Wednesday, November 30, 2005
DAY 86: South Korea
South Korea, or at least Seoul, turned out to be very different from any expectations that we had for it. With our extensive preparation for this trip, plus our brilliant grasp of world history (note the sarcasm), all we really knew about South Korea was that we were involved in a war there against North Korea (aka notorious member of the "axis of evil"), that there were "Siberian-like winds" at this time of year, and that we'd heard Seoul was the shopping mecca of the universe. Basically, as you`ve hopefully realized, we really didn`t have much to go on.
Luckily though, our arbitrary, "Hey, let`s make that layover in Seoul last 5 days" decision turned out to be a good one. (Thank you again Lonely Planet.) While there, we were able to add much to our limited knowledge of Korea: the US was largely responsible for the tumultuous division between North and South Korea that exists today (imagine that!), the winds while freaking cold, weren't quite as "Siberian" as we'd dreaded, and the shopping was a bit too much for even the heartiest of travellers (I can't even handle the chaos of Marshalls or Ross - the food courts in Seoul however, we're something else entirely)! Adding to our expanding world knowledge, we also learned that Koreans love their heartthrobs (we've got the socks to prove it!), that you can pay $50 to stare through a telescope at a deserted town in North Korea across the demilitarized zone and trudge through a dripping tunnel dug by the North Koreans in an attempt to make a surprise attack on South Korea, and that there are such things as "love motels" that, besides for renting rooms by the hour, come complete with round beds, silk sheets, heating pads, ceilings with glow-in-the-dark stars and an interesting variety of items that can be purchased from vending machines. (We only stayed there one night, but it was an experience. And by "we", I mean Leslie and I of course.) South Koreans are extremely welcoming and friendly (just to stereotype them all), and the woman who owned the guesthouse we stayed at for the last few nights loved her dog so much that she had photos copied to give to guests (he is quite cute). In addition, on the culinary side, we learned that metal chopsticks are particularly slippery to eat with, Korean food comes second only to Indian in spiciness, and if you go into a restaurant not able to read or say a single thing in Korean, it is still possible to obtain a good meal with only the word "meat" (which we later found out, was Korean BBQ- I'd always wondered)!
As for the tourist route, we toured through several palaces (we've noticed a theme in Asian archetecture of buildings burning down every 50-100 years or so and then being rebuilt only to burn down again - perhaps the wood would have something to do with it...), visited a Folk Museum and War Memorial Museum (South Korean museums are informative and very organized with follow-the-arrows precision, which almost makes up for the fact that there's very little in English), walked through an "interactive" Seodaemun Prison (talk about graphic violence and anti-Japanese sentiment), and explored a Buddhist temple. For our nightimte activities, we hiked to the Seoul Tower at night for a view of the city only to find it closed for reconstruction and got lost in the dark on the way back down, as well as did the meet-up-with-friends-of-friends-you've-never-met-before thing in a desperate attempt to have someone other than just your sister to talk to (which was much needed and extremely fun). Yes, it all worked out for the best, and South Korea was surprisingly a fascinating city to visit.
Luckily though, our arbitrary, "Hey, let`s make that layover in Seoul last 5 days" decision turned out to be a good one. (Thank you again Lonely Planet.) While there, we were able to add much to our limited knowledge of Korea: the US was largely responsible for the tumultuous division between North and South Korea that exists today (imagine that!), the winds while freaking cold, weren't quite as "Siberian" as we'd dreaded, and the shopping was a bit too much for even the heartiest of travellers (I can't even handle the chaos of Marshalls or Ross - the food courts in Seoul however, we're something else entirely)! Adding to our expanding world knowledge, we also learned that Koreans love their heartthrobs (we've got the socks to prove it!), that you can pay $50 to stare through a telescope at a deserted town in North Korea across the demilitarized zone and trudge through a dripping tunnel dug by the North Koreans in an attempt to make a surprise attack on South Korea, and that there are such things as "love motels" that, besides for renting rooms by the hour, come complete with round beds, silk sheets, heating pads, ceilings with glow-in-the-dark stars and an interesting variety of items that can be purchased from vending machines. (We only stayed there one night, but it was an experience. And by "we", I mean Leslie and I of course.) South Koreans are extremely welcoming and friendly (just to stereotype them all), and the woman who owned the guesthouse we stayed at for the last few nights loved her dog so much that she had photos copied to give to guests (he is quite cute). In addition, on the culinary side, we learned that metal chopsticks are particularly slippery to eat with, Korean food comes second only to Indian in spiciness, and if you go into a restaurant not able to read or say a single thing in Korean, it is still possible to obtain a good meal with only the word "meat" (which we later found out, was Korean BBQ- I'd always wondered)!
As for the tourist route, we toured through several palaces (we've noticed a theme in Asian archetecture of buildings burning down every 50-100 years or so and then being rebuilt only to burn down again - perhaps the wood would have something to do with it...), visited a Folk Museum and War Memorial Museum (South Korean museums are informative and very organized with follow-the-arrows precision, which almost makes up for the fact that there's very little in English), walked through an "interactive" Seodaemun Prison (talk about graphic violence and anti-Japanese sentiment), and explored a Buddhist temple. For our nightimte activities, we hiked to the Seoul Tower at night for a view of the city only to find it closed for reconstruction and got lost in the dark on the way back down, as well as did the meet-up-with-friends-of-friends-you've-never-met-before thing in a desperate attempt to have someone other than just your sister to talk to (which was much needed and extremely fun). Yes, it all worked out for the best, and South Korea was surprisingly a fascinating city to visit.
# posted by Mer and Les @ 12:49 AM 
