Last weekend I headed out toward Jeongseon.  Jeongseon is in the northeast part of south Korea and is a bit difficult to get to.  But, being difficult to get to can be a good thing (i.e., no tourists; no nothing).

Jeongseon used to be known for its coal mining, but those mines ran dry (is that the right verb?) and now they’ve built a fancy new casino (which you can see nestled up in the mountains above the deserted mine).

But, one of the main reasons I trekked out to Jeongseon was to see Dongwon Coal Mine.

Dongwon was the last coal mine in Gangwon province, and one of the last in Korea.  It operated from 1962-2004, but it pretty much looked like nothing had changed since 1962.

But there’s more to it than it just being a mine… it was also the site of a major Korean labor fight.  From April 21-24, 1980; Dongwon mine went on strike after refusing a 20% raise increase (the union wanted a 42.75% raise).  160 policemen and workers were injured, 81 workers were arrested, and one policeman died.  Then, the miners and their families (5,000 strong) basically took over the town by overrunning the police.

While this moment in Korea’s democratization movement is often overlooked by the protests in Busan-Masan and the Gwangju Massacre that occurred one month later; it still remains a very important moment in Korea’s long and windy path toward democracy.

In an odd side note, if you visit Jeongseon, you will find a deserted city that has the nicest roads and government facilities you will ever see.  This is because when the government closed the mine in 2004 they promised Jeongseon payments of $100 million.  However, only $20 million have been made, but even with that, Jeongseon appears to be doing well (at least from an outsider’s subjective viewpoint).

To get there: take a bus from Dong Seoul Bus Terminal… BUT (and this is very important) if you want to get there fast, get a bus that doesn’t stop at every small town and intersection along the way.  On my return journey, I took a direct bus to Seongnam Bus Terminal and it was much, much faster for this very reason.

Here are the photos (you can see them in all their glory here)

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Last year I had the unique opportunity to visit Changdeok Palace at night (it’s very rarely open at night and even then only open to a handful of psychotic fans rushing to get on the sign up page… see those posts here & here).  Well, I finally went during the day.

It was still amazing.  I just love Changdeok Palace.  Even though I hate that the Joseon Dynasty crushed Buddhism, pushed women further into the kitchen, and shut off Korea from the rest of the world (a simplistic view, I know)… I can’t help but stare in awe at these buildings.

They were used until fairly recently… well, until the Japanese came over in 1910 (the saddest place of the palace, in my opinion, is looking at the room in which the last cabinet meeting of the Joseon Dynasty was held in which they voted to agree to the annexation treaty with Japan).  And after the Japanese were forced to leave at the end of WWII… the Korean government allowed Princess Deokhye to live here until her death in 1989.

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I’ve left my blog to ruin as of late. It’s because of photography.

I’ve become obsessed. It’s only been a few months since I bought my first DSLR camera, but I’m in love. (I have a longer blog post to write about hobbies, but that will have to wait.)

Right now, I’m spending all of my time studying photography, Photoshop, and lighting. I’m working on a small part of a massive project to document the Seoul subway system. And I just bought my first off-camera flash (above photo), which basically makes me feel like Kristen Wiig’s I’m-So-Freakin-Excited Sue (USA only… sorry Albanian readers… and speaking of Kristen Wiig, if you haven’t seen her reading of Suzanne Somer’s poetry, it is a must see).

Here are some recent photos from the Seoul metro project.  These were all taken at subway stops in or near Seoul.  You can see the full set here.

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I’m a little late to the game on this one, but when my coworker (here’s his blog) showed me this I couldn’t stop laughing.  I couldn’t stop laughing because I see and experience this on an almost daily basis.

The sounds they make, their faces, their hand movements.

It’s very cute and it reminds me of how fun it is to live an culture that values cuteness (read “Why do Koreans like cute things?“).

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I spent my Korean New Year with a Korean family.  While it was wholly interesting to see the customs and rituals, the best part was being able to be with a big family enjoying a big holiday.  It reminded me of how much I miss my own.

Korean New Year, or Seolnal (설날), is probably the biggest holiday here.  I booked my ticket a month ago and left right after work.  Due to the massive amount of traffic of people leaving Seoul for their hometowns, the typically 4 hour bus ride took over 6 hours.

