I know its a bit early but HAPPY NEW YEAR everyone!
I hope that you have a cracker of a party and that 2011 is awesome! It feels like as I get older the years go faster and if that is anything to go by 2011 is going to be over before I know it. Soon I will be saying hello to more grey hairs, back pain, and bad eyesight!!! Bring on the future...yeah!
Ummm....new year's resolutions. I have learnt to take better care of my body in Korea. I have lost weight not through dieting but through living a more active lifestyle. In South Africa we drive everywhere, in Korea we walk. I have also taken up gym and the healthiness of Korean cuisine also helped. So one of my resolutions for 2011 is to keep this up! I am terrified that once I leave Korea I will fall back into the same unhealthy routine. So here is to better cooking and living. My second resolution...to figure out what the hell I am doing with my life!! Heehe! Oh, and my third...to continue learning to speak Korea...even once I have left!
Hmmm, as for Oliver: I am not sure what his are...I will have to ask him. But if I know him at all....I think these will be among them. Get more of his photos published...and make more of an effort to make this a reality, also uphold his healthy lifestyle, master the art of snowboarding, and figure out what the hell he is doing with his life.
Feel free to comment and tell us some of your resolutions!! I love hearing resolutions because sometimes people say things that should really also be on my list.
As for our New Years Eve activities: Well initially we had planned to go and watch a sunrise on a beach. This is a tradition in Korea and hundreds gather on numerous beaches to celebrate the first sun of the new year...pretty neat idea. However, my hopes for this were dashed on two accounts. One, everybody thinks that it will be freaking cold...which it probably will be and I would more than likely be the first to complain. Number two....those festivals along with many others have been cancelled due to a recent outbreak of foot and mouth disease in Korea. Yikes! As if crazy neighbours weren't enough to worry about. Read here for more details on the outbreak.
Despite the festivals being cancelled because authorities are trying to avoid large gatherings f people...we have decided to head to the most populated city in the country which is bound to have tons more visiting for the new year celebrations. Yip, you guessed it Seoul!
And man oh man does it look like we are in for a party!
Check out some of these videos from you tube for New Years Eve parties in Seoul
I am not a fan of massive crowds where moving is a nightmare and finding a drink is even more difficult...I am sure it will be epic!
HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!! Korea style....whooop whoooop!
Post by Claudia
Thursday, December 30, 2010
Wednesday, December 29, 2010
Another nomination
Hey all,
Good news! Our little blog has been nominated for another competition on another expat website. This time it's on www.hiexpat.com. They contacted us today to say that our blog has been nominated by their website to go up against other Korean blogs and let their users determine which blog is best!
This is very similar to a poll we were in with www.gooverseas.com in which we came in fourth place (Not too shabby Nidge!).
Hi Expat would like to expose expat readers, especially those in Korea, to material written by expats in the country. Their team has put together a fanatasic selection of blogs including Eat Your Kimchi, Grrrl Traveller, Farm Boy and City Girl (fellow South Africans) and Chris in Korea. There are almost 30 blogs on their list...so give them a look! You may just enjoy what you find!! Give a vote to the one you think deserves it (which I hope is us...wink, wink, nudge, nudge). The winner gets a night out in Seoul as well as a featured article and biography...which is amazing exposure!!!!
Voting closes on the 21st of January. Here is the link to what the contest is about. Be sure to check out the mini-profiles at the bottom and the comments/discussions!
There are some on the list that I have never heard of before...better get reading while the going is good!
Good news! Our little blog has been nominated for another competition on another expat website. This time it's on www.hiexpat.com. They contacted us today to say that our blog has been nominated by their website to go up against other Korean blogs and let their users determine which blog is best!
This is very similar to a poll we were in with www.gooverseas.com in which we came in fourth place (Not too shabby Nidge!).
Hi Expat would like to expose expat readers, especially those in Korea, to material written by expats in the country. Their team has put together a fanatasic selection of blogs including Eat Your Kimchi, Grrrl Traveller, Farm Boy and City Girl (fellow South Africans) and Chris in Korea. There are almost 30 blogs on their list...so give them a look! You may just enjoy what you find!! Give a vote to the one you think deserves it (which I hope is us...wink, wink, nudge, nudge). The winner gets a night out in Seoul as well as a featured article and biography...which is amazing exposure!!!!
