Rafting and 4-wheeling

Thank goodness we got a four-day weekend from Jungchul this week. After my failed negotiations (in which the boss' new set of numbers showed me owing them money), I needed a little stress relieve. Enter Vicky's parents.

They rented a place in Gangwondo and booked trips for rafting and 4-wheeling. We left bright and early Thursday morning, and came back home Friday afternoon. It was about a 3 hour drive each way.

Gangwondo is in the northeast corner of South Korea. Being there for a couple of days has me reconsidering where I'd like to come back to when I return to Korea. It was so nice to get away from the city, traffic and pollution.

Gangwondo is a page right out of Western Pennsylvania. It was had beautiful mountains, trees and a river running through it. Wow, it made me feel like I was back at home on the Allegheny.

When we arrived, we went straight to the 4-wheeler place, which was set up on one of the mountains. After brief instructions, during which Vicky's family was asked if I understand Korea, we got on the 4-wheelers and cruised around the mountain trail. The trail wasn't huge and only took about 5 minutes to complete, but we got to ride it a few times.

It was really fun. Vicky's mom was quite adept at handling her 4-wheeler.

After that, we went to the raft launch. There were a ton of people rafting on Thursday. It was hot and the sun was shining.

Each group of people got a tour guide and a quick lesson on how to to the rafting. Again, my Korean understanding was questioned. I told the guy I'd been on some boating trips before, and he didn't have to worry.

It was a really cool time. The water was crystal clear and you could see to the bottom of the river, which, at it's deepest, reached about 30 feet.

We even got to jump off the raft and swim around for awhile.

There's a "ritual" where the raft guides take you to a small mountain stream and hold your head in the water shooting off some of the rocks. I didn't understand why. They probably just like to laugh at all of us.

After we finished rafting, we went to our house, which was really nice. It sat on a small hill overlooking the river. It was a really beautiful view.

The parents cooked a light, late lunch, and then every except for me and Vicky, passed out for the rest of the day and the night.

I spent my time hanging outside, enjoying a beer and taking in the view. Vicky, and the others when they temporarily woke up, enjoyed the inside. They preferred watching television. Do I understand? No, I do not.

An interesting thing to note is that, in the summer, you'd never know it was hot by looking at Koreans' clothes. They cover themselves from head to toe in long sleeves and pants. The only people without shirts were me and some of the rafting guides. Just Korean culture.

We came back Friday afternoon, and Chris came into Incheon for a special trip. More on that in vacation post number 2.

For now, enjoy the pictures from the rafting and 4-wheeling trip.

Here they are.