And then you remember again why you love Korea

This country is an amazing place. As foreigners, we find some things we aren't too crazy about, but every once in a while, you are greeted by random acts of amazing kindness. One time, we were been given a half watermelon and 2 beers from complete strangers, while another, a family happily fed me a feast of grilled pork (sangyupsol) while Steph and Hugh's mother swam at Waedaldo.

This time, we were out hiking in Muan, a half an hour north of our home town, with Handsome Steve and Warren. We were on our way towards the start of the mountain when we ran into a group of about 25 Koreans sitting down beside the trail having a picnic. No sooner had we seen them, the group grabbed Steph and Warren and sat down them at their huge spread of food. Before we knew it, we were making small talk, drinking Makoli (a fermented rice wine), eating strawberries, pork and lots of Kimchi, while avoiding the Skate!!!

Every once in a while, the man closest to me would stand up and announce a fact that he had just learned about me. Everyone was fantastic. Somehow, during the meal, Stephanie was "awarded" a brand new pair of underwear (yes, underwear) that one man thought it was his duty to pull over his head before he handed them over to her. I guess he was trying them on for size!

In the end, after a number of photo ops, we scooted out to start our hike... The rest of the day, though, we could only talk about the amazing generosity of random Koreans.

Things start to become familiar

We stepped outside the other day, and Steph turned to me and said "This really feels familiar... like it did when we got here."
It's so true. It's been almost a year, but the feel, the temperature, the fresh smells and the budding trees, brings back a wave of memories. A lot of good memories. It's amazing how much we have experienced in this past year... like 4 years of memories jammed into one.

Now, we find ourselves packing, sorting out who gets which of the possessions we aren't taking with us, tying up lose ends, and thinking about all the great things we have done and been through this past year. It has been an amazing run to say the least. And we officially have less than a month left.

Hard to believe.

The unrewarding world of Trust

While our trip to China was fantastic, there were many chances for it to go horribly wrong. Well, maybe not horribly, because we did play it safe in staying in the big cities, but there were scams abound. Luckily, we had read up on a number of them.

Walking through People's park in Shanghai, a nice girl calling herself Lily, came up and started talking English to us. She was from inner Mongolia, going to University somewhere in China, but was in Shanghai on holiday, and was excited to practice her English with us.

Steph had just read a warning online about scams where a woman will come up and befriend you asking to practice English. The girl then asks (usually a single young virile man) if he wants to come to a small tea shop or bar with her. They order drinks (harmless?) and in some cases the girl's friends make an appearance. Before the foreigner knows it, their company has left, and the foreigner is charged for 6 "traditional" cups of tea costing $20 US each. Since they are at a "privately owned" establishment, they are stuck with the choice of paying the bill or being carted out in a stretcher. This couldn't happen to us though, could it?

After talking with "Lily" for a while, we decided to head to People Square... to which she was a little too eager to join us. Little alarm bells, or paranoia? As we settled onto a bench in People's park, we continued to have an easy conversation with Lily, learning about Mongolia and China's growth. We were tired from all the people, so we decided to say goodbye to Lily and head back to our hotel... And that was when she said "Oh, but I was hoping we could go to this nice little tea shop I know..."












Yeah.

Goodbye Lily.

And it's one experience like that that makes you paranoid (rightfully so) about everyone, even though we met some really nice people in both Shanghai and Beijing. But, from the street vendor selling cake who measured portions by weight using a bar, a sliding weight and his finger as the fulcrum (yes, I just used the word fulcrum), to the German lady who had to physically tear her suitcase out of a cab that had taken her "sightseeing" through Beijing, to the general joys of bartering at markets, you have to always be "aware" when you are travelling.

On a side note: The cake was worth double the price, our cabs were all awesome because we kept with Beijing taxi's orange cabs and the markets were great because we keep telling ourselves that we got great deals! (Like my $32 fake TAG!)

Beijing: 2008 Olympics bound! (China: Part 2)

After a fantastic couple of days in Shanghai, we headed to Beijing, the capital of China. Steph, again in all her wisdom, booked us a sleeper room on a 12 hour overnight train to Beijing. Aside from being subject to some very aggressive begging in the train station, the whole experience was great and painless. One old man sat beside each person in the waiting room, grunted and yelled while banging on the metal chairs and poking people. I wasn't too pleased, when he pulled that routine on us, let me understate.

The 12 hour train ride seems to take only moments to get us to Beijing. Immediately upon arriving, we realized that Beijing is BIG. Our hotel, The Harmony, was located just a block from the train station, was supposed to be 3 blocks from Tiananmen Square... We soon realized that these blocks were the same as 4 conventional blocks by 4 blocks, and that Tiananmen was 40 minutes away!

