Ummm Yummy Ribs

Hola

As Jo mentioned in the last blog, today is a Korean Holiday, and we really wanted to use this precious day off work to relax and get caught up on our list of things to see. In order to maximize both goals we decided to check out one of Ulsan’s most famous beaches.

Jujeon beach is well known for having black sand and beautiful water. As such it’s been on our list of things to see since we got here. We figured that today would be as good as any to see it and we were even pretty sure that we had a rough understanding of how to navigate our way across town to get to it. In retrospect, it might have been better to wait until we had concrete directions but as they say hindsight is 20-20.

After taking a bus to a neighboring district we managed to somehow get lost and only through the help of two kind strangers did we manage to get back onto the right bus. However, that stretch of the journey didn’t last long as the driver went a short distance and then kicked everyone off of the bus. Maybe it was the end of the route or maybe he had just received an important call from a lady-friend, we will never know.

After walking for what felt like years we managed to stumble upon yet another bus route and this time managed to ride it until the destination, or at least what we stupidly believed was the right destination. Alas, our trip to the beautiful black sand beach of Ulsan was not meant to be.

We were greeted by brown rocks, grey mud puddles, yellow tubes, and blue tents, but I promise you that no matter how much we looked we couldn't find a single grain of black sand in any direction. I don't know if we got off on the wrong stop or if the Ulsan Tourism Department is prone to great bouts of poetic licensing, but the beach was a far cry from we had been expecting. However, I need to clarify that Korea does have beautiful beaches, it's just that we live in an industrial town where you are more likley to find a smokestack than a jet ski.

One day we will visit the beaches of Busan and really show you what the beaches here are like.

Here's a picture of Jo enjoying the picturesque scenery.

Here's something we never had to worry about back home: the dreaded jellyfish of the North Pacific. Although we have yet to feel their vicious sting everytime we go to the beach we drink a litre of water just in case we have to tend to our wounds. It's always good to be prepared.

After swimming for a few minutes in the ocean and wallowing through our own misery for an equal amount of time, we decided to abandon the beach and find some lunch. Although finding food back home is a simple task that requires little effort or ability, in Korea it can be a whole day's work.

You always have to be on the lookout to ensure that the food isn't a) super spicy, b) made from sea toad, or 3) made from dog. With that in mind we walked for around a half an hour until we found what appeared to be a decent place.

When we sat at our table we asked if they served Bulgogi, Kalbi, or Bibimbop, all of which they replied "no" to.

At this point we actually had no idea what kind of restaurant we walked into.It might have been like a tourist from China walking into a pancake house in Kelowna and asking if they served pizza or sushi. That being said, when we were unable to order anything we recognized we put our faith in the hands of the server and told her to bring us something good.

Sigh, as you can probably guess by now we made a blunder of epic proportions.



We still aren't fully sure of what we ordered. It was some sort of an animal's rib cage in a pungent broth with seaweed. Although we are pretty adventuresome when it comes to food this definitely approached our limits.


Here's Jo holding up the ribcage. If the soup had contained vegatables or anything else other than two massacred ribs and some seaweed it might have been edible. But after a few bites we had to use all of our will power not to run to the bathroom and pull a Paris Hilton.

Sadly, it was the first time since getting here that we couldn't finish a meal. We tried to move the food around so it looked like we had eaten more than two bites and then we paid for the food so fast I actually ran into the street in my barefeet.

I didn't want to be in the restaurant when they noticed our full plates and gave us the cold looks of shame reserved for wussy foreigners.

Well, after a disappointing experience at the beach and a scary sampling of what appeared to be a groundhog's ribcage we ran to the nearest western establishment with our tails between our legs.



Ahhhh, even though I don't think I ate at Pizza Hut once in the last five years back in Canada it was truly nice to have a safe, greasy meal made from things we could identify.

Here's a photo of me five seconds after having sworn off ribs for the rest of my life.

This weekend we will continue on our quest to find tropical waters here in Ulsan. We're not sure if we will be successful or if we will have another day like today, but rest assured that regardless of the outcome you will have front row tickets to the show.

Anyway, much like Kate Hudson's marriage, I'm done.

Cheers

Shayne