Amazing Sand Art in Busan

Last month we went on an extended weekend to South Korea's second largest city Busan.  The main attraction in Busan is Haeundae Beach.  It's a long strip of sand that separates the city from the ocean.  At any time there are thousands of people testing the limits of personal space on the beach.  There was a plethora of activity when we were there, but luckily it wasn't as bad as the picture below.  Yeah, that's what happens when it's peak beach season in Korea.  

The Sea of Humanity

When we went some of the activities included a sand volleyball tournament, parades with robots, an unexpected air show, sand surfing, and most importantly, meals that featured Mexican food.  However, the main attraction was the Haeundae Sand Festival.  Slogans included "Experience Sand", "Feel Sand", and "Enjoy Sand."  I made sure to do all three those things and I also checked out the amazing sand art.  So I thought I would post some pictures of the sand art that I found most impressive.

Our theme for the festival: Fairy tales.

Sand Castles: A Classic

The Sword in the Stone

Rapunzel

An artist at work.

 

 

 

Look at the attention to detail on the b-b-b....back fins.  I mean back fins.

Dragon!

Represent Kansas!

Also, this picture of a child swimming in a bow tie and a pirate ship.

And my first experience in sand boarding!  Kowabunga!

Head Butts and Licking: Korean Bullfighting

There are no men in sparkling tight pants and pointy hats here.  There's no dance of the man versus the beast.  In Korea it's just hardcore bull on bull action.  Every Saturday in the medium sized city of Jinju, South Korea, bulls go at it in the Jinju Bullfighting Stadium.  Last month we decided to see what this Korean bullfighting was all about.

The first thing that I want to say is that a bull is a large animal.  In my experience I have only seen bulls on TV or from a car window while cruising past farms on the interstate.  When we arrived at the bullfighting stadium there were dozens of bulls hanging out in their respective pens on the side of the parking lot.  We decided to size up the competition and took a stroll down the line of bulls.  The first thing I noticed is that a bull is the size of a small truck.  I mean this literally because there were small trucks parked next to the pens and the bulls were the same size.  The bulls are also exploding with muscles.  The entire cast of the first Predator movie can fit all their muscles in to one bull.  A bull's head is the size of a keg of Pabst Blue Ribbon.  Then somebody (Jesus? Satan?) decided to stick sharp horns on top of all that strength and power.  I decided that a bull is a frightening animal, especially when you see one foaming at the mouth.  Then we pet one.

"Good bull.  Gooood bull."

The stadium is a pretty good size with a ring of dirt in the middle.  There was one section of about a hundred 50-60 year old men who were obviously throwing down money on their favorites.  We sat and waited until two men walked in to the ring pulling bulls by ropes wrapped around the ring in the bull's nose.  We didn't really know what to expect at this point except that bulls weren't probably going to hug.  The handlers pulled the bulls heads close to each other and the bulls immediately bumped skulls.  Then the handlers let the ropes go to let the bulls go at it.  What ensues is a lot of pushing and bashing heads between the two bulls.  The first round went on for a while and the match didn't end until one of the bulls threw in the towel, turned, and ran away. 

Place your bets.

 After watching several matches we pretty much understood how the operation worked.  First is that the whole thing is pleasantly humane.  As far as Korea goes these animals are well fed and well treated.  It's not a death match because it ends when one of the bulls decides enough is enough.  The handlers want them to fight but they don't force it.  There were several times when the handlers pulled the bulls' heads close to each other and the bulls weren't having any of it.  Once one of the bulls lovingly started licking the other bull on the face.  In these cases the match is called without a winner.  However, some of the bulls knew exactly what to do and went at it like a couple of gladiators.  So I would say that compared to their Spanish counterparts, the bulls that die a very stabby death, the Korean bulls have a pretty cushy life.  Go bulls!

The Lineup

Bring in the contestants.

Let them go!

Get it on!

Commence the head butting.

Green Tea Fields Forever

This is the land of festivals.  They're beloved events and there's a festival for something every week.  If it exists then there's a chance that there's a festival for it.  A celebration for kimchi or strawberries or butterflies or clams or sting rays or masks or a change in the tide.  South Korea could have a festival for festivals.  Why not?

