La Fin de Janvier

Hey all,

Back with another new post. This past week was the last week of winter camp. I can't believe how quickly it went by. It was a nice break from full days of teaching, but at the same time, I'm ready to be busy again. Regular school is back on this week, but only for 8 days, then it's back to desk warming.

Friday night I finally went skiing for the first time in Korea! It was a lot of fun and Korean ski resorts are great because they stay open quite late. I went with a friend from orientation, Derek, whose parents' best friend works at Land O'Lakes with Dad. Derek lives 5 minutes from the resort, Yangji Pine, and one of his students' parents work at a ski shop so I was able to rent skis, poles and boots for 10,000 won ($10), which was an unbelievable deal! Definitely not possible at home. Finding boots in my size was quite a challenge; they had to dig all the way in the back of the shelves for my size, 300. I got an excellent pair of rear-entry boots, which I haven't worn since I was 5 or 6 years old. At first the boots were a tight squeeze but once we got going my feet got as comfortable as they could. The skis I got weren't the best either, could've used a nice tuneup and waxing, but they were a cheap rental so I can't complain too much. For a Friday night, the resort wasn't very crowded at all, which was nice. It meant Derek and I could get in a ton of runs in the time we were there. I was definitely a little envious of Dad, who was out West in Montana with friends skiing, but I'm glad I got to go this past weekend as well. Compared to ski places in Minnesota, Yangji Pine was a little nicer. Higher elevation, same amount of runs, comparable ice to snow ratio. We got a little lucky with the weather. Earlier in the week, it warmed up a bit and rained, which = icy conditions. But, it snowed a little Friday during the day and the resort made snow overnight, which helped and it was a good time. The only problem for me is now that I've gone once I want to go again, hopefully soon. Not too much excitement on Saturday and now I'm back home, getting ready to watch the Federer-Murray Australian Open final. That's the one nice thing about the time difference here, the match is live at 5:30 pm instead of 2:30/3:30 am at home. That's all from here, hope everyone is well!

iPod A-Z song update: "Solo (So Low)" by "Shoeless" Joe Jackson

A Quick One While They're Away

Hey all,

Here's a brief new post for all to enjoy! This past week was pretty decent overall. Schoolwise it was another week of winter camp and having my afternoons free has allowed me to explore the wonderful offerings of the Internet, which, in my case, has meant researching possible grad schools, watching endless clips of the Onion News Network and other comedic pursuits, reading up about new restaurants to try in Seoul and South Korea, and obviously checking up on ESPN and the daily news. I'm a little sad that this week is the last week of winter camp, the half days have been great and it will be a little difficult to go back to a full school day next week. Good thing I only have to do that for a week.

This past weekend, Dave and I decided it was about time we go back down to Jeonju, where Dave's friends Danny and Dana work. As some of you may remember, Jeonju is home to the world famous (or about to be thanks to this blog) Spa L'Aqua, the greatest jjimjibang known to man or woman. We got in late Friday night and made the smart decision to take it easy since Danny and Dana had planned out our Saturday night. We woke up Saturday morning to chocolate chip pancakes courtesy of our hosts, which were delicious and much appreciated. Following breakfast we made our way to a coffee shop for refreshments and what has become a weekend tradition, some highly contested games of euchre. For lunch, we had sushi and afterwards we resumed our euchre games. After a brief respite, we headed out for a dinner of smoked meat (also very good) and then to our night time destination: Trivia Night! Quite the gathering of foreigners, mostly teachers and mostly Canadians, from Cape Breton to Vancouver Island. The trivia master was an older gentleman sporting a Vancouver 2010 Marty Brodeur jersey. I was ready to show off my skills, or as Dave refers to them, my knowledge of useless information, but we were definitely the youngest group in there. Things got off to a good start; the first question asked was "Which Beatle had a record called 'Wonderwall Music?'" Thankfully, I knew the answer: George. We hung in tough thru the four rounds, finishing in 4th place, which was just good enough to make us want to come back next month. Dave and I spent the rest of the evening at Spa L'Aqua and after enjoying the place in all its splendor on Sunday morning, we met up with Danny and Dana for shabu shabu. Dave and I decided to take the train home instead of the bus, which ended up being a very questionable decision. Unfortunately the train sold out of seats, so we ended up with standing room tickets, which wasn't the best, but we got back home just fine, though not any quicker than the bus.

