Korea page 1 of 3
I received a call from Erin at 12:30 am this morning. She was at the train station with several friends in Pusan purchasing tickets for a trip to Seoul for today. She said some kids were planning to go to Seoul for 1 night and some for 2 and some were going on to JuJu Island (?). It was great to hear from her. We got cut off in the middle of our conversation and she even called back! She was also excited about the other ports that had been added. Sounds like they're having a wonderful time.
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Meghan item [2]
It was really good to hear from her, although she sounded tired. Our connection was not as good as previously; I had to speak really loudly for her to hear me, but we certainly managed okay. She said she just didn't feel like going to Seoul, as many of the kids did -- she said she was tired, and had seen enough temples for right now. People are wonderful in Korea as they were in Japan; things are much less expensive, and she's going shopping for a jacket of some sort. Lots of "fake" name brands I guess.
She's with Lisa, Megan, Julie, Gretchen...
She thinks the food is wonderful; she said it seems to have more flavor, kinda spicy, and less tofu than Japan! Also said there seem to be lots of "Mr. Donut" shops & McDonalds (not sure though if she meant Korea also or just Japan.)
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Emily S item [3]
Hey everyone!
I am writing this to appease my mother, since she has mentioned numerous times to post a message. So here you go, mom, I hope you enjoy!!
Also, this can be on behalf of other SASers who have just been too busy absorbing all there is in each country. I know, in my case, I would love to send a message in every port, but everything is so overwhelming that I just have to be out exploring each new, wonderful place.
So now we are in Korea! It has been a little on the chilly side and a little rainy, but that hasn't stopped me, or any of us for that matter, from venturing off. I have heard that a bunch of people are leaving Busan to travel to other places in Korea, such as Seoul or Jeju islands. Me and my buddy Ingrid are going to hang out in Busan another day at least and then head off to a group of islands called Geojedo. It looked like a very scenic, beautiful place. Ingrid had read about a "magic forest" that she was dead set on going to, but she must have read it wrong the first time, and turned out it was a "majestic fortress." Guess we won't be seeing any talking trees after all! Yesterday was amazing. I finally got to eat crab legs, my favorite thing in the world, for the first time on the voyage. Being from Iowa, I thought since we were on the ocean crabs would be everywhere, but no.
We also went to Jagalchi fish market where we saw crazy amounts of exotic fish and marine life. There was an octopus that crawled out of his tank and went straight for me. It was like 20,000 Leagues under the Sea almost, except that the octopus was about the size of my arm, so no harm done. The place we (Ingrid, Pete, Tim and I) ate at brought out about 20 small plates of totally raw creatures for us to eat. It was the most exotic meal I had ever eaten in my life.
Later on in the day, as Ingrid and I walked around, a Korean woman came over to us, handed me her baby and took a picture of us. It was really funny, but in a sweet way. We also talked to a couple of businessmen who knew English, who were very nice and helpful.
The most interesting time so far, though, was when we decided to get some dinner. It was about 8:45 and it was cold and raining, so we got a taxi. The driver knew no English and we knew very little Korean, so I drew a little picture of a hamburger and the golden arches hoping that he would bring us to a McDonalds, or something that was less risky than the previous raw fish dishes we had for lunch. We drove around for awhile, stopping, turning around... and we ended up at a police station. I think he just didn't understand where exactly we were trying to go. At this point, the meter on the cab was still going as we waited for him to return. It was taking awhile, so Ingrid reached up to pause the meter so we wouldn't get charged just for sitting there. She accidentally started the meter over again at zero and when the driver got back to the car, he seemed a little upset that we did that. So we handed him more than the meter had read and got out of the cab. Then, after talking with the police and the cabbie for another 5 or 10 minutes, he finally took us to a little burger joint down the road. That was the most work for a burger I had ever had in my life.
So after we ate, got some groceries and had our fun for the night, we headed back to the ship. Today we are going to a Hot Springs, and then flying by the seat of our pants, which we are rather good at.
Not sure what's in store for the next few days, but I am really excited about this country.
:)
Thanks to all of the parents for keeping up on this web site! Everyone on the ship is amazing and we all talk about how cool our parents are and how we miss you guys so much. See you in less than a month, mom!!
Peace and love,
Emily
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Tara C item [4]
I just received a call from Korea (6:00 AM). What a nice surprise. It was a good connection. She just returned from a tea ceremony and enjoyed this. She said that SAS sponsored the trip but has decided that she prefers doing things independently. Most of the kids went to Seoul, so she decided against doing that and is heading out tomorrow with Chelsea and Heather to a National Park for two days and one night. She is looking forward to this. The Korean people are friendly and she finds the food easier to identify. She is enjoying the Korean food more then the Japanese food. She has also enjoyed shopping and has already bought shoes. We spent about 10 minutes on the phone and it felt so good to catch up on what is going on in her life.
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Mikey item [5]
Mikey arrived in Korea and called me. Having grown up with a large Korean population in our town, Mikey said he was very at home there. He was able to communicate a little and order food in the language which the other kids really liked. Korean food is delicious...and spicy!