Voting closes on the 21st of January. Here is the link to what the contest is about. Be sure to check out the mini-profiles at the bottom and the comments/discussions!
There are some on the list that I have never heard of before...better get reading while the going is good!
A Christmas in the cabins...
I simply can't believe that Christmas has come and gone! Phew...
As you all know this year we spent Christmas in a small lodge (known as a pension in Korea) with a whole bunch of foreigners! And it was a blast. A lot more relaxed than I anticipated but really good fun.
This is the one we stayed in http://hanok54.co.kr/ if you click past the introduction page. Click preview. Click
Then click
You will get an idea of how beautiful our little pension was! Unfortunately, I can't download the photos so I thought this would be the best way for you to see what it was all about. Oliver and I weren't too good with taking photos this weekend.
As you can see from the layout of the pension, there were no beds and no private bedrooms so for two days we had a slumber party of note. It was quite peaceful actually.
Our Christmas day was broken up into a series of "times". Breakfast time, snack time, nap time, movie time, dinner time, game time, drunk time and hangover time. It just happened this way...it wasn't planned...I promise!
Friday night (Christmas Eve) ended up being quite a bender....we stayed up until 4am giving Santa no chance to drop off our gifts. The others finished of a bottle of Tequila (bleh!) and numerous bottles of Soju. So on Christmas day there were a fair share of hangovers to go around.
Once up we decided to talk a walk to get some good food....Alas, many restaurants were closed leaving us with very few options. So after a 20 minute walk in the freezing cold we opted for the first restaurant we came across which was Bosam...Yum! Slices of meat, with herbs, lettuces and numerous other bits. It wasn't what everyone was after but at least our tummies were full.
After realising how cold it was we unanimously decided that we did not want to leave the pension again and we wanted to stock up on everything we needed. So we stopped off at a Family Mart. There must have been about eight of us there (we left three hungover souls at the pension) all kitted out with shopping baskets. We went crazy...wine, beer, snacks galore...I simply couldn't stop myself. I am not sure if the lady behind the counter was horrified at having so many loud foreigners in her store at one time or of she was over the moon because she just made more money off of us than she could have wished for on such a slow day!
On the walk back home we came across a frozen river....a novelty in our eyes. Immediately we started picking up rocks and trying to break the ice...but it was tough...so the boys got more adventurous trying to walk on it while the girls settled for trying to get small pebbles into breaks in the ice. After about half an hour half of us started getting cold and went back...but some die hard boys (including Oliver) played on for another hour! Nothing like some good wholesome fun on Christmas Day.
Once back I got hard to work to make some pancakes! Hmmmmm...I love pancakes. And I had a special ingredient from back home...Stroh Rum. Horrible to drink but fantastic to cook with!
The things started to die down as movie and nap time started...we got to watch some great Christmas flicks like Home Alone, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, and Avatar (Ok, I admit this isn't a Christmas movie but awesome nonetheless).
With temperatures and wind chill factor leaving outside at -20 Degrees Celcius we decided walking wasn't such a hot idea and opted for pizza, chicken take aways and kimchi rice! Quite a feast!
We then played a game to get Christmas presents which involved stealing gifts from others....Hmmmm...Let's just say some left happy and others not so happy. But then it was time for games....drinking games of course!We played everything from Korean drinking games like Bunny Bunny to classics like Sevens and funny ones like Obblydoobly.
Alas, despite our earlier shopping spree, our drinking supplies began to dwindle and the party faded at about two!
Thanks Friends for an awesome, chilled, and utterly funny Christmas!!!
Post by Claudia
P.S. If ever you decide to stay at this pension, the lady who runs it (a Korean hippie) is such a great laugh and will do everything in her eccentric power to make you comfortable!
As you all know this year we spent Christmas in a small lodge (known as a pension in Korea) with a whole bunch of foreigners! And it was a blast. A lot more relaxed than I anticipated but really good fun.
This is the one we stayed in http://hanok54.co.kr/ if you click past the introduction page. Click preview. Click
Then click You will get an idea of how beautiful our little pension was! Unfortunately, I can't download the photos so I thought this would be the best way for you to see what it was all about. Oliver and I weren't too good with taking photos this weekend.
As you can see from the layout of the pension, there were no beds and no private bedrooms so for two days we had a slumber party of note. It was quite peaceful actually.