As for the game that shan't be mentioned, what a heartbreaking loss, but that's all I have to say on that subject. I'm glad the Olympics start soon, although the time difference between here and Vancouver will make it difficult for me to catch most of the action. That's all from here, I'm looking forward to finally going skiing this weekend.

iPod A-Z song update: "Shock and Awe" by Neil Young

If you haven't heard of Eli "Paperboy" Reed and the True Loves yet, I suggest you go check them out. A modern-day throwback to the Stax soul sound of the 60s (think a white Otis Redding with the Stax house band backing).

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vy6q9HfsJmo

January = Playoffs

Hey all,

I'm back with another great read fresh off the presses! I realize that the sporadic nature of these posts can be frustrating for those who look for updates on a daily basis and I apologize for that, but I want to make what I post worth reading, which is why I let myself soak up the week's events. Anyways the past week has been good. My winter camp started last week and at first I was nervous to teach without my co-teacher/translator, but I've definitely gotten much more comfortable. I enjoy the smaller class sizes, even if I have to make a quick transition from 1st and 2nd grade to 3rd and 4th grade and finally 5th and 6th grade. It's also very nice to have half-days instead of full days, not quite a second vacation but it has allowed me time to relax and finish planning out next semester's lessons. It's also nice to have a wide variety of movies and games at my disposal. I'm looking forward to teaching my students how to play Twister.

Moving on to the more social aspects of the past week, it's been a busy one for travellers here. Most of the teachers in our Wisconsin group left on vacation over the weekend, many of them to hot, humid, sunny Thailand (definitely not jealous at all). There are only a few of us left in Korea for the rest of January, which will be a change from the last few months, but so far, judging by this past weekend, there are still plenty of others around and it's good to switch up the social groups and expand my horizons. Lucky for me, Dave is still around, choosing to immerse himself in his higher Hangul education instead of a vacation, so naturally I made my way up to Ilsan last weekend for our usual R and R. It was nice for me, I got to meet a lot of Dave's Ilsan crew and they are a great group of people. Friday night we hung out around Ilsan, not quite low-key but enjoyable for sure. Saturday morning Dave and I made a beeline for Dunkin Donuts for the bagels and coffee/strawberry juice that we desperately needed to kickstart our day. After a little of the usual Winning, we headed into Itaewon with some of Dave's Ilsan friends. We ended up at potentially the closest thing to a namesake pub that I've ever seen, The Wolfhound (not quite Wolfish, but the place was so good that I would welcome the association). The Wolfhound, a traditional Irish pub with extraordinary food, didn't disappoint. The fish and chips were great and the atmosphere reminded me of Angel in the Fields in London (that's for you Dad, you told me I needed to remember my first true pub). Saturday night we went and explored Sinchon for a bit before heading back to Ilsan. Sunday morning Dave and I dragged ourselves to the gym, reminescent of the Sunday morning frisbee workouts in college (I have such fond memories). After some lunch we settled on Minority Report then I headed home to rest up before the big game.

And what a game it was! Glad to see that the Vikings D was able to play out of their minds for most of the game and the O could be efficient. Fun to watch but next week's time is problematic for me. I'm going to have to avoid the internet like the plague next Monday. Anyways that's all from here for now.

iPod A-Z song update: "Roll Over Beethoven" by take your pick:

A. Chuck Berry

B. The Beatles

C. ELO

Links of the week:

http://www.babelgum.com/4022027/kids-reenact-mtvs-hit-series-jersey-shore.html

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2cG7BgA0YWw

Winter Vacation Part 3

Hey all,

After a day off, here is the final installment of the Wolfish Winter Vacation posts, with the action moving from Japan back to South Korea.

