China pt. 2: Bronchitis anyone?

Day two on our Beijing whirlwind may have been the most action packed. We started out with a trip through Tienanmen Square, then walked up one of the popular shopping streets where we dined on the infamous Peking Duck and bought some Chinese treats. After a rest at the hostel, we made our way out to see the "Nest" and the "Water Cube" which hosted the 2008 Olympics. We wrapped it all up with dinner on the sidewalk near our hostel.

I need one of these...

...and one of these...

Mao.

Protecting the People.

Tienanmen square is part of the large historical complex of the Chinese government-pre-revolution. It is bordered by the Forbidden City and various museums, one of which is the GIGANTIC National Museum of China. We were lucky enough to learn it is closed for renovation.

And they're off!

Can you see the head?

Duck is one of the more famous cuisines of Beijing. As I'm told in Korea, duck meat has a water-soluble grease, which means the meat isn't so bad for the arteries (I haven't done any fact checking on this). I find duck meat is best consumed in small portions because there's not much worse than the digestion process breaking down a gut full of dark duck meat. Needless to say, we were a bit hesitant to try the Peking Duck, but as they say, when in China... We found a well known restaurant to give it a try, and it turned out to be great throughout the whole food to...you know...process. On top of that, it was delicious. The traditional way to eat it is to wrap the meat in a thin pancake with plum sauce and cucumber.

Chinese taco.

2012 is my year.

Vacant nest.

Bubbly.

Cube.

The Olympic Park in Beijing is a little bit off the beaten path for subway users. From our hostel, we had to ride four different trains to get there. It was certainly worth the trip. I was wondering before we arrived whether or not anyone would be there. I think at some point in a city's post-Olympic glory, the stadiums decline from a tourist destination to just another place where people go to watch and play sports. At this point, this park is still a place to see, and it seems as though Beijingers have taken to use the area as a nice evening outing spot for the family.

Chow.

Being a city of around 22,000,000 people, many of which operating unfiltered small engines, the air around Beijing can be a bit difficult to swallow at times. Throughout our stay, the air was definitely difficult to swallow. Even after acclimating to Seoul pollution (aside from yellow dust), Beijing left much to be desired. It made scenic photographs impossible to capture. Also, the lungs of one of our group members gave an adamant protest to the air quality and we found our selves on day three purchasing an inhaler at a drug store. Luckily, in communistic countries, prescriptions aren't required for the right to purchase regular medications, and second mortgages aren't required to afford those medications. People's Republic of China - 1 : United States of America - 0.

China pt. 1: Won for Yuan

One of the conveniences of having a job as a teacher in Korea, aside from the time off, is the proximity to a variety of other countries. Living on the West Coast of the great USA, the closest two countries are Canada and Mexico. Both worthy places to travel, but one is a little bit too much like home, and the other is currently under some kind of siege.

The unfortunate part of living so close to so many countries is the fact that one must acquire airfare; to acquire airfare, one must work; when one is working, one has no time for travel (and can't live in Korea according to the visa requirements). Fortunately, I (the proverbial "we") acquired plane tickets to Beijing and spent a little summer break in the land of the rising...consumption.

The following photos are from my (the proverbial "our") first day in town.

Rickshaw!

Cheaper than water.

Boom. Boom. Boom.

Assistance.

Not Korea, but still Asia.

Too much stuff.

Starbux.

...here to Tienanmen Square.

This isn't D.C. either.

Mask anyone?

Standard residence.

I think the really interesting thing about Beijing as I ("we") discussed throughout our time there was the lack of a communistic vibe. The people don't seem tied down to any forced ideology, capitalism appears rampant, and there are obvious separations of class. Before we arrived there, I expected to see continuous reminders of the presence of government through propagandized advertisements, uniform buildings and government vehicles, and an excessive presence of military. None of these assumptions seemed apparent throughout the visit which could either; disprove the stigma Americans have of communism, or prove that I'm ignorant and government control doesn't have to been as obvious (see: Tibet, Facebook, Google).

Regardless of what Beijing has to offer, it can't be representative of the whole country. Assuming that would be like saying Portland and Detroit are the same. With that said, there could be-and probably are-more obvious social issues in places where most tourists don't go i.e. where ever all the crap is manufactured.

