Tuesday, November 11, 2014

Korean Animals

"Never too old to set another goal, or to dream a new dream."

The insanely perfect trip began with insanely perfect timing to board the high speed rail to the airport. Literally we came within minutes of missing the fast train that would get us on time to the airport.

But enough of the boring stuff, Michelle and I took a 9P.M. flight to Hong Kong which we would then depart at 1:00 A.M. to Incheon, AKA, Seoul, South Korea. I had thought Hong Kong's subway system and their airport was huge, Korea's is enormous. We had decided to take an overnight flight for two main reasons. One, it would be much easier to stay up late and try to nap on a plane rather than wake up at 3am in our own beds to catch a slow bus to Taipei. Two, airports can literally suck days off of your vacation, we wanted the extra time.
Waiting in Kimchee.
Great memories happen in this room.
Upon arrival, the sleep deprivation was kicking in full gear. We took a $10 bus ride into Seoul which we were told was over an hour, but we fell asleep so quickly that when we woke up we were in one of the many hearts of the city, nearly to our destination.
It's 8 in the morning by this time, we're pulling suitcases around the city, trying to find our hostel. In Seoul you can connect to free wifi just about anywhere, it's incredible. The directions were entirely wrong from the website however, with the free wifi, we were able to find the back alley way to Kimchee Guest House.
Seoul gave me wings. 
We were approved for a 9 o'clock check-in, but the place and everyone in it remained sleeping (with the doors were wide open). We had wanted to shower and nap before starting our first day, after about 2 hours we moseyed over to Mr. Comma, another hostel literally 20 feet away.

They had two rooms open, one in an all girls, the other in a mix, same price $16 a night so we took it. After the showers it was too late in the afternoon for naps if we were going to make the Suwon Fortress Festival. We did some shopping at Forever 21, the grand opening was the week prior so we were stoked! We had fried chicken for lunch, doesn't seem like what you would get, but in Korea it's a must have, at least once.


And then the subway came into play. The world's longest multi-operator metro system with 18 lines. Rated Best by CNN, and of course there's wi-fi. Now that I've talked it up a little I can say what a pain we had with it that first day. We made wrong turns, over shot exits, many and more mistakes that first venture out of the city. However, if we managed to stand in front of a subway map for more than 30 seconds, someone came forward to help guide us back on track. The dozens of stops and changes we made throughout the subways led to many purchases from the both of us, scarves, tights, bracelets, a backpack etc.
Michelle and I behind the Hwaseong Fortress.
19 miles south of Seoul, the Suwon, Hwaseong Fortress, Festival held thousands of people captivated by the jazz music, ballet performers, traditional Korean dances, and then an electric style robot-dance to top off the night. The fortress was built in 1794-1796 by King Jeongjo of the Joseon Dynasty to honor his father, who was locked alive inside a chest of rice by his father. It is also a World Heritage Site.


We headed home around 9 o'clock to be in bed by 11 with our overnight flight weighing on us and an early morning ahead. We did stop off to have an old American classic, Taco Bell. We met even more great people when we returned to Mr. Comma, a few mates from France and the Czech Republic, even one from good ol' Junction City, Kansas. We played a few cards games and chatted for quite awhile before finally heading to bed.

Bright and early we joined our tour guide, Eugene, along with 40 others on a bus to the DMZ line boarding North and South Korea, also known as the Korean Demilitarized Zone created in 1953. It runs from coast to coast, 160 miles long, 2.5 miles wide. It is the most heavily militarized border in the world.

Our first stop was the 3rd tunnel, we were all given a 7-minute intro in to the Korean War, what the DMZ was, and recent activity involving both countries. (In the news, 8 days after we were at the DMZ, N. Korean Military actually shot down balloons from S. Korean campaigners. It is still a hostel environment.) The 3rd Tunnel is one of four underground tunnels discovered by S.Korea, but made by North Koreaans as a means to attack Seoul. The 3rd tunnel is 27 miles from Seoul, it was discovered October 1978. It is 1.1 miles long, going 240 below ground, capable of transmitted 30,000 men per hour with light weapons.


