Coulda Woulda Shoulda

Being somewhere means you have an opportunity to experience something. That means, if you are on a beach in Mexico, you have as many margaritas as you can and eat as much tortilla as humanly possible. If you’re hiking the Mournes in Northern Ireland, you make sure to stop when the sun comes out to admire a rare view. And if you’re at home, where you live, where you work, where you don’t necessarily think of yourself on vacation, you find the things that make the place where you are incredibly special and you make sure you soak in all of those places. I’ve heard it called a ‘staycation’, which I like, though I would go further than that and say this is more a state of mind. Sure, it’s easier to explore when you have multiple days off in a row but that doesn’t mean you can’t experience at least some form of discovery each day. I am lucky that I do have the hours in my day to make this possible. I don’t commute as I have a home office and I don’t have children that need me. Both o...

Well, we did it. We actually hiked up a mountain. And my legs don't feel half as bad as I expected them to. My foot could have done without all the exercise but hey, it's gotta toughen up sometime. I have to admit, we didn't have time to get the matching outfits OR even walking sticks but I was lucky enough to find one right at the bottom of the path - kinda strategically placed for some waegook like me who came unprepared. Aside from the spectacular views, the vigirous excerise and the brilliant fresh air, I think the best part of the day was just being with D. It was nice, just the two of us, taking on the mountain like we try to take on the world. And even though we got a little bit panicked at the top, wondering when we would ever find the trail down because it just kept rolling over the tops of the mountains, we did it. Better still, we managed to find a nice little restaurant which served GLASSES OF WINE and some perfect dinner for those who had just run down the m...

D and I have decided to partake in one of Korea's beloved pasttimes - climbing mountains. It usually involved matching outfits - men and women in 'hiking' gear, which is basically dark black polyester tracksuits with a little bit of colour along the stitching - hiking boots, metal walking sticks and of course, bags of kimpbap. Because no event would be complete in Korea without food. I've also been told there is not much strenuous hiking that actually goes on. More of the rambling, walking, let's-show-off-our-outfits hiking. This sounds a bit more of what I'd be expecting in a hike. If you have been reading for awhile you may recal the story of climbing the Mournes just outside of Belfast. Perhaps THIS is why I haven't been back up a mountain since. But, I think I'm in better shape now. A couple of years of Body Pump at the gym and running on the treadmill have surely strengthend my muscles. And I'm sure NOT WALKING for 6 weeks didn't weaken my ...