So many wild tales to describe of travels south of the equator and S.E. Asia. But while I journey through Korea for my last two weeks of vacation, I must hold off on descriptive writing.

HOWEVER, one thing that must be addressed immediately is of the utmost importance. Alex and I arrived in Chuncheon today. A culinary trip, of sorts, we looked forward to delighting in Takalbi and the real deal cheesy pork rice. Despite a killer sickness that has kept me down since our arrival back to Korea-I am praying it's not giardia, we set out in search of our food. In passing, i brought up a dreadful thought. "What if cheesy pork rice was no more?" We dismissed such negative ideas and ventured on... ONLY TO FIND CHEESY PORK RICE restuarant is being renovated and will not be open until February 14th. A wonderful Valentines Day for some, a waste of a trip to Chuncheon for ourselves. We will not rest until we find the supposid second cheesy pork rice establishment. A entertaining endeavor, considering I am traveling with someone who is too tall for clothes in korea and therefore unable to rent suitable ski equipment in this famous ski resort spot.

Yoegwan tour 2007 has commenced and the first stop was the prince motel in Seoul and Chuncheon's Carib Motel that is shaped like a castle. Needless to say the castle stuck out from our first stay here. And we are now contemplating a themed yoegwan tour ie. monarch motels or medieval times.

Life in Korea is always a trip. I enter back in the country after a 2 week hiatus and craziness ensues. Saturday, after a long slumber, June's mom, June and myself hit up a beautiful tea house. It was in the midst of this mountainous terrain which is inaccessible to tourists due to the nature of it's remote location. We delighted in some green tea ice cream and made fun of June's Korean antics, traversing said mountainous terrain in high heals. June's parents are amazing. I have already stated this fact but I learned more about the community organizing they are committed to and it's outstanding. Taegu has a large military presence due to the two bases in the city. June's family engages with the base by creating partnerships between local organizations and those on base. They act as cultural ambassadors by teaching Korean classes and engaging the u.s. citizens in Korean affairs.

Following our tea and a brief stop at a roadside restaurant, which I must say exemplifies everything that is right with local farming, we hit up a restaurant for dinner. The Dinner was followed by an adventure out into the streets of Taegu night life. We hosted the son of a col. who usually resides in the States. Mark got to see the night life. We hit up a bar and then a club. The club was rowdy and some antics by some american guy from Alabama made me embarrassed of my nationality-something that is not unfamiliar while abroad. He ended up getting his friend kicked out of the club. His drunken self then approached me and apologized profusely for yelling at me. I looked at him and said "no worries I've never seen or spoken to you in my entire life." I did however engage in a full conversation in Korean with some kid. Who, proceeded to tell me I was beautiful repeatedly and kiss my cheek...repeatedly. But I was having so much fun talking in Korean!!! 남자친구 이사요 (boyfriend is here) did not seem to stop the antics of this drunk boy. So I threw myself into the depth of the dance floor and got down to DJ Ozma bounce with me. We dropped Mark back off at the base around 4am, his shuttle to Incheon airport left at 5. Mark, if you're reading this, we called that 3rd round. Just stay out until you need to get up. Hope your trip was headache free.

We headed back to the base for a reception for the Kim's. I proceeded to meet the mayor of daegu and some dean's at the national university who offered me a job to teach next year. I can only hope the job search is as simple in the states. Something tells me it will not end up that way.

A nap,some Diana krall live in Paris and comfy chairs, proceeded our trip to the 4th culinary delight of an experience while in Taegu. We headed to a restaurant where Giorgio was preparing the leg of a wild boar a colleague of June's father had hunted. This is the year of the boar and so in typical fashion, let's feast to that occasion. Prior to arriving I asked June "Is Giorgio Korean?" Yes, this question seems absurd. Giorgio is clearly an Italian name. June felt this way too and responded "uhhh no, he's Italian." But June's parents use American names when interacting on the base, so I assumed he took on an Italian name to assimilate with the Italian cuisine he prepared at his restaurant. I was wrong.
The meal was delightful. I ate a wild boar, I saw the hair on the leg and tapped at the hoof, while the chef skinned the upper leg. What a scene.

The night had a musical ending. I made my debut at the Taegu Jazz Bar "the corner" and sang decently to "Don't Know Why." Unfortunately, the band played the song I think in double time. It sort of seemed like those techno remixes they play on the radio of songs like "my heart will go on." That is, without the synthesizers and electric drums. It didn't have the ultra sexy jazz appeal that I was hoping for but, nonetheless, i sounded OK. We followed this gig with a poofs sing along in Noribang. I finally found crazy and sang to my hearts content with June. Her father does one hell of a Louis Armstrong impersonation. Imagine that.

