Bus blows up in Seoul

Holy crap. (Full news story here.)

Summer: the noisiest season

300 km/h

For the folks visiting this blog from Canada and the US, have you ever wondered what 300 km/h (186 MPH) looks like on a train?

Can't find a job? Come to North Korea!

Happy Canada Day

In honor of Canada Day, I bring you a rant involving Canadian accents performed by a fellow Canadian, Russell Peters.

Korean War 60th anniversary

I tend to harp on Korea sometimes, but you have to give credit where it's due. Take, for instance, this advertisement at Time Square in New York to mark today, the 60th anniversary of the start of the Korean War.

Sometimes Vancouver incompetence is so amusing

If this doesn't end up on Failblog, I don't know what will.

Basically, a building demolition company is under investigation for something that happened in downtown Vancouver. They were taking down a concrete building, and they screwed up big-time.

And unfortunately for them, there were a lot of people who videotaped the screw-up and posted it on YouTube; some of the videos have already reached over 100,000 views and have made all the major news outlets in town (Vancouver Province, Vancouver Sun, News 1130, CBC).

And to boot, it happened during rush hour on a weekday evening on a street in the middle of downtown Vancouver.

As my friend Larry said, it's a lawsuit waiting to happen. (The car near the first collapse was actually driven by a lawyer.)

Insane weekend: To DMZ/North Korea (videos and photos)

I sure have bad timing sometimes, because on the same day that South Korea officially blamed North Korea for the attack on the South Korean warship Cheonan, I had a tour to the DMZ (the demilitarized zone containing the border between North and South Korea).

Above: The countries that helped South Korea during the Korean War.

While everyone else's tours sound more or less the same, my tour was very unique and not in a good way.

It started quite normally. We met up at Yongsan Garrison (the main US army base in South Korea) and left for the tour. After an hour, we arrived at the DMZ at a joint American-South Korean army base called Camp Bonifas.

Above: Location of Camp Bonifas in relation to Korea.


Above: Location of Camp Bonifas in relation to the North Korean and South Korean border.


Above: The final version of the Korean border after the Korean War.


Above: Tweedle-Dee and Tweedle-Dum. Or Kim Il Sung and Kim Jong Il.


Above: Border markers from North Korea and South Korea.

Above: Photos from the Korean War at Camp Bonifas.

At Camp Bonifas, we're supposed to get a small briefing before heading to the JSA (Joint Security Area), where the actual border is located. Here is the main video for the briefing:



After the video ended, we had a small question session while we waited for them to get ready for us. The soldier answered about two questions before someone said something in his earpiece and he quickly left the room. There was a long delay, which was apparently quite unusual.

He came back and said, "Um, I guess you guys are now supposed to proceed to the gift shop." So we boarded the bus and got to the gift shop, where I assume they normally put you while they make final preparations at the JSA for visitors. But just as we lined up at the gift shop, a Jeep or Humvee (forgot which) pulled up and two American soldiers came out and barked, "We need you all to get back on the bus NOW!"

We (including the tour guide) were confused but complied. The tour guide was given a brief explanation, and the bus left the base. Apparently we were being ordered off the base. This was very unusual; the tour guide told us that she had done this for a long time but this is the first time a JSA tour has been called off partway through.

Faced with a sudden change in schedule, we proceeded to the next location -- one of the four infiltration tunnels built by North Korea in a plan to attack South Korea. The tunnel was steep and my short stature proved to be an advantage, since the ceiling was quite low at times. It's incredible that the tunnel was even built because it was solid rock.

The next location we went to was Dora Observatory. This is an observatory that boasts an indoor and outdoor observation hall that overlooks much of North Korean territory around the city of Kaesong. This is where things continued to get weird.

The outdoor observation deck prohibits photography and the only viewing tools that are permitted are coin-operated binoculars. However, on that particular day, the outdoor viewing deck was closed off and guarded by soldiers. The explanation was that it was "closed for construction." The tour guide seemed surprised, since she had never seen it closed before and she didn't get any news about construction.

