I'll keep updating on my trip to Laos and Thailand, probably at least once or twice weekly, and this notice will stay at the top of the blog until I return to Korea. Just scroll down to read the rest of the story.
randersn on 06.15.09 @ 12:40 PM Yeosu [link]
I'm enjoying a few days in Vang Vieng, a lovely, but usually tourist-packed town north of Vientiane. Being that it's low season now, the number of visitors here is quite a few less than in December, the last time I was here. There hasn't been any rain, but it's been mostly cloudy and humid. Nai and I might go tubing on the Nam Song tomorrow or perhaps take a hike up to the Buddha cave.
There's not really too much happening here, and I was planning on going to Bangkok near the end of the week. However, I read today that the trains have all been stopped due to a nationwide strike of railway workers, and it seems like it's another nail in the coffin of the Thailand tourism sector. Visitor numbers are down drastically and the industry is begging the government to do something. Chief causes for the huge dropoff are the takeover of the airport last year by protestors and continuing political turmoil, high prices, bad economy, and the perception that tourists are being treated less than cordially by many Thais working in the service sector. So it goes. More later.
randersn on 06.22.09 @ 04:42 PM Yeosu [link] [No Comments]
Just outside the Inter City Hotel in Vientiane, along the Mekong, I noticed that their was a lot of new construction, with dirt piled up along the river bank. I asked Nai what it was all about, but he wasn't sure. We asked a cashier in one of the markets and he told us it was a new levee to protect the city from the type of flooding that occurred last summer. Good idea. Nai blames the flooding on the upstream dams that China has built, which some claim has altered the seasonal flow of the river. I certainly hope they don't get the high water they had last year. Nai's family farm doesn't need another incident like that.
randersn on 06.15.09 @ 01:09 PM Yeosu [link] [1 Comment]
Written June 13th.
I saw on CNN a few days before I made my flight to Bangkok that Incheon Airport, outside of Seoul, was rated the overall best airport in the world, beating out perennial front runner Singapore. It's certainly a huge, spacious, orderly and clean facility, and the personnel are mostly friendly. However, I didn't do much to improve one security guard's demeanor.
Earlier, I prepared to go through the security checkpoint. I took my paper money out of my bag and put it into my pants pocket (for whatever reason), and put my loose change and other metal items into my bag. Then I walked into the security area and put my bag onto the x-ray conveyor. The security guard told me to take the coins out of my pocket. I said that I didn't have any coins. Again he repeated his order. Again I told him I didn't have any. He was starting to get irritated. 'Check your pocket and take out the coins,' he ordered. Just to humor him (and not get into trouble) I reached into my pocket and, much to my great embarrassment, I found a handful of loose change. Wow, did I get red in the face and start apologizing profusely!
Apparently, I had forgotten to check my left pants pocket earlier and the security guy had seen the outline of the coins therein. Even with my apologies he was not happy with me, but he let me through without further incident. Geez, talk about getting old and senile. 
My excuse has to be that I had been awake for more than 24 hours. The 11 p.m. bus from Yeosu to the airport takes about 5 1/2 hours, and I find it impossible to sleep on a bus or plane or at an airport waiting for the check-in counter to open. Moral: Double check your pockets.
Friday night was a great time to leave Yeosu, though. All day it was as hazy as could be. You could barely make out the not-so-distant hills and downtown buildings. It wasn't the dreaded Yellow Dust, but more likely a combination of pollution and fog with an inversion layer thrown in for good measure. Anyway, Incheon was very clear, and as I sit in Suvarnabhumi Airport in Bangkok writing this, it is mostly sunny.
I've got a 6 hour layover, but I don't know what I'm going to do to pass the time waiting for the flight to Vientiane. Just walk around the terminal, I guess, and wait for something to happen. Maybe I can find a security guard to pick on. 
More later.
randersn on 06.15.09 @ 12:57 PM Yeosu [link] [1 Comment]
So, our spring semester ends today and the teachers have 3 weeks off, until July 6th. Hmmmm, I wonder what I should do, where I might go . . . ? I know, how about a trip to Laos and Thailand? Great idea!
Yeah, I'm leaving tomorrow morning at 10 a.m. from Seoul, flying to Bangkok, where I have a 6-hour layover at the airport there. Then, it's on to Laos, the flight arriving in Vientiane around 9 p.m. tomorrow night.
It's rainy season there right now, so I probably won't get a lot of sun, but there's usually still enough that I won't get waterlogged. Should be fun despite the wet weather. I'll try to keep you posted. At any rate, I won't be obsessed with watching baseball for a while. I'll also be leaving behind my disappointment that the Yanks lost 3 more games to the Red Sox, making the team 0-8 this season against the Boston guys. 
