Josh Ritter On Talk of the Nation

Remember when Josh Ritter visited Northwest Public Radio? We just love this guy. Then his Animal Years was listed as Stephen King's favorite album of 2006 in Entertainment Weekly. Buy it and support NWPR
He appeared on Conan O'Brien, then David Letterman...I keep telling myself...I KNOW THIS GUY!!! SCREAM!
Then today, at the office here at Northwest Public Radio...they discussed my favorite song on the Animal Years - Girl in the War.
Talk of the Nation Jan. 29th
Josh Ritter

Save the (Insert Animal Here) But What About the Taron?

Did you hear the story of the Taron Pygmies (above) on All Things Considered? It made me think...is extinction bad? What if extinction was a choice? Are our reasons for wanting or not wanting children shallow? Listen to the story then read the excerpt I found online from Alan Rabinowitz. It is profound. Story link follows:

Taron Pygmies

"Now, in a little valley nestled in the Himalayas," he writes, "I had started to smile without knowing why, and I had started to dream of the tomorrows that could still be there. Borne on the unburdened laughter of a group of remote Tibetans, the gentle friendship of a confused monk, the unrequited love of a fatherless boy, the purposeful acceptance of a lonely death by the last Taron, and the selfless pain endured by a mother giving up her baby, my heart was lifted up through the darkness and was given back to me. For the very first time in my life, I almost felt whole."

Some Fun for Friday

I saw this video and it made me smile all day long. Enjoy!
La La Penguin
Also, visit this site when you are having a bad day. It'll make you smile and even squeal in delight! Cut Overload

They Have a Need

Today on All Things Considered a report aired that made me thankful that I get paid to host. It was about young Ethiopian women who suffer fistulas after giving birth. Hospital Gives Ethiopian Women a Chance at Care I was struck by how young some of these mothers were. Married at 8, giving birth at 12. This piece brought attention to the poverty in Ehtiopia, the child bride problem, the brain drain there and the suffering of those with fistulas.

In this report, I heard one young woman say she just wants to get an education. That is also what many young South African girls told Oprah they wanted. They just wanted to go to school. Their need is education.

Oprah built them a school called Oprah Winfrey Leadership Academy for Girls—South Africa... a dream come true. Oprah's School article. A dream of many young girls in South Africa...and you would think there would be no critism but there was. Build Schools in US Oprah! Basically, they said why Africa and not here? We have poor urban kids here who need to be educated. Oprah says this: "I became so frustrated with visiting inner-city schools that I just stopped going. The sense that you need to learn just isn't there," she said. "If you ask the kids what they want or need, they will say an iPod or some sneakers. In South Africa, they don't ask for money or toys. They ask for uniforms so they can go to school."

This moves me. It also makes me worry about our kids. What are we, as parents and adults, role modeling to our kids? Are we even a presence for modeling? And it is my opinion that pop culture is not in charge. Adults and parents are.

Why do these poor children in Africa want to go to school anyway? Don't they have needs for Nikes? How do they know that education is a need that must be met before Nikes and iPods?

I Rescued a Baby Octopus But Ate His Cousin

First, after half hour into the trip or so we stopped at this place.
I thought we had arrived. I mean, the building was huge and there were businesses everywhere - the beach right over there...and so many people. Nope. This was a Rest Stop! The bathrooms were huge and clean. But what sets this rest stop apart from the others is they sell really great food here! Cheap too! We got some fried potatoes - homefries style. Then got back on the road.

We arrived at this restaurant and let me tell you! This is fresh seafood! Your food is outside, swimming in tanks waiting to be devoured. We had a little of everything! I had always wanted to eat live baby octopus. I had seen this on the TV a long time ago on one of my mother's Korean news shows. It intrigued me, and if you don't know by now, I am a bit of a food adventurer!

The baby octopus was cleaned, then hacked into pieces. It squirmed all over the plate! When you grabbed a piece with your chopstick, it squirmed violently! Then it suckered itself to the chopstick...this is going to be great!

In my mouth...chew fast! If you don't chew fast, the octopus sticks to your throat and it is a very disturbing feeling. I tried this...I just slowly swallowed and felt the tentacle sucker inside my mouth...then barely hanging on in my throat. Then...it was gone in the black hole that is my stomach!