Above: Dora Observatory was heavily armed and guarded that day.

So we headed to the indoor observation hall, where we could see Kaesong through large panes of glass (I don't know if they're bulletproof). There were soldiers EVERYWHERE that day. From the indoor hall, we managed to take a peek through the door leading to the outdoor observation deck -- and it was absolutely perfect. No sign of construction or deterioration, or even garbage on the ground. Something was going on.

Another weird thing we saw was a huge line of cars going southbound on the highway from Kaesong. South Korea operates several factories in Kaesong, so it was not exactly alarming to see that. The tour guide said that those cars normally bring in finished products from the Kaesong factories. We went like, "Okay."

But the cars kept coming. And coming. And coming.

The tour guide said she had never seen so many cars come down on that highway during such a short period of time before. With all the tension going on that way, we started to wonder if South Korean workers in Kaesong are being recalled, or if the current situation was affecting the factories in Kaesong.

After Dora Observatory and lunch, we went to Dorasan Station, currently the northernmost train station in South Korea and a station that is planned to be the crossing point to North Korea when or if the border is opened to civilian travel again. I've been there before, and it is largely an empty shell of a station. The highlights include signs pointing towards the train tracks towards Pyongyang, North Korea (which are obviously not used right now) and a large customs and immigration control point that is largely gathering dust.

Above: The tracks to Pyongyang, North Korea. (South Korean spelling: Pyeongyang)

Above: The empty immigration control center at Dorasan Station.

Above: The final tollbooth on the highway to North Korea, next to Dorasan Station.

Above: Interior view of Dorasan Station.

Dorasan Station was the final stop, so we headed back to Seoul. On the way back, we were on a highway next to the Han River, which flows from Seoul. I've been on the highway several times before and knew about the military watchtowers lining the river until Seoul, since the river does connect with North Korea at its mouth. The difference this time is that all the watchtowers were heavily guarded by at least one guard carrying large rifles. I usually don't see this many soldiers guarding those towers, so this time it felt very different compared to what I had seen on my other previous commutes along the route.

Above: A military watchtower along the highway next to the Han River.

When we got back, we surrendered our United Nations guest passes from Camp Bonifas -- they were in such a hurry to escort everyone off the base that they forgot to collect the passes from us.

All in all, it was a disappointment not to see the JSA but at the same time it was certainly a unique experience that other DMZ visitors normally don't get. We didn't get to see as much but we certainly felt a lot more of the tension and conflict than other groups due to the seriousness of the situation.


"Now you see, the changing of the worrd is inevitabre!"

---

Coming next:

• To Japan (photos)

Insane weekend: To Japan, part 3 (videos)

On Friday, I had to start packing up because check-out time was 11am. I managed to cram everything in my backpack and made my way to Hakata Station for lunch. I bought some Totoro souvenirs and started to make my way to the ferry terminal. These were my last hours on the streets of Japan.



Instead of getting the Japanese ferry (the Beetle) like I did coming in, I got the South Korean ferry (the Kobee) instead. Apparently they have a code-sharing thing going on, and if you book your ticket with one company, they can put you on the other ferry. I was there early and they moved me to the earlier ferry, which actually worked out to my favor because otherwise I'd be in a rush to get from the ferry to the KTX train in Busan (which, I found out later, wouldn't have worked because the customs and immigration lineup was very long and very slow).

From the ferry, leaving Fukuoka...



They showed Stephen Chow's "CJ7" on the ferry.



Approaching Busan. You can tell they were showing "Totoro" on the ferry after "CJ7" by the background music.



Of course, don't carry any meats into the country and stuff. Unlike at Incheon airport, where they seem to skim over you relatively quickly, they check you quite thoroughly at the Busan-Fukuoka crossing, probably because most people who travel through this corridor are there for shopping and most of the gift shops seem to sell a lot of edible (and perishable) products.



That's it for videos for Japan.