December 30:

We arrived at the Gimpo airport in Seoul late on Wednesday night and eventually made our way to the newly renamed Ambassador hotel.

December 31:

After exploring one of the more glorious breakfast buffet spreads I've ever seen, we made our way to the subway. An hour and a half later we were in Suwon, ready to head off to my school. Mom, Dad, and Robyn got to meet one of my 4th grade classes, as well as my co-teacher and then we had lunch at school. I'm pretty sure most of my female students will return from winter vacation dressed like Robyn, they absolutely loved her; the same goes for Mom and Dad. It was definitely a worthwile visit, as I'm sure they'll tell you. After show and tell at school we headed back to my apartment, so I could give everyone a better sense of where I live and what everyday life is like. I gave everyone a little tour of my neighborhood area and naturally we ended up at the mall across the street. Unfortunately time was running short and the weather was a little too cold outside to go to Hwaseong Fortress, but maybe we'll go during the next visit. We headed back to Seoul for a little rest before New Year's Eve dinner. After dinner we parted ways (Mom and Dad have never really been the type to stay up past midnight). I went to meet up with friends at Bosingak (the Bell tower, one location in Seoul where New Year's festivities take place). We had a great time celebrating and it was nice to be with friends, I know that was a little tough for Robyn, which I completely understand. The only downside of fully enjoying the New Year's festivities is the lack of sleep, which I made up for the next day.

January 1:

Much thanks to Mom and Dad for allowing me to get all of my beauty sleep, I promise I wouldn't have been much fun to be around had I been awoken from my slumber. While I slept, Mom, Dad and Robyn went to explore Insadong and Gwanghwamun and when I finally woke up, I went to meet up with some friends in Myeongdong, where we all eventually got together for a delicious bulgogi dinner.

January 2:

We started our day off by going to the Yongsan Electronics Market, which is one of the most overwhelming places I have ever been. It's basically floor after floor of electronics, everything you could imagine. My goal was to replace my camera, which I did successfully, and I also found a larger external hard drive. From Yongsan we made our way to Gyeongbokgong, which I had been to in the fall, but in winter time it is a changed place. It's very serene and there is a natural beauty that's different than what you see in different seasons. We had lunch in Insadong and then continued on to Changdeokgong, which is on the opposite side of the are from Gyeongbokgong. Changdeokgong was also gorgeous in the winter time, especially the Secret Garden, which I'm sure is also incredible during spring and summer. Both palaces were enjoyed by all, but after spending most of the day outside in cold weather we were ready to head inside and even though they didn't say anything, I could tell Mom and Robyn were itching to look at some more Korean fashion trends. So, naturally I took them to Dongdaemum. Dad and I lasted a very suprising half an hour, then we parted ways and met up for dinner. Most of us called it an early night to prepare for our early morning wake up.

January 3:

