Our Photo Shoot

One of my "must do's" before we left Korea was to have pictures taken in my hanbok--the traditional Korean dress my sweet mother-in-law had made for me when Mike and I were married.  Wedding photography here is a BIG DEAL--Korean couples often spend upwards of 8-10 hours, and multiple millions of won (thousands of dollars), for a pre-wedding photo shoot that involves a lot of costume changes (brides often rent several wedding dresses for the event, and the grooms of course must always match), etc.  In short, just what my handsome and long-suffering husband would NOT want to do on his day off.  So when I asked one of my Korean friends for help finding a photographer, I asked for the mini version--an hour or so, just two outfits, no need for crazy backgrounds or rented clothing or professional hair/makeup.  And is there something for under $500?

I kind of expected her to just help me with the search terms on Naver--Korea's Google--but she truly went above and beyond.  She called around and determined the average starting price for a wedding package was around $700 U.S.; she then started looking for deals.  She ended up finding an "event sale" that offered a 90 minute shoot for $75!!!  She made all the arrangements for us, even calling to schedule the shoot after she called me to see which day was best.  So sweet of her!

So off we went last Saturday to keep our appointment.  First up was the trusty green dress, that's gotten me through two Battalion Balls here.  Handsome Husband wore the suit he had made in Dongdaemun.

Every scene was orchestrated by the photographer.  "Bride!  Tilt your head like this!"  "Groom, sit up straight!"  "Fold your hands like this!"  "Look at each other!!"  "No, at EACH OTHER!  How do you say that in English?"

  

We followed his instructions, even when it resulted in some pretty cheesy scenes.  Since we were only allowed to pick our favorite ten shots, I didn't feel one bit bad about not keeping the ones where I was leaning against my handsome husband reading a book, or he was holding a suitcase and I had him by the tie...

Had to keep this one, though--it was too funny.  The shot was taken through a "window"; the writing on the outside read "When I walk on the street with my happy coffee, I feel so good and magical coffee."

  

I will admit, I wasn't too excited about the TVs.  When my friend saw this one, however, she remarked, "Oh, it's old-style Korean televisions!  Cute!!"

Mission accomplished!

Jeju Do

Mom and I had such a great time in Jeju Do.  We saw several places that Mike and I didn't have time to see, and we were really lucky with the weather.

Yongduam Coast

The scenery on the back side of the peninsula was marred by a Viking Ship tourist attraction.

Oedalgae basalt formation

Yeomiji Botanical Garden

There was a typhoon-turned-tropical-storm coming through the day after we arrived, but for the most part we had pretty clear weather, with just a few sprinkles.  It started to storm while we were in the botanical garden; luckily we were able to enjoy the (inside) gardens while the worst of the rain passed.  Afterward, we considered going back to the hotel, but decided to take a detour by the Jusangjeolli Cliffs.

The waves were pretty crazy.

It was really, really cool.

Our last day we went over to the east side of the island, to Seongsan Ilchulbong.  Mike and I went, but it was so beautiful I wanted to go with Mom.

Our next stop, a bit up the coast, was the ferry terminal, where we caught a submarine for an underwater tour.  From shore, the waves didn't look too bad, but it was a little crazy once we were out of the harbor.

Still, it was fun to see some fish.

Our last stop was Manjangul Cave--the longest lava tube in the world.  It was a nice, very cool, break from the warm weather outside.

Such a great trip! Now Mike and I just need to get stationed in :Hawaii...

Garden of the Morning Calm

When Mike and I took our weekend trip to Chuncheon and Nami Island, one of the tourist attractions I'd noticed in the area was the Garden of the Morning Calm.  Mike wasn't interested.  So I was excited to have the opportunity to go with Mom!  It was a quick train ride to Cheongpyong, from where we took a taxi through the countryside to the garden.  It was hot, but beautiful!

Mom's Visit

I had such a great time with Mom a couple of weeks ago!  It was great just to visit and catch up; we also enjoyed trips around Seoul, at the Yeosu Expo, the Morning Calm Garden, and in Jeju Do.  

We spent about $25 at the Namdaemun flower market and an hour or so putting together these beautiful bouquets!

We had some rainy weather over the weekend we spent in Yeosu, but there was plenty to see inside.  The above is inside the digital gallery of the international pavilion; the entire ceiling was a huge LED screen.

More pictures to come!