YOU CAN PUSAN...
Alright, the title didn't make much sence, but it's late... Right after Christmas Dave (down from Waseda Uni in Tokyo), Ry and I hopped on the ferry from Fukuoka to Pusan. Not a bad ride. For 150 bucks (or thereabouts) we got a mat on the floor (better than it sounds) and a kick ass sento (Japanese public bath, boiling hot water just to sit and chill in, so relaxing!) and arrived in Korea 12 hours later. Pusan was as it always is--lots of counterfit CDs and purses, (I swear, I was doing field work!), taxi drivers that drive at break kneck speeds (especially when they're pissed off at you for hopping in for only a 10 minute drive), and tons of people. It was also FREAKING cold. Haven't been that cold since Niigata, and we were totally unprepared for it. Thankfully our porno hotel (I'm not joking, it really was a porn hotel) was nice and toasty warm! Overall, you can't beat Korea. More ways to eat a cow than anywhere, porn hotels that cost mere dollars if you can stand looking at yourself from all angles in the many, many mirrors, and GREAT shopping. Even Ryan had fun in the markets!
We tried to do some cultural things, but the cold kept us away. It's hard to admire ancient temple architecture and listen to the monk's chanting when the chattering of your teeth and knocking of your knees is drowining it all out! We did manage to hit up Asia's largest hot spring resort (room for 2000!), which was a wonderful way to escape the cold. A gynormous indoor/outdoor spa where you can let it all hang loose with a whole bunch of other naked people for as long as you want. Lavender baths, pepper baths, ginger baths, cold baths, scalding baths, mud saunas, steam rooms, and for the unadventureous, plain old hotsprings.
It was a pretty unique experience standing butt-naked in a queue to purchase a strawberry juice from the snack bar.
I think my favourite part was the waterfall therapy--you get to sit on some rocks under a POUNDING stream of water for 15 minutes, maneuvering so that you hit different muscles. It feels SO good. The only thing was that it was more or less under the control of the granny mafia. It looked so good I watied in line for 20 minutes while all these little Harmonys (granny in Korean) cut in front of me. finally, I got a space, sat down, and closed my eyes. After about 4 blissful minutes I opened my eyes to see a pair of wrinkly knees in front of me. To the left, another. And behind? Yet another. I got too freaked out to sit out my 15 minutes and gave up after 5. Talk about pressure!
We lasted in Korea for about 4 days, and then made our way back to Japan on the ferry again. The trip home was a little more eventful, the boat was a rocking! Ryan and I were sitting in the lounge around 11 pm (they had cut the power to our room and played good night music--nazis!), and witnessed an orchestra of crashes as the caffeteria and shop fell apart. It was pretty wild, I wish I had the camera with me to get photos of Ryan standing at crazy angles.
Arrived back in Fukuoka early morning on the 31st, just in time to have a nap and get set for New Years. Like just about EVERYONE in the city, we hit up a Shinto Shrine to ring in the new year and pray for luck and happiness. It was neat. No count-down, just the amaizing deep rumbling sound of a TAIKO drum beating from deep within the shrine at the stroke of midnight. Then the doors suddenly opened and at least two thousand people streamed in to throw a coin at the alter, clap their hands together, and make a wish. People had been lining up for hours. Of course we got in right away by cutting in the line.
After the alter we decided to have a more decidedly Canadian new year and hit up a decent house club for some dancing. Lasted about 1.5 hours before Ryan and I began to deam of our new fuzzy jammies (no heating in our apartment and the kerosine heater has to be turned off at night lest we die of CO2!), so we headed home, tucked in to bed, and said good bye to 2006.
Now it's 2007, I'm back at school, and the Thailand wedding planning has begun in earnest. We can't believe how many friends are joining us--it's going to be fantastic.
Happy 2007!
We tried to do some cultural things, but the cold kept us away. It's hard to admire ancient temple architecture and listen to the monk's chanting when the chattering of your teeth and knocking of your knees is drowining it all out! We did manage to hit up Asia's largest hot spring resort (room for 2000!), which was a wonderful way to escape the cold. A gynormous indoor/outdoor spa where you can let it all hang loose with a whole bunch of other naked people for as long as you want. Lavender baths, pepper baths, ginger baths, cold baths, scalding baths, mud saunas, steam rooms, and for the unadventureous, plain old hotsprings.
It was a pretty unique experience standing butt-naked in a queue to purchase a strawberry juice from the snack bar.
I think my favourite part was the waterfall therapy--you get to sit on some rocks under a POUNDING stream of water for 15 minutes, maneuvering so that you hit different muscles. It feels SO good. The only thing was that it was more or less under the control of the granny mafia. It looked so good I watied in line for 20 minutes while all these little Harmonys (granny in Korean) cut in front of me. finally, I got a space, sat down, and closed my eyes. After about 4 blissful minutes I opened my eyes to see a pair of wrinkly knees in front of me. To the left, another. And behind? Yet another. I got too freaked out to sit out my 15 minutes and gave up after 5. Talk about pressure!
We lasted in Korea for about 4 days, and then made our way back to Japan on the ferry again. The trip home was a little more eventful, the boat was a rocking! Ryan and I were sitting in the lounge around 11 pm (they had cut the power to our room and played good night music--nazis!), and witnessed an orchestra of crashes as the caffeteria and shop fell apart. It was pretty wild, I wish I had the camera with me to get photos of Ryan standing at crazy angles.
Arrived back in Fukuoka early morning on the 31st, just in time to have a nap and get set for New Years. Like just about EVERYONE in the city, we hit up a Shinto Shrine to ring in the new year and pray for luck and happiness. It was neat. No count-down, just the amaizing deep rumbling sound of a TAIKO drum beating from deep within the shrine at the stroke of midnight. Then the doors suddenly opened and at least two thousand people streamed in to throw a coin at the alter, clap their hands together, and make a wish. People had been lining up for hours. Of course we got in right away by cutting in the line.
After the alter we decided to have a more decidedly Canadian new year and hit up a decent house club for some dancing. Lasted about 1.5 hours before Ryan and I began to deam of our new fuzzy jammies (no heating in our apartment and the kerosine heater has to be turned off at night lest we die of CO2!), so we headed home, tucked in to bed, and said good bye to 2006.
Now it's 2007, I'm back at school, and the Thailand wedding planning has begun in earnest. We can't believe how many friends are joining us--it's going to be fantastic.
Happy 2007!
posted by Danerator at 8:17 a.m.
1 Comments:
Hey Dana Mae and Ryan
Love your cap Ryan, and all the Pictures. Dana...love your new hair style and when quickly looking at the pics, you are DEFINITELY your mother's daughter, and even a bit of Grandma. Still having a blast in the great white north....very warm today only -3. I think the most of the bad weather has passed, albeit up here one never knows. -50 has occured in March...ahhhh tanning weather...lol
That about wraps up my attempt at writting, you should have your prizes in about 3 weeks....don't you just love Christmas in February??? lol
Hugs and stuff
Julie d.
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