It is a three day holiday.  The first day we prepared food.  We started at about 3:30pm, and when I went to bed at 1am I could still hear the women cooking.  I had heard about how hard women work during Korean holidays, but this surpassed all of my expectations.  I was incredibly tired the whole visit, but I only did about 1/20 of the work of the women while also sleeping a lot more…

The second day, we woke up and set up the table for the charye ceremony for the ancestors who have passed away (see photo above).  During the ceremony, my friend and his father bowed and paid their respects to the father’s parents.  During the break, my friend’s sisters came in and bowed.  They also asked if I would like to bow, which I was hesitant to do, but was glad I did.

After the ceremony, we cleared the table and ate and ate and ate.  It was pretty much heaven.

The following day we visited the mother’s parents who are still alive.  It is custom to bow and say happy new year, after which they offer words of wisdom and give you money.

This was an experience I will never forget.  Not too many foreigners are invited into a Korean home to see this, so I feel very honored and lucky.  Also, my friend’s family is incredibly generous.  They gave me a bed and more food than any one person should ever eat.

Here are some photos of the preparation.  You can see the full set here.

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smoke coming from the wood fire that is heating the ondol floors in the tea house

Of all the things to do in Korea, my favorite is quickly becoming doing ANYTHING where there are NOT lots of people.  Last year I got to see Changdeokgung Palace (first trip & second trip) in a small group.  I also visited Hahoe Village on eve of one of the biggest holidays so no one was there.

Now, I’m realizing that isolated temples in small beach towns are pretty deserted in 15 degree weather… but only if you arrive very early.

I went back to Buan last week (here’s the first trip) with datesRibs in an effort to see Jikso Falls… the waterfall I tried to see the week before.  I thought by going with a Korean I would have no trouble.  But… as it turns out… some Koreans don’t like hiking up mountains for hours in the freezing cold and given the prospect can come up with some pretty inventive stories like “oh, we have to transfer buses 7 times and then hike for 4 hours” or “oh, my friend just called and I have to be home early tomorrow, we won’t have time to hike”… so, needless to say I didn’t get to see Jikso Falls.

I did, however, get to see Naeso Temple (or Naesosa) in the early morning and it was incredible.  I’d never been to any temple without throngs of people.  This day, there was one other person there and we could hear the morning ceremony taking place in the main hall.

Naeso Temple was originally built in 633 during the Baekje Kingdom (18 BC – 660 AD) when Korea was divided into three kingdoms.  The current temple was rebuilt 1000 years later in 1633 during the Joseon Dynasty.

I definitely recommend early an early morning trip.  See the full photo set here.

at every temple there are guardians and beneath the guardians are the "evil" beings they are protecting us from... this is one of those evil beings

Naesosa was laid out really well and the lines of the buildings flowed nicely

the mountains surrounding the temple were gorgeous... even in the dull grey winter

the pagoda in front of the main temple

after walking around a bit, we had tea in a wood building over 250 years old with the traditional ondol floor heating

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Byeongsan Seowon is a Confucian school in Andong, Korea,  first established in 1613 during Korea’s Joseon Dynasty (1392-1897).

Even though I lived in Andong for a year, I never made it out there because it is almost impossible to reach unless you have a car.  It is just a few kilometers away from the UNESCO site Hahoe Village, but only two buses per day make it up the winding dirt road to Byeongsan.

It is much less famous than Andong’s other Confucian school, Dosan Seowon, I’m guessing because Dosan was set up by Yi Hwang, Korea’s most notable Confucian scholar.

However, despite not being as famous as Dosan Seowon, it is much more beautiful.

A large part of me has become immune to sites like this.  I’ve seen so many traditional Korean buildings, I think I could build one in my sleep.  But then I come to a place like Byeongsan Seowon and I’m blown away.

In front of the school is a beautiful beach and river.  The school sits up on a hill surrounded by gorgeous mountains and nothing else.  It’s simply breathtaking.

Also, because it is so hard to get to (and because it was FREEZING) there was hardly anyone there.  Which, since I dislike people, I loved.

Here are some photos of the school and the sunset by the river.  You can see the full set here.

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I was supposed to be vacationing on my favorite island in sunny (and hot) Philippines… instead I’m stuck in Korea (thank you Confucius) in 10°F weather going to empty beach towns.