He and some friends went into a bank to exchange money. They met a Korean man there who explained in broken English that he had a problem. He called his daughter on his cell phone and had her speak to Mikey. She spoke perfect English, and basically the daughter was a college student and out of money (what a shock). Mikey and his friends got on a bus and took her some cash from her dad. She showed them the town and they were invited back for dinner.
He said that where the Japanese were very reserved, the Koreans were more open. And he was loving it. I have several friends with family there and emailed him some names and phone numbers so, we'll see if he connects.
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Laura K item [6]
We just had a great call from Laura. She and Callee (from PA) and Jeff (from Atlanta) are traveling together. They decided not to go to Seoul. Instead they took a two hour bus ride to Tong yeong, a small town on the coast. They hiked around, climbed a hill and saw beautiful views of the ocean and town, and found an inexpensive hotel where they slept on mats and the owner gave them strawberries. She said the kids (teens) are very, very friendly. The adults are much more reserved. A young man followed them for quite a while. They were walking and when they stopped to talk, he spoke broken English to them. They all had lunch together, and he had his English dictionary with him the entire time, looking up words quickly. He even called his English teacher twice when things got tough! She said he was about 17 and wanted to know all about the US and them.
The ship is about 25 mins. from the town of Busan, and they have not docked there for many, many years. The first day she took a walking tour of Busan, saw temples and went to a huge fish market. A woman started throwing octopus parts at them (in jest) and tried to get it closer and closer.
She loves traveling on her own. She said getting on a bus and just going seemed to work out so well. She is planning something for tomorrow, though. She wants to go to a spa/hot springs and get a massage. Sounds like a tough life!
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Brady item [7]
We got an early morning call from Brady and he and several others were on Jeju Island. The following link is one I found that gave me a little more to go on. http://www.activejeju.com/jeju/info.htm Although I am unsure of some of the information since there was such an echo on the phone, I got a few names. He was traveling with Rachel Howard, Mehan Kelly, Brian Fortman, Jeff Stansbury, Rob?, Kyle Wiese, Bethany Lindstrom, Nicolette K?, Nick? I'm sorry I couldn't catch it all. At any rate they had decided to go to this island that was supposed to be a popular location for local travelers, especially honeymooners????
They had hired a driver to see the island and had seen volcanoes, a huge lava cave, botanical gardens and one area that was especially intriguing because everything seemed to "roll uphill." They saw a lot of examples of this gravity defying situation--people loaned them bikes to try themselves, cans to roll on the ground, their vehicle, etc.
Lots of people were interested in them and taking tons of pictures of them. He mentioned eating live minnows (eeugh...) and seaweed. They were going to head to Seoul today and he mentioned octopus for supper...this coming from a kid who had become a "meat, taters 'n no onions or tomatoes kid" over the last several years.
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Jamie item [8]
Jamie called as well. She called from Japan and then less than 5 days later called from Korea. Each time we talked about 40 minutes! It was great to hear her voice. It seemed that she didn't want to hang up! She is having a wonderful time and traveling with the same kids - Rhiannon, Sarah, Sereta, Leah & Jen.
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Danielle item [9]
Danielle called me this morning...what a lovely surprise. Funny thing, she went to get a massage yesterday. When I asked her who she went with, she told me Meghan and Betsy. She is enjoying Korea, but not as much as the other ports. I think Japan and India were the highlights so far. She told me that she met some Koreans that invited her and friends to lunch. She said the food was moving on the plate... (tentacles and all) and that they insisted she take a taste. To be polite she put something in her mouth. Danielle is a very fussy eater, so I can imagine her disgust. She said it was slimy in her mouth, and she didn't know what to do. She did not want to insult them, so she swallowed "it" whole. She needed a glass of Sake to wash it down. Well, it's an experience. She is very much looking forward to being in Alaska.
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Rusty item [10]
......me, Kyla and Lacey spent the first couple of days in Korea sightseeing on Jeju Island, then went to Seoul. We're staying in a pretty nice hotel with free internet. I have been trying some crazy foods. I have to say, the food in Korea is disgusting. I had a traditional meal one day and then last night we went to this huge buffet and volcano show at a fancy hotel. Get this - one room was like 500 dollars a night. Needless to say, we were only there for the show. They have a lot of raw fish here. They even sell fried whole squids right on the street. I am sticking to western style foods from now on. ...I am so glad that we added Alaska and Victoria. I think that they will be beautiful. Even though we only have a short time there, it will be enough for a taste.
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Jamie item [11]
Well, this may be the first email where I am not writing about how much I loved the country. Unfortunately for me, I have had a nasty head cold for the past 5 days. That made traveling in Korea much more difficult and much less enjoyable.
