Taebek Snow Festival

So during the second to last weekend of January, we decided it was again time to leave the confines of our host city Cheonan.

Instead of surrendering to below 0 cold (remember guys, Celsius), we decided to make it our accomplice. Thus, we made our first trip to eastern side of the peninsula to a smaller town called Taebek. It was there that we traveled to see a Snow Festival.

So on Saturday morning, waking up before the crack of dawn, we caught a 6:15 bus to Seoul. Of course, we had to leave ourselves enough time to enjoy a delicious McDonald's breakfast. From there it was a four-hour bus ride to Taebek, the length of which I am still boggled by. I didn't think the peninsula had such latitude. Either way, the ride was full of one thing.

Sleep.

Upon our arrival in the Gangwon-do province, but before reaching the Snow Festival, we had the chance to go cave-walking.

 

The cave, which were told was in the biggest mountain in Korea, was extensive. At times it was cavernous, others like trying to go through a mouse hole. However, massive wires leading to underground lights and fountains was not very endearing. Nor was the lemming-like path we had to follow. 

Regardless, who can turn down a good cave walk.

Then came the snow festival, complete with an igloo cafe, rather large ice carvings and yes, a museum from the neighboring coal mine.

 

 

 

 

  

More pictures from the festival. 

Three hours allotted to us by our tour guides was a bit much, but we made do. And we got to enjoy a cold day with each others company. 

~Dave

Merry Christmas!

Well, it's already 1 a.m. our time, so it's December 26th. We just want to wish all of you guys the safest, happiest Christmas possible. We're going to (and by going to I mean "already are") miss the celebrations and the family and the food and the fun, at least as we usually know them.

On the positive side, with Christmas Day came the first heavy snow of the year. It's been snowing for a good part of the day, to the point where the ground is covered and the Koreans are driving worse than normal.

So, we've spent our time watching Christmas movies. Since we have gotten home from our Christmas dinner (Italian food), we've curled up and watched The Santa Clause, How the Grinch Stole Christmas (the original) and National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation. It's been good. Unusual, but good.


Spending the day as best we can.

Merry Christmas,

Dave and Jess

Our next trip

Tomorrow we will move upon the 38th parallel, a line which cuts through the middle of the Korean peninsula. Here, after two hours of travel, we will find the DMZ. Also known as the Demilitarized Zone, the DMZ separates the Northern Democratic People's Republic of Korea from the Republic of Korea in the south. Further inside the DMZ lies the Military Demarcation Line, the exact borders on the day of a ceasefire between two nations in 1953.

Fifty-seven years later, with the Koreas still technically at war, we will travel to see the tightest border known to man. While there will be no such venture towards the MDL, I hope our trip takes us even mildly inside the DMZ. And we will be equipped with cameras, both video and stillframe.

Because we wouldn't be good journalists, or tourists, without.

~Dave

The soft streets of Buldang-dong

Half of a mile from our apartment, and four stories up, resides a row of classrooms inhabited by rows of desks, a whiteboard and a PC.

Sometimes, there are the eager sounds of Korean students wanting to learn. But mostly, it's just the sound of Korean students eager to whine.

Either way, existence in Buldang-dong, a neighborhood in Cheonan, South Korea is a peaceful one.  As evident here...

The road to Cheonan

It was a day that had come as fast as any that came before it. Before you knew it we were in Korea. And even quicker we were past our week of training and in a taxi van that traversed the miles of highway that would take us to our mainstay in Korea.

That was Cheonan, and this is the trip. It goes along highways, in between the cracks of mountains and through urban and rural areas alike. In some places they change by the block.

The beginning shows the sprawl of the Seoul metropolis. Following that is an unpredictable mixture of highrises and farms. And always on the outskirts lie green, rolling hills, one of the last things I expected to see when coming to Korea.

Yet, the perfect backdrop.

The Caribou, Subway exploration

On a rainy Saturday, we decided to make a daytrip up to Seoul. Jess had heard about Caribou Coffees somewhere in the booming metropolis, and wanted to see if the legends were true. Likewise, I had heard about Subways (sandwiches, not public transportation) somewhere in Korea. Upon googling, I found there were 42. So it seemed all too fitting that we set up a day in the theme of visiting our last two jobs.

And the search was on...

For Starters...

We were in mood for chicken and beer, you know, something simple. But, we live in Korea, so like usual, we ended up with a little more than we could chew, or not chew, for that matter. Before our entree of fried chicken, our waiter was gracious enough to help curb our hunger by serving complimentary finger food. A nice gesture on his part, but little did he know, we are American and do not take kindly to slimey, half-alive sea creatures. I knew I would not like the "tasty treat," but when in Rome....

This is a video of me trying to suck a snail out of its salty and foul-smelling shell. I hope you enjoy this more than I did.

-Jess