Yangshou, China--at last!

Ta-daaa!  Here are SOME of the pictures we took while in Yangshou.  It was very difficult to resist taking pictures of the mountains, so I didn't, and there are lots and lots of shots of the scenery.  I'll try to explain as we go along.  So, without further adieu, here is Day #1 of our trip to Yangshou, China.

We were able to rent bikes for just under $3 a day, so the first day we were feeling vigorous and enthusiastic, despite the intense heat, and we rented bikes and took off to see the countryside.  We found ourselves following the bikes to a park called Moon Hill, which is quite famous in the area.  You'll see a picture of it below.  We hiked it (mid-day), but the views from the top were definitely worth it.
As I mentioned, it was very hot.  You cannot quite appreciate in this picture that my shirt was wet with the sweat that constantly dripped off my body at all times of the day.  My face is quite red, too.

Here is Moon Hill.  We took a rest under the dome in the middle and then proceeded to the top.
At last, the bottom!  And thinking about cool rivers to swim, cold water to drink, a cold shower...  I should mention the water ladies.  The touristy areas were full of farm ladies, and Moon Hill was no exception.  They take with them coolers of cold water and juice and follow the hikers around asking them to buy cold water.  They follow you up the mountain at a distance of about 3-5 feet and then hang out with you at the top.  It is 5 yuan at the bottom of the hill for a bottle of water, and as we found out, 10 yuan at the top.  They look sweet, but they will try to swindle you at every turn!

After a refreshing swim in the Li River, we enjoyed sitting on our hotel terrace, enjoying the last light of the day.  The stars later were also pretty incredible, as we never get to see them in Seoul because of light and air pollution.
And because blogger loads all pictures backwards, here is the sunrise and view from our hotel balcony.  I was so excited to wake up and see this view every morning.

We are awaiting our breakfast.  It was so wonderful to eat all meals outside (except when we were inside, cowering from the heat, but that was only a few occasions).  Our room was directly behind us and up on the second floor.

This is only phase #1 of photos.  Don't despair, there are many more.    We absolutely loved this trip.  We found the locals to be friendly and helpful, the scenery was lovely, and the whole trip was fun and restful.  It's hard to ask for better.

Off To See More of the World...

Well, friends, today we are heading off to Guilin, China, known as the "pearl" of China.  It's been touted from many sources as one of China's most beautiful places.  Naturally, in our life-long quest to see as many beautiful places as possible, we are off to take a look.  I know that pictures have been a bit scarce lately, but that is only to prepare you all for the imminent deluge that you are on the verge of experiencing.  So look out!  We'll see you next week online and hopefully you can get a taste of what we hope will  be a fantastic trip.

Here's a little teaser for you.  I didn't take this one, but this is what it's supposed to look like:

Happy 4th Anniversary!

Michael and I celebrated our 4th anniversary on Thursday, July 17.  For those of you who attended our wedding, I hope you aren't too disappointed with the outcome, for here we are...dignified, mature, and sage, modeling the coordinated love T-shirt gift from some friends.

Since our T-shirts are so Korean, we had to model Korean style, with lots of energy and happiness, and of course, sporting the Peace sign, or whatever two fingers in a V means here.  I wasn't quite ready for this shot.

And there you have it!  4 years under our belts--woot, woot!

Nothing in Particular

Well friends and loyal fans, I have been feeling twinges of guilt for not having posted anything of great interest lately, but nothing of great interest has really occurred lately.

It is very hot right now; humid and in the 80's and 90's, which makes me feel like I am trapped in a sauna all the time.

I feel like I am in the midst of an uphill climb that is nearing its peak--the peak being our half-way marker in Korea.  For so long, we considered just throwing the towel in and coming home in August, but since then have decided that working our contract and sticking it out would be better.  God really seems to want us in Korea, so I will stay.  In the meantime, I'm learning:

1. Be content where you are.  There are always imaginary things to look forward to, but reality is here, so enjoy it as it is gifted to you.

2. God's already gone before us into the next phase of life, so don't worry about that either.  It will come together!

3. Be patient...

Next Thursday, July 17, Michael and I will be celebrating our 4th anniversary!  It's a bit hard to believe that we've been together for the last 7 years and married for 4, but we really have.  We learn new things about each other and life together all the time, and I wouldn't trade it for anything.