The octopus is soft, chewy and has this fresh nothing taste. The sesame seed oil you put on it is what makes the dish... and the fact that the octopus is VERY fresh.
Here are the baby octopus in the holding tank.
We also had sashimi, various sea worms - which tasted the same as the baby octopus, clams, oysters, crab...uh basically, you name the seafood and we ate it. Except, Lobster and salmon. You get my drift right? Just look at this picture!Here are some sea worms above and fresh, raw fish below. I forgot the type of fish this was. Very clean taste.

Above is a stew they make from all the left overs from your meal - the seafood meal that keeps on giving! By this point I was going to burst!

After our meal we walked around the various merchants. I saw some baby octopus that had fallen onto the ground. They crawled out of their water bucket in a doomed escape attempt. I grabbed one - so cute and delicious!- and he stuck to my hand. I put my hand in the water bucket and he swam off. We found two more escapees and returned them to their delicious doom. Then we went home, full - VERY full of seafood.

While it was one of the most amazing meals I have had...I am tired of seafood. Maybe, when you have had the best - you don't desire anything else. Below are pictures of some of the merchant offerings.

More Photos of the Korean Folk Village

Here I am being tortured by our young hosts. Jun's cousin, Zgu Young, and a family friend, Hyak Jun. Below is a photo of them and Jun.
Shayne and I drank this very earthy liquor.
It tasted like it was made from rice, tree roots and earth worms. Delicious. Shayne liked it but I like my liquor to taste like a blow pop while holding an umbrella. Expensive drinks I know, but it only takes one drink and I am sluring my words or crying.
Above is a shrine and the ribbons are prayers.
Here we are crushing rice and below is the hole the rice goes into. Women did this all day long.
Unless you were lucky and lived in this hut where the water grinds for you! That's the way to go! Oh...then you would be put to work making kimchi! :)

We ventured to the Korean Folk Village - this was fascinating! I loved the hay roofs, the demonstrations and most of all...I loved that they filmed Dae Jeun Gum here!

This mini series is about a real female physician who lived during the Joseon Dynesty 1392-1910...I think her story is between 1495 - 1506. The Cliffnotes Version: Orphaned, enter Palace life, great cook, banished for treason, comes back to Palace, learns herbs and acupuncture, saves King. All this time, in love with a guard. The show was a must see in Korea - the food scenes were mouth watering!
In the Folk Village were the very houses in the mini series!

And there...in the corner was Dae Jeun Gum herself testing a pot full of soy bean paste!
Here I am with her! I am eating rice candy - it is hard at first, covered in flour...then you lick the flour off and soften the rice candy until it turns into a semi sweet taffy in your mouth! I loved this stuff...so did the pigs and the goats we met at the Folk Village! Korean pigs and goats!


Here they are making the rice candy!

When I'm Lost, I'm Lucky

Our exchange student, Jun, lived with us last year and went to a public high school. This year, he was placed in a small private school - his English improved dramatically...but his personal life suffered. It became very hard for Jun to make friends because he had to find them. And you and I know that after high school, or college, it becomes harder to find friends. Jun found himself in this situation at 16. We tried to help him join clubs and sports but it was not meant to be. Jun told us he would be ending his studies in the States at the end of January.

Shayne and I were very upset. We have come to love Jun and enjoy his presence in our lives. So with this news I found myself sad and in a foreign country. What's my coping mechanism? Escape. Yes... I know... I was already abroad but I had to leave the house and be by myself. So I got ready, told them that I had to do some shopping and left.

I walked down to the bus but decided I wanted to take the subway to Seoul. As I walked passed the bus stop I saw a young woman sitting down and using her cell phone. A man cam rushing from behind the stop and grabbed her cell phone and threw it to the ground. He was yelling at her, calling her names ( I can tell for the most part what people are saying) and accused her of something. She picked up her phone and meekly said to leave me alone. He grabbed the phone again and threw it, this time it shattered into tiny pieces.

I had slowed down, trying to figure out if this guy was gonna get physical and if I should do something...and how I didn't speak Korean so what could I do to help and is this really a good idea to get involved and what if he sucker punches me and I have to take him out - take the punch then grab him and throw him into oncoming traffic and run... He looked at me straight in the eyes, I stared back and stopped. He looked at the lady and yelled more and walked off. I had decided I was of no use for her and walked WAY around the stop into the subway.

First time alone and I see that. I need to see something cute...where's Hello Kitty? Where is a toy store around here?