Tiananmen is enormous. Even with the tens of thousands of people milling around (being Lunar New Year), the square and Forbidden city surprisingly did not seem all that rammed...well, it did, but it wasn't like a herd of cattle. Getting tickets was another story. Queuing is still in its infancy in China, and its enough to drive any Westerner absolutely mad. You really need to stake out your land and be bigger than everyone else (hehe)... and don't let it get to you. I say this, but on my last day, I was so fed up with people rushing onto the subway without letting people off, that I lowered my head and ploughed over 5 guys trying to beat each other onto the train before the doors had full opened. I digress.





The Forbidden city (39°54'59.94"N 116°23'25.82"E) is the center of the city where royalty spent centuries ruling. It now hosts a mind blowing number of Chinese treasures amongst the countless temples located within its protective walls. Unfortunately for us, many of the temples were covered with sheeting and scafolding as resoration efforts were underway for the upcoming Olympics. We even had a coffee at the "forbidden Starbucks" located inside city, which is still causing an uproar amongst traditionalists. It was delicious, but I think someone budded in front of Steph in that line too. Grr!

Over the next couple of days we visited the Pearl Market, where I bought a "real" TAG watch for $30, and Steph found numerous teasures, the Temple of Heaven, the Dirt Market (Antique and trinket market great for haggling), we watched an amazing acrobat show, and went on a 10 hour Great Wall tour, that only gave us 1/2 an hour at the Ming Tombs and less than 2 hours at the Great Wall at Juyongguan (the rest of the tour we were dragged through countless Jade and Pearl shops). We made trips to the breath taking Beihai Park and the White Pagota, with its amazing view, and the Summer Palace (39°59'48.98"N 116°16'3.51"E). Again, the size of all of Beijing's treasures are on such a huge scale, it's tough to put into words.

What was visible everywhere, is branding and work going on in preparation for the 2008 Olympics. Posters and volounteer programs go hand in hand with the enormous amount of construction. Mega-block upon mega-block of traditional Hutongs were being gutted to be replaced with new apartment complexes and comercial complexes. Our guide told us that those displaced were given modest compensation that wouldn't come close to covering a new apartment.

Two of the centerpieces for the Olympics are the main stadium and the aquatic center. The Bird's nest and the Water Cube are just two of the amazing buildings that Beijing is hoping to have done for their "Green Olympics". With all the work to be done, its hard to believe they will be ready... but then again, the Chinese have a record for amazing feats.

It's the little things...

Another "blogworthy?" post about something I've been just shrugging off lately.
Everyday, I walk home from school, past the fields, across the "New 4 lane road to nowhere", and I pass a line of cars idling on the side of the road.

Beside the first car in line is a guy who is, in plain view, emptying a 10 gallon clear bladder of what I assume is gasoline, into the gas tank of the first car. Once filled, the next car pulls up and the "attendant" goes to the trunk of his car (parked around on the curb) and pulls out the next of his 15 bladders of gas, and starts filling up the next car! In plain view.

What's going on? Where is this guy syphoning the gas from? How is this happening every day? I have no clue, and I would take a picture, but I don't think that would be "Good for health".

March Madness!!!

So here it is. I've been singing "It's the most wonderful time, of the year!" all day. It's the NCAA's single elimination tournament, and it is my favourite sporting event... so much so that I take 4-6 vacation days, this time, every year.

Dad and I plop down (This year he bought a brand new Plasma TV!!!!) and watch as much basketball as our eyes can manage. Of course, I'm in Korea... and the Koreans don't care for college basketball. Lucky for me, CBS has decided to put almost all the games, live online. Since there is a 13 hour time difference between home and Korea, CBS has even made it so that I can bring up the games, On Demand, after they are done.

I love you CBS... (You too Dad, for sending me the VOD link. You rock!)

Brent Rocks!

DASHAN!!!

While we were in China, I was amazed at how many people wanted to take "sneaky" pictures of me. It's one thing to take the photo of someone tall, but totally another when people sneak up beside me, or stand 20 feet in front of me while someone else tries to frame a picture of them with ME in it. I mean, this happens in Korea, but not with as much effort as the Chinese were trying.

No, I'm not paranoid, because they definitely weren't subtle! Funny, but not subtle. 4 days into our trip in Shanghai, a girl (who happened to be the one who tried to take us to her "Special Tea cafe") told me I looked a lot like DASHAN. WHO?

Dashan is known in Canada as Mark Rowswell, where he is almost a complete unknown. What's his claim to fame? He came over to China in the mid 80's and learned how to speak Mandarin Chinese unbelievably well... as well or better than many Chinese. While this isn't so odd, a chance to perform comedy on a television show made him a national celebrity overnight. Apparently 550 million people were watching him the night he appeared TV. And he can still live the life of an unknown back home. Appropriately, he has been hired to be the Canadian Team Attaché for the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing, even though no Canadian has a clue who he is. Pretty sweet work there, Mark!

So if you hear a story with the title "Dashan sticks tongue out at picture takers!" or "Dashan mysteriously grows 1 foot taller overnight!", don't blame him!