On The Run - Jinneol Coastal Walk, Samcheonpo

Beautiful spring days mean it's time to explore! The Daddy and the Zekers got off the hook because they had a lot of homework, but Daisy and Lijee couldn't get out of it! 

We started at Namildae Beach and walked the coast up to the Jinneol Observation Tower, and then came back. This is what we did:

Spied Elephant Rock on the far left.

Walked past the observation deck.

Stopped at a cool rock formation.

Went past the lighthouse.

Passed the dock.

Dipped our feet in.

Walked around the cove.

It was around here that Daisy said it felt like we were in a movie where the kids were on the run from the bad guys. We decided we were running from Lee Chilchong E and his evil gang. We were on our way to find the Oracle, who would tell us how to rescue our Dad and brother.

Crossed the Namil Bridge.

Spotted gang members.  They were hanging out under Namil Bridge, trying to distract  us by selling their wares, playing music and smoking incense. It didn't work; we were onto them.

Got sidetracked by this little guy on a flower.

Passed a burial site.

Sidebar: picture.

Spotted a member of Lee Chilchong E's gang down by the water.

Braved dangerous cliffs.

Sidebar: more pictures.

Where was I? Oh, yeah. Braved dangerous cliffs.

Spied the giant rock where Lee Chilchong E conducts business.

Snuck across.

Completed 🎵 The Circle of Life. 🎶

Strategized how to scale the giant rock.

Picked a path.

Climbed to the top.

Gathered all data from the giant rock. Left area.

Took time to stop and smell the roses camelias.

Found the lair of the Oracle. Tired of the game.

Took in the view.

Admired the candy cane blooms.

Wondered what the heck this guy was showing the group of people that had gathered.

Spied the beach again.

Maneuvered back over those treacherous jacks.

Stood on the lookout deck.

Made it back to the car. 

Chuey and I thought it was a lovely afternoon. The other two, eh. One day they will thank me for the adventures.

[February 20]

The Butter Struggle Is Real

 When we first stepped foot in Korea 19 months ago, the kids and I wanted something familiar. I knew exactly what they needed to feel a little piece of home--chocolate chip cookies! The problem was, or so I thought, was that I couldn't find chocolate chips. We bought a couple chocolate bars and chopped them up. Violá! 

Except that wasn't actually the problem. When the cookies came out of the oven they were very flat and crispy. It took me several tries to realize the real issue was not my oven. It was the butter. For some reason Korean butter does not bake well. It tastes fine, but a good cookie it does not make.

In came Costco to save the day! The nearest Costco is almost two hours away. Does that stop us? No! It does, however, stop the frequency of our trips. I posted some Costco pictures way back in January of 2020 if you want to see what a Korean Costco looks like. 

Back to my butter. Once I realized that Costco butter made cookies like we are used to, life was bliss. Fast forward to three weeks ago. There are always three staples I get when I go to Costco: hamburger, chocolate chips, and butter. This trip they were out of Costco butter! I thought it was just bad timing. But my friend said a week ago someone actually grabbed the butter straight out of her cart; when she went back to get more there was none left! 

No need to panic. I jumped on a local shopping site called Coupang that carries a lot of American brands, much of which comes from Costco. I found Coscto butter and put it in my cart but didn't buy it. The Busan store was the one that didn't have any, so when another friend went to the Daegu store the next week I asked her to grab me some butter.

THERE WAS NONE. Holy butter, folks. What if Costco is no longer carrying their butter in Korea?!? I ran to my computer and pulled up Coupang (you have to do it on the computer to get autotranslate). You will not believe this, but the butter in my cart was sold out. I don't want to sound dramatic, but I was shifting to panic mode. I did some searching and found another vendor. There were only 5 boxes left. So you can guess what I did. 

That's right. I bought all the Costco butter in Korea! All five boxes. Over $100 of butter in one shot. 

Today Zeke came home from school and said, "We have a heavy box delivered outside our door." My butter arrived!

Nice and chilled among the still frozen ice packs.

 Soft cookies with a gooey center and crisp edges are in our future. Yay for Costco butter!

[February 16]