denis desjardins

Merry Christmas from Korea

2008-12-28T10:05:00.003+09:00

...and happy new year!

Jinju lantern festival

2008-12-28T09:40:00.005+09:00

Here are some pictures of the lantern festival in Jinju!

Enjoy! CLICK!

Stuff korean moms like

2008-08-21T16:47:00.006+09:00

Have a look at Chiyo's website dedicated to her Korean mom. Her blog is like a window into the inner-workings of a typical Korean housewife's mind. Very insightful and hilariously written.

*Pictured above is correction: is not her actual mom!

Wind Surfing at Gwangali Beach

2008-08-10T20:43:00.002+09:00

I fell over about 100 times... very difficult...

Jinju

2008-08-10T12:06:00.013+09:00

Jinju city is located a couple hours west of Busan. It is the home of Jinju Fortress, a remarkable site that harkens back to the days before the invasion of Korea by Japan. Jinju's moment of glory came in 1592 during the Imjin War, when a force of just 3,800 Koreans held off an invading army of 20,000 Japanese. Unfortunately, the Japanese came back the next year with an army of 70,000. Jinju was finally overtaken that year. Luckily, this historical site has since been rebuilt to its former glory. It's a great place to be immersed in Korea's history and learn about the culture.

Korea circa 1945

2008-06-07T20:00:00.005+09:00

These rare pictures give us a view of Korea before the 35 year occupation by Japan where a large portion of Korea was burned to the ground.

Thank you to Flickr user "dok1" for posting these amazing pictures of his travels to Korea in 1945. These photos are amazing. Please click here to view the entire set as well as his interesting captions.

Korea is mad about mad cow

2008-06-02T22:19:00.000+09:00

Large protests against the importation of American
beef have been going on in Seoul for the last couple
of weeks. Plans to reopen the beef trade in accordance
to the american FTA agreement have come to a grinding
halt because of escalating opposition which has
recently turned violent. Nearly 50,000 protesters were
greeted with water canons as they rallied in front of
Seoul city hall last night. American beef was halted
from entering the country 4 years ago because of fears
of mad cow disease. Actual instances of mad cow have
yet to be reported, however fear and rumors have been
spreading like wildfire.

With no real danger of mad cow disease one has to
wonder "what is all this madness about"? Korea imports
Australian beef with no worries. Is it based on
mistrust of America? Or is it public manipulation by
farm lobbyists to protect the Korean beef industry
from cheaper imports?

Check out this video from the BBC:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/7429726.stm

Kwangju Democratic Movement

2008-05-19T13:20:00.002+09:00

Yesterday marked the day of the Kwangju democratic movement, often referred to as the Kwangju massacre. Here are a few video clips about the story.
http://gwmodernkorea.blogspot.com/2008/04/kwangju-democratic-movement.html
These videos are a stark reminder of tragedies and political turmoil in the peninsula just just a few decades ago.

Wikipedia describes it like this: "The Gwangju Democratization Movement refers to a popular uprising in the city of Gwangju, South Korea from May 18 to May 27, 1980. During this period, citizens rose up against Chun Doo-hwan's military dictatorship and took control of the city. During the later phase of the uprising, citizens took on arms to defend themselves, but were crushed by the South Korean army. It is simply called 5.18 by South Koreans to avoid politicizing the event. (Those who condemn it call it "5.18 Incident" and those who support it call it "5.18 Uprising") For the period of Chun Doo-hwan's reign, the incident was denounced as a rebellion inspired by Communist sympathizers. But after civil rule was reinstated, the incident received recognition as an effort to restore democracy from military rule. The government made a formal apology for the incident, and a national cemetery was established for the victims."
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gwangju_Massacre

Things that Koreans think that may surprise you

2008-05-14T18:17:00.005+09:00

Here is a list of funny things I’ve heard Koreans say that from my perspective is shocking or hilarious. I attribute my reaction to being brought up in a different culture with a completely different education and set of experiences. I don’t want to pass judgment here, or even suggest that all Korean people share these opinions. They are just some comments that I have often heard during my almost 3 years living in this country that in my opinion would sound strange or silly to people from a western country. None of these are sarcastic jokes or inventions of my own. They are all commonly accepted notions in Korea. So, without further ado...

Number 1: “If you can use chopsticks you are smart.”

The conversation usually starts like this: “Can you use chopsticks?” After three years of living here I am still shocked to hear people ask me this question. I usually answer “Of course. It isn’t that hard to learn. And, we do have chopsticks in my home country”. The reaction I often get is disbelief followed by “Koreans are smart because we use chopsticks made of metal which are more difficult to use that other countries.”

There is something to be said about someone who has good co-ordination, but I have no idea how intelligence and the ability to use utensils became so intertwined. I can use a pencil and spoon, as well as scissors, and yes even chopsticks. I must be getting smart here in Korea!

2: “Kimchi can cure SARS and prevents cancer”

The Korean staple kimchi, a fermented vegetable dish, has often been described to me as health food with amazing healing properties. The most amazing of which is the ability to cure SARS. I guess that means Koreans can’t get SARS. However, This has never been scientifically proven.

Fun bonus fact: most Korean households have two refrigerators. One for regular food, and one specifically designed to cool and ferment kimchi. Nifty.

3: “Don’t sleep with the fan on, or it will kill you.”

Fan death is an urban myth that is widely accepted by most people here. In Korea, most electric fans come equipped with timers so that a fan can automatically turn off after you fall asleep. They even come equipped with warning labels telling you about the dangers of sleeping with a fan on. Several fan related deaths are reported on the news every summer. The Korea Consumer Protection Board (KCPB), a South Korean government-funded public agency, issued a consumer safety alert in 2006 warning that "asphyxiation from electric fans and air conditioners" was among South Korea's five most common seasonal summer accidents or injuries, according to data they collected.

4: “Eating dog soup can improve men’s stamina”

I don’t think it is a secret to most that eating dog is not considered crewel or unusual in Korea. There is a whole debate about it of course, which I won’t discuss now. But, what I find strange it that eating dog I considered good for men’s sexual endurance, like a natural form of Viagra. It is also said to be good for cooling down during the hot summer months. Several other Korean dishes are considered to hold this amazing male enhancing property as well, which leads me to ask, why to Korean men need so many enhancers?

5: “Foreigners can’t eat spicy food. Korean food is too spicy for you”

This is another question I often get asked: “Can you eat this? Isn’t it spicy?” The belief is that foreigners don’t have any spicy food in their own countries. Since red pepper paste is a popular ingredient in Korean food, the dishes here can be a bit spicy, but nothing that I wouldn’t recommend trying. In fact, Korean food can be healthy and very delicious!

