Finally, I'm back in the blog. I never left South Korea since arriving in late November 2006. I'm still permanently, never settled, but I'm keeping fairly busy with teaching. Days turn into weeks and then I can escape on two-wheels when Saturday hits. The weather's been dry in Seoul, cold and dry. What a winter! We rarely see any snow at all...we've had two, maybe three sets of flurries and that's about it. The roads are clear except for traffic. The air is clear, except for smog. The days turn into weeks, because time moves faster in asia, I'm growing old here! Hope to see friends and family "before" my grey goes all over the top. Matthew James (my junior) is expecting to visit a maternity suite anytime according to the OB/GYN and I shouldn't stray too far on my bike. Mi's doing really, really "swell" and we've enjoyed the weekends, shopping locally and stock-piling for a week at a time. I hiked with my friend Dirk Hanson (Belgium) over sections of Bukansan in northern Seoul outskirts last Saturday, it was a winter/ice spikin' good time. A few days later, I wondered why my hip was so sore this past week, ohh! Nice dark bruise the size of a fist from slamming into the rock face, while dangling on a rope climbing up ice/rock with strapped ice spikes applied to my air-runners (almost-Nike). The conditions were great for hiking and the air quality topped what I've been feeding off this entire winter. Some photos showed a two toned skyline, blue on top and brown on the bottom. It's distinct in the city, I can generally taste "diesel" since it's the preferred choice of fuel in Korea. Yikes! Horrible! If your in Korea, and decide to hike, I suggest taking the orange line north to Gupabal and then transfer to a bus heading north (702..etc) and find the parking for Mount Bukansan. At that point, you can buy ice-cleats in two-sizes, either full-flank or a quad-spike that straps around the arch of your shoes ($15 or $5 respectively), pick up a bottle of Pocari Sweat (Korean Gatorade) and hit the trails. There are numerous routes up the mountain, but the western approach is the long winding trail through the valley before the steep ascents to the top. Dirk was the navigator and decided to climb the mid-section of the mountain. The trail was a steep ridge trail through pine forests to the top. This trail was vacant and the fresh powder was beautiful. I love pine forests in Korea. And many of the pines were the hunched over sorts you see all over northeast asia (Korea and Japan), lovely to see in winter. We had several picnics along the way and eventually started 60-70 degree slopes. This hike is intense because of the duration and the constant climbing, and then the ridge running down a hundred meters and back up again. It's an obstacle course most people will adjust to love after a few hours up there. ^^++ Teaching is going good, many new students, 120 minute lectures (forget the bathroom breaks) and by Friday, it's over!
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