Buddha's Birthday

I have neglected the blog for a week now. So I will go back in time to tell you about our trip to Gangwon-do. John's research advisor and his family invited us to go with them on a road trip. Our first plan was to go to Jeollanam-do but those plans fell through and we decided to go to a scenic area east of Seoul. We actually visited this region with my parents when they were here and John had a field trip there with the Korea Foundation about 10 days before this trip.

Yong Shik and his wife Tanya and son Tae Sun borrowed a van and transported all of us on Buddha's birthday weekend. Yong Shik's parents have a membership at these condos at a resort in Gangwon-do so that is where we decided to go. It was really nice we had a big apartment with a kitchen and two nice rooms - one for each family.

Our first day there we went to a water park. I didn't take my camera what with it all being about water and cameras and water don't mix well. So I will try to describe it without pictures. It was a uniquely Korean experience. First of all most of the water park was indoors - a huge world of water all built in a big glass room. There was a wave pool and a shallow pool for little ones as well as a tube track where you rode an inner tube around a track of water and a hot pool with jacuzzi seats and shower heads. It was pretty impressive. Then there was an outdoor section with saunas and hot pools. There was even a pool with a snack bar where there were tables in the water and you could sit at the tables in the pool and eat junk food like pizza in a cone.

Besides all the attractions there was also a regular Korean style Sauna section like the ones I have written about before. The area is a ski resort and it was cool to imagine being there in the winter with all the indoor activities looking out on snow covered mountains and the outdoor pools warm in the snowy setting.

Netta also rode this crazy bungee jump thing that I wish I had gotten pictures of. They basically put her in a harness and she bounced insanely high on a trampoline.

We had a great evening with their family. We taught them Perpetual Commotion and they really caught on and we had a lot of fun playing.

The next day we headed out to a sheep farm - it was beautiful. The girls had a great time - they both loved feeding the sheep and petting them. They were very tame and sweet. They seem well taken care of and happy. It was a very beautiful place - a nice place to graze.


Netta and Olive on the swing at the sheep farm. Well it started to rain at the sheep farm and we weren't really prepared so we headed back to the condo and ended up hanging out playing cards and eating all day. It was fun - they are such a great family and there was lots of laughing and good conversation.

The next day was Buddha's Birthday and so on our way back to Seoul we went to Wongjusa temple and celebrated. It was still raining but we bought umbrellas and went for it.
This is the bridge on the way to the temple with beautiful lanterns in honor of Buddha's Birthday.
The River on the way.
This tree was so beautiful, it was still flowering and decorated with little colored paper on which people had written their wishes.
We bought a lantern and hung our wish on it. We hoped for a job for John, adventure, family and connection.


Another lantern in a different style. Kind of like the ones Netta and I made but bigger. Actually mine was destroyed by our cat Swallow while we were away - but I didn't know that when I took this picture.
It was rainy but the rain made for lovely misty views of the mountains and beautiful buildings.
So lovely...



Netta looking at the rock she placed on the statue. A little posed because there was a photo contest and our hosts felt they might win with pictures of the waygooks posing.
Olive in Tae Sun's raincoat after she placed a stone on the statue too.
People were in line to pay money and pour water (I think) on this statue. It was beautiful to watch.
We also got a lovely free meal of bibimbap at the temple. Most temples serve food and people can eat when they visit. Most of the time we don't know where or how to participate in this delicious part of visiting a temple but going with Korean people we were able to enjoy this meal. Most temples grow their own food and it is all vegetarian and fresh and yummy.
The lanterns - one of those is ours.....
After lunch we went up to the tea ceremony. This is how it was set up when we came. So lovely..
The chopsticks on the delicate leaf.
This monk came up and taught us about tea - our friends were able to translate and it was really great. Tanya told him that John would compose music about our experience and he said not to compose thinking of the lecture but of the feeling of the drinking of the tea.
Snacks that were served - also beautiful. I think these were deokk with chestnuts - delicious.


More beautiful snacks - lotus root covered in a light coating of sugar and jujubes.
I don't know what this was but it was yummy and precious.
This is Tanya and Yong Shik with their son Tae Sun at the tea ceremony.
I love the glow of this teapot.
The snacks......
Olive with a bracelet that the monk gave her - pink and sparkly fun.
Olive enjoying the tea ceremony.
Olive partaking in the warm tea. So soothing on a rainy afternoon.