I arrived in Busan, Korea on Monday. I got off to exchange money, and then got on a bus around 5:30 pm to go to Seoul. It was a long bus ride, but we finally got there around 11:00. Then we had to try and find a place to stay. We had a listing of cheap hotels and hostels. But it was so late it was hard to know exactly which subway line to take, etc. A very nice Korean woman stopped and asked if we needed any help. When we told her we were looking for a place to stay she told she knew of a place that was very cheap and very close by. She even told us she would take us there. So off we went to follow her. We were walking through this large mall, and she suddenly just opens the door to this spa. And the four of us just kind of look at each other like, What??? But we go in. We take our shoes off, and follow her into a locker room area. She tells us that we change in here, and then go out to this main room to sleep. There are a bunch of Koreans lying on the hard wood floor. We are looking at each other like what is going on??? She tells us that this is where we are supposed to sleep. We thanked but said no. She seemed to understand, and even helped us get a taxi.
So we found a very cheap motel the first night, but it was really nice, and clean. So the next morning we went off in search of a Palace. We finally found one, but it's closed on Tuesdays. So we looked around the outside and went in search of another one. We found a different palace, and actually got to see the changing of the guards, so that was pretty cool, but we didn't have our tickets bought early enough, so we missed the tour. By this time it is about 2:00 in the afternoon, and my strength is lagging, and I just want to go to bed. But we continue on for a motel to put our stuff down. We finally find one. It is pretty dirty, but it's cheap, so we finally agree to just take it, and be done with the search. So we head out again to look for a market to do some shopping. We found it with little trouble, but it really wasn't anything spectacular. We headed back to our motel to look for somewhere to eat. We found a little Italian restaurant - yes, Italian - and ordered some pizzas. It was almost 9:30 before we got back to our motel. My head was pounding by that time so I was ready to go to bed. The girls I was with hung out in the room for a few hours, and then headed down the street to a bar that some SAS students had mentioned, but they were back in a half hour. I guess it wasn't that great.
The next day, Wednesday, we went to the Korean War Memorial in the morning. I had already decided that I was going to go back to the ship that afternoon. I just couldn't keep wandering around Seoul, and the girls I was with wanted to do some hiking that afternoon, and there was no way I would have made it. So we stopped by another market, but it didn't really have anything that was really cheap (especially when we have been spoiled by these third world countries where everything is a dollar). So then I got back on the subway and headed to the bus station. I got my ticket and boarded my bus back to Busan. I got back to the ship around 10:30 on Wednesday night, and went right to bed.
Thursday, unfortunately is not exciting. I slept until 11:00, and then got lunch. I went back to bed, and slept or rested the whole day. One thing is I don't really feel bad about not leaving the ship. Especially since I feel ten times better today, but also, I didn't really enjoy Korea all that much. I found the people to be much more rude than the Japanese. They were pushy, and would cut in front of you in the subway. The coughed and sneezed all over you if you sat by them. If SARS ever gets here, it will spread very quickly. But besides that Seoul was just a huge city, where the prices were the same if not more than the US. I am very excited to go back to Japan.
That's about it for me. I hope everyone is doing well. We are shipping out tonight, and will be in Osaka on Monday (Sunday for all of you). I'll talk to you all there.
love,
jamie
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Eric K item [12]
We just left Busan, South Korea actually early this morning due to the heavy fog that we had yesterday. Korea was a blast and I actually did a lot of non-stop traveling to different places. I didn't get to as many sites as expected but travel time was a little longer but a great experience so I am really glad that it all seemed to work out. Here's a rough run-down of what I did
Mon- First Day
Boemsa Temple - 1.5 hours on Subway, 1.5 miles uphill hike, about an hour at the site.
Walked around Ferry Terminal area with many shops and restaurants including Outback Steakhouse, T.J.I.Fridays, Bennigans, and many others.
Took overnight ferry 7:30 p.m. - 6:30 p.m. to Jeju Island off the coast of Korea. About 300 Korean high school students were on the ferry as well and that was an adventure. Picture taking, giving e-mail addresses, singing songs back and forth, escaping to the bar where they couldn't go. Then trying to find a space to sleep because we decided to go 3rd class.
Tues- Second Day
Lava Tube, Volcanic Crater, Mysterious Road (you feel like you're leaning downhill but you travel uphill).
It was difficult to get around the island b/c the buses did not run very often
Overnight Ferry back to Busan, very few people this time in 3rd class so we had room to stretch out
Wednesday- Third Day
Arrived at ferry terminal at 7, after 20 min walk to nearest bus station caught bus to our ship terminal
Arrived at ship at 8, showered and then went with SAS to a hospital visit
Doctor leading us around stated he was sorry for his bad English. He hasn't spoken it in a while as well as he was recovering from his hangover from drinking too much the night before. Got a quick tour of the facility and then he left us for the clinic he had to go to.
Tour of local museum, free internet at the med school there, nice garden
Back at 12:00 from that, ate lunch until 1
Traveled by bus to the train station
Caught a 3:00 train to Seoul arrived at 7:45
Finally found a hotel to stay in, had trouble and lost bearings as we had been pushed out of the train station as shops closed
Watched a little bit of CNN and then went to sleep
Thursday - Fourth Day
Woke up early and started off our day
Saw Olympic Park, War Museum, Humongous Market with everything imaginable, then to a local palace right in the middle of the city, saw royal changing of the guards.
