Well... that was... different

Hey everyone, my turn to put up a new post...

It has been a fairly slow week. Probably partially due to the new computer, or maybe because we're in shock at how much money we've spent so far. Way too much.

We have been exploring our area (Noeun) quite a bit and yesterday we went for a short hike through some nice hills that are only about a 5 minute walk from our place. We hiked for an hour or so, stopping to chat with some Koreans, as well as some other foreign teachers. As was the case with Gyereongsan (the mountain we hiked last weekend) it seems like Koreans really like the whole outdoor/hiking thing. And since we found out that there are at least 8-10km of trail right by our place... we don't really have any excuse not to get into good shape. It was really quite nice there too... lots of trees, and a few nice places to take in a good view of the city.

So for anyone who didn't know, today (Sunday, October 1st) is Tara's 22nd birthday. To celebrate Tara's day we had a nice day doing whatever Tara wanted. This is usually the case anyway (not that I'm complaining... ), but she liked the idea. And so did I, because I haven't had a chance to buy her anything.

So, the day started off with a nice relaxing morning while we decided which of the many, many spas we should go to. We live in part of the Yuseong district which is supposedly world famous for its hot springs. So we decided to go to the spa in the hotel Yousung, one of the older spas. We hopped on the bus (let me sidetrack a bit. The bus system here is great. You never have to wait more than 5-10 minutes for a bus and the fare is only around 20 cents per person.) and were on our way. We got to the spa at around 1:40... the admission was pretty cheap, ~5$ each, and the spa had separate areas for men and women. We decided to meet back in an hour.

I have to say I was a bit apprehensive. I had heard stories... and yeah they were pretty much all true. The change room was fairly standard - you get a locker for your shoes and a locker for your clothes. The spa is basically a large room with a number of wading pools - some hot, some cold, some with different herbs infused into the water. There was also an outdoor area with a few small pools. There were around 7 or 8 rows of showers. There were also two types of saunas (both extremely hot... breathing if my head was held too high felt like my lungs were being cooked). And there were naked men, young and old. Everywhere.

As I said, I was a bit apprehensive. But really, it just seemed really normal. Everyone just kind of did their thing... and hey, when in Rome. The most uncomfortable part was worrying that I wasn't following proper etiquette somehow. Or that I was white and got at least one really disapproving glare. Everything went fine though, and I came out feeling refreshed. Maybe I'd even go again. Maybe. I made it out 10 minutes earlier than was planned, and Tara was already waiting. From what she told me, the womens side was similar. Only the naked women on her side tried to engage in conversation with her. I felt pretty happy to have been spared that.

So, we walked around looking for a decent restaurant... and when we didn't see anything particularly exciting we took the bus back (20 cents each! I love this whole not driving thing) and continued the dia de la Tara.

So anyone who knows Tara can guess what came next. Hair salon time. I have to admit, I was pretty impressed. It was a really nice looking place: Tara got a nice haircut/styling and hand massage while I waited at a table beside her eating complimentary popcorn/fruit and drinking complimentary juice. And Tara was happy with her haircut... which is important to her. And it was cheap... which is important to me.

So as far as interesting things go, that's about all I've got for now. This week we have 4 days off while the Koreans celebrate Chuseok (kind of a Korean Thanksgiving). We head out on Tuesday morning for a 5 day trip to the eastern side of the country. We'll have lots of good pictures and stories from that I'm sure. It has been nice to read all the comments everyone has been leaving. Keep it up! Tara checks the blog for new comments probably as much or more than some people check the blog for new posts.

So look for a new post next Sunday. Merry Chuseok everyone!