We Got Seoul

Hello All,

So it's been a while since we blogged from South Korea. Still no internet at the abode so we are sitting in a PC Bang again, uploading photos and giving everyone back home an idea of what's been going on the past few weeks.

We've gotten around Daejeon a bit more, but we can save that for another blog. The most exciting thing we did lately was celebrate Nicole's birthday in Seoul on April 16th, and take a trip to the DMZ (de-militarized zone) between North and South Korea.

The weekend started with our first Daejeon subway trip to Daejeon Main Station where we met up with the other teachers from our school that were heading to Seoul. We met with Raymond and Chien (who were also heading to Seoul to meet Raymond's sister Megan who was going to be in town for a day), and Jordan and Amanda. Then we got some food and hopped on the next available slow train to Seoul. An hour and 50 minutes later we were rolling in the sprawling metropolis that is Seoul.

It's hard to grasp how large this city is. There did not appear to be a "downtown" or an epicenter where all the skyscrapers were. It looked more like 10 or so smaller cities that had grown together. The horizon was covered with sprawling neighbourhoods, hills, bridges, rivers, and the odd skycraper jutted into the air in every direction. Our train brought us right to the center of Seoul at Seoul Main Station.

We all hopped in a cab and went straight to Itaewon. This is the "foreigner" district of Seoul because a large American military base is located in this part of the city. The first thing we did was grabsome grub. Jordan had recommended a nice Mexican restaurant and since we were all craving something other than our normal Korea fare, we were quick to agree. A street sidetable became our banquet hall as we all ordered something different. After a wait that seemed far too long, the table was soon filled with burritos, quesadillas, tacos, enchilladas, and copious amounts of guacamole. This was some of the best Mexican food some of us had ever had! I thoroughly enjoyed my beef burrito, with it's layers of rice, bean, beef, spices, and cilantro. Rarely am I filled after a meal, and after this goliath I found it difficult to stand.

We all concurred that the food had been excellent, and walked about 100 feet before we all decided that we had gone far enough. Looking up, we saw a pub called Geckos and meandoured up the stairs into the large common room. Grabbing a table for 8 we soon made ourselves at home for what was sure to be a "long" evening.

What followed was a celebration of life that will not soon be equalled. Photos should soon be available (via facebook or this blog) that may shed light on the festivities, but for now I will keep the description short. We had a lot of fun, and spent a fair amount of money.

After Geckos, we all strolled down the Itaewon strip to a Korean BBQ restaurant that was quite delicious. The workers were friendly as they normally are, and we all enjoyed the common Korean practice of mixing food with alcohol, even late into the evening.

When we left the restaurant, a debate ensued on where to go next. It was around 11:30 or 12 and the options were plenty. Eventually we all found ourselves walking into the basement of a Norabang (singing room) for some group Kareoke. The singing and merry making lasted well into the night and around 2:15, after Bohemian Rhapsody and What A Feeling, we filtered out into the street. Everyone headed their separate ways and Nicole and I chose to head to a Jimjilbang (to be described later) with Lewis and his friends (Lewis is a teacher at our school).

A Jimjilbang is kind of the Korean version of a hostel. A backpacker's dream (unless your squeemish), Jimjilbang's are inexpensive ways to sleep the night away in and around East Asia. What follows is a step by step account of the Jimjilbang process:

1) Walk in front door, go to window, and pay 12000 Won (about $11, which is the most you'll ever pay for a Jimjilbang)

2) Receive a receipt, and a set of clothes (heavy but breathable t-shirt and capris pants)

3) Walk into change room area, take off shoes at door, put shoes in locker, and give locker key to attendant

4) Receive a second locker key from attendant for your clothes, and proceed to get naked (public nudity was what my squeemish remark above related to)

5) Stroll downstairs, in the buff, into the common shower, hot tub, massage, etc. area where you relax and rejuvenate your tired body with an assortment of different hot baths

6) Get ready for bed after your shower with a common bathroom filled with fresh towels, q-tips, hair dryers, combs, weight scales, etc.

7) Wander upstairs into the multi-level complex and find a place to sleep

8) Realize there are a million places to sleep, but there are no beds

9) Find a place with a small square pillow on the hard ground

When the morning finally came, Nicole and I were both rested (almost) and had experienced a very common Asian custom. It is common for Korean's to spend a day at a Jimjilbang just enjoying the hot baths and massages that are available.

We then left the Jimjilbang with Lewis and his friends, and we were on our way to Seoul City Hall to find our tour bus and proceed to the DMZ. We will put this in a different blog, since this one is steadily growing into a mini-novel. Hope you have all enjoyed the relayed experience... actually doing it was a blast for us!

Bye for now,

Joe