Three things Ric Elias learned about himself from his experience being on US Airways flight 1549, the plane that landed in the Hudson River:

1. He’s a collector of bad wines.
2. He has one regret.
3. He has one wish.

Rowan Manahan’s blog Presenting is Simple (It’s just not easy) has a short TED video of Elias speaking.

It’s worth every second.

Getting Around

Orienting yourself is not an easy task as all signs are in Hangul, the Korean alphabet. Even when translated into English, the names are so foreign to the English speaker that it’s difficult to wrap your head around the words. These street signs are found on major roadways or highways that travel through the city.

Like in Canada, small areas of cities are further subdivided by smaller residential streets and roads, but in Korea, many of these roads (that are more like laneways to us Canadians) are so narrow that you cannot fit two cars side-by-side. If you can, then parking still reduces them to one-lane driving.

Residents who park their cars here at night generally display their phone number on the dash so that others who want to get in or out can contact them to move the vehicle. This doesn’t sound very efficient, but then again, I live in a country that has wide open spaces.

We noticed that most vehicles have some kind of small contraption hanging over the rear window. Apparently this is a mirror for backing up, and drivers also have a feature where, at the touch of a button, the side-view mirrors can be tucked in for the narrow street parking/driving.

Notice how narrow this street is and the tucked in mirrors.

Don’t be fooled by the house number on the right in the photo above. House numbers are very random which makes it a nightmare for taxis, delivery people, and mail. House numbers are assigned according to when a building or house is erected. So 542 Smith Ave. can be right next to 1087 Smith Ave. which is next to 49 Smith Ave. and so on.

Delivery people and mail have access to maps detailling addresses, and taxi drivers refer to landmarks rather than addresses. For instance, getting to my brother-in-law’s apartment meant telling the driver the name of the all-girls school or the library in the neighbourhood. The subway station (Bupyeong Station) was also a good bet since we knew where to go from there.

Slurping, Eating, and Drinking

Speaking of delivery people, we ordered out one night from a Chinese restaurant and were surprised to learn that restaurants deliver food in real dishes, not disposable ones. They tightly wrap it with cellophane, and voilà! How they get the food to your door without spillage is a mystery. As an added bonus, they return a couple hours later to pick up the dirty dishes.

Eating out is very inexpensive, so guess what we did most of the time? You could have a full meal for $5 – $6. The only expensive item on the menu was Canadian beef.

In most restaurants, patrons remove shoes at the door and sit on mats on the floor. Certainly not meant for very tall people; notice Dave’s knees.

A variety of side dishes are served with the meal, and you can order them to your heart’s content. Hot, hot, hot! Koreans love hot, so there is no shortage of hot spices on side dishes, cooled down with Soju.

And more Soju in the Soju Tents if you haven’t had enough. These will keep you busy, and staggering, until the wee hours of the morning. Call it city camping!

Slurping: eating and drinking simultaneously. No, slurping your noodles is not considered rude and is thought to bring out the flavour. Here Iain gives us a demonstration on our first day in Korea.

Outdoor vendors sell everything from sweet potato chips, to dried seafood, to roasted hazelnuts.

Shopping

Shopping in traditional markets means navigating narrow mazes through throngs of people and merchandise. If you decide to go to underground shopping areas, it means navigating narrow mazes through throngs of people and merchandise.

But it’s all worth it for a good deal. Check out the logo for The Cools Pace next to a better known brand.

Or you can stop by Chinatown because there’s always one near you, and you can purchase traditional Chinese clothing. Don’t they make a cute couple?

Beware of Heights and Bites!

Our brightly coloured slide conveniently places your child under your waiting vehicle, ready for pick-up.

Daycare Slide

Wheeeee!!!!!!!