Our Christmas day was broken up into a series of "times". Breakfast time, snack time, nap time, movie time, dinner time, game time, drunk time and hangover time. It just happened this way...it wasn't planned...I promise!
Friday night (Christmas Eve) ended up being quite a bender....we stayed up until 4am giving Santa no chance to drop off our gifts. The others finished of a bottle of Tequila (bleh!) and numerous bottles of Soju. So on Christmas day there were a fair share of hangovers to go around.
Oh, did I forget to mention that we had a disco ball and randomly started a
trance disco on Friday night..Bizzare!
Once up we decided to talk a walk to get some good food....Alas, many restaurants were closed leaving us with very few options. So after a 20 minute walk in the freezing cold we opted for the first restaurant we came across which was Bosam...Yum! Slices of meat, with herbs, lettuces and numerous other bits. It wasn't what everyone was after but at least our tummies were full.
Yummy leaves and fresh herbs!
After realising how cold it was we unanimously decided that we did not want to leave the pension again and we wanted to stock up on everything we needed. So we stopped off at a Family Mart. There must have been about eight of us there (we left three hungover souls at the pension) all kitted out with shopping baskets. We went crazy...wine, beer, snacks galore...I simply couldn't stop myself. I am not sure if the lady behind the counter was horrified at having so many loud foreigners in her store at one time or of she was over the moon because she just made more money off of us than she could have wished for on such a slow day!
On the walk back home we came across a frozen river....a novelty in our eyes. Immediately we started picking up rocks and trying to break the ice...but it was tough...so the boys got more adventurous trying to walk on it while the girls settled for trying to get small pebbles into breaks in the ice. After about half an hour half of us started getting cold and went back...but some die hard boys (including Oliver) played on for another hour! Nothing like some good wholesome fun on Christmas Day.
The amazing frozen river...take note of brock in his Santa outfit...he wore that all day!
Once back I got hard to work to make some pancakes! Hmmmmm...I love pancakes. And I had a special ingredient from back home...Stroh Rum. Horrible to drink but fantastic to cook with!
The things started to die down as movie and nap time started...we got to watch some great Christmas flicks like Home Alone, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, and Avatar (Ok, I admit this isn't a Christmas movie but awesome nonetheless).
With temperatures and wind chill factor leaving outside at -20 Degrees Celcius we decided walking wasn't such a hot idea and opted for pizza, chicken take aways and kimchi rice! Quite a feast!
Our Christmas feast...mostly gone by now!
We then played a game to get Christmas presents which involved stealing gifts from others....Hmmmm...Let's just say some left happy and others not so happy. But then it was time for games....drinking games of course!We played everything from Korean drinking games like Bunny Bunny to classics like Sevens and funny ones like Obblydoobly.
Alas, despite our earlier shopping spree, our drinking supplies began to dwindle and the party faded at about two!
Thanks Friends for an awesome, chilled, and utterly funny Christmas!!!
The three South Africans (Oliver, Claudia and Stallone)
The two Brits (Natalie and Mike)
A drunk Korean (Aekyoeng) and a confused Canadian (Trevor)
My two favourite Americans (Brock and Lauren)
Everybody! Take note of Karolina's (the blonde at the back) very excited face!
and Matt (front). These two Americans very sneekily managed to dodge my camera in all other photos but this one!
Post by Claudia
P.S. If ever you decide to stay at this pension, the lady who runs it (a Korean hippie) is such a great laugh and will do everything in her eccentric power to make you comfortable!
Friday, December 24, 2010
Merry Christmas...Korean Style
Hello again!!!
MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!
We are about to head out on a train to celebrate Christmas with some friends in the bitterly cold weather in a lodge somewhere out there!!! But I just wanted to say Merry Christmas to all of you....Korean style.
Here are some Christmas songs done the Korean way (with all its kitschness, awkardness, and awesomeness):
Merry Christmas to all...and to all a good night! I have a feeling the jolly old man is going to spoil us this year!!!
MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!
We are about to head out on a train to celebrate Christmas with some friends in the bitterly cold weather in a lodge somewhere out there!!! But I just wanted to say Merry Christmas to all of you....Korean style.
Here are some Christmas songs done the Korean way (with all its kitschness, awkardness, and awesomeness):
Merry Christmas to all...and to all a good night! I have a feeling the jolly old man is going to spoil us this year!!!
