Ever since I found myself belly-worming through an increasingly dark and unexpectedly narrow crevice in a cave in Vang Vieng, Laos, a few years back, I’ve been sketchy about spelunking.  Something about the cold, damp walls pressing in on both shoulders and the inability of the local boys guiding us to clarify how far the exit was gripped me with my first-ever claustrophobic pang.  Probably the worst thing you can think of during a moment like that is the possibility of an earthquake, but that of course is what crossed my mind.

Y'all:   Quick little pubserv announcement from our good friends at KOTESOL --

I was naked, yet I felt no shame. After emerging from a HOT hot tub, I cooled off by jumping into a tub of cold water - it's great for the circulation. Quick! Jump back into the hot tub to really get your blood moving. Put some clothes on, then head into a dry sauna guaranteed to make you sweat. Welcome to the jimjilbang - a bathing experience unlike any other.

In the Rough Guide to Korea, my guru Norbert calls Yakcheonsa one of Jeju’s most magical experiences.  The best time to arrive, he writes, is 7 pm on a summer evening, when “worshipping locals chant under the interior glow with their backs to the sunset.”  So I hiked a staircase at the end of Jungmun Beach, grabbed a cab from the Hyatt hotel, and missioned to the temple, which was built in the 1990′s and, according to Norbert, is considered one of the most impressive in the country, despite its less-than-historical 20th-century roots.

  This is the last part of a three part series of hints directed to recruiters, employers & schools posting jobs on line.   Would appreciate your commentary and thoughts below. Previous Articles in this Series

The tradition of nepotism in Korea runs deep and long in this society.  It's everywhere you look.  Whether it's the best and the biggest of the Korean companies or your local English Hagwon, it wouldn't be surprising to see the founder's son running things with his father's blessing.  But the department of foreign affairs of the Korean government is not a place where you'd expect nepotism.  Well, there might have been a case of it and it's making quite a news story now.

To put it mildly, Wonpyeong Beach (원평해수욕장) is off the beaten path. Bigeum-do is 54.5 kilometers (about 34 miles) from the mainland of Dae Han Min Guk. Of the 827 islands that dot the shores of Shinan county in Jeollanam-do, Bigeum-do is the seventh-largest. It hearkens back to a time before foreigners taught English in Korea and the locals viewed foreign tourists as curiosities. If you've ever needed that 'far off island getaway' during your stay in Korea - but had to be back to work on Monday - this may be the place.

Did you hear the wind last night?  It was crazy wasn't it?  All the time I've spent in Korea, this was by far the worst I remember.  Inevitably, there were lots of damages done across the country.  Below, I've scrapped some of the damages caught on camera.  Hopefully none of you out there reading this blog suffered any damage.

 

Author's note: this post is rated NSFW (Not Safe For Work) due to some nudity - this IS a body painting festival, people. Please go elsewhere if you're looking for pornography - this is tasteful and beautiful art.