I got on the subway and just randomly picked routes. I have no idea where I ended up...but by this time I was deep in thought about how I could have helped Jun more...or if Jun was here illegally how he could have gone to public school for free, no questions asked. How we did things legally and he suffered for it. Doing things the right way is hard. I also thought about those orphans and how they need a chance. I got off the subway.

This station was very pretty with stone carvings of dragons and traditionally Korean symbols. I headed up and out ... YES! It is PUPPY LAND!

The area I got lost in was the Pet District! 15-20 stores lined down the street with puppies! All cute, clean, sleepy, clumsy, puppy barking!
In between each store was a pet supply store overflowing with little Korean style dog houses! Tiled Asian roofs! ROOF! ROOFS! I wanted one of those houses for Mochi, my senior Shih Tzu! They had incredible cat castles! Winding high with plenty of nooks and crannies! Then walking on... more puppies! Little poos...yuck...ahh so cute!

I am so glad I found the nice puppy district and not the dog meat market. I was seriously thinking of seeing this market but my soul reacts to suffering, and at this time I was out of energy and defenses.

I walked to the end of the street and Puppy Land turned into Moped Land. Not nearly as cute. So I walked down the opposite side of the street for the other stores. I spotted some Shih Tzus and stared a little too long because the owner came out to bring me inside. Then I noticed that every other puppy store had a gang. I could be totally wrong here but I am pretty sure these guys lived hard lives.

Maybe to counter the stress in their...gangster lives...they sell puppies. My thoughts raced...these couldn't be counterfeit puppies! They look so real! Are they really cats? Knock off Shih Tzus and Wiener dogs...do they make them in China like the Gucci wallets?

The beefy puppy dealer greeted me, I smiled and said I was just looking. He came closer (NO!) he gently grabbed my arm, then held my hand (he moisturizes) and led me by the hand into his store. My fears disappeared as he handed me a Maltese and said it was cute. I cooed and petted her...she smelled like pee. I put her down. I cooed at the other puppies...all in their cubicles falling over each other. I was there for maybe 3 minutes. I thought of Mochi. His one eye, missing teeth and penchant for cat poo.

I thanked the man, bowed and turned and said goodbye to the 5 other rough dudes in the corner eating lunch.

The store next to this was owned by a pretty and young woman. I'm sure she's not in a gang. I got on the subway and went back to a familiar shopping mall. As Laura, my co-worker says, consumer therapy works very well. I felt better about things after the puppy fix and shopping and headed home.

More Posts Coming!

I am in the studios BUT I have many photos and stories to tell so stay tuned!

Merry Christmas!

I would like to remind you that I plan to update the blog when I am home with photos and correct spelling. For now, this site is partially in Korean...and I can't quite figure it all out. So bare with me! :)

Christmas in Korea is pretty relaxed. What I have noticed is that many people buy special, fancy cakes. Baskin and Robins have amazing ice cream cakes here - very fancy! I've also seen lots of Krispy Creams happily transported on the subway to their inevitable deaths. If only they knew that they would be cut into pieces and scooped up with chopsticks.

Lots of toys are sold - I've seen many accessories sold too...gloves, scarves, hats. Jun's parents say that Christmas is more like a family day. Some people may recount the story of Christ but most celebrate family.

Jun's family came over, we did a small service, read the bible, sang some hymns and prayed. Then it was cake time! It was a lovely night. We also played a traditional game called Yute-No-Dee.

There are four wooden sticks and depending on what section of the stick lands up is how many steps your team's marker goes. When I get the photos here it'll makes more sense. It is sort of like casting die and moving that many spaces...but certain combinations mean you get to go further or backwards. Money is also involved!

A lovely Christmas.

Wonderful Machine in the Bathroom

I forgot to mention a while back that I met two wonderful machines at the 24 hour sauna. One lived on top of the toilet in the women's bathroom, the other near the nap matts by the I-Joy-like chairs.

First, the toilet buddy. It heats the seats. It sprays your nether regions...with various mists AND temperature control! Not only that...but with a remote control, you can move the mist/spray/upside down waterfall all the way to the front AND to the back. Yes. I know you have heard of these before BUT have you experienced it? Wow.

I didn't quite get the temperature control so it was very cold water...which made me laugh in the bathroom - disturbing the old grandmother in the next stall. She quickly got out of the bathroom. Oops. I was left a bit frigid and amused by my discovery.

