In my last post, I told you a bit more about what Haeundae Beach is like during summer. My next summer time recommendation is Tongdosa Temple. It’s located in Yangsan, just between Busan and Ulsan.
There’s a stream near the entrance that is quite popular among the Koreans.
Phuket was amazing… Loved seeing how different Buddhists in Korea look from these Buddhist monks in Thailand.
I have been so busy this week enjoying time with my friends! Since I wasn’t able to post on Friday, I decided to share something with you today…
Have you ever been invited to sit in the conductor’s booth?
Melissa, Mendi and I were only able to buy standing room seats for the train from Busan to Ulsan. By the end of the trip, the conductor in the caboose of the train must have been so tired of bumping us with his door each time he went in and out that he decided to invite us in his booth. Then he held out his phone for 5 minutes to show us an amazing video he took from his booth of the train running along the tracks.
Here’s a short clip of the view from the conductor’s booth.
My dear friends Mendi and Melissa are visiting me in Korea. We have been having a great time wandering around my neighborhood. We saw some AMAZING things, but it wasn’t until the end of the night that we saw something that made us speechless. But Melissa still managed to pose for a photo…
“We wander for distraction, but we travel for fulfillment.” -Hilaire Belloc
Have you ever walked by this building in Old Downtown? It is the host of a barbecue, wedding planner, coffee shop, a pretty good Thai restaurant, and spa, all sharing the Sarojin name.
The spa is on the 3rd floor. Before walking through the door, make sure you take your shoes off and put on a pair of the provided slippers.
You’ll be greeted with a smile by the manager of the spa. Her English name is Lyndsey. She speaks English fairly well so as long as you’re patient, communication shouldn’t be a problem. When I initially went in for information, she gave me their spa menu in Korean and told me the very basics of each treatment. I took the menu home and translated it into English (scroll to the bottom of the post for the menu/price list).
My experience was quite interesting. After changing into my gown, I realized I wasn’t told how to lay in the bed so I just sat there and waited. The two Thai massage therapists and the manager all came into the room and helped me get situated.
I had booked a Basic Body Treatment Massage and a Trouble Therapy Facial. They started with the back massage. Both therapists stayed in the room, but only one was working on me. The therapist started out straddling me on the bed and the massage was really relaxing. Once she hopped down off the bed she started using what felt like her elbows. It hurt so much, but I can only blame myself. When asked, I said I wanted it “a little bit strong.” I don’t think the Thai girls spoke English well because they didn’t understand me telling them that it was hurting (I think they thought I was saying I was hot). If you don’t like feeling elbows running down each of your back ribs and shoulder blades, repeatedly, then I suggest you mention that to Lyndsey before your massage. I told her that it was painful afterwards and I’ll definitely ask them to take it much easier on me next time.
The facial felt amazing! It was so relaxing. The best part was the face and scalp massage. I felt more relaxed during that bit than I ever have during a massage or facial before. If you want extractions, you need to ask beforehand. Just say “black heads” instead of extractions and she should understand what you want.
Overall, I’m very pleased with Spa Sarojin and I will definitely be going back. Next time I’ll be sure to say I’d like a very gentle massage. 😉
PLEASE NOTE: Spa Sarojin only takes cash. They do not take credit cards.
