Thirty Hours in Fukoka

In order to get our Korean work visas, Ryan and I had to venture out of the country.  Last Thursday morning we headed to the ferry pier and boarded a high speed hydrofoil boat bound for Fukoka.  In three short hours, we had arrived in Japan.

We went straight for some local food.

raw tuna over rice with udon 

udon with shrimp tempura

After applying for our visas, we walked along the beach and stopped for a cool snack.  It was even hotter and more humid than it has been in Busan.  

Fukoka Tower

green tea ice cream

We spent the evening exploring  Fukoka's downtown. 

For dinner we went to "Raumen Stadium" where Ryan made sure to try Fukoka's specialty, pork ramen.  He placed his order at a vending machine.  Soon, it arrived at our table.

I opted for sushi!

But not this one... (fourth from the top)

We loved the walk along the water back to our hotel, taking in the quaint open air restaurants alongside cafes and shops overloaded with cuteness.

lattes topped with animal shapes

Barbie Store!

The next morning we picked up our visas and continued to explore the city.  We strolled through a gorgeous park admiring the local wildlife, then continued on to a peaceful Japanese Garden.

Our last stop was the Fukoka Castle Ruins.  

what a trooper :)

Finally we headed back to the ferry pier to return to Busan.  The departure time had been moved up half an hour earlier.  Once we boarded we realized why.  A tropical storm tossed the ferry around on the rough water for three long hours.  

I was sick the entire time.  Ugh.  No boats for me for awhiiiiile. Luckily my amazing husband took great care of me. 

All in all, a great quick trip to Japan!

Sometimes

Sometimes, when it’s been a long day and you live in a tiny apartment, and the internet isn’t working, you just need to sit at a table outside 7-11 and share some maekgeolli.

Grocery Shopping

I forgot how different it is to shop for groceries here in Korea.  The labels are foreign, the contents are often a mystery, and you're never quite certain if that's dish soap or hand soap that you're taking home.

When I spent the better part of a morning grocery shopping last week, it all came back to me.  I found myself squinting at the labels and sale tags in bewilderment.

Hmmm, which soy sauce should I get?  Your guess is as good as mine.

Kimchi anyone? 

The cheese section was sad.  No cheddar to be found.  The case held a variety of specialty cheeses, and the (oddly) standard shredded mozzerella and American cheese singles.

Blech.  A trip to Costco is in our near future.

In the midst of the foreign items, I found some things I was familiar with.  These....

And these...

I even found black beans!  

There were eleven cans on the shelf.  I bought them all.