The Matiz meets Jeju: The night of Orange Maekoli

Following a jam-packed day of famous Jeju sights and flavors, the Harringtons were eager to get some beach time in so Mike could swim and Melissa and Lady could lounge. Fortunately, island life lends itself well to finding beaches and providing exactly what it was the couple was searching for. With very little effort, the couple soon had their parasol spot paid for and staked out, Melissa lounging, Lady crashing and Mike getting ready to dive into the cool, refreshing ocean.

The Matiz meets Jeju: Arrival, Lava Tubes and Love

Successfully finding the ferry terminal, loading themselves, the car and the dog and managing to avoid seasickness, the Harringtons were thrilled to pull the Matiz off of the ferry and begin their island adventure the evening of August 17th.

First things first, the Harringtons began circumnavigating the island and looking for a supermarket in order to purchase some dog food for their three-legged companion. With adult-like responsibilities out of the way, it was simply time to roll the windows down and keep their eyes peeled for the first night's camping location.

Fortunately, it didn't take much effort for the couple to find a suitable campground near enough a small town where they could grab some dinner and begin settling in for an evening of rest set to the backdrop of cheerful camping Koreans and a few firework explosions.  

Waking in the morning well rested and ready for Jeju-Action, the couple stuffed their mouths with some Paris Baguette Cake and made their way to Jeju's famous Lava Tubes.

THT Milestone X2: 500 and 50,000 +

This dear readers is the 500th post to make it's way onto The Harrington Times.

That implies that one or the other Harrington has sat down 500 times to relay some facet of their lives to anyone who is or has been willing to read.

Countless recollections of CouchSurfer's have been recorded within these 500 posts.

Random Laramie outings such as Oktoberfest at a Senior Center and the nearby Vertical Dance have found their way into this space.

Detailed accounts of 40+ day Road Trip around the Western US remain documented and intact here on The Harrington Times.

Family reunions and events have been chronicled.

Plans, Decisions and even a Name has been prepared and shared in this space.

A sponsor child in Guatemala was met. The World Cup was watched and enjoyed in South Africa. Thailand left the Harrington's drenched yet satisfied.

The Harrington Times faithfully reported on the numerous events, memories, friends and places enjoyed while living in the "Land of the Morning Calm", South Korea.

Written in these archives are the stories of visiting home, crowding onto trains in Taiwan and happy hours on a southern Vietnam island.

500 times, memories have been recorded.

Additionally, the second THT milestone of the moment is this little space, these 500 memories have been viewed just over 50,000 times.

There's just something about these milestones that cause us at The Harrington Times to feel accomplished, loved, grateful and so much more.

Thanks for reading.

Thanks for viewing.

Our Last Matiz Road-Trip: Village Camping and Catching a Ferry

With bellies full and having enjoyed a gorgeous sunset, the Harringtons said their farewell to Mandy and the city of Busan and headed west in search of a place to camp. Being near the coast, the couple assumed that finding a beach would not be entirely difficult. As the couple neared Suncheon Bay they noticed signs for Hwapo Beach and determined that that was their destination and where they hoped to camp for the evening.

Unfortunately, the signs for Hwapo Beach suddenly disappeared and no longer offered any hope to the increasingly tired and unsure couple. So after Melissa offered her opinion on what to do, Mike did the exact opposite (because slowly but surely the couple is learning that, in terms of directions and decisions on the road, Melissa's instinct is never correct) and soon enough the couple was pulling off onto a small dirt road which showcased signs for the mysterious Hwapo Beach. Expecting to find a sandy beach near these newly discovered signs the Harringtons were a little unsure about the concrete docks which seemed to be the equivalent of Hwapo Beach. Nonetheless, sleep was coming on heavy and the docks provided an acceptable place to set up camp and so it was the Harringtons set up camp and woke up to discover they were in fact in an incredibly quaint and peaceful fishing village.

Our Last Matiz Road-trip: Temples and Beaches

Waking up on a quiet beach after a night of storms and scared pups is still waking up on a quiet beach and therefore refreshing and life-giving and absolutely perfect for vacationing. Waking up on a quiet beach and promptly grabbing an iced latte for her and a fresh lemonade for him adds to the perfection. Waking up on a quiet beach and having the perfect morning beverages in hand and making your way to a seaside Buddhist temple reassures you that life is in fact precious and beautiful and that vacations are essential to the soul.

Hitting the Road with our Last Galma Guest

Ready to enter full out vacation mode, the Harringtons and the 'last Galma guest' loaded up the Matiz early on the morning of Wednesday, the 15th of August. The goal was to arrive in and enjoy a bit of Busan with a couple more days of Busan-enjoyment to follow.

The Matiz was packed full with people, belongings and of course a sweet little 3-legged dog.

After making the mandatory, Korea-rest-area Pit Stop, the man Harrington suggested stopping in Gyeongju where many dramas have been filmed/set and where the couple had previously road-tripped and enjoyed the sights immensely the winter before. The warmth of spring and summer had worked their magic on the city of Gyeongju and all who occupied the Matiz were grateful for their decision to stop over.

Our Last Galma Guest: Kittens, Coffee and Go-Stop

In May, the Harrington's made a quick yet enjoyable weekend trip to Tokyo, Japan were a dear friend was teaching English and being visited by additional dear friends. Mid-August, that same friend-who-teaches-English-in-Japan made her way to Daejeon, South Korea to crash the Harrington's couch and get a feel for the country they so dearly love.

 After conquering some poorly given directions and finding her way to Galma Station, Mandy enjoyed her first evening in South Korea around a game of Redneck Life with a handful of foreigners whom the Harrington's count among their dearest friends.

Considering Melissa had two more days of obligatory summer camp instruction, Mandy enjoyed her first morning in the land of the Morning Calm sleeping in, wandering and awaiting the return of Melissa. Upon the return of the hostess, the girls decided to explore a few wonders of Dunsan-dong and within moments found themselves entering one of Daejeon's 'Cat Cafe's'.

Here, guests pay a flat rate to enjoy a complimentary drink (coffee, tea, lemonade, etc.) and the company of any cats which can be convinced to be social. Mandy and Melissa spent a majority of their visit calling out 'Here kitty, kitty' and waving random toys in the air while other customers put down some cash to purchase some cat treats and therefore be swarmed by these sweet little bundles of warmth and cuteness.