It's Been too long!

Since Mum left, our social calendar has dwindled! Sad isn't it, we have more fun we mum is around! You rock mum!
Anyway work has been weeks of budget reviews for 2006 and the hotel has got a lot busier. This is when hotels finally get higher occupancy after a average summer. But then suddenly we are stuck in the middle of the largest three day holiday in Korea called Chusok. Translated it is similar to Thanksgiving. Once Friday hit, there is an exodus from Seoul into the provinces where everyone visits their families and celebrate this period.
We chose to stay in Seoul, and it has been extremely quiet on the roads, the subways, and no work! Fantastic yes!
Friday night, we had dinner at home, then took the subway out to where Clariza's cousin lives, Larry, and we got together had some beers, and chicken. We then all went back to our Villa around midnight.
Saturday we spent the entire morning imprisoned in the Villa as it was raining more than cats and dogs! It bucketed down for hours, so we just relaxed around the house and enjoyed the day off. Finally when the rain let up a little we headed down to the hotel, had some lunch, then back over to Larry's house. We then decided to check out Carrefour at the World Cup Stadium as we had never seen it, and did a little shopping. I picked up a basketball as we have a basketball court close to our house and I need to do some exercise! Ha, we will see! (Did I say that!) Anyway, dinner at Larry's then subway home after watching Le Grande Blue (Great French Movie)
Sunday (Yesterday) Clariza and I lounged around the house all morning, had a nice breakfast and in the afternoon we taxied over to Hyehwa-Dong to join the Batangas-Korea 8th anniversary celebration. The organization had rented out a large bar / restaurant and to sum up the evening it was a hell of a lot of fun, lots of filipino food, heaps and heaps of beer and soju, singing, games, and speeches. I joined the beer drinking contest as any Australian should and came in a close second! I also was asked to do a speech, so spent two minutes talking about the region of Batangas and my experience. I guess as the only non-filipino there it was expected! Oh well, it was a fun night and we bid our farewell around 11pm.
So its now Monday and with another day off for the holiday we are again just relaxing around the house, and should head down to the basketball court in a little while!!! (You think??)

Here is a recent article about Hyehwa where Clariza and I visit every Sunday. Nice article!
http://www.koreaherald.co.kr/SITE/data/html_dir/2005/09/16/200509160025.asp

And here is a better definition I took from the internet on Chusok -

Chusok, the Harvest Moon Festival, has been called Korea's equivalent of the US's Thanksgiving. It's held on the 15th day of the 8th month in the Lunar Year, which is usually in September or October by the Western calendar. In 2004, Chusok will take place on the 28th of September.
As with most major Korean holidays, most people travel home to pay their respects to their parents and ancestors, and tend to the gravesites of the dead. At these tombs and burial mounds, Koreans make offerings of new rice, fresh fruit, and other freshly harvested foodstuffs. Special foods for the holiday include songpyon, crescent-shaped (for their similarity to the shape of the moon) rice cakes filled with sesame, chestnut, or red bean paste, and songi (mushrooms).
Like Thanksgiving, Chusok is a time of great feasting. Americans have their football games, and Koreans also have traditional holiday games: Kanggangsuwollae (traditional dance), tug-of-war, and Kobuk-nori (in which two men dress up as a tortoise and go from house to house; each household is expected to give them food and drink). Some people in rural areas still hold to the old custom of climbing the hills and swinging lighted torches in circles to greet the harvest moon.