Muuido Take 2 [A Top 5 prequel]

 Hey summer... I see you have arrived.

Credit to Mike Williams for this excellent shot of yours truly.

With temperatures regularly hovering in the mid eighties, and humidity already threatening to rise to the point where breathing feels like chewing yellow dust flavored paste, summer has most definitely arrived in the ROK.

I've been feeling a dawning sense of time slipping through my fingers, most bluntly measured by the shrinking number of days left in the land of the morning calm. Realizing that my time in Korea will, in fact, be ending sometime in the near future, I've started to feel a little nostalgic for the time I will never experience again.

Ok, perhaps that was a bit melodramatic. But, I have realized that, while Korea is in no way the perfect place for me to live forever and ever, while it may be frustrating beyond belief, I've been extraordinarily happy this year. I was blessed with a wonderful opportunity, which I hope I took full advantage of. I've been pretty content with the decision I made, and hope that future decisions will turn out as grand as this one.

Luckily I have a bit more time to live out my Korean life, and I'm not going to let it slip away with out a bit of reflection and appreciation. I have recently started doodling some Top 5 lists on napkins, lesson plans and the like. I promise that, in due time, I will share said lists with the interwebs. For now, I hope you enjoy a long weekend in what is surely one of my Top 5 Places in Korea.

Welcome [back] to Muuido. 

 As those who have been paying attention may remember, my recent Memorial Day visit to the small wonderland of Muuido was the second time I had ventured to this Western Island. 5 of us spent a few days on the sand enjoying the last bit of summer during Chuseok, and had such wonderful things to say, that the rest of our friends decided they needed to check it out. Naturally, none of us were going to say no to another weekend on the beach, especially if that beach came accompanied with beach-side huts, amazing fresh seafood, nighttime campfires, and a bizarre natural phenomenon to boot. (Everyday the tide goes out well over a mile, leaving seemingly endless mudflats where the Ocean used to be.)

Our long Korean Memorial Day weekend seemed like the perfect opportunity for a group Muuido trip; so, two weeks ago, twelve of us filed our bags with picnic goods and beach towels and set out early to enjoy 3 days of relaxation on the coastal island.

Turns out we had the same idea as what seemed like every foreigner and Korean family on the peninsula. There was even another large group of Badgers, with whom we occasionally rub elbows. Over Chuseok, our crew was joined by three or four other huts of English teachers and a smattering of Koreans who seemed utterly shocked that we had found the place. This time it was a little more like foreigner Spring Break meets all of Korea on a family trip to the beach. Basically, it was ridiculous.

 

"Most Korean's, they think the sun is enemy number 1." - Mike's co-teacher

None the less, our days on Muuido were spent lazing around and playing sports and games on the beach, wandering the mudflats, laying some more, and having the most legit Korean picnics these waygooks have ever seen.

 

 

 That is of course until around 4 pm when the tide began to roll back in, and with it....

...the zombie apocalypse. I am not joking. I think due to a even more bizarre reaction between the sun baked mud flats and the cool ocean water, the hours between 4 and 5 looked like nothing short of an apocalyptic horror movie. A heavy fog swept in literally engulfing the horizon, as well as all those left racing the tide back to shore.

The zombie apocalypse effect was only enhanced by a small army brigade (or some sort of army prep program .. a bit unclear) running drills in the mist. Tell me this doesn't look like they are preparing to fight of the Zombies,  or maybe KJI.

After providing us the opportunity to marvel at the bizarre weather and realize that we would not, in fact, have to fight off the zombies, both evenings clear up enough to enjoy icey dips in the ocean, sunset galbi on the beach, delicious fresh seafood feasts, and twilight hours filled with campfires, REAL s'mores, a little 맥주, and friends.

While this trip to Muuido was most certainly different than my first encounter with the island, it was an amazing weekend none the less. I think this little coastal gem accounts for two of my favorite weekends in the ROK and, for that, it most certainly makes my Korea Top 5.

