Last Days in Korea

Our last days in Korea we spent with my cousin Kristen and her family. They are stationed at Camp Humphries, about 1 hr out of Seoul. It was so good to see them again. We were able to Skype with our girls and that made me miss them a lot. I was doing really well until then. Lexie started crying and wanted us home right then. My mom was amazing and kept her mind on other things. The last couple days we did more shopping, toured a palace and went to the Seoul Tower.

John and Melanie; Mike, Bree and Kristen; Me, Kevin and JD

The boys trying to map out our day

Cousins: Kristen, Melanie and Me (yes we all bought hats shopping the day before).

Last experience. I really wanted a black market purse. The day JD and I were shopping I told JD the purses in the little shops were not what I was expecting. I wanted a real name brand purse. So he started asking for Gucci, Louis Vitton, Coach, Chanel. We asked in about 5 shops and they would look around worried and say "no, no, no" and shoe us out. One lady told JD 2 years ago the police started watching them and that the couldn't sell the black market stuff anymore or they would get shut down. The next store we went into a girl came up to us and said "Louis Vitton?" I said yes. She motioned for us to follow her. We went in a building and up 4 flights of stairs into a room lined with purses and suitcases. I took a quick look and told JD that these were the same knock offs as they had downstairs. The girl started taking purses off the wall and then pull the shelf out from the wall! Yes, there was a secret little room filled with what I wanted. I was in heaven. I found a chanel wallet. She made me put it in my backpack and told JD I couldn't take it out until we were home.

When we went shopping with my cousins, Melanie wanted to find a purse. So we did the same thing. We got turned away by 3 stores and in the 4th store a lady called someone. Another lady came and told us to follow her. We went into her store, she locked the door behind us and a man led us upstairs. He moved a bookcase and some boxes. We had to get on our hands and knees and crawl through a little hole in the wall to get into a tiny room filled top to bottom with purses. Mel and I both found a purse, JD bartered with the guy and we were done. Went down to the shop, she unlocked the door and it was back to business as usual.

Going to Korea I had 3 goals in shopping: mink blankets, true religion pants, and a purse. I scored all of them and all cheaper than I expected!

Fish Market and First time Sushi eater

Our last day in Busan we went to the fish market, checked out the beach, hiked a mountain and visited the only U.N. cemetery.

We hiked a mountain to see this at night. It was a gorgeous site. The mountains in Korea aren't way tall but they are steep. It was quite the hike.

Us on our hike

The only U.N. cemetery. There are 34 U.S. soldiers buried there

On our way to the beach and APEC building these students stopped us to take our picture because we were foreigners. (blonde hair really stands out there).

The fish market. There is every kind of fish. I was in total amazement.

At the very bottom of the picture you can see the ladies selling the fish. On top of them is were they hang the fish to dry. Behind them (at the top of the pic) in the port were they are throwing fish off the boats.

More fish

Octopus! Yes, I did try to eat it, but I failed. We went to the building next to the market that is filled with fish tanks. You pick what fish you want and then sit down and eat it RAW! I decided we are here when else will I get to do this! Dong Il ordered us a fish, when we sat down the lady brought an appetizer (on the house). It was nasty nasty nasty but I didn't throw up and I ate it. Dong Il had told her it was my first time trying raw fish so she was more than willing to let me try things. She brought us drinks and veggies which were great. She then brought the fish Dong Il ordered, they weren't bad I could chew once and swallow. I thought I was doing great it wasn't so bad . . . then she brought octopus (on the house)! Yeah, wasn't ready for that one. With octopus you just pull it out of the tank and chop up its tentacles. They are still moving on your plate. JD and Dong Il told me I couldn't try it if I wasn't going to chew it really good because the suckers on the tentacles still work and if you don't chew it well then they stick to your throat and suffocate you. I siked myself up to try one. I had my eye on one that hadn't moved the whole time. I picked it up, dipped it in the sauce and went to put it in my mouth. On the way to my mouth it started crawling up my chopstick and I lost it. I mean I threw it and screamed. The old ladies working, JD and Dong Il got a big laugh out of it. JD was a lot better than me and helped Dong Il finish everything so we didn't offend the ladies working.

This is one of the disgusting fish things we ate. In traditional Korea only males are suppose to eat this . . .

Tombs, Temples and a Big Buddha!

On Tuesday Dong Il and his wife took us Gyeongju. We visited the Seokgulalm Grotto (one of the most famous buddha statues in the world). We went to the Bulguska Buddhist Temple and to Tombs of some of the kings from the Shilla Dynasty. It was a full day but an interesting one.

This is the Seokgulam Grotto. One of the most famous Buddhist Statues in the world.

We stopped by a pottery shop and Dong Il asked if we could see him make something. He made 3 of these little bowls in 2 minutes.

JD and I in front of the Bulguska temple

No this is not me! Yes, JD is hugging a Korean woman. She wanted a picture with the tree and really wanted JD in it.

JD and I by the wishing rock stacks

Us by the wedding gift from a Shilla king to his son

Dong Il, Me, Dong Il's wife and JD in front of a tomb. They have only opened one tomb and found millions of dollars of gold and jewels in it. They will not open any more.

More tombs

Lillie pond in Gyeongju

Dong Il and his wife at Bulguska temple

A monk walking around the temple grounds

JD and the wishing rocks. They believe if you stack rocks with out making them fall your wish will come true.

One of the worshipping room

This set of stairs use to be used for royalty only. We walked up just for fun.

Statue at the feet of the guardians of the gate to the temple

The Guardians of the gate of the temple

These were school kids getting in trouble. I thought it was funny they have to hold their ears and walk low to the ground.

The place we ate

Kimchi pots, this is what they make kimchi in. They usually let it ferment for at least 6 months

The room we ate in

This was awesome food

Yes a squatty potty

These hills are tombs of royalty from the Shilla Dynasty. They are all over this city. They are hollow inside, they are suppose to be kind of like the pyramids.

The detail in their buildings was amazing I would hate when it was time to repaint

These school kids were everywhere. Their semester had just ended and they were all on field trips. There were many classes that we would pass and they would say "hello". We would say "hi, how are you?" They would say "fine, and you?" All of them were the same. They all just had that little phrase in english memorized. They loved to hear us talk and loved saying every word they knew in english. We felt like celebrities everybody stared as we walked by and people even took pictures of us.

This is the Divine Bell of King Seongdok. A baby was placed in side this bell and killed as a sacrifice to the King by the artist.

Lighthouse and a little shopping

On Monday we were on our own. We went to a light house and walked around town shopping. We also went to another one of JD's areas. He didn't recognize much but we did find the church he taught english classes at. When we were walking/hiking to the lighthouse two old korean men joined us. One spoke perfect english and wanted to show us around so he could practice his english. Such nice people they told us a lot a information we wouldn't have found on our own.

This is one of the street markets. These go on forever.

Another market. Usually there are little carts selling stuff in the middle and there is barely room to walk.

JD checking out cliffs by the light house

View from the lighthouse

These spiders are everywhere.

The mermaid watches over those at sea

Us at the base of the lighthouse

Old women selling sushi out on some rocks by the lighthouse. They yell and wave at you telling you to come eat.

The lighthouse

Some general can't remember the story, just liked that he was pointing at me.

This is a statue at suicide point. It is of a mother and her sons. They put it here hoping to remind people coming here to jump of their mothers love for them.

JD looking out of the suicide cliffs