Then, we found this crazy foot massaging machine. No. More like Foot Execution Machine. It pulses electricity into your feet! We started with a 5 setting...I felt a little tickle...10 setting...I felt my toes buzz...15 setting...OK I don't think I like this... 20 setting...My feet were convulsing with every buzz... 30 setting...OMG This is insane! What is this good for? My feet and legs were convulsing, the muscles tightening with every shock. 40 setting...Worse than 30. 50 setting....the muscles in my feet tightened so hard that I was tip toeing on the machine, legs twitching...even my thighs were jerking! Then the machine stops, your feet relax back down onto the machine only to be assaulted by a longer shock - practically raising your whole body to stand! It hurt.

Back down to 15. I like this better now. Shayne did it and we held onto his feet and felt the shock through our hands.

This machine is very good for those with poor circulation in the feet and legs, for diabetics and the elderly. I found it interesting to watch my body move without my consent. I tried to focus and keep my feet from twitching but it didn't work. Very amusing!

Jong - I Never Knew

I learned about Korean Jong today. It is giving to others from the heart. We met a Doctor at the sauna a few days ago and had a nice conversation with him about life in Korea and teaching English. He speaks several languages and was a very nice guy. We sat while soaking our feet and chatted away, until he had to go but gave us his number and told us to meet another time at the sauna.

We met again and he bought us full body massages. WOW! I felt sort of shocked and grateful because I would never buy this for myself. He left and told us that when we were done, we had a massage waiting for us. WOW! That is Korean Jong. For no reason, he gave us a gift just because he wanted to.

All through my childhood I received Jong but didn't know it. My mother's friends would give me money randomly. They just felt like it. I'm 29 and had no idea about this process that was happening to me my whole life. You know that moment in your mind when a memory in your youth didn't make sense until your adulthood. You had the information in adulthood to finally get what happened? That 'Whoa...I get it! That's what it was all about?' moment? Jong.

So the massage was amazing. First, the Ajuma (Mrs.), who is in her underwear because the massages are given in the shower/sauna/ hot tub area...rubs you with these exfoliating gloves. All over. I had a lot of dead skin since I've never done this before. She was sort of amazed...Then you shower. Come back to the table, and she rubs oil over your entire body and does this massage - slapping, contorting, stretching...deep tissue in some spots - hand massage, foot massage...everything massaged! My favorite part was the face massage. Oh it is so nice and relaxing. Then she puts mineral mud on your face while she does some more massage with heated towels.

After that, you shower again and you are done. I felt new and never looked so...white and shiny! Shayne looked REALLY white after his exfoliating and massage! We were so thankful to our new friend for this gift!

That night, we told Jun about what happened and he said, "You experienced Korean Jong." And that is when he told me all about this concept I experienced but never knew.

Noodle Alley

We were only lost for like, 30 minutes. Did I scare you? :)

We met up with Jun in the largest market I've been to. Nam-De-Mun market. It is open during the day, closes around 4pm and reopens at midnight to 3 am for retailers. Yet, you, if you have the skill and blend in...can buy lots of stuff, super cheap after midnight.

For those you know me, I start shutting down at 10:30pm. So no midnight market for me. Plus, I am on a budget and don't need 5 of anything - no matter how cheap, right now. Perhaps later, when I return to Korea and my Mother. Besides, the market was open now and I could still buy many things. Skirt, apron, ginseng root mud mask, wooden sword...

All that shopping, and all those people, exhausted us so we looked for a place to eat. Out of the corner of our eyes a small clearing led to a narrow alley. It was as if a cold winter wind blew us in. Literally, it did blow us into this alley. It was very cold that day. We looked up and 30 women, 15 on each side of the "alley" stood before us. Each women in her own, 5 ft. kitchen. This was Noodle Alley. There were customers sitting on stools - think of an old fashion soda shop, now take away the chrome, funny hats and nice fella winking at you. Replace this with steam, slurping noises and very aggressive women screaming at you. Noodle Alley. Each woman is competing for you, she screams OVER HERE...Service here! In English...just in case Japanese too. I heard, SIT HERE NOW!!! I COOK YOU!

