Cherry Blossoms

Spring is finally here and the cherry blossoms are in bloom. Two weekends ago Megan, Alison and I joined our friend Casey and her recruiting agency for a fun filled long Saturday day down to the southern coast of South Korea. Casey’s recruiting agency, Appletree, planned an event for all the newly arrived foreign teachers and we decided to join a long. We boarded the bus at the lovely early hour of 6am and drove down to Jinhae, South Korea, close to Busan. After being on the bus for five hours we finally arrived to our first stop, the Korean Naval Base where we saw the famous geobukseon, turtle ship. Yi Sun-sin was Korea’s most admired admiral in the 1590’s, because he recreated their navy ship to the turtle ship and therefore changed the dynamics of sea battle. This turtle ship was easier to maneuver, had double or triple the amount of cannons, a roof covered with iron sheets and spikes, plus a top and bottom gargoyle, with all of this it was able to destroy the Japanese navy boats time and time again. After sinking hundreds of Japanese ships, the Japanese eventually surrendered and proceeded to join forces with Korea in order to defeat China. Yi Sun-sin’s creation of the turtle ship is amazing and it was fun to walk around it and imagine what it would have been like in battle those centuries ago.
In desperate need of a lunch break we were dropped off in Jinhae where we had a chance to walk around and enjoy the cherry blossom festival. The festival was big, crowded and very “aromatic”. As we walked amongst the various booths, feeling at times as though we wanted to vomit too oh that smells good; we stumbled upon a variety of interesting items. We passed by big pots of silkworm larvae and escargot being simmered in some kind of broth. Several booths were selling dried and flattened fish or squid which just smells horrible. With neither of these food items sounding appealing I was fortunate to find not just one but a few tasty Turkish kabobs. We also stumbled upon several booths selling a variety of delicious cookies that we just had to indulge in. Just before leaving one of the guys on the bus picked up a cup of boiled silkworm larvae and shared it with the group. Surprised by Megan and Casey’s bravery they willingly jumped at the opportunity and each eat one larva while I took their picture. Alison and I proudly chickened out and opted not to taste or feel that nasty larva in our mouths.
Just before heading home the bus took us to Jinhae beach which has a small little island that people can walk out too. Although it had a strong seaweed smell it was nice to get away from the not so pleasant aromas at the cherry blossom festival. The beach was quant but to me I would not consider it a real beach because the ground is covered in rocks instead of sand and there are no waves. I realize I may sound a little ridiculous but I happen to have high standards for what I call a beach. Never the less, the sun was out and it was a pleasant walk before we began our five hour journey back to Seoul.
The bus ride home was much more eventful then the morning ride since most everyone was feeling pretty good/happy from drinking so much soju. I don’t know if I mentioned soju in my previous blogs but it is Korea’s vodka and personally it’s not bad as long as it is mixed with some kind of juice or soda, plain is just disgusting. The first half of the ride, us backseat riders played a lovely drinking game which lasted till the alcohol was gone. With the first half of the trip behind us we spent the remainder of the trip singing our hearts out. Korean’s are known for their Nori Bong which to us we call karaoke and well it seems as though they never go anywhere with out it. This bus was all set up for Nori Bong and we took advantage of it. The bus had a decent size TV at the front, two microphones, a never ending book of songs and a massively large remote box that controlled and played the songs we picked out. I’m personally not a fan of singing but joined a long in the fun only because my voice was over shadowed by everyone else’s which I am perfectly content with. With all the singing and dancing we were home before we even knew it. Well that’s a bit of a lie, by the end I was ready to be home and the last hour passed by slowly yet entertainingly as well.
To conclude my day, it was fun and a much needed get away. It was great to meet new people who have only been here a short time as well. I felt rejuvenated after a full day away from sky scraper Seoul and I also just loved seeing the water and the cherry blossoms some what in bloom.