Even though the focus of my recent visit to Korea was business, I did have a chance to sample some of the local recreation. On a visit to South Korea earlier this summer I discovered that several of my counterparts seem to enjoy skiing as much as I do. We showed each other ski pictures on our phones, and compared the different places we’ve skied. Several months later I hosted a delegation from Korea for some meetings we had in Seattle. When I introduced myself to one of them he replied, “You’re Andy?! You are famous in Korea. You are a skier, yes?” Apparently word had spread.

Prior to my December visit to Korea, I emailed a couple of these guys to let them know I was heading over. They responded: “Bring your ski gear.” Figuring I’d just rent skis, boots and poles; I packed everything else I would need to ski. I really did not know what to expect; frankly, I was surprised they even could ski in South Korea. Obviously I had not yet heard of Muju and the famous Deogyusan Resort.

Unfortunately the conditions were not ideal. December is still the early season, and Muju had not received much snow. The temperatures were cold though, and the resort made enough snow to open one run. My host on this excursion, BJ, wanted to know if I was still interested in the Korean ski experience despite this; my answer: absolutely. BJ and I took off from Sacheon in his SUV after work on a Wednesday evening. During the two hour drive we cruised through some breathtaking terrain. At one point I commented to BJ that a particular mountain looked pretty tall. He told me it is one of the highest peaks in South Korea. Very eloquently, he further explained that the mountain range we were driving through is known as the “Mother” mountains, because they are round and smooth. The mountains in the northern part of South Korea, near Pyeonchang, are the “Father” mountains because they are jagged, pointy and strong.

About 30 minutes from the resort we pulled off at a rest area for food. Like in the United States, the rest areas are just off the road and are apart of the highway system. Unlike most of the US though, they have fantastic food. Each stop is operated by different companies that compete with each other. I sampled some bibimbap, which became my favorite Korean dish. From here we began our climb into the mountains. A six lane highway winds around mountains and through tunnels. The road only leads to the resort; and the resort is big business. Dozens of ski rental shops and stores line each side of the road. The resort itself is impressive too. It features two base areas, a gondola and numerous restaurants, lodging and bars.

I rented skis, boots and poles at the base lodge. BJ is a season pass holder here and has his own locker. We stashed our dress shoes there and hit the slopes. The conditions were not exactly epic, but that did not matter. As someone who grew up skiing in Michigan; I am happy just to have my skis on my feet. This joy is also shared by people on the other side of the Pacific Ocean. Koreans take their skiing seriously. The Northwest philosophy of repairing tattered gear with duct tape has not gotten any traction in Korea: everyone had new-looking bright, matching outfits. I also noticed that many of the snowboarders completely removed the board from their feet while waiting in the lift line. I asked somebody about this and he told me that he spent a lot of money on his snowboard, and he didn’t want it getting all scratched up in line. Go figure. Another peculiar detail is the air hoses at the bottom of the hill. When you’re done skiing for the day, you take your gear to one of these hoses and blast off all the remaining snow. Near the bottom of the run they jammed a gigantic video screen into the side of the mountain. As you’re skiing down, you literally have to ski around it. The screen shows current conditions, time and other information. It has even been used to announce marriage proposals.

We skied for a couple of hours before making the drive back to Sacheon. I asked what time the hill closed for the night, and BJ said it stays open all night. After I expressed my surprise at this, he explained to me that the Korean people work very hard, so they only have time to enjoy these kinds of activities at night. He underscored this by pointing out a golf course that was lit up on our drive home. It was 30 degrees Fahrenheit and people were actually outside at 9 PM playing golf. Amazing.

The pictures here are snaps I made with an Apple iPhone 4. I shot video on a GoPro Hero2 HD and an Apple iPhone 4. The song is “Le Petit Prince (From Meine Meinung)” by cubesato.

During the first part of December I was in South Korea for work. I flew into Seoul and spent the night there before making my way down to Busan and eventually Changwon and Sacheon. Although I was in Korea for nearly two weeks; I had little time to myself. When I wasn’t otherwise engaged with business, I found some time to wander the streets with a camera.

The shot above is the Busan skyline reflecting in the Pacific Ocean. The Diamond Bridge is visible on the left. The bridge is officially named Gwangan Bridge, but the city of Busan decided “Gwangan” is too much of a mouthful for foreigners and gave it a new designation. Busan is the second largest city in Korea and is the nation’s major port. I passed through Busan at the beginning and end of my trip. Changwon, where I stayed, is just under an hour west of the Gimhae airport in Busan.

I began my trip by flying into Seoul. Exhausted from the trip, I feel asleep shortly after taking the limousine bus from Incheon into the city. The next morning before my flight I had a few hours and walked down the street to Changdeokgung Palace. Originally constructed in the early 1400s, much of the palace burned to the ground in 1592 during an invasion by the Japanese. Since then, the palace grounds have been rebuilt numerous times and housed the last emperor of Korea until his death in 1926.

