Lantern Festival

The cool thing about having been out here for a year now is that you can say, "Oh yeah! I remember doing that last year!" Recently there was a huge parade and celebration in honor of Buddha's birthday. It is the Lotus Lantern Festival. We don't really know much about it, we just go for fun. Last year we didn't really know about the parade until a little ways through it. We had been exploring the lanterns that went along the river and at the end heard it and went up. This year we made plans with our good friends, Randy and Brandi, to enjoy the full show.

First and foremost (for me anyway :)) is the dinner. We walked around in search for some grub and since Hunny has been craving 'beef & leaf' for a while, we stopped at the first available place. Im usually skeptical but while out with others I've learned to keep quiet. And it turned out fine. Better then fine. It was delicious! And the servers were so nice to us. We were constantly ringing the bell; more bean paste please; more garlic please; more water please; more kimchi please. Then we split a soup. Yum. An entire shrimp, head and all. I don't think I can ever eat shrimp the same. I even tried the shell something or another. It looked like a stomach that exploded. It took a bit but I managed to eat it, and it turned out pretty tasty! We had a great time just eating out together. Which is funny because as often as we hang out together and have dinner, this was the first time we went out for food since we first met.

Click to learn more about the Lotus Lantern Festival

Up where the parade was to go through we went all over looking for the best spot. Kicked out of the first one, we snuck in with some other Koreans sitting on the curb right after a turn in the parade route. When the same guard that shooed us from our first spot passed by us he smiled and carried on. A different guard however tried telling us we needed to move but we said if the other Koreans we were sitting next to didn't have to move, we werent moving. And we sat.

Last year one of the Brandi went and she said that those in the parade with lanterns will sometimes give them to the crowd. This was enough incentive for me to act the fool. We were all hooting and hollering to cheer on the walkers that were otherwise almost solemn or perhaps bored. We brought the life to that parade. We were whistling and cheering and hollering and clapping. We were most likely the loudest ones there. They would hear us crazy people cheering and light up. They waved back and some started dancing and a few would do a small show right in front of us. We got and gave lots of high fives. We were having a blast. We ended up walking away with seven lanturns. Two of them were given to us pole and all; many of them would carry a "T" shaped pole with two lanterns hanging from it. I was screaming and cheering up a storm.

After the parade was over there was a concert that started and since we had no idea what they were saying, we decided to check out the big Buddisht temple where the parade went to. There was the ceiling of lanturns and the hustle and bustle of the people. We looked around a bit and took pictures until it was time to head back to catch the confetti. I was able to get some prayer beads in the form of a bracelet on our way out. We got back to the intersection and the confetti had already been launched but was still going even for a while after we got there. It was pink and white squares of tissue paper and we would grab up handfuls and throw it in the air like snow. It was fun but it got late and we decided it was time to go home. We had a great time and made out like fat rats.

Confetti!

Butterfinger[licking] Pancakes

When we have to leave Korea there are a few things that I am going to miss. The Bongo trucks that drive around our house and sell produce, the scenery at night driving home, the sea of skyscrapers with mountains in the distance, the driving where ever and however you want, the convinient public transportation, not having to watch anything you say because no one can understand you, the list goes on and on! But at the top of the list, so high I near about cried thinking about having to leave it, is a diner so delicious, an eatery made for me, a restaurant I dream about, Butterfinger Pancakes!!! Think IHOP but good, on steriods... Think Denny's but better, way better... no still not there. Think... think... think... BUTTERFINGER PANCAKES!!! When I first heard about it I thought it was like IHOP, a breakfast place screaming Diabetic coma. I mean look at the name. I had even declined invitations, never again, I was too naive. But we decided to try it. And I am so glad. We walk in and there are signs saying all natural, no artifical anything. All homemade. If you order pancakes, you get the options of maple syrup or HONEY, and not only butter, but butter, honey vanilla butter, or I Can't Believe it's Not Butter! (which isn't butter). I was in heaven from the start and they hadn't even brought out my food yet. For a girl who is watching her figure, it was amazing to read that the omelette was made with 3 eggs. No guess work. Cheese is fairly...very expensive on the Korean market and again figure, so I went with the ham omelette that didn't have cheese in the list and when they brought it out, oh yes, there was cheesy delicious goodness ALL in that mug!!!! OH! And it came with a salad. The next time we went I got the Eggs Benedict, (poached not fried, OPTIONS to LOVE!!!) and there was the best looking salad in place of a pancake I have EVER seen. Dark green leaves and pretty much an entire tomato. Ohhhhhhh!!!!.... Did I mention I got the Eggs Benedict??? Buttery buscuits, sauteed mushrooms, onions, eggs, and SAUCE!!! So, the salad was just there to make you feel better for eating the Benedict. :) It worked.

So everything I have described about Butterfinger Pancakes has been about everything but their Pancakes. Don't worry I was getting there. I would say I saved the best for last but that would have been the Benedict. I haven't ordered pancakes, I've just tried Hunny's. I think the first one he got was Banana Nut Pancake. Let me tell you what, make those whole wheat and I would've snatched the whole plate from him. Chunks of banana were in it, not just pureed in, and big pieces of walnuts all throughout. So moist and fluffy. The syrup or honey almost detracted from the pure amazingness. I think I will have to get pancakes next time.