The tea - what we were all there for. Harvested and roasted by hand by monks at another temple. We were told it needed to be roasted at a very high temperature in big iron woks and turned by hand with protective gloves sometimes more than one pair and people still get burned some times. I think they roast and turn it in 10 or so 10 minute sessions. I could taste the work - it was blissful.

Then we all piled in the van and headed home to Seoul. It was a long drive with quite a bit of traffic but our sweet friends couldn't leave us without one - or two or five more hands of perpetual commotion so they came up to our villa and we ordered chinese food to be delivered and played cards. It was hard to see it end- they are good friends and it was a great time. We are lucky!

Children's Day

Hi so here is the post about Children's Day here in Seoul. It is a big holiday here - everyone is off school and work and most families go out and do something special with their kids. I like the idea - the crowds I didn't like so much. But being a guests here in Korea we couldn't really sit and home on this holiday.
John's teacher even told him he would be a bad dad if he didn't take his kids out for Children's Day so out we went.

Netta has been wanting to go to SeoulLand for a long time - maybe since the first time she came to Seoul when she was 6. It is a Disneyland kind of place and my students' parents invited us to join them going there on Children's Day. It is kind of expensive so we passed on taking Olive and John and just Netta and I went with them.
Seoul Land is in the same park as the zoo so John took Olive to the zoo and we met them there. Seoul Land is so busy for Children's Day that they open early to help people beat the crowds. We met our friends at the subway station at 6:50 am and were at the park by 7:30 when they opened.
The first ride we went on was the bumper cars - here is Sang Yoon my student in his yellow car. It was fun!
Next was this crazy contraption that I passed on, it went around and around on something that also went around and around - Netta went alone and loved it.

Then we went on a roller coaster - pretty fun - lots of screaming - I actually can't remember the last time I went on a roller coaster - it was good fun.
This was definitely the highlight of Netta's day. They put kids in these big balls then filled the ball with air and then sent them out on these little ponds of water. Netta had a lot of fun doing this - it had an extra charge but it was totally worth it once we figured out how to make it happen.
Netta in her bumper car. Sorry this one is out of order.

Netta in action - rolling the ball by crawling.
Standing up was hard and only lasted a few seconds - glad I caught this shot.
Another action shot!
So much fun!!
Then we met our friends again and the kids played in the ball pit. By this time the lines were becoming ridiculous and it was only about 10am. The play area did not have lines so the kids played there for awhile. This is Ji Hu my student. She is a lot of fun!
Netta chilling out in the ball pit.
So due to the crazy crowds we left Seoul Land after this and met John at the zoo.
A heron we saw walking from Seoul Land to the zoo.

John with his head in an alligator's mouth at the zoo!

The end..........

spring and lotus lanterns

So spring has finally really arrived in Seoul. There are flowers everywhere. This image of azaleas blooming from rocks is very common in Seoul right now. It is really lovely and had already stuck in my mind as a typical look during the springtime.
More views.....
This is a nice little walk way near my students house. I had a few moments there the other day and it was beautiful and so green...

Well Buddha's Birthday is coming up here and it is a big holiday. I think I have posted pictures of the temples with all of the lanterns. When we climbed Gwanak-san I really wanted one of the lotus lanterns that they were selling but at 30,000 won they were a bit extravagant for us. Luckily for us our local Global Center had a workshop to teach us how to make our own.
Netta and I went together and John was with Olive. It was really nice to have some focused time with my big girl. Here she is working on her lantern. It was quite a process and they came out really beautiful I think. Actually I now realize that I haven't photographed the ones we made. I will do that soon.
Netta gluing...
This is one of the examples they had on the table. So pretty.
Here is a photo of the whole group. There was one brave mom there with 3 small children. I was impressed but also glad that I had only one and a big one at that. They were nice enough to give us extra supplies to take home and share with Olive. Since the workshop Netta has made 2 more lanterns with the extra stuff.
Netta ....... Gotta love that girl!

We also celebrated Children's Day but that is for a different post-- which I will not write until after we get back from our little trip. We are leaving tomorrow to go to Gangwon-do with John's research advisor and his family. It should be fun ---they are great.

I will post about Children's Day and our trip next week.

Tickets home are almost bought---see you all soon.