Okonomiyaki!

For my last night in Tokyo, several members of the DRIVE Japan team and I visited a local restaurant in the Akasaka area near work to enjoy adult beverages and okonomiyaki.

Courtesy of a recommendation from everyone's favorite Australian, Liam Walsh, I recently asked the team what it was (thinking Liam was being dirty, naturally), and was treated to what might be my favorite Japanese cuisine yet!

Okonomiyaki is a baked staple in most Japanese homes; I'd equate it to pancakes in my own. Someone like a cross between pancakes and pizza (SEE? Of course, it'd be a favorite!), it's done in two styles: Osaka-style is primarily rice, eggs, cabbage -- baked, then drizzled with BBQ sauce and mayo. Hiroshima-style okonomiyaki typically replaces the rice with noodles. Regardless of style, they were both incredible and I'm exicted to have discovered a new favorite!

Of course, spending time with the DRIVE Japan team is always a highlight as well, and I already look forward to spending more time with them in Tokyo in the coming weeks.

And now to check out and head to the airport for home. U.S. Olympic athlete coverage, here I come!

DMZ

Today, I had the chance to do something out of this world: I visted Korea's Demilitarized Zone -- a buffer zone between North and South Korea separating Communist and Democratic ideologies. It's ironic to me that it's called a Demilitarized Zone when it fact, it's lined with armed forces looking in/across/through. You'd think the world on either side of the DMZ would actually be called demilitarized, but who am I to pen political decree?

First stop: Freedom Bridge. Crossing the Imjin River, we were told that this is the bridge on which war captives crossed celebrating their freedom and return to South Korea. It was a somber start to what would have been just another day in the Korean countryside. Interestingly, all around the South Korean side of the bridge were things like the Peace Bell and a collection of stones that "saw action" in 88 major world wars, including the Civil War, for example. All were designed with the hope of peace and reunification.

We then trekked to the DMZ Exhibition Hall and the famous Third Tunnel. Unfortunately, photos were strictly forbidden, but the 358m hike into the earth at an 11 degree angle was something else. I was pleased to have had a construction hard hat as I can't tell you how many times I was whomped up side of the head; for the most part, I had to walk bent over. Interestingly, there's an alleged debate on who actually drilled the incursion tunnels -- each side claiming the other (though the South with irrefutable evidence, in my mind) -- but the South Koreans are smartly capitizing regardless! Let's just say I wasn't the only tourist there today.

Our third stop was at the Observation Deck atop the highest peak in the area. Again, the South built a viewing platform over which to watch the entire valley. It was a hotly contested peak as on a clear day, one can see all the way south to the Seoul Tower 40 miles away. And speaking of clear days, it was rather clear today! Our guide stated that these days happen no more than 12-15 days/year -- we got lucky!

More photos rules were in effect here -- one could only take shots from Photo Line! Afterwards -- not before, of course -- we found out that the reason is to disable photos of the South Korean military equipment down the face of the hill. Take all the photos of the other side that you want, our tour guide, Mia said. Just from BEHIND THE YELLOW LINE!

The other good stories from atop the mountain related to the North and South Korean flags (yes, there are two villages the DMZ). Over the years, I guess, each put up a flag and the other raised theirs higher. This went back and forth until the North erected the world's tallest flag pole at 160m. People are starving; they can't afford electricty to power their country; but they have the world's tallest flag though! So much for our ball of string.

The final stop in the Military Area was Dorasan Station. Interestingly, it was refurbished in the hope that it will someday be the first stop to the north vs. the last of the south. Claim to fames here are a George Bush-signed railroad tie and a placard of donors who raised $1M USD to fun the tracks to North Korea. Needless to say, I only found the armed military police in front of an operatal sign, but empty station photo-worthy.

The day ended with us rushing out of the Military Area -- and passing back through the Unification Bridge and it's maze of blockades so no one can quickly drive here nor there. The tour was sponsored by the Korean government so we had to stop at an Amythest factory to check out Korea's national stone. Purple jewels, pretty.

All in all, an amazing day. One that I'll remember as one of those days when I can't believe the world is how it is sometimes. While somber, I also thought it silly at times (i.e. flag games), and scary at others. I heard the world "propoganda" more times in 6 hours than I will for the rest of my life, I'm convinced.

So, now off to Tokyo for a few days before a return to the States. Farewell from Seoul, Avid Reader!

p.s. is it bad that I've had the theme song from this stuck in my head all day?