Other facts I learned, the Korean War claimed over 3 million lives in 3 years. The USA fought for South along with 21 other countries of the United Nations, USA making up 88% of the defense. China and the Soviet Union fought for the North.
^_^
Next was the Dora Observatory, this is where you can actually see North Korea, along with it's "Peace Village" AKA propaganda village. Eugene told us how SK used to put up Christmas decorations high into the sky so NK citizens could see it and maybe ask questions, know something else was out there.
We also saw the Unification bridge, "Bridge of No Return." Used for prisoner exchange. Those captured by the U.S. had a choice of country, but could never switch back.
End of Seperation, Beginning of Unification. 
We had two more quick stops, a market where you could get North Korean liquor, Schizandra, other foods harvested from the land, and souvenirs. Then Peace Station, which was the last stop in South Korea. Michelle and I were "pretty' enough that a soldier broke the rules and took a photo with us. Sorry this is something I can not put on the internet.

On the long bus ride back into Seoul we stopped at thee Korean Ginseng Center. This Korean plant has been taken for countless health benefits for over 2,000 years. I actually was persuaded into buying some, until I saw the $350 price tag. Helps diabetes, blood circulation, brain functions, heart, skin, and a stimulant.

The bus took us to Seoul City Station where we were lucky enough to see the changing of the guard, thousands of yellow ribbons for the sinking of the Korean cruise ship in April, hand-made Korean crafts, and the statue of Sejong the Great, fourth King of Joseon. He also introduced Hangul, the native alphabet system of Korea. October 9th was Hangul Day, North Korea celebrates January 15th.

Back at the hostel we took a short nap, refreshed and headed out for dinner near the Banpo Bridge that crosses the Han River. (worlds longest bridge fountain.) Instead we found a burger cafe and enjoyed some beer from India. Got misguided en route to Banpo and ended up in in Itaewon. Seoul's place to be for international foods and music. Just so happens we came during the once-a-year Global Village Festival. Most of the tents were closing so we said we'd return the next day.

Deciding Saturday night would be our night to see what the Korean nightlife had to offer, we suited up and walked to NB2 club with some fellow hostel mates from China. If you didn't already know, Seoul does in fact have a large American military population. Michelle and I had been surprised we had met so many foreigners in and around Seoul, yet almost zero Americans. Well we soon discovered, the Americans are found in the clubs.

We had an amazing Korean spicy pork lettuce wrap feast for lunch before heading to the North Seoul Tower. It's hard to choose but this would be my favorite day in Korea. Cable car ride up provided amazing views of the city and hundreds of trees on the verge of changing into fall colors. (I've missed the changing of leaves!)




The Love padlocks at the North Seoul Tower have become a must see for visitors to Seoul and 1 of 40 attractions decorated with padlocks of love around the world. The Alive Museum was a hit and we enjoyed the sunset over the beautiful city.


Enjoying the view from North Seoul.
Sunset on Seoul
Michelle and I made it back to Itaewon for the Global Village Festival. There was an endless parade of tents lined down the main street serving food from any country you could think of, drinks, crafts, desserts, art, and an additional section for just Korean foods, souvenirs, etc. I purchased a bracelet from Colombia, had food from Poland and India booths, then had some ice cream from Turkey.


An early night back to our guesthouse sounded appealing, although I ended up having late conversations in a room full of beanbags and pillows with one of the most fascinating people I've ever met along with a handful of other guests who conglomerated downstairs for late games and laughs.

Our last day we took the subway to Changdeokgung World Heritage site. We either found it and it was closed, or we mistook it for another palace. Either way, somehow we didn't quite make it in. Instead,we ended up in an Old English style district with exquisite building designs, temples, and ample trees. We walked through the town like a maze we wanted to get lost in. We arrived on the doorstep of a HeadMaster and she made us into Koran wedding dolls.





Coffee is HUGE in Korea so I finally tried some, we also had the National Dish of Korea, Kimchi pork stew. As we got closer into town we stopped into Seoul's only major casino, Lucky 7. Then we found one of the eight Seoul City Wall gates. A fortress wall of Seoul to protect the city from invaders, built in 1396 by the Joseon Dynasty. It is 18.6 km long and another World Heritage site.

After one last night in the guesthouse, we sadly said good-bye to Korea.
There is so much history to be a learned from Korea, I am still in awe.
Hope you enjoyed this one; I didn't rant too much! :-) --K
S. Korea flag, or Taegukgi. The red and blue taeguk/taiji are yin and yang, or the balance of the universe. White background symbolizes peace and purity. Four black trigrams; three solid lines (top left) represent the following: Sky, Spring, East, Humanity, Father, Heaven, Justice. Two outside solid lines (bottom left) represent: Sun, Autumn, South, Justice, Daughter, Fire, Fruition. One inside solid line (top right) represents: Moon, Winter, North, Intelligence, Son, Water, Wisdom. Three dashed lines (bottom right) represents: Earth, Summer, West, Courtesy, Mother, Earth, Vitaliry.