Bought some local fruits and snacks for the train ride back and caught the 5:00 train back to Seoul. Arrived at 9:30
Went back to the ship and got some ice cream at Baskin Robbins; watched a movie and finally went to bed
Friday - Fifth Day
Slept in until about 11
Went to lunch and then out to Internet Caf�
Hit up 7-Eleven for some snacks and drinks b/c it is cheaper than Japan
Went out to discount store Top Mart (mainly a Walmart)
Relaxed and went out to dinner with a group of friends
Back to the ship and then sorted mail (Vietnam, Busan, and some Osaka mail all had to be sorted and distributed) (Eric has volunteered to help out.)
Watched Lilo & Stitch on the TV's and then found out about others' Korea experience
Went to bed before classes started up again.
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Mary A item [13]
For Sale:
Lonely Planet Guide: Vietnam $19.95
Lonely Planet Guide: Hong Kong $21.95
China: The Rough Guide: $29.95
Sunscreen spf 8, 15, 45 $7.95
1 month supply of Malaria prophylaxis (consult your insurance company for
current prices)
SAS Spring 2003 T-shirt with the original itinerary: Priceless
Wanted:
gloves, winter hat, mittens, scarf, boots, "Girl's Guide to Glaciers"
That�s right, ladies and gentlemen, once again the itinerary has changed, and
I am pretty sure this one is here to stay!
The first morning in Busan I went to visit the fish market, which was busy with people buying, selling, and throwing fish all over the place. It was quite an experience; some fish are sold right out of the tank they are swimming around in. We even saw an octopus "escape" from its tank and go sliding down the street before some people caught up to it and put it back in its tank.
This is part of the story of her group of friends, trying to find restaurant row, after visiting the Beomeo Temple and hiking up (and down) some very steep, (and what seemed to be endless) hills:
The hostess spoke a little English so we figured we were all set. We took off our shoes and sat down on our cushions and we pointed to something on the menu that we thought looked good (of course its all in Korean). And thus starts our endless meal. Every 5 minutes the waitress would bring us a new dish of something, soup, rice, sashimi, lobster, crab, giant snails that were on fire, tempura, octopus, it went on and on and on for about 12 different dishes. I have never been so happy to see dessert because it meant that we were finally done with our meal! So to say the least the second day was an endless day in many ways.
The next day we went to the spa. It was in this huge beautiful hotel. We did the baths first. They were very interesting, a lot of fun and very relaxing after we got over the naked part. All of the pools were so unusual. There was a big warm one in the middle, a super, super hot one - 45 C, some charcoal and lavender ones, a freezing one- I liked it, (It reminded me of Lake Tahoe) some massage waterfalls, and saunas, and more. It was a great experience. I don�t think Callee really liked it; she didn�t stay for long. Then we got massages. For 2 hours, we got a massage and a facial. It was so wonderful! It felt great and was very relaxing. I loved it. We then walked around the international market. It was just rows and rows and stores, mostly junkie t-shirts and shoes but it was neat. A bunch of young workers were playing hacky sack w/ a sock so we pulled out a real hacky sack and showed them how to play. They were better than us. Callee let them keep it and they were so excited.
The last day we went to 3 different subway stops and explored. The subway is really great b/c it is numbered so it is easy to figure out. It was cool to just travel all over and stop at random places Each place was different- like I said it was a huge city with plenty to do anywhere we went.
Koreans are very pushy and rough. This is not rude to them; that is just how they are. It was kinda surprising at first to get elbowed or pushed on the subway or bus, but I just got used to it. I guess that works for them. But most were also very nice. I just had to understand they are not being mean by pushing, that is just how they do it. But I am looking forward to going back to super polite and nice Japan. Japanese are def. the nicest people we have met so far.
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Tara W item [14]
Sincee I am now on my last day of Korea (as I am writing this), I will end this and start on the next email�the countries are so close together at the end of the voyage. But, after that long stretch to Alaska, I will have plenty of time to write the second Japan email. I just want to thank everyone for listening to me ramble on about every detail�I�m just so excited to share every experience.
Ok, I hope all is well where ever everyone is and I will see you when I get back!
Love,
Tara
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Christina item [15]
Hello everyone!
Thank you for all the mail� we received our Korea mail as well as our Vietnam mail while in Korea, and I had 11 letters and one package! Well, this voyage seems to be quickly nearing its end. Korea was the last country on the voyage that I have never been to before (since I can now say I have been to Japan).
One of the biggest challenges for me so far on this voyage. I am still not quite sure how I feel about it. This is the country where the fewest people spoke English and where the least amount of English was present (even in Japan I thought that there were more things in English or at least English letters). However, at the same time it was very Americanized� there were McDonald�s, Burger king, TGI Fridays, Pizza Hut, Outback Steak House, you name it, they had it. Especially Baskin Robbins� there was one on every corner. Sometimes you would pass one and four or five stores away there would be another.
