Sunday, November 29, 2009

East Sea adventures fall 2009...

Oct. 10-11,2009

Well...since coming back from my vacation to the USA, I've had a really fun fall in S.Korea..2009 is still going strong. This post will cover a few trips to the East Sea for surfing, the PIFF (Pusan International Film Festival, and just getting out of the city life to enjoy hanging around the East Sea due to no waves! We, Luca and I discovered some nice surf spots this fall. So..here we go, please ENJOY the SHOW!



Driving East from Gyeonggi-do through Gangwan-do and final destination the East Sea...it's a pretty nice drive when you leave at the right time...with some beautful views the closer you get to the Sea through Gangwan-do...possibly one of my all time favorite spots in Korea :)




Stopping at the service station....for some service...hahaha!



A must would be the patatas (potatoes), then we tried these sticky rice things..not bad, however does not compare to the famous Gangwan-do potatoes.



Check out the menu....The "Hangover Ramyeon" made me laugh....some of the other choices are pretty interesting..



arrived to the sea to sea some fresh squid hanging to dry



the waves were really good today, even the surfers at Ingu Beach were out...



Some red peppers drying on the street next to the beach...



happy to be trying out my new kayak in Oct., not a bad way to spend my first weekend back from a holiday in the USA!



Luca catching a wave....



the local surf shop, maybe one of the only in S.Korea?!?



Interesting way to practice your swing!



that's enough for me!



Luca ready to go back out...



taking a break and taking some pics...



luca having some nice rides...



smooth side, cool lighting...



boards ready for riders...



Well...it was a long trip down the coast to Pusan....I think we pretty much drove the whole East Coast of S.Korea....we that is Luca drove pretty much the whole way, thanks! I was super beat from being in the US, coming back, the time change and not being as adjusted.....ABOVE, is Haeundae Beach in Pusan, part of the PIFF



Fun times...Nice to finally check this Film Festival out. One of the biggest, if not the biggest in Asia!



A Italian Film director being awarded....



I guess he is pretty popular/famous for his Horror Films. The man on the right is the president of PIFF






Some beautiful artwork!






Filippo and Nicolle, a few friends I met up with. BTW, there just posing for the camera....



Amazing Mini driving up the side of a building :)
So, had a great time, saw some films, attended some parties, stayed up late, and took the KTX, high-speed train back to Bundang in time to take a shower and head to work. A nice welcome weekend back to S.Korea!
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Oct. 17-18
The NEXT section is another weekend...possibly the following weekend, another trip to the East Sea....this seems to be a regular occurring trip through Oct. and even in to November. Unfortunately on this trip there were NO waves, but still nice to get out of the concrete jungle!



Breakfast around 830am in the morning...it's the weekend :)



One of Luca's shots.....on my blog you'll see a mixture of my photo's and Luca's.



chillin' on the way to the sea....



cool rainbow after we passed the mountains



and this time, fish drying near the sea.....



Luca and a friend walking out to check the sea.....kind of a stormy morning, but cleared up by midday.



no waves, time for some beach tennis, a popular fun activity Luca has introduced to S.Korea



cheesy photo....but kinda cool....



beach tennis, super fun...



some action shots...



sometimes you just have to go for it :)






stretched out....



a couple beach town kids....having fun, maybe the next luge athletes of S.Korea....I think the boy on the right is ready!






some flat water kayaking...



time for some coffee...Notice the Peets Coffee on the bench, brought some tasty roast back to SK



Luca setting up the stove, kinda windy out....



some wine with our camp stove pasta!



fishing couple getting ready for the evening catch



old buoy



rusty chain



another perspective...



ahh....life is good in Korea...nice to be hanging out by the sea!









near sunset....just finished up our last match of Beach Tennis...



the King of Beer, well...some may think!



time to head to Yang-Yang to drop a friend off at the bus stop, then find a place to have some BBQ...luca and i have decided to stay the night and hope for some surf in the morning....



interesting SOJU cap wall hanging....now that's a lot of bottle caps...



tasty place...



and thanks to Luca, a very nice wine from Italy....



Walking around Yang-yang, we found a bear to have a beer, and Luca wanted to sing some songs...practice his Noraebang (karaoke) skills...



we both got some good practice in.....which will be helpful for the times to come...



well it's morning time....i decided to sleep out side, started on the ground, but it was super windy and I was getting sand blasted, so I took to some higher ground, a bench. not to bad...kinda funny, not sure if i've ever slept on a bench. there's always a time for firsts. haha!





now waves.....OH WELL, i guess it's another day of hanging on the beach...



breakfast in the sun! not a bad place to have breakfast, eh?



we did manage to go for a flat water paddle for a hour or so...



driving back to the city, Seoul, the colors were very nice....



Gangwan-do



a random persimmon tree

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Oct. 24-25th

The third weekend in a row to the East Sea, I guess you can say, "we just can't get enough!"
So...it's Luca's birthday weekend and he wanted to go to the Sea....so Luca, myself, Giuditta, Nicolle, and Jean Lee headed out late Saturday night after a nice birthday dinner at Luca's house in Seoul.

we arrived pretty late to Ingu Beach and found a pension to stay at....



the all-stars...that's what we are!



Luca, me, Nicolle....



iPod speakers (not sure where the iPod is) a mug and a very large can of Asahi



Luca and Jean Lee....



Giuditta, not feeling so good......Luca trying to cheer her up!
Nice CKS shirt Luca....ahh Kayaking! :D



Time to crash out for the evening....



Nicolle checking out the fish drying process at Ingu Beach, maybe a few more hours...



Patrick Swayze of Ingu Beach....



a bit blurred... Jean Lee and Nicolle



The surf shop actually was holding a surf competition today, but the sea was not cooperating...no waves again for the second weekend in a row.....OH WELL, they made the best of it, as did we.

We did play Beach Tennis and I'll be happy to say I finally beat the Italian champion. HAHA!
Maybe it was because the ladies were on the beach! ;) Had to show off!!!



Time for some Bialetti...



Taking a picture of Jean Lee taking a picture....



Maybe next year they'll have better luck!






The Bliss-Stick SCUD...kinda out of it's element, but it's not that bad of a surfer, that is when there are waves. However, enough some paddling around.



That's all! Great times on the East Sea whether there are waves or not!

STAY TUNED for some Fall WHITEWATER action and MORE good times in Seoul and Bundang !!!

Thanks for viewing.....Ciao for Now :D