What? Oh. She'll cook for me.
They grab for you - sometimes pulling your back pack in their booth direction. MY GOD! I was thrilled and scared. What the heck was going on here?
Customers didn't notice the commotion, and kept slurping up their noodles. Each booth is a little different and offers something a little special. Each booth has a name and how many years they have been in service. The youngest was 5 years, the oldest 40.
Did you see Labyrinth? With David Bowie? Remember the tunnel with the hands grabbing the girl and lifting her up, then down? Noodle Alley.
We made it to the end of the alley. I turned around and the ladies started to motion for me again. I really wanted to turn my back...the turn around again to see if they would stop...then start yelling. But instead I said Thank You really loud in Korean and bowed, then chose the lady next to me. She gave us special service - 3 bowls of Udon noodles, 3 sides of hot spicy noodles; all for $7. It was FABULOUS! Jun asked if we could tip her. She was surprised and giggled and we gave her a $1. You just don't tip here, even if you want to. Jun says tipping is OK in Western hotels and high class places but not anywhere else.

While we ate, some Japanese tourists came into Noodle Alley. The screaming started - in Japanese! The young women were dressed like cartoons. Cat ear headband, one in a big fluffy white fur coat, leg warmers striped blue and red and high heels. Long fingernails, glitter on the eye lids. It was a fun sight! Then...they sat down and the gossip between the ladies near our booth started. Apparently, the Japanese women asked for a discount. The Korean food vendors were laughing at them because it is a rule - discounts everywhere except food. Never ask a food vendor for a discount. Even if you know the price is high, just leave and find another vendor. Jun says the tourist agency the Japanese come here with teach them how to bargain. They teach them to always ask for a discount no matter what. I almost wonder if they do this as a big joke. It seems like Koreans love to make fun of, and overcharge the Japanese more than Westerners!

War..Huh..Good God Y'all...What's It Really Good For?

Han. War is good for Han. Lots and lots of Han - ancestral regret and misery. Try to look it up in Wikipedia. The picture above is of the Brothers Statue. One is a North Korean Soldier, the other Southern. They meet on the battlefield and embrace. The crack in the dome they stand on represents the divided country, other various symbols surrounding the dome represent hope for reunification.

I had my fill of Han for a long time. I thought I selected a historical art museum but instead it was the War Memorial Museum. Yes...it was in English and yes...I wasn't paying attention. $3 and you get all the information you want on the Korean War and various military branches. The first two floors I checked out...until I got this heavy and dark feeling inside. Humanity is horrible! Why do we kill each other? Stop the insanity! I zoned out the 3rd floor and the outdoor displays, various hall monuments. I was War-n Out. (Tom Hungate would appreciate that one!)

A couple of things that stick in my mind: How refugees survived and General MacArthur. Remember the military stew I talked about? Well, this museum put many things into perspective. That military stew was desperation. I mean...these Koreans had nothing. They were bombed out and depleted. Since the people eat mostly veggies..and since most of the country was bombed there was nothing to eat. I think only Busan, the sea coast town that was never taken by the North, may have fared better than those in Seoul.

Imagine, Seattle buildings bombed to the ground and thousands of people living in makeshift 'tents' in the remains of those buildings. I know that this scene happens all over the world. That is why my heart was very heavy.

Then we read about MacArthur - and I must say...America is awesome! Except, I was confused by the Presidents reasons for pulling MacArthur out. The General wanted to bomb Manchuria - you know...all those Chinese soldiers flooding Korea? But we decided no. I want to read more about this when I come home. Also, the day the North invaded the South...the Southern Government took all their soldiers off "Emergency Vigilance." And sent them on extended holiday.

EMERGENCY VIGILANCE!!! Holiday? Vacation? You got to be kidding???? I was dumbstruck! Doesn't that sound really odd to you? I got to read more on this...after I pet my Shih Tzu, eat some chocolate cake, smell the clean Pullman air and thank God for my life. Then I can handle more Korean War history.

After the museum - we got lost in Namdemun. No cute stores to be had.

I Was So Mad!

Some street vendor lady tried to rip me off!

We were in Seoul again and I saw this adorable medium sized dog. His ears were like butterflies and he was black and white. We made a connection. He belonged to this street vendor selling savory pancakes. I asked her how much. She said something and I swore it was $1. I was holding my $5. She said no...no...I thought she didn't have the change yet since it was pretty early. So I called for Jun and Shayne and asked them for some change. I gave her a $1..she said no again and Jun asked what was the problem. She said the pancakes were $9!!!!!!!!! WHAT?????? Jun got a look on his face...Shayne knew right away but I was asking if she needed coins. What an idiot.

We just walked away. Jun told me not to go buy things by myself unless the signs have the prices. I'll be ripped off on purpose. That really made me angry. I was angry the whole time while we had coffee at the PRETTIEST Dunkin Doughnuts in the world! This shop was a doughnut dream! Not like the ghetto ones I know of where napkins are stuck to the floor and half the doughnuts aren't made.