AND I AM OFF TO THAILAND. I found my ticket, and leave oh so soon. I even have a day layover in Taiwan. Woooo, another country to explore, for the evening. 라비그 선생님 see you soon.

gettin down in Daegu

I am in Daegu with the beutiful 김은지. Last night, my arrival was marked with an amazing 8 course meal prepared by her father, with wines to go with each course. He is contemplating opening a restaurant, and if the decor and food is anything like the house, it will be a smashing success. And, I made it clear that I will be his first reservation. To put into perspective how rad June's parents are, lets just say this: her mom plays the drums (not traditional korean drums though that would be cool). Female drummers are amazing. And her father plays guitar and takes italian cooking class. I told them to start a band- I know I know, family bands usually equals lame. Although the partridge family is a toss up. But I have no doubt the Kim family would rock it.

Following a lovely dinner, we hit up the downtown area. Word traveled that it was my birthday, and in traditional korean form, I got the box cake with the funny candles!. It was a pig, since this is the year of the boar. Not only did I receive the cake, no no. I was carried around the restaurant, while they lit this heart and drink on fire in celebration. The carrying part was a bit absurd, as you can imagine. I kept informing them that after watching a weightloss commercial in Japan, I realized I am the target weight for many asian men. So I reccomended they get someone strong. Well this waitor may have been small, but looks can be deceiving. Amazingly enough, he carried me, while running, with ease. Needless to say it was ridiculous. I'll get pictures when June returns to the states.

Some small talk was made about singing at a jazz bar June worked at last year. Clearly just talk, I forgot about it by morning. That is, until i found out I am actually making my debut as a jazz club singer tomorrow night on my birthday. Get me a martini! Wild antics always here in Korea. I love hearing korean again. It's nice to be able to somewhat make sense of conversation.

Shoe Horns, Rocky Rides and Seoul Backpackers

I have discovered a tool that until recently, I never gave enough credit. It is, none other than the shoe horn. For years, I tirelessly stuck my finger behind my heel attempting to wiggle my foot into what ever shoes or sneakers I would wear for the day. it was a difficult task I tell you, especially during the doc martin years. Perhaps that's why I started wearing berks at such an early age. Well, I utilized a shoe horn in Japan and I am hooked. The ease at which I was able to put my shoes on was utterly mind blowing. Prior to this discovery, here in Asia especially, I would awkwardly fumble at every doorway- restaurants, people's homes, just in attempts to get my shoes on. But not anymore. No longer do I almost fall over in the cramped door space, and I save myself a good 30 seconds each shoe entry. I am on an endless hunt for a shoe horn cell phone charm. And, if they don't make em, I am copyrighting the idea right here and right now -shoe horn cell phone charm ©2006 l.mccarth. It's gonna make millions and I will be able to get that architect to design my east meets west minimalist decor filled fantasy house!! Easy access-all the time.

Departed from Japan this afternoon. I had such an amazing time, meeting new people, trying my luck at a new language with little success and getting to know Yumi's Family. It was sad to leave, but I am back in Seoul and already in the thick of planning my next adventures. For instance purchasing that Thailand ticket-I have the lonely planet for the country to which I have no ticket. Help! leave for Thailand on the 9th, but one minor detail sits between me, my window seat and complimentary cocktail. That is, I haven`t organized my life enough to book the seat. Mainly because I don:t know how to operate Tour express. I found an amazing deal and i look at it longingly everyday hoping, that perhaps if I am lucky it could be mine. But
that damn national identity number always gets in the way with these things.

My trip home seemed to be doomed. I arrived at Haneda's international departures terminal, quickly realizing why there is only service available between Japan and Korea. Most international departures are out of Narita. This airport was the most poorly run, organized airport i have ever been to. I watched the security guards, who couldn't have been more than 19-change in front of me into their uniforms. Now I will admit, uniforms have an intimidating force behind them. Y'all should know-my ridiculous paranoia regarding police couldn't make that anymore apparent. But watching some kid in slouchy jeans and Adidas sneakers change in public into the customs uniform puts all credibility out the window. Anyhow, all other flights were on time but JAL 8831 was being serviced. In fact it was being serviced even as people were boarding. Finally flight 8831 to seogwipo was called. "wait" i thought to myself, "oh my god am i going to jeju or seoul? soegwipo????" I realized that the Japanese flight attendant was saying Seoul Gimpo but the M was pretty much obsolete from pronunciation. It took me a few minutes to realize there was no airport in Seowgipo. I still couldn't think straight as i was highly concerned about this continued servicing of the plane- especially due to recent events with missing jet airliners. To make matters worse, the flight attendants made an announcement to go to the bathroom prior to the flight as the turbulence was going to be rough. We were already talking heavy turbulence before I even hit the tarmac? Was this an excuse for-"something is wrong with the plane, it's gonna be a rocky ride folks-hopefully we make it to SeouL?" I didn't know but the cynic within believed so. When I got on the plane I realized this bathroom chatter was because the servicing was regarding the restrooms aboard the plane. So they were trying to hide something haha! Fortunately it wasn't a bad engine, just a bad bathroom. Apparently there was a problem since flight crews were there until takeoff. And it was smooth sailing from there on out-especially because the in flight movie was "Little Miss Sunshine," a movie I intended to seek out from street vendors upon my arrival back in SoKo. Check it out-though as Ell biggers put it, it's got that "obvious indi film implication about finidng yourself etc." But I am desperate for a movie that isn't the Holiday. So it was appealing in aspects.