I’ve always been drawn to the places that were once the center of attention, but are now… disregarded.  I’ll never forget my parents taking me to a real mining ghost town when I was kid… that was wonderful.

Being inspired by my friend Brian’s photos of Jeju Island, I headed out to a small beach town I’d never heard of — Buan.  Because it is 10°F, I got a super cheap rate ($25) at a new hotel, and amazing service at all the restaurants (I was the only customer).

Buan was beautiful.  I want to go back, but I want to go back with a Korean friend because it is far from foreigner-friendly.  I really wanted to see this supposedly amazing waterfall, but I couldn’t figure out how to get there and many of the locals were not keen on talking to me.

Here are some of the photos… you can see the full set here.

I didn't get the best sunset, but I was lucky to catch these folks on the rocks.

some folks ventured out to the edge... unlike me

these guys just got out of the military (mandatory in Korea) and asked me if I would take their picture... they were so happy (to be out of the military... not to have their picture taken by me)

after being on the cold, rocky beach all day, it was nice seeing this on the walk back to my hotel

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Seoul is colder than it has been in 10 years.  The rest of country is worse.

Yesterday, it was -17.8°C (-0.4°F)… but with high winds the “feels like” temperature was -22°C (-7.6°F).

My windows are frozen on the inside.

So, mom and dad, please stop complaining when it dips into the 30s back home!

Here are some photos I took this morning of my frozen windows… I am playing around with some new techniques.

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It’s been incredibly cold this year in Korea.  And while I generally prefer cold weather to hot, I don’t like biting cold, which is what it has been for the last several weeks.

It snowed some this week and a couple of my friends were nice enough allow me to take some photos.

You can view the full photo set here.

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The date of birth on the right on the date of death on the left. This was a student; a 17 year old kid. Murdered for protesting for freedom against the president/dictator that the Americans put into power.

March 15, 1960: Election Day in Korea.

In Masan, over one thousand protesters gathered as it became increasingly clear that the election for President and Vice President was rigged.  The military opened fire, blacked out the city, and called for US Marines to help damper the protest.

On April 11, the body of a high school student was found in Masan harbor.  The boy had been missing since the March 15 protest.  The government continued to say that the student had drowned, but when protesters forced their way into the hospital where his dead body lay, they discovered that his eyes were blown out by grenades, which is how he died.

From Masan the protests spread to Seoul, then to the rest of the country. It led to the resignation of (the corrupt) President Syngman Rhee in what became the April Revolution. His prime minister, Gibung Lee, committed suicide along with his entire family.

Syngman Rhee was the first president/dictator in post-colonial, post-Korean War Korea.  His resignation was an incredibly hopeful moment for Korea… until Park Chung Hee entered to create a new dictatorship.

It was hard to get a firm number of those that were killed in the protests.  The very nice lady at the museum didn’t know for sure, but it appears that anywhere from 15-30 died while protesting for freedom (many of them young students).  Many more were injured.

It’s sad.  It’s sad for Korea.  It’s sad for America.

Masan has a beautiful memorial and museum dedicated to the event.  Those who were killed or injured in the protests are buried here.

You can see the full photo set here.

photos of those killed in the protests

graves of those killed and injured in the protests

sculpture commemorating the protest

puppet reenactment of the protest

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Yesterday I wrote about the top 10 posts of 2010.  To be honest, they weren’t my favorites.  I liked a few of them… and some of them I was amazed got read at all.

So, here are 5 of my favorite posts that I think should be in the top 10.  I loved these posts.  I think what is interesting is that they are all posts from traveling and they all brought up significant emotions for me as I was there… I think I did a poor job conveying how important these places were to me.