From Sunny to Freezing
Hello all,
We are back from South Africa and we are finally starting to feel semi-human again. Two flights across the globe in under a week is exhausting!
Anyhow, we had a wonderful stop back home and were happy that we got a chance to see friends and family, even if only for a brief while. You will also be glad to know that the wedding was a huge success! Congrats again Carsten and Erica!
After basking in the awesome sunny weather in South Africa I realised two things. One, how translucent my skin has become as a result of being wrapped in clothing for the past three months...and it looks like it going to stay that way for another three. Have no idea how I am going to get a tan before my sisters wedding. Maybe before her wedding....powder, see-through white will be back in fashion (I doubt it).
Two, just how cold it is in Korea. I remember being told before we came that our little city of Wonju can drop to temperatures below -17 degrees Celcius. I thought no bloody way! Turns out...it can. before we left to South Africa it dropped to -12 degrees Celcius. And today will be the same...but as soon as you factor in wind chill (which is significant) we will drop to -16 during the day and -22 during the evening. Brrrrrrrrrr!
If you don't believe me...check this forecast out: http://www.weather-forecast.com/locations/Wonju/forecasts/latest
It is going to be a cold cold Christmas!!!
And on that note MERRY CHRISTMAS everyone!!!! Have a wonderful weekend and I hope Santa spoils you rotten!
Post by Claudia
We are back from South Africa and we are finally starting to feel semi-human again. Two flights across the globe in under a week is exhausting!
Anyhow, we had a wonderful stop back home and were happy that we got a chance to see friends and family, even if only for a brief while. You will also be glad to know that the wedding was a huge success! Congrats again Carsten and Erica!
After basking in the awesome sunny weather in South Africa I realised two things. One, how translucent my skin has become as a result of being wrapped in clothing for the past three months...and it looks like it going to stay that way for another three. Have no idea how I am going to get a tan before my sisters wedding. Maybe before her wedding....powder, see-through white will be back in fashion (I doubt it).
Two, just how cold it is in Korea. I remember being told before we came that our little city of Wonju can drop to temperatures below -17 degrees Celcius. I thought no bloody way! Turns out...it can. before we left to South Africa it dropped to -12 degrees Celcius. And today will be the same...but as soon as you factor in wind chill (which is significant) we will drop to -16 during the day and -22 during the evening. Brrrrrrrrrr!
If you don't believe me...check this forecast out: http://www.weather-forecast.com/locations/Wonju/forecasts/latest
It is going to be a cold cold Christmas!!!
And on that note MERRY CHRISTMAS everyone!!!! Have a wonderful weekend and I hope Santa spoils you rotten!
Post by Claudia
Wednesday, December 15, 2010
Off for a week!
Seasons greetings everyone!
I hope that you are having a festive and happy season this far! Mine and Oliver's Christmas shopping is all done and...we are heading to South Africa today.
Two of our best mates are getting married and we couldn't miss it! So for a week we won't be in touch with all you lovely readers but I promise as soon as we are back we will be back in touch.
And Oliver has been working on a hoard of photos...we will have some beautiful pictures of Korea available for you soon!!!
Until then, have a wonderful time doing whatever you're doing!!
I hope that you are having a festive and happy season this far! Mine and Oliver's Christmas shopping is all done and...we are heading to South Africa today.
Two of our best mates are getting married and we couldn't miss it! So for a week we won't be in touch with all you lovely readers but I promise as soon as we are back we will be back in touch.
And Oliver has been working on a hoard of photos...we will have some beautiful pictures of Korea available for you soon!!!
Until then, have a wonderful time doing whatever you're doing!!
Saturday, December 11, 2010
The pride of Wonju: Dongbu Promy
There is not much to our little city Wonju......we have some beautiful mountains (which I am embarrassed to say we have not yet climbed), we are home to two fantastic festivals (the Hanji Festival and the Wonju Tattoo Festival), Korea's best female weightlifter Jang Mi-Ran is from here, and we have the Dongby promys who are both champions and have held several seasonal titles!
Dongby Promy...what the hell is that? Well, it's Wonju's basketball team!
Last night, I had my first ever basketball experience!!! And it was so so fun! Oliver finished work too late and had an insatiable snowboarding desire he had to have filled, so he wasn't at the game but boy am I happy I went along!
There were many people there to support their local stars....there were cheer-leaders and kiss cams, and free give-aways.