All political issues aside, Beijing is a cool place to see. The food is great, there is a plethora of cultural artifacts to scour, there are bikes everywhere (watch out Phil's mom), and once you're there, everything is dirt cheap.

More to come.

Cookies!

Don't touch my cookies.

Mmmmm.

Mmmmm.

Mmmmm.

The time has come for the Korean kids to get a little vacation. The typical school year begins March 1st and ends mid-February. Instead of one extended summer break, the school year is fragmented by about one month in August, and one month in January.

For us English teachers, vacation time means English Camp. Luckily, for most native teachers, the camp schedule is only about 4 hours a day for a few weeks. It also gives us a chance to actually bond with some students each day over an extended period instead of the usual 40 minutes per week.

This camp, I was provided the unique opportunity to teach the students a little about baking cookies. I think for many American kids, baking cookies is a pretty standard thing. Not in Korea. Since the children don't learn how to bake cookies, the parents obviously don't know how either.

By the end of the camp, all the teachers were interested in how to bake cookies, so I held a special class for the adults who wanted in on the fun. Who would've thought, I, of all people, would be: A. teaching children as an occupation. And B. the baking master.

Good Views.

These days, the weather is hot and sticky, which leaves me feeling slightly stinky, even after a shower. The upside is when the rain greets us with a nice cool presence. On days when the rain has passed before the afternoon comes, the skies often fill up with white beauties. Reminds me a bit of home. Enjoy.

From the East.

To the South.

To the East.

Up high.

Down below.

In the sky.

Blacks, browns, and yellows.

Watermelon...yum.

My ladies.

Bikes

One of the most memorable moments I have with my coordinator (she's the person who takes care of anything I need, since I'm a helpless foreigner) is the first time we met. She picked me up and I had in tow; one large backpack, one large tote bag, and my over sized plastic bike box. We somehow crammed the bike box into the back seat of her car and headed out. After the introductory conversation dwindled, I asked, "Are you wondering what is in this large box?"

She replied, "Yes."

I answered, "It's a bicycle."

She commented, "Oh, I just thought you really liked clothes."

I wasn't sure I was making the right choice when I chose a bike over another suitcase of clothes. I had heard there might be trails to ride, but I didn't know if I could get to them, or if I'd have time. The only thing I did know was, I couldn't bare the thought of living 1+ year bike-less, so I took the chance. It was one of the best decisions I have made. Not only has my bike been a tool for me to explore areas of Seoul and fostered an understanding of the distances within this city, it has more importantly contributed to the improvement of my health. Believe it or not, I ride more in Korea for exercise than the total commuting and exercising I did over the last year I was living in Portland.

I thought I'd share a few tidbits I've collected thus far from my cycling adventures:

What a tool.

After gathering my wits and settling in a little, I cracked open the box and got her up and running. I lucked out because my school put me in an apartment 600 meters from the city's massive bike/ped trail network. Once I figured out where to get on it, I started exploring. I also met up with a group of foreigner mountain bikers who meet every Saturday. They've shown me a few spots I can ride to without an automobile. One of my most frequented places is Umyeonsan, it is a small mountain just south of the city. When I got to Korea, the weather was nice for riding and it stayed that way until almost December. And then the snow came...

Open for the winter.

Coming from the NW USA, I'm not particularly use to dry snow. I am use to the snow that falls and instantly starts to slush up, making transportation difficult, especially on a bike. The snow we had in Seoul this winter was very dry, so even at a good pace the bike can handle well and stop relatively quickly. It also helps that only the die hard Koreans go out for a walk in the snow, so there are less people to maneuver with.

No one else.

One thing I really like about the Korean recreational cycling culture is it's lack of competitiveness. Most of these people--albeit riding on really, really nice bikes--are not out to race anyone. It's more of a leisure activity for them, which makes the atmosphere very positive. There are a few spots around town where vendors bring a variety of goods to sell, bike stands, and pumps for everyone to use. I've heard about this catching on in Portland recently. I think it's not only convenient, but many of these places also serve as gathering areas for trail users to congregate.

Coming soon to Portland: part carts.