---

Coming next:

• To DMZ (videos and photos)
• To Japan (photos)

Insane weekend: To Japan, part 2 (videos)

After getting a good night's sleep, I had another early start and headed straight to Hakata Station for the start of my day trip to Hiroshima. The reason for Hiroshima was two-fold: I wanted to visit the atomic bomb memorial and also ride the famous Shinkansen bullet train.



I thought the KTX was fast, but it is nothing compared to the Shinkansen. While the KTX moves at around 300 km/h, the Shinkansen goes around 400 km/h. The difference is obvious even before you leave the city.







And indeed I arrived at Hiroshima sooner than expected.



I thought I had more videos of the atomic bomb dome, but somehow they were lost. I blame the camera. The only survivor (no pun intended) was this short clip. (But no worries; I'll post the photos later.)



After taking a while at the museum and Hiroshima Castle, I started heading back to Fukuoka. I had some waiting time, so I made more Shinkansen goodness.





Leaving Hiroshima...



Thank goodness my day started early, because I had enough time to bike around Fukuoka. I attached the camera to my handlebars and took this video. Sorry for any motion sickness.



More videos for part 3 tomorrow.

---

Coming next:

• To Japan, part 3 (videos)
• To DMZ (videos and photos)
• To Japan (photos)

Insane weekend: To Japan, part 1 (videos)

So this weekend was an extra long one for me because my school had its anniversary holiday in addition to the Buddha's Birthday holiday. So I did what anyone would do if they were a crazy person with a lot of off-time in Korea -- I traveled to Japan.

It all started really early around 7:00am at Seoul Station, to take the KTX bullet train.



I took this one all the way to Busan Station. This is basically one end of the line to the other, and is the longest KTX journey possible at the moment.

The KTX travels at around 300 km/h and everything looks kind of like this.




After arriving at Busan Station, I had to take the subway for one stop. Because of this area of Busan's importance as an international transfer point, announcements are in Korean, English, Japanese and Mandarin.



I finally arrived at Busan International Terminal, where I had some time to wait for the ferry to Japan.





The view was less than spectacular.



The ferry's safety video somehow manages to meet its challenge to be trilingual in English, Korean and Japanese.



There was a movie shown, but it ended faster than normal. So what did they do? They showed sumo.



I finally arrived in Fukuoka, Japan in the evening. Customs actually asked questions (unlike Korea, Hong Kong and Macau) but it wasn't too bad. All foreigners must give fingerprint samples and have a photo taken but it wasn't too unreasonable.





More videos for part 2 tomorrow.

---

Coming next:

• To Japan, part 2 (videos)
• To Japan, part 3 (videos)
• To DMZ (videos and photos)
• To Japan (photos)

The dirtiest kids' show clip ever

You hear that? That was my childhood innocence meeting its bloody end.

The coolest/creepiest music video I've seen in a while

I came across this great music video earlier today, and thought it was probably among the best I'd seen recently. The song is "Where the Wild Roses Grow" by Nick Cave and Kylie Minogue. (Seeing Kylie's name on this was somewhat of a surprise; this isn't really a song you'd expect her to do.)

The only thing about this video is that it's one of the CREEPIEST ones you'll ever see. Here it is:



Basically, the story is that a man has obsessive romantic feelings towards a woman. He finally goes out with her but partway through, he realizes that her beauty won't last forever. He decides to preserve her beauty by killing her with a rock and laying her down in the water (in the same manner as the Ophelia painting by Millais).

Very creepy stuff, but very cool at the same time.

Merry Christmas

My newest love-hate relationship with Miley Cyrus

Recently, I got an iPod dock that also has an alarm clock radio function. I took advantage of that, so now I wake up for work to the American Forces Network Korea (AFN Korea) radio station -- one of the two English stations in town.

As you can expect, they play a lot of rock music, similar to the music that I usually listen to back home in Vancouver (on 99.3 The Fox). So I thought to myself, "Cool." But AFN Korea keeps playing this really "bubble-gum style" pop song. And the thing is that it's such a catchy song! I found myself humming along to it, and started to wonder who the singer was.

