Munoz Family Visit Continued...

Let us continue...

We then drove to some place with little paths, a waterfall, and some Buddhist stuff (it wasn't a temple though). I can't remember what it was called or where it was. But, there was a chicken there.

And ducks. Those two photos are all blurry because it was so ding dang humid this day that the camera lens fogged up. I kind of like the effect.

This is the first shot in a series of four. (1) Scott enjoying himself, but not really paying attention to his surroundings.


(2) Immediately after Scott super-stubbed his toe on a rock.

(3) Assessing the damage: toenail completely busted out of the nail bed, but carefully laid back down (as to not have an exposed nail bed).

(4) Reeling with pain and shock. Mr. Sung fixed him up later that night... and surprisingly, since then the toenail somehow fused itself back on and doesn't look like it is going to turn black and fall off.

My dad's best Vanna White for some Chinese writing that we couldn't read.

Sisters.

Parents.

Lunch with Koreans is no laughing matter.

Korean dining etiquette and having to use chopsticks for slippery food makes you feel like this sometimes.

After lunch we drove to the bamboo forest in Damyang. There weren't any real pandas there (I'm not sure there ever were), but there were these two fake pandas.

The ladies: Jess Munoz, JA Han, Momma Munoz, Nicole Nydam-Park, AS, and JA & AS' friend whose name we never learned.

Family photo. I'm not sure why I was so front and center for both of these group shots.

Mr. Sung bought his hat that day and I think it was a great purchase.

Suffice it to say that the bamboo forest had A LOT of bamboo.

Later that night Mr. Sung made my parents some tea (the kids got to drink some too). We found out that that chunk of tea he's breaking up in the photo cost about $1,500. Goodness me.

The first sip was kind of bitter, but all subsequent sips were pretty good. 1,500 dollars good? I don't know. I don't know if there is any tea that good.

Korean breakfast the next morning. That lady is Mr. Sung's sister-in-law and she made delicious food.

*After our time at the summer house we came back to our little town. From there we visited Busan one last time.*

This is what happens when you let your dad and husband go out for some "man time." They come home silly and drunk.

Neither of them could stop laughing. It was pretty entertaining.

The only way to start a day in Busan is with some fish cake/rice cake on a stick.

And a corn dog.

Standing in line for the Busan Aquarium. It was hot. It was humid. And honestly, the best part of the aquarium was that it was air-conditioned. Otherwise it was kind of underwhelming.

We still had fun though!

This thing was really, really ugly.

This thing was really, really pretty.

Tons of people looking at tons of fish. I like the guy on the far right.

This photo is amazing because not one of the other 13,000 people visiting the aquarium that day are in it with us. Just us and some fish.

Regrouping after the aquarium.

Couples outfit! Faaaaabulous!

Haeundae Beach - the busiest beach I've ever seen. Tons of Koreans come here during summer vacation. And I mean tons. I bet if you piled them all up on a big scale, it would literally be tons.

This is the "beach."

SO many people!

This was hilarious because as you can see, this lady is wearing an old school life vest. The thing was - we were at least three blocks from the beach... (which she had obviously just come from) but she still found it necessary to keep the life vest on. Better safe than sorry I suppose.

After an action-packed day in Busan, we met Scott's uncle Miwon, his wife, grandpa, and grandma for dinner. We went to a great galbi house (barbecue meat on the table restaurant) near Haeundae Beach.


They give you these nice disposable bibs to wear while eating.

And this lady makes sure you aren't burning your meat or somehow ruining your dinner. She did a fine job.

Like all Korean meals, there were a gazillion courses... this one was meat and noodles cooked on the table. Those noodles were banging.

The fam and the food.

As if we hadn't eaten enough, they then took us out to dessert (which I'll never complain about). We had pat bing su, which is one of Scott and I's favorite things in Korea. It is shaved ice with sweet red beans, tons of little pieces of fruit, and sweetened condensed milk. Every place makes theirs different, so some places also include corn flakes, ice cream, or little jelly things. We've really enjoyed trying all the different variations! (The one this night was old school, it only had the shaved ice, sweet red bean, and sweetened condensed milk... pretty good.)