DMZ day. We boarded our bus headed north at 7:40 am, not a time most of us are used to seeing on a Sunday. Our first stop on the DMZ tour was Doraksan, the last train station in South Korea, which they one day hope will connect passenger trains from Pyeongyang in the North to Seoul and further south. Even Dubya made a trip to Doraksan and they have his autographed cement slab in the relatively new Hall of Fame at the station. After Doraksan we went to an observatory that looks out on North Korean mountains and "Propaganda Village," a village that North Korea set up to show off the happy people living the North Korean life, but in actuality no one lives there. Following the observatory we went to Panmujeon, the 3rd tunnel, which was another area I didn't go my first time in Paju. The first thing you do at Panmujeon is watch a movie on the history of the tunnels. Unfortunately Dad's headphones were broken so I lent him mine and watched the movie in Japanese. After the movie we got to go into the tunnel. To get to the bottom you have to take a monorail car, not quite as fun as Paul Bunyan's Log Chute or the Matterhorn, but it worked well. Once we were at the bottom you had to be really careful not to hit your head on the tunnel walls or piping that had been installed. Mom could be heard adjusting her helmet a few times and most people were walking around at a 45 degree angle. To exit the tunnel you could either take the car back up or walk it, which Dad I decided to do, being the menly men that we are. There was only minor weezing at the top, but I'm pretty sure we were both glad that we walked it. We had a bulgogi lunch and then we were on our way home. On the bus ride back to Seoul I finally figured out why buses always keep the heat on: so that everyone on board can go effortlessly into nap mode (I finally get it Dave). We arrived back in Seoul with plenty of daylight left to continue exploring so we headed for Cheonggyecheon (the recently uncovered stream as part of beautification project downtown) after one last shopping excursion. It's too bad we didn't stay later because the whole are is lit up beautifully at night, but that's for another time. We made a large circle down to City Hall, where the winter Haechis were up on display and then headed back to our hotel. For dinner we ended up in Insadong at a delicious restaurant where we had an enormous pot of noodles and clams as well as mandu.

January 4:

Everyone awoke to more snow falling in Seoul and unfortunately that limited our options for exploring. After checking out of the hotel, we headed to the Namsagol Hanok Village, a traditional Korean folk village. There is a stark difference in snow maintenance between Korea and home. We saw men shoveling with planks of wood, cardboard boxes, and dustpans. Instead of shoveling the snow out of the way, many people just sweep it to the side. Needless to say the paths throughout the village were covered in snow but we endured. Mom and Robyn were troopers and they were rewarded with Dunkin Donuts and a movie. Sherlock Holmes was enjoyable, a little ridiculous at different parts in the movie, but entertaining. Following the movie we went to a Vietnamese place for lunch. Robyn got her fill of dim sum and the rest of us shared some good pho and fried rice. After lunch, we went back to the hotel to grab our bags and then we said our goodbyes. Mom, Dad, and Robyn had their own mini-adventure getting to their hotel in Incheon, while I was everyone's biggest fan on the subway with my bags.

The past week was a nice little vacation, it gave me time to decompress from our travels and organize myself for winter camp, which started today. So, it's back to work and the daily grind, I know I'm already looking forward to my next getaway.

iPod A-Z song update: "Raspberry Beret" by Prince

Winter Vacation Part 2

Hey all,

As promised here is part 2 of the Wolfish Winter Vacation mini-saga. I'm feeling well rested and ready to go after the usual weekend breakfast treat, a Dunkin Donuts bagel with cream cheese and OJ. So, without any further hesitation, let me continue.

December 28:

For the first time on our vacation we awoke to rain instead of sunshine. But, we were all alright with the weather because we would be in transit from Hakone to Kyoto via Odawara. We were picked up by a Japanese driver who looked like a bigger version of Oddjob from Goldfinger; all he was misising was the bowler hat, which I guess is a necessity if you want to look like Oddjob. Anyways, we were taken from our hotel in Hakone to the train station in Odawara, where we caught the Shinkansen bullet train to Kyoto. Like most train stations, Odawara was filled with delicious bakeries and gift shops and we decided to pick up baked goods from the Hakone Bakery. Dad and I got chicken tandoori buns, which were incredible, absolutely delicious. The train ride was great, it took about two hours to get from Odawara to Kyoto, a trip that would've taken roughly 5 1/2 hours before the bullet train. We arrived in Kyoto in time for lunch and after we checked in to our hotel, we walked to the Nishi Hongwanji (the western temple), which is the mother temple and headquarters for the Shin Buddhists. The temple was built in 1591 and is a wonder to behold. It has been designated as a World Cultural Heritage by UNESCO. The grounds are spectacular and it really was something to behold. After the Nishi Hongwanji, we walked around some traditional neighborhoods until we got to Higashi Honganji, the eastern temple, which was as magnificent as its western counterpart. For dinner we settled on one of the thousands of restaurants located in the station and the adjoining mall complex called "The Cube" because of its unique design.

