Everything's coming up Milhouse!

Gather round and I shall tell you a tale that will enthral you body, mind and soul! Or at least mildly interest you.

We got our New Year’s holidays on Wednesday and we started off the break in fine style! Our boss gave us a bonus and we splashed out on a steak dinner! Then my fair companion went mad altogether and decided to buy a motorbike! Unfortunately, our new found riches didn’t quite cover the cost of the motorised bike so he had to use his own monies to make the purchase. It shall be very handy for getting around and about. I went for my first outing on the back of the bike last Thursday! I think I need to invest in some more appropriate attire though… A flowery skirt accessorised with red pumps just doesn’t say ‘hardcore biker bitch’ to me. I’m gonna get me some leather chaps so I can strut around like some kind of rebellious teen from the wrong side of the tracks who doesn’t play by anybody’s rules, not even her own.

We decided to spend a couple of days in Busan for the break. The last time we were there we spent most of our time wandering along the coastline at a place called Yeong-do so we didn’t get to see much of the city. This time we decided to go right into the belly of the beast and explore the city centre.

We decided to take a trip to Shinsegae Centum City- the world’s largest department store. This monolithic megastore takes up 5.5 million sq ft of space, has 14 storeys and is in the Guinness book of records for being bleedin’ massive. It’s even bigger than Macy’s in New York. I was a little nervous about going there as I find too much choice overwhelming… I was worried I’d feel a bit like Mr. Burns that time he had to go shopping and had a breakdown because he couldn’t choose between Ketchup and Catsup. Naturally, I had a giant cocktail to steel my nerves before embarking on this perilous expedition. After getting the metro across town we arrived at the store and bravely walked through the doors bracing ourselves for a sensory onslaught caused by the bustling crowds, the loud music, the colourful merchandise and the smell of money in the air. However, the shop was empty. It was New Year’s Day. All the staff had gone home and shut up shop for the day. In retrospect, we probably should have anticipated this…. Luckily for us the department store is not a mere shop, it is also an entertainment complex equipped with its own restaurants, a gym, a golf driving range, a spa, an ice rink, a multiplex cinema, and an art gallery in the west wing. We could go anywhere our hearts desired! (Except for the west wing which was naturally forbidden.) We decided to make our way to the ice rink. I think I’m gonna add ice-skating to my list of dislikes and ice to my list of enemies. If God had wanted us to slip around the ice he would have equipped us with rubbery bellies on which to slide ala the noble penguin. This whole business of strapping blades to one’s foot is just unnatural.  Actually the skating was quite enjoyable; I think I might just be feeling bitter because all the kids were better than me… Thinking they were so great just because they didn’t need to hold a bigger person’s hand to get around! Ah the arrogance of youth…

After returning from the skating expedition we watched some truly terrifying Korean t.v. back at the hostel. I have no idea what the people were saying but there were a lot of trippy colours, manic hand gestures and a show featuring a man dressed up as a giant moth ball chasing children so I was scared… We decided to make our escape to a bar and sample the Busanian nightlife. It was definitely a lot livelier than what Jinju has to offer!

Today we went to Beomeo-sa temple in the mountains of Busan. It was ever so pretty. There were a lot of people there praying, making donations and performing elaborate bowing rituals though so we felt a little intrusive… After a while we decided to wander off on a trail leading into the neighbouring woods. Even though the landscape is a bit barren in Winter the walk was most agreeable. We even stumbled across a frozen waterfall!

We are now in Jinju again but we shall set out on more adventures tomorrow. The plan is to travel to Jirisan National Park to admire the foliage and commune with nature. One must get with the bracken, move with the moss. There are also Buddhist temples in the park so we can achieve inner peace while we’re there. As you can probably surmise the trail we are to follow is sure to be laced with danger and fraught with peril. If you don’t hear from me for a few days, avenge my death.  

P.S. Check ot these freaky apartments above the Burger King in Busan. Their sole occupants appear to be disgruntled oversized teddy bears slumped drunkenly again a wall.

P.P.S Rumour has it that a new foreign teacher shall be arriving on the day of my birthday as a gift of sorts! When he arrives we shall have less teaching hours so I'm most pleased at this news. Everything's coming up Milhouse.:)