After spending some time with family in Northern Ontario, my sister and I decided to zip down to Ottawa for the Canada Day long-weekend. No, I do not have photos of the royal couple because first, my 13-yr old niece wasn’t interested in seeing them, and second, I already had a princess in the house (my niece, of course) sleeping in ’til 12:30.  How appropriate that her father named her Tiara, but we just call her T-Bone. You can always count on family for keeping your feet firmly planted on the ground. Here she is:

And when you’re 13, a celebration is not a celebration without cotton candy:

When you hit uni, you move on to healthier foods like french fries and poutine, and to new dress: a mixture of Sparta, Ottawa Senators, and Canada flag capes.

This is Sparta CANADA

And this young man must make his momma proud:

Guy with no ass

It wouldn’t be right to not visit the National War Memorial on Canada Day:

National War Memorial

The city prepares for the big event by closing off some streets near Parliament Hill:

And the people respond:

The moment you’ve all been waiting for: the non-edited backs of people’s heads, bald spots, and children on shoulders.

The end.

Of course we ate fish for the next week, so I was looking for ways to prepare it as burbot doesn’t freeze very well. I found a Fish Taco with Mango Salsa Recipe and even made my own Corn Tortillas. Although the Maseca Corn Masa mix had a cardboardy taste, once filled with all the ingredients the tacos were very tasty. Anyone out there have a good corn tortilla recipe?

Of course I also had to try my hand at Beer-battered Fish & Chips with Homemade Tartar Sauce.

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As before, the Green Party made last night’s debate more intelligent and interesting, just like Elizabeth May did in the last federal election. I went in with an undecided vote between NDP and Liberal; I came out thinking I just might vote Green.

Korean War Monument

Outdoor Exhibit of War Planes

ROK Cargo Plane

USAF B-52

Tanks

Statue of Brothers

Patrol Boat

The wedding couple was easy to spot with the colourful over-sized umbrellas.

Here you can get a glimpse of the intricate embroidery on both garments.

You can see all the side dishes that are served and, as a standard practice, there is no tipping in Korea. So the price posted is what you pay, end of story. The only problem is trying to pay as Korean tradition means the host pays for everyone, and Anne is one tough cookie. She kept saying, “When we come to Canada, you can pay for me” and wouldn’t let us pay until we would either trick her by paying before she noticed or by enlisting Iain’s help.

After dinner we went to one of Iain’s spots where he meets with friends on Friday nights. On our way, we got a taste of what Incheon looks like at night. Advertisements tend to be on thin vertical signs all the way up buildings. Most streets are very, very narrow.

In Korean bars, you usually buy the liquor by the bottle and share with people at your table. I don’t drink hard liquor, but the bartender was nice enough to make me and Anne a drink of vodka-cranberry. It was either that or pay $50 for a bottle of cheap wine. Bars also always serve snacks as it’s considered unhealthy to drink on an empty stomach; we had a bowl of popcorn.

As in many bars, the techno music was deafening, so you had to yell across the table to be heard. Not my thing. Here’s a neon ad on the wall (in English) for tequila. I’m guessing this sign can be seen in some North American bars too.

By far, the most popular drink in Korea is Soju, a fermented rice beverage. Though traditionally made from rice, most major brands supplement or even replace the rice with other starches such as potato, wheat, barley, sweet potato, or tapioca (Wikipedia) [Updated Mar 23]. It is similar to vodka but with 25% alcohol. Click on the photo for more information from another blogger, heykilter.

In Korea, going out is a three-step process. First the group decides where they’re going to eat (restaurants usually specialize in one or two dishes, so you decide what you want first, and that narrows the choice in restaurants), then it’s kareoke or some other bar, then it’s a dance place. Oh, and according to Iain, bars close when the last customer leaves.  And if that’s not enough, once out of the bar, you can go to what’s called a Soju Tent. These are bright orange tents erected at night for the sole purpose of drinking Soju (and eating). They stay open until 5-6am, when the subway system starts running again. I wonder where the AA groups meet. Here’s a blurry picture of a soju tent.