6: “Your blood type determines your personality”

Blood types are used here in a similar fashion as astrological signs are used back home. People will often ask you your blood type, which can be a bit surprising especially if you don’t know it. Here is a break down of blood type personality traits:
Type A: creative, calm, overearnest
B: wild, cheerful, selfish, arrogant
AB: cool, rational, critical
O: sociable, optimist, careless, vain

These days its main use is to determine compatibility between men and women. What’s even stranger is, the idea of blood types determining personality is said to stem from Nazi Germany ideology and popularized in Japan during the 1930s in order to breed better soldiers. Weird!

I hope this list helps illustrate a bit of how I feel about the strange things I hear coming out of the mouths of many Koreans. Although I do not agree that using chopsticks make you smart, or that kimchi is a miracle food, or that a fan can kill you, I try to respect the differences in opinion. However, some might suggest these beliefs are a result of misinformation, and the inability to use linear rational thought. I am often left speechless when I hear someone tell me something like “don’t sleep with the fan on”. But logic like we know it doesn’t exist here. That is Korea!

Jeju Island

2008-05-14T16:38:00.006+09:00

I got a few weeks off from work so I decided to take a trip down to beautiful Jeju island for some camping on the beach. Lucky for me my old neighbor from Busan, Zach, now lives on the island and was kind enough to take me on a tour. For about $50 I rented a scooter and we made a three day trip around the island to visit the various beaches and sights.

We saw this great bamboo boat used for short romantic tours.

Jeju Island Bonus

2008-05-14T10:00:00.000+09:00

Here is an article written in French about Jeju for my french speaking readers.

http://www2.canoe.com/voyages/decouvrir/52foislamer/archives/2007/12/20071227-093136.html

ENJOY!

Countryside picture round-up!

2008-03-23T18:42:00.008+09:00

I've been neglecting the old blog these days. Here are some random pictures I've taken since the last update. Enjoy!

Upo wetlands outside of Busan.

Muju ski resort. Most crowded ski resort I've ever seen.

Some nice rooftop smokestack characters that overlook TongYeong city.

Belated Christmas picture... (Merry Christmas)

Here I am at a lake in the historical Gyeongju area.

BONUS VIDEO!

Capsule Hotel

2007-12-16T23:23:00.000+09:00

Check out the capsule hotel I stayed in on my latest trip to Japan. For about $40 you get access to a spa and tiny plastic coffin to sleep in. These things that look like a row of washing machines are the capsules. They include a small TV and radio and are pretty comfortable to sleep in, as long as you are not claustrophobic. Uniquely Japan.

Politics

2007-12-04T22:51:00.000+09:00

A presidential election is just around the corner in good old Korea. That means that the many political parties are hot on the campaign junket. I live on the 10th floor, but that didn’t stop this group from spreading their campaign slogans and catchy dance moves into my home. In fact, I’m sure that if my building had 50 floors, the people on the top floor would have heard all the cheesy songs too. Check out their cute animal hats. Makes their campaign look really professional.

Korean celebrities Part 1: Infinite Challenge

2007-11-08T10:58:00.000+09:00

Korea has it’s own extensive list of celebrities, which are for the most part unknown in North America. Today I want to talk about the craziest and best show on Korean TV: 무한도전 or Moohandojeon (Infinite Challenge).

It is hard to describe this show, because it is completely unpredictable. It's like a comedy variety show that is totally unscripted . One week they could be dressed as superheroes cleaning the city streets, the next week they could be attempting to outrun a subway train. The challenges are usually pointless yet hilarious. Other stuff they’ve done: competed with a drain to see if they remove water faster from a pool than a natural drain can, tried to dig a whole faster than a bulldozer, randomly sang at people’s wedding’s uninvited, raced uphill in snow in a half pipe while being attacked by huge balls... to name a few. Apart from the crazy and goofy things they do, this show is mostly about the strong brotherhood that these six friends have.

NooHungCheol is probably biggest oddball of the group with his colored hair, beard ant tattoos (which are very unusual in Korea). He also wears crazy off the wall clothing. He is a former entertainment reporter. Apparently he invented that pose that they are doing now. This is also his car with his own face painted on it.

JungJunha is an actor and comedian. He also appears on some Korean dramas that are quite popular here.

Ha-Ha is a former rapper and probably the youngest of the group. Yes, his name is Ha-Ha.

PakMyeongSu is a former signer. In my opinion he is the funniest of the group with his unusual eyes and clumsy behavior. According to some, his strange eyes are a result of eye surgery, which is popular in Korea. He has been described as grumpy and the attention hog of the show.

YuJaeSeok is the leader of the group. He also hosts other shows, all which are very popular. He is known to be rich and Korean girls consider him to be “Mr. Right”. What do you think ladies?

JeongHyeongDon nicknamed “awkward pig” is a comedian, but mostly considered to be not that funny. In fact the other members often make fun of him and his terrible jokes. He is like the punching bag f the group.

This show is a like a friendly "jackass" without the pain. These guys aren't afraid to be goofy and will do any crazy thing for a laugh. If you get a chance to watch some Korean TV, check out this hilarious show!

Tokyo Videos

2007-11-06T09:25:00.001+09:00

Check out this sushi restaurant in Tokyo. The sushi goes around the restaurant on a conveyor belt. The chefs prepare it right in front of you.

Raw squid anyone?

Here is a busy Tokyo street. Where are you going people?

All the streets lights turn red so all pedestrians can cross in all directions at the same time. Madness.

50 days in Canada!

2007-10-26T01:40:00.000+09:00

After nearly two and a half years of waiting, I finally made my first trip back home. And what a crazy roller coaster of a trip it was. It all started with mass confusion at the airport after missing a flight from Japan, then a sleep over in the airport, then 24 hours of travel halfway around the world on several airplanes and buses.

After that it has been a pretty smooth vacation. The fall weather in New Brunswick has been unusually warm this year and I was lucky enough to be here to enjoy it living in the comfort of my parents' newly build home on the Saint John River shore.

My little brother Jacques and his lovely lady Tina got married while I was there. Their wedding went off without a hitch. Have a look at some of their great pictures.

Here we are trying on our suits before the wedding.

At the reception Jacques had a pretty funny prank prepared for Ivan and I. Since my older brother Ivan and I have yet to get married, Jacques and Tina thought it would be funny to set us up on dates. In the middle of the reception someone brought out a pair of blow-up doll ladies for us so we wouldn't feel lonely. Everyone had a good laugh at us. But revenge will be sweet my brother.

Check out these huge pumpkins at at farm we visited.

Other events while at home:
-My cousin Christine got married
-I built a birdhouse from scratch that looks like a mini version of my parents' house
-My parents cooked awesome food (This was the best part of the trip!)
-I went on a trip to Boston
-I ate more awesome food
-Saw some old friends
-Celebrated my brother Jacques and my dad's birthdays!

I ate a lot while there thanks to my awesome parents who cooked up a storm. It was the perefect break away from the madness that is my life. Thanks guys!!! Maybe I’ll have to visit again. 50 days wasn't nearly long enough. Please send Canadian food to me in Korea... :(

Boston

2007-10-18T09:44:00.000+09:00

On a scenic fall day, we got in the car and made the long trip to Boston. The leaves were changing colors making for a quite enjoyable trip through a postcard perfect New England landscape. We somehow bumped into the Stanley cup which was being shown on a tour. We also saw a Delorian being sold at an antique car show. What are the odds of seeing both in one day?

