Resort gets taken hostage.....probably not a good idea to make a booking!

So, we're looking at going to the Philippines at the end of December. Inquiring about hotels would probably be the best thing, so therefore we did. This is the response that was generated from one such hotel:

"Apologies that we at SandCastles are unable to determine our future. On 5 Nov 2008 armed goons led by the sister of the mayor of Boracay unlawfully and illegally invaded our resort and the land that we own where SandCastles The Apartments stands. Until now, 14 days later, we are being held hostage by Editha Cawaling Meren and Evangeline Dizon Dalino: we can leave but we will not be allowed back in our home. It is blatant resort-grabbing thuggery.

For more information visit http://www.thelonerider.com/2008/nov/besieged/besieged.shtml

"


I don't think we'll be staying there..........

Billy Joel Concert and Olympic Park

The past weekend was truly a lot of fun. Kim took me to see Billy Joel near the Seoul Olympic Park. It was awesome. We booked into our Hotel, Lotte Hotel, which is connected to the biggest upscale department store in all of Korea, and also Lotte World - a giant amusement park. It's located at the Jamsil subway stop.....instead of located, I should say connected to. We didn't even have to go above ground, right from the subway into the hotel lobby! We got ready for the show and had some wine and went down to the hotel lounge for a few drinks before going to the Billy Joel concert. We took a cab because we thought the subway would be clogged up with people, and it's a good thing we did too! (On Sunday we tried to take the subway to the Olympic Park, but ended up getting lost.....even though it's about 5 stops away).

So we get in this cab, and we told him (in our very best Korean) to get to the Olympic Gymnasium ASAP! The taxi driver starts peeling out and flooring it all the way there. He's cutting across multiple lanes of traffic at massive speeds and even running a few red lights (apparently they mean nothing here.....this isn't the first time that I've found this out). We blaze past the main entrance and he told us there was a 'traffic jam', so we're flying around this corner and he says he can get us closer. He goes into oncoming traffic and sticks the van between a few cars and proceeds to wait until traffic clears. Kim and I pay the man (twice as much as the meter says......probably the best tip ever) and start running all the way to where the GIANT flashing lights are going into the sky like at a Hollywood Movie Opening.

So we get there 'late' according to the ticket, but on time for 2 reasons. Reason 1: the cab driver was crazy, and 2: because Billy didn't come out on stage till 7:20.

The concert lasted about two and a half hours and it was awesome, he played all his hits, except for the one song all the Koreans know.......Uptown Girl!!!! I took a video (Link posted below) of Piano Man. The concert was just so good. It was a lot of fun and the music was great! I wanted a poster SO bad, but they didn't have any for sale. There were, however, posters on the wall, but after the show other people took them. Kim and I found some man selling DVD's and he had one of the posters I wanted (Billy Joel with a bunch of Korean writing). The man kept telling us that there IS "a" poster in the DVD, but I wanted THAT poster.......in the end, Kim used her super good convincing skills (and with a language barrier mind you) to give us the poster. So I ended the night with my poster.

On Sunday, we woke up and toured the '88 Olympic Park in Seoul. The park itself was really cool and there were dozens, if not hundreds, of sculptures all around the grounds. The weather was great and so was the excitement, atmosphere, and music. I don't really know what to say about the Olympic Park, but it was great fun on a pretty day.

Next Week: Touring around Seoul and Dinner in Itaewon.......

Billy Joel Concert and Seoul's '88 Olympic Park Pictures....

Here's a video of the encore - Piano Man. Concert was awesome.

http://kr.youtube.com/watch?v=k_KVQWXQSog


Me in front of the Olympic Pool.


Olympic Symbol sculpture.



Me in the flowers.



Bells from Korea.


View from hotel room.



Me and Billy Joel.



Kim and Billy Joel.



Billy Joel concert.


Billy Joel in Seoul.


Billy Joel.



Billy Joel coming on stage.


Olympic Gymnasium.


Me before the concert.

Sightseeing in Seoul........

This weekend I got to go sightseeing around Seoul. It was also Katie Cormier's Birthday celebration.
So on Saturday we took the subway all the way to go to the Namdaemun Market. We were also going to see Namdaemun is a historic gate that is in the middle of Seoul. It is classified as National Treasure #1 and it used to be one of the original gates (It's the Southern Gate) and it is officially called Sungnyemun which means "Gate of Exalted Ceremonies." So this was our first stop. I was really excited to see this gate, which is also the most recognizable building in Korea. Well it turns out that it got burned to the ground in February 2008 and took more than 360 firefighters to put it out. The man apparently sold his land to developers and was upset about not being paid in full, so he set it on fire and is is going to cost approximately $21 million to rebuild it. The same man was also charged with setting a fire at Changgyeon Palace in Seoul in 2006. Why he wasn't detained at that point, I don't know.

So there goes item number 1 on my list of things to see that day.......
We then proceeded to go to the Namdaemun market, which is one of the main outdoor markets in Seoul. It was very interesting to see all that was there, the food, the jade, the mother of pearl items, etc. It was very crowded and busy but great fun. There are many interesting things that are for sale here on the streets, that wouldn't be found many other places (I guess I should say, in North America). Some items include, dried frogs, dried _______ (fill in the blank, because most of the food is dried or pickled), or Ginseng in bottles of liquid, which I don't know what people would do with!?

