Seoul, Day Two: Gyeongbokgung and the Well-Dressed Men with Spears

On Monday we visited the largest palace in Korea; Gyeongbokgung. Like every other major site in Seoul, it was a short taxi ride from our hotel. The story goes, it was built in the 1300s but was destroyed during the Japanese Invasions in the 1500s, and was then rebuilt in 1860. There were fires and assassinations along the way, but that's the gist of it.




Despite being in the middle of one of the biggest and busiest cities in the world, it's quite a quiet and serene place. With Bukhansan in one direction and the skyscrapers of downtown in the other, the scenery is as diverse as it is beautiful.


We were, unknowingly, just in time for the Changing of the Guard. A very cool ceremony that involved dozens of soldiers and some good music.


And let's be honest - what is a scenic family vacation if not a photo op. So just to show you were actually there, there we are. Our gorgeous little doll had a wonderful time.

Seoul, Day One: Insadong and the Charming Love Motel

After six months, we finally made it out of Daegu for more than an afternoon.

We decided to wait until Sunday afternoon to leave for Seoul because Cate was still a bit unsettled and tired from her doctor appointment on Friday. We caught the KTX in the morning and arrived in Seoul just after lunch. For some reason we thought it'd be better to take the subway from Seoul Station to our hotel, but I realized as I was hurling our suitcase and Cate's playpen over the turnstiles, a taxi would have been a more sensible option.

Nonetheless, we made it to the neighborhood we'd planned to stay in, and now we just had to find the hotel. Within a minute of coming up to ground we saw four foreigners, none of whom offered us any help, even though we were clearly lost and were overwhelmed with carrying our luggage through the city. At the risk of losing my cred on the Korean Blogosphere and/or straying from the story, I won't gripe (at the moment) about how I think many foreigners in Korea are arrogant, selfish tossers. So, after realizing the directions we had weren't doing the trick, we stood in a daze until finally a very nice Korean man asked us where we needed to go. We told him and he phoned the hotel and then said, "Just come with me." We walked half a block before being met by the hotel manager who'd walked two blocks to come meet us and take us to our destination.

The Sky Motel was located in what seemed like a fairly shady alley. To get to the front door of the hotel we had to walk under a big curtain. Most love motels have these, as their meant to protect the identities of the paying customers by blocking their vehicles from view. Classy, isn't it? Our room was decent. Small, but decent. The bathroom was twice the size of ours at home and it was surprisingly clean. Besides the smell of smoke, we found it acceptable. It was only 35,000 won per night so we weren't about to complain.

Our first order of business was to hit up the historic Insadong, a large arts and culture market. It was a short walk from our hotel, which meant we ended spending most of our week there. According to Lonely Planet, it's the third most popular area in Seoul. It's made up of street vendors and small shops selling cultural art, crafts and clothing. We spent a couple of hours looking around and taking pictures before finding a restaurant tucked back in an alley where we sat outside for dinner. Here are a few of the sites.





I'll talk about each day we spent in Seoul in separate posts, as there's far too much to say and too many photographs to stuff them all into one and expect anyone to read it all in one shot.

This Is Korea (TIK)

Daegu hasn't exactly been a hotbed of action lately. I think we're just trying to lay low until summer ends and we can actually step outside without being slapped in the face by the humid hand of mother nature.

As a result, there hasn't been much to write about - at least nothing I find interesting enough. Next weekend we'll be heading to Seoul for four days. We're extremely excited. The last time we were there we were having panic attacks, Cate was puking every 10 minutes and I was trying to find the fastest flight home. Obviously things have changed a little since then. We didn't see too much of the city in March. We stayed with our friends, Janessa and Evan, and because we were so tired we basically just crashed at their apartment for two days. We'll be staying near downtown in a 'love motel'. Sounds classy, I know. Love motels are called love motels because they're often rented by the hour. Meaning they're meant for people who really love each other - for at least 60 minutes (or much shorter in some cases, I'm sure). Actually, these motels have received a serious upgrade in the last number of years. When Korea hosted the World Cup in 2002, many of these establishments received a touch of class and were, for a short while, called world motels. Our friends recommended one to us, so we're hoping it's appropriate for the kind of love shared between two parents and a baby. I'm guessing we're not typical clientele. These motels/hotels are less than half the price of normal hotels, which is why we're choosing this somewhat seedy option.

As I've mentioned before, we're pretty much used to the daily wackiness that is South Korea. Things that were weird before are just daily routine now, but once in a while you get a little reminder of why you should have a camera in hand at all times. Things like a synchronized stationary bike dance team performing in the food court of the local superstore is a perfect example. The following video is one of those typical situations where you just shake your head and keep walking - or stand, watch and laugh. I'll let Andy do the explaining:



You can read Carmen's latest blog post to find out more about what's going on in our personal lives.

Think about it

I was quite surprised to see this commercial on CNN.com. Partly because it's a prime advertising space and is most likely über expensive, and partly because I really don't view Korea as a top destination for tourists.

