I'm heading out Hainan island in China with Patrick and Lily. We're going to the quieter beach area of Yalong Bay and staying at a place called the Mangrove Tree Resort. It's been a huge pain in the ass so far. We bought our tickets last minute thanks to trusting someone else to do it and are now flying in and out at some fairly fucked up times. We fly out at 9:30pm and land at 12:30am. The flight back departs at 1:30am and we land back in Korea at 6:30am. Some wires got crossed between myself and the travel agent and the final ticket price was about $100 more than what we expected. The ticket now cost more than twice what our friend said he could get it for. This was all done in the past three days because said friend was acting like a bitch because he wanted to go on the trip but hasn't been able to get the time off from his job. So instead of telling us the situation, he decided to wait until the last minute and fuck nearly everything up. That rant could go on longer but I'll cut it there.
The whole visa process has been more difficult due to the Chinese government changing visa regulations. I'm not sure if it's because we're in Korea on not but when I checked the Chinese embassy sites in the U.S. Americans could get multiple entry visas for up to two years. As it stands now we are paying $140 for a one month visa. It's $50 for most other countries. On top of that no one in Korea can apply in person. Everyone has to go through a travel agent. Also, in order to get the visa we needed to have our accommodations booked. We did that and got a really good price, until the next morning. I'm not sure what happened but the price of our room jumped up by an extra $40.
The three day trip already costs over $1000. It fucking better be the Hawaii of China or whatever the fuck they call it. And Korean friend mentioned in paragraph one is on the shit list until further notice.
Yay! Already an update.
The card we used to pay for the tickets is over the limit meaning we don't have tickets yet and our visa can't be processed. There is a good chance we're not going anywhere. That said Korean friend should see if he can fly because he's likely to get thrown from the roof party barbecue next Saturday.
Thursday, April 24, 2008
Tuesday, April 22, 2008
H5N1
Lily forwarded me an email from the U.S. Embassy in Seoul regarding yet another outbreak of bird flu in Korea. We are now under alert level orange. Here's what's going on. In the past three weeks there have been 17 cases of bird flu according to Reuters. The article isn't clear on this but I'm sure it means 17 cases on poultry farms. 5.3 million birds are going to be slaughtered due to recent outbreaks.
Since I haven't been as well informed on good ol' H5N1 as I should be I decided to do some research on my off time this morning. After all H5N1 is quite close to where I live. I've checked out Wikipedia articles, the CDC, and WHO websites and got a lot of history about bird flu and statistical data. So far this is what I've been able to digest.
The earliest cases reported on the current strain date from sometime in 2003. Here is the number that makes me question the seriousness of bird flu. In the past five years there have been 369 confirmed cases in humans. Of those 369 cases, 234 have died. Since 2003 only 234 people have died due to bird flu. Based on this number I don't see a problem so on to the percentages. (Check out this chart.)
From the reported cases we're looking at a 63% mortality rate. Now I'm starting to see a bit of a problem. This is what is concerning the peeps around the world and what is making bird flu newsworthy. It's difficult for people to contract bird flu unless they are in direct contact with infected birds and human to human transmission is rare. I can't find a number right now but I've read of at least two - one in Indonesia and one in China. If H5N1 does mutate and become something that easily passes from person to person scientists are predicting a pandemic that could kill anywhere between 2 million to 160 million worldwide. One virus expert estimated in 2003 that half the population could be wiped out.
Honestly this is when I start zoning out. Estimates range from 2 million to 350 billion? It's like a meteorologist was asked to give a forecast. Since the numbers are so unbelievable, I have a hard time believing it. I realize this doesn't mean it won't happen. There are health organizations monitoring the situation and that's really the best anyone can hope for. Vaccines for bird flu are out there and have been given to medical workers in Japan and I'm sure in other countries as well. They won't worry about mass vaccination until such a time when it's necessary, like when H5N1 begins to spread from person to person across the globe. No one is sure if this will ever happen. Right now the bird flu is just the odds on favorite of being the next big thing. So I'll just have to deal with hearing about it and getting warnings from my mom about staying away from chickens.
