When I last left off I was VERY frustrated and slightly scared about my reemergence of Poison Oak. Long story short, I found that ancient "Korean" secret in a pharmacy, guess they're more used to seeing this type of reaction to a natural toxin than I considered, and with a few over the counter pills the "rash" (not blisters thank Buddha) seems to be in remission.
Now I didn't want to spend my entire week in Korea in Seoul, so after a little research and advice from Jono I decided to travel south
by bus to the
town of Gyeongju, the ancient seat of the Silla Dynasty. I won't bore you with the sightseeing, let's just say it was something I've never seen before and I found very interesting. The 5000 year old history of the Korean Peninsula has been fascinating me way more than I expected, and I had no problem strolling around this strangely modern city dotted with a large number of enormous tombs, restored pagodas & pavilions. Once my feet got tired I caught a cab to a resort Jono had referred me to because they have another sweet Jimjilbang. My plan was to stay overnight here, an idea I wasn't completely comfortable with since I was not actually getting my own space. But for about $12 I had unlimited internet access, (that's where I wrote my last post from) a multitude of hot tubs & saunas, and what I discovered was a nice little cubby hole under a stage where people are allowed to crash. The way this works is it's a full service, 24 hour spa and there's no re-entry, so once your in you need to stay in until your satisfied, otherwise you need to pay again to get back in. They provide blankets, some cushions to rest your head and a warm padded floor. That night I pretty much just relaxed & read, this being the point of the Jimjilbang, your not to leave until you are physically & mentally where you want to be. The next morning I was up early, had one more steam and caught a 20 minute cab to Bulguksa.
Here's a shot of the temple entrance, there were a ton of other structures involved and at least five different huge golden Buddhas that I was not allowed to snap shots of, and I didn't, I don't need any karma issues this early in my trip. This took me about an hour to roam around but the real reason I had come to this area was the mountain it was situated at the bottom of, Tomhansan Peak (2444 ft) the highest in that province, I had planned to climb it while also seeing yet another huge stone Buddha in a cave, a place called Sokkuram Grotto. I couldn't find the trail until I noticed six gray clad monks wandering up a path. I wasn't sure if just anyone could speak with them, if they would understand me or if they could respond, but since they were the only local looking peeps around I decided they might have my answer. One of the older gentlemen gestured me towards a younger monk who spoke better English, this young bald dude was wearing an Adidas backpack over his monk attire, and said I was on the right path. (I though to myself, does he mean enlightenment?)
Anyway, up I went and it was sweet, a walk through the woods on a crisp day in January. The woods were similar to where I grew up in Pennsylvania but not the same, they have a few trees I was not familiar with and the grades are very steep. Like if the Sierras were the height of the Appalachians. After about an hour I made it to the grotto, checked out the big old Buddha in a cave, and kept going up the mountain. Another 30 minutes to the summit and it was awesome, I could see the Sea of Japan to the east & south. I think on a less hazy day I could have seen Japan, but I was pleased with this 360 degree view of South Korea, it gave me a better sense of the how small it really is. I hiked back down and caught the bus into town, and then another bus back to Seoul. It was a good overnight adventure and my feet were tired. (I'm travelin' light, no hiking shoes just my sneakers)
I got back to Jonos house by dark, chilled out until he got home and then we went out for Gamjatang. (potato stew with pig spine) I was impressed, it falls right off the bone and has great flavor while maintaining it's tenderness. Once finished we wandered around his neighborhood a bit and made it back to the apartment. We took it fairly easy that night since he had to work the next day & I had to be up at 6am to get to my tour, so we watched a Korean flick called "Old Boy." Yes it was subtitled, but I found it very intelligent, it was the first time in a while that I didn't need to be dazzled by special effects. The acting & writing was very good, and kept you guessing till the very end. I recommend.
