TV Tourism

Korea has never been the most popular tourist destination, especially with big draws like China and Japan right next door. But, in the past decade, "The Korean Wave" has been a powerful force in Asian pop culture, with the spread in Asia, and interestingly Latin America, of TV serial dramas that come out of Korea. They are mostly romantic soap opera mini-series, with rather cliched melodramatic acting, people falling in and out of love-triangles and tragedies, and full-frontal face-shot camera angles. Their popularity has led to the spread of Korean fashion trends, pop music, and an increasing interest in Korean culture, food, etc. all throughout Asia. And, as can always be expected when something foreign is popular, protectionist alarms have sounded, with governments and concerned citizens in Vietnam, Taiwan, and China, complaining about their culture (and their TV airwaves) being diluted by the Korean invasion. In terms of tourist dollars for Korea, the Korean Wave has definitely been washing back to the peninsula, bringing with it a huge number of foreign (particularly Chinese nouveau-riche) tourists wanting to visit the places where the shows were filmed. So, on the advice of my brother-in-law, and not wanting to miss the wave, we went to Nam-I Island, which sits in a river about 2 hours from Seoul by train. Nam-I Island is a rather quirky place. About 50 years ago, some guy decided to plant a bunch of trees there, so there are a number of pretty tree-lined paths going in all 4 cardinal directions, each flanked by a different type of tree. Since then, there have been all manner of oddities added to the island, from collections of village guardian "totem poles"... ...a small sculpture garden... ..antique-looking buildings selling tourist-kitsch... ...and perhaps most surprisingly, a permanent UNICEF photo exhibition in a fake castle that is trying to fill that delicate architectural niche between Disney and gothic. But, what defines Nam-I Island more than anything else today, is that it was the site of the filming of "Winter Sonata", a tale of complicated love triangles, half-siblings, architecture, and brain damage (at least that's what I got from the plot summary on Wikipedia. I must admit I haven't seen it personally.). On Nami-Island, you can see such Winter Sonata highlights as: The picnic table where the leading couple made snowmen and shared their first kiss on the first day of snow. and signposts allowing you to relive that scene in case you'd forgotten the romantic details. And, in case you were worried that the legacy of Winter Sonata will not endure through the ages, there is a bronze sculpture of the leading actors... Complete with a plaque reading: "This sculpture ensures that the memory of 'Winter Sonata' will remain on Nami Island Forever." As you can probably guess, I did a little bit of eye-rolling, but that's part-and-parcel of tourist sites in Asia. Subtlety doesn't draw tourists or make money--Did I mention that there is a small flock (?) of ostriches running around on the island? All that aside, it was actually a really nice trip. My personal highlights included spicy chicken grilled right at the table Sharing green tea ice cream with Ella And of course the little boat ride. I can never get enough of boats and trains...

Ella's imagination

Mostly just a few photos of Ella. I'm still busy studying for boards and... ummm... playing Go online. My father-in-law plays all the time, so it's an addictive way to bond, sort of. The weather is clearing up, so maybe I'll be able to get out more. Planning a trip for next week. Still trying to write my Lesotho retrospectives. It's hard... I'll keep on it. On to the photos: Do you think this is a sign of OCD? Ella likes making "tea" in MinSeo's ExerSaucer. The "teapot" is the red thing that looks like a silo, the "microwave" is the little round depression, and her hand is in the milk/sugar dispenser. A demonstration of the "grumpy face". She does this on cue when you ask for the grumpy face. And, practicing for nude toddler chopstick racing. Her grandmother spent all week comparison shopping for training chopsticks. Ella broke them after about 1o minutes. One of life's many small tragedies. p.s. she has a heat rash, which is why she's topless in all these photos.

Why didn't I think of this?

Did you know your feet are conduits to the rest of your body? This compelling fact makes these detoxifying natural herbal foot patches truly indispensable. Worn for 8–10 hours while you sleep, they stimulate circulation and remove toxins such as nickel, arsenic and mercury, according to extensive research. Placed on the arch, they go straight to major reflexology organs to maximize the effects. Ten disposable pads per box. USA. And only $30 for a pack of 10 square stickers!! I want to get on the board of the company who makes these. They probably have sessions where they get together and brainstorm on the most ridiculous health product they could invent that people will actually buy. I swear they must have giggled quite a bit when this product became not only a "best seller", but also a "customer favorite" here. Please leave any suggestions for looney medical/health devices in the comment section. You have to use the words "natural, detoxifying, and herbal", or else "according to extensive research" to get full credit. I may select the winner as a business joint venture. I'll provide the MD stamp of authenticity. p.s. If you were considering "micro-massage anti-cellulite pants" as your entry, that idea was already taken ($150!)