Getting in touch the in-laws. Family is such a strange thing.

So, I started this jigsaw a long time ago and never could bring myself to finish it. I made it my dad's mission to finish the beast before he left. He got pretty darn close.

Father/Son-in-law bonding time. Thank heavens they like each other.

He got so close, if only they could have stayed one more day... I think he could have finished it. And yes, in case your wondering, I still haven't finished it. But, I will.

On their last day here, Scott and I had to go to work, so after we'd left, but before my family caught a taxi to the airport, they took some photos on my camera. It was a great surprise :)

It was really hard saying goodbye.

I wanted them to stay another week.

My mom found our toy gun. She's a sharp shooter for sure.

Those toy guns were well worth the 1,000 won (80 cents) that we paid for them.

Don't mess with the best.

Bye family! We miss you. Come back soon :)

Well, that does it for the Munoz Family Trip, what a doozy, huh? As you may or may not be able to tell, these two posts were more for me... so that I could document and remember the time we had with my family. And maybe it will inspire everyone else to come visit us! Look how much fun it is!

Munoz Family Visit

So, at the end of July the Munoz clan rolled into town. I had convinced them that it was only fair that they visit Scott and I because after all, they did go visit my sister in Taiwan, a few years back. This guilt method worked (although I wouldn't recommend it for frequent use - people will eventually stop talking to you) and we ended up having a fantabulous time.

Scott and I had a full week off from teaching (which is something special in this line of work), so we had time to really take Korea by storm. Kapow!

I could end this post now by say that we kept very busy gallivanting around the country and eating, but that would make for a short and boring post. So, please, let me continue with eight billion photos and captions (I'm barely exaggerating).

*One day we visited our local waterfall... and so did the rest of the town.*

My dad is so epic.

Here we (and some Koreans in the background) are.

*We also made our way to the Jagalchi Fish Market in Busan. It is the biggest fish market in Busan, probably Asia, and maybe the WORLD! Of course, that is an exaggeration, but it is quite big and full of fish (and other strange sea creatures).*

Giant crab - can be a really good thing or a really bad thing, depending on when and where you find it.

Some people selling their fish-n-stuff. There are puddles everywhere because all the sea stuff is dripping everywhere.

Fish shaped cakes (filled with red bean paste)... fun to look at, but if you've OD'd on red bean paste, as I have, not so fun to eat.

One of the more bad ass dudes I've seen in Korea. The way he is smoking that cigarette and counting his money is awesome. Moreover, it is funny that he's looking so bad ass while selling fruit. You should know though that I in no way advocate smoking. I think it is a gross, expensive, dangerous, and pointless habit. How's that for some unsolicited advice about smoking? Didn't see that coming, did you?

I'm quite proud of this picture because my camera usually doesn't focus things how I'd like, but this time it did. Scott bought some of these little fishes. They are still sitting in the fridge because I think he's forgotten about them. Lastly, don't miss how that lady has stuffed her arm(s) into these strange Korean arm cover things (to avoid getting sun).
Edit: Scott smashed up some of the tiny fish and used them in a stew yesterday.

Here we have Scott's afternoon snack... some freshly grilled squid (packaged in an old magazine page). It was delicious, if you enjoy squid - and maybe even if you don't.

*We also found our way to Namhae - an island off of the south coast of Korea. As I've mentioned before, you can drive there because they've built a bridge connecting it with the mainland. It is a really beautiful and mostly peaceful place. *

The weather was really cooperating this day.

After we successfully found the island we stopped at this shack with snacks, which will henceforth be known as the snack shack. Here are Scott and my dad buying some snacks.

This day she had some sort of lemonade/orange juice drink (made out of a lemony/orangey kind of fruit)...

And hard-boiled eggs (with salt for dipping). Pretty standard fair for a snack shack.

She wanted me to try the concentrated fruit (that the drink was made from), so I did because you can't really turn down a Korean offering you food. Or I s'pose you could, but I just couldn't stand being the cause of such confusion and hurt.

