makkoli mountain, olympic park, best dinner ever

dick and his friends wanted to take me hiking up their favorite mountain before i had to go home. the mountain is not very tall, but it was a challenging and hot hike. they dubbed the mountain mt. makkoli because there are several small stalls that serve makkoli on the way to the top. makkoli is type of weak rice wine that tastes kinda of like the milk after you have eaten your morning cereal. the hike and companionship was very enjoyable, but the best part was going off the trail and taking a nap on the side of the mountain. it still amazes me that there is so much beautiful nature so close to such a massive modern city. seoul definitely has the best of both worlds.

i spent most of the next day in olympic park which is a short walk from dicks apartment. it was originally constructed when seoul hosted the olympics in the 80's, but now seems to be primarily a place were old people hang out and exercise. i spent over an hour talking with an 82 year old korean about the importance of english, the division of korea, and our families. all old people in korea look about 20 years younger than they actually are because all they do is work out. even on a 90 degree day there were old people everywhere doing exercises that i'm not in good enough shape to do. the park also had a huge sculpture garden which i spent alot of time wandering through and taking pictures.

today i went to julies school to see some of her students. the school is very modern and super cute. the kids were adorable, but i think they were acting up a little bit because i was there. one girl even called me mr. black because i was in my standard all black outfit. the kids were doing some illustrations and every single kid was an awesome artist. after school we went to insadong to get a vegetation temple meal. it was 40 bucks a person, but worth every penny. you take your shoes off and sit on a pillow and they bring you a 20 course meal all served in little wooden bowls. the food and the atmosphere were fantastic. i think it is the first meal that has really filled me up since i left home.

mountain













olympic park














best meal ever!!!