First Days in Korea

To the extent that Bangkok was the dirtiest place I have ever been, Seoul is the easiest. Subways cast a web over the city, leaving no area untouched, and trains or buses depart to all areas of the country at least a few times a day.

Greetings from South Korea! When Jake and I first arrived, feeling surprisingly fresh for two people who had just spent 42 hours traveling, we saw Audrey within a few minutes, and the three of us spent the first night getting oriented. We rented cell phones, since Korea does not use the sim card system, and phones won't be usable in other countries we travel to, then we found our hostel, ate some porridge, and went to sleep at about 9:30 p.m., with the hopes that we would be minimizing our jetlag. It pretty much worked.

The next day we spent in Seoul, visiting the Indian Embassy and attempting to explore the palace in our neighborhood. Apparently, Mondays are holidays in South Korea, and everything was closed. Next we headed south, to Audrey's hometown of Jecheon, where we stayed in a "love motel." I expected, as per the name, a seedy sort of place, but it was actually very clean. The walls were covered in stunningly floral wallpaper - each wall a different color - and we were provided with... er... "love" accessories, including lube. All three of us slept on the floor, on thick mats. We were told this is how traditional Korean households sleep - things called minbaks - but we keep getting conflicting information.

Jecheon was bigger than expected. I wish we had known where Audrey was born - whether it was in the countryside or to a family who inhabits the apartments in the city. It was hard, but pleasing, to imagine her as an infant, taking her first breath in this city. The town itself seemed average in terms of size and liveliness, but it was surrounded by three national parks. In the train on the way to the city, we passed what I have always thought Japan would look like - rolling hills set among a thick fog.

In Jecheon we saw a political protest, the aim of which seemed to be generally against North Korea. A crowd of about 300 sat in front of an outdoor stage, where fiery male speakers urged the crowd to wave their flags, and we heard music from a marching band of sorts (sans the marching), composed of all elderly women. Leafing through a cartoon book describing North and South Korea's histories, I realize how much of a threat South Korea still feels by North Korea.

Now we are in Mokpo, a coastal city in the Southwest. This is the liveliest city we have been to so far, with a shopping area to rival Hong Kong and tons of people out on the streets, enjoying meals, going to bars, etc. We had the best meal of the whole trip on our first night here, Korean barbecue pork chops and some kind of intestine. In South Korea, meals are an event. With every entree you are served at least half a dozen other components: kimchi (pickled cabbage... mmmmmm!!), rice, seaweed, eggs, chili sauce and a few other sides we have yet to figure out. Everything comes out in these individual plates, so you are left feeling like your meal is a true feast, all the parts complementing the others so nicely. That night we also loaded up on soju, the standard Korean drink. It is similar to sake: more potent than wine, but less so than vodka.

Today we plan to spend our third and last day in Mokpo before we head to Gimpo tonight to visit Jake's friend from home.