1. Christmas at Masan fish market (December 2010): Christmas was a bit unconventional this year.  I really enjoyed taking pictures at the fish market, and I was fairly happy with the results.  I think they are probably the best pictures I’ve taken.  Plus, it was the first Christmas I’ve ever spent with a “date,” so that was kind of special.
2. Hahoemaeul… again (September 2010): Hahoemaeul, a traditional Korean village in Andong, is one of my favorite places in Korea.  When I re-visited back in September the place was surprisingly empty.  It was wonderful beyond words.
3. Siquijor — butterfly sanctuary (May 2010): Going to the butterfly sanctuary located at the top of a mountain on the island of Siquijor, Philippines, was an amazing experience.  I was alone in the room with enormous butterflies and gorgeous flowers.  The 2 minute video is the real winner here.
4. Changdeokgoong… again (November 2010):  Changdeokgoong is a royal palace built in 1412 in the heart of Seoul.  It is never open at night, but for a few short weeks in October and November they let in 100 people during the full moon.  I got to go twice… it was one of the most amazing things I’ve ever done.
5. Naksan Temple (September 2009):  This is my favorite temple in Korea.  Very few temples are on the water as most are found on top of mountains.  Naksan Temple is on the northeast coast of South Korea and it is breathtaking.  The pictures do not do it justice.  If you visit South Korea, I highly recommend visiting.

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With my blog, I am obsessed with the data and stats about the visitors.  I check it multiple times a day.  I try to look at each post and figure out from the data what worked for one and didn’t work for another.

I love knowing that this December I got 724% more visitors and 1,054% more pageviews than December 2009.  I am very proud of that, even though I know that in reality it means nothing given that last December my mother and dog were the only one’s reading the blog.

Joking aside, it has been a good year for the blog.  Many more people are reading than ever before and you can’t imagine how happy that makes me.  Things started picking up quickly in August and have grown each month.  7 of the top 10 posts of the year were written in September, October, or November.

Thank you to everyone who’s stopped by. I know the blog can be all over the place at times, but I’m in interested in many things and I would get bored very quickly if I wrote specifically on one topic.

top 10 posts written in 2010

My 2009 post on G-Dragon is the most popular post every month, which I still don’t understand because it’s not good at all… and when I say “most popular” I mean that it is literally 17x more popular than most any other post.

1. my gym experience (February 2010): Funny at the time because this gym was so interesting; however, while these gyms exist, I have joined several other gyms in Korea that are more up-to-date (although they ALL have the fat jiggling machines).
2. 59 lbs on my Korean diet (August 2010): Just detailing my massive weight loss for the year… including a disgusting “before” pic.
3. North Korea’s new propaganda poster (July 2010): Right after North Korea demanded that they didn’t sink the South Korean Navy ship, the Cheonan, they started putting up these propaganda posters in Pyongyang with a ship that is strangely similar to the Cheonan.
4. my mini velo bike (October 2010): Many more people are interested in mini velo bikes than I imagined.
5. my buckwheat pillow (September 2010): I love my buckwheat pillow and sleep with it every night; however, when I wrote this I honestly thought no one would read it.
6. Korean night life; The Housemaid (November 2010): I love this post.  It is just a video clip from the Korean movie, The Housemaid, which shows Korean nightlife really, really well.
7. back to America (and lots of pictures) (September 2010): I have no idea why this is popular.  I thought this would be interesting to me and about two other people… although it did cause a fight that almost end an 11 year relationship with my best friend.
8. 10 lbs in 3 weeks on the Seoul diet (September 2010): When I moved to Seoul I started losing weight at an incredibly rapid pace… I actually ended up losing 20 lbs in 6 weeks… Basically, my life was a whirlwind.  I was traveling a lot and going downtown all the time.  Now that it’s winter I’m not moving around so much and I’m eating more cinnamon caramel toast at the coffee shop, so the weight loss has stopped… 10 lbs short of my goal…
9. Nami Island (November 2010): A visit to Nami Island with a couple of friends (here’s their blog) was a highlight of the fall.  It was gorgeous…
10. Westernophobia (October 2010): I don’t have many Western friends.  I am afraid… in this post I chopped up Woody Allen’s fantastic Vicky Cristina Barcelona to explain why.

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For Christmas I went down to Masan, which is a fishing town on the far southern side of the Korean peninsula.   I spent a good deal of time walking around the fish market.  All of the  ”shop” owners kept laughing at me wondering why I was taking pictures of their dead fish…  But everyone was really lovely… and very different from Seoul.

You can see the full photo set here. Video at the bottom.

Watch the video:

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As a child (and adult) my favorite cereal was (is) Cinnamon Toast Crunch.

Therefore, I do not need to explain why Starbuck’s-like coffee shops in Korea are inherently better than Starbuck’s-like coffee shops in America (see photo above).

That is all.

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