We made a few stops on the way but eventually made it to Boston. It was pretty busy. I wouldn’t recommend driving through there. After ditching the car and switching to subway for transportation, we got to enjoy some of the attractions such as the Boston Science Museum, the Faneui Marketplace, and of course the famous Cheers bar. Boston has a really nice mix of historic and modern that I really enjoyed.

Click here to see more pics of Boston and our trip through the New England states.

Tokyo

2007-09-27T23:21:00.000+09:00

I made a quick vacation stop in Tokyo before heading back to Canada for a few months of well deserved R&R. Check out some of the best pics of my trip.

We went to Tokyo Disney Land, shopping down town, Tokyo Tower, and walked a lot. It all ended a little badly however as we ended up taking a wrong turn (or two) on the subway and missed our flight out. Apart from that we had a great time. Here are the rest of the pictures from our trip to Tokyo.

Ulsan

2007-08-09T22:27:00.000+09:00

Here are some night shots of the city of Ulsan.

Ulsan is an important industrial center in Korea. It's a factory town that is lit up at night like a mixture of Las Vegas and some alien planet. It has chemical plants, oil refineries, and a large sugar refinery. They manufacture automobiles, fertilizer, textiles, ships, aluminum... you name it.
They also have an interesting beach scene with outdoor illegal gambling, barbecue stands, and live performances.

Korean Protests

2007-07-30T19:07:00.000+09:00

Koreans have a unique and dramatic way of protesting that some people might call overly extreme. An example of this is the man who recently threw a pile of excrement onto the meat isle at a grocery in order to protest the importing of American beef.

Yes, excrement, on food, in a grocery store.

I found this article that highlights some of the more extreme demonstrations that people have taken here in the ROK.

Heaundea, a Crowded Beach

2007-07-29T12:32:00.000+09:00

Heaundea is an insanely popular beach in Korea.

Every summer it seems that every person in this country congregates here. It is so crowded that you have to pay to rent parasol space. It is so crowded that you can't swim without bumping into people. The board walks are swarming with people. Having said that, it is still nice to enjoy a salty dip into the ocean on a hot day. At night there are also free concerts and fireworks.
On top of that, these pictures were taken on a day that is considered to not be busy! We even bumped into famous Korean rapper Steve. Click here to see more pictures of Heaundea.

A view from my apartment

2007-07-23T22:42:00.001+09:00

Wow, I've been pretty busy there days. Sorry about the lack of updates. Things are still going well for me over here. I'm taking Korean lessons these days and enjoying it. It is summer time now and the monsoon season is ending. I think we can look forward to some warm weather coming up. I am still coming home to go to my brother's wedding in September. Look out Canada, here I come!

For now, here is the view form my apartment window. Nothing that exciting this time!

P.S. I've updated my photo gallery form yahoo!Photo to Flickr. Check out the new and improved photo gallery. Nice.

Seoul, May 2007

2007-05-21T23:12:00.000+09:00

In a spur of the moment decisions we jumped on the bullet train from Busan city to Seoul. First, we visited the Insa-dong cultural market. We got directions from some French Canadians we bumped into. They pointed us to a nearby parade that was going on for Buddha’s birthday this week.
Check out these cute monk babies.

Next up was Namdaemun, Seoul’s South gate (pictured at the top). It is also the location of a huge outdoor bazaar. You can buy anything here, including several knock offs versions of each. We also visited some other surrounding shopping areas.
We went shopping for hours at the Dongdaemun market, which is also the location of this, the East gate. The shopping centers are open here until 5am!

After shopping till nearly dropping, we took a rest at Deoksugung Palace.

CLICK for MORE pictures!!!

Satalite photo

2007-05-09T01:01:00.000+09:00

I recently moved to a new apartment building in the Haeundae area. Check out a satellite picture of my new pad. I'm on the 10th floor of the 15 story building in the center of the photo. Zoom out to see around the city and the near by beach area.

Ko Samed, Thailand

2007-04-09T10:45:00.000+09:00

After burning in Bangkok a few days, I thought I would take a short trip to a nearby island called Ko Samed and check out the beaches there.

More pictures of Ko Samed.

Bangkok, Thailand

2007-04-09T10:35:00.000+09:00

If you ever wanted the experience of being so hot you want to cry, I highly recommend Bangkok, Thailand for your next vacation destination! Check out these photos of around town. Just imagine you are 100 degrees to get the full effect.

Juliette's Graduation

2007-02-26T15:02:00.000+09:00

Juliette's graduation! <--Click there

Mortal Kombat

2007-02-25T22:55:00.000+09:00

Seomyeon

2007-01-21T23:55:00.000+09:00

Seomyeon is the downtown area of Busan. Here you can find shopping, restaurants, bars, casinos, and anything else you could imagine. There are signs everywhere of places competing for your attention. The narrow streets in this area are crowded and lively.

Mmmm... squid snacks! Get your squid snacks!

Check out more picture of the Seomyeon streets and the crazy arcade there by clicking here .

Merry Korea-stmas 2006

2006-12-22T16:31:00.000+09:00

More pics here

Jagalchi Fish Market

2006-12-20T19:22:00.000+09:00

One of the most unique things I have found in Busan is the Jagalchi fish market.

Here you can see all kinds of fresh sea food (sometimes still moving) that you can buy moments from coming off the boats. You can see giant octopuses, a wide variety if fish and other interesting sea creatures that you can eat on the spot, even raw if you wish. The women working at the countless boots are what really create the atmosphere at the market. They look thought and will grab at you aggressively to come buy some of their fish. They are harmless of course and are actually quite nice. You can tell they work really hard and they spend all their days selling fish here, rain or shine.

I've eaten some raw fish at the market before and enjoyed the experience. We picked a fish from a tank, the chef cut it up, and we were eating it within the minute. They served the pile of raw fish with nothing more than a plate of leaves and some soju. Definitely not the most delicious thing I ever ate.

Jagalchi is the largest fish market in Korea, and definitely something to see if you're in Busan.

Look at some more pictures of the Jagalchi fish market <---

Famous in Korea?

2006-12-07T19:28:00.000+09:00

For everyone that thought I was joking, here I am on the front page of the Korean newspaper. This paper is called the Gookje Sinmun. And yes it is a national paper.

I was also in another news paper called the Sonyeon Joseon. It's like a childrens version of another paper called the Chosun Ilbo. Here is a weblink to the article. Unfortunatly I never got a paper copy. click it to see-->kid.chosun.com

A radio station also did a radio interview with me and I was on the radio on Wednesday. The station is TBN FM 94.9. I got a tape of the program but getting it on here is a pain, and most of the show is in Korean anyway....