Since I haven't been as well informed on good ol' H5N1 as I should be I decided to do some research on my off time this morning. After all H5N1 is quite close to where I live. I've checked out Wikipedia articles, the CDC, and WHO websites and got a lot of history about bird flu and statistical data. So far this is what I've been able to digest.
The earliest cases reported on the current strain date from sometime in 2003. Here is the number that makes me question the seriousness of bird flu. In the past five years there have been 369 confirmed cases in humans. Of those 369 cases, 234 have died. Since 2003 only 234 people have died due to bird flu. Based on this number I don't see a problem so on to the percentages. (Check out this chart.)
From the reported cases we're looking at a 63% mortality rate. Now I'm starting to see a bit of a problem. This is what is concerning the peeps around the world and what is making bird flu newsworthy. It's difficult for people to contract bird flu unless they are in direct contact with infected birds and human to human transmission is rare. I can't find a number right now but I've read of at least two - one in Indonesia and one in China. If H5N1 does mutate and become something that easily passes from person to person scientists are predicting a pandemic that could kill anywhere between 2 million to 160 million worldwide. One virus expert estimated in 2003 that half the population could be wiped out.
Honestly this is when I start zoning out. Estimates range from 2 million to 350 billion? It's like a meteorologist was asked to give a forecast. Since the numbers are so unbelievable, I have a hard time believing it. I realize this doesn't mean it won't happen. There are health organizations monitoring the situation and that's really the best anyone can hope for. Vaccines for bird flu are out there and have been given to medical workers in Japan and I'm sure in other countries as well. They won't worry about mass vaccination until such a time when it's necessary, like when H5N1 begins to spread from person to person across the globe. No one is sure if this will ever happen. Right now the bird flu is just the odds on favorite of being the next big thing. So I'll just have to deal with hearing about it and getting warnings from my mom about staying away from chickens.
Monday, April 14, 2008
Half court
I'm either jazzed cause of the caffeine or I can see spring time peaking just around the corner. I just put together a basketball game between the male teachers this Friday. It should be a good time. The school has also arranged a game of kickball for the faculty this Wednesday afternoon. I'll try to get some pictures posted. Ohhh yeah! I also went to the Costco here and bought a new basketball. It's supposedly the NCAA regulation ball. I can palm it along the seams (with my finger tips so I guess it's not palming) so I'm not quite sure how truly regulation it is. Gotta go buy some shoes before the game Friday.
On a side note about pictures, I couldn't take any pictures of the cherry blossoms in bloom because they were only around for a few days before the wind and rain blew the petals off the trees.
On a side note about pictures, I couldn't take any pictures of the cherry blossoms in bloom because they were only around for a few days before the wind and rain blew the petals off the trees.
Pleasant surprises
Although Hongdae is the cool place to hang out in Seoul I've mostly avoided it because...well I don't know why. It was partially because the peeps I worked with last year were friends of convenience rather than people I would regularly hang out with and because of the distance to get to and from Seoul last year meant I would have to stay out all night before catching the train back home the next morning.
It wasn't Club Day (which actually happens at night) in Hongdae but Tom and I were out wandering during the daylight hours yesterday and stumbled upon a few things that left pleasantly surprised and excited about the upcoming weekends. Before that we showed each other a thing or two about the areas surrounding Hongdae. I took Tom through this side street between Yonsei University and Ehwa Woman's college where the clothes are actually cool and have that vintage feel to them kind of like in Japan. He'd also never had a Krispy Kreme doughnut so I told him to get in line and act like he was going to buy something so he could get a free doughnut. I went to the bathroom and came out to find Tom blissed out on the glaze. After that he showed me Mike's Cabin - a bar where they have ping-pong, foose ball, and Nintendo Wii. They also have various other boardgames.
