Saturday, June 15th,
2013 – Sunday, June 16th, 2013
I can now announce that summer is officially here! It was that first weekend of the summer
when you are constantly feeling that tiny bit of sweat trickling on your body. Lately, it feels like every weekend is
somehow beating the next, and after this weekend, all I can say is that I was
left feeling very sore Monday morning!
I started off by doing another group hike on Saturday
morning in an area called Igidae.
I was expecting another nice coastal walk along the sea. I was very wrong. It was a full-fledged hike in the hot
summer sun. I now know my sweating capabilities. We have one little obstacle near the start of the hike,
which was almost like a group bonding activity. We had to use a rope to pull ourselves as a group up a
really steep part of the hike. We
would successfully hike our way up one mountain, have the feeling of
accomplishment, and cautiously make our way back down the steep mountain, just
to be faced with a new mountain to hike up; If felt like the uphill portion of
this hike never ended. The main
purpose of this hike was to visit a glass floor built on the edge of a cliff
overlooking the sea. We finished
the hike, I survived, and then the tourist attraction we were all waiting for
was not open yet!! One day I will have a new blog with this mission to walk on
the glass floor complete!
Waiting for my to climb the steep part with the rope!
A bit foggy but still a nice view!
The other side of the steep part!
The glass floor
Next on my itinerary was to join the Salsa Festival in
Haeundae! I arrived in the late
afternoon and joined the crowd watching the dance performances and said hi to
my new Korean salsa friends! I
feel really blessed because the regulars and the employees at the salsa club I
attend have really accepted me into their group and have made me feel very welcome
and included. After the
performances and a couple of group dances that everyone was encouraged to join,
they opened the floor to the public for salsa dancing. The dance floor was on fire; so many
people wanted their moment to shine.
I danced with a couple of people I already knew on the crowded dance
floor and then with a few new partners from other salsa clubs, which was a bit
more disastrous. It was out of my
league, but I tried!
One of my Korean salsa friends, whose name is Dimple, told
me we were eating dinner at 10:00pm.
By we she meant I was coming along, it wasn’t really an invitation; it
was more of a request. Off to
dinner we went, I had no idea I would be joining a large portion of the salsa
community for dinner (at least 30-40 people were there) and I would be the only
foreigner included in this event.
We went to a traditional Korean restaurant and ate pork with all of the
traditional sides. It was the most
authentic Korean dinner I have attended, where the majority of people were
pounding down soju shot after soju shot (Korean liquor) as a part of the Korean
drinking culture.
Dimple and I
Part of group and the owner of the salsa club giving a little speech, notice the green soju bottles
Left over korean food!
After dinner, a medium sized group returned to the beach
after the festival was over. They
had a little blanket set up with more snacks and drinks, one person with the
music, and more dancing on the beach boardwalk into the early hours of the
morning. I was more in my league
with the fresh cool night air, my high heels retired for the night, way more
space to move and partners who knew my level and were able to lead me to show
off the best of my abilities!
My dance teacher!
The owner of the salsa club and an amazing dancer!
After all of the physical activities from the day before,
Sunday was going to be a lazy beach day in Haeundae again. Aimee and I met some friends playing
volleyball and set up our beach towels on the beach with no set plans for the
day other then to relax. We went
for a short walk to the less busy end of the beach. We noticed some jet skies floating in the water. Aimee mentioned she had never jet skied
before and was wondering if it was worth paying to try it. I told her jet skies are so much fun
and if she ever got the opportunity, she should definitely try them! After our discussion, we were about to
walk back to your spot on the beach when a Korean man walked in front of us and
asked if we wanted a ride. Eol ma
ye yo? (how much) was our first reaction.
He said, “free.” We looked
at each other and then without much hesitation said, “yes!”
We were out on the water for the next hour and a half,
riding the jet-skies in almost every way imaginable! We drove, they drove…we switched partners, we were flying
over the waves and getting huge air, we were doing 360’s. They would drive past us on their jet
skies and splash huge amounts of water in our face, and when I wasn’t paying
attention one time, I almost feel off just from the impact of the splash! One guy jumped on our jet ski while we
floating, causing our boat to flip.
This was the best way to have my first swim of the season! We drove to the other end of Hauendae
beach and we could see Gwangalli beach and the diamond bridge. It was so exhilarating and thrilling
and such an unexpected surprise. I
even tried riding on the back while we were both standing up going through the
rough waters! I was holding on so
tight the entire time, and that was a major factor as to why I was so sore
Monday!
After our crazy adventure, we went out for a group dinner
and I had my first cheeseburger in at least 6 months! We then went up to the 14th floor of a building
where some other Korean friends are part owners of a bar to play a quick game
of darts. We could see a really
nice view of Haeundae from there and noticed they had another dance festival
going on down below. The dancers
were amazing and had the full make-up and costumes on. After watching a couple dances, it was
time to go home and crash after an action packed weekend!