After the market we proceeded to go to Deoksugung Palace which was nearby. The palace dates back to the 1500's and was very beautiful. It was in the middle of Seoul and it is very easy to see the contrast between new and old Seoul. There are tall modern buildings all around whilst the old palaces and courtyard bring you back to a time of old. The essence of the gardens and also the historic changing of the guards change the experience and take you out of the 21st century back to the ages of Korean Royalty. There are pictures below of the costumed people doing the changing of the guards. The trees were beautiful as they were changing, such deep reds, vibrant yellows, and non-dead-looking browns. I've also noticed that the changed leaves seem to stay on the branches for a long time, instead of changing and falling a few weeks later. It's been a good few weeks and the trees are still filled with leaves. It makes it wonderful.

We then went back and got ready for going to Katie Cormier's Birthday Celebrations near the Coex Mall....
It was a great birthday for her, she had a lot of fun, as did we. There was wine and cake and presents and friends. Great times with great people.

Sunday was a lazy day, but we made it to an area in Seoul called Itaewon. There is a little market there that we went exploring in. It was great fun and it was full of Korean things to buy. Traditional and touristy. It was a really fun weekend and I think we got a lot accomplished, but it's been a fun filled weekend and a tiring week.

Next Blog: Seoul Olympic Park and BILLY JOEL Concert!!!!

Sightseeing in Seoul Pictures.......

Look how short the doorway is....


Deoksugung Palace.....



Deoksugung Palace.....



People dressed up for Changing of the guards



People dressed up for the changing of the guards



Dressed up for changing of the guards



Changing of the guards


Changing of the guards ceremony



Me and the staircase


Me at Deoksugung Palace



Autumn Leaves



Deoksugung Palace......people walking and talking on a beautiful autumn day


New and Old Seoul.....



Kim and a Statue



Me and some guy in statue format - holding up a book and my hand



Statue man, trees and rooftop


Kim and I and a drum and a gate


Namdaemun Market


#1 National Treasure of Korea that got burned down by a 69 year old man because he didn't get enough money for his farm. If we would've been here before February it would still be intact.



Ironic Photo Shoot

Special Autumn Trekking

This weekend we went trekking on the East Coast of Korea. It was very exciting, we went to a place called Uljin and went to an old pine forest called Geumgang Pine Forest. It is one of the most famous pine forests in all of Asia with trees dating back more than 250 years. There has been a ban on cutting trees for a long time, so the forest and mountain has become quite thick with the trees. We started the climb with an interpreter who told us about all of the different species of trees and animals. The leaves were changing at the time and the yellows, reds, brown, and green from the pine looked gorgeous. The sun was out and I got burnt a little, even though it was a little chilly.

We then took the bus into the Hupo Harbor area where we were able to taste the snow crab that came right from the ocean that day. Hupo Harbor is a small fishing village that is famous for all the different types of fish that can be caught there. I refrained from eating the crab, as I'm not that big a seafood lover, but Kim really enjoyed it. We then continued on to participate in a 'mock' fish auction right on the pier with the boats docked. There was a Korean folk singer that sang Simon & Garfunnkel as well as "Country Roads" by John Denver. It was great fun! After the fish auction and the entertainment we went back to the hotel (Baekman Hot Spa Area) where we had a Korean Pork BBQ. That was it for the night as we were waking up at 6:30am to go on another hike.

6:30 came WAY too early. We were up and at'em and started for the next destination: Trekking in the Shinsun Valley. This was spectacular as it was all rock with a stream/river running in the middle of it. It was full of jumping from rock to rock and climbing up more difficult sections than the day before (just going up the mountain). It was a lot of fun and kept the brain active with what to do next and to have balance. We were there for a few hours, but couldn't complete the whole trek as it was starting to rain and the rocks would soon be slippery and it would become very dangerous. We headed back for the bus and boarded for our journey back to Seoul. It was a very fun adventurous weekend. Not only adventurous, but I got to see an area of Korea at a beautiful time. The leaves were changing and the mountain landscapes were spectacular.

Next blog post: Katie Cormiers Birthday and Fun sightseeing in Seoul.

Special Autumn Trekking Pictures

Signs to follow the Pine Forest Trail

The beautiful leaves changing

The oldest and most preserved "famous" pine forest in all of Asia

All of us on the hiking path

The trees and awesome weather we had

The view from the mountain

The forest has been preserved and a no cutting law has been in effect for hundreds of years

Trees

Color accent feature on the camera. Picks up the red tree and the red in our faces.

Group photo

Me in the forest

Me and Kim

Sunday: Mountain and rocks

Fish Auction in front of a lighthouse on a pier

Our wish balloons we let fly away

Going to the fish auction

Korean Folk singer

The balloons we let fly away

Our trek

River/Rock trekking

Me with the river
The view

Me and Kim with mountains