Daegu National Museum

relief from iran
Originally uploaded by Alison J. L.

Made our way to the museum today to see what was to be seen. It was actually pretty great. They had an exhibit on "The Glory of Persia" about Iranian history pre-Alexander the Great invasion and slightly after. There were some beautiful architectural things and some really old jewelry and a video about the huge palace in Persepolis built forever ago pre romanization. We got to make stamp replicas in fimo which will be hung on the wall once they dry and pretend to be archeologists in the kids' playroom. It seemed like the sort of thing you would never see in the states, because we're all about celebrating those Greek and Roman guys, when really they got all their ideas from Asia and the Middle East via the silk road. After we were museumed-out we went shopping at E-Mart and got a million things we needed and a few we probably didn't (except the tortilla chips---needed those). We had an amazing dinner of mushrooms, broccoli and steamed mussels by our very own Chef Timber by the glow of the Christmas tree. I like Saturdays.

Fu Zi's first tree

Fu Zi's first tree
Originally uploaded by Alison J. L.

Yesterday I trekked out into the surrounding mountains of Daegu and brought home a tiny tree. Ok, not really. I walked about two blocks to the left of our apartment and bought it for 15,000 KRW at a plant shop. The cat was so excited that she jumped onto the table and sniffed it like crazy. I'm excited to put presents under it next week and have Christmas day a day earlier, here to the east of the international dateline. We get the day off, thank goodness. Plans are: after a breakfast of biscuits and mushroom gravy (hopefully, if we find a toaster oven) and hot cocoa spiked with whatever we find at the "Family Mart", I will go back to bed and read until I decide to get dressed up all fancy to go downtown to the Holy Grill for turkey & champagne dinner with Timber and new friends. This is my first holiday away from family and it'd better be a good one. Fu Zi is getting special kitty wet food and some new toys since she keeps losing them under the sofa and beds and I can only find 1/3 of the toys she started with. But don't tell her. Timber is getting a bunch of awesome stuff that I can't write about because she might read this. And your presents will probably arrive sometime in February, because I'm halfway across the world.

Back in the spirit of things

Gatawbi Buddha 4
Originally uploaded by Alison J. L.

This weekend was full of medicine. After being sick all week, I decided to have my first acupuncture appointment. Timber (she's been sick, too) and I went to a clinic not too far from our house where we saw an acupuncturist who spoke some English and more importantly, gave us really nice treatments. I had my first experience with Korean hand acupuncture, which was great. He put three needles in my right thumb and I felt my sinuses start to clear. We were sent away with instructions to have a good rest and not to watch T.V. So, we went downtown. After wandering around for a while we made our way back to the oriental medicine market where I found a shop that sold needles, moxa, cupping sets and loads of books on acupuncture in Korean (darn).

Today (Sunday) we took the bus an hour outside town to hike up millions of stairs in the freezing cold to see the medicine Buddha. I don't think that's what the doctor meant when he said "have a rest", but it's been three plus weeks since arriving in Korea, and dammit I wanted to see something.

The bus cost about a dollar, 45 minutes and my digestive integrity and we arrived at Gatawbi rock. After two plus hours of very steep hiking we met the Buddha and his very funny hat. It was a miserably cold walk up and a shaky legged walk down, but the hot cocoa from the vending machines at the top was delicious and the Buddha himself was fantastic. How many places in the world can you live where that guy (see above) lives a bus ride away? Rad.

Prayers at Gatawbi

Prayers at Gatawbi
Originally uploaded by Alison J. L.