Angry.

I learned the phrase Boo Sai Oh! Too expensive! What I wanted to learn was: That's ridiculous you mean old lady! Who do you take me for?

In the states, people - well, most of the time, think I look...something. They always say I look like something. It is their way of being nice and asking what am I. I look half Asian.

In Korea - I do not blend. My eyes are huge and I walk boyish like with confidence. My forehead says, "Rip me off please, I am a white person!"

Well. I am over it now. I just hope other tourists do not pay that much for pancakes. Ridiculous. I am glad that the 10 or so other street vendors I have ordered from were honest.

Instead of the savory pancakes I got the biggest Korean Corn dog for $2. It was pretty good with ketchup. The Ketchup here is not so sweet and I kinda like it better! After I took a bite of my corn dog, I noticed another kind of corn dog. This one, I call the Destroyer. It was as big as mine, but managed to crawl on top of a basket of french fries and murder them. It rolled itself on top of the fries, squishing them to its body then jumped into the hot oil; forever sealing the fries to itself.
I have to have one.

Independance Museum

We spent an entire day in a "country" town called Chun-An. Jun said this was the country. It looked like Tacoma. He was serious...this was the country. Everyone calls people from Chu-An country bumpkins.

We were invited by a family friend to visit the Independence Museum and have lunch. 5 Junior High boys would hang with us to speak English and we would get free transportation! DEAL! The Family friend...don't know his name...owns a mental hospital. So our transportation came from the hospital - the driver...and the bus that said CHUN AN MENTAL INSTITUTION in big blue letters. This is hilarious!

The Junior High boys spoke pretty good English to us after they got over being shy. One kid was the best - he cracked me up because every time he answered my questions he spoke like he was reading in front of the class!

Me: "So, what is your favorite food?"
Jr. High Boy: " MY FAV-ORITE FOOD...IS-uh...KOREAN uh... KIM CHI"
Me: "I like it too!"
JHB: "YESuh...I TINK IT SPICY."

They asked us questions...that seemed to be from books...Where are you from? What do you like to eat? What movie do you like? Where are you from? Where are you from? ...Where are you from.
OK! Fellas! You need to ask another question!
Blank stares.
Jun translated - this time was the first time I saw Jun as a superior. Very cool. He acted very mature and sort of annoyed at the Jr. kiddos. His tone was sort of bossy as he said - you country bumpkins! You asked that same question 3 times...can't you think of another? Geez.

You would think this would discourage the boys - but they are used to negative/sort of positive encouragement.

JHB: "Are you scared?"
Me: "why?"
JHB: "BECAUSE...WE ARE GOING TO SEE (long pause to gain energy) BLOODY PEOPLE."
Me: "What? OH! The Museum..."
JHB: "YES. MANY MANY JAPANESE CUT KOREANS. IT IS SCARY."
Me: "...I think I am going to be sad."
JHB:" Sad? Why?"
Me: "Because Koreans have many sad stories. This Museum will tell them all."

The Museum is majestic! Two large points jut up out of the earth...the courtyard is wide...the museum directly behind the points. If you look straight on, the points look like your thumbs when you are praying - folding your hands with the thumbs up. Beautiful.

The museum was amazing. It starts from the beginning with the 3 Kingdoms - Korea occupied a large portion of China at one time. Kings, Queens, Monks...the design, architecture of the ancient people...breathless.

Then there was the Japanese Occupation section. In a nutshell, King's father wanted isolation from the world, the King wanted to just live in the palace and didn't seem to have a lot of gumption. The Queen wanted to open Korea to the world. The Japanese didn't want Korea to get Western technology (guns, etc.) but wanted Korea for themselves. They killed the Queen, forced the King to sign a document giving Japan half? of the power to govern.

In my opinion - the Royalty screwed up big time and the Japanese forces in Korea were brutal.

On our way home, the boys tried to fog up the windows so no one would see them. I kinda enjoyed the fact that I was in this bus - not only was the day free BUT this was hilarious! We parked downtown...the boys were humiliated...got out of the bus and ate dinner. Said goodbye and we headed home.

