I Almost Died. Seriously.

I went river rafting with some friends in Gangwon-do over the weekend. Gangwon-do is a really beautiful area about two hours to the east of Seoul. We stayed at a pension next to the Naerim River.

This was the view from our balcony. See? Motherfucking beautiful, right?

Here's my boat setting out.

What's wrong with me?

Don't we look like winners? Sadly, it didn't quite end in success for us.

Our guide told us the water is crazy after rains. Definitely there was some craziness going on. Whether it was the river or him, I am unsure. Regardless, we ended up standing on a rock in the middle of a bunch of rapids as our raft filled with water and sank/floated away. No one thought to take a photo, so here is my own rendition of it.

I saved Mark but Darino was lost downstream.

After watching our guide futilely untangle a rope for a while, we came to the conclusion that he was probably not going to rescue us. So, remember, if similar circumstances befall you, lie on your back, facing downstream as if you were being crucified - the Jesus position. Don't pray, though, as closing your eyes will make it more difficult to avoid large rocks. 

Luckily, we all made it to safety without major injury. It was actually pretty exciting! The second time around was sort of annoying, though.

As I was discussing with the other Americans in the boat, I was surprised by how dangerous the rafting was. I mean, we never had to sign release waivers. The British and Canadians with us listened in semi-disgust.

Afterward, we had dinner outside our pension. Here are some Korean men cooking our samgyeopsal on a homemade grill.

Awesome. 

Such a traumatic episode forces us to confront our own terrifying fragility. It makes one stop and think about the important things in life, why we're living the lives we are and making the choices we've made. It's heavy stuff.

Contemplating life and other complex, worrying issues.

Luckily, soju is a complete mind eraser.