Scott is advocating a state or period of mutual concord between governments.

This is are little Kia Carens - so far she has served us well. We disagree whether it is a female or male, but since I'm writing this post, I say that it is a she.

Driving through the Korean countryside you see a lot of rice paddies, but they never cease to amaze me. Strikingly green and dreamily swaying in the wind - reminds me of a drunk Jolly the Green Giant. Okay, they don't really, but it sort of made sense, right?

There were some gorgeous views... like this.

And this.

Talk about a great view! Look at that fine hunk-a-burnin-love.

We found a beach (three in fact) and despite multiple warnings about how busy everything was going to be (because of summer vacation)... there weren't really many people around.

Strategically grown kiwi trees that you park your car under - best parking garage to date.

My sister and some silliness.

I am the unofficial navigator. I use a crappy little tourist map and so far we haven't gotten truly lost (we've had to make a few u-turns and take a few scenic routes, but we've never been lost lost).

This is my dad smashing his face against the back window of our car. This may help you understand why I am the way I am.

A little farming and fishing village clinging to the side of the mountain.

Terraced fields right down to the ocean.

Sisters and terraced fields... oh what a wonderful world.

Sunset.

This was the first day I've ever been a victim of my own game.

Was a pretty good time of day to be driving around the island.

If only this country weren't such a bore to look at.

Pizza! There is only one little town on Namhae island with pizza... and we found it.

Our last day in Namhae - it was rainy and stormy. This was the view from our room.

*Next we traveled to Jinju, where Scott's family friends (AS and her husband Mr. Sung) have a summer home. It was pretty sweet.*

As you can see, this is a ridiculous spider. What you can't see in the photo is the sequence of events that immediately followed the photo being taken. Click. Flash. Flips its big striped butt completely over (so the underside is facing us). SHOOTS POISON (or something) at my sister and I. A wee little bit of it gets on my leg. Flips its big striped butt back to normal. My sister and I totally freak out. I grow six more legs and turn our spare room into a giant spider web nest.

The ladies went on a nice peaceful walk around the lake near their summer home. And let me clarify, most normal Koreans don't have summer homes, but Mr. Sung has done well for himself. And is generous enough to let us hang out with him.

Oh no, which one is the real sky?!

Meanwhile, the men went on a really strenuous hike. Haha. The came back drenched in sweat. Scott had to carry the back pack with all the water bottles because he was the youngest.

My dad just being his weirdo self. The more time I spend with him, the more I learn about myself. I think he's a secret genius. We have a lot in common.

This was our end of the house... the place was huge.

My sister taking a nap in Scott and I's room. If there is one thing that the Munoz family can do and do well - it is nap.

The bathroom was pretty.

The view from the front yard. Now let me tell you a little story. Mr. Sung's family has lived on this little hill for a long time... he grew up here... his relatives live in those super old shacks. Then Mr. Sung grew up and made a lot of money. So, he tore down his parents' shack and built a super nice summer home. His brother still lives in the same town, so he takes care of things while Mr. Sung is away.

Sleeping on the floor: good for health! (Koreans say, "_____ is good for health," about a comical number of things.)

They prepared an American breakfast for us. It was actually pretty close to the real thing. Real bacon, real croissants, real jam, real fried eggs, real orange juice, and real toast with melted Kraft cheese slices (?!).


Well, it seems as though I've reached maximum capacity for one blog post. I didn't even know there was a limit. But, it won't let me add any more photos to this one... so please follow me to the next post.

For your viewing pleasure.

Here are a few short videos taken at random times in the last few months.

First we have a creepy wagon/cart ride at the Hadong Green Tea Festival. I think the animals were powered with some kind of dark magic.

Next, some footage of the Black Pebble Beach on Geoje Island. Scott was trying to capture the sound the pebbles would make as they tumbled down (as the waves washed back out to sea). It was a pleasant sound that neither of us had heard before.

And lastly, a bit of our ferry tour around Haegeumgang island, off the coast of Geoje. The driver was a pro.