I felt like I learned what foreign tourists and immigrants in the U.S. must feel like. Americans often speak only English, and do not even attempt to communicate with foreigners, immediately becoming frustrated and annoyed that the people do not speak English. I thought I always did a fairly good job of trying to communicate with foreigners, because I have traveled before and know what it is like to be in a strange country. However, I think I will be more understanding after visiting Korea. People immediately began speaking to me in Korean and didn�t attempt to use gestures or pointing to help me understand; they just became frustrated that I didn�t speak Korean and spoke to me more loudly and angrily in Korean, as if that would somehow make me understand. It was very frustrating.
It took me almost the whole time in Korea to become accustomed to the people and the fact that what seemed to me to be incredibly rude was actually just the culture. By the fifth day I was used to people running into me without any word of apology, being jostled every which way, a language that constantly sounded like people were yelling at me, bus drivers and people at phone booths who actually WERE yelling at me, sales people following me around in stores, and people not watching where they were going and looking annoyed with me when there ran straight into me.
The smells in Korea were especially pungent to me, and are probably one of my strongest memories. I walked down the street and would pass the most delicious smelling bakeries ever, and then walk 10 meters farther and pass street vendors selling fish or raw meat or some sort of vegetables, and the smell would make suck in my breath. The most striking scent was that of kimch�i (or gimchi, both spellings are used). Kimch�i was served with everything we ate, and is probably what Korean food is best known for. What is kimch�i, you ask? Well, quoting from the information given to us on the ship, it is "grated or chopped vegetables mixed with various other ingredients- notably chili, garlic, and ginger- and left to ferment in an earthenware pot. The result is served up as a side dish or as the principle component of any Korean meal, even breakfasts. It has a raw, tangy taste and is very spicy." It smells, quite strongly, like a toilet. (I can�t count how many times in Korea we were walking down the street and Yumika or someone else exclaimed, "Yuck! It smells like bathroom!") The smell of kimch�i would appear quite suddenly when we rounded a corner or walked past a restaurant, and seemed to be everywhere. However, I would have to admit that Korean food very easily could have been my favorite food so far. It wasn�t all as hot as I had expected, and was not only healthy and filling, but also delicious.
Well, I suppose I should start getting into what I actually did in Korea, or this email will never end. Due to our itinerary changes, we were not able to dock where we were originally supposed to in Pusan (or Busan). Instead, we were docked at an international ferry terminal about a 40-minute bus ride outside of the main part of Pusan. However, we weren�t aware the first day how far it was, and so Yumika and I set out to walk into Pusan. We eventually ended up stopping in a hotel for directions and to find out what bus we should take to get into town and learned we had been walking the wrong direction, so even if it hadn�t been so far, we wouldn�t have gotten there. The first attempt at taking the bus was an adventure. We couldn�t read any of the bus stop signs because they were all in Korean, so we didn�t know if the bus we wanted stopped at the stop we were waiting at or how often it ran.
After eventually finding the right bus and getting on, we weren�t sure how much to pay. The man in the hotel had told us it would be 700 won a piece, but it actually turned out to be 1400 a piece. We both put 1000 won into the machine, but couldn�t understand what the bus driver was telling us since he only spoke Korean. It didn�t help that he gave us 200 won in change, but was telling us we still owed money (he had given us 200 won back and wanted us to put in another 1000 won so that we would have ended up paying 2800 won total). We finally took out some paper and a pen so that he could write down what he was trying to tell us. We got off the bus at Pusan station (about a 45-minute ride) and walked around town. I was surprised at how many signs and restaurants and things I saw in Russian. There were lots of white people around (at least compared to the amount in other countries) and no one gave me a second glance.
It was cold and rainy in Korea, and Yumika and I were freezing (no one was prepared for the cold countries, and I didn�t have a coat and ended up wearing lots of layers every day) so we went into a Dunkin� Donuts to have coffee and warm up. We sat upstairs next to the window and watched the people walking around on the street (one of our favorite pastimes in foreign countries). After our coffee, we walked further into the city and went shopping for coats. After awhile, we decided to walk up to Pusan Tower, a large tower in the center of the city. In the tower there was an aquarium, and around it there were several statues and a big circular flower garden that was made into a clock with 6 � foot long hands.
After spending awhile there, we set of in search of dinner. The place we ended up was actually a pizza place where it seemed that a lot of young people were eating (more people-watching!). We ordered pizza with bulgogi on it (another famous Korean dish - it is strips of beef marinated in so sauce, sesame oil, garlic, and chili and then grilled). It was quite delicious and hardly spicy at all.
After making the looong trek back to Pusan station (we were determined to catch the bus and not fork out money for a cab fare back) we met up with Diana and Kate (the two girls from MU). We all got on the bus together and were excitedly discussing our day (apparently they found a Bennigan�s in Pusan. I wanted to find it so I could take a picture. For those of you who don�t know, I worked at a Bennigan�s in Colorado for about 2 � years�). Anyway, it was about nine at night and everything looks completely different in the dark, especially when it is raining. Suddenly the lights in the bus came on and we realized that we were pulling into the bus station� we had completely missed our stop because we hadn�t recognized it! After pleading with our driver for a few minutes and trying to tell him where we were trying to go ("Dadaepo!") he walked us over to another bus and put us on, telling the driver what stop we needed to get off at. When we finally made it to the stop, it was raining pretty hard, and the walk back to the ship completely soaked me even though I had an umbrella.