Sheeeeesh! More later.
randersn on 06.12.09 @ 05:53 PM Yeosu [link] [2 Comments]
At least not in Bangkok. According to this article in the Thai newspaper "The Nation," authorities are banning elephants from the city. One of the fascinating things that I love about Bangkok is the chance that you can see one of the big beasts lumbering around some of the major streets at night. That being said, however, it is actually very cruel to the animals that their handlers put them in this position. The handlers try to get tourists to buy food from them to feed the elephants, thereby lining the handlers pockets. The city is quite a bad environment for elephants, so I hope the ruling has a good effect. Apparently, this is not the first time the authorities have tried to get the elephants off the streets and into their natural habitat. Let's hope it works this time.
randersn on 05.31.09 @ 11:34 AM Yeosu [link] [1 Comment]
The university is having a 3-day festival this week, running from Wednesday through today. The students from their different departments (majors) set up small areas in a large parking lot just below the campus from which they sell food and drinks to raise money for various projects, field trips, etc. Each area is covered with awnings and tarps to protect diners and drinkers from the weather. I took a quick walk through the area on Wednesday night after my 7 p.m. class, but it started to sprinkle a bit, with heavier showers forecast for later, so I didn't linger long. Throughout the night and into the early morning hours there was quite a bit of rain, very heavy at times. After my morning class yesterday, I again took a walk through the area, on my way to catch a bus to the bank to send some cash back to my U.S. bank. My guess is that at least more than half of the booths had been flattened by the winds and heavy rains. It was still raining pretty hard at the time, and some of the early arriving students were hard at work trying to re-erect their booths. It finally quit raining in the early afternoon and the festivities went on as scheduled later that evening. Right now the sun is out and the forecast calls for clear skies all day, so I'll probably check out the activities tonight after class.
Speaking of festivities, the Yanks have been on a celebratory roll lately, winning 8 in a row and closing to within 2 1/2 games of first place. They're playing awesome baseball and I have a good feeling about the team this year. The pitching is coming around, A-Rod is back and pounding the ball, and, most important, the "chemistry" among the players seems to be quite positive. Here's hoping they keep it up over the long run.
I'll try to get some recent photos posted here soon. Stay tuned for more later.
randersn on 05.22.09 @ 07:41 AM Yeosu [link] [13 Comments]
I hope all the moms and grandmoms and others have a great day today. I already phoned my mother today--how about you? 
randersn on 05.11.09 @ 08:02 AM Yeosu [link] [No Comments]
In a scenario that every Yankee fan probably dreamed of, A-Rod made his return from the disabled list today. First time at bat, top of the first, runners on first and second, first pitch -- WHAM! -- a home run into the left field seats in Baltimore. Wow, what a return! Hopefully, he'll prove to be the catalyst the team needs to shake itself out of its current doldrums. More later.
randersn on 05.09.09 @ 08:19 AM Yeosu [link] [No Comments]
We English teachers have had the last week off from classes, since the students are taking mid-term exams. The English mid-term is a computer-based listening exam, so we were free for the week. But, back to work tomorrow.
About the only thing I got around to doing was to go up to Seoul on a quick overnight trip. There were some personal items I needed to buy that I've only been able to find at a foreign foods market in the capital. It's always an expensive journey up there, so, like I said, it was a quick trip up and back, but at least I was able to get what I needed.
I found some directions on the Internet for locating a foreign products market in Gwangju, so I took the bus there a few Saturdays back, since it's so close, to look for the place. Alas, the directions were virtually useless, and after walking around for several hours in the supposed neighborhood where the rumored market was to be found, I gave up. Never did find it.
We've had more than a few days of rain over the past week and the week before, up to a couple of inches each time. The temperatures have fallen and the wind has been its usual nasty self - very un-springlike. Fortunately, the forecast is calling for nicer weather in the coming week.
So far I've watched all of the Yankee games, but it's been a mixed blessing, especially after the 2 heartbreaking losses to the Red Sox. Perhaps tomorrow the tables will be turned. More later.
randersn on 04.26.09 @ 08:58 PM Yeosu [link]
It looks like the strife in Bangkok is escalating, with reports that tear gas was used by the army to clear out protestors blocking some of the major intersections. To top things off, Apr. 13-15 is Songkran, Thailand's New Year and one of its major holiday periods.