So that was my crazy week. Our school has been getting a lot of attention for our English program these days. I guess that means it's been a success!

I'm not actually famous here....yet. But, it was nice to get some attention.

Fireworks at Gwangali Bridge

2006-11-26T15:24:00.001+09:00

Last year they had a huge fireworks display for the APEC summit, which I missed. I'm not sure the exact reason behind it but they had the fireworks show again this year. The beach area was so crowded you couldn't move. People were really pushy too. In fact I couldn't even get near the sand during the show since it was so crowded. The fireworks shot off from the bridge and from boats lighting up the sky for about an hour. It was a pretty impressive show. People were jumping all over each other and climbing on top of buildings, phone booths, etc, to get a good view. I waited about 30 minutes after the show to leave because the crowd turned into a stamped trying to leave. Afterwards, the beach and streets were left covered in trash!

More pics here***

Climbing Seunghak Mountain

2006-11-26T14:22:00.000+09:00

I try to go hiking on Sundays to a hill near my apartment called SeunghakSan. This time of year the leaves are changing colors so the hike was particularly nice.

Look at some more pictures by clicking away on these words you are now reading!

Pusan International Film Fest 2006

2006-10-30T09:15:00.000+09:00

Last year I missed my chance to get tickets to this world class event. I had no idea tickets would be sold out so quickly. So I waited all year for another chance to go. This year tickets sold out so quickly, a month before the show started, I thought I missed it again. But, by a stroke of luck a friend of mine was giving away some tickets to "Paris je t'aime." A french movie made up of shorts by at least a dozen different directors. Many of the directors came to the screening (none present that I recognized or heard of) and the ambassador to France also made a speech. It was an interesting experience to see all these different cultures mixing together. The movie I saw was screend at an outdoor theatre near the water. I loved this event, and the movie was pretty good too.

Here are the rest of the pictures. (note+++photo galleries are now fixed)

+++BONUS+++
This is unrelated but funny. I just noticed that my picture is on the website for the New Brunswick Film Festival back in Canada. I used to be a member of the NB film co-op. See if you can find me in the picture.

Sports day at Sesan Elementary

2006-10-29T18:13:00.000+09:00

We had a fun day of cultural events, dancing, food, and games at my school. The kids did a dance with umbrellas, and performed a Korean druming show for parents and teachers. I really have to get a video with sound of the kids doing the drum thing. It's really impressive. For now, here are some pics of the sports day.

Here are a few video clips of their umbrella dance.

Seoul

2006-10-15T14:43:00.000+09:00

During my summer vacation I also had time to go see Seoul again. This time I got to check out more tourist stuff and wander out to some interesting night spots.

Here I am at Gyeongbokgung Fortress, the largest and most important fortress of the Joseon Dynasty. Read more about the history of the Fortress here.

The fortress has some really nice ancient looking structures and temples to see. At one time the royal family lived on these grounds.

I enjoyed some tea in a traditional tea shop.

Here is the famous "63 building".

Here is the photo gallery! <----------------------------Click that way!

Korea from space

2006-10-02T08:50:00.000+09:00

A little busy these days, but all is well. Chusok, Korean thanksgiving, is this week. That means this country is gridlocked with traffic. But, I get a few days off, so it should give me some time to relax and put some more pictures up here soon.

Until then, here is something cool. Google Map let's you see some pretty good detailed maps of Korea. Here is a view of Busan, Korea from space. You can zoom in and out to look around the city.
Here is a shot of my apartment. To find it, start at the bottom leftcorner of the huge square parking lot. Go left one block. Go down, there is a row of 6 buildings on the left side of the street. Mine is the 3rd from the top, a little bit lighter color then the other ones.
Here is my school. It's the building with the green and orange roof. If you zoom out you can really see how far out of the city my school is. But, it only takes a about 20 minutes to get there by bus since I live on the edge of town.
Here is all of Korea. At the bottom you can see an island. That's Jeju-do where I went on vacation a few weeks ago. You can really tell it's a volcano when you see it from space.

Anyway, please post here to show me your locations as seen from space.

Boryeong Mud Festival Part 2

2006-09-02T18:23:00.000+09:00

And now for the amazing conclusion! Click here to look at the pictures of the Boryeong Mud Festival part 2.

Many people asked me what a mud festival is all about. Well here is the offical word on the subject from the organizers. Much too boring for me to recite. All I can say is that it's about mud. Their webpage also has a bunch more pictures of people full of mud if you are interested.

Also, check out my previous instalment if you dare.
Boryeong Mud Festival Part 1

Jeju Island

2006-08-30T15:25:00.000+09:00

Jeju island is a popular tourist spot here in Korea. The weather here is subtropical, and the island is often referred to as Korea's Hawaii. The island boasts numerous beaches, resorts, waterfalls, and is made up of an inactive volcano. Jeju is a great place to relax as the mood here is more laid back than the main land Busan city, where I call home these days. Lucky for me my ex-neighbor from Busan had moved to Jeju and offered me a place to crash for my 5 days visit. Thanks Zach!

Stop 1:Manjanggul Lava Tube

Inside the tunnel the temperature was a chilling 11℃, creating a comfortable and cool atmosphere. It kind of reminded me of Canada. In the cave You can see some stone pillars and the topographical features are pretty cool. The cave is said to have formed 200,000 to 300,000 years ago by flowing lava from the eruption of a nearby volcano. About 1km of the tunnel is open to the public.

Stop 2: Gimnyeong Hedge Maze
I read somewhere in my Lonelly Plant guide that this maze was started by an American living here. Thanks buddy!

It took me about 35 minutes and I think I took every wrong turn.

Stop 3: Hamdeok Beach

The water here was seriously crystal clear. I didn't know Korea had blue water beaches like this. Even at neck deep you could look down and clearly see your feet. You could also see some small fish swimming around in the water around you. Definitely the most beautiful beach I have ever been too. I waited too long to take the pictures though, so everything looks a bit dark since it was night fall.

Stop 4: Camping at Hyatt Beach

Before heading out to the beach we stopped to buy some food and supplies for the night. That's when we saw these means looking hogs. For about 7,000wan you could rent it for an hour. And I did!

After the scooters we decided to go set up on the beach. Hyatt beach is a little secluded place off the beaten path. I'm not sure of the real name if the beach, or if it even has a name. It got that nickname from being near a Hyatt hotel. The entire place is hidden from view by large cliffs. Since Jeju is filled with much larger and accessible beaches, we were certain to have the whole place to ourselves.

We camped out on the sand. At night we made a fire using bamboo we found around the beach.

The tides were extremely harsh here. So we only went for a quick swim. We then washed up at the nearby waterfall.

Stop 5: Boat ride to Tiger Island
The islets off the coast of Seogwipo have some interesting caves I wanted to see. So, we bought our tickets and waited for the ride. During our wait, we ran over to the nearby waterfall park. On the way there we passed some nice palm trees and squid fishing boats.

