What have YOU been doing the past 6 months? Well, I became a rescue diver, a dive master, an open water scuba instructor, a specialty instructor, etc….
I am legit now!
DAMN KID!!!! Is probably what you are saying or thinking…
I have been quite busy. I am now a scuba diving instructor working/living in Phuket, Thailand.
Where I Work
I am employed by Rumble Fish Adventure Inn. They are a dive shop and a hostel. Make sure if you want to book with us, to let me know! I will get you special price and maybe a happy ending…
This is my office window
The weather temperature is always around 28-31 C…so I cant complain!
Some of the guys at the office look like fucking weirdos!
Just a little update on my life….
Tags: cheap scuba diving, phuket, rumble fish, scuba diving, scuba instructor, scuba tuna, thailand, underwater photography
Have been out of Korea for almost 5 months now…holy shit it has already been 5 months!
I am now a scuba diving instructor in Phuket, Thailand. No more teaching English to little monsters!!
I hope to have one post a week on Korea, traveling, diving or whatever else I can summon from my pathetic brain!
Get a fuckin’ scooter dude!
So no joke, you should for sure get a scooter or motorcycle. Buying a scooter was one of the best decisions I made. It is simple to get and easy to drive. It made my time in Korea much more enjoyable for numerous reasons. I had freedom to go wherever and whenever I wanted. I didn’t have to pay for taxis or wait on buses. Don’t get me wrong, the buses are good and all, and the taxis are super expensive, but it is SO much better to have your own set of wheels! ……and then you are also able to join a scooter gang and be a badass!
So, you want a scooter…
First, you should think about the time of year you are buying it. You also will need to decide if you want to buy one from another foreigner or a scooter shop (Korean). Next you will have to decide what size scooter you want. Finally, you will have to decide which scooter gang you will join…which is probably the toughest decision out of them all.
When to buy?
Well, it gets quite cold during the winter months in Korea and when it is that cold….it is no fun riding around on your little scooter. From mid November to about the end of March, it is pretty cold and if you rode around on the scooter you would be pretty miserable. Sooooooo, the best time to buy your wheels are around the end of March. You will still need some gloves and a big ass coat, but it will be tolerable.
Who to buy from?
There are only two options really. Buy from a foreigner who is leaving, getting rid of or has an extra scooter or buying from a Korean guy at a scooter shop. The best option is buying from a foreigner. You can get a cheaper price since they will more than likely soon be out of the country. You can also negotiate price a little easier because there is no communication barrier.
What size scooter to buy?
This is strictly personal preference and possibly dependent on how much you weigh. If you buy from a foreigner, then you wont have much of a choice, but if you buy from a scooter shop then you can choose the size, style and type with quite a few options. You could get one where you need to shift, get a little 50cc scooter or go with a big dog 125cc. I first bought a 50cc scooter simply because it was the cheapest. I am not the smallest guy (I weighed 205lbs at the time of purchase) and the 50cc scooter could not even go the speed limit with me on it. I also looked like a tool riding it because I was too big.
The scooter guy told me “big guy” when I bought it, meaning I was too big for it, but I didn’t listen. I bought it for 500,000 won, which included a helmet and a lock. This is how ridiculous I looked on it…
The little 50cc
……but then I traded that little one in for a big dog 125cc a pictured below. It would get up to 120km/h going down a hill and it was easily big enough to have someone on the back as well. Also, the tires are wider, accelerates faster and overall is better than the smaller scooter.
The big dog 125cc
Nice metal guards, eh?
What scooter gang to join?
This is all personal preference but I suggest you beat someones ass in front of the gang so they know you are the real deal!
Go out and get some wheels!
You will not regret your decision to buy one. I bought the first scooter for 500k and then traded that in and paid another 400k for the upgrade. I had a deal with the scooter guy who sold it to me. He let me sell it back for the same price (I know, it sounds retarded and potentially is on his part). He also gave me a lot of free service while I had it. (like oil changes and regular maintenance) One warning, many people who own scooters or motorcycles eventually get in a wreck or get injured somehow. I did get injured on mine, but it wasn’t really my fault. No matter what they are worth the risk!
Tags: buying a scooter in korea, buying scooter, ESL South Korea, korea scooter prices, scooter gang, south korea scooter
During my time in Korea, I ate a lot of different/weird things compared to my diet in America. One of the strangest was eating….
Canis lupus familiaris….which is dog. It isn’t a very common thing to do in Korea, but it is much more common than in many other countries. I wanted to try it because it is a practice that use to be more common in Korean culture and I am all about trying new and different food.
I went with a Korean friend to a restaurant specializing in K9 consumption. It was a nice place with mostly older Korean men. (I went with a beautiful Korean young woman)
She told me that her family would eat dog about once a month, but she hadn’t been able to go with anyone for a few months. She told me consuming dog is good for virility.
She recommended we get the soup instead of the meat platter because of cost and the taste is better. So, we ordered two bowls of puppy soup.
mmmmmm.....it was delicious
Lots of meat!
As you can see, it looks like any other soup you could order while in Korea. There were the normal side items given as well. Some pretty substantial pieces of meat in the soup and very hearty.
So….what did it taste like and was it good? It tasted like a normal spicy soup in Korea. It was really good and filling as well. It tasted like any other soup as well, until you got to a large piece of meat. If I didn’t know it was dog, I would know it wasn’t pork or beef. It was more greasy than normal meat and had a different taste. The taste wasn’t bad, but different.
The first bite was a bit of a mind fuck because you realize it is dog. I have a dog of my own at home and I love her to death….I would never eat her! After the initial bite, it was an excellent meal. I would eat it again, but it is more expensive than normal soups.
I know there are many people who are VERY against what I did and I am okay with that. I wanted to try something new in a culture where it is done more often. Please don’t think that all Korean’s eat dog, because they don’t. Some do though and I do not judge them for what they decide to eat.
Tags: delicious dog, dog meat soup, dog soup, dog taste, eating dog in south korea, ESL South Korea, korea dog, korean food, South Korea
World Cup is an exciting time for soccer fans, but I wouldn’t have had the experience I did during the World Cup if I was in America. America (maybe this year was more exciting because of the hype in America for the first time) doesn’t get excited for World Cup like the rest of the world does. Soccer or football is still considered a sissy sport in America and doesn’t get much attention. Thankfully, I was in a country which appreciates the World Cup and all of its glory, South Korea!
Changwon, South Korea festivities
So, Changwon has a very large rotary close to the center of the city. They set up 3 large TVs, a large TV on city hall, speakers, a large stage and stalls selling food and other goods on the rotary.
There were a few thousand people at the rotary to watch one of the games to support South Korea. The atmosphere was energetic, exciting and could not be matched by anywhere in America.
There were families, foreigners and everyone in between. Many people were drinking, shooting off small fireworks and singing the Korean national anthem. It was very exciting, especially when the Koreans scored!
The games were at 9:30pm, 11:30pm and 2:30am during the cup, so I had A LOT of very late (actually early mornings) during the entire World Cup. I think my average time I would make it home was about 5am every morning.
There was a strong backing of South African, English and American ESL teacher supporters. At the local expat bars, the atmosphere was amazing! Especially during the England vs America match.
This is a picture of a flag made by an England fan that needed to be stolen and messed with. It’s okay English people…not ALL of you blow.
Tags: american soccer, changwon large rotary, changwon south korea ESL, south korea world cup