And then I found out that it was Miley Cyrus. I was thinking, "So... I, a grown man, was singing along to a Miley Cyrus song? Wow... that's... awkward."

I guess as a fan of One Tree Hill and 90210 (not to mention Degrassi: The Next Generation, and experimenting with the new Melrose Place), I shouldn't be surprised that I fell into this trap. Why is it that I always end up being attracted to weird songs and shows that 12-year-old girls like? It's amazing how often that happens.

Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm off to a party in the USA...

South Korea Sights: Yongsan Electronics Market

South Korea has a reputation for being a tech geek's paradise. The Yongsan Electronics Market is a pretty good metaphor for that. The name suggests something small, but the YEM is nothing small at all. It consists of several large malls where they sell almost nothing but electronics -- camera gear, video games, computers, TVs, etc.



What makes it cooler is that a large portion of the storeowners there also speak English, so it's great for tourists as well. Some prices are a bit higher than elsewhere, but there are also incredible bargains here and there, such as desktop computers for $200.

There are also some stands on the streets that sell pirated DVDs, so if you're not worried about legality, there's a possibility there.

For people like me, it's like dying and going to heaven, only to find out that heaven is in central Seoul and accessible from Yongsan Station on the subway.

South Korea is not full of Nazis

One of the most common symbols you'll see in parts of Seoul:

Living quarters

When housing is provided for you, you can't really complain -- especially if you're in a major city in Asia, where housing can be notoriously cramped. While there are situations where there would be cause to complain about housing, generally it's a good perk to have your rent paid for you.

With that said, I was not only pleasantly surprised that I didn't end up at the infamous Dongdaemun Stadium housing co-op, but also surprised that my place actually has wiggle room (if you don't think about the washroom). It's located near where Jung-gu, Yongsan-gu and Mapo-gu meet up, and close to the international district of Itaewon (a major meeting place for us teachers who got to know each other during orientation).



As you can see, there's a bit of room. Since this video was made, a new desk and chair were moved in (and I got the internet working). While the desk is rather large, there's still enough wiggle room. While it isn't exactly a penthouse, it's not a shoebox either.

The washroom is a bit amusing though:

Above: My cramped washroom.

The commute from my place to work is about a 7-minute stroll:



But this can be effectively cut down to 5-6 minutes if you take a shortcut (as I discovered by following some students the other day). This shortcut has a gentler slope and fewer cars, and features this fantastic view of the city:

Above: The view of Seoul and Namsan (with its famous Seoul Tower overlooking the city) from my new shortcut to work.

I wonder how that view would look like in snow.

I can also get this view from the cafeteria of the school I work at. It's nothing like the view from my apartment. My two windows open up to reveal the neighbor's roof or attic windows.

One of the cons about this apartment is that it has a slight ant problem. It's nowhere as bad as the problem my sister had at her place in California, but it's noticeable. Another issue is that the rooms aren't very noiseproof; if I play my radio too loud, you can hear it in the hallway. Likewise, I can usually hear whenever returns to their apartment because the doors in this building have very noisy locks.

Internet also requires a Megapass account but due to some holes in their authentication system (ie. you can use MSN Messenger and Vuze without a password), I managed to get around it using my still-active VPN account from my old university back home. So basically, I'm using high-speed internet for free. As another plus, because I'm using a Canadian-based VPN, websites are reading me as visiting from Canada instead of South Korea; this can be useful because I wouldn't have to repeatedly change some sites' default language from Korean to English. (Sites like Google, YouTube, Blogger, and Hotmail use your IP addresses to determine the default language.) Good times.

You know you're in South Korea when...

...when there's a channel completely dedicated to gaming.

Suggestive-looking fish in Korea

I'm not sure if eating one of these for dinner would make me look... um... Well, I'll let you decide.

Seen in Busan, South Korea: