walking the dog

Walking a dog in Haebangchon can be quite the task. Not only is it all steep hills, which are icy in the winter and sometimes strangely oily the rest of the year, there is salt and chemicals on the roads, there are no sidewalks, and there are bits of garbage everywhere. Little pieces of bone keep popping up everywhere. It's making me crazy!!

I have certainly been getting a lot of exercise lately, though. There are a few ways I usually walk through the area. The paths through Namsan park are great, some paved/boardwalk style, some dirt paths (too muddy right now). There's also the maze of streets and pathways through the residential area on the side of the mountain. One of my favorite walks is going up to the ridge and down the other side where there are ways too narrow for any cars and so are usually quite quiet. I think in any other country that type of area might be a bit more dangerous? Here are some pics to show some parts of my walk.Going down.That's a little house on the right. It looks short because it is lower on the hill.Turn the corner and you get to...Looking down.Looking back up at the stairs.Go to the left. Looking down over a more traditional style home below.A view of Seoul.Going down again.And around a corner.And around another corner:More stairs. Around the corner:Here is another picture that I took at this point.
Down a ways to more stairs:And so on...
A couple more pics from walking around Haebangchon.

PETS

This is from an email that I received. Not sure who wrote it but I think it's great. :)

FOR THOSE OF YOU WHO HAVE PETS, THIS IS A TRUE STORY. FOR THOSE THAT DON'T, IT'S STILL A TRUE STORY.
The following was found posted very low on a refrigerator door.
Dear Dogs and Cats: the dishes with the paw prints are yours and contain your food. The other dishes are mine and contain my food. Placing a paw print in the middle of my plate and food does not stake a claim for it becoming your food or dish, nor do I find that aesthetically pleasing in the slightest.
The stairway was not designed by NASCAR and is not a racetrack. Racing me to the bottom is not the object. Tripping me doesn't help because I fall faster than you can run.
I cannot buy anything bigger than a king sized bed. I am very sorry about this. Do not think I will continue sleeping on the couch to ensure your comfort, however. Dogs and cats can actually curl up in a ball when they sleep. It is not necessary to sleep perpendicular to each other, stretched out t the fullest extent possible. I also know that sticking tails straight out and having tongues hanging out on the other end to maximize space is nothing but sarcasm.
for the last time, there is no secret exit from the bathroom! If, by some miracle, I beat you there and manage to get the door shut, it is not necessary to claw, whine, meow, try to turn the know or get your paw under the edge in an attempt to open the bathroom door. I must exit through the same door I entered. Also, I have been using the bathroom for years - canine/feline attendance is not required.
The proper order for kissing is: kiss me first, then go smell the other dog's or cat's butt. I cannot stress this enough.
Finally, in fairness, dear pets, I have posted the following message on the front door: TO ALL NON-PET OWNERS WHO VISIT AND LIKE TO COMPLAIN ABOUT OUR PETS:
1. They live here. You don't.
2. If you don't want their hair on your clothes, stay off the furniture. That's why they call it 'fur'-niture.
3. I like my pets a lot better than I like most people.
4. To you, they are animals. To me, they are adopted sons/daughters who are short, hairy, walk on all fours and don't speak clearly.
REMEMBER, dogs and cats are "better" than kids because they: 1. eat less, 2. don't ask for money all the time, 3. are easier to train, 4. normally come when called, 5. never ask to drive the car, 6. don't hang out with assholes, 7. don't smoke or drink, 8. don't want to wear your clothes, or buy the latest fashions, 9. don't criticize with the "eye roll" or muttered remarks, 10, don't need a gazillion dollars for college, and 11. if they get pregnant, you can sell their children. :)

Runa

I'm trying to find a new home for Runa. She is such a sweet dog and if I had more time and energy I would try to convince the landlord to let me keep her. Also, I wish I could afford to send her home to Canada but it's quite a bit more than I can afford at the time (I was given a quote of 2,000,000 won, or a bit under $2000 Canadian). Very sad.
I am making posting for Runa on Animal Rescue Korea . If you don't want a big dog, they have plenty of other dogs listed that need homes, most of whom are in dog shelters. I don't want her to end up chained up all the time or stuck in a tiny apartment all the time.

If you are interested or know anyone interested, let me know.

