8 Seasons in the Land of the Morning Calm

More photos of the edges of Hurricane Nabi.  Some pics of the interesting cloud formations covered the city for an afternoon.  

Entering September a calm has crept into a2's apartment.  With my return to writing life, our tiny place is starting to look downright homey.  A space this small is easily overwhelmed with laundry, dishes, paper, etc. through July and August, it has seen its worst.  Thankfully, quality of life is on the rise with the addition of houseplants and fish.  It's been difficult to re-establish a writing routine after being away.  These first couple of weeks back in the fold will be devoted to finding a schedule that works.  I'm optimistic, actually envisioning more than one project finding a place in the mess of things.  Thanks for the continued encouragement (especially from Mr. Gladden). As for Korea, the fall is near arrival, foreshadowed by a clearing of the skies and high visibility.  The horizons have been amazing; bright blue days, starry-dark nights. the temperatures are still hovering in the mid-80's, but humidity is down. ...

We are in the shadow of Typhoon Nabi ( Nabi means Butterfly in Korean ). The typhoon made landfall in Kyushu (Japan) this morning where 47,000 homes had to be evacuated. Last night winds were picking up substantially, but Nabi is breaking northeast losing strength as she passes over the cooler waters in the straits between Japan and Korea. The Korean Meteorological Administration (KMA) has issued flood/thunderstorm warnings, and we are expected to get quite a bit of rain. Mild compared to the beating Japan is taking right now. To our worried parents . . . don't. The weather is actually downright pleasant, and we've yet to see the rain that has been predicted. Most of the weather is expected within the next 24 hours, and in all actuality, will probably be a lot tamer than predicted. Typhoon Nabi's Edge moving over the city.

Well, the weather has finally broken, and we are enjoying milder temperatures. The ease in heat and humidity is much welcomed, as is the clearing of the sky. All summer a haze has nestled into the nooks and crannies surrounding the city making it impossible to see the mountains. Whether a shift in winds or a Korean mystery for the ages, the haze has lifted and the sky is beautifully clear. The blue expanse dappled with clouds is set afire at dusk with amazing color, even the city's busy construction cranes and building frames look glamorous in the orange-red shock painted by our Asian sun. However, it is the later wash of greens, purples, and yellows dissolving into night that create a lasting sense of peace as a cricket-sonata accompanies the light evening breeze. In the park, families and friends are strewn across the grounds, resting their feet on picnic blankets. Children ride bicycles, couples play badminton, and the older boys try their hand at baseball. It is a Rock...

Day 2: Dehydration, an Arboretum, and Projectile Vomiting After a night with cement pillows and an unforgiving mattress, we groggily rolled into a hot, summer morning already dehydrated and sunburned. Alex was a bit worse for wear, mumbling “water . . . water . . . . .”  we looked over our maps of Wando, marking all intersections with churches, temples, strange houses, and smiling people with easy-to-read pamphlets, before wandering into the sunny, sidewalk-less street outside our hotel. Where are we?  Where are we attempting to go?  Are you thirsty? I am thirsty. We hobbled along in the unrelenting sun toward the corner MINI STOP for snacks and water. I cannot describe the intensity of the sun we have experienced while here. Imagine yourself at 5 o’clock in the afternoon with the sky still pushing a noontime sun onto your back. It’s so damn hot, you later check your shoulders for brands. It was at this point that Alex began looking less than up to task for ...

Day 1: Cultists & Pink Chicken The particulars of our misadventure in the south sea may be in order. Alex is a bit more succinct than I, and knowing that, I don’t feel too bad embellishing on his portrait of our excursion. For starters, our friendly ambassadors to Myeongsasimni (the beach on Shinji-do) were cultists. That’s right, just your standard, run-of-the-mill followers of some bizarre “faith” revolving around theories about the earth’s axis shifting. To save you from too much detail, this cult preaches meditation and the prophecies of Nostradamus and a pseudo-scientist from Nowhere, USA. THANKFULLY, we had the pesky language barrier preventing them from sucking our brains through our nostrils in an attempt to convert us.  Ferry from Shinjo-do to Wan-do Myeongsasimni beach Dalhae-do Our companions plied us with alcohol and fish while asking us to sing meditation mantras and to peruse their written material. Like I sai...