Laos also celebrates Songkran. I talked to Nai last night, and he has been hired to sing at one of the parties being held there today. This one is being sponsored by his brother's construction company. I asked him to be careful, because many people are injured or killed in drunk-driving accidents this time of year, and knowing Nai's penchant for getting into motorbike accidents, I am obviously worried. He told me "I cannot drink beer tomorrow. I sing a song for party." Good. Keep it that way, Mr. Accident Prone. 
randersn on 04.13.09 @ 11:40 AM Yeosu [link] [No Comments]
Yikes, it's been a long time since I've posted something, so I'll just do a quickie this evening, with something more extended later this week.
The spring weather lately has been glorious, with the azaleas, cherry blossoms, golden bells, and others in full bloom. The days have been warm and the nights, though chilly, are pleasant enough. Definitely baseball season, speaking of which the Yanks are off to a good start at 3-2, and they look like a tight team. I've got a subscription to MLB TV, so I can watch the games on my computer. Nice!
I'm pretty sure I'm going to re-sign here at Yeosu, but I did have an interview with a Saudi Arabian university. I'll see what they offer me, if they decide to send me a contract. The Korean won has been strengthening against the dollar lately, which will affect my decision to stay here.
On a darker side, I see that Thailand is having more trouble the past few days, and today it seems particularly bad. The Prime Minister declared a State of Emergency and the so-called "red shirts," having caused the ASEAN meeting to be canceled, now seem intent on more mayhem. Apparently, some tanks have been sent out into the streets, only to be seized by the red-shirts. It seems that some Thais are just very intent on shooting themselves and the country in the foot. After the airport takeover in December and the subsequent drop in tourist numbers, the current events are only going to contribute to an even larger drop in world (and tourist) opinion.
Happy Easter to all my Christian friends and family. More later.
randersn on 04.12.09 @ 08:06 PM Yeosu [link]
I just read this on the internet. Click here for a report from CNN. I can't remember the last time there was an airplane crash with this many deaths in the state. Tragic.
randersn on 03.23.09 @ 10:23 AM Yeosu [link]
It's Sunday morning about 11 o'clock and I'm sitting in my apartment watching Korea play Venezuela in the World Baseball Classic semifinals. Korea is really whuppin' the tar out of the Latino team, 7-0 in the top of the 2nd inning. Looks like the Koreans have this one well in hand. Tomorrow the U.S. plays against Japan, with the winner playing in the championship game against Korea. Unfortunately, I have to work tomorrow morning, when the game will be telecast here. I'll be able to watch most of the championship game on Tuesday morning, since I have only one morning class that day.
Later, I have to go to Lotte Mart (a big WalMart-like chain store) to buy a couple of dumb bells (no snide comments please) to augment my weight training program. I'm only able to get to the gym on Tuesdays and Thursdays to use the weight machines there, so I'll use the dumb bells at my apartment. (The gym is closed on the weekends.)
If I have time, I'll try to put up a couple of Odong photos later today.
randersn on 03.22.09 @ 11:52 AM Yeosu [link]
Korea put up the first red flag alert of the season for yellow dust yesterday. This is an annual rite of spring on the peninsula caused by dust from the Gobi Desert in China blowing across the appropriately named Yellow Sea. I first wrote about this phenomenon back in 2004 while working in Andong. When I went jogging today it was still quite hazy, so I jogged on the treadmill in the gym instead of on the soccer field, where I usually go when the weather is nice--didn't want to fill my lungs up with dust. When I jog I'm like an old steam locomotive, huffing and puffing away, sucking in air like a drowning man going down for the last time. Six older Korean ladies were out taking their daily walk around the field, and they all were wearing surgical masks. There is a photo of dust-enshrouded Seoul here and here if you're interested.
Good news about the jogging. A couple of my students from last semester saw me for the first time since the start of this semester and stopped to say hello. "Anderson, hello, you are sooooo thin. You have lost weight! (giggle-giggle)" (They're girls, by the way.) Well, I haven't felt like I've lost all that many pounds (and I haven't), but of course their compliment made me feel good about my efforts, so I celebrated with a candy bar. More (candy?) later.
randersn on 03.17.09 @ 10:43 PM Yeosu [link]
It looks like it's finally here, at least in Yeosu. It was cold and rainy Thursday and Friday, but today we've had abundant sunshine and temperatures in the mid-fifties. I was walking around and noticed that some of the shrubbery and trees are starting to blossom, including, I think, some cherry blossoms. Hopefully, I can put away my winter clothes since this week highs are forecast to be in the mid-sixties. Sweet!