[After her first bath at the vet. They put a cutesy little ribbon on her for some silly reason. Only in Korea?]

snow and a dog

Weather here in Seoul is strange. A couple of weeks ago we had such nice warm weather that made everyone think spring was on its way. That was followed by a not so nice very cold period that made us realize that the warmth was just a teaser. The past few days weren't too bad except they were a little chilly. Then yesterday it was cold and rainy. When I got on the subway to head home it was raining. When I got out, though, it was snowing. A lot. What?? This is my view out my little balcony window last night.

[with the flash][special night setting][with the flash][without the flash]

It snowed all night. Ugh.
[Seoul Tower in the distance, on Namsan][My home is sort of on the lower side of the mountain.]

Walking a dog on the hill in the snow can be dangerous. Several times he almost took me down. He was going nuts acting as if he had never seen snow before. Woo. White stuff. How exciting!! He was going in circles trying to scoop up snow as he went. He looked kind of funny, actually, wandering along with his jaw in the snow. Made me think of a snow plow. Hopi is a friend's dog. He (the dog) is staying with me for the month while his owner finds a new apartment. Hopi is a tiger skin/brindle (Hopi or Hogu) Jindo. The Jindo (진돗개) is a Korean hunting dog breed that originally came from Jindo Island. They are known for being brave and loyal. They are Korea's National Treasure #53.

The snow certainly does make everything look pretty.

winter in Canada

I'm back home in Canada for winter vacation.The last time I was home for Christmas was in 2005!!!! Too long.I love snow. Everything looks so beautiful when covered in snow and frost. [Hercules]Christmas day we took the dogs for a walk down the road.[Lily][Ivy][There are 4 dogs in this pic (the 5th, the little one, was left at home). I love that one is jumping over another. Good timing?]
It was a nice clear day, about -15 Celsius. Not bad.[Moi!! :) in my new jacket]I love snow.... except when I have to drive in/on it. NOT fun.

Cookie

Cookie from Laura J on Vimeo.

Cookie II from Laura J on Vimeo.

Cicadas (and a rat)

It's been quite wet out the past couple of days. I think we caught the edge of the Typhoon that hit Taiwan. It's not surprising, though, as it is monsoon season. Today after work it had stopped raining so I walked from my work in Apgujeong to the Kim's Club (a very large grocery store) near the Goseok Terminal (Seoul bus terminal) It was just under an hour of walking. I should have taken more pictures, I suppose. When I walk I always try to take different random routes to where ever it is I am walking to in order to see what ever there is to see. The buildings, signs, shop names, kinds of shops, etc are all interesting to see. There are a couple of buildings I really want to take pictures of but I'll have to wait until it is not so over cast (and rainy).
One thing I have really noticed here and in China are the cicadas. Where I grew up, we don't have them. I had heard of them, of course, but had never heard or seen any until I came to Korea. They are SO LOUD!!!!!!! In the six years I have been here, I haven't really seen many but have certainly heard them! I love the sound they make (as long as it isn't right outside my window when I'm trying to sleep!). The first one I actually encountered wasn't until my 4th year or so when one was stuck in a classroom and the students and Korean teacher were freaking out. I had to rescue them, AND it. It wasn't until this year that I started seeing the casings/skins. They are absolutely EVERYWHERE!! [my finger is there for sizing]I first noticed them when I went to one of the palaces downtown during my first week of summer vacation (I had 2 wks).Now I am seeing them everywhere here; both the casings AND the adult cicadas.On a tree at Deoksugung (a palace). Can you see them? The one higher up is a bit hard to see. The lower one I noticed immediately.Here is a video to show how loud they are.

A cicada on a tree in Qingdao, China (taken the second week of my summer vacation).
Along where I was walking today, in one of the apartment complexes, the casings were all over the trees as if they were nuts or something (except they are on the trunks as well as all over the leaves).If you haven't seen them, they are hard to miss. They really are big.
On my walk today, I turned a corner and a little thing nearly ran over my foot. It ran into a little indent in the wall to hide, but there was no way out of it other than the way it came, sort of trapping it for my inspection. A young rat, about the size of my hamster, but not as cute. It's tail is obviously broken. Poor thing. With all the rain it was probably looking for a dry place to hide out.

Hamster

I just couldn't help myself. I was walking to go to a book store and walked past a pet shop with hamster cages sitting outside and big signs. I took one look and for some (unrashional) reason, I decided I needed a hamster. I've decided to call her Bamboo. :)She was the smallest one in the cage. When I picked her up she just looked at me and tilted her head. Another one of the smaller ones (a white one) that I picked up started jumping and going crazy.Just after I got her:After a two weeks: She's sooo cute!! <3>