So I know it's been awhile and I guess that's my fault EXCEPT that it's not and I'll tell you why....
I have spent the last month or so loving life in Seoul. I was loving it so much that I didn't have any time to write about it. Now let's not confuse things, this post does not mean that I have time and therefore am hating life but I finally have decided to stay up late to write this long winded message in hopes to jot it all down before I forget.
On April 8th, my friend Ashley arrived in Seoul. This was really the beginning of getting my groove back!! It actually took another person coming here to get me out of my routine and back into the tourist in me who still hasn't seen so much of this country that I call my temporary home.
We started with the DMZ tour one early Sunday morning. This is something I've wanted to do for awhile now and decided I couldn't keep waiting for the nice weather and just had to go. Now I'm still totally torn about this experience but what I can say is that it's eye-opening. It's a tour that thousands of people do a year so they have it organized down to a tee. Nothing is really that shocking, well nothing you see at least but history doesn't lie and that's the surprising part. For a demilitarized zone, there is more military then I've ever seen around it. The DMZ stretches for 4 miles, 2 miles on each side of the border and inside that zone weapons are not around...it's the outside that's intimidating as ever. You can't even take pictures of NK, you have to stand behind a yellow line to capture a glimpse and really it's just hills and fields. There's alot of shit that went down here, alot that I don't really know but I can tell you that the most affecting part of what we saw that day was at the Freedom Bridge where families and visitors have left notes on coloured flags. These messages are of sadness, love, but mostly for peace. I was lost in translation for most of them but you can't deny emotion and you could see it by just glancing at these words. The truth is that what North Korea did was awful and everyone knows that but somehow it gets caught behind the line of sad war torn countries and when it comes down to it Korea isn't doing too badly. We don't know alot about NK so it's hard to say their stance but you can speak from the families. Every year, on one special day, families that have been divided by this demilitarized zone are able to come together and see eachother. These families have one day to see these loved ones and that just breaks my heart. can you imagine a border dividing you one day and wherever you were at that moment is where you'll remain....can you imagine not being able to leave your own country. Makes you appreciate the ability to travel and it makes me thank my lucky stars for being from such a free country. I don't really want to go into NK, I think by doing so I'm making what they're doing ok and funding their peoples mistreatment but atleast I can say that I saw it, even if it was from afar through a set of binoculars.
Next stop....Gyeong-ju. Now Gyeong-ju is where the old Shilla dynasty reigned and is a UNESCO world heritage town. In all my Korean travel books they mentioned that going there is a MUST for my time in Korea so when my friend Yang-Keun asked Ashley and I to join her I figured why not! It is a 5 hour drive from Seoul and when we arrive very late at night there is one image that is everywhere....CHERRY BLOSSOMS!!! In Seoul, they are scarce with the weather being so bad but in Gyeong-ju they are in full bloom and amazing! The trees line the streets everywhere you go like palm trees in Palm Beach. Seeing this is reason enough to take this trip but there is still so much to come still. Our first day we meet another friend of Yang-Keun's and set off on our adventures. We take our time but have many stops to make. First is a temple where I first discover the prayer stones. There is this area with stones that have been used to make statues that resemble Inukshuks. Visitors of the temple pray and build these statues without using the stones that others have used. They are everywhere and amazing so we joined in and made our contribution while sending a few good wishes. Next, we go up the mountain to see the golden Buddha and have the pleasure of catching the beginning preparations for Buddha's birthday coming up on May 21. We then travel back down and head to the tombs and if you didn't know any better you would just think that they're giant hills...or atleast I would. There are too many to count and they are everywhere. The size is based on importance but yet we still don't know how is inside of them. We have a few more stops and one is to this tiny stream that royalty would sit around and write poetry. As they wrote they would drink tea which they would pass down and around the stream. For some reason the cups would never turn over, this mystery is unsolved but what a life eh! Finally, we headed to the most important place of the day....where the King's would have their parties. Through time and war many of the buildings are essentially non-existent and being rebuilt but reading the stories is enough to imagine it all.
On our second day there we find ourselves driving towards the sea to the one and only sea tomb. It is a collection of rocks not too far from the beach where the remains of a previous King were laid to rest. It's pretty cool, and a little weird, but who am I to judge when I too would like to be cremated. We also make our way to a few more temples, you can't be in Korea without seeing a few temples, and round off our trip with a nice 5 hour drive home sans traffic. When you don't driving anymore and rely on public transportation you forget how annoying traffic really is! Seeing Gyeong-ju was an amazing piece of Korean culture and what made it even better was hearing about it from a Korean who actually knows the history.
When Ashley returns from a 4 day trip to Beijing we kick it into high gear. We have 3 final days to take on the town and we do a pretty good job at it I must say. Weeks ago I had this idea to have a party but of course it had to be themed so it became the "dress like a Korean" party pretty instantly. Why you might ask? Well living in Korea your view of fashion totally changes when there are so many ideas of it around you. It wasn't just a chance to tease Koreans for the way they dress but more to see our interpretations....and were they ever out there. We had the drunk business men, the girls who look about 13 when they are 25, the ajumma, the minnie mouse, the girls who wear heels all the time and the nerds....let's just say it was amazing!! The following day we had a full on girls day of brunch, Wii bong, duty free shopping and more shopping. Who knew you could duty free shop at any time as long as you have a plane ticket to somewhere...they are everywhere! Ashley and I then headed to Hongdae to the Hello Kitty cafe. Now there is nothing more Asian than this cafe that is the most intense place I've ever seen. When I say they love Hello Kitty I really mean it....absolutely everything is Hello Kitty themed down the the designs in your cappuccino. Afterwards we made our most amazing discovery of all.....the cat cafe! This cafe is called Cats Living and is literally just a cafe where you can go and play with cats. The cats are really well kept and loved obviously since people pay to hang out with them. They have their own little toys, beds and hiding places to explore. Now for me, this place was heavenly and exactly what I needed. I miss my orange cat and this was a nice little filler until I get home. Our last day together consisted of a visit to the Steve McCurry photography exhibit which was breathtaking. His photos were stunning and pulled at every emotion I have in my body. He's famous for the "Afgan girl" photo which graced the cover of National Geographic and became one of the most influential photos ever taken. That evening was time to celebrate by drinking apple and kiwi fruit soju out of an apple cup....probably the best way to drink soju since I can't actually drink it on its own. Our last dinner was at chicken ginseng soup and was incredible. Anytime you're sick or just really hungry this totally hits the spot. It's a whole chicken stuffed with rice and ginseng in an amazing broth mmmmmm makes me hungry for it just writing the words.
The next day Ashley left me :( and was ready for my vacation to the Philippines with Angela and Alice which is a whole other blog post that I will get to VERY soon!!
The whole point of this post isn't just to tell you my day by day activities but was really to remind myself that there is still so much in this city that I haven't seen, and so much I'll never see, and I have to remember that even though I live here I'm still a tourist too. Sometimes we just need little reminders to bring our feet back on the ground and this was a little one for me, not to take this year for granted and to make sure I take it all in stride. Always a learning experience, always a lesson and they never stop eh!
That's all folks. I'm peacing out for now and will be back shortly!!
janey waney xo