The giant light bulbs you can see attached to the boats are to attract squid. At night you can see these boats covering the water with light.

Here is the waterfall. I believe it's named Cheonjiyeon. After seeing this we realized that we were late and literally ran back to the tour boat which was about to leave without us.

Then we were off to Tiger Island.

The caves were great, but the best part of the ride was the comedic tour guide on the loud speaker. Although I couldn't understand what he was saying myself, a friend translated his joke to me. He was saying something about some rich guy owning the island and if the ladies were lucky they could marry him and get his money and the island...

Stop 6: The Erotic Museum

By the 5th day we were running out of stuff to do. After checking out map we saw the Hilariously named "World Sex Culture Museum" and knew we couldn't miss it. I highly recommend this place our your next trip to Jeju-do. Sexy!

Stop 7: Dinner at Zach's

After Zach was kind enough to let us crash in his home, it was only right to cook the guy a delicious meal he wouldn't soon forget.

Zach before eating:

After eating:

I'm not sure it was good but at least he looks full.

Last stop: Seongsan Ilchulbong (aka Sunrise Peak)

We knew we didn't have the right footwear, plus it was raining, but we didn't want to miss seeing inside a volcano. So, we hiked up this extinct volcano bear footed.

Here is a view from the creater at the top

This is from the top of the volcano looking down the side.

After a great trip to Jeju island, we packed up our things and took the 11 hour ferry back to the mainland. Bye Jeju-do! And thanks again Zach.

Check out the entire photo album for this trip.-->CLICK
Here are some more pictures Zach gave me.--->Here too

*-pictures by zach

80s party

2006-08-13T18:36:00.000+09:00

Here is am as Rick Moranis.

This guy wore a hilarious jumpsuit.

Everyone had hilarious custumes. Good times.

Summer Vacation

2006-08-02T18:08:00.000+09:00

The rainy season is over so it's getting really hot around here. A good way to cool off is by visiting one of the many famous beaches. I visited Haeundea beach which is massively overcrowded around this time of year. But, who can complain when you can meet beach babes.
Another way to cool off is by visiting the beer tents. Here is my bartender for the day.

People like to wear their regular clothes at the beach instead of swimsuits. Go figure.

I think there must be some Star Wars show going on somewhere in the city because I bumped into a team of storm troopers doing rounds on the beach giving away stickers.

Then, I got killed by Darth Vader.

Check out some more pictures

Boryeong Mud Festival Part 1

2006-07-17T19:31:00.000+09:00

Here are a few pictures from the Boryong mud festival.

A few more here.
More pictures to come soon!

ASIAD STADIUM!

2006-06-24T20:18:00.000+09:00

Korea played Switzerland today in what was Korea's third and final match of the 2006 World Cup. Korea managed to beat Togo, and tie France in previous games, but just weren't able to beat the Swiss to advance to the next round. I watched the game with a few friends on the jumbo screens at the Busan Asiad stadium. When we arrived at 12am, 4 hours before the game kicked off, the place was already filled with cheering fans. The intensity of the Korean team spirit is remarkable. The game didn't end until 6am, but that didn't keep anyone from being there.

As the sun came up, bewildered fans stumbled out of the stadium. The mood was somber after watching their team get beat, and many people were upset at a few questionable last calls.

Although the end was a bit disappointing I'd have to say that it was a great experience cheering for the Red Devils alongside a stadium full of fans. There is always the next World Cup guys! 4 more year.

Check out some more pictures

Here is a photo I found on a Google image search of the Asiad stadium.

SongJeong Beach

2006-06-24T20:10:00.000+09:00

SongJeong beach is a quieter and smaller beach than most of the other ones in this town. I got to see a bit of windsurfing here, which really is starting to give me the itch to try it myself. Maybe next weekend!

Check out a few more pictures.

Yonggung Temple

2006-06-24T19:47:00.000+09:00

Yonggung Temple probably the nicest if the temples I have visited in the city. It is a beautiful seaside temple that features a giant white Buddha statue as a centerpiece.
There are many small temple houses and statues to see.

Nearby is a large area filled with piles of wishing rocks. They say you can place a rock on one of the piles here and make a wish. I've seen many wishing rock piles on mountain grounds and near temples before, but never this many at one.

Here is a close up of the giant Buddha statue overlooking the sea.

Enjoy more pictures by clicking here!

World Cup - Korea beats Togo!

2006-06-18T17:10:00.000+09:00

The entire country has a really intense case of World Cup fever. Four years back, Korea and Japan hosted the World Cup. The memory of those times is still fresh in people's minds. Everyone came dressed in the official "Red Devils" t-shirts, arm bands, and glowing horns. It was a sea of red. Projector screens were setup all over the city and thousands of people crowded the streets and centers to watch the big game. Korea got off to a slow start but made a comeback and won the game. After the game everyone went crazy. The streets were filled with people cheering, holding up traffic, jumping on busses. It was a mob of celebration. Some people were even jumping on a police car. Everyone wanted to get pictures of us since we are foreigners. We cheered them on and had a great time. Check out the slide show.

Here are some more pictures and videos on Drew's blog!
--1
--2
--3

Samgwang Temple

2006-06-18T16:44:00.000+09:00

This interesting temple is located near the center of Busan. On my adventure there I had a chance to sneak into and observe a Budhist ceremony. I wish I could have recorded the music of drums being played at this ceremony which echoed through the entire grounds. It created a really a vibrant yet peaceful atmosphere.

Here is a slide show of some more pictures from the temple.
Enjoy!

Hanging out

2006-06-07T20:12:00.000+09:00

Me in front of the APEC House building.

Nick and I at Dadaepo beach.

Korean Memorial Day

2006-06-07T19:45:00.000+09:00

Tuesday was Memorial day here in Korea. I took a trip to the UN Memorial Cemetery to pay my respects for those who fought in the Korean war.

Many Canadian's fought and died in the Korean war and are buried here. There are a few monuments for Canadians as well as for other nations.

The Canadian section. Here is part of the list of Canadians burried here, including a Desjardins.

Teaching English

2006-05-16T20:24:00.000+09:00

Here I am at work!

By the way, for anyone wondering, I teach English at a school called Sesan Elementary in the city of Busan, South Korea.

Budha's Birthday

2006-05-06T14:02:00.000+09:00

May 5th was Budha's birthday. Many Budhists and non budhist visit temples for this celebration. I visited Bomosa temple with some friends to check out what it was all about.

The paper lanterns are for whishes people make. They write their names on their wish on the piece of paper. Then, at dawn they light a candle and put it inside.

There were many small temple houses around the grounds, all with people inside chanting and praying.

There were also hundreds of people around the temples praying. The atmosphere was extremely calm even though the place was overcrowded.

Childrens Day

2006-05-06T13:38:00.000+09:00

This Friday was children's day and also Budha's birthday here in Korea. So, on thursday, my school held a day of sports and games for the kids since Friday would be a day off.