Anyeong[hikheseyo].
에밀리

[Public service announcement to any waygooks who may have stumbled across this post in search of information, on or directions, to Muuido. I have now followed terrible directions found online TWICE in search of Muuido. The easiest, most direct, and correct route is as follows: take the most convenient route to Incheon Airport. From there the 222 bus will take you straight to the Muuido ferry. There are two 222 buses; both go to the ferry but one you will have to walk about 5 minutes. Just check with the driver, you want the one to the ferry but the other isn't the end of the world. Don't take the 306, as it drops you off really far away.  Once you reach the ferry you buy a ticket for about 3 dollars that is your round trip ferry ticket. No need to hold onto it, as anyone whose on the island has obviously paid. there ferry takes under 5 minutes, and from there you wait for the bus. There is literally only one bus on the island with two stops. The second stop is Haeundae Beach. You can rent huts for 20,000W a night plus a 10,000W key deposit. 4 People can fit in a hut as long as your not giant, 5 was a tighht squeeze, three would be practically roomy. Hope this helps, as it seems there is very little practical info out there. :) ]

추석 Revisited: Adventures in Seoul and Gyeonggi-do

Apologies in advance for writing way too much in this post. I'm still trying to play catch up from Chuseok (better late than never, right??), but will make it my future goal to restrain myself.

Determined to make good use of my precious moments of freedom, I spent the latter half of Chuseok break with some friends gallivanting around Seoul and Gyeonggi-Do, seeing what each had to offer. The following represent our findings. 

Indian food and Kimchi-Cheese Pancakes
And that's about all she wrote. The night before Chuseok, I met up with some friends living in Ansan, a city about halfway between Pyeongtaek and Seoul. We scarfed delicious Indian food and headed out for a night in Ansan. I was once again amazed by Korea's determination to cover every mountable space with neon signs. It's amazing that some (many) areas are actually quite ugly on the surface, but come to life under the dazzling glow of a neon norebang, or two, or forty. The night was pretty low key by Korea standards, but enjoyable nonetheless. It eventually ended with some sort of kimchi-cheese pancake, at a restaurant, which Pat mistook for a bar. This was probably the better decision anyways and the pancake concoction could give a fatty slice of Ian's or PDR a run for it's money, in terms of effective late-night cuisine.

Tourists-Shmourists 
On Chuseok day I went with a handful of English teachers, to Gyeongbuk Palace, the oldest and largest Joseon dynasty compound. Gyeongbuk was my first palace experience, as well as my first super touristy activity since my arrival in the land of the morning clam. There was a traditional changing of the guards ceremony, as well as a small festival featuring traditional Korean "Samul Nori" dancers and acrobats. The child acrobats where amazing, and simple adorable. The palace complex itself was pretty fantastic. The ceilings of each building are supported by hundreds of wooden beams, painted in vibrant  greens, reds, yellows and blues, the only thing more extravagant than the ceilings are the interior spaces,
which add brilliant gold to the effect. I did my best not to hold everyone up, but at times felt the need to camp out on a bench (or the ground) and take everything in. I started a few sketches, and hope to do many more this year. I am definitely realizing how lucky I was to travel Italy and Europe, with 30 other people whose hearts desire it was to sink into a corner and draw/ or write. In the last week or so, I have started to connect with some other arsty-fartsy UW Gepik-ers and we are going to try to check out some artist events, with like-minded people, in the future. The palace group also attempted to go to Changdeok Palace, which is renowned for its beautiful gardens; however, after realizing we would have to pay for a guided tour, wait around an hour, and possibly listen to said guided tour in Japanese, we all decided to save Changdeok for another day.

Seoul Mates: An interesting cultural side note
Once a Korean couple reaches a certain level of serious-ness (cue Bubbie: "Is it serious??"), say 200 days, they often (or always) go out and buy matching outfits. These can range from matching or connecting t-shirts, to full on head to toe twinkies.

After getting our fill of the palaces, Ali, Pat, Brent, Lauren, and I, headed over to Myeongdong in search of some needed electronics, bags, and other such things. Myeongdong is a large shopping district in Seoul and has the potential to be a dangerous place if you have Won burring a hole in your pocket. Sadly/Luckily,  I am approximately eight times the size of the average Korean, and thus will be limited to the glories of Forever 21 and H+M. Although, it is nice to know I don't have to worry about wearing my clothes to rags in a year. After searching around and obvi eating some street food (something that resembled an egg on one side and a pancake on the other), Ali and I happened on the best Korean couples shirts I have see so far; so, naturally, we bought them. Best 10,000 W (8 bucks) I have spent so far. See above right to view the full effect of the connecting heart, cup-phone glory! The crew eventually went our separate ways, with vague ideas of hiking in the next few days.