So festivals are great right?  Fun in the outdoors.  A cause for celebration.  Good food and maybe some rides.  However, my experiences with festivals in South Korea have not been great.  First the grounds are filled with tents that are selling crap that has nothing to do with the theme.  This mostly consists of unidentifiable barrels of food.  Or kitchenware that will "change" the way you look at the world of cooking.  Second there are way too many Koreans there.  For example, Korea recently had a famous festival in a province next to ours that featured the cherry blossoms.  Millions of Koreans go there each year to see the cherry blossoms in full bloom.  However, the cherry blossoms are in full bloom all over the country.  In my city there were tons of beautiful cherry blossoms everywhere!  So I didn't feel the need to take a 3.5 hour bus ride to see the same thing that I could take pictures of across the street.  However, Koreans do not have the same mentality.  Which brings me to my last point of the festivals just being pointless.  We made the mistake of going to the strawberry festival sometime last April.  When we heard about it we thought that we could grab some baskets and fill them with freshly picked strawberries with our own hands.  Then we could hang around and enjoy the many delights that strawberries have to offer.  Instead we got a bunch of worthless tents, and there was a backhoe actually doing work in the middle of the festival grounds, and there was the world's scariest petting zoo.  There was one cage that housed two rabbits, a tortoise, an anxious skunk, and the world's saddest monkey.  Did I mention they were all in one cage?  Needless to say it was not strawberry fields forever.

When the Green Tea Festival rolled around I was understandably skeptical.  The three or four festivals I had been to before were major failures.  However, I had heard of the famous green tea fields of Boseong several times and thought I would at least give it a chance.  It turned out to be a great choice!  The tea fields were beautiful and the congregation of tents weren't too annoying.  We were also serenaded by a band and got to pick our own tea leaves.  As a lover of green tea it was a great experience.  My sister and a friend were here visiting all the way from Kansas City and they were also very impressed.  Perhaps my view of Korean festivals could change after all.  Pictures!!!

Green tea is cool.

Brian displays the proper to way to pick green tea.  Make sure it's green.

Then bang a giant drum when you finish your pickin'.

Getting Drunk: A Korean Pastime

Ah, spring time in South Korea.

Last Sunday was a beautiful spring Sunday in Gwangju, South Korea.  We woke up and started the routine of curing our hangovers.  For me this usually involves drinking a liter of water, eating some fruit, eating some eggs, drinking some Gatorade, and then taking a long steam bath.  I'm mostly ready to go after this.  Then we met a friend for coffee and then met others for pizza in a park.  As the sun was setting, Caroline and I headed back to my apartment to relax and plan for the next day of school.  I had all the windows open because that's what one generally does on a nice spring day.  It was around 7pm, I was watching a show and Caroline was getting her lesson planning done, when all of a sudden right outside the living room window we hear, "BLAAAAAAAAH, SPLASH, cough-cough!"

Caroline: "WTF?"
Me: "Oh god, that's like right outside..."
Right Outside: "AAAAHH GAAA, cough, SPLASH, BLAAAAAAH, SPLASH, cough-cough."
Caroline: "Ugh!  That's vomitting!"
Me: "Ah dammit, I think so..."
Right Outside: "cough-cough-cough, B-BLAAAAAAH, SPLASH, cough-cough."
Caroline: "Aaaah!  Come on!"
Me: "When does it end?!"
Right Outside: "BLAAAAAH, SPLASH!"

This recent disruption of a pleasant spring evening with the close up sounds of vomit hitting the pavement got me thinking that there is a lot of pukin' going on in this country.  Then I thought about how there is a lot of drinkin' going on in this country.  Then I thought about how I do a lot of drinkin' in this country.  Then I thought I better write a blog post about it.