Hit up Seoul Backpackers, a hostel I have heard about from a few sources. So far so good. I got wireless Internet, there's a kitchen and free luggage storage for 2 weeks. i will take advantage of that while I head to Daegu tomorrow, but not for the duration of my s.e. Asian travels. So we will have to see. More and more people from back in the day, keep popping up in Thailand. I feel like I am bound to see multiple familiar faces and who knows who else.

Tomorrow, I need to service all technological belongings prior to heading south. That is, Laptop, Ipod and Digital Camera-So far my Japanese charms are serving me well-hopefully that luck can continue with regards to plane tickets and my technological lively hood.

第57回 NHK紅白歌合戦 DJ OZMA

Here is the absurd NHK Japanese PBS Performance. It was all over the news in the Japanese airport.

New Years

New Years Day started out a little bit rough. Although around 430 in the morning I was appreciative of Gotosan`s fantastic cooking, his magical Greek alcoholic potion left me with a throbbing headache and a feeling of sickness I just couldn`t shake. I felt comforted that others felt the remnants of this drink as well-since I knew I didn't drink too much. After a rocky start, we were off to celebrate the festive New Years Day.

But I can`t forget to mention the unbelievable performance I had the opportunity to view the evening before. Apparently each year, the Japanese equivalent of PBS airs a special. featuring the top male and female performers of the year. It is called Kōhaku Uta Gassen ("Red vs white singing contest") It is a gender competition and the artists perform to see which gender is the most entertaining. Thus far, after airing for 56 years, it was a dead tie. 28 wins for the females and 28 wins for the males. Stakes were high, and although I questioned whether this performance, which made the CNN headlines might I add, would assist or hinder the male`s chance-it seemed to push them over the top. Check it out above.

let`s just say its the Janet/Justin debacle X 1000. Even on Digital HD TV, I could not tell these girls were wearing body suits. But apparently, it was speculated such antics would take place and the host even mentioned the police would probably be waiting for the DJ Ozma and his entourage outside. TOPLESS exotic dancers and Japanese hip hop at it`s best folks. Not sure if this was for pure shock value or if there was social commentary attached. You be the judge. Imagine that airing following Mr. Rodgers Neighborhood or the News Hour with Jim Leher.

On New Years day we headed out on a wild goose chase with a taxi cab driver. The stores were all closed but the streets were so congested due to family visits. After a tremendously long ride, we arrived at the shrine. New Years day is an extremely big holiday in Japan, unlike in America where we go all out on the 31st and recuperate on the 1st, there are a slue of traditions to take part in here. This was apparent from the early morning when Yumi`s family received countless postcards from friends and family. It is a tradition that perplexes me. Not the holiday itself- I would love nothing more than to receive postcards from all of my friends and family. The logistical part is what gets me. For each Japanese family to send say 50 postcards-what a strain on the postal system and workers. Not to mention, the cards are not delivered until the 1st, so storage becomes a concern-postcards don`t seem large individually, but they add up when they`re in the millions. Apparently they send out student workers on bicycles to deliver all of the mail.

We visited the shinto shrine and gave thanks for this year and also to pray for the upcoming year. We stood in a line that looked as though it would never end, in order to ring a ceremonial bell. I must admit, my bell didn`t really make a noise-I suppose that`s why the line was longer for all other options. After some staged photos of me bowing courtesy of Yumi`s mom, we headed indoors to receive a wooden placard with your name in Japanese. Sake was offered after the ceremony, similar to wine in the catholic Church, i politely declined for obvious reasons. Supposedly i will be protected from bad luck for the upcoming year. This is a good thing, since apparently I am in for a difficult year with not much luck. FANTASTIC.
With my new charms and blessed object, I am trying to prepare! We delighted in great food, saw women dressed in beautiful Kimonos and wandered around for a bit before heading home.

Yumi`s family had the second game party in a week, this time it was Parcheesi for money. Let me tell you, I am playing this game at the board game bang following my arrival home in Korea. Bring it on. Despite the fact that I was only the winner of the consolation bracket, the competition was fierce. if I ever return to Japan around the holidays, I will be sure to prepare. Wild times are winding down here as I prepare for future travels. Heading back to Korea on the 4th followed by a Smith reunion down in Daegu with the lovely Eunji Kim. Then the S.E. Asia shenanigans begin. Despite recent happenings in Thailand, I venture forward intrepidly, celebrating a birthday along the way. Strange to be celebrating my 23 and 24th birthday simultaneously-I am 24 in Korea-maybe that means double the presents. An idea to ponder at least.

Dom Perignon Vintage Champagne and salmon in a fennel based sauce, mmmmm thank you ZEN and Gotosan. A holiday in true new years style.