Summering

In Korea summer ends August 31 (if not before then). All outdoor pools close, the beaches are empty, vacation is over and the long sleeve clothes come out even if it still is 90 degrees outside. We aren't too familiar with the school system but we know kids go to school year round and I think the beginning of their school year is in March. They usually have a 2 week break in August.

We took full advantage of the summer in Korea (and yes, we're still going to the beach and loving the minimal crowds).

The waterfall is one of our favorite spots in the summer because it is cool and a great swimming hole. E with a couple of our playgroup friends.

We also fought the rainy season and sometimes got caught outside in a downpour. We also went to the Ship Building Museum which has a great indoor play-place.

We went to the Geoje Blue City Festival with outdoor performances. One night E was captivated with her friend and the other danced the entire performance (sorry for the poor video). We heard some traditional Korean music (and loved the instrument they use), watched a b-boys group dance, saw a clown performance and watched/listened to an amazing percussion performance.

We tried to enjoy all the hiking around us even in the heat and humidity. Here is a hike to a lighthouse on you can see out our window and across the shipyard. The coastline on the island is beautiful!

Beach, beach and more beach. We've loved having several beaches near with the closest one only 5 minutes away. We pop over to play or swim or eat dinner or hang out for a little bit.

The last weekend in August we drove to Bugok which is about 1.5 hours away. They have a large resort facility with a hotel, amusement park, indoor/outdoor pool, hot spring tubs and tube sledding in the winter. It was half priced that weekend as it was the last weekend for the pools to be open. Like most places we've visited in Korea it was in need of some maintenance but we had a good time. E loved the slides in the indoor pool (the outdoor pool was too cold and the slides were too big for her).

The amusement park was a little creepy as it didn't appear to be open. It reminded me of one of the Shrek movies where they walk into the castle/amusement park and it is quite until they open the door with the puppets. Yes, a little creepy. They had these hilarious animals that you could actually drive around the entire park.

Finally, as part of the half priced weekend they let you into the "Ice Land" for free. It must be part of their winter activities. The sculptures were fun and we even got to ride down a really fast ice slide. We could only spend a few minutes in there because it was soooo cold!

Summer is finally winding down for us with a very welcoming fall. We can't believe we have been here for 4 months and look forward to more fun ahead.