I've heard South Korea called the Ireland of Asia several times and for several reasons.  Geographically they are similar in size, surrounded by water, and split north and south.  Historically they have been picked on by powerful neighbors, aka England and Japan.  They also share a fondness for the drink.  When I lived in China, good bars to just sit and drink were few and far between.  Most Chinese drink in restaurants, karaoke buildings, or loud dance clubs.  However, South Korea has a plethora of pub, lounge, and dive bars to drink at.  There are probably over a hundred of these kind of bars with in a mile radius of my apartment.  (I live in a central location so that probably helps too.)  So first there are endless sources of alcohol from bars to stores and none of them really have a closing time.

Second, it's cheap.  The best bang for you buck is soju.  For just over $1.00 you can get a little bottle of this stuff.  It sort of tastes like a weak vodka and it's about 20% alcohol.  Koreans drink it on a fairly regular basis.  When out to dinner, they pour it for each other into small glasses.  If a drink is poured for you then you must drink it and then return the favor by pouring soju back in to your drinking buddy's glass.  This can happen as much as a couple dozen times in one night.  If you refuse the offer then you can lose a lot of respect and you can expect confused/angry glares in your future.  If you are a recovering alcoholic then I wouldn't recommend teaching in Korea.  If you're a budding alcoholic then teaching in Korea is a perfect fit.  Oh I joke, but seriously.

I suddenly crave soju.

Then there's the beer.  If you want to drink with out paying for imports then the selection is terrible.  Korea's so called national beers go from horrible to less horrible.  The big three are Cass, Hite, and OB Blue.  Of course this doesn't stop anyone from buying it.  You can get a 1.6 liter bottle for less than $5.00.  OB Blue is often my choice because I have rated it least horrible.  This country has a serious high quality beer market that is completely untapped (pun intended).  There's no telling what damage a Korean wheat beer or pale ale could do here.  Millions to be made!  I need investors!

The Usual Suspects

The Power of Beer!

  























Not only is alcohol cheap and readily available, but it is an intricate part of social interactions.  The before mentioned "pour for pour" technique is practiced mostly at business or co-worker meetings that take place right after work.  These meetings usually end with everyone getting a heavy buzz and going to a karaoke bar.  I've been lucky and have only been made to sing one Beatles song.  Other native English teachers have not been so lucky.  Furthermore, I can't tell you how many times I've walked down the street and seen middle aged men in suits stumbling around and hanging all over each other.  I also see 1-5 puddles of puke on my way to school everyday.  About ever other week I encounter a public urinal with vomit sitting in the base.  There should be a market for cute little vomit bags.  Hello Kitty Puke Pouch?  Girl's Generation Gag Bag?  I swear sometimes being in Korea is like living in a college town all over again.  Here are some pictures I didn't take but they are from Korea:

 

 Now if South Korea were to be offended by people posting pictures on the internet of their citizens passed out in public then they would pass some laws.  Apparently they don't really care because public intoxication and public drinking are no problem here.  Honestly, I enjoy the fact that South Korea loves drinking and has very relaxed laws about it.  Now don't get the wrong idea, South Korea is not full of alcoholics.  They work more hours than any other developed country in the world.  They are constantly under pressure to be the best in their studies or at work.  They have to obey anyone who is older than them.  So when they get the opportunity to unwind then they should be able to go all out and I don't blame them.

As you can imagine the life of a native English teacher in South Korea must also involve lots of drinking.  It's true.  I made a graph of how much I have drank since college began.  I divided it up by one year segments.  My freshman and sophomore year were about normal for an underage student that can only get their kicks from kegger parties.  Then the amount sky rocketed my junior year.  This included a combination of turning 21 years old, living in a house for the first time with my best friends, and a new shiny beer pong table.  Shenanigans!  Then the amount steadily decreases as I turn senior and super senior.  Then it plummets when I graduate, move to the suburbs of Kansas City, work forty hours a week, and become boring for a year.  The amount increases a little when I move to China for a year and then shoots back up when I move to South Korea.  So now it's like I'm back in my super senior days.

