Feb. 18, 2007: Just arriving at Mount Seoraksan (in Northeast South Korea).


Hiking up to the waterfalls.

A different part of the mountain: we took a cable car up here. It was amazing!

B trying to tip over the rock. All of those little piles are good luck piles made by various people.

At the foot of the mountain stands a big Buddha!

Happy Lunar New Year! We're lucky as we get a 3-day weekend, so we decided to head up north. Last night (Friday) we stayed in Busan with H's boss at her in-law's house. Then this morning we went back to the eye doctor. H's eyes are returning to normal, so that's a good thing.
At 11.20AM, we boarded the bus for Sokcho. We roasted for 6.5 hours, and made it here with no incidents. We saw the East Sea, and were surprised to see barbed wire set up along the coast. This is to keep the North Korean's out. We found a really nice hotel and ate a good meal at a local restaurant.
Our first impressions of this city are quite good, and we can't wait to sight-see all day tomorrow and Monday!

Year of the Pig

One perk that comes with living in Asia is that you get to celebrate the Lunar New Year by skipping work. For our long weekend we're trekking to northernmost corner of South Korea to discover (ideally) snow covered mountains and temples. Mt. Seorak is purportedly the most dramatic mountain range in this country and we're hoping will be worth the 7 hour long trip up there. http://english.tour2korea.com/03Sightseeing/TravelSpot/travelspot_read.asp?oid=1822&konum=subm1_1&kosm=m3_6

Waiting for the ship to set sail, a nice man voluneered to snap a photo of us!

The beautiful sunrise, as seen on 2-11-07 on our way to Yokji-do.
The view of Yokji-do, an island town of 2,400 people.

One of the many awesome views! We were told that Korean movie stars come here for vacation, to get away from it all and enjoy nature.

A Good Weekend!

We had a very nice weekend; things started on Friday when my co-workers took me out for a nice dinner for my birthday. Saturday we ate my favorite meal: cream seafood spaghetti at the Italian restaurant in town. We walked around town for a bit, and when it started to sprinkle, we rented a movie and headed home.
Sunday we got up at 5am, as we had to be to the boat terminal by 6:30am. B, our friend Catherine, and I took a ship to an island about an hour from Tongyeong: Yokji-do. Another friend of ours just moved there, and she offered to show us around.
The island has 2,400 people, and has a really cool feel to it. Our friend seemed to know everyone we saw, and she's only been there a few months! She even borrowed a bottle opener from a restaurant, as she didn't have one.
The views were really amazing, and the sunshiny day was perfect. We had a great time, and by the time we got back on the boat at 4:30, we were all worn out! We slept well last night.
This weekend we're lucky as we get a 3-day weekend (Monday is the Solar New Year, and thus a holiday). We're still deciding where we'll go, but we may try to go up north to see some snow before it all melts!
Hope you enjoy the pictures, and thanks to everyone for the birthday wishes!!!

Brandon, Roxy, and Arnie at school. Tina, B's youngest (and smallest) student.

Brandon & the kindergarteners. Roxy, Lauren, H, B, and Arnie at our fave bar.

There is an amazing new program called Google Earth that everyone should try. With it you can see satellite images of anywhere on Earth. The more developed the area is the closer you can zoom in. I think in most of America you can get to street level and with larger cities abroad to the same degree. It's unbelievable and it's free. You can find Heather and I by doing a search for Goseong, South Korea, we're the urban area directly south of Goseong. While you can't get to street level in Tongyeong you can get an idea of the city. We're at 34^50'18.95"N, 128^26'08.09"E. If you've been to places like Washington DC, Paris, Caracas or Tokyo you'll love this program.

On the other hand Brandon's kindergarten graduated yesterday so he has one less class everyday. We also had eye exams to see if we're eligible for eye surgery yesterday afternoon. Brandon's pupils are too big and Heather hadn't stopped wearing contacts long enough for her eyes to return to normal so they couldn't make a decision for her. Today, Sunday, we'll just hang out at home and play with Google Earth.