December 29:

Today was our big day of touring. We explored Kyoto during the morning and in the afternoon we went to Nara. Our guide for the morning and afternoon sessions was a nice, older man named Yoshi, who, for lack of a better example, could only compare to Fozzy Bear. He was full of bad jokes for everyone, whether you were Australian, American, Spanish, Canadian, etc... you couldn't escape the wrath of Yoshi. At one point, he even busted out a "Todah Rabah" to the slumbering Israeli couple on our bus. Very well versed in world languages. The tour itself was very enjoyable. First we went to Nishi Hongwanji, which we had already seen the day before, but it was good to see it a second time. Next we went to the Ryoanji Temple, which is known for its Zen garden and the surrounding park. The Zen garden at the temple is different than many Japanese garden, mostly because it lacks trees. The garden consists of 15 larger rocks and white gravel. The idea of the garden is to try and find all 15 rocks, but the longer you stare at the garden the more varied your vision becomes. In the middle of the grounds is the Kyoyochii Pond, originally made in the late 12th century and home to many mandarin ducks until recent years. Halfway across the pond on the bank, they had a tire swing for the monks! After the Ryoanji Temple, we made our way to one of the most amazing and beautiful structures I have ever seen, the Rokuon-ji Temple, also known as the Golden Pavillion. The building is spectacular. The area was built up in the late 14th century by Yoshimitsu, the 3rd Shogun of Ashikaga, with the intention of creating a breath taking site. The area was breathtaking and the pavillion gleamed beautifully against the pond that surrounded it. This was definitely one of those places where a picture speaks 1000 words, so I won't bother writing much more about it. We had lunch at the Kyoto Handicraft Center and then continued on to Nara, which is a little under an hour away from Kyoto. In 710, Nara became the first permanent capital of Japan and it served as the birthplace of Japan's arts, crafts and literature. Today, Nara serves as a city that connects modern Japanese with their ancestors. When we arrived, we first toured Nara Park, which is famous for its policy towards the city's deer, who roam free throughout the park, much to Robyn's chagrin. The park was huge and there were some temples and pagodas on the grounds as well. After walking through the park, we arrived at the Kasuga Grand Shrine, our last stop on our tour of Nara. When we got back to Kyoto, the four of us were hungry and ready for dinner, so we made our way to Shijo Dori, the main street in downtown Kyoto, where we found an excellent udon restaurant that has been in operation for over 100 years.

December 30:

Our last day in Japan was definitely a good one. We spent the majority of the day exploring Kyoto some more. Unfortunately Nijo Castle, which Dad and I had wanted to go to, was closed, so we missed out on that, guess we'll have to go back. We started off at Maruyama Park in eastern Kyoto, a large park that included the Chion-in Temple and the Yasaka Shrine. Unknowingly, we came upon what appeared to be a Japanese funeral. Throughout the park it appeared that they were setting up for a huge New Year's celebration. After leaving the park we explored the Gion neighborhood, famous for being the home to the geishas. Given that it was the middle of the day, we didn't see any geishas out and about, but I'm sure if we had gone back that evening we would've seen them in action. For lunch we stopped at a noodle restaurant by the Kamo River. Robyn continued to have her fill of shrimp tempura, I can't remember what Mom had, and Dad and I had a noodle soup with duck and rice cakes, which was excellent. In the afternoon we quickly explored Pontocho and then hustled to the train station to catch our train to Osaka. We flew out from Osaka to Seoul, which is where I'll leave off for now. Part 3 of the mini-saga can be expected in the next day or so and will chronicle our time in South Korea.

iPod A-Z song update: "A Punch Up At A Wedding (No No No No No No No No No) by Radiohead

