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Travel to Korea

  Korea had been one of country where I wanted to go for a long time. I’d like to see ceramics from Li dynasty. Korea has long history. I was very interested in their traditional culture and their life style too. Also Korea has so many old temples like Kyoto in Japan. I wanted to go there too. Fortunately I have friend in Korea. He helped me a lot. Thanks!!

If you ask me what about Korea, I could say “ It is very difficult to travel alone for young girl”. There were no women going to the restaurant, bar or cafe alone. When I entered, everybody stared at me. It was pretty embarrassing and uncomfortable too. But I was brave enough. I went to the restaurants and cafe alone.

  Accommodation, I found it by internet. That’s terrible. I had same experience when I booked a Hotel in Hong Kong. Their pictures are only for reference. Not real. We have to know that. Anyway I stayed there for 4 days. The room was very small and dirty. I was not sure when they cleaned up this room last time was. Also seat I didn’t think they washed. Bath room was set up with small shower, seemed like floor was sunk in water.

  I hadn’t used it ever then. One night is Korean w25000-. Even I considered that price, it was pretty bad. After I moved in other hotel, they gave me pretty big room with perfect bathroom, TV was set up with.

  Anyway that hotel, dirty one was located close to Angok subway station. Also it’s close to palace. It was pretty convenient for my sightseeing. When I arrived at Soul air port, I took express bus to town. A guy, who sat next to me was so kind. He told me about town also he took me to my friend. I had no idea how to used pay phone in Korea. He called my friend instead of me….. Thanks. Then my friend came to pick me up. He took me Korean Sukiyaki restaurant. Then he took me that hotel. I was tired. I wanted to take bath. But I could not. Other customers were pretty noisy. I woke up very early on next day. I wanted to take bath. I wanted to take bath. So I grabbed my small pouch with me, then I was going out of hotel to find out paid bath in Korea. Everything what I needed were in transparent bag like shampoo and soap and so on. First I started to ask people “ where is Sauna bath.” I did not know other word to express paid bath in Korea. But everybody said there were no sauna around here. I didn’t give up. I walked around the town. I saw couple of sign which was same as Japanese mark of Paid bath. But they had also “motel” sign too. Seemed something different. Finally I got a lady who was cleaning up the door at small shop. I asked her the place of paid bath within English and Japanese. She goes, No No for a while. Then she notice my small pouch. Then she acted like washing face to me. I said “Yes. Yes”. I nodded too. Then the lady started to say “Mokuyontan”. I don’t know Mokuyontan. But I repeated to say that. Then finally she grabbed my arm and took me to the bath 10meters away from where she worked.

Bath didn’t seem much difference between Kyoto’s paid bath. There were big hot water bath, middle side of water bath and steamed sauna. I was so satisfied. The cost was Korean w3000-.

I was so happy. Finally I soaked into the bath. I was hungry. I found very nice bakery on the way to finding bath. So I got fresh bread there. There was a very small grocery on the corner of hotel street. They had small parasol and chairs outside. I got coffee there and ate bread. The good thing about that hotel is really close to the palace. I had very nice view while having breakfast. (You cannot see anything from Hotel’s windows.)

To go to the villa, just walk along the street. But I like to explore new street. I was stuck at very small maize. Anyway I could ask the way to someone. So no problem. What I was surprised was there were so many soldiers around. We have never seen that in Japan. So I was pretty surprised. Time went by, it’s lunch time. Unfortunately there were so many restaurant with only Korean. I could not understand them at all. Well well well….. But I found Chinese sign. I jumped in there. But menu was written by Korean. Every body had something looks very hot….. Everybody stared at me….. I tried to tell them that I just liked to have noodle with out Kimuchi. English, Japanese, Body language……. I got nice Chinese noodle as w3000-. So happy

National Folk Museum was very good to go. If you are interested in Korean culture or Korean life style, they have very good information about those. They displayed Korean traditional costumes, old houses and wedding ceremony so on. It’s very understandable without instruction. (Korean instruction, off course I could not read.)

