Usual Sunday

Just another typical Sunday. When I woke, I was so tired. Yesterday was exhausting. I got ready and headed to church. At the end of mass, they ask if anyone is new and would like to introduce themselves. I have yet to do it and every week I psych myself up and say I will stand and take the mic but wimp out at the last minute. When they move on, I always kick myself and say, "next week!"

After church I walked to Itaewon to look for lunch. I had been thinking about kebab wraps because some people ate kebabs at the spa yesterday, but then I remembered Casablanca. It was almost the same price as what I was seeing for kebabs and I love it so much. I headed over to Casablanca and took my sandwich to go. I watched some TV on my subway ride home and continued watching some shows when I returned and had my late lunch.

I walked to soccer and it was snowing a little bit. I arrived right on time and warmed up.This week we only had 4 of us and 6 high school boys. Some of them were new and I hadn't seen them before. Anyway, we took one of them and played 5 v 5. After awhile they complained it was hard for them so when there was 30 minutes left, we switched up the teams. Again this week I was able to take a lot of shots but nothing went in.

When soccer finished, I came home, cleaned up, had dinner and watched some TV. I got a little bit trip planning burned out so I have neglected to do some research and need to get back on that in the next few days.

Yummy chicken sandwich!

Songri Mountain and Termeden Spa

So, we started our hike and everyone decided we would do option B, the "harder" course. It was snowing a little, and had been snowing during the day, so there was a coat of maybe 2-3 inches over the ground.

We started up the trail, but really it was paved for part of the way. Then we continued on and found a little waterfall and kind of grotto. From there we continued up, again more paved ground and passed a Buddhist temple. Then...the path kind of disappeared so our group leaders decided we would just kind of make our own way. We got to a clearing and one leader said he'd run ahead a bit to see if it kept going and the rest of us could wait for others to catch up. He returned after several minutes and said we could keep going.

This is where we should have realized that we were definitely lost and not on any kind of trail. The next sign of how lost we were, was when we had to climb, on hands and knees, up a hill that was easily at a 80 degree angle. What a challenge. It didn't get any better from there. We kept hitting road block after road block, no one knowing where we were going or how to get to the top. Finally, we had to stop and we waited for a good 30 minutes or more for everyone to regroup and decide what to do. A few others had done more exploring to see if we could continue on and they said it would be impossible. By this time the sun was already rising, so we missed the sunrise. In the end, we decided heading back down would be the best option. So back down we went. We stopped at the Buddhist temple and took some pictures there. Continuing down, we found the spot that we were supposed to go for the original trail. There the group split-those who wanted to do the 5 hour hike anyway and those who wanted to go back to the bus and have lunch and sleep. I took the latter. I was so cold by that point all I wanted to do was be warm.

We continued back to the bus and one of the leaders stopped at a kind of information building I guess/asked some workers around about the way we took. It turns out that it was more a course for rock climbing than anything else and that it required a waiver or form of consent. So not only did we take a rock climbing course that needs special approval, we also did it in the dark. Wow.

Finally back on the bus, we had a chance to nap while the driver took us to the end of the course. We then parked the bus and slept another 2 hours. It was getting to lunch time so we all walked around the main street and went to a Chinese restaurant. After lunch our smaller group split again-those who wanted to explore the area and those who wanted to stay and sleep. Well, I decided I would stay-not to sleep, but to be warm. We sat on the ondol (heated floors) and rested for another hour or so before meeting up with the guys that did the hike. They completed the 5 hour hike in 4 1/2 hours and it sounded like they could have completed it sooner but had another female leader who moved a little bit slower than the guys wanted.

We all met up and got on the bus and headed to the spa. This is really the reason I signed up for this event! There is an outdoors hot springs spa about 1 1/2 hours outside of Seoul. I slept for the 2 hour bus ride to get there. It was similar to the jjimjilbang (sauna/spas) in many ways-actually had a jjimjilbang, with the outdoor springs as a bonus. It also had more of a resort feel to it. We put our shoes in the lockers and then went in to the changing rooms and had lockers within as well. To use the outdoor springs and pool area, bathing suits are required. We all changed and headed outside to the springs. It was a horrible 10 second sprint to the pools outside, but the hot springs were amazing. We soaked and sat in there for awhile. There was a big pool that we checked out. It was warm, but not as warm as the springs and after a little bit we were getting chilled and headed to the springs again. I noticed 3 more tubs down the line and saw that they were different colors; blue, pink and yellow. These hot springs water had been infused with different ingredients to have different effects on your health and body. We went to the blueberry pool first and then moved to the lavender one. Then we saw a sauna hut and went inside there for a bit. After that we went to the final pool and sat in there. Some of the group decided to go get ready and eat and left. I stayed with 2 others for another 10-15 minutes. We then went to get cleaned up and met up with everyone else to leave.

Back on the bus we had a little over an hour ride back to Seoul, stopping twice to drop people off. The last stop was supposed to be Itaewon, but I was the only one going there so they asked if I could also get off at the Express Bus Terminal. I agreed because it was line 3, which is near me. It took almost an hour to get home, but it was so good to finally be back. I was ready for bed as soon as I arrived.

Sign for the national park. At 430 AM

Found a small grotto 

Coming back down we stopped at this temple and saw the remaining part of the sunrise

Sun on the mountains, snow on the roof

FREEZING!

Temple again

Map and path that would have been the right way to go....

Josh and a late, late night

Work was rather uneventful. I am pretty much all caught up on lesson plans for the rest of the calendar year. It's nice because I don't have to do much work and can spend the time doing some research for my upcoming trips instead. And in other news, my one ear is doing better than before, but the other one is worse and my hearing is even worse than before.

