Monument

This Saturday was awesome.  I heard about a new art space in town called The Arc.  It's pretty isolated from town, and out by the river.  Since Beth has a car now, we decided to drive over and check it out.  Getting there by bus would have been impossible.

The center focuses on conservation, rehabilitation of natural resources.  The center of the interior is lined with these small blue figures, all bowing.  Maybe they are bowing to nature?  Not really sure.  It feels like a cross between the end sequence of 2001: A Space Odyssey and Flight of the navigator.

On the top floor there is an observation deck.  You can see the beautiful mountains and the not so beautiful apartment buildings.

The spot turned out to be a perfect spot for kites.  Beth and I bought kites in The Philippines and in Bali quite a while ago, and we finally got to try them out.

Another great weekend in Korea.

The Tambourine

Tambourines are used for two things in Korea:  assisting your singing room (aka Karaoke) session, and making teenagers fall and get sick.  

This little carnival ride is in most downtown hubs.  There is a DJ/Operator that spins and taunts the teenagers, whose only chance of not falling on the floor is gripping the chrome pole behind him.  As the operator pops the hydraulics and spins the wheel, he laughs this really seedy laugh (think of a cartoon dog's laugh) and spotlights the person he decides to pick on.  Once he's decided this, he does everything he can to launch this person out of their seat.  There is no way this would pass even the loose standards that most State Fairs' follow; with no seat belts, no roof, and no helmets required/provided this would be a lawsuit nightmare in America.

Bodies fall.  After about two minutes, the middle schoolers get the courage to try and stand up in the middle of "The Tambourine."  Fatal mistake.  They crash and burn, gripping onto their friends ankles in an attempt to crawl back up to their seat.  The ride lasts about 6 or 7 minutes, and it's amazing that everyone doesn't get up and barf afterwards.

I haven't been able to convince anyone to ride it with me yet.

Bike Cops

Isn't this the most non threatening police bike you've ever seen?  It probably only exists to go for a quick coffee run.

I love the lack of police presence here.  Never have I been woken up by screeching sirens or blue and red lights flashing outside my window.  I never feel intimidated by the police here and I rarely see them.  It's not to say that they don't exist...in fact, there are plenty of police offices and buildings around.  They just aren't out.  Sometimes they direct traffic and help people find stuff they lost.  The only thing I ever see them actually arresting people for is drunk driving at one of their random traffic stops on the weekend.  And I only see that through the window of a taxi.

It's nice to not be fearful of law enforcement.  They actually seem like they are around to serve and protect, not to persecute.