Why I have been MIA since October Part 1

First, I need to write a short apologetic note. It has been months since I wrote a proper blog, so for at least my family who had been following along, sorry. I got too caught up in doing things to feel like writing about them. In the months I've been MIA, I done many things and went many places:


1.)  I celebrated Chuseok, or Korean Thanksgiving, and went to Seoul, Masan, Andong, and Jinju. There I celebrated the Andong Mask festival and feasted on Jjimdak (which is mouthwatering and delicious) and saw the Jinju lantern festival.

Temple my friend and I stumbled upon in Seoul near
Insadong while playing Pokemon Go.

At the Jinju Lantern Festival

 The firework show was great, but it decided to rain very hard. The show went on, but my friend and I got extremely soaked in the process and everything shut down afterward because of the weather.

There were so many gorgeous lanterns!

Woryeonggyo Bridge (월영교) - Korea's longest wooden footbridge - Andong
Seriously this area was so beautiful, I loved it. The air was so fresh and clean; it is a beautiful place to hike. 

Andong's food specialty... Jjimdak.
SO DELICIOUS - 맛있다
And only sold in portions for multiple people...I ate as much as I could on my own though.
Had to taste it, but couldn't waste it!

2.) I celebrated my 23rd birthday in Seoul with my friends; it is the first time I have celebrated a birthday abroad and I had a great time.

 Went to Itaewon the Burger for lunch with friends...may be one of the best burgers I've had in Korea. Not to mention their shakes are extreme! Extreme but delicious. I highly recommend this place to anyone looking for their burger and shake fix!

Dynamic Maze in Insadong - So much fun. As a girl who grew up watching 'Legends of the Hidden Temple' this is as close as I have gotten to that sort of experience. Most of my friends thought going somewhere like this was ridiculously childish, but I had so much fun. My only regret is that for what you pay, it seems somewhat short. I wish it would have lasted longer. 

 I went to a cat cafe and loved up some kitties, at least, the ones who wanted love... My favorite part was the sign that read, "Don't smash their ass, it is bad for their health." LOL. It meant to please not pet the cats behinds, as if done repetitively all day, the arching of their backs isn't good for them. As a native English speaker though, I couldn't help but laugh at the strange wording. I also tried silkworm larva (seen on the right). This I do not recommend, as I thought it was kind of terrible and dirt tasting. I don't care how good it supposedly is for your skin, you won't see me eating that ever again. I tried it, and that is enough. I can say I've eaten it now.

What a wonderful birthday.

 3.) I went to Jeju Island for a weekend and saw the beautiful volcanic shorelines and picked myself some sweet delicious tangerines to feast on.

 The volcanic, rocky, black cliffs of Jeju were a sight to behold. It was my first time seeing black sand as well, which was awesome. I collected a lot of tiny little abalone shells from along the rocks.

YUM

I watched a horse show at The Ma Park where the actors not only do stunts but also re-enact ancient battles. This show was really well put together and exciting to see. Every moment of it was interesting. I heard their shows sell out quickly. The day I was there, there were many schools and other groups there to see the performance also. 

I also saw another performance on Jeju called live action painting by The Painters. This was also extremely interesting to see, and is exactly what it sounds like. The paintings they drew were awesome to see done live and the 4-member painter team all had great personalities and characters. They all did a wonderful job making the audience included in the show.

These two photos show very accurately what my favorite parts of Jeju were. The delicious tangerines that we picked, and the beautiful, sandy beaches. 

Lastly, as seen below, I went to a museum which showed the past of Jeju Island and Korea itself. It was more of an interactive museum, which made it more exciting. It had real shops and towns recreated to see all aspects of Korean daily life from many years ago.

My personal feeling is that school classrooms don't seem to have changed all that much, except for electronics that is. Obviously we have a TV, computer, and some have smart boards now, but the set up looks pretty similar.

4.) Traveled to Daejeon and tried the outdoor hot springs and ate too many delicious breads and cakes from Sung Shim Dang Bakery (성심당). 

The cakes and breads were all so delicious that I wanted to eat them ALL. I spent so much money at both of their stores. Yes, stores. The cake shop and bakery are in separate buildings, but very near one another. On both mornings I spent in Daejeon, this is where my breakfast came from. Delish.

Korean Natural Science Museums continue to deeply impress me. Oh and look! It is Archaeopteryx! Science nerd alert. 

Ahhhh Daejeon's Yuseong Hot Springs (유성온천지구). It was hot, but it sure felt nice. These springs are said to contain many alkaline metals in the water which are good for your health. When my friend and I went, there were many elderly people soaking their feet despite the cold winter temperatures. With the air being much colder than the water, it created an enticing steam effect that made the hot springs call to our weary feet.  

5.) I went to the Kimchi Festival in Gwangju (held at Kimchi Town) and made my own kimchi, which I have been eating since...it's a lot of kimchi for one person, but definitely worth the price.

After paying, you are given your materials. You should wear your hat, apron, and mask (I really don't like wearing the masks...). Then they give you pre-fermented kimchi and pre-made sauce, so really all you need to do is apply it. You squeeze the sauce out of the bag and onto your tray, then apply leaf by leaf onto a head of cabbage. When you start, start with the outermost leaves first. You want to make sure that each leaf is evenly coated with a fair amount of the sauce mixture. When you pay to make your own kimchi, they give you two whole heads of Napa cabbage, so for me, who is living alone, it was a LOT of kimchi. Months later and I am still eating away at it. The whole process goes quickly. I think it only took us maybe 30 minutes total, to dress up, be instructed on what to do, apply our sauce, and have the volunteers wrap our kimchi up for us. It's tasty kimchi!

Kimchi Town's Official Website (Korean Only)

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