We then walked over to Hongdae and found a bunch of nice restaurants, tea, and coffee shops along the way. Just off of a busy strip we found two really cool bars where I could see starting or ending the night. They were both right next door to each other. One looked like something you'd find in Berkeley. It was kind of hippieish and homey, just a comfortable place to be. The other place was just cool and looked like one of the hipster SF bars. Both had on some good chill music and their food menu looked good too. We'll be going back to those places sometime soon.
After some more browsing of CDs and clothes we heard some live sounding music. The first guys we walked by were just noisy but I noticed a poster for the next big event in Seoul. They call it the 2nd World DJ Festival. Last year was a lot of fun. This year it goes from May 3-5. On top of that I have that whole week off so things are getting interesting as spring time hits Seoul.
At the top of this hill we heard some jazzy tunes and found a quartet jamming out - guitar, string bass, snare drum with brushes, and the singer also playing melodian. It was completely unexpected and really cool to see these guys performing out in this park. We watched them for a while as the sunset and night took over. Tom asked the singer about some jazz clubs around the area and he told us a few places to go. We ended a fun, wandering, lazy day with dinner at a Thai restaurant.
It wasn't Club Day (which actually happens at night) in Hongdae but Tom and I were out wandering during the daylight hours yesterday and stumbled upon a few things that left pleasantly surprised and excited about the upcoming weekends. Before that we showed each other a thing or two about the areas surrounding Hongdae. I took Tom through this side street between Yonsei University and Ehwa Woman's college where the clothes are actually cool and have that vintage feel to them kind of like in Japan. He'd also never had a Krispy Kreme doughnut so I told him to get in line and act like he was going to buy something so he could get a free doughnut. I went to the bathroom and came out to find Tom blissed out on the glaze. After that he showed me Mike's Cabin - a bar where they have ping-pong, foose ball, and Nintendo Wii. They also have various other boardgames.
We then walked over to Hongdae and found a bunch of nice restaurants, tea, and coffee shops along the way. Just off of a busy strip we found two really cool bars where I could see starting or ending the night. They were both right next door to each other. One looked like something you'd find in Berkeley. It was kind of hippieish and homey, just a comfortable place to be. The other place was just cool and looked like one of the hipster SF bars. Both had on some good chill music and their food menu looked good too. We'll be going back to those places sometime soon.
After some more browsing of CDs and clothes we heard some live sounding music. The first guys we walked by were just noisy but I noticed a poster for the next big event in Seoul. They call it the 2nd World DJ Festival. Last year was a lot of fun. This year it goes from May 3-5. On top of that I have that whole week off so things are getting interesting as spring time hits Seoul.
At the top of this hill we heard some jazzy tunes and found a quartet jamming out - guitar, string bass, snare drum with brushes, and the singer also playing melodian. It was completely unexpected and really cool to see these guys performing out in this park. We watched them for a while as the sunset and night took over. Tom asked the singer about some jazz clubs around the area and he told us a few places to go. We ended a fun, wandering, lazy day with dinner at a Thai restaurant.
Friday, April 11, 2008
In Gong Wall or my new home
I was looking on the Korea on the Rocks website and saw a post for one of the artificial walls. In Gong is in Gwangmyeong City, where I live and work. I looked at the directions from the subway station and noticed it was the one near my school. There was also info about bus routes but it was vague. The thing that bothered me was I somewhat knew the direction most of the buses went and it even listed the bus I take to go to work. I decided to play it safe and go with the more detailed directions.
When I got off the subway and out to the street I knew I had been on that particular corner before. It was a few weeks ago when Ms. Lee, Julie, and I left school early for various reasons - I had to take an HIV test and a drug test in order to get registered as a legal working alien. Following the directions, I walked up to an intersection that looked like any other in Korea but I knew this one. I go through this intersection everyday on my way to work. That's when it hit me. This place has been sitting in my back yard and I hadn't known about it. Even worse, no of my students bothered to tell me about it and I told them in my opening lesson one of my favorite hobbies is rock climbing.
