Well! This one is uber old .. but it has been hectic lately and i was unable to sit down a write something about it. We loaded ourselves unto the subway and headed off to SEOUL LAND DUN DUN DUN DAAAAAAAA!

Well for thos eof you who don't know, Seoul land happens to be one of three major amusmement parks in Korea. They pack in all sorts of neat rides and attractions.. including a "SKY DROP" and a couple roller coasters.

Before making oursleves ot the park We stopped to take some lovely photos with the Cherry blossoms, pretending that Lauren and robert were in Love.


Then for the cousin photo opportunity! We are cute ones !
Once inside the gates it was like magic! The music, the giant creatures, the flowers...oh it was going to be a glorious day!
Robert and Lauren being in love once again. Sarah and Lauren also taking a photo op!

HAHAH this picture is funny, because not only did I take a picture of Robert and Lauren in the Cinderella carriage, but so did like three other Koreans! So funny:)
Enough with the puttering around..we were off tot he flume ride. Due to the fact that we were REALLY altogether too excited about the whole adventure we scream and laughed hysterically throught he ride that lasted about a min.. yeah really cool!
As the evening went on, it was brought to our attention that Robert had never been on a roller coaster...and so here is robert with fear and trembling..attempting his first feat. He liked it so much that we had to beg him not to do the sky drop (a bungee jump).. he became a thrill seeker over night!
We found ourself a chicken and beer tent and sat ourselves down for a bite.

We finished the day off with a dance competition, like any self respecting amusement park goer...
The game won.

MISSION: BEACH!

For about one month now it has been about 30 degrees everyday, and so Lauren and I both loving the sun, and having not learned our burning lesson from Thailand - have been CRAVING a beach. Now we live on the north eastern part of Korea, and well it is common knowledge that the good beaches are south east... pretty much the opposite of where we are located. However with high hopes we thought we'd give beach hunting a chance. I talked to my co teacher and she hesitantly suggested a beach about an hour from our house.
So Saturday morning we awake to the sun shinning and packed up our stuff, and headed to the bus stop! As the story goes, the bus was suppose ot take us directly to this beach. We were stoked! We rode on this little bus for about an hour, in and out of placces.. perhaps buses shoudl not go... small and country places, perhaps there isn't a road places... and then TADA-- we landed at the last stop Jebudo Island!
We jumped off the bus and chose a direction and began to walk. As we got closer to the "water" we realized that there WASN'T ANY WATER! The irony almost killed me. We stood there in awe of the long streches of sea bottom.....on forever a desert of muck and seashells.



Trying to find the good in this situation we sta ourselves down, on our private beach..imagine no one wantingt o share in this beach experience, and we sun bathed ourselves. After a while the stillness of this beach became curious to us both..it was strange to not hear the waves... I got up and started to walk around to see what i coudl find.... maybe the water was hiding?

Nope! No water. So we lovingly named this place "No water beach." I returned to see Lauren jumping up and down on her dry beach hollaring BABY KANGAROO and throwing seashells into the bushes. I was sure that the desolation of the beach had gotten to her!

As you can see she was rather convinced by the baby Kangaroo, and when I asked her what she was really doing - she persisted BABY KANGROO!

hahah sure enough...a creature was lurking in the woods: Very small and in the middle of the pic!Lauren being sad because thats what you do at a beach with no water when you baby kangaroo escapes.
This is a lovely photo of me embracing the waterless and now kangarooless beach.
We the noticed that people we driving across a small road built over the empty waterless seafloor. We hopped a bus and went to check it out. Turns out we drove to Jebudo Island..however.. there wasn't any water surrounding this island... so perhaps it wasn't an island.

It was there that managed to find one puddle and get my self stuck in it! haha .. so we lovingly named this place "some water beach!"

In rebellion and fear of the little water found.. Lauren climbed a rock!

With that we decided it was time to go home! And away we went. On to new beaches!

The end!

The BUSAN ADVENTURE.
So Lauren and I got it in our heads that we shoudl travel down to the second biggest city in Korea, Busan. We had heard many a good thing about this city, including the fact that it is a lot more chill than Seoul..and to be honest I needed a break from the "go- go go!" I'm a country girl!

So after buying the wrong tickets and standing on a very crowded train for many too many hours we landed in Busan land: I was sooo excited I danced the whole way down the stairs!




We walked down the stairs to the beat of a monks drum and walked among the gentelmen sleeping in the park. I chased some pigeons...however I don't have a picture of that:)

This large tower would be a Budhist (starting with an s)....STUPA! ahah I remembered! IT's decorated with pink paper laterns..This pic was taken the same weekend as budda's birthday!

