding evolution exists in S. Korea as well.

Luckily, Alex spoke English & invited me in their advanced group.

The gondola, above the logde, is what we rode the first half of the day.

Taking a break at a lodge with some of the boarding crew. Great group of people that made me feel at home.

Gyeongju

I was lucky to visit this place with my fellow school employees shortly after arriving in Korea. Unfortunately, I didn't have a camera to prove I was actually here. So once again, I've "borrowed" some pictures.

Gyeongju was very remarkable & could easily be explored for days. At one time it was the capital of the ancient kingdom of Silla, which ruled from 57 B.C. to 925 A.D.

The picture you see above is borrowed from this site. These mounds are actually tombs, presumed to be those of kings and court officials. The size of the tombs vary with heights ranging from 9 to 75 feet. Some of them are double mounds for the joint burial of a husband and wife. To my knowledge, there are only a few that have been unearthed revealing the treasures inside.

From the early 1900s to 1970s, Cheomseongdae (above) was considered as an astronomical observatory with some questions regarding its functionality. According to this theory, Cheomseongdae is the oldest surviving observatory in East Asia. Although, there are still many questions debating its purpose. Regardless, this is a great night picture from Unique Tour.

I thank Wikipedia for this picture.

The construction of Bulguksa Temple began in 751. It was under the observation of the Silla Chief Minister, Gim Daeseong (701-774), and was completed in 774. It has since been burned during Japanese invasion, but rebuilt to it's present form. Only the stone work has lasted the test of war & is still original. I thank Mandalynn Champany for this photo.

Constructed around the same time, Seokguram is a man-made cave carved from white granite. On the walls surrounding Buddha are 38 other Bodhisattvas, disciples, Dharma-protectors, and the Four Heavenly Kings. This stone grotto is one of Korea's greatest masterpieces. I thank http://www.korea.net/korea/kor_loca.asp?code=G0602 for it's information & photo.

This is a photo of Seokguram from outside the interior walls. One of the reasons this picture is "borrowed" is because we're asked not to take pictures inside. Seokguram is apparently world famous & has been designated National Treasure No. 24. In December 1995, together with Bulguksa, they were added to the UNESCO World Heritage list. Thanks for the picture & all the info.

Pohang & Homigot Sunrise Plaza

With a population around 514,000, Pohang is the largest city on Korea's east coast.

This is Homigot Sunrise Plaza where you can view both hands in this photo. On New Years, thousands of people gather for the first sunrise of the year.

During sunrise, the sun appears to be held in this ocean hand. I've only seen the pictures & it looks very picturesque. This hand doesn't look large, but don't you be fooled by this trick photography.

This interesting thing is the first of four models in the world. It's a "sunlight fire collector" that captures the sun's energy & converts it into a flame. I guess it's sealed in plexi-glass to keep it from starting fires all over the place? In all seriousness, I was fascinated with it.

This sign states that this is the biggest cooking pot in Korea. It was used to make rice cake soup for 20,000 people on New Years Day 2004.

For what it's worth, at one point in high school I was actually a lifeguard.

Bukbu Beach

Here I am, still intrigued with these hands.

Night view of POSCO, which claims to be the world's second-largest steel producer.

Yangdong Folk Village

This is claimed to be Korea's largest Joseon Dynasty (1392-1910) Folk Village. According to the pamphlet, their are six folk villages in Korea. This one known best for its size, degree of preservation, numerous cultural assets, traditionalism, beautiful natural setting, as well as its many local specialties. This village would have taken all day to explore it entirely!

Interior of one of the many buildings.

Traditional kimchi pots that look much like many of the modern ones used today.

There is actually a second floor, but it didn't look solid enough to test. I would hate to be the bright guy with my legs dangling through a cracked floor & try to explain that one.

Multi-level walkways to different areas of the building.

The tied wraps you see hanging are called meju. Meju is a fermented soybean product used for making doenjang jjigae, a popular Korean stew. This particular place caters to the hungry tourists.

I do believe this stage was where karaoke first became so popular here in Korea. OK, I'm really not positive on this one. In the background you can see a small portion of the village.

Thanksgiving Day!

Thanks to the United Seaman's Service, we were able to have an incredible turkey dinner with all the trimmings. However, I typically work from 2 -10 pm, so I actually enjoyed the turkey dinner for breakfast.