Sometimes, the best day's ever get better and better

So let's preface this post by stating that we have in fact, come across the second cheesy pork rice known to man kind in Korea. Gogi, the hip university hang out also serves this phenomenon of a dish. Clearly, any day with this in your diet is bound to be a contender for the best day ever.

In all seriousness, what a jam packed adventure filled weekend of amazingness this was. Thus far, my trip to Korea is probably one of the healthiest experiences anyone could hope for-here are just a few reasons: Laughter- I laugh here, more than I have ever laughed before. Cultural mishaps, mis communications and general hilarity of most situations allows for approximately 6-7 good laughs a day. Not only is my mental health in good shape, my abs are getting a workout all on their own in addition to my daily trips to the "health academy" fitness center. Patience-Who couldn't use a lesson in patience once in a while. An entire year dealing with situations and conversations that require an inordinate amount of patience would do anyone good. If patience really is a virtue, watch out America, your looking at the most virtuous human being ever to re-enter the country. Get ready July 07. Kimchi-the food here is wonderful. I pose the question frequently, "how do you stay so thin when you eat so much?" In actuality it isn't hard to understand. My teacher explained it as "no fast food." Everything I eat is one of 4 options: meat, rice, kimchi or fruit/veg. There is basically no dairy and 0 trans fat. I also only drink water. These reasons, along with the fact that I am with such wonderful people and the U.S. state dept. is giving me the opportunity to travel around Asia, do research and teach kids basically makes this the most ideal situation anyone could ever ask for.

So yes, back to long and drawn out depiction of the best day ever. I made a friend at a hip boutique. We were talking and she claimed to want an American friend. We exchanged cell phones and will grab coffee sometime. Met up with Emerald, Julienne and Kate to celebrate Emerald's birthday. We hit the road and went to "the white house" for a fantastically delicious dinner. Eating pizza in Korea is so wonderful. The sauce in traditional Korean style is spicy!!! We endulged in a bottle of wine and yes, us fearless FEMALES made it to the third round. Take that patriarchal male dominated Korea. We hit up city hall for some drinks at the blue lit bar and I must say it was very sex and the city-esque. Due to kate's request however, we did not engage in the "what character do you most resemble." Apparently, big fights emerge out of such talk. I mean I have come to terms with the fact that people will associate me with Miranda simply due to our hair color. We ended the evening having beer with Jen and Lindsay at a bar called "KANSAS." Yes, it was an American style bar that in essence, was simply american items placed randomly on the walls.

After a family trip to the Haenyo museum, a museum dedicated to the wonders that are the women divers of jeju, I was on my way to meet Alex and crew. Might I add the women divers of Jeju worked to fight imperialism during the Japanese occupation and were thought of as the most vigilant of contributors? Let's talk about feminism meeting anti-imperialism. Pretty fantastic. Although I am still at a loss as to how they fought imperialism through the collection of seaweed and abalone. Any guesses? Anyhow, clearly Dunkin Donuts was an appropriate location for a meet up. One more stamp and I receive my 2nd free coffee. I'm making bank and it comes in the best form, hazelnut iced coffee.

We all go our separate ways and Alex and I are off to the bus terminal. A lesson learned while riding in taxis, never ask a taxi driver to take you to another form of vehicular transportation, they tend to take offense. In jumbled Korean, Alex and I navigated the linguistical nightmare of a situation trying to decipher the drivers words. What we gathered is we should take a taxi rather than the bus. Somehow, we successfully bargained and struck a deal to take a taxi for ten dollars that would bring us 1 1/2 hours around the island. You see, here in Korea people like to strike deals. We met another taxi cab driver who, in traditional taxi driver form solicited his services to other patrons waiting for the bus. He quickly found two takers, and we were all on our merry way. Alex, me, the taxi driver and two random old women. We passed mi nature world, a theme park with miniature everything. There is only one reason to frequent this locale;if you are on drugs. I was however struck with ELEPHANT WORLD! I can assure you I will be making a trip and will post on my adventures accordingly.

Soon after, we arrived. Feeling confident in our language skills we bartered for motel rooms and went out to explore the eastern part of Jeju. What you must know, is the fact that motels are scandalous here in Korea; so some rooms can be rented by the hour. We were explicitly told not to let any of our co workers or families know of our lodging plans should they include motels. Now tell me this, as a young traveler are you going to spend 20 dollars a night on an adequate room, or are you going to go upwards of 60-100 dollars for a location perceived to be better and less scandalous. Correct answer, clearly 20 dollars.

