A compilation of tales from around the world. Where will I end up next? Who knows! But I'll be sure to keep you posted along the way.
Friday, April 6, 2012
Beaches, Barbeques, and Boats!
Sue selecting our lunch
Well, spring has officially sprung in the ROK, which means it's time to get outside! And what could be better than heading to the beach? Nothing, you say? Well, you're exactly right! :P Last weekend I met up with one of my really good friends, Sue (short for Soohee), for a typical beach-side lunch of fresh sashimi. I know I've posted about this before, but this time I've got video documentation! So, one fine Sunday afternoon we headed to our usual spot at the end of Gwangali beach, where there is a large 7 story (or so) building equipped with a fish market on the first floor. As soon as we walk in our presence is immediately noticed by the fish mongers, who start to
hoot and holler in order to get our attention so we'll buy what
they're selling. Too bad for them though, for Sue and I are loyal
customers of just one Ajumma (the word for older Korean woman) who just
so happened to be right in front of the entrance... lucky her! hah! She
always cuts us a good deal though, and even throws in a couple sea
squirts and a small octopus for free. It's funny though; Even though we've been to this same lady at least 3 times in the past, she's always shocked to see my foreign face, and throws in a few more creepy-crawly sea creatures for good measure. I think she's testing my wherewithal :P After buying our fish (and sadly watching them be dispatched with ease by our Ajumma), we head upstairs to the same restaurant as always. About 10 minutes after getting there, our fish is already cut up, prepared, and delicately laid out on the plate for us to enjoy. I have to admit, despite the watching-your-lunch-get-murdered part, this has got to be one of my favorite meals in Korea. The pleasant company doesn't hurt either ^_^
Delicious!!! Sorry for the shoddy photography... most of the plates were half eaten by the time I took this hah!
We decided to borrow some captain hats for
a quick photo op
As always in Korea, the most random thing you can think of is bound to happen. A friend of a friend of a friend had a friend who was in need of some foreign faces, and I just so happened to fit the bill. What I was told was that this "friend" had a yacht, and he wanted to take some photos of foreigners enjoying their services for his company brochure. And for doing this, we'd get 2 free tickets to take another trip around the harbor. "Sounds like fun!" I thought to myself... but boy was I in for a surprise! Turns out this yacht was owned by Bexco, the largest exhibition center in Busan, and by "taking photos for a brochure" they meant "be filmed and interviewed by 3 different news crews." It actually turned out to be a lot of fun! My friend Karen and I felt like movie stars the entire trip: We enjoyed lavender foot baths, a barbequed steak lunch, wine and snacks on the deck, all the while being recorded and photographed by the news. We even ended up in 3 different papers! My Korean friend translated an article for us, and apparently they claimed that we were foreign models! SO weird! This definitely was one of the more random experiences I've had in Korea... but it was totally worth the awkwardness, and makes for a great story!
This weekend I'll be heading out again with Sue to view some of the beautiful cherry blossom trees that are blooming all over the country. I'll put up some photos of that soon enough, so keep your eyes peeled for my next post ^_~
'till next time!
Here's some more photos, and the video of us eating "nak-ji" - moving octopus legs!!
Karen and I enjoying the first course of barbequed steak on the yacht... mmmmm!...
The foot baths I got to enjoy (while being awkwardly filmed... lol)
The little snack buffet :)
Heading out of Gwangali
And here is my octopus video :)
oh, and here are the links to the news articles I was in :P
