South Korea

In what will be our final international adventure before we head back stateside, Shawn and I took a quick jaunt to South Korea for a whirlwind 5 days. Definitely not enough time to explore an entire country, but it was a nice little vacation. From the western side of Kyushu to the eastern tip of Korea it was only a 3 hour ferry ride!



Shawn got bored.



When we arrived in Busan, Korea we then took a three hour train ride up to Seoul. Actually, it was a really long day getting from place to place. By the time we got from our doorstep to our hotel, it was about 12 hours of traveling. Yuck!

A friend of ours, Eric, graciously agreed to show us parts of Seoul and teach us the ins and outs of Korean culture. He is there teaching for a year. And, what is more Korean than a delectible meal of dog meat? Many apologies to those of you out there who can't imagine eating man's best friend, but be consoled in the fact this dog meat is not Fido from next door. It's a special breed just for eating. I had to try it, Shawn declined. For the record, it wasn't all that tasty. It was pretty stringy and tough.



We stumbled across a random parade happening just around the corner from our hotel. Lots of traditional Korean wear (hanbok) and flags.



We took a guided tour of the Chandeokgung Palace. There are lots of palaces and temples around Seoul, but we chose to hit this one because it was right outside of our hotel, and it boasted a "Secret Garden." You can only gain entrance to this secret garden by guided tour. The allure of a secret garden fit for kings was enough to pique my interest. It was a giant garden, but the tour took us through just a small part and we were rushed, as I'm learning most tours are. In my opinion there was too much of the palace itself and not enough time in the gardens. I suppose you can see where my priorities are!

People used to be so small! Mini door at the palace.



This is me with Eric and another friend, James.



Part of the secret garden - a lotus pond.



That afternoon we decided to get out of the city and head to the most visited national park in the world - Bukansan National Park. It is the most visited becuase it is connected to subways and buses just outside of Seoul and, well, Korean people love hiking. So much, in fact, that every single person that day was dressed in head-to-toe hiking gear. We're talking pristine (and matching!) lightweight wicking pants and shirts, hiking boots, windbreakers, backpacks, hats, gloves and hiking poles. I thought we had stepped into some elite hiking club. As I'm learning in Japan - and the same is true in Korea - if you're going to do something, you do it right. And the right way to hike is in hiking clothes. It doesn't matter if you only hike once a year, or once in your life. We felt slightly underdressed walking up in our t-shirts and cargo shorts. Later, as I browsed through magazines at a coffee shop I noticed almost every single advertisement was for hiking gear.

Here's a picture of the view and a neighboring peak. The yellow sand from China and the city's smog marred the clarity.



At the top of the mountain there was a large fortress wall that deterred people from attacking the city of Seoul. Now, the city almost surrounds the mountain, and said wall would not be so effective. But back in the day, it protected the city from intruders.



Yes, we even toted our video camera up that mountain.



At the very top of the peak there was a Korean flag. We felt like conquerers!






The climb was pretty steep towards the end. We had to pull ourselves up wtih the cables you see attached to the mountain. (Reminds me of that hike we did at Lake Powell.)



Although the next day our muscles were screaming we went to a park and rented rollerblades! As kids, Shawn and I both used to rollerblade for hours in our garages. It was awesome to bring back that nostalgic feeling! We have resolved (or.. I have and Shawn doesn't know it yet) to get rollerblades when we get back to the US. It's just so fun! And not to mention a great workout.

In Yeouido Park there were various statues, etc. One such statue:





Seoul has some really beautiful things to do at night. One is to walk down what I would call a canal that has been restored with lights and lovely walkways through the middle of the city. It's quite romantic.



There were tons of itty-bitty alley ways.



One of my old roomies, Alia, flew into to visit. We caught her just for one night before we had to leave, but it was great to see her. Classic Alia picture. :)



Whenever we leave Japan we realize how much we have adapted in our mannerisms, thoughts and, really, everything we do. One thing that became very apparent was how small our stomachs have become! This is the sight of Korean typical meal - a large bowl or grill in the middle of a table with a trillion side dishes - most of which are some sort of kimchi. Did you know that kimchi isn't just the cabbage kimchi we all know? There are over 160 types of kimchi, kimchi refers to that red spicy sauce. Needless to say we were kimchi-ed out!



While walking around before our ferry back to Japan we stumbled upon a small produce/fish market.



It was great to visit Korea and it is really amazing how similar Japansese people and Korean people are. At the same time, there were very obvious differences between the two places. Perhaps I'll tell you them someday if you ask me. As for now, I'm tired of typing!

Don't forget to leave a comment! It makes me feel all warm and fuzzy inside to know people read this blog.

Enjoy spring!