Nandaimon market opens almost 24 hours. Afternoon to night, tourists come here. Midnight, merchants come here to buy their merchandises. That’s why things are reasonable and always people are there. I spent half day here. Then I had dinner at street restaurant here. They have pretty much varied of menu. I ate steamed mule , fried octopus, barbecued chicken, and fried vegetables. Also we got 2 bottle of beer and on bottle of Local Sojyu. The costs could have been around w30000-40000 for 2 people. I recommend you that if you can not understand Korean, you’d better go with Korean friends. Actually Korean local cuisine are very reasonable and tasty. But most of them are not able to understand English. At least you should know the name of dishes what you want to eat. In the street restaurant, yes, body language works. But they do not price on. This place, when you shop, you can negotiate prices too. That I like.

If you have guide book, you should read that about Tondemon and Nandaemon. If you are interested in Korean traditional costume, you should go to Hyendai Department store in Tondaemon. There is formal costume department at 7^th floor. Most of sales associate wear traditional costume. It’s absolutely free to see.

Day time, I was busy for sight seeing, at night, I was busy for taking bath. I found very nice paid bath close to the hotel. There is small street beside Gus shop in front of the palace. Go down that small street, there is world center. Under ground of that world center, there is a paid bath. It is different from each single bath. But most baths changed price at night. Like day time w3000-, at night, 3500-. This bath has real sauna attached exchange room. Off course there is a steamed sauna in the bath too. And this could be typical Korean bath compare to Japanese’. Both men’s bath and women’s bath, there are massage man and lady in the bath. When you pay additional money, you can get massage or they wash full of your body. If you get both, you must feel like King or Princess. The costs could be w20000-30000. It depends on each bath. Additional information. Maybe those massager could almost live here. You smell like food in the bath. They speak only Korean. When you get massage, you must be fully naked for sure. You must be on the bed like right before cooked fish.

One day my friend took me to the border. We didn’t go Panmonten such as famous as movie JSA. You can take only Korean tour to go there. It must be booked. There is an observation hill and a small park. Even we see the view across the river, we didn’t see any people beside soldier. But close to border, security must be very strict. When we stopped the car a bit moment, still security chased us with loud announcement. We parked at huge park lots. Then we have to take bus to go up to observation place. Civilian cars are not allowed to go in to the security area. In the park, there were a bell of peace, a train for peace and something related their hope as peace. I really hoped someday permanent peace comes between these 2 countries.

I met one guy from Finland at my first dirty accommodation. He complained me about how dirty that hotel was and so on. Also he mentioned that Korean people have eaten a dog. Sound like he looked down people who eat a dog. French eat snail, Chinese eat almost everything which has 4 legs beside chairs and tables. We eat a turtle too. Wherever we go, we see different culture and different life style. There are no right in the world. If we can not respect other culture or other people, traveling is totally meaningless. If you don’t want to eat a dog, just you don’t. No one force you to eat. If you do not know something, please do not criticize it before you know very well.

I met one old man at the coffee shop. He came to me for borrowing my map. Then he came to return it, he asked me if I was Japanese. I go, “yes.” Then he started to speak to me within very fluent Japanese. When he started to say “ 60 years ago, I went to Japan…..”. Before he said next word, I apologized him. I was very afraid if he went on that he was caught by Japanese military and they took him to Japan for compulsion work. I didn’t do that. But my people had done very bad thing to Korean. Maybe I had no reason to apologize him. But I am ashamed what we’d done to them in the past as I am Japanese. I feel very sorry to them as I am one of Japanese. Because always always victims were poor powerless civilians. What he said was totally out of my concern. He studied at Japanese university 60 years ago.

10 days were not enough at all to me. But I had been helped so many kind people in Korea. Even they don’t understand neither English nor Japanese, they tried to help me as much as possible. I appreciate them. So now time to World cup. Enjoy your own travel in Korea.