Sam & Diane: Day 5 & 6

So technically the trip is over and mom and dad are back home safely, and currently probably asleep, but I want to post the highlights of each couple days anyway. I hope to make a small book out of these feeble blog entries when we leave Korea. Thus, day 5 and 6... which was Tuesday and Wednesday, Feb 1st-2nd.

Tuesday we had school again, so Mom and Dad continued to rest, relax, and work on things from home while we taught the wee ones. After work we went to a restaurant within walking distance that serves Shabu Shabu, which I believe is Vietnamese. For those of you, like myself, who have never heard of this before, here is what you do..... (it's a very interactive meal).

1. First, you order a type of meat and then cook it in boiling water in the middle of the table. We had thinly sliced beef and duck.

2. Second, you get a piece of rice paper, which looks kind of like plastic....

3.Then you dip it in hot water and quickly lay it on your plate because the water makes it turn really soft and sticky.

4. Now you fill it with the meat, sauces, and all sorts of veggies like bean sprouts, carrots, lettuce, onions, cucumbers and even pineapple.

5. Now you take the stretchy rice paper and wrap your food up into a little baby burrito.

6. Voila, now you eat. It is really yummy.

By day 5 mom and dad were getting much better at the chopsticks! They said they really enjoyed this meal. We do too!

When you have cooked all your meat they use the boiling water (now broth) to cook noodles. After you eat the noodles they add a bowl of rice and spices and turn it into a porridge. Dad favored the porridge.

On Wednesday we took mom and dad on a day long adventure. The first stop was actually the farthest away, about an hour and 20 minutes, to Haeundae beach.

We went to the aquarium right next to the beach, which Jon has been dying to do for a long time. They had some monster crabs. It looks like they want to eat dad.

The sharks were also awesome. This is how big they were. Not the largest things out there, but still cool to see up close.

This poor little guy had a bit of a deformity. Every single time I look at this picture I feel a little sad for the shark.

There was actually a glass tunnel through the biggest tank so you could walk through and be surrounded on all sides.

The second stop of the day was to Seomyeon. This is what we kind of consider the heart of the city. We took them to a doll house cafe, more for the experience of saying they did it than anything else. This place is a crack up, but popular with the Koreans. You pay like $5.50 a person and you have 2 hours in a rented relaxation room with unlimited visits to the snack room. In your little room you sit on the floor and watch tv, make phone calls, do homework, or play games with friends. It's a fun idea, but the rooms are small and uncomfortable.

The doorway into our room.

The pink polkadot walls were getting to us. We played cards and Jon was facing into a corner that was like a 40 degree angle, and by the end of the game he said the corner was messing with him. :) haha.

In the streets of Seomyeon. A busy place.

Next we went to Nampdong to a Noribong - or karaoke room. You rent out a room that has a full karaoke set up - big screen tv, loud speakers with surround sound, microphones, and even a disco ball. You have two hours to sing and eat and be merry. This soup is served to help keep you cool if you work up a sweat singing. It is ice, milk, red beans, fruit, sugar, and frosted flakes. Sounds strange, but it's good!

Then you just sing your little heart out. When you type in a song the lights automatically dim and the disco ball starts going. When your song is finished the lights come back on and you are given a score out of 100. It is so much fun! We laughed a LOT! Oh man.