A Few Re-Caps

So, yes. We are VERY behind on our blog. In an attempt to catch up a little more with real time, I will recap the last few months. First up: Curtis and Dong Hee in Iwakuni!

Curtis has been teaching English in Korea for many years where he met his lovely wife, Dong Hee. They were getting ready to move to Canada, so we are SO grateful they came to Iwakuni to hang out before they left this corner of the world!

We took them to the Kintai Bridge area of course because it's the one thing Iwakuni is famous for, LOL.

Joel tried some new sushi "stuff" during dinner

We all deserved a prize for how much sushi we consumed that night!!

Next up: New Year's Eve pasta making at the Dillers!

We had some friends over for a homemade pasta making night for New Year's Eve this year. Thank you, Watson's for sharing this tradition with us! We have found a way to make it our own. ;-)

It's definitely a team effort!

We had SO much fun Ericka, Tom, Linda, and Niel!

Gotta throw this beauty into the mix - had to MAKE ourselves stay up until midnight (we are SO old!) so the best way maintain alertness is obviously dancing with the Kinect!

And continuing to dance the next day! LOL

Moving on: Did we mention that we had the opportunity to experience the worst snow Iwakuni has seen in years??? THIS is the snow that cancelled our ski trip - the highways shut down!

Ooooohhhh scary. It's like, half an inch!

Definitely saw worse in Ohio...

Snowman created by the neighborhood kids.

Finally: Sadly, one thing we have had to grow accustomed to are our friends leaving. People simply do not stay in Iwakuni forever, so I had a girls' afternoon out in Hiroshima with some of my best gal pals as we prepared to say good-bye to Michelle. :-(

Getting ready to board the train to Hiro! (Oh yeah! I had dark hair for about 2 months! LOL)

We went to a super cool store in Hiro that showcased how well Japanese technology is moving forward with luggage that simply makes sense and is amazing.

Michelle and I bought traveler versions of "Settlers". This is literally the BEST game in the world. And now we have a travel version. In Japanese!!! Miss you Michelle!!!

OK. So we are caught up to February. Getting closer to real time.... Stay tuned.... Max - we promise to feature more food soon! :)

Seoul! Part 2

To continue our journey in South Korea, Joel and I were able to take a day-trip to the De-Militarized Zone (DMZ) between North and South Korea. It is heavily guarded as North Korea has made many attempts to tunnel into South Korea underneath the DMZ. Interesting enough, some of the best soy beans and ginseng are said to grow in this region, and their prices indicate that people will pay for them, LOL!

There were only certain portions of the DMZ where we were permitted to take photos, so unfortunately, we were unable to capture our experience in the 3rd Tunnel (one of North Korea's thwarted attempts to enter into South Korea) or pictures of North Korea itself. But we were able to use binoculars to see into the country and observed four North Korean soldiers guarding one of their towers. It was a very educational experience for us to say the least!

Thankfully, the snow was melting when we were there. Our friends took the tour a day prior during the snowfall and had limited visibility when looking into North Korea, but we had clear views!

Joel and I doing our part to help North and South Korea reunite in a peaceful, mutually beneficial manner.

If you wanted pictures, you had to stand behind this yellow line. Behind us, the folks are looking into North Korea. We were able to see a really tall tower in the distance but were informed it was built merely a show of strength and isn't used for anything practical, as it has no windows. There are some South Korean businesses just across the border that employ North Koreans. But, we were informed that the North Korean government takes most of their income and makes millions a year by doing so. And yet, despite this, North Korea is threatening to shut the businesses down and make them move back into South Korea. It simply makes no sense and is terribly saddening.

A super efficient and modern train system was created that would allow transit through North Korea into the rest of Asia and Europe. It would be an amazing way to increase transportation options for imports, exports, and travel. Dorasan Station is the last train stop in South Korea before entering into North Korea. However, it has not been permitted to run. North Korea will not allow it. 

This was the proposed train line into Asia and Europe.

As part of the tour, we were able to actually purchase train tickets into Pyeongyang, North Korea, and if the train is ever permitted to enter into the country, our tickets will actually work, LOL!

Following the tour, we ate beef and pork, KOREAN STYLE.

They thinly slice the meat and we cook it over a charcoal flame.

The next day, we met up with our friend, Curtis. Y'all remember Curtis? He took the cooking class with us in Phnom Penh, Cambodia last year. We've kept in touch (he's Canadian but has been teaching English in Seoul for years) and he showed us the non-touristy parts of the city. We began by taking this AMAZING 2+ hour hike above the city. Stunning views!

The Koreans are very health focused, so not only were we getting a good workout from the hike itself, but at several stops along the way, there were gyms to increase your calorie burn! (WHAT?!?! LOL!)

Overlooking the city.

It was GREAT to catch up with Curtis!

More workout equipment

These hula hoops were actually quite difficult to use

For lunch, Curtis' wife, Dong Hee, joined us at an American/Korean fusion buffet. We stayed for over 3 hours just talking and laughing and having a wonderful, belly-filling time. :) Definitely friends for the long-haul. They actually came to visit us in Japan right before Christmas and have given us an open invite to Canada anytime  (since they have now returned to North America). Yay for meeting fellow adventurers and making great friends!!!

Thus concludes our trip to Seoul. Soon, we will be caught up to 2014! :)