The next morning I got up early & it was snowing. I had to ride the subway into Seoul (1 1/2 hours) to the hotel where my tour into the Demilitarized Zone was leaving from. This started out like any other, too much talking and not enough seeing. We first saw the "Freedom Bridge" that was used to exchange POW's after the Korean War. I got my passport stamped at Dorasan Station, the last train station before North Korea which isn't actually functioning... yet... they have high hopes. After this we went to an observatory which had restrictions on photography, and since it was another hazy day we couldn't see much from there except for the two huge flags in the DMZ, the closest on the south side in Freedom Village, and the further in the North within Propaganda Village. (So named b/c the north used to blare communist propaganda 24 hours a day towards the south, I guess they've come to an agreement to settle down a bit. What I did find amusing was that the south used to respond with blasting "happy" music right back at them.)
The conclusion of this half of the tour was the "3rd Tunnel" - 73 meters deep it was discovered because the engineer who designed the tunnel escaped from the north and told the south, there have been a total of four tunnels discovered so far. We walked dow
n and through to the first of three concrete barriers under the DMZ, it was pretty cool & once again for security purposes we were not allowed to take any pictures once inside the tunnel ;)
They fed us a beef stew for lunch, while a Japanese man who had been trapped in North Korea and defected performed a few songs for us, it was a little odd but entertaining. After this it was time to go to the Joint Security Area (JSA) - when an important meeting is held, this is the area crowded with guards and media. We had full on South Korean MP escorts the entire time, and were not allowed to take any pics unless told to. I saw a North Korean Officer as well as the room with the line down the middle, actually stood on the other side of the line and had my picture taken with a guard. It was intense, and they st
ressed to us over and over how serious and volatile the relations between the two sides are. You would think things would calm down over the past 50 years. The last part of this tour was our closest view of North Korea proper and The Bridge of No Return. For those of you who remember Mission Impossible II, this was the bridge that Tom Cruise got traded on, I forget exactly why. Basically if someone decides to go across it that's it, they're there for good, no in's & out's, like Cox Arena but with landmines, bad weather and a shitload of barbed wire.
Got back to Seoul and met Jono in Gangnam, although I'm probably paying way too much for it text messaging is helping me out a lot on this trip. We started at a Thai bar drinking Belgium beer, moved on to more Galbi & Soju, met some Korean dudes who liked our style, (our style being let's all do a bunch of shots) and went across the street for Noribong, Korean style karaoke. It was good but we both had agendas and couldn't stay too long. (Plus they only served non-alcoholic brews, whatever) Jono had a big work day the next day and I was trying to meet up with an old college buddy who Ben Nevin (another MU alum) had informed me was also teaching in Seoul.
So I was pretty well lit, Jono was crashin' out and at this point I'm feeling pretty confident in my Seoul navigation skillz. I contacted Matt Leach, after according to him its been 14 years. (although I can't put my finger on it like he did, Mansfield was hazy times and for some reason I didn't realize he'd actually left Mansfield by the end of '95. I was there till the end of '97.) Anyway, caught a cab and found him in the Samsung Plaza, he's living just 2 subway stops over from where I was in an area called Bundang. I had actually been there the Saturday prior so we went to that same Irish bar that he was familiar with, and proceeded to reminisce about our days at MU. It was amazing, such a nice guy and he hasn't changed a bit. Same sense of humor, easy too talk to and an all around good guy. We caught up on what we'd been doing for the past decade or so and I actually received a call from Ben (the great unite-er) about 3am our time -- because it's like $500/minute we kept it short but it was just surreal reacquainting with each other in some random Irish pub in a suburb of Seoul, Korea, and talking to Ben like he was up the street. I'm hoping to get Matt & Jono together since they seem to be on similar paths here on the Korean Peninsula but we shall see, for now I'm just happy to have had the opportunity to bring that part of my life back in such a positive manner.