While we were in Nagasaki, Yumika and I spent 38 dollars to buy a Korean Rail Pass, so we were able to go anywhere during the three days the pass was valid for. Yumika and I were supposed to go to Seoul with two other friends, and had already made reservations at a youth hostel. By the time we left, our group was up to nine people! It was actually kind of annoying because we ended up being delayed in leaving because the people we were with weren�t prepared (they had to exchange money, kept forgetting things, etc.).
We took the bus to Pusan Station and got our tickets for the fastest train available, which still took four and a half hours to get to Seoul. When we arrived, we went to Changdeokgung palace, where there was supposed to be a "secret garden" that looked really pretty in the pictures. The only tour left that day was one in Japanese, so we spent the next hour and a half wandering through the palace with a group of Japanese tourists� unfortunately, we felt the tour did not need to be a whole hour and a half, and the secret gardens were a bit disappointing. But it was still fun.
After the palace, we went to find our youth hostel, which actually proved to be quite challenging, as it was hidden down a small side street. It ended up being a really nice hostel, though, and pretty cheap. We stayed in dormitory-type housing, my room had three sets of bunk beds. We had three girls from SAS, two girls from Canada, and one other girl that I never met. Since you always take your shoes off when you enter a house in Korea, often the floors are heated. This was very nice, especially since it was so cool outside.
The nine of us set out to find dinner along with another girl we met named Anna from New Zealand who was staying in the hostel and whose birthday it was. Trying to find something that all of us could agree on for dinner (not easy in Korea with two vegetarians in our group) was a bit difficult, and I vowed to never travel in such a big group again. We finally decided on a nice restaurant which we entered, removed our shoes, and sat down on pillows next to a low table. We had a delicious dinner in which we grilled our own bulgogi and galbi (beef that is sort of like ribs) and then used chopsticks to put it in pieces of lettuce and add kimch�i or a huge variety of other things that were brought out with the meal. It was one of the best meals that I have ever had. After dinner we decided to go out for drinks. The "snacks" that came with our drinks? These corny things (pretty good, actually) and seaweed and squid! We headed back to the youth hostel at about one a.m.
The next morning we had a quick breakfast of toast at the hostel and then Yumika and I set out for the day. We decided to go on our own because traveling with such a large group was too hard. We walked around the little neighborhood around our youth hostel. We bought these pastries that were sold all over that were made our of a dough kind of like that of doughnuts and had brown sugar inside. We looked in a bunch of the shops that sold traditional goods. We went into downtown Seoul (I have never lived in a big city and therefore have never taken the subway. I have been using the subway in many of the countries that we have been visiting, and I feel kind of proud that I have been able to efficiently get around on subways in other countries where everything is in a different language). We looked for a music store (something I do in every country� I like to get music from all the places that I go).
For lunch we had bibimbap, a big bowl of rice and vegetables and beef and seasonings that comes with sides of kimch�i and some other stuff. It is served in a thick, heated iron bowl so it is still bubbling ("cooking") when you get it. After lunch we had ice cream, even though it was cold outside (eating ice cream is something else we do in every country� it is so yummy elsewhere in the world).
We went to a department store (they are HUGE in Asia! Many, many, stories tall and selling everything) and to a market. The market was an interesting experience� a lot of it would just be considered cheap crap, but if you took the time to actually go through everything and search around you could find some good bargains on nice stuff. The market was so crazy, there were so many people there that I almost felt claustrophobic, and it seemed to stretch on forever.
We went back to the youth hostel, where we were supposed to meet everyone for dinner. We ended up going out instead to the Chongdong Theater with a few of the other girls, where we saw Korean traditional stage performances consisting of singing, dancing, and instrumental pieces all preformed by Koreans in traditional dress. It was really interesting. For dinner Yumika and I went to a little restaurant that overlooked a busy square on a street full of night-life and we watched people from above from the window as we ate. We walked back to the hostel at about midnight after which we showered and went to bed.
Day three we had another early start. After breakfast at the hostel a shuttle picked us up and took us 56 kilometers north of Seoul to the demilitarized zone, or DMZ. In the 1950s, North and South Korea declared a cease-fire. They developed what is now known as the DMZ, an area two km north of the border and two km south of the border in which no military is allowed to be. In fact, it is completely deserted, except for the plants and animals which "live in harmony" (a film that we watched on our tour adamantly stressed this point).
The DMZ was sort of the first step of the two countries towards reunification. Apparently, though, the North Korean army began blasting underground tunnels in order to move troops through and make a surprise attack on Seoul. The tunnels were large enough to move 30,000 troops through in three hours; some were even large enough for tanks. The first tunnel was discovered in the 1970s. When it was discovered, North Korea put coal on the walls and tried to play it off like the tunnels were actually for mining, but because the walls were made of granite it was proved false. Through various ways it was determined that the tunnels were actually built to ambush South Korea. Currently there are 20 tunnels, although South Korea only knows where four of them are, the most recent of which was discovered in 1990. We went down into one of the tunnels and walked around in it.