I actually DID go to Odong Island last weekend, and I have some new photos of the area. As soon as I get them processed, I'll put a few of them up here.
I see that both Korea and Japan, as expected, advanced to the next round of the World Baseball Classic. The HUGE upset, of course, was the Dominican Republic getting eliminated by the Netherlands. I can imagine the folks back in the D.R. are still wondering what the heck happened. (NOTE: I just checked the Classic website in order to get the link to post here and I saw that Puerto Rico demolished the U.S. 11 to 1. Another upset coming up?)
My friend Nai got into another motorbike accident a few days back. Thankfully, he wasn't hurt too badly, but he's very upset that the other person involved, an 82-year old man, was injured and is in quite a bit of pain, so Nai tells me. It sounds like it was the older fellow's fault. It seems he pedaled his bicycle against the light into traffic. Nai beeped his horn and put on the brakes, but he couldn't get stopped in time to keep from knocking the guy off the bicycle and onto the road. Even though it wasn't his fault, Nai is going to pay for the other person's medicine until he gets back on his feet-a traditional show of respect for one's elders, I guess. I'm really gonna have to try to get Nai to give up on motorbikes as much as possible. He always seems to be having trouble with them, one way or another. The bike he rides around on now is one that I helped him buy. I don't think I want to help him buy another. He needs to get training wheels or something. More later.
randersn on 03.15.09 @ 07:47 PM Yeosu [link]
I walked to Odongdo Island (do, pronounced dough, = island) last week, a round trip journey of about 9 miles or so. Including walking around on the small island itself and afterwards exploring Yeosu's good-sized market area, I probably put in around 11 miles, all told, and my feet were feeling it. I had planned on taking a bus or taxi back to the university, but I decided that since I didn't jog that morning, the extended walk would be good exercise. There is such a thing as overdoing it, though, so I didn't jog the next morning. Good excuse, eh? 
The day was overcast, hazy and gray, which led to some rather flat, dull photos. The one below is representative of the batch that I took. This Saturday's forecast is calling for sunny skies and warm temperatures, so I think I'll return to the island for a reshoot. I'll post some of the good (hopefully) shots here later.
Odongdo
The new semester is in full swing. I've got some decent classes, and the kids seem very polite and eager to learn (most of them, anyway). The classes here are sorted according to what major the students are working toward, and I somehow got stuck teaching mostly engineering students, the vast majority of whom are 19-20 year-old guys. Out of around 100 students, only 5 are young ladies. Quite a disparity.
The Korean won continues its catastrophic plunge in relation to the dollar. I'm almost afraid to check out the daily exchange rates. Enough said about that for now. More later.
randersn on 03.05.09 @ 07:31 AM Yeosu [link] [2 Comments]
The Korean won is tanking again. It had strengthened to around 1300 to the dollar, but now it has dropped back to the 1500 level and doesn't show any signs of stopping there. Very bad situation--again.
We've had rainy weather lately, but the wind and cold have been holding off. I was hoping to get a glimpse of Comet Lulin through my binoculars this morning, but, unfortunately, it's raining right now. I was also hoping to walk to Odongdo Island today (it's connected to the mainland by a causeway), but I may have to put that off.
My jogging has fallen off this week for one reason or another. For one, the gym where I run on the treadmill in cold weather was closed recently for a few days in order to accommodate freshman orientation. Yup, we have a new crop of kids coming in at the start of the Spring semester on March 2nd. Nicely enough, though, we're off this week until next Monday. I might take the bus over to one of Korea's largest cities, Gwangju, which is only a few hours away.
I've finally--FINALLY--posted photos of Glacier National Park in Montana that I took last July when we had a small family reunion. You can view some of the most magnificent scenery anywhere by clicking here for the Glacier album or you can just browse around the Photo Gallery until you find the Montana section. I didn't post any photos of my family. I'm not sure how shy they are about having their pictures pasted on the internet, so I won't put any up unless I get an OK from them. Besides, I sent them the family portion of the photos back in July.
As a teaser, here's one of St. Mary Lake. Glacier Park is an area where it's almost impossible to take a bad photo.