|
Facials |
|||||
|
A. Basic Care |
B. Anti Aging & Lifting |
C. Trouble Therapy |
D. V Line Contouring |
||
|
Duration |
60 Minutes |
60 Minutes |
60 Minutes |
60 Minutes |
|
|
Price |
40,000 won |
40,000 won |
60,000 won |
60,000 won |
|
|
Sarojin Gold Facials |
|||||
|
E. Whitening Care |
F. Blue Caviar Therapy |
||||
|
Program |
PH balance, intensive moisturizing, promotes cell regeneration, whitening |
Promotes lymphatic circulation, strengthens skin elasticity |
|||
|
Duration |
60 Minutes |
60 Minutes |
|||
|
Price |
80,000 won |
80,000 won |
|||
|
Massage Treatments |
|||||
|
G. Basic Body Treatment |
H. Slimming |
I. Body Scrub Treatment |
Thai Massage |
||
|
Program |
Back & lower body aroma massage, muscle relaxation |
Forearm, abdomen, thighs and calves: Improves circulation, helps detoxify the body |
Sauna, aromatherapy body massage, muscle relaxation, exfoliating |
Thai Yoga Massage/Therapy |
|
|
Duration |
60 Minutes |
60 Minutes |
120 Minutes |
120 minutes |
|
|
Price |
60,000 won |
60,000 won |
70,000 won |
120,000 won |
|
|
30 Minute Massage |
|||||
|
J. Scalp |
K. Feet |
L. Abdomen |
M. Back |
N. Legs |
|
|
30 Minutes |
30 Minutes |
30 Minutes |
30 Minutes |
30 Minutes |
|
|
40,000 won |
40,000 won |
40,000 won |
40,000 won |
40,000 won |
|
Lyndsey also told me that if you pay for 10 treatments upfront, you will get a discount or many many service-uh! If you’ve been in Korea long enough, you know that’s Konglish for freebies. I asked if you can buy the package and share it and she said that’s fine. The package I bought was 500,000 won and she said that it will give me a 700,000 won credit. That should last Dave and I awhile.
Spa Sarojin
11:00am – 10:00pm
Closed Wednesdays
Phone: 070-8258-4668
PLEASE NOTE: Spa Sarojin only takes cash. They do not take credit cards.
This picture is of a street food vendor near my apartment. She is making hoddeok, which is my absolute favorite street food in Korea. It’s kind of like a pancake stuffed with cinnamon, sugar and seeds and then fried. So fattening, but so delicious!
Her cart also sold fish cakes on a stick and silkworm larvae, which you can see in the photo below.
One of my favorite times of year in Korea is when the trees go from looking barren and dead to this…
The weather wasn’t great today, but Dave gave me a tour of the industrial side of Ulsan. It was nice to see where he works. During the tour there was a shift change at the Hyundai ship yard and there were fleets of scooters at every gate. It was so funny seeing the scooter gangs driving down the street.
Happy Friday, everyone! I’m quite happy that it’s the weekend. Work was a bit draining today. I had no classes so I did a lot of sitting around. I couldn’t even prepare for next week’s classes because my schedule hasn’t been finalized. I got a tentative schedule at the end of the day. The bad news is that it only has 15 teaching hours (out of 22) which means I’ll more than likely have a hefty load of after school classes. Those are my least favorite!
Today’s photo was taken on my walk home. I saw these three adorable girls sharing an umbrella and couldn’t help but take their picture.
I’m currently on the train to Ulsan to see Dave. We are meeting up with some of his work friends for dinner. I’m quite excited about it because it’s a great little Indian place Dave and I order delivery from every time I’m in Ulsan. Also, lunch was awful. We had the usual rice and kimchi along with fish cake soup, another side of fish cakes, and crispy French fried sweet potato sticks.
I’ve been a bit overwhelmed since getting on the train. The tickets are quite cheap so I decided I’d try my luck at getting two seats together so I could have more room and avoid awkward encounters with chatty Koreans. This backfired when the seats I bought weren’t together. When I got to the seats, I could choose between sitting next to a sleeping girl whose arm was across my seat or sitting next to an ajumma (old woman). I chose the ajumma. I picked wrong. She immediately lit up and started chatting me away in Korean. The only bit I understood was something about America. She also started touching my hair with a huge smile on her face. She kept going on for about 5 minutes and periodically played with my hair. As I pulled my headphones out she started putting my hair behind my ears. I’m not sure if she was trying to be helpful or suggesting I change the way I wear my hair. I wish I could have put her picture as today’s photo, but she’s stopped talking to me and I’d prefer to keep it that way.
Life Outside of Texas 