After spending one night in Seoul, I caught a flight to Busan and from there took a taxi to Changwon. My accommodations for the next 11 days would be the Pullman Ambassador Hotel, home of this ridiculous flower horse. Changwon is primarily an industrial city; and is known to Koreans as the “Planned City.” Where as many of Korea’s cities are ancient; Changwon was primarily conceived in the later part of the 20th century. The main road in Changwon was built wide enough to land fighter jets; you know, just in case.

After eight straight days of obligations, I finally had a day off and took the recommendation of one of my hosts by taking a taxi to Haeundae Beach in Busan. Although it was cold enough for a down jacket, the Haeundae area is beautiful. The main beach is quite large and is literally across the street from downtown Haeundae. I was told during the summer seldom an open patch of sand is available. Just west of the beach is Camellia Park. Here the sand gives way to jagged rocks that plunge into the Pacific Ocean. A terraced walkway with footbridges criss crosses the terrain. Serendipitously, I timed my stroll during sunset and was treated to fantastic views of the Diamond Bridge, Haeundae Beach, the Nuri APEC House and the Five or Six Islets.

An elderly Korean man named Cho approached me while I was wandering around near the lighthouse in Camellia Park. Perfeclty fluent in English, he began explaining to me the significant landmarks of the area. Off in the distance on the other side of the bay were several islets. He explained to me that they are called the “Five or 6 Islets” because depending on the tide, five or six may be above water. After this, he gave me his business card and asked that I keep in touch. He suggested that next time I’m in Korea we have “juice” and “talk about this or that.”

I took this shot from nearly the same spot I photographed the skyline at the top of this post. The scene on this pier was vibrant. Fishermen were reeling in their last catch of the day, others already started cleaning the fish steps away from the water. Old men sat in lawn chairs and drank soju while couples and tourists alike gathered to watch the sunset.

I didn’t visit, but the sign certainly is badass.

After sunset I ventured into the downtown Haeundae area. It’s a dense urban area with many bars, restaurants, shopping and markets. One peculiar find was a bar called It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia. It was obvious the bar owners did their best at mimicking the FX television series logo; but it was off just enough to know it was an officially sanctioned spin-off from the show. After grabbing dinner at an Indian restaurant, I wandered through the Haeundae Market. It’s a long alley between two blocks of tall buildings where you can find anything from clothes to live eels. I found a take of flounders to be particularly bizarre. I’m not sure I’d ever seen one of those alive, let alone dozens of them laying horizontally with both eyes on one side of their face.

Even though this is not Korea, I had to include a picture of Mount Fuji. On the way home, I flew from Busan to Narita before connecting to Seattle. As we approached Tokyo, Mount Fuji prominently rose above the landscape. Having my Olympus Pen E-P3 handy, I was able to get a few decent pictures from the window of the airplane. And since the cabin was relatively deserted, no body seemed to mind me moving from seat to seat to get an ideal shot.

More pictures of Korea on Flickr, or check out the slideshow below.

Update 3/18/2009: More photos from my Vietnam/Cambodia trip can be seen on Flickr (slideshow).

The best light for outdoor photography happens at dawn and dusk. The challenge of any trip where one is constantly on the move is making great photographs all day long in the harshest of light. While traveling through Vietnam and Cambodia, I did not have the luxury of waiting for sunset at every spot that might make a compelling image. For photos in the middle of the day I used a circular polarizing filter. The polarizer works like a pair of sunglasses and allows the camera to see blue skies and clouds at high noon. Usually these mid-day conditions blow the sky out to white blah on my Nikon D40. Rotating the circular polarizer also helped me tweak the way the surrounding foliage and water looked.

To get the water to move I set the camera to shutter priority. The trick is to use a long shutter speed without overexposing the photo. This particular shot used a 1.3 second exposure at f/25. To keep the camera still I fired the shutter using an IR remote with the D40 mounted on a little flexible tripod my brother gave me for Christmas. I wrapped the legs of the tripod around a jagged rock. Over the course of 30 minutes or so I experimented with different settings and angles. I took several dozen pictures while locals splashed around in the waterfall. Right when I finally nailed the settings to get the look I wanted, the locals dispersed and this beautiful little Khmer girl wandered into the frame. It is unlikely that she knew I was taking her picture as I was about 100 feet away under a tree and obscured by branches. She sat perfectly still for a moment or two and I grabbed a handful of shots. I felt a surge of adrenaline after reviewing the first few images on the LCD; I knew I stumbled onto something good. As quickly as this lucky photograph framed itself, it was over. The girl started walking around and a few more locals waded into the water.

Here are the details… Nikon D40 and Nikon AF-S Zoom-Nikkor D 18-200 mm f/3.5 – 5.6G DX ED IF VR at 35mm. 1.3 sec. @ f/25. ISO 200.

Update 3/18/2009: More photos from my Vietnam/Cambodia trip can be seen on Flickr (slideshow).