When we came back up, we visited a train station that will some day be the first stop in a train line that connects North and South Korea. We also visited an "observation area" where we could see some of the cities in North Korea. It was strange to be so close- we could even see the North Korean flag flying on a large flagpole in the North Korean city. We weren�t allowed to take any pictures, though, for security reasons. I was really glad I ended up going on the tour, because it turned out to be one of the most interesting things that I have done so far.
When we returned to Seoul, the rest of our group ended up leaving to go back to Pusan, but Yumika and I wanted to spend the rest of the day in Seoul. We went to the station to get our tickets and store our backpacks in lockers for the day, and then we set out on foot from the station. We bought a few souvenirs and did a lot of walking around and exploring the city.
We ate lunch at the same restaurant as the day before, and later went to a coffee shop to warm up. Rather than wasting time for dinner we bought some bread from a bakery and took it to eat of the train on the way home. We caught the seven o�clock train back to Pusan and made it in at about 11:30. We caught the last bus of the night back and it was packed full of people, but luckily this meant that it stopped at almost every stop, so we didn�t have to worry about when to ring the bell for our stop, and we didn�t miss it this time! We made it back to the ship a little before one a.m.
The last day in Pusan Yumika and I were exhausted. We didn�t want to go into the main part of Pusan, because we felt that we had seen enough of big cities after spending the last three days in Seoul. So we decided just to take it easy. We walked around for a while, and we went to the post office and bought stamps, made a few phone calls, and found an Internet caf�. We went to have ice cream and people watch one last time, and then went back to the ship early to write our postcards and have dinner on board.
Korea was a very interesting place, but at the same time, it was the first country that we have visited where I was ready to leave when it was time. I think that if someone offered me a trip to Korea again, I would go, but it is not somewhere that I will travel again on my own accord. It was definitely a good experience, though, and I think that I learned a lot more from experiencing this culture than I did from some of the others.
Well, I�ll be in Osaka, Japan the day after tomorrow, so I better get going� we have class today and tomorrow and I have to get some homework done! I hope everyone is doing well� less than a month left until I get back!
Best wishes,
Christina
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Rusty item [16]
Hey Guys,
When we arrived in Busan, South Korea, no one really knew what to expect. I guess South Korea is just not a country that I knew a lot about. Unfortunately, our boat was docked about an hour outside of the city and so we had to take buses and subways just to get into Busan. That didn�t really bother me though because I decided to leave and travel around the country the whole time we were there.
The first day I went out with my friends Lacey and Kyla and Rachel. We were trying to get plans set for our travels, but we also took time to have a traditional Korean meal. I don�t know if you have ever had Korean food, but if you have I just want to say that I�m sorry. The experience was a good one, but the food was not my style. They are big on raw fish in these Asian countries. As a matter of fact they are big on anything that looks or smells fishy. We were the only people in the restaurant, which actually looked more like a house. We sat on the floor and we didn�t order anything we just waited while she started bringing out dish after dish. Every time she brought out another load we were sure that was the last course, but they just kept on comin�. It would have been one thing if it was pizza or something good, but I could count on one finger the amount of it that I actually thought tasted good. Oh, I tried pretty much everything, but I wouldn�t exactly say I�ll be serving Korean for my next dinner party. One other funny thing about the meal and then I�ll move on to bigger and better things. When she brought out one of the courses, she was trying to explain to us how to mix everything together. Finally, she decided to just do it for us and she started to mix all kinds of stuff together in a bowl in front of me. She kinda motioned for me to try it. I was hesitant to do so, and I guess I was a little slow on the draw because she just picked up the spoon, filled it with food and stuck it right in my mouth. Then she put the spoon right in a bowl of mystery soup and stuck that right in my mouth too. I tried to smile and luckily it didn�t taste too bad, but once she left we all just died laughing. It was pretty funny.
We took the all night ferry to Jeju island, which we had heard was the Hawaii of Korea. That didn�t turn out to be exactly true, but we still had a nice time. The ferry ride was not one that I would like to take again. We bought the cheapest ticket, which reserved us a spot on the floor in a room of about 100 Korean people. Somehow that didn�t look too appealing to us and so we put our stuff in a room that some other SASers had reserved and we slept on couches in the lounge. However, we were joined by a group of high school aged Korean girls who had gotten drunk and were also getting seasick. They proceeded to puke all over the floor and themselves all night long. It wasn�t too bad though and I did get some sleep before our 6:30 a.m. arrival. Once we were on the island, we went south and spent a day and a half bumming around on the southern coast. We went to see a waterfall, but it was a bit too touristy for our taste. We walked along the coast and looked out over the small islands just off the shore. We went to a really fancy resort hotel for dinner and a volcano light show that was pretty cool, but we decided that 500 dollars!! a night was a little steep for a room and went back to our little Korean hotel where we were paying 20 dollars a piece. Jeju was really pretty and we had a nice time, but we didn�t need a whole lot of time there. If I ever go back there are a couple of things I would like to do, but it was a little hard to plan things at the time.
