Raw Fish: Oh How far I've Come

March is one one my favorite times of the year; my family celebrates about 90 percent of its birthdays in March, the sports world heats up as baseball players fine tune their game in either Arizona or Florida and basketball celebrates March Madness, and the seasons change as winter slowly fades into spring. I love March.

So far March in Korea has brought me two unique adventures, one of them takes place in a fish market. The breathtaking smell, I'm using breathtaking in a negative way here, was a little daunting at first as you can imagine thousands if not millions of fish can't be too pleasant. But my nose was quick to adapt and the smell quickly subdued. The next sense that was firing on all cylinders was my eyes. This place was cavernous, at least the size of a football field. Row after row of fish tanks!



As you can see, I was a little excited to dig into some freshly killed fish. This market is the biggest fish market in Korea and is open 24 hours a day. We were here at 1:00 at night. The selection of possibilities were endless, and I'm not even going to pretend I know the names of what I saw. All I have are these photos:












































The experience is very unique. You literally pick out the fish you want, after haggling with the
handlers, by the way the haggling was done in Korean... by a Korean. The lady threw in a couple plates of oysters to seal the deal. They scoop the fish out with a net, and then beat the damn
thing over the head with a blunt object. This isn't a pleasant experience for the squeamish. After bashing our food, the handler took us to a quaint little restaurant located in this gigantic warehouse.











We then polished off three plates of sliced and diced fish, and two plates of oysters. Eating the freshest of fish is gratifying, but I'll trade raw fish for a steak any time. Raw fish is very expensive, and I really don't understand what all the fuss is about. The very best sushi doesn't taste that fishy. It kind of tastes like chewy meat. My question, why bother? Everyone always hypes up our fish market experiences, (this is the fourth time) and I get excited along with them. And every single time I'm disappointed! I don't think raw fish is my thing. It's just alright.




My next adventure took me two and a half hours south of Seoul. It consisted taking a cable car up and hiking down a gorgeous mountain. I'll let the pictures do the talking.

































Indiana Jones. That's who I felt like while walking across some suspension bridges. Although, these were not the rickety bridges Indie was walking across and we weren't being hunted down by ruthless pygmies, these bridges did manage to sway in the breeze. It was the highlight of this hiking trip by far. I have to say this, I have become a hiker. I love it so much. I used to never love walking in scenic surroundings, but I can't wait for it now. Maybe it has something to do with living in one of the biggest cities in the world... These bridges were awesome, they had just enough of a thrill factor to keep it interesting.




































This March is not the same as my favorite time of the year back home. Tensions continue to boil between North and South Korea, (South Koreans still don't seem to give a damn) meanwhile family and sports are celebrating festivities on the other side of the world without me. Despite all these factors, March is still happening, and I love it. The weather is gradually changing. Everyday I spend hours reading about sports, and thinking about family. I love March, as long as N. Korea behaves. :)