Here are some of the kindergarten students I teach.

We had a bowling game,

this dart game,

ring tose, signing, and a relay race. They also played this shoe tossing game.

Hilarious.

All the students lined up and sang the school's anthem.

It was a really hot out and everyone had a really good time. All the kids went home for the afternoon.

Sesan Elementary Field Trip to Ulsan City

2006-04-22T13:23:00.000+09:00

Ulsan is a neighboring city to Busan, where I live. My school took all the kids on an outing to visit some caves, a butterfly garden, and a zoo.

We visited an enormous cave that had many sections and went off in all directions like a maze. Inside the cave were installations, like a museum of Korean artifacts, as well as statues and exhibits of precious stones.

One sections of the cave had these ancient petroglyphs. They were created over hundreds of years from about 6,000 B.C. to 1,000B.C. and are considered a Korean national treasure.

While inside the cave we also witnessed a traditional Korean drumming show...

...followed by a very impressive Chinese acrobatics show.

Hiking During Cherry Blossom Season

2006-04-18T21:50:00.000+09:00

The cherry blossom season is in full swing here in Korea. There are lots of beautiful trees and flowers to see. On Saturday I climbed the mountain behind my apartment to get a good look from above. I definitely did get a nice view. The hike up was also very beautiful.

Here are some old ladies walking by some cherry blossom trees. The mountain you see at the end of the video is the one I hiked up.

On the way up I saw some of these nice azaleas.

When I made it to the top (about 500m) I got a really nice view of one side of the city. This is the area I live in, called Saha-gu. I live near the bridge area, on the right side. My apartment is beside a university area called Dong-A. The river you see is called the Nakdong river. I cross it everyday on my way to work.

The next day I went hiking up another mountain that I hoped would reveal the other side of the city. Here is what I saw going up.

It's a bit hard to see in the video. There is a canopy of bright pink cherry blossoms covering a stream and waterfall. This is also where I took the picture at the beginning of this post.

I wonder what could be behind this little wooden hut? Click on "view video" and find out...

This is Nampo-dong, one of the city "downtown" areas. You can't make it out in the video, but you can see as far as the Gwangali bridge from this view point. If I kept panning right, and there were no mountains in the way, you would see Saha-gu again.

The city is built along the ocean, so it stretches out pretty far. In total, about 4 million people live in Busan.

See more videos of my hike to the top of Busan

New Job, New Apartment

2006-04-08T16:40:00.000+09:00

Welcome to Sesan Elementary!

The school is surounded by these great cherry blossom trees...

...and statues.

Here is a picture of my new apartment building.

The sign reads "Haundea Castle". That's right, I live in a castle.

Fukuoka, Japan part2

2006-04-04T19:57:00.000+09:00

I decided to put some more pictures of my trip to Japan! I didn't want to leave out Ohuri Park. This large park is located near the center of the city. It boasts a nice lake and is next to the remains of the former Fukuoka Castle.

The park is lined at parts by these great moats and stone walls. The moats and some of the walls are part of the former castle.

I enjoyed this courtyard and the interesting trees. To bad they weren't in bloom yet when I was there.

This was some sort of observation building, or so I read on the sign. But, to observe what?

I enjoyed this vine garden. I can imagine that it is beautiful when the flowers bloom.

Today, the castle is nothing more than a gate, a turret, and rubble. Mostly rubble. There is a nice view of the city from the former main citadel.

This was an interesting fountain. The water jets actually tell the time.

Old Videos

2006-04-02T12:32:00.000+09:00

I found some funny video clips of my last day at the old school. Man, those kids are so funny.

"Good bye Denny
-from
Dragon"
He almost spelled it right :)

The Birth of Machine

2006-04-02T12:05:00.000+09:00

While attending University in New Brunswick a friend of mine called Mark Cameron, and I, teamed up to make a short animated movie named The Birth of Machine. Mark and I had a really good time making this. We even won some government art grants and got to travel around and show it in other provinces.
So have a look. The video quality isn't perfect, but you can still get an idea.

Click ->The Birth of Machine

Fukuoka, Japan

2006-03-30T20:34:00.000+09:00

I quit my old job since they are a bunch of ungrateful jerks, which means that in order to work in Korea at a new job I need to make a trip to Japan and obtain at work visa. A few days in Japan was what I needed to get my mind of the past worries of the last few months. So I visited Fukuoka, Japan. It is the nearest Japanese city to Busan on the tip of of Korea where I live. It take about 3 hours by ferry. The city is only about 1.5 million, but since population is so concentrated it really feels like a huge city.

Fukuoka was much harder to get around in that I expected. Unlike in Busan, the street signs, bus stops, and maps are not in 2 languages. That means almost no English. I don't know about you but I can't read Japanese.

So many bikes! Everyone there ride bikes.

Everyone drives on the "wrong" side of the street in Japan. I love these 3 wheel scooters they have.

I visited a Sega arcade complex. This was amazing. I can't describe what I saw in there. I hope this short videoclip can help. What I saw was pure insanity.

They are weird group arcade games. Most of them have a strange center that looks like a hive, alien, nuclear core, and one is a horse racing screen. I think some of them are for gambling somehow. Who knows!

CHINA part5!

2006-02-24T13:31:00.000+09:00

The Forbidden City and Tiananmen Square
After visiting the Summer Palace we took a spin over to the Forbidden City. The Forbidden City is where 24 Chinese emperors ruled China for over 500 years. Today, it is open to the public. We entered the Imperial Palace Grounds from the back and made our way through to the front, which happens to be the location of Tiananmen Square. Here is the back entrance gate.

Here is a long corridor between buildings. The buildings have names such as "Hall of Celestial and Terrestrial Union", "Hall of Mental Cultivation", and "Hall of Joyful Longevity".

This is somewhere near the center of the city.

The Emperor’s thrown room.

Some more impressive buildings inside the city.

Some marching police officers. Don't those hats looks familiar?

Here I am in front of the famous Tiananmen building which is the main entrance to the Imperial Palace Grounds.

Here is a clip of Tiananmen at night.

CHINA part4!

2006-02-24T13:09:00.000+09:00

The Summer Palace
On the third day we visited The Summer Palace. In the summer it is known for its marvelous gardens. In fact, it boasts the largest imperial garden in all of China. The whole Summer Palace covers an area of over 290 hectares including more than 3,000 buildings, such as halls, pavilions, towers, and a huge man made lake.

It wasn’t exactly beach weather at the summer palace but, we did have some fun sliding around on the ice. I think we were having a bit to much fun on this day because a cop started yelling at us.

Wait a minute.. that’s no cop!

“Keep off the ice!”

CHINA part3!

2006-02-24T12:17:00.000+09:00

The Ming Tombs
After visiting the Great Wall we made our way to the Ming Tombs. Located here are the tombs of 13 of the 16 Ming Dynasty emperors.

Here I am with a statue of Emperor Yongle.
We are inside this building, the Hall of Eminent Flowers.