It's got me to thinking. What would convince people to visit Korea strictly as tourists - that is not to visit friends or relatives and not as a stopover on the way to Singapore? The commercial does quite well to present the country as a unique cultural experience which, I have to say, it has been for us as short-term residents. But if a year ago I could have chosen five countries to visit in Asia, Korea wouldn't have been on my list. From the outside, it doesn't have the futuristic clutter of Tokyo, as experienced by Bob and Charlotte. It doesn't seem to have the ancient beauty of China or Mongolia. Or the tropical paradise of Thailand. But as sure as every old lady in Korea has gold teeth, this country does have all those things.

From ancient temples to tropical islands to super-modern urban jungles, Korea is worth the ten hour flight from Vancouver (or your nearest international airport). Right here in Daegu we have one of the most beautiful Buddhist temples in Asia - Dongwhassa. Jeju Island is apparently the Hawaii of Korea and is only an hour-long flight away from us. And of course there's Seoul, the third largest city in the world and home to a few of the biggest electronic companies in the world. We've talked to a few people back home who thought Korea was almost a third-world country. While Yongsan seems that way sometimes, the idea couldn't be further from reality.

In one week, you could chill on a tropical beach, visit the tombs of ancient kings, hang out with monks in a Buddhist temple, shop for whatever you think are cool clothes, eat dried squid at a professional baseball game and visit one of the most politically significant states in the world - North Korea. And along the way you can see things like synchronized stationary bike dancers in a grocery store. We've had the pleasure of doing almost all of these things.

We've made the decision not to travel outside of Korea during our stay here, as we want to travel outside of Asia when Carmen's contract finishes in March. As a result we're seeing a lot of Korea. In two weeks we'll spend four days in Seoul. We plan to visit the Demilitarized Zone between the North and South. And I'm very curious to see what a city of 22 million people has to offer a young family of three.

But basically, what I'm saying is, Korea is a very cool place and I think it's worth every penny of that spot on CNN.

Yongsan Hospitality

Tonight we had our first experience in a Korean home. Our neighbors upstairs, Sang-Bum and Ji-Sook, invited us for dinner. It was a pleasant experience and one we hope to do again sometime soon. If I didn't fully understand it before, I think I do now - Koreans are the most honest and sincere people I've come across.

The layout of their villa is the same as ours, so I was curious to see how they used the (lack of) space, considering they have two young girls. The first thing I noticed was that the first bedroom, which we use as Cate's room, was set up as an office. The second thing I noticed was actually the third as well. The table we would sit at for dinner (on the floor) was in the second bedroom - and there was no bed. When we asked about the sleeping arrangements, Ji-Sook explained they all sleep in the same room on the floor. I slept on the floor for one night while Carmen's parents were visiting and whined the entire time. They do it every night. By choice.

I realized that we were about to eat dinner on their bed. Imagine inviting people you barely know to your house and serving them dinner in your bedroom.

The reason I mentioned honesty in describing this encounter is because of the way Ji-Sook introduced her daughters. After telling us their names, Da-Ei and Da-Eun, which in English mean 'Full of Grace' and 'Full of Love', she said she is a Christian and tried to explain in English what the names mean to her and her husband. I told her we understand and that she didn't need to explain, but I found it admirable that she'd attempt to share such a personal thing to two strangers in a language she barely speaks.

This seems to be a characteristic Koreans share. There's no small talk in the Korean language. If you speak to somebody it's for a reason. It's honest and sincere, whether it's good or bad, offensive or flattering.

The meal was fantastic. Mountains of bulgogi, gimbap, kimchi and . . . spaghetti. Just in case I suppose. They sent us home with a few plates full of leftovers and half a watermelon "for breakfast". It's more like a week of lunch and dinner. With enough to feed the neighborhood cats. If you're wondering how we communicated so well with them, Sang-Bum runs an English academy, meaning he and Ji-Sook speak fairly decent English.

In other news, I watched Transformers again last night. In a taxi on the way home from Seongseo. That's right, it's still in theatres but Daegu cab drivers are currently showing it on their eight inch flat-screens.

And a special note to my mother who today, after 26 years, is finally shutting down the most reputable, loving daycare centre in Canada. Good on ya Chris.

Sunday

I developed a roll of film from our 35mm, which I've been using very sparingly since we've been here. Here are a few photos I'd forgotten about. The first is of Cate at exactly fifteen months.

Call Child Protective Services!

Yes, that's me with Cate on my lap in a moving vehicle. Are we terrible parents? I hope not. We're just trying to fit in. This is the norm here in Korea. Taxis are a cheap and very popular way to get around for everyone, especially moms with two or three (or four) kids. So what can you do? I'd like to see someone explain a carseat to a taxi driver.

Concerned parent: "Oh, just hold on. I've just got to install this safety chair into your backseat. It'll just be about five minutes."
Driver: "Vrooom."

It's not just with cabs mind you. It's normal to see parents driving with their two or three year old standing between the two front seats. Apparently there's no law against it. Well, there might be, but traffic laws aren't enforced generally. And drivers know to be extra careful when there's a baby in the car.

