The trip left out of Seoul early Wednesday morning, so the first step was for me and my friend Keiran to get to Seoul Tuesday night. We took the KTX (high speed train) from Daegu, arriving in Seoul just before midnight. We 
caught one of the last few subway runs to the area of the city where we were being picked up the next day and then went on a hunt for a 찜질방 (Jimjilbang). A Jimjilbang is sort of like a spa where you pay to go in, use the hot and cold baths, the saunas, and sometimes you can also spend the night. Neither Keiran nor I had stayed the night in a Jimjilbang yet, so we were not really sure what we were getting ourselves into. After being puzzled for a while by a mirage of the burning red flame (the sign for jimjilbang), we found the place, paid our 8,000 won and parted ways for the segregated male and female floors. I didn't take advantage of the spa facilities and tried to go to sleep right away. I probably ended up sleeping for about 45 minutes of the entire night. People kept coming in and out of the room, and it was next to impossible to sleep on the hard block pillow. In the morning I found out that my sleep was a bit better than Keiran's. He got to put up with the added bonus of drunk Korean men snoring and trying to snuggle up to him. I think the Korean men had the idea though, and the next time I try to sleep at a jimjilbang I will definatley have a couple of drinks first.
caught one of the last few subway runs to the area of the city where we were being picked up the next day and then went on a hunt for a 찜질방 (Jimjilbang). A Jimjilbang is sort of like a spa where you pay to go in, use the hot and cold baths, the saunas, and sometimes you can also spend the night. Neither Keiran nor I had stayed the night in a Jimjilbang yet, so we were not really sure what we were getting ourselves into. After being puzzled for a while by a mirage of the burning red flame (the sign for jimjilbang), we found the place, paid our 8,000 won and parted ways for the segregated male and female floors. I didn't take advantage of the spa facilities and tried to go to sleep right away. I probably ended up sleeping for about 45 minutes of the entire night. People kept coming in and out of the room, and it was next to impossible to sleep on the hard block pillow. In the morning I found out that my sleep was a bit better than Keiran's. He got to put up with the added bonus of drunk Korean men snoring and trying to snuggle up to him. I think the Korean men had the idea though, and the next time I try to sleep at a jimjilbang I will definatley have a couple of drinks first.
Since Allison and Ryan already live in the greater Seoul area, we had planned to meet up with them at the second pick-up spot. Because of tons of holiday traffic, we didn't end up seeing them until our lunch break. It took us a lot longer to get to Pheonix Park ski resort than anticipated, so our afternoon lift tickets got exchanged for night ones. There was no complaining from us, as we got a chance to settle into our hostel and relax a bit before we hit the
slopes. This was my second time boarding, having gone for the first time only 4 days earlier, and I had a lot of fun that night. The slopes were pretty much deserted so it was the perfect opportunity to learn and practice my carving skills. The next day the sun was shining and it was the perfect day for boarding. We did some new runs, took the gondola to the top and had Beavertails for lunch. After having enough of falling hard on my tailbone and smashing my head pretty good a few times I called it quits. At the end of the day Ryan and Allison had done all the runs at the hill, and Keiran was very close to doing the same - they all even took a run down the half pipe.
slopes. This was my second time boarding, having gone for the first time only 4 days earlier, and I had a lot of fun that night. The slopes were pretty much deserted so it was the perfect opportunity to learn and practice my carving skills. The next day the sun was shining and it was the perfect day for boarding. We did some new runs, took the gondola to the top and had Beavertails for lunch. After having enough of falling hard on my tailbone and smashing my head pretty good a few times I called it quits. At the end of the day Ryan and Allison had done all the runs at the hill, and Keiran was very close to doing the same - they all even took a run down the half pipe. That night we attempted to hold a guy vs. girl Olympics between 
Ryan/Keiran and Allison/myself. We got through a few events including: a Euchre game, air hockey, dance dance revolution, a basketball shootout, arcade horse racing and finally a game of pool. We were all pretty tired and called the night early, never really deciding on a winner.
Ryan/Keiran and Allison/myself. We got through a few events including: a Euchre game, air hockey, dance dance revolution, a basketball shootout, arcade horse racing and finally a game of pool. We were all pretty tired and called the night early, never really deciding on a winner. The two days at Pheonix Park were amazing and we still had two days left on the trip. The next destination was Bangdong Valley. Stay tuned for Part Two to find out what we got up to.
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