The wall is behind a park where there's a nice basketball court (something else I've been looking for), track, and outdoor exercise equipment commonly found in Korea. There's a small bouldering section inside the wall. Here's a link to the wall.
I want to say the wall is at least 30 feet high and most of it is overhung. Koreans love overhanging stuff. It seems like that is how they add difficulty to the route. I'm going to need to buy a rope since they're all lead routes. If I get into a routine I hope to be back in climbing condition in a couple of months.
I told the Korean-Canadian girl Paula, "Once I start climbing again everything else will right itself." Whether or not this is true doesn't matter. What matters most is I'll be climbing regularly again. I'm really excited about this. It's like being in Ton Sai again. Except without the beach. And the international community. And the cheap bungalow. And Ton Sai tower. And...ok it's not like Ton Sai at all, but I'll be climbing again. :-)
When I got off the subway and out to the street I knew I had been on that particular corner before. It was a few weeks ago when Ms. Lee, Julie, and I left school early for various reasons - I had to take an HIV test and a drug test in order to get registered as a legal working alien. Following the directions, I walked up to an intersection that looked like any other in Korea but I knew this one. I go through this intersection everyday on my way to work. That's when it hit me. This place has been sitting in my back yard and I hadn't known about it. Even worse, no of my students bothered to tell me about it and I told them in my opening lesson one of my favorite hobbies is rock climbing.
The wall is behind a park where there's a nice basketball court (something else I've been looking for), track, and outdoor exercise equipment commonly found in Korea. There's a small bouldering section inside the wall. Here's a link to the wall.
I want to say the wall is at least 30 feet high and most of it is overhung. Koreans love overhanging stuff. It seems like that is how they add difficulty to the route. I'm going to need to buy a rope since they're all lead routes. If I get into a routine I hope to be back in climbing condition in a couple of months.
I told the Korean-Canadian girl Paula, "Once I start climbing again everything else will right itself." Whether or not this is true doesn't matter. What matters most is I'll be climbing regularly again. I'm really excited about this. It's like being in Ton Sai again. Except without the beach. And the international community. And the cheap bungalow. And Ton Sai tower. And...ok it's not like Ton Sai at all, but I'll be climbing again. :-)
Wednesday, April 09, 2008
Spring time in Gyeong-gi
All of the 7th graders in Korea just took a listening test broadcast via radio. I asked what happened if they didn't hear it the first time. The answer was, "Tough luck. They should have listened more carefully." I think maybe they should listen to me better during class, but I'm not going to go into that right now because I'm done with classes until Thursday! My last class got canceled today and tomorrow is election day. Koreans have the day off to vote. I don't know if that's incentive enough for them to go do it. Maybe if they offered a free shot of Soju (stop you're being bad). OK. Before I get any more schizo lets move on.
The Cherry Blossoms and Magnolias are blooming leaving a sweet scent in the air as I'm walking to school. I'll try to get some pictures on my day off tomorrow. There was a Cherry Blossom festival this weekend but it was a bit premature. I went with my friend Lily but most of the trees were bare. Damn. I just checked the weather and it might rain tomorrow.
Public school teachers have a week off the first week of May. Patrik, Lily, Eric, and I are planning on going to Hainan. They call it the Hawaii of China. Frankly I'm sick of everything in Asia needing an American counterpart. Anyway here's where we might be going.
The Cherry Blossoms and Magnolias are blooming leaving a sweet scent in the air as I'm walking to school. I'll try to get some pictures on my day off tomorrow. There was a Cherry Blossom festival this weekend but it was a bit premature. I went with my friend Lily but most of the trees were bare. Damn. I just checked the weather and it might rain tomorrow.
Public school teachers have a week off the first week of May. Patrik, Lily, Eric, and I are planning on going to Hainan. They call it the Hawaii of China. Frankly I'm sick of everything in Asia needing an American counterpart. Anyway here's where we might be going.
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