Seoul Trip

After 2 weeks in California and 2 weeks in the Philippines Steve and I were very excited to hear that we had another week off for "Spring Break" (Huh? Last time we checked it was still the middle of winter...). Nonetheless we decided to use these days off to explore Korea. Our first choice was Gyeongju (foreigners can get a free bus to Gyeongju, Jeonju, and Busan in 2011 by using this service) but we realized Seoul would be an easier trip since we already know our way around for the most part. We also knew many things we wanted to do in Seoul but have never gotten the chance to do. We saw the changing of the guard at Deoksugung (a palace near City Hall), went to the National Museum of Korea (the 6th largest museum in the world), and saw Seoul Tower where we followed a tradition of locking a padlock on a fence to forever mark our footprint in Korea.

Deoksu Palace

Waterfall near the National Museum of KoreaBosingak BellFront of the National Museum of KoreaSeoul Tower during the daySeoul Tower at night

Fence of padlocksNamdaemun Market"Queen 21" hotel in Sinchon

Vacation!!

So a lot has happened since my last post. Steve and I spent 2 weeks in California, came back to Korea to teach for 2 weeks, then went to the Philippines for 2 weeks. Unfortunately, my camera was stolen right before leaving to the Philippines (before I could upload pictures from the last few months). But we were able to take a few pictures in Boracay while we were there. Boracay is a gorgeous island with a lot of activities available. Steve and I were happy to be beach bums...
Almost everywhere you walk you will be asked to try different activities (sailing, scuba diving, snorkeling, helmet diving, island hopping, cliff diving, etc.). Steve and I went sailing, helmet diving, and rented a "buggy car" (like a go cart) and drove around the island in it. Highlights for us were Puka Beach and helmet diving (it's like being an astronaut under water!) Now we're back in Korea!