Wild Mushroom Picking

While up at Uncle Bernd and Auntie Karen's in Pinecrest (10 min south of Whistler) for Thanksgiving I had the unique chance to harvest some local fungi. While ATVing we noticed people with buckets around the area searching for the strange things growing out of the ground. We then thought it would be interesting to look for ourselves knowing we could venture deeper into the backwoods. With the knowledge that some types of mushrooms were being sold at $40-50 a pound, my business savvy nature immediately was sparked. Without knowing what colour, size or shape we were looking for we snatched up every different kind we could find to do some research later. Upon returning it was straight to the computer to see what the valuable mushrooms looked like. Turns out that there are two main types that are sought after. The Tricholoma Magnilivare aka Matsutake aka Pine Mushroom is one kind. The other is the Chanterelle. Both are worth some decent money is you can find enough of them.

After knowing what we were looking for and some time to kill while the turkey dinner was being made we had a successful attempt at Mushroom Hunting. Finding our first Pine Mushrooms was exciting and as we went, found lots more along the way. Not being fully sure if it was the real thing, we decided not to snack as we went but had a heaping load when we returned.

What I learned was that all species descriptions are based on features of the cap, hymenium and stalk. The gills, folds, pores or spines are attached to the stalk in a variety of ways and takes some time to recognize the differences. In Asia, mushrooms have been used for centuries for culinary, medicinal and aphrodisiacal purposes. The amount of different species is incredible. Every colour, shape and size grows out here in British Columbia. Amazing to see.

Looking forward to hunting for more!

Rocky Mountains

Coming out here and seeing the mountains to the north everyday is something everyone should get to experience. It's such a amazing thing to think about, knowing that millions of years ago they were formed and then through millions of more years, sculpted by glaciers and water to make them what they are now. When originally discovered they were abundant with rich minerals and furs which drove people to live here. Now, the things keeping people here is the amount of fishing, hunting, hiking, camping, skiing and snowboarding you can do on them. The Rocky Mountains stretch more than 4,830 km from the northernmost part of British Columbia to New Mexico. The highest peak is Mount Elbert located in Colorado at 14,440 feet above Sea Level.So far I have climbed two of the more popular mountains in the Vancouver area. The Stawamus Chief or "The Chief" which is located about an hour north in Squamish, BC was my first. The Squamish people considered this mountain to be very spiritual. At an elevation of 2,297 ft I found it does get you a lot closer to the gods and towers above you as you drive up the Sea to Sky Highway. Most of the day was used to climb this monster. A lot tougher then most mountains I've been on.
The second was Grouse Mountain located in northern Vancouver and is even accessible by bus. This mountain features a 2.9km almost vertical trail known as the Grouse Grind, also dubbed as "Nature's Stairmaster" is well known to Vancouverites and carries the motto "it's all about the time". Getting a good climbing time on "the grind" is grounds for bragging. Knowing this, it instantly sparked my competitive nature and gave me the motivation to do it as fast as I could. Not fully understanding the degree of difficulty this trail carried I sped off at the beginning, doing exactly what was considered the wrong approach. Within minutes I found out the true meaning of the trails nickname "the grind". I severely underestimated the toughness of it and was a few steps away from re-seeing my lunch at the top. With a time of 43 minutes, it was considered amazing for a first-timer but I sure did pay for it. The mountain also has skiing in the winter and has a grizzly bear park at the top. The best part of the experience may just be the Gondola ride down with amazing views of the city and surrounding area.

I'm really going to enjoy having these around me while living here. Looking forward to exploring and conquering more of them.

Moving out West

So I've just survived the first week of life on the west coast. Deciding to come out here has been great so far. Just taking the Skytrain from the airport was awesome to see such a beautiful city surrounded by ocean and mountains. It is a pollution free city with a a very clean feeling to it. Although I have no comparison, I can tell that the improvements made for the Olympics have no doubt increased the value of this place. New buses, fresh paint jobs and major construction are evident as I get my first real glimpse. With a population of just over 2 million people in Vancouver and the surrounding area it really doesn't feel that compact. Most people use public transportation or ride bikes to get around which really helps not only the pollution factor but the crammed feeling of thousands of cars around anywhere. If Toronto could develop this type of mindset and public transportation system, it would really benefit. Toronto Olympics 2030?

