This week was the type I hoped I would have when I took this job. A lot of work but opportunities to do some unique things. This week, those were going to Ski Dubai and a Lotte Giants baseball game, a Korean team.

I had to leave Kuwait to renew my visa (it expires every 30 days) so I was asked to go to Korea to help on a project UOP has under construction there. Before going to Korea, I stopped in Dubai for a day to purchase some structural steel for my project in Kuwait. After spending the day climbing around steel yards in 105 degree heat, I stopped at the Mall of the Emirates. There is no sales tax in the United Arab Emirates and a lot of money there, so the malls are in constant competition. The Mall of the Emirates built Ski Dubai to bring in more shoppers. It is similar to the casinos in Las Vegas; each one is continuously improving itself to bring in more gamblers.

For about $50, Ski Dubai will rent you snow pants and a coat, skis, and boot plus a lift ticket for two hours. An all day pass is about $30 more but two hours was all I needed. Hat and gloves are not included but the cheapest set is about $15. I made the purchase and it was worth it.

The hill is not very big. It only takes 5 minutes to get to the top and less than 30 seconds to get to the bottom. Their website advertises 5 runs but there are really only 2. On the right is the more difficult run and the left is the beginner. At the bottom of the hill there is also a jump for snow boarders and a bunny hill for lessons. I’m not a very good skier and haven’t been in about 5 years so I was happy to not fall on the difficult run. It was a great time. It wasn’t crowded and the snow didn’t turn icy like it does at the end of the day in Wisconsin. Click here to see a video of a slow ride on the easy run. At the bottom of the hill there are turn styles where you swipe your card and it will tell you how much skiing time you have remaining.

So after skiing, I went to the airport for my 3am flight to Seoul. Not a great time for a flight but the airport was packed. There was hardly a seat because everyone had already claimed their bed for the night.

One of the inspectors at my new job site was a baseball fan and I asked him about baseball in Korea. He said there was no team in the town I was in, Ulsan, but in Busan, an hour away, there was the Lotte Giants. (I would post a link but it’s all in Korean) I got on the internet and found out they had a game Saturday at 5pm. The Koreans also work weekends (it feels like Americans are the only ones with 2 day weekends), so after work, me and a girl from work hopped on a bus to Busan. Everything was really cheap. It cost less than $5 to get there, $3 for the seat, and $1.50 for a beer. But I felt stupid for buying food or beer there because everyone else in the stands just brings there own.

We got there two hours early which was good because all the seats except for the ones directly behind home plate are first come first serve. And I don’t think they stop selling tickets until people stop buying them because all of the aisles and stairways were full of people watching the game. Luckily, we got great seats right on the first baseline, equivalent to the 200 level seats in Wrigley.

I don’t know if the game was played against a big rival but the fans there go berserk. I can only imagine the crowd noise is similar to a World Series game. The fans chant the batters name while he is at bat and cheer at the top of their lungs if he gets a hit. The home team didn’t hit a home run but I can only imagine what happens if there is one. And when the opposing pitcher makes a pick off move to first, the fans chat, “bah” at him for 20 seconds after it happens. Apparently bah is the same in English and Korean, it doesn’t mean anything but is just an easy word to yell at someone. Also, when there is a foul ball, everyone chants, “Give me the ball!” over and over at the person that catches the ball. No one actually turns the ball over though.

Between innings, there are cheerleaders and an MC on top of the home team’s dugout. They put on a show of singing and dancing. While the game is in progress, the cheerleaders are sitting but the MC is leading the fans in different cheers. At a MLB game, I’m sure they wouldn’t be allowed to be playing their music, beating on drums, and just making so much noise, but it really adds to the fun of the game. Call me a Lotte Giants fan.