So long 27!

Today I am 28. It seems crazy to me that it's been a year since I wrote a post on my 27th birthday. I had just arrived here in Korea and it was all new and crazy. Its been a whirlwind of a year that some how has become normal. I've traveled lots and met many people that I now call my closest friends.
I am not scared of 28. I find there are certain ages that don't scare you. You are just in them as if you are prepared. 22 and 24 were like this and they were some good years so hopefully 28 will be the same. I like being in my late twenties. You aren't old enough to be expected to have responsibilities but you aren't young enough to feel lost. Obviously its scary as 30 is fast approaching but I am happy and surrounded by fantastic people so I am just enjoying the moments as they come.
I do have to slap 27th year old Tania on the wrists as the normality of life has let me become lazy with the blog so I will get back into writing.
But here are some of the things I got up to as a Travelling 27 year old:

.Experienced one of the hottest Summers I've ever known
.Met even more fantastic people that I previously knew
.Made lasting friendships
. Visited Busan
. Wrote for 3 different magazines
. Had Photo's published
. Went to a rave
.Visited Pohang
. Went to a mud festival
. Lost all our money in Bangkok
. Washed and played with Elephants
. Trekked through the jungle.
. Visited Koh Samui
. Ate the worlds best Pad Thai
. Tried PatBingSu (Korean Dessert)
. Visted three of the best temples in Korea
. Visted Tokyo
. Ate the worlds best Mando
.Stood on the busieset traffic crossing in the world
. Visted Tokyo Disney
. Tried Sake for the first time
. Ate Ox Tail for the first time
. Got to use my camera A LOT
. Learnt a lot more Korean
. Went on 14 planes
. Met the worlds smartest robot
. Went to a Sumo tournament.
. Visited Scotland.
. My brother got Engaged.
. My sister passed her music exam and wrote some incredible music
. Had my first Wendy's
. Went to my first baseball match
. Had a lot of girls nights
. Ate bugs
. Ate arsehole (?)
. Had a food weekend in Seoul
. Taught elementary students
. Had my best friend visit me in Korea
. Made Clamato Juice and tried a Ceaser
. Learnt some of the best recipes I've ever tasted.
. Climbed 30 feet off the ground in the tree tops
. Had my first Christmas with Lee
. Had my first Christmas with friends
. Had a house party.
. Tried Yoga for the first time.
. Ran a 10k
.Spent a weekend in London with my girls
.Visited Wales
.Tried Snowboarding
. Walked on a frozen lake
. Went to the DMZ
. Made a human pyramid.
. Said a lot of hard goodbyes
. Went Blonde
. Moved house
. Owned 4 mac lipsticks
. Started teaching Art
.Celebrated my first Saint Paddy's day
.Celebrated Holi Hai
. Shot a gun
. Watched my best friend get married.

These lists can sound indulgent and feel silly when you write them but when you write it down like this you realise how many first you can still have , even at 28 , it does make me smile. It inspires me to make the next year even better. The world has been kind to me this year and I have made friends I will treasure for a lifetime, I miss my family every minute of the day but I've also found my own little family and my own home.
I can't imagine what the next year will bring.

Busan Beach Day

Since our holiday was only 7 days of the possible 8 we could have Lee and I woke ourselves up early and headed to Busan for the day. As I’ve mentioned before I really wanted to live in Busan when I moved to Korea but ended up in Daegu so I savour any day I can sneak there.

Luckily for me it’s only a cheap train ride away so spending the day there was easier than expected.

We hopped on the slow train and before we knew it we were wandering the boiling streets of Busan.

Like smart people we decided to hike to the beach in the mid day sun (?) but it was actually really fun. We decided to go to Songjeong  beach instead of Haeundae as everyone heads to Haeundae and it’s always stupidly busy.

The hike was one we found on this website:

And although you can do it in flip flops it is easier if you have shoes.

I found a bridge troll

WE DID IT!

Drying chillie

Once we arrived on the beach we laid ourselves down and instantly fell asleep in the shade. We must have needed the rest because 3 hours later we woke up to a cooler but still lovely Busan day. We read our books and I took a dip in the freezing sea.

A very girlie book is always needed for the summer.

Then we sampled the delights of café street. To say that it’s a street of cafes really doesn’t sum up how ridiculously full of cafes this road is. I counted about 32 coffee shops and not one 7-11 or anything else in sight.

This did give me the perfect opportunity to let Lee experience PatBinSu which is a Korean dessert. This is a new discovery for me and I’m in love with it. All dieters in the UK should get involved as it has almost no calories, takes stupidly long to eat and is easy to make.

It is literally a bowl of ice flakes with different types on toppings. Normally always red bean which is a very sweet (not quite chocolate/not quite jam) mixture. This is followed by cereal, rice cake, ice cream and sometimes fruit.

Ironically tomato is a rare ingredient that springs up from time to time. Unfortunately as it is the only food Lee doesn’t like it was bound to make an appearance on our dessert. He soldiered through and although he may not be a convert I was even more hooked.

After a lazy wander we headed to the top of the pier park and watched the sunset over the beach. I even had a go and the stupidly heavy and crazy Hula Hoops that are laying around for people to exercise with. I am ashamed to say that Hula Hooping may be one of my only skills but this was really hard. I want one for the house (but its bigger than my flat)

Wishing stones. People leave piles of them to make a wish

Lee's new favourite food...should be horrible but is actually great!

We headed back into town and took a stroll through China Town. This little area made me so happy since I have been craving actual Chinese food. Koreans do their own version of Chinese food which is a little odd and sometimes tasteless, although their version of sweet and sour pork is worthy of any meal.

We were running a little too late to stick around but we did get to see the great number of Russian prostitutes (?) as well as sample some chicken and beer.

The day was given an extra bit of sparkle when we witnessed the fountain light show. I think Lee thought I was crazy but I loved it. Especially the Barbie girl number. Who doesn’t love watching fountains and lasers dance to music I ask you???

It was a great day and lovely to know that Busan is so close we can pop back there any time which is a good thing since my Busan ‘To Do’ list is very long.