So since Austin and I got here, we've been talking about wanting to take one of the ferry cruises around the island. We weren't really sure what it would entail, but we saw something in the brochure about Russian dancers and food and drinks. So yesterday, a group of us spent the afternoon on the ferry cruise. We didn't see the Russian dancers perform, but we did get to see a lot of interesting performances by old, very drunk Koreans. We arrived on the boat around 2:30pm. Not only where we the only group of foreigners, but definitely the youngest and the most sober. Everyone else must have been partying since breakfast and somehow we missed that memo. It was a gorgeous day and we set up camp on one of the upper decks. After a few beers, we decide to join the dance party happening on the lower deck. Apparently that's where all the action was. We walked in to a dark ballroom with bright disco lights flashing and about a hundred or so old Korean men and women getting down on the dance floor. You would have thought it was a club at 11pm, but no, it was 4:00 in the afternoon. We were grabbed and pulled into Korean dance circles. Our beers were stolen by a middle aged Korean woman who thought it was hilarious. We were not so amused. Luckily she took the warm beer. Old ladies were downing shots of soju (korean rice liquor) on the dance floor and chasing them with bites from a cucumber. I didn't notice this until one of the women came charging at me with cucumber in hand and just shoved it into my mouth. I took a bite because I didn't know what else to do. She turned to Austin, who look disgusted and turned his head away. I don't know what it is, but that's the 2nd time food has been shoved in my mouth by a Korean since we arrived. I guess it's just their generosity? So as the ferry ride came to an end, we counted the number of people passed out in their chairs as we made our way off the boat. Never in my life, outside of New Orleans, have I seen people party like that in the middle of the afternoon. Koreans know how to have a good time. I can't wait for our next trip on the ferry.
Last Saturday, we spent the day at Gojura beach with Willow and Sean. It was about an hour bus ride and there was practically no one on the beach. A perfect way to spend a Saturday. The water was freezing, but Austin took the plunge while the rest of us looked on. Apparently Koreans really only go to the beach during the designated beach season, I think July 1 - August 31st. So on September 1st, you won't find anyone on the beach, even if the weather is absolutely perfect. Strange, but great for us since we won't have to deal with huge crowds.
We're looking forward to our 3 day vacation coming up near the end of May that we will spend on the island of Bijindo, outside of TongYeong. There are a few pictures of the island on this site:
http://eng.tongyeong.go.kr/program/engtour/outTourInfo.asp?cate=A02999&SType=Tou_Name&SString=&idx=52&page=1Next time I'll try to post any new experiments with Korean cooking....
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