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We discovered this video a few weeks ago on the internets. It was a huge hit in the office at work! We don't know these guys, or really even know much about where Geumchon is. But we thought we'd give these guys some cyber props and let you enjoy their hip-hop tribute to expatriate life in South Korea.

Of course, the video goes over a lot more smoothly if you've experienced the intricacies of living in South Korea as a waygook (foreigner/haole). With that in mind, I've provided translation of the hip-hoppery.

Written by Christian Zonts. The EV Boyz are Christian Zonts, Mike Nance, and Brian Peterson. Lyrics jacked from Lofbomm.com. If one were so inclined, one could Digg this!

This song has gotten frequent spins and laughs in our Welton School teacher's lounge. We really appreciate these guys' wit and skill at writing catchy tunes.

One thing about living in South Korea, you have to get used to eating a lot of kimchi. I love kimchi! Kimchi, kimchi, kimchi! Kimchi is a traditional dish of fermented cabbage, covered with powdered chili pepper, and served with nearly every meal. Except pizza. With pizza, they eat bread and butter pickles.

I never had a desire to try kimchi before. My sister, Deverie, often had kimchi in the fridge at home but I never considered it. When I came to South Korea about five months ago, I officially tried it with some galbi and loved it.

Megan and I eat kimchi everyday at the Welton School and we love it. The best thing about kimchi is that it goes with everything. I can have my kimchi mixed with tuna fish or just put some on top of rice and mix it up with other sides. I can throw some thick chunks of kimchi cabbage on the galbi hot plate to cook it, or, I can eat it cold. There are also many different kinds of kimchi, including some made with scallions or cucumbers.

Needless to say, I am hooked on kimchi for life. But to get the full experience, Megan, her mom, and I spent an hour or so touring the Traditional Kimchi Museum in Coex Mall. We learned a lot of interesting things!:

1. Kimchi is traditionally made by bundling the components (heads of cabbage, other vegetables and chili powder) in a jar and burying it in the ground to keep a steady temperature for fermentation. In a traditional village you can see hay structures made to keep the ground dry.

2. The chili powder that is so prevalent in kimchi (and shows up in many more Korean dishes) was actually introduced to Korean culture after the time of Columbus. Traders first brought chili peppers over from Mexico.

3. Kimchi contains vitamin A and C, and minerals calcium, phosphorus and iron. Kimchi has very few calories and lots of dietary fibers, making it good for diets while facilitating metabolism. Kimchi has abundant antioxidants, anti-carcinogens and is very good for your body. Particularly your digestive system. I thought that eating so much spicy Korean food would have a disastrous effect on flatulence. Quite the opposite.

4. Kimchi has a very strong smell. Many officetels, (including our first one) come equipped with a kimchi refrigerator so that the rest of your food does not smell like kimchi.

5. When taking photographs, South Koreans often use the word "kimchi" the same way English speakers would say the word "cheese".

After gaining some awesome knowledge of kimchi, we had a small, private tasting and left our mark in the Guestbook. (Something lurking readers are always encouraged to do.)See our incredibly interesting pictures of lacquered kimchi in more detail in our photo galleries!

About two weeks ago we hung out with our good friend Min Kim. We had not seen her since we did some summer sessions together at the University of Hawai‘i. Min was born in Seoul and made for an excellent tour guide around the city. We talked a lot about the intricacies of Korean life and how we all miss living on Oah’u.

Then on a whim we decided to try some sannakji 산낙지, or live squid! Watch the video to see how much we enjoyed it and how we are now hopeless addicts! Min also introduced us to a new kind of herbal soju, sansachun, which really helped wash down the tentacled fellows.

It was really great to meet Min in her home country and have a Korean friend! We hope to visit with her again soon!

NOTE

Many of our new videos are YouTube players. This means better performance and playback time for everyone. As well, click on the video at any time to go to YouTube.com and watch in Full Screen!

Something everyone must experience in  Seoul is Doctor Fish Café. It is a small coffee shop tucked away in plushy Gangnam where you go and have your tea and strumpets, then strip off your socks only to have sea creatures nibble on your nubbins for a half an hour. But as soon as you stick your feet in, you will be laughing hysterically.

Doctor Fish are often used in spas in Turkey, Japan or China to eat your dead skin, leaving the healthy skin to grow. Check out the video to see the fun we had.

DISCLAIMER

Gratuitous foot-play ahead; If you’re not a “foot person”, you might want to skip this.

After our short stay in Phuket, we headed South to the island of Phi Phi [Pee-Pee]. The island is famous for its limestone cliffs and breathtaking beaches. Jay and I agreed we had never seen a place quite as amazing as Phi Phi. We found the people of Phi Phi to be much friendlier than those on Phuket and the atmosphere very relaxed. We spent five days on Phi Phi and realized why some visitors come for months at a time. However, most visitors to Phi Phi are day-trippers, who come on a tour and then leave the same day. There were very few places to stay on Phi Phi and we lucked out getting an incredible Bungalow on a private cove (I will go into further detail about this in tomorrow’s blog).

The only way to get to the island of Phi Phi is by boat. We took the earliest ferry out of Phuket and once aboard realized most day trippers wanted the earliest ferry as well. The boat was packed! We threw our backpacks inside the boat and managed to snag a spot on the boat’s deck. For two hours we enjoyed the sun and sea. Despite the herds of people, it was actually very peaceful. As we approached Phi Phi from a distance the island was the only thing on the horizon. The closer we got the more amazing the limestone cliffs became.

When we reached Phi Phi there was only a very small dock for all boats to take turns using. Concrete pillars sticking out of the water were all that remained from Phi Phi’s larger pier that was destroyed in the Tsunami. Once on shore we wanted to find a place to stay before doing any exploring. We knew how few resorts there were on Phi Phi and saw other backpackers scurrying around as well. There are no roads on Phi Phi. The only means of transportation are by foot or by boat. So, we headed over to a row of “longboats” next to the dock.

“Longboats” are a small wooden boat used as a taxi around the island. We used longboats several times during our stay on Phi Phi. They had a very authentic and romantic feel to them, much like a Gondola. I guess this was our little piece of Italy in Asia. That and the excellent pizza we found on Phi Phi.

Each longboat trip is about $2 a person. We were asked to pay upfront before the driver would take off. We soon found out this was because the boats would pull up onto the beach and we had to jump off the end, before the tide pushed the boat offshore. The boats have a huge motor to power a tiny propeller attached to a long piece of wood used to direct the boat. The driver stands on the back of the boat maneuvering the long piece of wood. It seemed like it would be very difficult to steer the boat this way, but the men did it effortlessly. The motors were extremely loud and can be a little disturbing when reading in a hammock, nestled in the trees, atop a cliff, on a secluded white sand beach, overlooking endless ocean and plunging limestone cliffs (but that’s a story I will have to save for tomorrow).

To explore the Bungalows of the Viking Resort, turn to page 57. To get an hour-long Coconut Oil Massage in a bamboo hut on the beach, turn to page 32.

Just kidding, for more of our stories just check our blog tomorrow. For now, check out our picture page of our trip to Phi Phi and more pictures of the Longboats.