Passed the Hall of Eminent Flowers was Soul Tower overlooking the Chang Ling burial mount.

Here is a video from on top of the tower looking back at the Hall of Eminent Flowers and inside the tower.

CHINA part2!

2006-02-19T15:51:00.000+09:00

Day two: The Great Wall of China
The thing I most anticipated on the trip was to see the Great Wall. It did not disappoint. What can I say about the Great Wall... You really have to see it to believe it. It is amazing.

Amanda and Rebecca: the sassy Yossu girls. I don’t know how we got lost on a wall, but anyway…

Zach and I, five minutes before buying a few brewskies on the wall.

Here are a few bonus video clips of the wall.

CHINA part1!

2006-02-18T22:42:00.000+09:00

Day one: Chinese Lunar New Year in Beijing!
If you are planning to take a trip to China, make sure to bring the following thing: lots of camera film or memory. China is a big place and you might want to take some pictures it. Fortunately, I brought almost enough to last me the entire trip. It will take me a few updates to cover my entire vacation to China. Here goes!

We first visited the Temple of Heaven.

Here I am at the entrance gate. The temple is made up of circular structures symbolizing the heavens and square parts symbolizing the earth.

The parc surrounding the temple seemed to continue into infinity in all directions. In the background was the sound of fireworks exploding everywhere, even this early in the day.

Here is one of the temple structures called The Round Altar. The round shape in made up of 9 slices, which is said to be a sacred number.

From on top of the altar structure looking back to the entrance.

Here are Zach and I standing at the center of the altar. The altar is made of 9 slices, the meeting point being the most sacred part. We were told that many emperors have stood there. Watch out China, you're looking at your new emperors!

Here is the Imperial Vault of Heaven in all its glory.

After the Temple of Heaven, our tour bus drove us through the city to our next destination. Here is a clip of the Beijing landscape.

Next, we went to see an amazing acrobatics show. I snuck a few video clips that show how incredibly talented and fearless these people were. I couldn’t believe some of the dangerous flips and stunts they performed for us. I was on the edge of my seat the entire show in fear that one of them could slip up and get killed.

How many people can fit on one bike? Go to China and you will find out!

Fireworks have been illegal in China for a long while, until this year. We were lucky enough to see the amazing celebration. Lunar New Year is the biggest celebration of the year in China. Witnessing the all-night and all-day fireworks was defiantly a highlight of the trip.

Work/Home Video

2006-01-19T12:48:00.000+09:00

Here is a short clip of the building I work in. The school is called JLS: Jeus Language School. The narrow building across the street is where I live. It is known here has the "Dahun Art Room".

The building a bit to the left of the Dahun Art Room is a Kia Motors dealership. I am in that building right now. On the 5th floor is a PC room, known as a PC bahng. Here, kids and adults come to play all kinds of online video games on computers while smoking and drinking coffee. This place is open 24 hours a day. People play lots of Star Craft. The game is so popular that you can watch matches on TV.

Suprise! Real Body = Dead People

2006-01-16T21:51:00.000+09:00

I went to see a strange exhibit the other day called "Suprise! Real Body". It is similar to the famous "Body Worlds" by the controversial German artist Gunther von Hagens. The exhibit features dead bodies put through a process of "plastination" by replacing the natural body fluids with solid plastic. The process preserves tissues enabling the corpse and the organs to be displayed. I wasn't allowed take pictures but I snuck a few quick ones.

WEIRD! Here is their website if you dare to see more : http://www.sinbibody.com

Haeundae Beach in January

2006-01-14T17:08:00.000+09:00

It's January, the coldest month of the year. We've had a few cold days so far, but nothing compared to Canada. Today, the temperature is around +5C. Last week, I even visited the beach. Here are a few clips.

Watch out for the seagulls!

Nighttime in Korea

2006-01-07T22:08:00.000+09:00

The nighttime scenery around Busan is remarkable. Neon signs are everywhere. It’s almost seizure inducing. Here are a few shots and videos of places around the city at night.
This crowded street is near Pusan National University.
Street vendors in Nampo-dong.

Narow streets in Nampo-dong.

Another shot of Nampo-dong.

Here are some typical apartment buildings korean families live in.

This is an actual police station. I love the cute "Mighty Mouse" figure they have as their logo.

There are many amusement parks people can visit at night, like this one near Gwangan.
Here are some short videos of around Hadan:

I Live in Saha-gu

2005-12-30T10:57:00.000+09:00

I live in an area of the city called Saha-gu. It's on the outskirts of town on the west side. I went for a short scooter ride to take some video clips of the area to show everyone what it looks like during
the day.

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Enjoy!

Coupon Party at JLS

2005-12-28T10:58:00.000+09:00

Our school had a party for students last week. It gave them a chance to redeem their hard earned coupons in exchange for prizes such as toys and pizza. Over the course of a term, teachers hand out coupons as rewards for good behavior and good test scores. We had contests, games, food, and everyone had a good time.

Making Kimchi at Hongbeopsa Temple

2005-12-27T20:23:00.000+09:00

Kimchi is a traditional Korean dish that is as delicious as it is spicy. This extremely popular and ancient food (dating back to the 7th century) is also rumored to have medicinal properties. We visited Hongbeopsa temple to uncover the secrets of Kimchi and learn to make some for ourselves.

The inside of the temple is pretty impressive.

We had great instructors. You can also see the Monk who runs the temple in the background. The secret ingredients to making Kimchi are: Chinese cabbage, garlic, red pepper, spring onions, ginger, salt, and probably some other stuff too!

But, the real secret of making Kimchi is to have fun! Ha ha. Here I am with Adrienne and Amanda.

Kimchi is fermented underground to unlock the magic.

Here are some big kimchi pots used to preserve kimchi. We left home for the day with enough kimchi to eat for a year.

If you would like to see more kimchi or learn about its history, please visit the following websites.

www.kimchi.or.kr
wikipedia

Merry Korea-stmas!

2005-12-27T01:35:00.001+09:00

Bowling in Saha

2005-12-14T13:43:00.000+09:00

Yes, there is bowling in Korea. It's pretty much the same as back home, funny shoes included. Here is my blowing team: Alice, Sung-he, and Joh-wan.

I'm apparently good at bowling in Korea. I got 6 strikes that night.

Art Gallery and Fashion Show

2005-12-13T14:35:00.000+09:00

Last weekend I got the chance to see a fashion show displaying traditional Korean costumes.

It was completely by accident. Alice and I had just finished visiting the modern art museum, which was a big disappointment. We then wandered next door to the Bexco building to see what kind of display they had going on. When we found out it was "Shoes and Textiles" we almost turned around. It sounded really boring. I'm glad we didn't. We got to see an amazing display of Hanbok's in a variety of brilliant colours. The pictures don't do them justice.

We had to sign up and fill out some forms before entering the building. I signed up as the CEO of my own company "Denis Inc". They even gave me a nametag.