We tried our hardest to get in on some of the free pizzas, steaks, and ice-cream cakes but alas we are no longer children and we are not yet old so despite our best efforts at screaming and going blue in the face with energy.......we did not get any of the delicious food parcels that were handed out during ad-breaks. But don't you fret.....our little group of waygooks (foreigners) got their fair share of prizes.
Being a foreigner definitley comes with its fair share of good things. Being white, means that the local TV crews want you on TV. It sounds strange....but it's true!
First up, Lauren and Brock were spotted by the kiss cam and they gave the camera such a show that they were given 150,000Won's worth of beef. That's a lot of beef, and in the land of very expensive meat that is a fantastic prize!
Next, Steve was called onto the court to play rock, paper, scissors with a cheerleader....I am not too sure what happened because I was busy getting prepped for my time on court. Yip....I got to go on court....my first time ever at a basketball game and I got to go on the court.....hahaha! YAY!
Once on court I had to pick a letter from the name Dongbu Promy....Then I was given a challenge. My challenge was to try and get a basket! So, I got into my best pose I could, bounced the ball a couple of times, tried my best to look like I had a blinking idea what I was doing, and took a shot...........I missed! Sniff sniff, weep weep. So much for all the months of playing with Oliver...when it counted the most and I was being watched by a stadium full of people....I missed...URG!
Then the announcer asked where I was from and I proudly announced I was from South Africa, I then proceeded to show him my South African Converse shoes. I totally forgot I was on national TV and acted like a nerd...I mean who shows off their shoes even if they are totally sweet because they are green and have the South African flag on them. What a turd!
Anyway, it was a good laugh and I got a prize!!! whooop whoooop! I got two day passes to Sungwoo Ski Resort which is super funny because just last week I bought a season pass for that resort! Haha! So because it is Lauern's birthday weekend I gave them to her as an early gift! Now I have someone who can spend the whole day falling with me which makes me happy!
And then, Brock and Lauren gave me a Dongbu Promy basketball with the team's signatures! Whoop Whooop! Who's the gangster now?
For the rest of the night I was super hyped up! I joined in the shouting and screaming to the extent that my throat is sore today! I love those environments and to top it all off our team won by a landslide!!!!
I will be going again!!!
Post by Claudia
Dongby Promy...what the hell is that? Well, it's Wonju's basketball team!
Last night, I had my first ever basketball experience!!! And it was so so fun! Oliver finished work too late and had an insatiable snowboarding desire he had to have filled, so he wasn't at the game but boy am I happy I went along!
There were many people there to support their local stars....there were cheer-leaders and kiss cams, and free give-aways.
Before the game started
Being a foreigner definitley comes with its fair share of good things. Being white, means that the local TV crews want you on TV. It sounds strange....but it's true!
First up, Lauren and Brock were spotted by the kiss cam and they gave the camera such a show that they were given 150,000Won's worth of beef. That's a lot of beef, and in the land of very expensive meat that is a fantastic prize!
Next, Steve was called onto the court to play rock, paper, scissors with a cheerleader....I am not too sure what happened because I was busy getting prepped for my time on court. Yip....I got to go on court....my first time ever at a basketball game and I got to go on the court.....hahaha! YAY!
Before going on court
The Dongbu Promy Mascot
Once on court I had to pick a letter from the name Dongbu Promy....Then I was given a challenge. My challenge was to try and get a basket! So, I got into my best pose I could, bounced the ball a couple of times, tried my best to look like I had a blinking idea what I was doing, and took a shot...........I missed! Sniff sniff, weep weep. So much for all the months of playing with Oliver...when it counted the most and I was being watched by a stadium full of people....I missed...URG!
Then the announcer asked where I was from and I proudly announced I was from South Africa, I then proceeded to show him my South African Converse shoes. I totally forgot I was on national TV and acted like a nerd...I mean who shows off their shoes even if they are totally sweet because they are green and have the South African flag on them. What a turd!
My super cool shoes
And then, Brock and Lauren gave me a Dongbu Promy basketball with the team's signatures! Whoop Whooop! Who's the gangster now?
The awesome Dongbu Promy ball
For the rest of the night I was super hyped up! I joined in the shouting and screaming to the extent that my throat is sore today! I love those environments and to top it all off our team won by a landslide!!!!
I will be going again!!!
Post by Claudia
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