Winter Vacation Part 1

Hey everyone,

Let me start by apologizing to those of you who have been anxiously awaiting new posts detailing the Wolfish Family Winter Vacation. It's taken me a while to compile everything that we did in Japan and South Korea and I was also away from my computer for a few days earlier in the week, but I promise that over the course of the next few days a full rundown of the last two weeks will make its way onto the blog. I figured it would be easier for me to write and for everyone to read if I broke up the posts into a few entries. Unfortunately, my camera and I had a misunderstanding in Japan and I won't be able to post pictures from the Japan part of the trip until next week, but I trust that those of you in contact with Dad will be able to see or have already seen his pictures. So now, withouth further adieu, here's part 1 of the Winter Vacation posts.

December 24:

After some last minute packing, I woke up early Thursday morning, ready to travel. I was pretty excited all night and didn't sleep much, but I was definitely ready to go. I caught an express bus from Suwon to the airport in Incheon, the ride was pretty quick, about an hour and 15 minutes long, which was nice. I got to the airport with plenty of time to grab breakfast and enjoy all the spectacular sights that the world's best airport has to offer. I even indulged myself in a Caribou Coffee, I can't believe they've made it all the way out here! The flight from Incheon to Tokyo was pain-free. I got an entire row to myself for the hour and a half flight and we even got a meal (because the flight was continuing onto LAX). After clearing customs, etc... I hopped on an airport limo bus bound for our hotel in downtown Tokyo. Our hotel, the Tokyo Prince Hotel, was a pretty decent hotel, although the outside of the building probably hasn't changed since the hotel was first built. It looked like it belonged in Soviet-era Russia instead of modern-day Japan. I met up with Mom, Dad, and Robyn for dinner and we all went to bed relatively early so we could be well rested for a busy next few days of touring Tokyo.

December 25:

Following a delicious filling breakfast, we made our way towards Harajuku, which, to quote Frommer's is "the mecca of Tokyo's younger generation." Harajuku was a very cool area. On one side of the main bridge you have teenagers changing into their more hip, fashionable outfits and on the other side you have the Meiji Jingu Shrine and a large park, signs of a more traditional Japanese culture. The contrast between old and new in the area was very interesting to see. After exploring the Meiji Jingu Shrine and the park and gardens that surround it, we crossed the bridge, snapping some photos of the oh-so-fashionable Japanese youth and entered the market area of Harajuku. Robyn and Mom made a beeline for the boutiques and Dad and I found the nearest benches (I'm only joking, well half-joking). One of the stores we walked into had a plethora of treasures, many which would be perfect housewarming gifts for Uncle Niel (You could really use a collection of Buddy Lees and the Oscar Meyer Weinermobile, right?) We made our way through the very busy neighborhoods and eventually we decided on sushi for lunch, which was excellent. After lunch we made our way from Harajuku to Roppongi, a newer, upscale area complete with towering skyscrapers and an enormous mall and streets lined with art galleries. We went to go explore Roppongi Hills, Tokyo's largest urban development and found our way to the art museum on the 53rd floor of the Mori Tower. Before entering the art museum we took in the fantastic city views of Tokyo from the 52nd floor skydeck. The art museum had a very weird exhibit on the human body on display that included some of Da Vinci's drawings on the human body as well as a pretty ridiculous piece of art that can only be summed up as the Superhero Geriatric Ward. Wonder Woman, the Hulk, Superman, Catwoman, and Mr. Incredible were all there. It's too bad no of us took a picture, it really was truly hilarious and my words don't do the figures justice. It's also a shame the gift store didn't sell little figurines of the superheroes, that would've been a definite must-have purchase. We went exploring thru some of the neighborhood areas after leaving Roppongi Hills where Dad and I stumbled upon the John Lemon club and the Cavern Club. I tried to convince Dad it was worth it to come back later that night to check out the Cavern Club, but my efforts fell short. Apparently the Japanese cover bands that play there are pretty good and attract quite large crowds. Anyways, we settled on tempura for dinner, which was quite tasty, as was all the food we had in Japan, and called it an evening.