It took us a while to get used to the idea and we tried to do it as little as possible at first, but that's just the way it's done. It's no different from North America twenty years ago. I used to sit on my mom's lap all the way to Fairmont Hot Springs from Lethbridge. Then I turned 16 (okay, that part isn't normal, but the no seatbelt thing was, and that's my point).

Bolton Wanderers v Deportivo Guadalajara

Daegu World Cup Stadium
Peace Cup 2007
Bolton 2 - 0 D. Guadalajara

Excuse the whining

This might be an important post. This may be the only time I really complain about being a foreigner here. I've always read that the four-month mark is about where people usually begin to have a change in emotions toward the culture around them and that, mixed with homesickness, leads to negative feelings about anything and everything one might experience in everyday life.

Not surprisingly my feelings came to a boiling point at Home Plus. I made a solo grocery trip tonight knowing the place would be a zoo, but I thought, I'll just put my iPod on and keep to myself. Not possible. It started as soon as I got in the taxi. There are two ways to get to Home Plus - one takes about five minutes longer because there are more traffic lights. All drivers know this and, after four and a half months, so do I. So, instead of taking the exit under the bridge, the driver decided he'd go straight. I wasn't having it. "Awrun-cho (right)", I said. I may be a foreigner but I'm not stupid, and I'm not paying extra to sit at traffic lights.

So I get to the store and have a look around in the home section before heading upstairs to the groceries. The place was a bloody madhouse - at 10 p.m. Which leads me to my next gripe. I understand that the pace of life is different here, and people live on a different sort of schedule, but no matter where you live, I'm pretty sure babies need to sleep. It doesn't matter if it's midnight, parents will be dragging (literally) their babies and toddlers out to the store, movie, market or wherever. It's no surprise then that 90% of babies you see during the day are passed out in slings on their mothers' backs.

Moving on. It's not an over-generalization to say that people do not look where they're walking. And the rule of thumb is that if you bump into someone inadvertently there's no need to acknowledge the incident or apologize - because it was an accident. This makes for a mess in the aisles and basically means anyone can push their cart in any direction without looking or leave their cart in any given spot without considering anyone else's space. So as I was heading down the toiletry aisle, a group of ladies were deciding on some skin products. They parked their cart neatly across the aisle and stood on either side as they debated which products they were going wash their annoying faces with. They saw me waiting but continued their important discussion. My patience was short and I was tired, not that I need to excuse my reaction, but I began repeatedly (lightly) banging my cart into theirs, hoping they might get the idea. Hmmm, nope, not yet. So I used my cart to push their cart back. One of them, clearly annoyed, finally let me pass.

On to the tofu section. There's a ton of tofu to choose from and a huge range of prices so I wanted to browse before I decided. But of course there are three employees giving me three separate spiels about three different kinds of tofu, all at the same time. I cannot tell you how much I was not in the mood for that. I saw a pack I wanted to get and I said "Olma (how much)?". "Eechon palbek aw-seep won (2,850)." I nodded, acknowledging I understood the price and took the tofu. Instead of just letting me walk away, the lady held up the price tag and pointed at it, as if I still didn't understand her (and that me walking away with the tofu didn't mean I was going to buy it), causing a few people behind me to laugh at the idiot foreigner who doesn't understand the language. Wow, this is exactly what I want to be doing right now - standing in a grocery store getting laughed at.

On top of all this, we recently received a pleasant little virus on our computer that essentially destroyed the hard drive, causing me to reformat the thing, meaning we lost most of our software and nearly lost our photos. Can I suggest to everyone to never use MSN Messenger and choose something like Skype or Google Talk instead?

I'm blaming my negativity on the rain, being tired (humidity makes it hard to sleep) and missing a few things from home, namely my friends these days. Although I wouldn't say I'm homesick. I'm sure these feelings will pass soon and I can get back to appreciating the people and the things around me, but right now I'm just not having any of it. I'd rather just stay in our villa, play on the floor with Cate and listen to music.

Tasty treat

Not much happening so just a few small notes.

We purchased an external hard drive, so we've finally been able to update our music and movie library. Speaking of movies, it's the annual blockbuster season and I was able to check out Transformers. A let down to say the least, but a trip to a Korean cinema is always worth the price of admission. Where else would you see six-year olds at a 10 p.m. movie alone? Or dried squid and kimchi in a theatre?

It's rain season in Korea, which means one day it's pouring and the next it's scorching hot. I can never tell if my shirt is soaked with water or sweat. Does it really matter?

This country is hosting it's annual Peace Cup, a friendly tournament of high-profile soccer teams from around the world. Daegu will play host to one game, featuring the mighty Bolton Wanderers v Deportivo Guadalajara. It'll be my first chance to check out the local World Cup stadium, built for the 2002 tournament. Looking forward to it.

I mentioned a while back that I thought we'd eaten some sort of animal tongue. Turns out it was rectal muscle. Mmmmm . . . say it with me now - 'rectal muscle'.

"So, what would you like for lunch today?"
"Um, I think I'll have rice. Kimchi, of course. Oh, and maybe a sphincter or two."

One more thing - watch this clip.