Bus Driver

Remember Young Joe? The Amazing Ace Korean Driver? I thought he was driving our bus yesterday because we were all over the place! This driver...Let's just say I am happy the buses have seat belts and I was in a seat. People were tossed everywhere! Pretty ladies in their heeled boots were grasping for the bus poles with one hand, trying to text with the other. Here's how the ride goes:
1. The buses don't stop at a bus stop unless you need a ride. So they do not sit and wait to make sure they are on schedule - the schedule is a suggestion. (there are many suggestions here!) So if you see your bus, you hail it like a taxi. OH! There are bus stops - and taxi stops too where everyone waits in line for the next taxi. On that thought, I was told to only take taxis with yellow plates, otherwise, you will be taking the scenic tour to your destination.

2. Pay quickly and hurry - I mean RUN to your seat or grab the poles fast because this bus is moving before the door is closed! And he usually isn't moving in a straight line...he is crossing several lanes of traffic, at an incredible angle and going like...0 - 50mph in seconds.

3. Sit, seat belt, sleep. Everyone sleeps. Until the bus slams on the breaks to avoid hitting another bus in front! Seriously... whip lash people! Some Koreans didn't event wake up at our near accident! Amazing.

Riding the bus to me feels like a cartoon. Comical and unreal.

Transportation here is cheap! Our ride to Seoul - about 70 or 80 miles is only $1.50. A taxi is $20 and the subway is $1.00
I love it!

24 Hour Sauna

Yes. That is right. A 24 Hour Relaxation Heaven. They are everywhere in Korea and I highly recommend you visit several times. We took Jun's cousin, Jenny and a family friend to the sauna. His name is Hack Jun and I think he is 10. I am pretty sure the children are with us to practice English! I am OK with that because the kids keep buying us things! :) Before I forget, every child here has a cell phone and is connected to someone or something a lot. There are beeps and texts sent every minute. I asked Jenny who she was texting and she said her friends. They reported what they had for dinner...what tv show they were watching. She reported she was stuck with me and speaking English.

Back to sauna. It is located within a tall 16 floor building...but we go down, way downstairs. It opens up to an enormous granite walkway that leads to a counter. There you pay $5 - YES! to get some shorts and a t-shirt. Women in pink, men in blue. You get a towel. Douglas Adam fans know how important a towel is while traveling! Then you split off from the fellas and head into the locker room. You lock up your shoes, give the key to another attendant at the soup bar and she gives you another key...this is for the locker that you store your clothes in. You change into the pink outfit, keep your undies on - no bra. And head out to the sauna. There is a pebble walkway to massage your feet on. This is good for all your internal organs. I ran on it.

To the right, mineral foot baths. Ahead, 4 little sauna rooms and one giant clay honeycomb thing. This honeycomb cave is the HOTTEST sauna. I am pretty sure this isn't lost in translation 120C. I was afraid. But went in. Everyone is pretty quiet. Meditating ... thinking about ice cream or snowy mountain tops...because it is Hell in here. You sweat the minute you walk in. There was an older man melting away in the corner. Were his wrinkles waves of water? His shirt was a dark blue. I am pretty sure they gave the guys light blue outfits.

I stayed in there for 6 minutes. I was sweaty and feeling great. Then I went into the ice room...

sat on top of an ice cube and melted my seat. That was neat. Then I tried the other saunas. The rock salt sauna where you lie on lots of tiny rock sized ...uh...salt rocks. I put one in my mouth. Yup. Salt. I discreetly spit it out and hid it. Then there was a wooden sauna that smelled of various Chinese herbs. There was the coal or slate sauna - basically an all black room. There was the ladies sleeping area. Which, if you are on a budget, you can stay the night at the 24 hour saunas! There are ant holes, places to catch a nap! There are various I - JOY massage chairs! My co-worker, Laura, knows how much I love these chairs! It cost me $1 for a 15 minutes massage. It was great! There are various snack bars, a restaurant and karaoke! This place is family friendly, kids in their little sauna outfits running around, but not being obnoxious. It was quite relaxing... until I went to bathe. There are naked ladies everywhere, all shapes and sizes, hanging about like some Greek painting! That didn't bother me, it made me less self conscious about my body actually! Jenny and I washed ourselves then sat in the hot pools. Dolphin fountains spitting hot, steaming, mineral water all over the place! Before I was relaxed, now I felt a delicious coma coming on.

We spend a good 3 hours there. 10:30pm - after I pretended to be Madonna and Justin Timberlake...Shayne sang Tears for Fears and Outkast...the kids sang various Korean love songs - snore....we went home.

An amazing evening for a whopping $6!