They also have smoothies and fruit and granola; larger, more intricate salads; and crepes. With certain dishes you got the option of a commote (fruit syrup). It's like jelly or jam but better. It is pretty much fresh jelly with chunks of fruit in it. Yummm... Can we please go back? I said we needed to make it a Saturday thing but it is fairly pricey (totally worth it in my book). So Hunny said once a month. That started an arguement! You can't keep me away that long! Every other week was still too much for him so we are going to try once every three weeks until he forgets when the last time was and I sneak in an extra go. ;)

Scout Camporee

Bee and I are both in Scouting now. I was asked to be Scoutmaster for Troop 87 here in Yongsan, South Korea, and Bee has been asked to be the assistant scoutmaster. Our troop is just a few boys in Yongsan but we are part of the Far East Council which covers all of Korea and Japan and a few other counties of the Far East. It is a new experience for us, especially for Bee. I am an Eagle Scout and was assistant scoutmaster in Alabama when I lived there but Bee is brand new to scouting but is super excited to get involved with it; mostly because that means we get to go camping together more.

This weekend was our first outing in conjunction with our scouting assignment. It was a Camporee near Wonju, a few hours away from Seoul, in the mountains. We had one boy who wanted to go so we took him. We probably would have gone anyway even if we didn't have a boy interested in going, just to help out and get involved with the other scout troops in the area.

We met up Friday afternoon with our scout and one of the other scout troops on Yongsan, Troop 80, and helped them get all packed up and then followed them to the campground. A trip that should have been two hours turned into a little over three hours because of a big wreck that had happened on the interstate that we had chosen. We spent about an hour sitting on the highway as 5 lanes were all pushed into one. We lost the people we were following at one point and happened to meet up with them again a ways down the road but then we passed them again as they stopped at a rest area. Sense I had directions I decided we would just get there as we were already so far behind because of the wreck. We got to camp around 9pm or so and set up our tent and made it over to the campfire and opening ceremonies for the encampment.

We attached our boy with the boys from Troop 80 so he could participate with them in the team activities and Bee and I helped staff some of the events. Saturday morning the different troops had a Tepee building activity to see who could build the best Tepee. After that was breakfast. Bee and I met up with Andreas, a leader from a troop in Osan, and assisted him for the day with his event -the tomahawk throw. Because we did not have actual tomahawks or an appropriate range to throw them in, and because at camporees scouts are supposed to practice scouting skills, Andreas had prepared wooden tomahawk handles and heads. Part of the event was that the scouters had to lash their tomahawk head to its handle with a piece of rope that was provided before they threw it. There were different animals painted on six different wood targets and the boys had to stand behind a line and see if they could hit them with their hawks. Because each troop was competing against the other there was a point system in place. After lashing their hawk together each troop selected ten throwers. Each target was worth one point and each target could only be hit twice, that prevented them from always throwing at the closest targets. If the the tomahawk came apart that was a demerit and if there were to be a tie the demerits would be the tiebreaker.

After all the troops went through the throw we packed up and followed them down to the Buddhist temple where they were learning about the culture of Buddhism. It was fascinating learning about different cultures and I hope the boys got something out of it. The temple was the 9 Dragons Temple and there was some story about 8 dragons being scared off by something in the area and the 9th dragon was sick so it stayed there and hid behind a waterfall nearby and a wise turtle found it and carried it to a lake I think. I don't remember the details of the story but that is the jest of it. It was very interesting.

I am always amazed at the vivid colors and detail on the temples and traditional structures in Korea.

The final activity of the day was the river crossing. Near the camp was a small river gorge and each troop had to span a rope across the stream and get each of their boys across to the opposite side. Though our boy was with the other troop I decided to grab my gear and string my own rope across and do the activity too. I am still very much a little boy and enjoy doing things like that. Sense there seemed to be enough leaders monitoring the other boys I set my rope up and traversed across it. With some coaxing, and after all the others were done and had gone up to get ready for dinner, Bee also traversed the rope. It was a fun activity and I was SUPER excited that Bee finally did it too.

Click for more pictures

The camp went until Sunday but we drove back late Saturday night after the campfire and award ceremony so that we all could be at church on Sunday. Camp was a blast! We had a great time and we hope to do it again in the near future.

Hanging garden of Seoul

So, I have gotten more and more green recently. Since we got a rabbit, I've been able to feed her most of my veggie scraps and the cat has been eating the meat scraps, significantly reducing my food trash. Now, my next project, with the weather warming up, is starting a garden!! Since we live in the city and on the second floor of a ville, where to put a garden but on the roof! We have been the only occupants for a while now and figured no one would care, let alone notice. We purchased a few seeds and peat pots and with my limited knowledge decided I would make it work. When I asked the sisters in the ward if they've had any luck, one offered me an abundance of seeds, pots, and dirt. What a thrilling blessing!! The next day we hauled it all up and I spent the beautiful, cool, morning playing in the dirt. It was a blast and my only disappointments, beside not having more pots to plant in, was that it didn't last long enough. I crave the back breaking work of tilling the ground, weeding, pruning; but I guess when it is all in pots on a roof, none of that is a problem. I should be, and am, happy that my only concern is if it gets enough water. When I got done I was proud to look at my line of 23 pots with 12 different species. I set them in order of alphabet to help me remember where is what. Basil, Beans, Cilantro, Chives, Cucumber, Kale, Lettuce, Onion, Swiss Chard, Thyme, Tomatoes, Watermelon.

Since it is in pots, and I'm the one that planted them, I really didn't expect much growth. I gave them a week to see sprouts because that was the shortest germination time on the packets. That would have been Monday and I hadn't had time to check on them til Wednesday. To my pleasant shock, there were green sprouts in a majority of the pots. I was so thrilled I nearly cried while jumping with excitement. I am so blessed to have the resources and ability to grow something despite my living quarters in Korea. I figure if they can do it, I can do it. Though when I'm walking and see certain plants growing and say "Oh, that's what's in season to grow," my plants should have been in the dirt a month ago... so I'm a bit behind. We will see how this batch goes.