Teaching English in South Korea creates a little subculture that you become a part of.  The job is not very demanding and it pays well.  There are also hundreds like you in the same city.  However, when you are working you are surrounded by people that are nothing like you.  So when working is finished then you scramble to find the other westerners with the low demand/high paying jobs and it's time to hang out.  This is time that usually involves speaking a lot of English and drinking a form of alcohol.  You really enjoy this time outside work and so you do things like the Hash House Harriers (running and drinking), dinner parties (eating and drinking), baseball games (baseball and drinking), concerts (music and drinking), and then just drinking.  This has become pretty standard for most of us.  Hey we're just indulging in some Korean culture, so party on! Or as the Koreans say, "Gambae!"

Korean Art Work

     

DMZ: Hey North Korea

I'm back from a little blogging break.  So after sharing stories and pictures from winter vacation, it's back to talking about where I live: South Korea.  I've lived here for about seven months now and life has pretty much settled in to a sense of normality.  The public transportation system is no longer confusing, I'm well acquainted with the food (more kimchi please), this teaching thing is getting easier, and I've located every bar, store, or restaurant that I need to.  Sometimes I need to remind myself where I am.  "Oh yeah, I live in a little peninsular Asian country on the other side of the planet."  I don't even call it South Korea anymore, but just Korea.  However, this little peninsula is still split in to two very different halves.  There is still tension between the two and it has become one of those normalities in Korea just like when I see two older business gentlemen holding hands.  Last month I was reminded of this reality of being on the brink of war when we visited the DMZ.

The DMZ, demilitarized zone, runs along the 38th parallel from coast to coast.  It's 2.5 miles wide and nobody is allowed inside.  The walls and landmines keep the people out so the natural life in the DMZ has flourished.  Ironically, some endangered species have found protection in between the walls of the North and South.  However, there is one place where people are allowed to enter.  It's called the Joint Security Area or JSA.  This area functions as a place where officials from the North and South can have talks.  It lies in the middle of DMZ and consists of a bunch of military buildings, conference rooms, and soldiers staring face to face with the enemy.  When there are no talks going on (which is most of the time) it's a place where tourists can get as close as they can to North Korea without a bullet entering their body.  Last month we were one of those tourists that got a close up look at North Korea.

The JSA is controlled by the military and can be somewhat dangerous, so the only way to get there is by joining a tour with the USO.  The DMZ was created at the end of the Korean War in 1953.  Technically the war never really ended because the North and South are still enemies and kill each other now and then.  The DMZ acts as a buffer between the two countries and the United States has been hanging around since the first "Do Not Cross" sign was posted.  So why are there 30,000 troops stationed in South Korea in 2011?  First, South Korea has been a long time ally of the United States ever since we saved their half of the peninsula from communism, Russia, and batshit crazy dictators.  Since then, we have been pen pals and South Korea has turned in to a developed and powerful nation.  So the United States doesn't want our wealthy friend to be attacked from the North.  Second, we also don't want our friend to get drunk at a bar and start a fight with a weaker but annoying asshole.  So we hold our friend back and say "Not worth it man, let's just get out of here."  We say this because we know the asshole has a big college football player friend at home who might seek revenge on you and your buddy.  Then before you know it there is an all out gang war and a lot of innocent people in the neighborhood are getting hurt.  Not cool.  Of course I'm talking about China's response if North Korea were to be attacked from the South.  No one is really sure what China would do but no one really wants to find out.

We arrive outside the DMZ and we are introduced to our tour guide who is an US army officer.  He basically tells us to do what he says or you will be quickly dismissed.  We get on a bus and drive past barb wire, cement blocks, tank walls, and land mines to get in to the DMZ.  No pictures are allowed on this portion of the tour.  We arrive at the JSA a few minutes later.  We are informed that when we get off the bus we must stay in single file line and never gesture towards anything.  There is no pointing and especially no waving.  If you see a North Korean soldier near the border then don't look him in the eyes.  Stay in front of this South Korean soldier and never pass this South Korean soldier.  No wearing shorts, flip-flops, baggy clothing, etc.  Only take pictures when the tour guide says it's OK and never leave the group because there is not telling what those North Koreans will do.  Everything is orchestrated military style and there is a looming sense that someone is watching your every move through the scope of a sniper rifle.