While at work, my friend Josh finally got back to me about meeting up. He offered to go to my place and wait for me to finish work. I told him there wasn't much to do and that I would meet him in Hongdae since he was in Sinchon. The only problem was that he drove his car and he needed to find parking. Lucky for him, I know Hongdae and suggested a parking lot that was by a shopping building and movie theater.

So after work, I ran home to get my bag. I wasn't expecting to meet him and had planned on coming home and having a quiet evening before going to the meet-up place for the hike. I made it to Hongdae faster than I anticipated. I messaged Josh and he told me he was in a movie and to travel slowly. Whoops. I waited for him in the building and he left the movie early because he said it was boring.

For dinner, I suggested BBQ and we headed to the good ole Bonga. We ordered the standard meat and grilled 3 orders, plus got dwenjang jjigae (soybean stew) and rice at the end. I forgot that I'm eating with a guy! It was fun eating and talking with him. While we were at Inje, I wasn't very close with him. He had a kind of popular-jock reputation and we didn't interact a lot. But since I've been back here, we've been in touch here and there and more friendly. It's nice to realize that time changes people and that you should get to know someone before you judge them on their reputation. He plans to move to New Zealand next year (2016) and hopes to be a chef there-though he studied physical education and...marketing or something. He and my "bro" Ji have talked about opening a restaurant together after he gets there.

After dinner, Josh suggested going back to the building where his car was parked because he needed to have a receipt to validate his parking ticket. Well, we went to the Baskin Robbins and got some ice cream to share, but it didn't come to very much. He asked the worker and she said that he needed to have a total of about $10 to get the ticket validated. So, he said after ice cream he'd buy a smoothie from another store. We ate and chatted more. Then, we stopped at another shop for him to get a smoothie. After he bought it, he asked the worker about the ticket and the guy said it had to be a total of $10 from ONE receipt. Whoops. Earlier he had suggested that he needed to buy some clothes from UNIQLO (a popular chain) and I reminded him of that. He was happy to be able to go there and get the $10 from one receipt, but I felt bad because he didn't need to have bought the smoothie. We parted ways at UNIQLO and he said he'd contact me the next time he was in Seoul.

I went to Daiso because I needed to buy a headlamp. Well, there were no headlamps there, but instead I bought a flashlight and some batteries. I poked around in a few other shops before taking the subway to the meeting spot for the hiking trip. I got there early and found a place to stand and charge my phone in the subway station. Then I went outside to wait-ugh it was so cold! I stood outside for about 10 minutes before meeting someone else and then a 3rd guy came along and told us the bus was waiting further down the street and to follow him. I got on the bus and we waited a little more for about 5 other guys to arrive.

The bus then went on to a suburb of Seoul, Suwon and we picked up another 5-6 people and finally a third stop and we got 3 more. By this time it was after midnight. Some of the people in the back played different games, but I chatted with the guy sitting next to me, Austin. He's from New Orleans and is teaching English here too. We made a pit stop and then everyone slept from around 2 until we reached the spot at 4:30. There we suited up and took a group picture outside near a sign for the mountain.

Josh and me

Another Cold Run

After work, I went with my COT to the doctors. I've had some trouble with my ear; it's relatively minor but I didn't want it to turn into a big problem when I get on a plane in about 2 weeks. The doctor suctioned out some earwax and gave me some drops and prescription to help with the cold a little bit. He told me to return in a few days after using the drops so he could take out more earwax. My bill? A whopping $4 to see the doctor. The meds? Less than $3. What a steal.

At first I wasn't going to go for a run because it was so cold, but I decided I should go for my bi-weekly run anyway. I had a later start because of going to the doctors and went for just a 3 mile run instead.

I finished my run and stretching to return home for more ravioli. Yum! I watched some TV with dinner, did a workout and more research for my trips. I also had to run to Emart to get some clamp-ons for my boots for my weekend hike. I packed for the hiking trip. (we leave Friday night, sleep on a bus and hike early to catch the sunrise Saturday!)

Class

After work, I went to the post office. I mailed two packages to friends in the US. They will be late Christmas and birthday presents, but better late than never!

Next was on to downtown. I decided I would get bibimbap for dinner. I went to one chain restaurant "yuk ssam" and ordered the vegetable bibimbap; it also comes with a side of bulgogi (grilled meat). It was pretty good. After eating, I did my homework. I was kind of full, but really wanted something sweet. I ducked into a convenience store and got a really good ice cream cone! (Except the cone was a little bit soggy, but the ice cream part was great) It was drizzling a little bit when I walked to class.

Class was okay. Next week is the level test. I'm fairly confident I won't pass, but I'll just take the class again. It'll sink in eventually. When I returned home, I called my Mom and we talked for almost 2 hours. It was good to catch up with her.

Run Day

After work, I suited up for my run. I had another slower time and again, I'm blaming it on the cold. When I finished my run I went to Daiso (dollar store) and got some glass food storage containers and a gift for a friend.

I came home and made some of the ravioli I bought back in November for dinner. It was so good! The bag is pretty large, but it was $20! Next week after church I plan to stop in the grocery store and look for more ravioli or even lasanga as a Christmas treat/dinner before my trip. It is so worth it to have good, delicious comfort food. I also made some vegetables to go with the ravioli and threw it in with the sauce. I watched some TV while I had dinner.

Just another Monday

I had thought maybe I would meet with Josh today, but he said he was still a little busy and maybe we could meet later in the week. Instead, I did some more trip planning and worked out. I had leftovers for dinner and stayed warm at home.