St. Mary Lake
Ahhhhhh, then there's the upcoming baseball season, which is right around the corner. Despite all the controversy surrounding A-Rod, I think the Yanks are still looking mighty fine to make the playoffs and the World Series this year. I'm also looking forward to the newest version of one of my favorite computer games, Out of the Park Baseball (OOTP). It's a text-based simulation (no animated graphics) of the National Pasttime where you can be the manager, general manager and/or owner of a team, and, in a limited way, the Commissioner of Baseball. It's an amazingly in-depth game. Check it out if it interests you. The new version, 10 or X, is due out "sometime this spring." I've spent many hours absorbed in this award-winning game. More later.
randersn on 02.25.09 @ 06:00 AM Yeosu [link]
I'm working on losing some weight, since I ballooned up too much at the end of last year on my trip to Laos--so far I've lost about 8 pounds. I'm back to jogging for an hour a day, 5-6 times a week, as well as doing some weight training. Because the weather is still a bit on the chilly side, I've been running on a treadmill in the main gym on campus. Quite a bit more boring than running outside, but still effective. I finally walked downtown last weekend and bought some new running shoes, ones guaranteed to help me run farther and faster. The old ones were getting a bit long in the tooth.
New Shoes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Old Shoes
Of course, along with physical activity, eating healthy is necessary for losing weight, so I've been eating a lot of fruit and veggies. I love oatmeal for breakfast (the whole grain kind, not the instant crap), but it's so difficult to find in Korea and, if you do find it, it's quite expensive. However, I've found a great substitute--abundant and cheap. Barley! Yeah, it's great with a little brown sugar, cinnamon, raisins, bananas, apples, whatever.
We have a teachers' meeting today around lunch time and the powers that be are providing free pizza. Yummmm! But, if I merely look at a slice of pizza, I put on a few pounds. Eating it seems to defy the laws of physics, since a small slice of about 4 or 5 ounces does, in fact, add a couple of inches to my waistline. I'll have to be careful this afternoon, then. Hopefully, they'll order squid pizza, which I wouldn't eat for anything.
A-Rod and steroid confession. No comment. Let's PLAY BALL! (Soon)
randersn on 02.13.09 @ 06:45 AM Yeosu [link]
I was looking back through my archives and I noticed that my first post was made on Jan. 3, 2004, so I just passed my fifth year of blogging here! Happy Anniversary! That post was actually more of a "Hello, world" type of entry and my next post wasn't written until March 15th, when I really started getting into it. Anyway, some 394 entries later, I'm still at it. Hopefully the next 5 years will be as fun as the first 5.
randersn on 02.03.09 @ 06:57 AM Yeosu [link]
Work continues on the new golf course across the valley from the campus. Right now it's a real eyesore and from what I hear, many people in Yeosu, including a large percentage of golfers, opposed its creation. As you can see below, half a mountainside is being altered, for good or bad, to make way for the links. I hope it's worth it.
Here is the main site, but there is a smaller section off to the right.
Yeosu Golf Course
And here's a closer shot.
Yeosu Golf Course
The course is supposed to be open by the 2012 Expo being held here, and it would be interesting to see what it looks like. However, I doubt I'll be here to see it. Due to the still-rotten currency exchange rate for the Korean won, I'm starting to look for greener pastures, where the currency is more stable, perhaps somewhere in the mid-East. I'd love to stay here, but under the current financial condition, that's more or less impossible.
We're finally going to get some decent weather, with the forecast calling for mostly sunny skies and temperatures hovering near the mid-50s this week. While that's nice, I'd still like to see about 25 degrees more. 
It's Super Bowl day in the U.S., but to tell the truth I didn't even know where it was being played or who was playing until just a few days ago. American football's not my cup of tea; never has been. I've been thinking more of the fact that the baseball camps in the Dominican Republic probably opened this past weekend--sunny skies, warm weather, beautiful beaches, the crack of bat against ball . . . ahhhhhh. As frequent reader and Red Sox fan OGM is sure to remind me, Spring Training begins soon. More later.
randersn on 02.02.09 @ 06:28 AM Yeosu [link]
Well, not quite, but at least the weather is quite a bit warmer than it has been lately, with a high today of around 51 or 52 and very little wind--much nicer. Over the Lunar New Year holiday, I just hunkered down in my warm apartment, only going out for a few groceries.
So, I spent the four days since Saturday downloading and watching all of season 4 of the TV series "Lost" because one of my students started talking about it and saying how much she liked it. I hadn't watched it for a couple of years, but that changed during my time off. I also downloaded the most recent two episodes of "Battlestar Galactica," my other favorite TV series. You can watch it on the Sci-Fi channel, which we don't get here.
I see that the Yanks re-signed lefty Andy Pettitte to a new contract. That really shores up the pitching staff and I'm sure World Series dreams are floating around inside every Yankee fan's head--I know I'm having that dream. More later.
randersn on 01.28.09 @ 04:31 PM Yeosu [link]