The area we are currently residing in is Kitsilano. A short bike ride south west of downtown on the south part of the English Bay.We are staying with a friend for the time being and has been great as its a perfect location to live. Right on the Kitsilano Beach we have an amazing view of the English Bay, Downtown Vancouver and the Rocky Mountains to the north. The area is vibrant with many different types of people, mostly young, coffee shops, sushi bars, restaurants and new age stores. The area is all slanted downhill with a San Francisco feeling and being at the bottom makes for quite the hike up to the main streets of 4th ave and Broadway (worth it though!)

So far I have been all around the city with a guided tour by our new friend Ben and have been shown all the different areas in Vancouver. In a small area, there are drastically different parts with their own unique feeling to them. I have climbed 2 mountains in the surrounding area and biked around Stanley Park. Although its been a beautiful and active week, the stress with looking for a job and a permanent place is still there. Can't wait to finally settle in, fully unpack and enjoy this place even more.

A Year of Teaching in South Korea

Well it has been one year now since I arrived at Incheon Airport in Seoul about to embark on one of the most interesting, challenging and fun 12 months of my life. I knew very little about this country, thinking that it will still a war torn third world country only beginning to rebuild. I was amazed at how developed, modern and westernized it was upon arriving. Seeing a McDonalds a not far away was comforting, yet a little disappointing. I now realize that it will be a constant where ever I visit in this day and age.

My first weeks adjusting to the lifestyle, foreign culture, new job and jetlag was a little difficult but I seemed to quickly grow accustom to these things as well as the food, people and language barrier. Having 8 other foreign teachers in my school helped by having them offer their experience and tips as well was just nice having people there to relate to. It was not long before we all became good friends and I felt like I had a second family (this is one thing for people considering teaching abroad, as teachers at schools with no other foreigners can feel pretty isolated). Shortly after I had found a soccer team to play on and I was off running. With so much to see and do in this country the weeks were flying by with something going on every weekend. There really is something for everyone here from clubs, teams and activities to museums, scenery, and travel destinations. There is a very large ex-pat(foreigners) community in Korea so there are always things being organized to appeal to them. There are many foreign owned bars and restaurants although I personally have really enjoyed Korean food here. Not only is it good but cheap and a lot healthier than back in Canada. Going out for meals is really common as there isn't high mark ups that you see back home and NO TIPPING! (actually considered an insult as it implies that they don't make enough).

Throughout my year I have experience all of the good things here but also all the bad things and I wanted to compile a list of the pros and cons for people thinking of coming to teach in South Korea. All I can say is that if your the kind of person who can look past some of the downfalls and dont mind being away from friends and family for a year, it is one experience you'll never forget because I know I certainly won't.

PROS:

- Highest pay amongst countries you can teach English
- Flight and Housing paid for
- Large foreigner community
- Lots of activities, clubs, organizations to join
- Great life experience
- Food is amazing and cheap if you don't mind trying new things

- Great transportation system
- Lot's of places to travel and see (beaches, palaces, mountains, etc.)

CONS:

- Away from home for a year

- Don't speak the language and can find it difficult at times
- Constantly being stared at
- Apartments are generally very small
- Jobs can be long hours and lots of work if you find the wrong one

- Can be lonely if your away from Seoul with no other foreign teachers.
- Culture barrier sometimes hard to get used to

Korean New Years

The most important and celebrated holiday has just passed here in Korea. It is different to the one I know for more reasons than just the date. Although Koreans also celebrate the Solar New Years (January 1st) this one is far more important to them. Korean New Year, commonly known as Seollal is the first day of the lunar calendar. This is generally the same day as Chinese New Year which is more recognized and generally falls on the day of the second new moon after winter soltice (occurs when the earth's axial tilt is farthest away from the sun, which is known as the first day of winter).

New Years as I know it is filled with parties, loud music, countdowns, streamers, confetti and lots of friends. Here, it is very much a family-oriented holiday. The three-day holiday (four for me!) is used by many to return to their home towns to visit their parents and other relatives where they perform the ancestral ritual known as charye. Many Koreans dress up in colorful hanbok (their tradional clothing) and serve traditional dishes such as rice cake soup. This is for good luck in the year to come. One important part of the day is that children wish their parents a happy new year by performing one deep traditional bow and the words saehae bok manhi badeuseyo which translates to please receive many blessings in the new year. This is one thing that my students love about the day as in return for the bow is usually money (lots of it!).

Many family games are also played during this time, where ussually all the men play one game while all the women play a different one. Over the weekend, I witnessed a big family tug of war challenge in the park. This was weird due to the fact that most families leave Seoul and head for the country to where they grew up. The subways were empty and all the stores and restaurants were closed. All in all it was great to witness a new holiday for myself and see once again the cultural differences in the way we celebrate our special days of the year.