"You should have seen that sunrise, with your own eyes..."
Ok, it was not a sunrise, it was two sunsets. Kill me, I couldn't help it.
Seeing as I am not living in what you may call a bustling metropolis, my few nights spent at home during Chuseok week were most often spent planning which adventure/activity to do next. After arriving home from an exhausting day of palace hopping, and filling my belly with something delicious, I flopped down on my couch and tried to figure out what to do next. At this point I still did not have a cell phone, so the planning process involved sitting in my glorious corner of wifi, guidebook in lap, and facebook, my only form of contact to those in Korea, on the screen. At around midnight, Ali and I struck gold, with possibly the best idea EVER. After realizing the weather would be absolutely perfect the next few days, we decided to head to Muui-do, or Muui Island, early the next morning. 9 am Seojeong-ri station departure, 6 hours of trains, buses, ferries, and the help of 2 friendly, but slightly confused Koreans later, we arrived. (sidenote: the return trip took a third of the time once we knew what we were doing!) Ali and I played a quick game of charades with the man renting huts, eventually reserving a small hut on the beach for the next two nights. Now, when I say small hut on the beach, I mean exactly that. Ali, Pat, Sam, Brent and I squished ourselves into a 7 foot by 7 foot hut, which was perched on stilts about 50 feet from the Yellow Sea (with the tide in), and equipped with a heated floor, five pillows and five blankets. This ritz-carlton-esque lodging cost us 60,000 won ($52.00) total for both nights, and was worth every fricken penny.

Muui-do is a small Island off the West coast of Korea, and is home to one of the most bizarre natural phenomenon I have ever seen. At around 9 pm the tied starts to go out and then ... it keeps going out.. forever. By midnight it is out over a half a mile, and by the next morning you have to walk 45 min to reach the shoreline. It is totally bizarre, but very cool to walk out on the mud flats, dodging crabs and weird tubers (possibly sea cucumbers?) and watching people dig for clams. At around 3 pm, the tide rolls back in and you can swim in water above your head, a short 50 feet from your hut.

The next 2 days were spent laying on the beach, walking out on the mud flats and eating the freshest sea food I have ever had (grilled clams and seafood pa-jeon [pancakes] right out of the ocean). The second day, Brent and I hiked up to the top of the island and took in a spectacular 270 degree view of green islands and sea, while ignoring the 90 degrees pointing us towards the airport.

There were about 5 other huts or tents of English teachers there at the time; so, after watching two spectacular sunsets, with nothing but the sea and more Islands to the West, both nights were spent relaxing and drinking around communal bonfires. On the second night, the smallness of the world came crashing down on me, when a Korean family joined our festivities. Somewhere in the course of the evening I learned that the patriarch of this family lived in Buffalo Grove for four years! His children even attended Daniel Wright Middle School, while I was learning Algebra over at Twin Groves. Words cannot explain the level of insane shock and coincidence both of us felt at this moment. The man then proceeded to introduce me to every member of his family and, I'm pretty sure, tried to set me up with his far too young, and totally mortified, nephew. Needless to say, my brain exploded; but this, combined with an 8:30 am make-your-eyes-water spicy noodle bowl, was the perfect end to a wonderful week in 한국!


Unfortunately, during this last stretch, my camera fell victim to soju, a lifeguard stand, and the yellow sea. ( I know, I know... stupid, stupid, stupid!!) I have not yet stolen Ali's Muui-do photos, or purchased a new camera. Both issues will be resolved soon; however, now I must simply say "C'est la vie" and appreciate every moment as it happens.  (**All Muui-do photos in the post were jacked from Brent's Blog "Way from Wisconsin"**)

I hope you're either enjoying or ignoring my adventures! I love hearing updates from home and I swear one day I will be on top of the whole more frequent, shorter blog post thing.  As my co-teacher Julie says. , "Ok-Bye-Bye, See you next time!"