COEX

I am a little behind on posting. The week before last, we visited the COEX mall. COEX is the Seoul Convention and Exhibition Center. The mall is underneath the Center and is the largest underground mall in Asia (I don't know what kind of competition it was up against to get this title). Since we have been here we (mostly Benjamin and I) having been anxious to get our hands on good Mexican food. We were not sure where to begin to get good tasty chips and salsa. So I asked Ben’s teacher and she suggestioned that we try “On the Border” at the COEX mall. We were all up for that. What’s 45 minutes on a subway, riding three different trains, to eat lunch? We had another couple join us with their two kids. We got off at the subway station and started walking toward it and it was like being in heaven. We went inside the mall and stood at the entryway for awhile so the kids could play with the touch screen info map. We quickly found “On the Border” and walked around some more before they opened up. As we were walking through the food court I noticed a Sbarro Pizza. See, I told you it was a true mall. We finally ate lunch and it was delicious. Ben ate several bowls of chips and salsa. It satisfied our Mexican craving, but I do truly miss Jose’s back in Seaside, California.

Since we were there we went ahead and went to the COEX Aquarium. It was really neat. We walked under an arch and James read it and it said “strange things”. We were surprised that it was not strange animals or fish, but strange exhibits. We had a wonderful time and would definitely do it again.

Here we are posing in front of a display made to look like a traditional Korean home:

These next few photos are part of the display of strange habitats

The first one shows you what happens to those fish when you flush them:

Here's the kids lying on a bed and looking at some strange, upright fish in the headboard:

As we were leaving, we actually saw a penny-pressing machine for the Aquarium. Instead of pennies, it just smashed round pieces of plain copper, but to the same effect:

Yellow Sand / Asian Dust

We noticed that the Koreans wear surgical masks over their mouths and noses so we decided to check into it. Apparently, Yellow Sand season is upon us in Korea. In the spring, dust from deserts in Mongolia is carried by winds across China, picking up their pollution, and is carried to Korea (as well as parts of Japan). An Air Quality Index of 100 of more starts to cause concern, and levels over 300 require changes in outdoor activity and you shouldn’t even go outside if it is over 800. Here’s a look at what it was one day in late February:


We went to a local pharmacy and bought masks for everyone in the family. Then we realized that they were way too big for the kids’ faces so we had to run to Emart to pick some more up. We have already had to wear them a couple of times. Luckily, just like weather forecasts, there are Yellow Sand forecasts available on the internet (click here if you want to see the current levels in Seoul), so we know when to expect higher levels a day or so before it happens.

Philippines Trip

A quick post from me (James) to get some photos from my trip to the Philippines on the blog. I went to a week-long conference in Manila and spent most of the first few days at the hotel sitting in on a number of briefings. On Thursday, we got a little time to get out and about in the city and on Friday, we went on a tour of the island of Corregidor, located in Manila Bay and site of two very famous battles during World War II.

Here is a photo of Rizal Square in Manila:

This is one of the world famous Jeepneys, one of the public transportation systems in the Philippines:

Another form of public transportation in Manila, the tricycle bike (not made for larger people, that's for sure):

Not public transportation, but transportation nonetheless, here is a boat in Manila Bay:

An ingenious way to recycle old tires and provide a trash receptacle at the same time:

This is the view of Bataan from Corregidor Island:

Topside Barracks (also known as Mile Long Barracks) on Corregidor Island. This large building was heavily bombed during WWII.

This is another section of Topside Barracks showing some of the heavy damage brought about by the bombing:

Flying Solo

James had a 7-day trip to the Philippines the week before last. So I was left to run things as smoothly as possible while he was away enjoying the beach, warm weather and fresh pineapple. I think I should also point out that I finally got my Korean driver’s license a mere three days before he left the country. I managed to survive and so did the children. Ashley started hourly care that week so I managed to schedule her at the same time Ben was supposed to be at school. I dropped him off at the “kiss-and-drop” spot and then took her to daycare and then, since I had a couple of hours without the kids, I went to the gym. What a way to spend some alone time. The week flew by since Ben has Taekwondo three days a week and Ashley has gymnastics once. I’m glad it’s over and we can get back to normal. Two parents are definitely better than one.

Continuing saga of our fish

We have been back to Emart again. After buying the first two gold fish and bringing them home, they both died about a week after we got them. We felt really bad about this and after researching more about fish care, we had to go back to Emart to buy two more fish. Benjamin decided to go with a different color one thinking that it might not die. So we bought the fish, took them home and things were great. Yeah right…Benjamin’s died first (again), only three days after buying them. Then Ashley’s got “the Ich” (short for Ichthyophthirius multifiliis). So we rushed out and bought some things to make the fish get better. It worked well; the spots disappeared and we thought we were in the home stretch, but then a week and two days after bringing him home, we woke up to find him floating. I am beginning to think we are cursed with killing fish, but the kids want to try round three. We’re going to completely empty out and clean the tank, fill it with fresh water and run the filter and oxidizing wand for a week to prep the tank first, and then we’ll see…

Ashley's fish, "Sugar Cube" (in front) and Benjamin's fish, "Hot Rod" (in back) right after we got them home.