Thailand Adventures

Where to start? The past week on vacation in Thailand was something out of a movie. Just the whitest, smoothest sand beaches with the most turquoise clear water I've ever seen. I haven't seen too many places mind you, but it's gonna have to be something special be nicer than what I just experienced. For anyone who hasn't been, it's an absolute must.

Me and Rach headed out on boxing day bound for Bangkok. Friends who had been there told us to get out of the city and head for the southern islands. We found out later how good of advice that was. After a brief layover our destination was Koh Samui. Thailand's third largest island located on the south eastern coast. Previously just a small fishing community that was self sufficient from mainland Thailand has now grown over the last few decades through tourism and now is a popular destination. Filled with palm trees wherever you look, it had the laid back appeal that I found awesome. We had accommodations for 3 nights at Mae Nam Beach which is quieter than some of the more popular ones. Relaxing was a top priority. The rest of our trip was open for adventure. We enjoyed three days of tanning, great curry and pad thai dishes and of course Thai Massages on the beach. I would go back for the food and massages alone. 300 Baht ($8 or 9) for hour long sessions keeps you going every day. Our little cabin was great and right by the sea. Breakfast on the beach and warm nights were a welcomed change from the winter jackets and cold apartments back in Seoul.

Our next plan in mind was to head to the island that was to the east of us, Koh Phangan. This island is home to the famous Full Moon Parties at Haad Rin Beach. We were told this is an absolute must attend event if you are in Thailand. They are held every full moon and the biggest of all is on New Years Eve. What perfect timing for us! We had a few days until the big party and decided to check out the less crazy parts of the island as we didn't like the idea of thousands of people cramming the beaches. We were told of a lesser known beach located on the other side of the island, Bottle Beach (Hadd Khuat). After going online to try and book a place to stay we found that every was fully booked due to New Years. There are only a couple places to stay at this particular beach. We decided to try our luck anyways and turned out to be the best gamble ever. After a bus, two planes, a taxi, a ferry, another taxi and a Long Boat ride to get to this secluded place, it was worth all the trouble in about 5 seconds. This was my idea of complete paradise. The sand and water were unbelievable matched with our bungalow right on the beach, massages, great food, perfect weather and of course my love, I couldn't have been a happier man during my time there.

On the 31st it was time to check out this Full Moon Party everyone was raving about. We hired a pick up truck to take us through the bumpy, dirt, winding, hilly back roads of Koh Phangan which was fun on its own to take us to the other side of the island. Here I witnessed the most insane scene of my life. Thousands and thousands of young, party hungry people jammed into this small town and beach. Instantly I could see why this event was so popular. Really an exciting place filled with bars, restaurants, shops, massage parlours, hotels, cabins, and about a billion street vendors. The group of us wandered the streets until deciding to endure the beach. 60,000 people were said to of covered this few kilometer long beach. Tons of fire shows, a big fire jumping rope (which I tried and inevitably sinched my legs hairs off, but much worse for others), DJ's, music, and alcohol flooded this place. A great way to count down to 2010. This party lasts through the night into the next day but we decided to head out around 3am. We had a ferry booked for the next morning to take us back to Koh Samui. Unbelievably hard to leave Bottle Beach, but we agreed it wouldn't be the last time we saw that place. On the 1st we were back on a plane to Bangkok.

We had a day to explore the capital of Thailand and were kind of glad we didn't stay long than that. It really is a dirty, rough, and crowded city. We got the feeling that there was extra pressure on getting the most out of tourists there. I had the constant looking over my shoulder feeling that wasn't pleasant. An endless scheme of tourist traps, people coming up to you, sales pitches and shady cab drivers to only drive you mad. I understand it's these things that make Bangkok what it is, and for that it was good to experience it, but not a place I want to stay for long. What was great though, was the Grand Palace and infamous Golden Buddha. We took a tour of these places and WOW were they ever cool to see. The palace was extremely large and beautiful. The Thai type buildings are flashy and impressive. Our tour guide told us lots of information on the Thai people, culture and facts about these places. The Golden Buddha was a 2000kg pure gold sculpture. It had only been open 2 days after 2 years of construction for a new building to house it. That night it was back on the plane headed for Seoul.

Can't say enough about Thailand. Was one of the best vacations ever and if you have not been, you have to check it out. I recommend the southern islands and not to spend too much time in Bangkok. Year round nice weather, beaches and amazing scenery is my kind of place. Where to next???