Making Songpyon

2005-11-30T14:03:00.000+09:00

This trip took place near the beginning of my stay here in Korea. A group of us foreigners visited a temple in Busan near the edge of town. Each weekend this temple invites foreigners to visit and experience a new Korean tradition. On this weekend we learned how to make traditional rice cake known as Songpyon, which is often made during the Korean thanksgiving named Chusok.

After learning how to shape the little cakes, we walked down to the cooking area.

The Korean women working the cookers told us that our rice cakes looked “even better then we can make”. They were being sarcastic however, since most of our cakes looked mangled.

Here we are choking down our songpyon!

They also grew lots of hot peppers outside the temple. Hot peppers are found in a lot of food in Korea. Doesn’t it look delicious?

Taejongdae

2005-11-27T19:02:00.000+09:00

I visited a great waterfront park about a month ago called Taejongdae. It's a very popular tourist area in Busan. The views were breathtaking.

Fantastic!

APEC BUSAN!

2005-11-27T14:22:00.000+09:00

This year's Asia Pacific Trade Cooperation meeting was hosted in my city of residence, Busan. It was a well-known fact that President George W. Bush was making an appearance at the talks, which made many people nervous of possible terror attacks. This resulted in the closure of most public schools and hogwans. Since we had the day off, Drew, Zach, and I made the trip down to the APEC meeting locations to visit the madness.

Zach and Drew standing beside the Bexco building where a lot of APEC "stuff" was going on.

Armed guards lined all the streets around the building. You can even see people on the top of that building.

Here is a large group of people in riot gear. They were expecting large riots. We didn't see any violence whatsoever.

This subway station was completly shut down.

One of the locations hosting meetings was near Haeundae Beach. We expected to see more armed guards or protestors. Instead, we found a beautiful empty beach and a man making a sand dragon.

The waters were teaming with police ships. Far off in the distance are some military ships.

The Gwangan bridge is beautiful at night.

It was impressive to see how many armed guards were on call for this event. I later read that there were some protests, but we missed that. We didn't get to see George Bush, or any of the other leaders. Security was too tight as you can see.

Visiting Yeosu

2005-11-13T21:47:00.000+09:00

Last weekend I visited a couple neighboring towns to Busan. It was a great experience. I got to meet some new foreigners and experience the foreigner life outside of Busan.

First, we visited Suncheon, the location of a great hiking mountain. Very remarkable temples are found at the base of the mountain as well as on top. We met up with some friends of Zach’s who lives in another town called Yeosu.

Here they are: Zach (my neighbor in Busan), Christy, and Amanda.
There is a huge drum inside that temple. At nightfall the monks supposedly play it. Unfortunately, it was raining hard by the time we got there so there was no drumming.

Bamboo!

Here I am at a temple somewhere in the mountain. From where I am sitting I can see these amazing trees…

Then, we visited Yeosu. The population is around 300,000. Compared to Busan’s 4 million, it is considered a town.

Here is the cool bridge in Yeosu.

Here I am posing as Admiral Yi, Sun Shin. Yeosu is the birthplace of the legendary Turtle Ship invented by Yi, Sun Shin. Admiral Yi used the Turtle Ships to beat off the invading Japanese naval forces during the 7 year war. That is an actual Turtle Ship behind me! Read more about the Turtle Ships here.

Thanks to Christy and Amanda for the wonderful time in Yeosu!

My So Called Korean Life

2005-11-10T21:58:00.001+09:00

Many people have asked me questions about what my life in Korea is like. So here are a few quick pics of things I see on a daily basis. Enjoy!

Here are some of my co-workers: Alice, Ale, Suzie. Don't they look fun to work with? They are awesome.

This is the school I teach at. I took this picture from the roof of my building which is accross the street.

This is my apartment building. It's tall and narrow.

When I enter the building I walk through this strange garage with a green floor. This is where I park my...

...scooter. I don't have a name for it yet. Any ideas? It's fun to go exploring around the town on this thing. Beats walking!
Next, let's have a look inside my apartment.

It's not the biggest place but it works for what I need. It has a gas range, small fridge, washing machine, and a nice flat screen TV.

More Suprises

2005-10-06T21:00:00.000+09:00

Hey everyone!

I’m still enjoying Korea. I think I’m getting used to being surprised and confused everyday. There is never a dull moment here, and it’s certainly never boring.

Within the last few weeks the entire office staff at our school has changed. One girl quit. Soon after the manager and another secretary were fired by the owner. Supposedly they were involved in stealing money from the school. So we are getting a bunch of new staff.

We also just got a new native English-speaking teacher. His name is Drew and he is from Canada. He arrived a few days ago with his girlfriend Andrea. For the last few days I’ve been showing them around and getting Drew accustomed to the ins-and-outs of teaching at our school.

Getting back to the topic of surprise and confusion, I had an interesting experience at the subway station today. Drew and I were waiting for a train to arrive at the station. After waiting an unusually long time I began to wonder if the train would come at all. Suddenly, an announcement began to play over an intercom, in Korean of course. Since neither Drew nor I can understand Korean we were baffled to see people begin to leave the station. Since a few people stayed behind to wait for the train we decided to wait as well. The announcement continued to play over the loudspeaker for ceveral minutes. Eventually we realized we would be late for work if we waited much longer and decided to get a cab home instead. We will probably never know what happened to the train that day. Maybe someone jumped the tracks. Who knows?!

I took Andrea and Drew out for supper. We had a traditional Korean food called Samgupsal. It’s a crazy dish that you cook yourself. You get a plate of pork sliced like fat bacon slices. You cook it in the centre of the table on a grill. After the meat is heated up you wrap it up in leaves and eat it! Usually people eat this food with kimchi, a spicy cabbage dish, and soju, Korea’s traditional alcohol of choice.

That’s it for now gang.

A Hike Up a Mountain

2005-10-02T23:00:00.000+09:00

Last weekend Zack and Amanda invited me to go on a hiking trip near a place called Geumjeong Fortress. Here are a few shots from the climb.

There are some pretty impressive gates along the mountain range that you can walk through.

Check out the temple tucked away in that mountain. Click on the picture to see it full size.

Can you see the gate in the background?

They were having a funeral ceremony at this temple.

Here we are at the top! When we got back to the bottom there was a crazy rock festival going on.

A Visit to the Zoo

2005-09-17T22:23:00.000+09:00

I went to a zoo today. Guess what I saw. Animals! Including monkeys, lions, a bison, a polar bear and a hippo. Fantastic.

A Visit to the Demilitarized Zone

2005-09-16T23:31:00.000+09:00

Here are a few more pictures. This is the Demilitarized Zone bordering North Korea.

The First Post From Korea

2005-09-14T22:19:00.000+09:00

My name is Denis. I live in Korea and work as an English teacher. I've been here since the 6th of July, 2005. Here are some things I've seen since I first landed in this great country about 3 months ago.