And, just so no one forgets, my birthday is also quickly approaching.  Since we live a bit further away, packages take time... :-)

I will try to take some pictures and post something interesting soon.

Crowds

Some of you may be aware of where Michael and I lived before we came to Korea.  Here is a picture of my old yard and newly-turned vegetable garden.  Note the absence of people.  I'm sure it was cold that day, but relatively quiet and, of course, beautiful.

Below I will contrast for you the population density.  It did not take any special trips or special occasions for me to encounter humanity in such dense proportions.  This is daily life, although the majority of these pictures were taken on weekends.

The street outside our apartment building.  The intersection is often clogged because drivers inch their way into the intersection hoping to force the light to turn green by being closer to it.  Buses and taxis also believe they are King of the Road and therefore above mere things like red lights.  On Friday nights there is sometimes a traffic director at this intersection.

The subway station

A guided tour

Seoul

And have I mentioned that the sense of personal space is quite different?  When you walk through these crowds, you are subject to being bumped, checked, brushed, or pushed.  The only people who will say "excuse me" for such offenses are Westerners. :-)  So the fun part is that you stick your elbows out, put your head down, and pretend that no one is around.  Bump, check, brush, and push to your heart's content.  No one minds except the Westerners.

War of the Worlds, 2008

Some of you might have heard on the "World News" portion of your evening news that there have been many candlelight protests going on in Seoul regarding the importation of U.S. beef to Korea.  This has been an interesting craze that has been developing over the months, and many of us Americans sort of twitch our lips in a half smile when Koreans get upset over this issue.

Here's the story: About 5 years ago,  a case of Mad Cow disease was detected in a cow that was imported to the US from Alberta (I think--I do remember when it happened).  Because of this, the US froze its exports of beef for 5 years until the problem was sufficiently dealt with.  The 5 year halt on export has now been lifted, and the US has been trying to broker a deal with Korea: beef for electronics.

Well, the Koreans are furious because they are convinced (and I am not kidding) that they are more susceptible to Mad Cow disease that white people and that they will all die from this miserable and obviously rampant disease.  Their protests in the streets of Seoul are numbering around 80,000 people.  80,000+ people who truly believe that Mad Cow taints most US beef at the present time.  All of this seems to be in complete disregard for the fact that there is Avian Flu and apparently Foot and Mouth Disease in their own country.  They will not die of either of the latter before they die of Mad Cow.

I liken this frenzy to a time that I know nothing about--when people panicked because they thought aliens truly had invaded Earth because they heard a fictional story on the radio.  This does not seem all that different.  May we all learn a lesson in all of this--please base your mass protests on fact, or at least some semblance of a fact, before you look stupid to the entire world.

A Trip to the Countryside

Many of you are familiar with our Korean friends, Jimmy and Sarah, who have been great friends and helped make our experience in Korea enjoyable and memorable.  We appreciate them so much because they allow us to see parts of Korea that would otherwise be inaccessible to us. 

 Case in point: Yesan.  Jimmy works as an executive for a major steel company called Posco.  He is currently in charge of a steel-cutting plant in a small town called Yesan, about 2 hours south of Seoul.  He has an apartment there, as he spends several days down there during the work week.  The wonderful thing about this place is that he often invites friends to join him and his wife there on the weekends, and we get to enjoy hiking, small town/countryside diversion from the city, and their famous hotspring.  I've included some pictures of the time we spent there last weekend.

My favorite part of this trip with train ride we got to take.  For about $8.00, we took a 1.5 hour train ride.  The seats almost fully reclined, and Michael discovered a massage chair that really made the trip for him.  :-)

Ahh, one of the quintessential icons of Asia--the terraced rice paddy.  They are very lovely and peaceful to see.

We climbed this mountain.  When we got to the top, Jimmy asked some folks with way was best to go back down to the bottom and they sent us the wrong direction.  So we went down the mountain the wrong way and had to go all the way back up and then down the correct side.  We climbed that dumb thing twice.

At the top--the first time.