Snowboarding

I had been dying to go snowboarding ever since I got to Korea, and last weekend I finally got the chance when I was invited by my coworker Whitney to join her and her friends. Funny enough, my first reaction was that I didn't want to go because I had been hoping to be able to sleep in that weekend....doh! Another weekend of making myself even more tired, but snowboarding is worth it!

Turned out to be a great trip, although one of the most exhausting days in recent memory. After a very long week, and only about 4 hours of sleep, we dragged ourselves out of bed at 5 am and headed up to Yong Pyeong Resort for a day on the slopes. After a 4 hour afternoon session, we took a 2 hour pizza assisted recharge and went out for a few more hours of night boarding. By 9:30 at night we were all pretty much spent, but honestly I was pleasantly surprised that I had lasted that long. It's amazing how energy just seems to come back when you are doing something fun!

In terms of snow conditions, skiing in Korea is much like skiing in Southern California -- lines are too long, runs are too short, and there are too many people on the slopes. The snow was mostly man-made, but not too icy. And it was a warm sunny day, which always makes me happy. I didn't try anything harder that the intermediate slopes, partially because I didn't have the energy to do anything too tough, but also because I don't have health insurance and really didn't want to risk any injury. But I did well, practiced my carving a lot, and thoroughly enjoyed myself.

Looking up from the bottom of the slope.

This is taken from the chair lift. Notice the conveyor belt for the sledders that runs underneath.

Parents and children in a sled race.

Sledders line up at the top of the hill.

A major difference between Korea and US -- here, most people carry their boards on the lift instead of having one foot strapped in. I like this way MUCH better, because even after I was totally confident on a snowboard, I still managed to occasionally fall coming off the lift.

The view from the top of the mountain was incredible.

Jay, Cary, Whitney and Me, gearing up for night boarding.

Afterwards we headed back to the SWEET condo that Jay had hooked up for us (thanks Jay!). It was two story and very cushy. Too bad we were only there one night! It was a very welcome sight after such a long exhausting day. But oddly enough, our day was not over yet. At 11:30, Whitney the danceaholic talked us into going to a "hip hop club event" at the resort. It was some sort of television deal promoting up-and-coming talent, and some of the performers we saw were quite good. But the crowd was sparse and most of them were young, so it felt more like a middle school dance. Except for the cigarette girls in mini skirts. They never had cigarette girls at my middle school dances.

Here is the view from our condo.

JeeYoung, Whitney, Me, on the condo balcony.

JeeYoung, Jay, Whitney and Cary.

A cool ice sculpture.

As we left the restaurant where we ate lunch on the way home, we stopped to buy some roasted chestnuts and corn on the cob. The stand was also selling Bundaege, which is steamed silkworm larvae. Yes, bugs, basically. It's a popular snack with older Koreans, who mainly like it for nostalgic reasons -- before Korea became a more wealthy nation and food was more scarce, it was a common food source. And they still sell the stuff everywhere, and the smell is repulsive. Here is what it looks like:

Yum.

Honestly, I have been curious about the taste since I arrived in Korea, but was waiting for someone to pressure me into trying it, because I don't think I could do it on my own. Everyone in the group except Cary was Korean, so when they found out I hadn't tried it yet, they insisted that I taste it, in spite of the fact that they all think it's awful. And once the man and woman selling it caught on that I had never tried it, they promptly filled a cup and passed it to me. How could I refuse then?

Pysching myself up!

At first the flavor was actually kind of good, but after about three chews the texture became really noticable and I remembered exactly what I was eating. I could only stand to eat one.

In mid-chew. Notice the changed expression.

Whitney kindly handing me a roasted chestnut "chaser."

I knew I had to try Bundaege before I left Korea. Now I have, and I can rest easy. By the way, they sell it in cans, so if anyone wants me to send some home, just let me know!