I've been extremely hungover all day and haven't left the house, I'm calling it a rest day. Tomorrow I may see a sight or two but come 6pm we start our journey to Hong Kong. Two nights in a hostel on Hong Kong Island, a night in Macau, and then two more nights on the Kowloon Peninsula at a pretty sweet spot just off the parade route. I'm not sure when I'll get to do this again so for now Gung Hay Fat Choy! (That's Happy New Year in Cantonese, I'm spelling it phonetically) It's the year of the Ox, let's hope that's a good thing ;)
Now I didn't want to spend my entire week in Korea in Seoul, so after a little research and advice from Jono I decided to travel south
by bus to thetown of Gyeongju, the ancient seat of the Silla Dynasty. I won't bore you with the sightseeing, let's just say it was something I've never seen before and I found very interesting. The 5000 year old history of the Korean Peninsula has been fascinating me way more than I expected, and I had no problem strolling around this strangely modern city dotted with a large number of enormous tombs, restored pagodas & pavilions. Once my feet got tired I caught a cab to a resort Jono had referred me to because they have another sweet Jimjilbang. My plan was to stay overnight here, an idea I wasn't completely comfortable with since I was not actually getting my own space. But for about $12 I had unlimited internet access, (that's where I wrote my last post from) a multitude of hot tubs & saunas, and what I discovered was a nice little cubby hole under a stage where people are allowed to crash. The way this works is it's a full service, 24 hour spa and there's no re-entry, so once your in you need to stay in until your satisfied, otherwise you need to pay again to get back in. They provide blankets, some cushions to rest your head and a warm padded floor. That night I pretty much just relaxed & read, this being the point of the Jimjilbang, your not to leave until you are physically & mentally where you want to be. The next morning I was up early, had one more steam and caught a 20 minute cab to Bulguksa.
Here's a shot of the temple entrance, there were a ton of other structures involved and at least five different huge golden Buddhas that I was not allowed to snap shots of, and I didn't, I don't need any karma issues this early in my trip. This took me about an hour to roam around but the real reason I had come to this area was the mountain it was situated at the bottom of, Tomhansan Peak (2444 ft) the highest in that province, I had planned to climb it while also seeing yet another huge stone Buddha in a cave, a place called Sokkuram Grotto. I couldn't find the trail until I noticed six gray clad monks wandering up a path. I wasn't sure if just anyone could speak with them, if they would understand me or if they could respond, but since they were the only local looking peeps around I decided they might have my answer. One of the older gentlemen gestured me towards a younger monk who spoke better English, this young bald dude was wearing an Adidas backpack over his monk attire, and said I was on the right path. (I though to myself, does he mean enlightenment?)
Anyway, up I went and it was sweet, a walk through the woods on a crisp day in January. The woods were similar to where I grew up in Pennsylvania but not the same, they have a few trees I was not familiar with and the grades are very steep. Like if the Sierras were the height of the Appalachians. After about an hour I made it to the grotto, checked out the big old Buddha in a cave, and kept going up the mountain. Another 30 minutes to the summit and it was awesome, I could see the Sea of Japan to the east & south. I think on a less hazy day I could have seen Japan, but I was pleased with this 360 degree view of South Korea, it gave me a better sense of the how small it really is. I hiked back down and caught the bus into town, and then another bus back to Seoul. It was a good overnight adventure and my feet were tired. (I'm travelin' light, no hiking shoes just my sneakers)
I got back to Jonos house by dark, chilled out until he got home and then we went out for Gamjatang. (potato stew with pig spine) I was impressed, it falls right off the bone and has great flavor while maintaining it's tenderness. Once finished we wandered around his neighborhood a bit and made it back to the apartment. We took it fairly easy that night since he had to work the next day & I had to be up at 6am to get to my tour, so we watched a Korean flick called "Old Boy." Yes it was subtitled, but I found it very intelligent, it was the first time in a while that I didn't need to be dazzled by special effects. The acting & writing was very good, and kept you guessing till the very end. I recommend.
The next morning I got up early & it was snowing. I had to ride the subway into Seoul (1 1/2 hours) to the hotel where my tour into the Demilitarized Zone was leaving from. This started out like any other, too much talking and not enough seeing. We first saw the "Freedom Bridge" that was used to exchange POW's after the Korean War. I got my passport stamped at Dorasan Station, the last train station before North Korea which isn't actually functioning... yet... they have high hopes. After this we went to an observatory which had restrictions on photography, and since it was another hazy day we couldn't see much from there except for the two huge flags in the DMZ, the closest on the south side in Freedom Village, and the further in the North within Propaganda Village. (So named b/c the north used to blare communist propaganda 24 hours a day towards the south, I guess they've come to an agreement to settle down a bit. What I did find amusing was that the south used to respond with blasting "happy" music right back at them.)
