Atom Adventure

Last Sunday was hot...super super hot. Jiwang and I kicked back to some tunes, Korean and English/American, and drove to the countryside. The music (mostly heavy-metal) blasted out the open windows along the motorway, as we sang, moshed, and admired the scenery.

"Let's find a forest somewhere and get lost in it." I said to Jiwang, the evening before.
"Ok" he says, " I really want to do that. I know where there are some. I'll plan it".
"I don't believe you" I said. " I bet my bottom dollar you will turn up tomorrow and not have a clue where we are going".
"No, no." he insisted. "I'll plan it".

When he picked me up the next morning, he looked around him and said
"어디로?"/"where to?"
I covered my face with my hands. " I don't know, its not my country" I replied, a litte exhasperated. "Anywhere".

So off we went, in the direction of Jiwang's choosing, treating South Korea to the wonders of Heavy Metal music. On the way to God-Knows-Where we stopped off to view the beach, which Jiwang insisted was fantastic, but in my opinion looked nothing more than a mudslide. After some convincing, I had a photo taken of myself with the mudslide in the background, and vice versa. On the cliff overlooking the er...beach, were some bushes of what Jiwang insisted is Korea's national flower. I didn't believe him; afterall, he is the biggest 뻥쟁이/Joker on the planet, so these days I have difficulty believing anything that comes out of his mouth. After some jostling and squabbling, I was given free reign of MY camera to take some pictures of the flowers.

After more driving, I noticed some tour buses parked on the road. Jiwang pulled over, and we both got out to find out what was there. As soon as we got out of the car we were accosted by some nosey Koreans, who were asking if we were a couple, and if we were from America. As Jiwang wandered off to the information desk, I informed them:
아니요. 전 영국에서 왔어요. 그리고 그 남자가 한국 사람 이에요.
No. I am from England. And that man is Korean.

(Surely Jiwang's facial features and Korean language ability gives him away?). Just for extra spice, I added (within earshot of Jiwang):
그래요. 이 남자가 재 남자 진구 이에요.
Yes, this man is my boyfriend. (A complete lie).

Eyes popped out and jaws hit the floor. They simply could not comprehend it. Afterall, how often do you come across a Korean man and a foreign woman as a couple? Never. (Maybe occassionally in Seoul). It just doesn't fit right into the confucious society of the hermit kingdom. A Korean man will not go anywhere near a foreign woman to make her a serious girlfriend, even if he was hopelessly in love with her.

Oh, the amusement.

The man who was questioning me gave Jiwang a knowing wink and a smile, then looked at me and said: "beautiful".

Having established that

there is a temple, and couple of waterfalls 2 hours away, we walked back to the car, leaving them staring after us. We drove further down the road, closer to the waterfalls, so we would not have to walk as far.

The walk, despite being flat all the way, was strenous in the full glare of the mid-afternoon sun. The sweat dripped off me, despite shade from the trees. On the way to the waterfall there was a picturesque lake and Koreans nearby willing to take photos of the two of us. Meanwhile Jiwang could not resist posing for a photo hero-style. What a man.

Futher along we came across a viewing point over looking the river and a smaller lake. I collapsed in a heap on the steps, and reached for my water bottle. Jiwang used this valuable opportunity to get snappy-happy with my camera. He took a couple of me too, resting on the step, but unfortunately they came out blurred. However, you can just about make out the grumpy expression at the prospect have having my picture taken while resembling a pig swealtering in the heat. The middle photo shows the main waterfall in the distance, while the smaller ones are of the smaller waterfall.

Walking along the trail through the trees was noisy. A chorous of birds, frogs and insects sang happily as they went on their day-to-day business, more or less how I would image a jungle to sound like (minus the odd roar of a tiger or hiss of snake). I noticed a gap in the trees, that made a fork in the trail.

"This is the path to the main waterfall" I stated, matter-of-factly.

"How do you know?" Jiwang asked."There's no sign".

"I just do". I said simply. "We should follow the river".

Sure enough the short scramble lead us upstream towards the waterfall, where other enthusiastic climbers where eating lunch and playing in the pool. The thing about Koreans is that they must have the latest fashion in everything. This disease has even spread to the hill-walkers. However, they had no qualms about getting their latest sportswear completely wet-through as they took a much needed bathe in the pool. I joined them, in a hurry to clean my stinky feet and splash myself all over with cold water. Many a water-fight erupted, and unfortunately I got caught in the cross-fire. Unfazed, I joined in with the splashing and the squeeling, eager to seek revenge. Jiwang however did not fancy getting wet, and so stayed by the edge of the pool.

After eating our kimbap, we made our way back to the car. I was hoping that my clothes would dry by the time I got there. Unfortunately they did not, and I sat in the car soaking wet all the way back to Kunsan.

This week I have been quite poorly. Jiwang thinks that it is related to playing in the pool; I'm not so sure. I had headache and a blocked nose, and took some cold medicine. Tuesday night I couldn't sleep because of the pain in my ears. Wednesday The Boss took me to the hopital where it was established that I do indeed have an ear infection, and I should have an injection in my 공동이/derriere and take the following course of medicine for 2 days. By friday, the medicine was doing nothing for me. I was in a fair amount of pain throughout my working day, ears, jaw, neck and back; the Boss saw my miserable expression and said "Cheer up, OK?!", while I thought "Shut up!" behind a fake smile that fell short of a grimace.

While I was with the 15 year olds, towards the end of the lesson I felt this 'pop!' in my right ear, and fluid slowly trickle down my ear cannal. When the class finished, I walked downstairs to the office and told them what had happened. The Boss had left the building, his Mrs couldn't be bothered, so one of my colleagues held my hand all the way to the hospital, as I had some difficulty walking straight. When we got there, he turned me away saying that there was nothing more he can do, that he will prescribe me some painkillers, and that I should have another needle shoved in my precious 공동이. He then suggested that I should visit a ENT doctor in the morning.

Hence this morning, at the reasonable hour of 11am, I gave The Boss a call on his mobile. He answered, grunting something about a hangover, and he will be at my apartment in 15 minutes.
True to his word, he was there 15 minutes later, and accompanied me to the hospital. There I had various intruments shoved, twizzled and sucked in my ears. Again, it was established that I have ear infection, and that I should take another, stronger course of medicine. I am to go back on Monday.

Thus the weekend will probably be spent sprawled on my bed, knocked unconcious by drugs.