After wandering we found ourselves in a field of horses overlooking the ocean. Yes it is alarming to turn around and see horses staring you down on a walkway. Our intentions in Seongsan was to summit the illchubang for the sunrise hike. Lonely Planet claims it is a self affirming journey for many Koreans, and tell me this, when have you ever not been up for a self affirming journey. Unfortunately as 4 am rolls around, we realize it is stormy. We postpone the hike and wait until morning. By 9 the sun was shining and we set out. After walking by two ally ways with children playing with guns, unclear as to whether they were real or fake, we came across our mountain. I have come to understand you can easily assess the challenge of a hike by the outfits worn by fellow adventurers. If you see the full out hiking suit, get ready for a nice challenge. However if you see women like this: you can probably infer, it will be a leisurely walk up a mountain.
Here are some views from the top. Illchubang was volcanic and this is a picture of the bowl overlooking the ocean.

After wandering down, we made our way to the bus and headed towards Manjanggul; Korea's long volcanic caves. The dark and damp climate was actually refreshing from the normally hot and humid weather outside. We navigated the lava tubes for approximately two km. At many times, we came across neon lights highlighting different attractions. I must admit, it rendered images for both of us of a hip underground* rave with kickin dj beats. *literally and metaphorically ohhhh. We emerged into the daylight and set off for what I assumed would be the highlight of any adventurers day; the geonyong maze! This maze was designed by an American who fought in the Korean war and then stayed in Korea teaching English. It was created in the 1980s and from an Ariel view, depicts an outline of the island with other cultural significant images. Somewhat of a letdown, at 6ft 4 Alex actually towered over many of the hedges. And the bell in the center that when rung, signified completion of the maze made the challenge a bit well, less of a challenge. In fact, there were actual arrows groomed into the hedges. Needless to say it did not take long to complete, but hey I'll never say no to any maze. We contemplated taking a taxi to our next destination but determined quickly that the 8 km walk would be nice. We wandered the roads looking for cafe 1263. This coffee shop is owned by a Korean man with impeccable English. So Lonely Planet claimed, it is not a store, but rather his house. He will sit and converse with you and the cozy environment can't be beat.
We wondered the town asking locals if they had ever head of such a location. The unusual smell of pringles sour cream and onion potato chips wafting through the air was unmistakable and set us off course as we sought a store to purchase such a delectable item. While purchasing this snack, we noted the frustrating dimensions of a can that creates challenges for the big handed consumer. Arguably the more important fact we concluded, is that 1263 must be the address of the coffee shop. See Lonely Planet talked so fondly of the place, it failed to mention the location. No one seemed to have heard of it and although we never lost faith in our abilities to find Cafe 1263, things weren't looking good. The fact that Laurie's English tutoring wasn't of any service to us proved extremely frustrating.

At one point an old man "yogio-ed" us over. To "yogio" someone means to beckon that individual to come "here." We once again had a hilarious conversation with a man who would not let us be. He kept asking about Seogwipo after commenting on Alex's height, our Korean ability and our relationship status. Unclear of anything he was trying to say, we proceeded to ask about the coffee shop. Still, he aggressively changed topics. We wondered on after saying our quick goodbyes. We were even presented with an apple from local children, roaming the streets by themselves as per usual. With hope waining, we felt saddened yet more committed than ever to the endeavor of finding this coffee shop. Then, like a miracle, out of the abyss appeared "coffee house." Trying not to get our hopes up, we scanned the locale for a number, which indeed prove to be 1263. In normal fashion, I skipped a bit, and following what seemed like a pilgrimage got a little giddy. We arrived to a beautifully decorated house on the water. I sipped coffee made from a french press and marvelled at that fact that the proprietor indeed owned a copy of Bill Clinton's my life. Yes dad, he even had a putting machine-clearly escalating him in my mind to #1.

After a relaxing coffee, we moved on to our final destination of cheesy pork rice. An experience that needs no other explanation. Well except for the fact that traversing the populated streets of city hall is an experience all in itself. Frequently, my students see me out in City Hall and run up screaming hello or Lauryn. The fact that as an English teacher I have basically experienced the life of a celebrity is pretty wild. it's even more humorous to be standing in front of class while your students ask about your boyfriend they saw you with at the coffee shop. Because clearly, if you walk with boys, you must be dating. I love the middle school mind.

A wonderful time overall, I can't believe that only last week I was adamently opposed to the use of guidebooks. Soccer games and horse betting awaits my immediate future....that and a wild trip to the teddy bear museum.