The conclusion of this half of the tour was the "3rd Tunnel" - 73 meters deep it was discovered because the engineer who designed the tunnel escaped from the north and told the south, there have been a total of four tunnels discovered so far. We walked dow
n and through to the first of three concrete barriers under the DMZ, it was pretty cool & once again for security purposes we were not allowed to take any pictures once inside the tunnel ;)They fed us a beef stew for lunch, while a Japanese man who had been trapped in North Korea and defected performed a few songs for us, it was a little odd but entertaining. After this it was time to go to the Joint Security Area (JSA) - when an important meeting is held, this is the area crowded with guards and media. We had full on South Korean MP escorts the entire time, and were not allowed to take any pics unless told to. I saw a North Korean Officer as well as the room with the line down the middle, actually stood on the other side of the line and had my picture taken with a guard. It was intense, and they st
ressed to us over and over how serious and volatile the relations between the two sides are. You would think things would calm down over the past 50 years. The last part of this tour was our closest view of North Korea proper and The Bridge of No Return. For those of you who remember Mission Impossible II, this was the bridge that Tom Cruise got traded on, I forget exactly why. Basically if someone decides to go across it that's it, they're there for good, no in's & out's, like Cox Arena but with landmines, bad weather and a shitload of barbed wire.Got back to Seoul and met Jono in Gangnam, although I'm probably paying way too much for it text messaging is helping me out a lot on this trip. We started at a Thai bar drinking Belgium beer, moved on to more Galbi & Soju, met some Korean dudes who liked our style, (our style being let's all do a bunch of shots) and went across the street for Noribong, Korean style karaoke. It was good but we both had agendas and couldn't stay too long. (Plus they only served non-alcoholic brews, whatever) Jono had a big work day the next day and I was trying to meet up with an old college buddy who Ben Nevin (another MU alum) had informed me was also teaching in Seoul.
So I was pretty well lit, Jono was crashin' out and at this point I'm feeling pretty confident in my Seoul navigation skillz. I contacted Matt Leach, after according to him its been 14 years. (although I can't put my finger on it like he did, Mansfield was hazy times and for some reason I didn't realize he'd actually left Mansfield by the end of '95. I was there till the end of '97.) Anyway, caught a cab and found him in the Samsung Plaza, he's living just 2 subway stops over from where I was in an area called Bundang. I had actually been there the Saturday prior so we went to that same Irish bar that he was familiar with, and proceeded to reminisce about our days at MU. It was amazing, such a nice guy and he hasn't changed a bit. Same sense of humor, easy too talk to and an all around good guy. We caught up on what we'd been doing for the past decade or so and I actually received a call from Ben (the great unite-er) about 3am our time -- because it's like $500/minute we kept it short but it was just surreal reacquainting with each other in some random Irish pub in a suburb of Seoul, Korea, and talking to Ben like he was up the street. I'm hoping to get Matt & Jono together since they seem to be on similar paths here on the Korean Peninsula but we shall see, for now I'm just happy to have had the opportunity to bring that part of my life back in such a positive manner.
I've been extremely hungover all day and haven't left the house, I'm calling it a rest day. Tomorrow I may see a sight or two but come 6pm we start our journey to Hong Kong. Two nights in a hostel on Hong Kong Island, a night in Macau, and then two more nights on the Kowloon Peninsula at a pretty sweet spot just off the parade route. I'm not sure when I'll get to do this again so for now Gung Hay Fat Choy! (That's Happy New Year in Cantonese, I'm spelling it phonetically) It's the year of the Ox, let's hope that's a good thing ;)
Hey Jason, good for you!! It look like you go a hell of a lot on your to do list. I hope you are doing well over there. I would love to be there by your side in this journey. Keep your Blog going. Its great to follow. Dont do anything that I wouldn't do!! Take care freind.
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