We left on the evening of our second day on a flight to Seoul, which is the capital of South Korea. Rachel had gone to Seoul on an earlier flight and so it was just Lacey, Kyla, and myself. We wandered around for a while and then we went to Pizza Hut. I am all about cultural experiences and all, but I was tired of paying for food that I didn�t like. When it comes to food, America just does it right. A man showed us to the hotel we wanted to check into and also the hotel where we were supposed to meet the next day for our tour to the Demilitarized Zone. We checked into our hotel and walked around Seoul for a while. Seoul is a really cool city.
The next day we walked to the Lotte hotel and boarded a bus for our tour of the DMZ. It was us, a German and a bunch of Japanese people. There was a Japanese guide and an English speaking guide, but the English speaking guide was a little hard to understand. The tour was really cool. We went to an observatory where we could look out over the Demilitarized Zone. We could also look right across at North Korea. A quick history lesson is probably a good idea here. The Demilitarized Zone is an area between North and South Korea that was designated as an area where no hostile troops can be. The demarcation line which runs along the 38th parallel is the border between the two countries and it lies in the middle of the DMZ. Anyway, after we went to the observatory we went on into a United Nations military base. It was really cool because there were a lot of U.S. military troops there. We ate lunch at the base and it was really good. It was funny because U.S. Mtv was playing on a big screen and ESPN was on another tv. It was a little strange to watch that in South Korea.
After that we boarded a military bus with a guard to go the rest of the way in. We went all of the way into the DMZ right up to the place where the demarcation line runs through. We had a dress code and we had to be careful what motions we made because we were right in front of North Korean buildings. I even had to sign a form that waved them of responsibility for injury or death. Anyway when we got to the place where the demarcation line runs we went into a building guarded by South Koreans who were staring right across at the North Korean side. We went into the building where they have diplomatic meetings between the two countries and I stepped onto the North Korean side to have my picture taken beside a South Korean guard. So, basically I was in North Korea. I got a picture of a North Korean guard, and it was all around pretty darn cool. On the way back we had a pretty funny experience. I had become pretty good friends with our Korean English speaking guide and while we were driving back he was talking into the microphone and I made a comment that was an inside joke between the two of us and he started laughing. I cracked him up so good that he couldn�t keep talking. He was trying so hard to keep his composure, but it took him a few minutes before he could finish his speech. It was really funny.
That night when we got back from our tour we went to a show called �Cookin� Nanta.� It was kinda like a Korean version of �Stomp,� except they used knives and other cooking utensils to make the beats. The show was really great. If you are ever in South Korea it is a must see. After that, we ran into a Canadian guy who recommended that we go to this bar that he knew of where a band was playing. We went and it was really cool. The band was a couple of Canadians, a German, and a guy from Oklahoma. Go figure. Anyway there were a few GI�s in the bar and we had a fun time hanging out there. I ran into a girl from Canada who was there teaching English and making really good money.
The next day we slept in and headed back to the Busan on a train. We spent a little time in Busan and then headed back to the ship for on-ship time. I had to stop off for a French Baguette on the way. I have grown to love those. Anyway the next morning we shoved off for Osaka, Japan. That�s the news for now, stay tuned for more if we don�t capsize or something. Just kidding, mom. I will see you all soon, but not too soon. I am not quite ready for my journey to be over yet.
Love,
Rusty
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Phillip V item [17]
Yesterday I went to school with Jason and Sharon, the 15 yr old and 18 yr old kids here. It was fun! They go to a Foreign School in Korea...it's a private Christian English speaking school. It was so strange to be walking through the halls and hear conversation in perfect English among the kids. It was almost exactly like home except that most of the kids were Korean (Korean American). I went to an art class, a math class and then a PE class were they were being tested in TaeKwonDo. The teacher had us talk a little bit about Semester At Sea. Then we had lunch and were off into the city. I saw Lon Garwood's Office. They distribute clothing for companies like Liz Clairborne, Russ, DKNY, etc....It's called PBMS. The website is http://www.pbms.biz/ You should check it out..
Last night I went to a Jazz bar...had a virgin Pina Colada and saw a fantastic Jazz group. The club was underground. There were two younger Korean boys on the drums and upright bass, a female pianist, a saxophonist, and then two different female vocalists.. They sang American jazz songs (I don't know if there are any Korean Jazz songs..) like Summertime, and a bunch of others. The group was so good! Really clean sound. There were only about 10 people in this place, too. It was soo cool. The club was recommended out of this big Korean Guide book that we had. It was listed as the first Jazz club in Korea. And when I asked a waitress who the two singers were she said the first lady was the owner of the club! She was the first Jazz singer in all of Korea! It was a fantastic show. We had to leave early to catch the last subway back home, where we wandered the neighborhoods for about an hour trying to find the house. We finally called at about 1am and Ji Young (the mom of the house) drove out and picked us up. It was frustrating being lost.
Ok! I'm going out into the city today! I love you all!