We got ourseleves situated at a near by" love hotel." Now, Love hotels are these cheesy might I add, sketchy hotels for about 15 CAD a night. As you can see we made ourselves comfortable in our hot pink rotataing beds:

We then decided we should all make ourselves comfortable in this lovely bed. Oh Korea !

Being tired out from the fun that can be had dancing downs tairs and playing in "Love hotels" we made out way to the beach where i was distracted by the multiple tanks of strange fish like creatures. I felt none would satidfy my hunger..since they were all swimming..and opted for some street food.

This delicious thing that I cannot pronouce is filled with sugar and cinnamin, and is really really hot! SOO GOOD!

We arrived at Hyundai beach and plunked our butts down to take in some well deserved relaxation. We hung out here until it was dark...thats when they turned on GIANT lights and the moon with is stars were hidden.. but the sounds of the ocean made me happy.

The next morning we allplanned to hit the beach full force, but mother nature had another plans and instead we walked about looking like this all day long. hahahh We happened to find ourselves a monsoon. special.

Determinded! We still hit the beach. The rain continued for no lie:24 hours!



We awoke the next day to find sunny skies and all that is ironic.. we boarded our train (seats this time) and headed back to Seoul! This is a pic of the Hann river and a part of Seoul.. lovely isn't it?

These are farming fields near Busan.... The country side is beautiful!
And that my friends was the Busan Adventure!

Now that the sun is shining over here in Korea land... I have found myself playing outside with my dear Lauren. We lead a charming life really. I must say that with the obstacles overcome (I'm sure there will be more), and the adjustments having been made- we have started to think of Gunpo city as home.

Yesterday after work, Lauren came trouncing through the door squawking about this tree that had to be seen. She said that on the way to work the other day - she was floored by it's beauty. God is the great artist. So she convinced me that I must leave my place of hibernation and explore this tree with her.

We trundled down the road in between cherry blossoms and Chinese lanterns...to the tree! It was the most beautiful Magnolia I had ever seen. It was big and beautiful and white and full..and conveniently growing beside a fence, I was sure we could climb. So with very little encouragement Lauren started her way up the fence, to get a closer look at this blooming beauty. Now, it's not like we don't get enough attention, but please picture two white girls(I mention our skin color often, because we are separated on the basis of it) on the side of a busy highway, one hoisting the other onto a fence. Ovey. It's a wonder we were not arrested. Anyways.. once on top of the fence to photo shoot began.
Glorious.

Once I coaxed laur down off the wall (she was fond of both the wall and the tree) she and I walked over to the local bakery where we weekly pick up our homemade bread (charmed life). I spotted a path, and Lauren was sure she knew where it lead.. so we went on yet another, (are you surprised?) adventure. This path was lined with blooming cherry trees, chirping birds and there was even a sign warning us not to burn down their solace. The sign cracked us up, because it was white folks from the 50's burning the park down on the sign(see below).

We finished our strolling, bread buying fence climbing adventure off with smoothies from a small health store near our house, and went home to do Yoga(with our personal instructor..and if by personal I mean video..then yes).

And... today I am sore. My winter bones are angry with my spring fever.

Spring time in Korea!!! Lauren and I shipped off to Yeudio Park to catch some of the sights and sounds of spring. We found this tree. We liked it. We took a picture of it. Then....










Being the self respecting country girls that we are, in a city of 11 million we plunked down under this tree and layed in the "almost" grass and throughly enjoyed our first korean smoggy spring day.

However the adventure did not end there....








Lauren sat amongst the flowers (obviously we were pretending to be English elves)... then it had (clearly) been too much excitment- so we opted to leave....however little did we know..the excitement had just begun!










As we wondered along after our afternoon of playing with blossoms...we found a PALACE.

















Spring time in the ancient Josan dynasty
















This tree wanted a photograph with me (really who wouldn't?)
















Palace blossoms!


















The looking and wandering (squacking...perhaps my and laurens new hobby) through ancient palaces made for a devine day..however it was time to go...

look there I am leaving









We started to cross the road to finish off our adventure..but little did we know...our adventure was not through(even).













When we started to cross the road, happy little english people we are-- we were stopped by the korean traffic man...dun dun dahhhhh
















WE WERE TRAPPED on a small traffic island!












NOOOOOOOOOOO
TRAPPPPPPEEEDDDDDDDD! A photo of me coming to grips with our situation














I was not alone in my distress. Lauren felt the pressure on our traffic island. I was clearly loosing my mind behind her.










Finally we were freed from our island in the intersection and we could head on home for a classic layin low night in Gunpo city.











Not before swinging off of lamp posts, and taking a picture of the "AUTO TOLIET" which talks to you as you pee. hahah


The End!