Hi guys! I just wanted to tell you about my past couple weekends.
Our first weekend here in Korea was great!
Saturday, August 8th
Justin and I went into Changnyeong. It was market day, so we explored the market for awhile. We also walked around town a bit, just to learn where things were. We stopped by the Changnyeong Ice House, since we've seen it before and were curious to learn more about it. Then we went to the Orange Place for lunch. It's an inexpensive chain of Korean restaurants here in Changnyeong. I had bibimbap! (Isn't that a fun word?)
After lunch, we went to a dollar store to buy water bottles. Then we went to the bedding store, where we bought a small quilted blanket and a pillow for me (yay!). We bought backpacks, spatulas, and a lot of fresh produce from the market. It was nice just exploring more of Changnyeong!
Sunday, August 9th
This was one of my favorite days here in Korea. Justin and I went to Daegu, the third largest city in Korea. We went to Daegu with Randy, Chelsea, and Christine. Randy and Chelsea have been to Daegu several times before. It was very helpful to have them with us, showing us how to use the bus and subway and pointing out things of interest to us. We went to a bookstore, a shoe store, and a couple dollar stores. We went out to eat lunch at The Holy Grill, a restaurant owned by three Canadians.
Then we went to Costco! Costco was the main purpose of our trip. Justin and I bought large bath towels (yay!), shampoo, Ziplock containers, plastic glasses, and cheese (yay!). Between all us foreigners, I think we bought 8 pounds of block cheese and 6 pounds of string cheese. It's sad but true. See, cheese isn't available at most stores here in Korea, so we stocked up. We went to the food court, where our friends got real pizza and we got soft-serve ice cream! Then we took the taxi, subway, and bus back home.
This past weekend was also really nice.
Saturday, August 15th
Justin and I stayed around Changnyeong again this past Saturday. We called our family in the morning, and then left to explore the town after lunch. We went to the Changnyeong Museum, which has many tombs from the Gaya Period, a replica of one of the tombs, and hundreds of antiquities. We went to Paris Baguette to buy some delicious baked goods and strawberry popsicles! Paris Baguette is one of my favorite places here in Changnyeong. It was just a nice day.
Sunday, August 16th
Justin and I went to Busan for the day. We were gone for over twelve hours. The bus for Busan left at 8:40 AM, and didn't arrive back until around 8:40 PM. It was a long day, but a good day. Between the bus and subway, it was about a two hour commute each way. Our first stop was Haeundae Beach, one of the most popular beaches in South Korea! As we were walking to the beach, I saw many hats for sale for 2,000 won (about $2). I bought one to fit in with the locals... I'm not really sure that worked, though!
Then we arrived at the beach. We were amazed by all the umbrellas all along the beach. See, Koreans like to stay as pale as possible, and avoid the sun as much as they can. I went out and stuck my fingers in the water so I could say I touched the Sea of Japan...and a wave came and got my feet, socks, and shoes all wet! Oh well. Justin and I took some pictures.
We went on a walk to see what all was around. We got some nice travel brochures and maps which were very helpful. We decided to walk on a trail along the beach to Dongbaek Island. It was a beautiful (albeit hot and humid!) walk. We saw a mermaid statue, a lighthouse, the APEC House, and a little garden. I really enjoyed that!
We had lunch at TGIF. After lunch, we decided to take the subway back to the area where the church we were planning on attending is located. We had plenty of time before church started, so we wandered around until we found Home Plus. We explored around there and bought a few things we needed. That is one big store!
Then we went to church at Antioch International Ministry. The church service was good. After church, we went to a newcomers' welcoming thing at a nearby fancy youth hostel. Although we liked Antioch International Ministry, we'd like to find a church somewhat closer to us. Going to Busan each Sunday would be way too tiring. Then we took the subway and bus back home. It was a long day and we were glad to get back to our apartment.
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This is awesome! Welcome to Korea! I'm so glad that you're enjoying life so far. We too discovered the joys of Costco. We've got our freezers stocked with crazy amounts of cheese as well! Soooo good. Bath towels too. They are so small here unless you go to Costco! I definitely appreciate Canadian towels now.
ReplyDeleteI miss the beach so much. We're pretty landlocked where we are... We're going to have to get adventurous someday and head out to see the ocean!
I hope you keep having a lovely time :) Send us a message if you are ever up Seoul way!
Hey Katie! Thanks! Indeed, Costco is amazing. Justin and I went with three other English teachers. Between the five of us, we bought eight pounds of block cheese and six pounds of string cheese! Granted, it was shared with a couple other English teachers who didn't come, but even still, it's crazy! Oh, and I loved my Costco towels! They're so big and soft!
ReplyDeleteIt was great going to the beach again! You definitely should head out to the ocean sometime. I know Shannon and Darrell are planning a get-together in Busan for sometime in September. They want all of us ABUers in Korea to get together once Jacob Miles and Kyle Sullivan arrive. I think that'll be lots of fun if we can figure out dates that work out for all of us!
And I definitely will send you a message when we're thinking about going to Seoul. That'll probably be awhile yet. We're keeping busy in this area of Korea. Oh, we're going to visit Shannon and Darrell the last weekend of this month. I'm excited for that!
~ Joy ~