Liberation Day Adventures!

Today is Liberation Day in Korea -- the 63th anniversary of Korea's independence from Japanese rule -- and the 60th anniversary of the establishment of the Republic Korea (an entity separate from North Korea, to be clear). Like the Fourth of July, it's a National Holiday here in Seoul. Unlike the Fourth of July, no fireworks. I should have taken it on myself to establish some new traditions here -- I mean, we've been celebrating for over 200 years!

Political statement aside, I caught up on the morning's email, then decided to take in some sights via the Seoul City Tour Bus. I'm staying in the Jamsil neighborhood of Seoul, to the south of the Han River. Luck would have it that the bus tours are all on the north side of the river. So, Avid Reader, I started the day with an adventure: the Seoul subway! Much like the Tokyo subway system, all the ticket machines were in Korean, but armed with the name of the station I was at (Samseong, rhymes with "Samsung"), as well as where I was going (City Hall, rhymes with "City Hall"), I made it!

I started the day at Deoksugung, the Palace of Virtuous Longevity, an incredible temple in the heart of Seoul. Lucky for me, Liberation Day meant I was liberated from the 1,000 Won admission (~$1). While the entire grounds were impressive, I was secretly pleased with the description of the haetae, the stone mythical creatures in the palace courtyard who are "supposed to protect the palace from fire, but in 1904 they must have fallen asleep because most of the palace burnt down." Tee hee.

Side note: I'm watching the Korean news on TV just now and seeing all kinds of events from the various sites I visited today. Interestingly, I had no idea what was going on, but am thrilled to be able to say I was there today!

I hopped on the City Bus and didn't end up hopping off much as IT WAS POURING today. What started as an "82 degrees; feels like 92" day turned into a liquid hell. However, a breeze kicked in later this afternoon and there was no repeat American WetBack sighting. Sad, I know. What did happen however, was a significant channeling of what I call my 'Inner Mike'...

I did get off the bus at Dongdaemun Market where I was quickly plopped into Seoul's economy. With stalls and malls all over the place, I was in Shopper Heaven. However, Shopper Heaven was CROWDED. Instead of the malls having an assortment of stores in which to wander, each floor had hundreds of stalls with ~4-6 foot paths between them. If one person stopped at a stall, there was only enough room to sneak by, but of course, five or six would try to at any given moment. All this is to say, I got out of there right quick.

I did more wandering down Insadong, a most fascinating shopping street, and got caught in some kind of Liberation Day Parade. Again, not knowing what was going on, I snapped a few shots of the action and kept on my way. On my way meant not getting on the bus and walking the streets of Seoul. It was a treat to see this amazing city -- which very much reminded me of New York City in certain areas. Well, it reminded me of NYC until I would see the hordes of "police" on the streets. Why "police" might you ask? Well, because it was more like Jr.Corps -- it looked like a summer camp of high schoolers, but with POLICE on their t-shirts vs. Camp Snoopy.

A big day ahead tomorrow; I'm excited to have the adventure I have lined up! I'm also already thinking of home and can't believe I've only been here for five days. My best to you, Avid Reader! More adventures to come!

p.s. for the day's photos, I've uploaded them all here.

Oh! La La Laura!

Laura Totten is amazing.

Laura photographed John & Amy's wedding back in July and gave us all a sneak peek of her eye & art via her blog today! I'm not the only one who has been chomping at the bit since mid-July and Laura didn't disappoint.

Check out her site; I think we can be confident that every client she's photographed has said the exact same thing.

This is What One Calls a "Smorgasbord"

A light dinner, I requested.
Deal, Tae Kyu ("TeQ") agreed.

I enjoyed dinner tonight after work with TeQ, a member of the Microsoft Advertising team (and DRIVE Program Manager candidate) at a nearby traditional Korean restaurant, complete with servers in authentic Korean garments and what seemed like 1,000 courses! Of course, at that point, TeQ said those were the appetizers.

I got back to the hotel in the spirit of retiring early and getting in some exercise. However, the draw of the Olympics in a completely foreign language and a full belly has kept me from the task at hand. So, it looks as though tomorrow will be a daily double! Good times!

Disneyland 2008!

To celebrate Week Two of John & Amy's honeymoon, they decided to go to Disneyland. And wouldn't you know, a group of friends went to meet them there as well!


