23 Jun 2010

My Getaway

For those people living in Korea, I think we can all agree that sometimes it can be a bit suffocating. My solution to this is a little place called Anmyeondo Island, my home away from home.

Anmyeondo Island is located in Chungcheongnam- do province, 30 km away from Taean-gun. It is the sixth largest island in Korea and is connected to the mainland by a bridge that was constructed in 1970. On the island, there are 14 magnificent beaches and beautiful forests that you can visit.






An abandoned little 'shack' we found on one of the beaches.







A picture of the Pension we stayed at. Our room had a private balcony.





Once on the island, you will not struggle to find accommodation. I personally prefer staying in a Pension. We paid 60 000 Won for a room that could accommodate two people and it was self catering, which was ideal as most of the places to dine at on the island are seafood restaurants.

I felt completely at ease when I was there, as I sat out on a beautiful wooden deck, breathtaking view, sipping on some wine from E-Mart, it felt like I was back at home and even though it was just for a little while, it felt wonderful.

Getting there.
There is a direct bus from Taean Intercity Bus Terminal.




12 Jun 2010

Cheongyang, my home in Korea.

I still remember the first time I laid eyes on this tiny town that was to be my new home. I was driving with my new co teacher in her car. Ian was driving in the front with his new co teachers. It had been, undeniably one of the most awkward two hours of my life. We eventually arrived in Cheongyang and I noticed the main street was lined with chili pepper street lights. My eyes darted from left to right, looking for anything that was remotely western. No Pizza Hut, no Mr. Pizza, no Burger King, No Mc Donald’s, not even an E Mart. A few censored words entered my head at this stage. “Cheongyang is very small,” said my co teacher. I managed to say a believable “yes” whilst I felt my eyes fill with tears.






Cheongyang's main street at night








We drove down one of the side streets to a duplex house, our new home. I got out of the car and looked around. “Look, you live next to a beautiful park,” said Ian’s co teacher as she got out of the car. I looked to my left and saw a mass of brown, dead plants that was this so called beautiful park. The remainder of the day did not improve. We were taken out for lunch to a restaurant that smelt like an armpit which made it incredibly difficult to eat anything. I was then taken to a run down building that was crying out for a paint job and informed by my co teacher that this was the school that I would be teaching at. My co teacher and I then proceeded to have a cup of green tea accompanied with some fruit with my new head mistress. The two of them sat, stared, talked in Korean, sipped their tea and devoured the fruit that was in front of them like a cow chewing it’s cud. When I got back to my new home later that evening, I cried like I cried on the day when my parents dropped me off at boarding school for the first time.



Our duplex house. The beautiful park in front that improved in looks as the year progressed.








Everything deserves a chance and eventually I was able to accept my position. After a year and a half, I am still here in Cheongyang, affectionately named The Yang by us foreigners. There are still bad days; however they are outweighed by the good days. In a small town such as this, you get the full authentic Korean experience, you become the entertainment at the local noraybong (singing room), and you will always be looked at, talked about and smiled at.






Lights by the river. Gorgeous in summer.








So when is it a good time to come to Cheongyang? Never…just kidding. Cheongyang comes alive once a year at the local Chili Pepper festival which takes place in September. The whole town, old and young gather by the river to watch performances (we even had some famous faces last year), buy some things from one of the markets, eat some street food (if you dare) and of course consume bottles and bottles of soju. I was actually surprised how jovial the festival was and ended up having a marvelous time. Needless to say, I will be attending the festival for the second time this year and of course I’m looking forward to it.






The stage at the festival.














Street food at the festival

Gecko's Restaurant

In Korea, I am always on the look out for some comforting western food. When I go out for a meal with a group of friends, I am the only vegetarian which can present us with the difficult task of finding a restaurant that caters for all of our needs. Gecko’s offers a wonderful variety of western food, from breakfasts, burgers, sandwiches, salads, fish and lasagna; everyone will find something on the menu that will satisfy their hunger.

It is here that I fell in love with the vegetarian burgers, also known as a well being burger. It is by far one of the best vegetarian burgers I have had and reasonably priced at 10,500 won served with either your choice of potato chips (fries) or a salad.






My vegetarian burger in the front and Ian's cheese burger on the left.








Gecko’s restaurants can be found in a number of places around Korea. In Itawon you can stumble across a Gecko’s Terrace and a Gecko’s Garden, however the two are different. Gecko’s Terrace, where is burger is served, is situated right above the subway stop. It presents a laid back, comfortable atmosphere and a decent cocktail, beer and wine menu to wash your meal down. Gecko’s Garden however offers a more up market menu then the Terrace that is equally as delicious for those non vegetarian.

There are three other Gecko’s restaurants that are modeled on the Gecko’s Terrace, Gecko’s Island in Jeju-do (Jungnum), Gecko’s by the beach in Busan (Hyundai beach, Pala de CS) and Gecko’s Jukjeon (Bundang Area in Seoul).






Ian at Gecko's in Busan. A truly magical setting at Hyundai beach.








If you are not into burgers, Gecko’s also serves a tasty tofu enchilada 10,500 won that you could order.

