Baby Gunna Knock You Out

Boxing has deep but complicated roots in South Korea.

I've been interested in it's existence since learning 

it's one of the fastest growing female sports here.

Thanks to the group Come Together Korea

I met a US teacher and boxing instructor 

and took him up on his invitation 

to watch a demo match at a gym in his area.

It wasn't girls fighting, but it was still fun.

The little guys made it look fun.

It was an interestingly violent and civil experience.

There was calmness to the room.

I had not expected.

The bigger guys made it look really painful.

Mixed with the sounds of heavy blows

and labored breathing.

A studious intensity mixed with some amusement

lived on the faces of all those who watched in near silence.

I am a little in love with his blue hair.

Hopefully next time I can visit a female boxing gym...

You can learn more about Korean boxing here:

Fighting Spirit: An Introductory History of Korean Boxing, 1926-1945

Army to lift boxing ban in South Korea

'Boom Boom' Mancini's life changed after tragedy hit the boxing ring

To Ten Worst Moments In Boxing History

A Love Story

The first time I knew love,

was on the tail of a ferry leaving France.

I stood alone and wept silent, painful tears

as chunks of my heart fell out and

mixed with the foam 

the sea and the salt.

It felt as I was being torn from the arms of my mother.

It remains one of the most painful memories of my life,

as it was the first time my heart was broken.

That was when I decided I would do anything,

would give up every part of a normal thing,

to be with my love again.

I was seven,

when I lost my heart to travel.

I'd imagine that this must be how some people feel 

about their children, 

or their husbands,

or their careers.

For me though, my heart skips-a-beat

for foreign sounds,

unknown places,

smells I've never found before.

For the majority of my life 

I've gone from one love to the next.

Chasing the always changing sunsets.

Wrapped in the vines embrace of new jungles.

 Caressed by the winds of many mountain tops.

My heart skipped from one place to another,

avoiding the heartache of loving what I would lose.

That was until I came to Korea.

Now I find myself falling in love again and again.

Each time I turn around I feel like my heart has more room 

for this beautiful, unique world.

It's not that I find it perfect,

but I find it perfect for me.

I accept it's failures,

and my insides go pitter-patter for it's charms.

For better or for worse,

I have fallen deeply, madly, passionately

 in love with this place,

with this Drama.

Pretty (Isn't that enough?)

There's really no story here.

The fall is just beautiful in Sokcho.

That really should be enough.

Let's Get High

Let's do this darn thing.

Sometimes you just gotta fly.

Thanks to a great connection,

thanks to www.couchsurfing.com,

I learned there is a paragliding team 

stationed out of Pyeongtaek headed by

a fellow English speaking foreigner.

So, for my birthday,

I did what many have recommended for years,

I went and jumped off a cliff...

and let myself soar.

It was worth every penny,

even if my feet had never left the ground.

The mountains you go off are stunning.

The people you hang out with are the best kind.

There couldn't have been a better way to celebrate

getting older and living another day.

If you want to give it a try, 

you can find Fly to the Sky here: 

http://www.facebook.com/groups/162715847114410/?fref=ts

ask for Greg Succop.  He will hook you up.

Waiting on the mountain top feels like a friend I've always known.

Craig, our fearless leader.

Life is like paragliding, you've gotta throw yourself into it, never look back and let it take you.

Looking out into the future.  It's an amazing view.

Fashion sense.

Wings and things.

Gear up.

A birds eye view.

An adorable little pest found it's way into the gear.

Looking back on a year well spent, makes me smile.

 Once again, if you wanna give this a try,

you know, with someone who speaks English,

you can contact Craig Succop via  Fly to the Sky 

or also visit this group Paragliding in South Korea.

Waiting Games

There is no reason to wait at home,

reflecting on things you can't control.

Better to set out on an adventure

and let it fill the voids of "what if"

with the magic of "what is".

Alyssa and Landino: They came, they saw, they conquered.

The Happiest Place On Earth

It's hard to say exactly how I ended up here.

Even he seems to think I've lost my mind.

Minnie, however, seems to be supporting the decision.  I feel reassured.

Suiting up for my scuba certification,

in diving caves below a country kindergarten.

There is actually a diving cave under all this as well.

Let's just say, a momentary crisis and access to internet 

always ends this way for me.

So there I was, suiting up 

in a private diving dungeon in Korea

to complete a SCUBA certification 

I started 25 years ago in Maui.

A training I ended up doing blind 

because I didn't have my contacts.

 It was kind of like this, but with less visibility. 

Somewhere in the middle I was richly rewarded 

with a street festival and a kebab.

And in the end 
re-learning to dive
in the basement of a Disney Castle
in the farm fields of Korea
was ... well,
surreal to say the least...
and,
quite frankly,
the best,
most ridiculous, 
 diving adventure ever.

Lost in Translation

Realizing you've lost 

both space and time

is often the first sign vacation is going right.

Today I found myself in the mountains and not the sea.

It was too beautiful to wonder where I went wrong,

because it seemed right.

 

So, I got of the train for a light lunch

and decided to stay a little while longer.

 Tomorrow I'll worry about where I am,

and maybe even about where I'm going.

But for now,

I have everything I need.