Renovations

When I moved in to my new apartment three months ago, there was a house here. Now something else will take it's place.

Samsung Hotel Buffet - Geoje

This week I was fortunate enough to be able to go to the Samsung Hotel for their Patio Barbecue Buffet. I went with the other teachers from the school and from what they said it was about a 50,000($50) meal. I know what you are probably thinking, Doug that money could have been used to feed starving children in Africa. To that I say, yes, it probably could have, but it's too late now, what's done is done.

I do have an excuse though because I didn't pay for the meal. The parents of some of our students got together and bought them for the teachers as a thank-you. It would have been a shame not to use them...

First off, this is by far the nicest place that I have eaten in Korea, comfortable chairs, relaxed atmosphere, and space. Coming from a culture where most things are quite crowded out of necessity it was nice to have some space between your table and the next. Adding to the experience the restaurant has big windows and a great patio that overlooks a small park area and the harbour. Another huge thing I noticed was the noise, there was almost none. It is set back from the city in a way that there are no through roads, this results in the absence of noise from the normal hustle and bustle of traffic.

To the food: the selection was quite good, there were a few different salads, soups, breads, and veggie dishes, a couple of cold meat dishes as well as a number of hot meat dishes. Also quite a bit of sea food, the usual option of raw or cooked salmon, shrimp and then a number of different kinds of shell fish. My favorite, for the novelty of it, were the small conch shells. 

Outside on the patio was the barbecue station cooking up a number(7) of different types of meat, all tasting quite delicious. There were other things like cooked potatoes and kebabs as well. Then there was the dessert, while nothing to compare with western treats, there was a good selection numbering around two handfuls and it was all quite edible. 

All in all it was a fine meal and well worth the price I paid. But if I was paying for it myself, there probably would not be a next time. While the food was delicious and the atmosphere was very comfortable, I would find it hard to justify paying 50,000 won. Especially seeing as it is 1/6th of what I lived on for the past month. That being said, if it is in your price range I would highly recommend it for two reasons. First the food it serves is fantastic, second it offers a peace seldom found in Korea.

Decals Placed!

It is now just over a week since I placed Annabelle's decals upon her and let me tell you, they look fantastic! Taking pictures in the parking garage where she is stored simply would not do them the justice that they deserve. Only the best would do. The best, fittingly so, happened to be found on the road leading up the mountain I used to hike. That was before I met Annabelle. Going there together with Annabelle brought some closure. I'll stop typing now so you can look at the pictures.

Big thanks for the decals!

Modernity

From the side this looked like just a plain, old napkin dispenser, but thanks to a subtle sticker on the front I could see that this was not my grandfathers napkin dispenser. The first give-away was that my grandfather used a handkerchief, the second was that this was much too modern...

Such Great Heights

The other night was another beauty so I climbed something and took a camera. Can't say much more but here are a few pictures.

Can you spot my apartment?

Night Ride

Here in Korea we have officially entered the rainy season. Some say it is the typhoons, others say it is the monsoons, while still others just say it is raining. I prefer to use the exotic word typhoon or monsoon to describe it as I back home I am stuck with just calling it rain. Whatever it is, it started at the end of June and I am told will continue until some time in August, as such I am trying to make the most of the time when it does happen to be dry.

This past Friday was one of those days. It had been drizzling on and off for the better part of the work day and cleared up just as I was getting off work. I did a few things around the house and then left for a late supper at the neighborhood pizza place with a few friends. The fellowship was good and by the time we parted ways I had my mind set on bed. That was until, upon my return I noticed that the roads had been drying nicely.

I had been looking for an opportunity to re-ride a great section of road on the north of the island and this seemed to be that perfect opportunity. It was late enough that the roads would be clear of the traffic that normally pokes along and dark enough to make the corners interesting.

I should note here that there is very little variation in the marking of a corner in Korea, there is an arrow in the direction of the turn in the road but very little indication of how tight that corner really is.

I set out at half past eleven with Annabelle and everything about it was beautiful. A quarter of the moon was high in the sky, a thin fog was rising from the road, exploding when hit by the headlight, and wide open roads calling for a wide open throttle. Then there was the smell. It smelled of life! On top of all that Annabelle filled my ears with sweet nothings as the miles rolled away. Bliss!

The road that I took led me over the Busan-Geoje link bridge which I have always wanted to photograph at night. I found a place to turn off in to a nearby village and relaxed under the bridge for a while as I had a snack. Unfortunately the lights that illuminate the towers had already gone to bed by the time I arrived, perhaps I will come a little earlier next time.

My camera said it looked like this but I insist that it looked quite a bit better.

The next day turned out nice as well so I went for a ride in the afternoon and ended up with a sunburn on the tops of my hands and arms. Well worth it as it has been raining ever since and the forecast calls for rain through till next Monday.

Stay tuned for new pictures of Annabelle. She is looking fine(r) thanks to her new decals!

Egg in a Hole

This past week I made egg in a hole for breakfast for the first time in Korea. For those who don't know what egg in a hole is. You take a piece of bread, cut a hole in the center, and put in on a hot frying pan. Next you crack an egg in to the hole and viola, egg in a hole. While it is nothing special it is a change from plain old fried eggs.

My egg in a hole however was a bit different. You see I had been given a couple of donuts the night before but had not had the desire to eat plain donuts so I didn't. Then in the morning when I was wondering what to eat for breakfast I remembered the donuts and egg in a hole and wondered if it might just work.

As you can see there was much more egg than hole and the holes were quite deep so the middle was still just the right amount of gooey. The sweet of the donut was balance out nicely by the salty of the eggs creating near perfect harmony. The only thing that would have made it better is if I had bacon to wrap around it...