Back Home in Korea- My Apartment

Back in Korea! This time I'm living on an island called Jeju-do. It is a volcanic island that also holds the highest mountain, Hallasan, in S. Korea. Hallasan stands at almost 6,400 feet above sea level. Not bad considering the island has an area of only 712 sq. mi. Despite its size, it's still the largest island & the only self-governing province in S. Korea. The island even has a slightly different culture, local legends & an overall different vibe than the mainland. With it's natural beauty, Jeju Island has become the top destination for travel in Korea. For several countries, it has also become a poplular choice for many honeymooners.

Arriving back in Korea only to discover this mean lookin' hog! The previous tenant in my apartment left me this scooter. Of course, he did mention it needed repair. It now runs like a champ! Well, it runs fairly smooth now. My compliments to Brian for sharing this photo he snapped.

My apartment building in the background. After a year in Busan, I'm not familiar with so many open spaces of greenery.

Jugong Apt 203

From a studio, to a 2 bedroom apartment feels extremely large! It's older, but I'm very content with it. When moving into a place, you just accept what the last English teacher left you. Hopefully, they leave you with plenty, as was my case. Although, I didn't choose any of the colors. Pink wouldn't have been my first choice, maybe second...

I only had one plant back in the states & am currently having a little trouble keeping up with eight of them.

Enclosed porch where I dry my laundry. You can barely see the drying rack that has been pulled up while not in use.

I also utilize the outside clothing lines which are on the south side of every apartment. My neighbor has kindly displayed this visual for you.

A quick turn & you're looking at the other side of the porch. In order to keep the mosquitos out, I only open the windows that have screens. Yet, them crafty things still find a way in. I must say the mosquitos here aren't nearly as bad as in Busan!

Looking toward the ocean, but I haven't seen it yet from my apartment. I think there's too much haze in the air. Perhaps it's too far or there are too many buildings in the way? Guess I'll find out soon enough.

The den, or computer room. I'm not use to having so many rooms, so I haven't named it yet.

Kitchen with a dining room table.

I just wanted to show my cheap way of designing with postcards.

Utility room just past the kitchen.

Along with a scooter, came this bathroom mess. I honestly don't know how the previous tenant lived like this!

Two hours 45 minutes later, this is as clean as one could possibly get it! Believe me!

I was so excited when my director offered to buy me a microwave! After not having one for over a year, I quickly accepted. As demonstrated here, I was pleased to know I hadn't lost my microwave skills!

Almost healed, but I developed some rash on both sides of the wound while in the Shanghai hospital. This side was the worst, but as you can see, it is now scabbed over. Prior to scabbing, it was quite raw & stung even in the open air. The doctor said not to worry about it.

Fukuoka, Japan & Back to Korea

Japan wasn't on my list, but as things turned out I needed to visit Fukuoka for my Korean work visa. Due to its proximity to Korea, it's a poplular city to obtain a Korean work visa. Fukuoka can also supply this in one working day. Shanghai ended up being more confusing than intended & required 4 work days in order to get a work visa. So, I had to fly out for a one night trip to Japan. As much as I didn't budget for it, it was nice to see the place I had visited a year prior. This time, I barely had two days to take some rainy day pictures. Of course, last time I didn't even own a camera. In more ways than one, I suppose I was lucky to visit Fukuoka once again.

This bridge extends to the island in Ohori Park & continues to the other side. Despite the weather, I was pleased to hear two ladies playing instruments in the red fenced gazebo. Just out of sight are the Fukuoka Castle ruins.

This trio found some cover under the trees.

I too found some cover at this well known place. This photo & the next few are from a shopping center called Canal City.

In the evening, the water display danced to the music.

Kiosks nestle near the water.

Not really sure why I put this one in, but I needed a few more photos for this posting.

There were no direct flights from Fukuoka to Jeju-do on the particular day I needed. So, I had take a boat ride into Busan & then fly to into Jeju-do to meet my new employer. While swinging through Busan, I was able to take a few photos that I wasn't able to get before. My hour in Busan also allowed me a quick reflection of the memories spent living here. It was a a very long year, but a very good one. It brought back many, many good memories...

Busan is the largest harbor city in S. Korea.

Busan Grand Bridge

Goodbye Busan, once again...