Please don't shoot.

 We stand there for a few minutes just facing the North Korea side of the JSA.  There is a row of conference buildings along the border and a large communist style building on the North Korean side.  There are several South Korean guards at their post.  Some of the guards stand half behind a conference building and half exposed to the border.  This is so that if North Koreans start shooting at them then the guards can quickly step behind the building.  They can also signal their commanders from behind the building without the North Koreans seeing the signal.  The guards wear helmets and sunglasses to show as little emotion towards the North Koreans as possible.  Sometimes the South and North Korean guards will stand face to face at the border.  This day the North Korean guards would not be making an appearance.  However, there was one soldier near the big North Korean building who had his binoculars and he was checking us out.

The line that separates.

See if you can spot the North Korean.

We enter the conference room that straddles North and South Korea.  It's just a long room with some chairs and tables.  However, because the building sits on the border, when we stand in the north side of the building then we are technically standing in North Korea.  I'm probably not going to fill in North Korea on my "Countries I Have Visited" map though.  It just doesn't feel right.  Anyway, there are two South Korean soldiers in the room, one in the middle of the room and one blocking the door that goes on to North Korean soil.  They are completely still without any facial expression what so ever.  Everyone in the group becomes fascinated with the two soldiers standing in the room.  Our tour guide says that they are there for our protection and constantly stand in what is called the "tae kwan do ready" position.  We are allowed to take pictures next to the guards but NEVER touch one of them.  To quote our tour guide, "They will strike you and it will hurt!"  Don't even think about passing the guard who is blocking the door.  These guards are masters of hand to hand combat and will have you on the floor faster than three bottles of soju.

Do not pass this man.

Don't get too close Caroline.

We learned a lot about the history of the DMZ during the tour but perhaps the most interesting, yet frightening, story is the axe murder incident.  In 1976, the American soldiers decided that a tree was just too big and obscuring the view from one watch tower to the next watch tower.  If something were to happen at one of the watch towers, then the other one wouldn't know about it until someone called for help.  The tree had to be trimmed.  A team of American and South Korean soldiers went to the large poplar tree and began using axes to trim it.  A group of North Korean soldiers gathered around the border and watched for a while until the commanding officer yelled at the South to stop cutting the tree.  Apparently the tree was special to the North Koreans.  The South ignored him, so the North sent over a truck with twenty soldiers armed with crowbars and clubs.  The North Korean officer yelled to stop again but the South kept on trimming.  Then the Northern officer yelled, "Kill them!"  Two American soldiers were beaten and then murdered with the axes that they had dropped.  It was an unfair fight with the North Koreans well out numbering the soldiers of the South. The fight was eventually broken up and three days later Operation Paul Bunyan took place.  With the support of hundreds of troops, artillery, jet fighters, bombers, helicopters, and an offshore aircraft carrier, the South cut down the tree.  If the North Koreans would have made a move, it would have been the beginning of World War III.  It resulted in the most expensive tree trimming in history.

The most hilarious thing we saw was the flag competition.  Near the JSA, there is a peace town in the South and one in the North.  The one in the South is a little community of a couple hundred farmers that get to live tax free.  They actually save lots of money.  However, they're under constant surveillance and have to be indoors by 10pm.  The one in the North is a propaganda village because it has several big buildings that are empty shells and no people live there.  Yet the North claims it's paradise on Earth.  Each of the peace villages boasts the flag of their respective country and they've been growing in size over several years.  When one side would build a bigger and taller flag, then the other side would respond by "one upping" them.  North Korea then decided to really give it to the South by building the world's tallest flag pole and attach the world's largest flag.  The flag pole is 160 meters tall, and the flag is 30 meters long and said to weigh 600 pounds.  The South finally said that's enough and that's how North Korea won the flag war.

The DMZ is an interesting and exciting place to visit.  Where else are you allowed to be on the border of two countries that are technically still at war?  It's an adventure with a hint of danger in the mix.  I would recommend it to anybody.  Visit this website to find a USO tour: USO Tours 

The Good Guys