Much like our February 2006 adventure, Danelle Chaddock, John & Amy Weaver (love the sound of "Amy Weaver"!), Jesse & Steph Paulson and I ventured to the Happiest Place on Earth to celebrate life and its milestones (Feb06 was for my move to NYC -- WAIT! We were celebrating me leaving?! d'OH!). This time, of course, we were celebrating John & Amy and were joined by a handful of new faces, including Asa & Tobias, Matt & Janelle, John & Kris... and Jace Paulson!

We enjoyed all the usual suspects, including Space Mountain, Splash Mountain, Pirates, Big Thunder Mountain, Buzz Lightyear AstroBlasters, the Screamer, Hollywood Tower of Terror, and more. We were also wonderfully pleased with the arrival of Finding Nemo and Toy Story Midway Mania -- the latter of which proved to be our RepeatRide of the summer.

Instead of recapping the entire trip, I thought I'd provide some highlights beyond each moment of each day...

- Kick starting the travel adventure with Danelle!
- Airplane Mario Kart!
- Seeing John & Amy!
- John thinking he was tan from a week in Mexico! (um. sorry buddy.)
- Our 3BR suite!
- The view from our 3BR suite!
- Corn dogs!
- Riding Indiana Jones, given that it was open maybe 8% of the time we were there.
- Getting to spend time with my old friend Jeff Mercer!
- Showing Jace the fireworks!
- The WALL of water in Splash Mountain!
- Jace's first character sighting!
- Getting Aladdin & Jasmine to "look every which way"!
- - Princess Aurora still being a fan! That's right -- check out who she's looking at!
- Some pool time!
- Dinner @ Blue Bayou!
- Danelle's SYN championship in the suite vestibule!
- "Danelle, can I have some of your diarrhea?"
- Jesse. Mauling. Nearly. Every. Character!
- The Character Breakfast!
- Ariel.

I'm sure there are 1,000 others, but these are what come top of mind as I review photos and try to remember every moment of the trip. Bottom-line, it was yet another 12 (out of 10) of an adventure and I couldn't have been more thankful to share it with other Disney fans and people that I love.

As I've said more times than I can remember -- there's nothing like Disneyland... you experience the joy of being a kid with the pocketbook of an adult!

p.s. more photos can be found on Exciting Times in the Paulson Family blog!

Rare Sightings

Much like the elusive black dove and the Silverback Gorilla, there was another rare sighting in Seoul, South Korea today: the American WetBack.

Alas, it was me.
Or, in the spirit of the Olympics and as they say in France, c'etait moi.

Seoul is Sauna Central. As such, I've adopted a strategery for coping: First, I chose to stay at the closest hotel to the office. I didn't know how good that move was until today. Second, I wore white A) to stay cool; and B) in case of the unfortunate potential of WetBack. Third, I moved absolutely as slowly as possible. Even still, I had to tote my backpack and that rare glimpse that only comes post-sporting event -- or in the depths of hell -- came to pass.

Lucky!

John & Amy | 7.19.2008

While I've been seriously delayed in updating you, Avid Reader, on my summer adventures in and out of Asia, it is by no means with any less enthusiasm that I get to blog about my dear friends Amy & John and their wedding a few weeks ago!

It was an honor to stand next to my friend John during his wedding -- a spot that provided the best view of the bride as she made her way down the aisle. From the Bachelor Party to the Rehearsal Dinner to the "Jungle Room" to the post-wedding brunch -- and all things in between -- it was an incredible time altogether.

The wedding was stunning in every way -- from the day itself, to Julie's home, to all of the guests. John & Amy threw an incredible party altogether, complete with soundtracks for the guests to take a piece of the evening with them. And speaking of music, J&A picked an incredible playlist and I couldn't help but get carried away.


The entire week/weekend was such a highlight that it was a serious let-down when it was all said and done. It's a good thing another adventure was in the works soon after...!

Where I Have Been.

And where I have been is absent from you, Avid Reader! My most sincere apologies!

It has been a bit of a whirlwind few weeks since I returned from Australia/Japan and I will soon be posting updates. I am going to blame the fact that I've been remiss from writing on my camera making its way to the San Juan Islands after an incredible wedding weekend. Without having it -- or the photos to update you on my whereabouts -- I've also neglected my posts.

However, fear not as updates will be forthcoming as I've had two INCREDIBLE adventures over the course of the past couple of weeks.