Shanghai, China

As much as I wanted to visit Xian, my travels led me to Shanghai. I was in search of a city that had a Korean Consulate & an English speaking hospital. Unfortunately, my wound was still infected & I needed to address it once more.

Leaving Tibet... The white scarfs, or katas, are used for multiple purposes in Tibet.

While still using the same currency, Shanghai was worlds apart from Tibet.

After flying into Shanghai, the Maglev train provided a fast commute to the city. Maglev is short for magnetic levitation, which means the train is suspended & propeled with an electromagnetic force. This display was in the process of changing between 429 & 430 km/h, which equates to 267 mph. This train was moving!

While viewing this, keep in mind that this was being filmed at only 300 km/h. Actually, I guess it's not too clear on this feed, but hope you get the idea.

My first stop, the hospital, where the friendly staff checked me in.

This is 15 days from my stitching date & my wound never entirely lost the redness. The doctor cut five of the stitches out so it could be cleaned better. As you can see, the cut slightly opened where the stitches were removed.

Maintaining a smile while in the hospital, again.

I spent a total of 6 nights in the hospital. In total, this amounted to 11 days in the hospital. It could have been worse, so I consider myself fortunate. This photo shows my shared deck & luckily, I didn't share a room.

This was taken from a window on the other side of the hospital. Notice all the cranes in the background. This city is booming! Well, I suppose all of China is.

Night view from my deck.

Ahhh.... They let me out for brief walks during the day. Nanjing Donglu is one of the main streets in Shanghai.

The architecture was much more modern than I'm used to in Korea.

Renmin Park

The Oriental Pearl Tower looks over the Huangpu River.

Daytime photo of Pudong New Area.

The hospital now let me go out for a short night venture! Here is a nighttime photo of Pudong New Area.

This area along the river is called the Bund.

Nighttime view of the Bund.

The Bund has a beautiful older feel to it.

Night shot of the same buildings.

This photo is taken from the Garden Bridge. If you click on this photo, then expand it to its fullest, you'll see the Chinese writing under the sun.

Huangpu Park at dark.

Looking toward the Bund from Pudong New Area. The dredging boats didn't move for my photos.

The pedestrian tunnel provided transport under the Huangpu River, from the Bund to Pudong New Area. The ride was a trip! Need say no more...

These three videos are from the pedestrian tunnel. I wish the clarity of download was better, but regardless I still had to share them. Make sure to have your volume up, it adds to the visuals.

Yamdrok Tso (Lake)- Tibet, China

Yamdrok Tso Lake was beautiful! Our tour guide said he's never seen a more perfect day! Though it did take him a while to admit to this. Tibet must have heard our desire for good weather & it provided us with so much more! The drive from 3,600 meters (11,800 ft) to an approximation of 4,950 meters (16,200 feet) was an incredible ascent as well! I must admit, I was a little disappointed that I forgot to change the settings on my camera for greater detail. However, these definitely work!

At the beginning of the drive, we stopped for some quick photos of the Kyichu River.

Tibetans have three main burial ceremonies, one of those being a river burial. This is the point where many of them are performed.

Bikers getting close to the top of Kampala Pass. That must have taken some energy at this altitude!

Kampala Pass had received snow the night before.

Yamdrok Tso Lake with a backdrop of mountians. Mt. Nojin Gangsang is the highest peak in the background. It has an elevation of 7,191 meters (23,592 feet). It was our guide's first time to see it from Yamdrok Tso Lake! These locals were looking to make some extra cash by offering a yak ride. I couldn't really understand, but think one of them was even offering a drawing with his dog.

We just had to see what it was like to hike above 16,000 feet! So, we started our slow climb!

It took some time to hike at this elevation, but it felt great!

Amazing! My altimeter read 5,015 meters (16,453 feet) & our guide confirmed that should be about right.

The serenity of the snow-capped mountains with the reflection below.

This lake is one of the three largest in Tibet & extends much farther than we could see.

With the confusion prior to entering China, we almost wrote off this Tibetan adventure. So Paul & I cheers, to a long overdue celebration! We literally carried these beers for days, in anticipation of this moment. In looking back, this was day before we each went on our own course of travels.

This was the best photo of them all! What a view! It was so peaceful up there... This is more of what I had expected from Tibet & we couldn't have timed it out better. The weather, snow & visibility were all perfect! This was the last full day in Tibet & we left with an experience always to remember.