I've been told the current president of Korea has a reputation for creating a lot of public spaces. While mayor, he championed a project to remove a major artery in Seoul and restore (kind of) the stream previously covered by the highway. In my time here, I've noticed many improvement projects happening all throughout the existing trail networks, and a number of places where new trails are being added. I can understand the public's resistance to these costly projects, but the people are obviously turning out to make use of the infrastructure.

One of my favorite bridges to cross is the Jamsu bridge. Originally the lower deck was the only part of the bridge, but at some point the upper deck (Banpo) was added. As you can see, bikes and pedestrians have received a generous amount of space compared to the car lanes. Unfortunately, I'm told this bridge goes under water during heavy rains.

A novel separation.

One day, as I was walking to class, I noticed a bunch of students dressed up in helmets and pads on the field. I tried to learn all I could about what was going on, but I didn't get far. As much as I can tell, a group of bike enthusiasts came to our school with a pack of bikes in tow. They strapped helmets on some students and sent them around an obstacle course. Pretty cool P.E. activity to say the least.

Safe routes through the playground.

Cycle track.

Another addition I have noticed to Seoul's bike infrastructure, since I arrived, is to the subway system. They've begun connecting the bike cars on each end of some trains. The cars essentially have standing room only, and provide seatbelt straps to fasten bicycles. Currently these cars are only in use on Sunday, but during the rest of the week, bikes can be stored on each end of the regular trains. This is a major step forward, since I heard in the past bicycles were not allowed on the trains unless one or two wheels were detached and the bike was carried. In concert with the train upgrades, many stations have installed bike tracks along the side of station stairways.

700CMX.

An interesting community I stumbled across one chilly winter night ride is the 700CMX/trix gear/whatever you call it fashonistas. Any night of the week, they can be found on the south side of the Banpo/Jamsu Bridge pulling off their stunts. I must admit, they're quite impressive. They can hop onto a park bench and pop off with a bar spin, twirl around on their back wheel, do 180s, etc. Their tricks are almost as cool as their bikes.

Last but not least, it's hard to make a visit to the Han River Park or Seoul Forest without noticing the abundance of tandems for hire. We took it upon ourselves to spend a few hours one Saturday afternoon trying one out. It was quite amusing. Not to mention, we were riding a Lespo brand bike.

The new track bike.

What is contemporary art?

I'm on a roll now. Two in one week...

We recently paid a visit to the Seoul contemporary art museum which is south of the city. It's in a strange location; nestled just outside some mountains to the south of the city, next to a zoo, an amusement park, and who knows what else.

Me.

Once safely inside the museum grounds, there is plenty to see along the walk to the front doors. Many statues, some moving, are placed haphazardly throughout the grass, creating the classic contemporary art museum feel. Inside, the central entry room consists of a spiral walkway circling a permanent museum fixture. The installation (sponsored by Samsung) is a 20 or 25 meter high tower of Samsung TV's. The TV's play a series of clips in a loop which made me feel like I was seeing the 20th century in a museum.

Where's my skateboard?

Scaling the beast.

At the time of our visit (no longer, sorry) the guest exhibit featured Korea's artist of the year, Kiwon Park (박기원). He uses space as his medium and makes encompass the space. It's all kind of like glorified interior decoration.

There were three main installations from Kiwon Park, one consisting of large blow up squares, stacked and placed to create a large transparent wall among other things.

Pillows and wires.

Next door to the blow up wall, there was a room full of wire, unraveled to make miscellaneous piles throughout the room.

Art deco.

Third, and in my opinion the masterpiece of the exhibit, was a room covered wall to wall with blue vinyl squares. This was my favorite part of the museum. Sometimes for me art is difficult to embrace because I feel oblivious to the artist's train of thought. In this case, I didn't know what he was thinking, but I could still feel an emotional reaction.

One big pool.

Do I need a swimsuit?

I'm not much of an art museum goer. I have difficulty keeping my attention span longer than the length of most hallways in them. Fortunately this visit was quick enough for me to leave without feeling too drained. Before this visit, I only had a vague idea of what contemporary art is, that's still true. But at least I can now say I've been to a place where they keep it.