December 26:

Dad and I decided we would indulge Mom and Robyn and we took them to some fancy shmancy department stores. The good news about Japanese department stores is that the basement is a foodie's paradise. Not only do they have good food everywhere, but they also sample everything! Granted most of the samples were pickled vegetables, but it was still thoroughly enjoyable for Dad and myself and it was very easy to kill time there while Mom and Robyn paroused the other floors. After the department stores we moved on to another Shinto shrine, this one was dedicated to babies and mothers, semi-interesting. For lunch we ate at the most popular and famous restaurant in Japan: Jonathan's! Who knew I had a stake in the most awesome and amazing chain restaurant in the world? In the afternoon we walked back towards Hibiya, the area of Tokyo where the Imperial Palace and the magnificent East Garden and Hibiya Park are located. We explored the East Garden before closing time, which was amazing. It is a beautiful, vast expanse of green and the grounds are great. Mom and Robyn decided to call it a day early and headed back to the hotel while Dad and I went to see what we could of the Imperial Palace grounds. Afterwards, we made our way to Ginza, the "swankiest" area of Tokyo. On our walk we passed by an oyster bar that smelt incredible, only to be followed a block later by a deliciously scented Portuguese restaurant. We felt guilty about eating without Mom and Robyn and decided it would be best if we walked back to the hotel. Along the way we encountered the land of Pachinko parlors, the third national sport of Japan. It's a very carnival like atmosphere in Pachinko land and the parlors are basically adult versions of Chuckee Cheese. We returned to Ginza for a dinner of shabu-shabu (beef that you dip into a broth and mix with soy sauce and other sauces). Unfortunately, the shabu-shabu we had wasn't quite as flavorful as the shabu-shabu I've had in Korea.

December 27:

Early wakeup call, quick breakfast, then we hopped on a bus bound for Mt. Fuji. Our guide, Yasushi was very good and had the right mix of information and humor to keep us engaged. The bus ride from Tokyo to Fuji was around 1 hour, 40 min. We lucked out, the day was very clear and when we arrived we could see the mountain very well. We could only drive up as high as the 4th station, but that was still fairly high up and we were able to see beautiful views of the mountain range. I also had some delicious grilled squid with teriyaki sauce at the 4th station, probably the best squid I've had since coming over to Korea. From Mt. Fuji we made our way to a local hotel for lunch, which, as far as tour lunches go, was amazing. A very delicious bento box! After lunch we drove an hour to Hakone, where we boarded a ferry that took us from one point on Lake Ashi to Togendai, where we took a gondola to the top of the mountain for great views of sunset over the mountain range and the lake, very scenic. In addition to passenger ferries, Lake Ashi also has roughly 5 replicas of the pirate ship from The Goonies. From Togendai we got back on our bus and were dropped off at our hotel in Hakone. Hakone is famous for its hot springs, but none of us could muster up the courage to venture in. Even with all my jjimjibang experience, I was a little nervous to go in by myself. The hotel was very similar to the Spanish paradors, although not quite as nice as the parador we stayed at last year in Ronda (that place was incredible!). We chose to have dinner in the buffet-style restaurant, which was awesome. Crab legs, lobster, sushi, chicken, shumai, shrimp; this restaurant had it all and it was all pretty delicious. They also had one waiter, Mory, an Australian, who was very attentive to us and made sure that we "enjoyed our meal." The hotel had an amazing garden, very Japanese and very beautiful. We definitely lucked out with the weather; the next day, we left under the cover of rain showers.

That's all for Part 1, Part 2 should be up tomorrow if all goes as planned. I hope this is enough to tide you all over.

iPod A-Z song update: "The Pretender" by Jackson Browne