Vegetarian Products

Back in South Africa, I am a huge fan on Fry’s vegetarian products; in fact I cannot go two days without consuming one of their delicious soya products. Finding vegetarian products in Korea can be as difficult as finding a needle in a haystack. After a long search I posted a desperate plea on the Facebook page, For South African’s in South Korea, asking anyone if they knew of a place that sold vegetarian products. After a few days of patiently waiting, my prayers were answered. I was informed about a quaint little restaurant in Insadong, Seoul that sold Vegefood vegetarian products.

The restaurant’s name is Sanchon. It serves Buddhist temple food in a charming, ornate setting. It is however quite difficult to find. If you take line 3, get off at Anguk Station and take exit 6. Walk past the tourist information stand and into Insadong shopping street. The restaurant is down one of the alleys on your left.

If you do not live in Seoul, Vegefood also deliver their products. Visit their website at www.vegefood.co.kr or give them a call at 031-591-4181.

Here are two examples of Vegefood products. I find the one on the left to be a little dry, however the one on the right is delicious. Vegefood also has wonderful cocktail sausages that are great on the braai (barbecue).

7 Jun 2010

Useful phrases for Vegetarians in Korea

This was composed by my co teacher and myself so there might a one or two mistakes. I hope it's helpful.

I am a vegetarian.
난 채식주의
nan chaesigjuui

I do not eat meat.
저는 고기를 먹지 않습니다.
jeoneun gogileul meogji anhseubnida

No pork
아니 돼지고기
ani dwaejigogi

I don't like pork
난 돼지고기처럼 해달라고
nan dwaejigogicheoleom haedallago

No beef
쇠고기 없음
soegogi eobs-eum

I don't like beef
난 안 쇠고기를 좋아
nan an soegogileul joh-a

No chicken
아니 닭고기
ani dalg-gogi

I don't like chicken
예감이 안 닭고기 좋아해
yegam-i an dalg-gogi joh-ahae

I do not like fish
예감이 안 생선을 맛보고
yegam-i an saengseon-eul masbogo

I am allergic to seafood
난 해산물 알레르기가있어
nan haesanmul alleleugigaiss-eo

Koreans think that pork is not a meat. I have often ordered a pizza and asked for no meat to be on it and when it arrived it had bits of ham and bacon on. So remember to be specific when you order. Most pizza places do have vegetarian options however there are the odd few that don't.

6 Jun 2010

Busan

After a year and a half of living in Korea, Ian and I finally put aside a weekend to go down to Busan. We left Friday night and drove up to the Choenan/ Asan KTX station and boarded a very full train. All the seated tickets were taken so we ended up having to sit in the area that also housed the toilets and vending machines. Not ideal for a two hour train ride.

We finally arrived in the city of Busan and after 45 minutes of trying to find our hotel, we finally got checked in and headed out for a night out on the town. We met up with Paul and Andy who took us out in Geumnyeonsan. Paul is an old friend of mine from junior school, it was great seeing him after so many years. The area has a great atmosphere and you cannot go far without seeing a group of foreigners enjoying a few drinks under the bright lights of the city. We visited two places in the area. The first was Fabric, where live bands were entertaining a crowd of people with songs that were a mixture of electronic and rock. The second bar we went to was Eva's (across from Family Mart, above Gogiya on the 3rd floor). Eva's had a great view and the drinks were reasonable.







Paul at Fabric








Saturday was a beautiful day in Busan. We headed to Haeundae area and began our day at the Busan Aquarium. There was a lot to see, even lions and tigers. We then set off for the beach. The water was warm, but like any typical Korean beach, there were no waves.




After we had soaked up some sun, we took a boat ride from Haeundae to Oryukdo. It was really nice to look at Busan from a distance and get an idea of where everything is in the city. After such a busy day, I was pretty hungry. As we walked along we found a Geko's restaurant that looked onto Haeundae beach. After such a busy day, watch the sun go down, have a few cocktails and enjoy a good meal.







Oryukdo from the boat










On the Saturday night we went down to Gwangalli Beach. The weather was gorgeous, attracting many people there to sit and admire Gwangan Bridge from a distance. Watching the lights from the city and the bridge dance along the water.



On Sunday we gathered our belongings and headed to Gukje market situated at the
Nampo-dong station. There you can purchase a variety of cheap garments, electronics and Korean curios. Our last stop before we headed back to Cheongyang was Shanghai street. Situated across the road from the Busan station, which houses Chinese and Russian stores. Our train ride back was a lot more comfortable then going to Busan, as the only seats available were in first class. After a busy weekend, it was great to stretch out, close my eyes and listen to some music on my ipod.

Travel trips for those interested:

Accommodation:
We stayed at the Angel Hotel in Busan. You can visit their website at http://www.angelhotel.co.kr/.
The hotel itself in situated in Seomyeon which is 5 stops on the red line from the train station. The area is great for first time visitors in Busan as there are many restaurants and bars. The only negative aspect about it is that it is quite far away from the beach areas. There are a few motels in Haeundae and at Gwangalli Beach that are easy to find from the subway station.

When to go:
I think April/ May is a perfect time to go to Busan as it is just warming up. Summer time in Korea can get VERY hot so being in a city is not ideal, even if it is a city by the beach. Haeundae beach is also packed to the brim in mid summer so if you are there during that time, you should try go to Seogjung beach which will be a little less crowded. To get there, go to the last station on the green line ( past Haeundae) and then take a taxi to the beach.