Seoul, South Korea

What's going on everybody?  I started this post from the airport in Seoul, South Korea and am finishing it on my flight to Thailand.  I have had a great time in Seoul (pronounced Soul) and am really glad I got to visit more than one country in Asia, because South Korea is much different than China.  Seoul wasn't as big as Shanghai or Beijing, but still has over 9 million people (Similar to NYC)  One of the big things to note is the amount of American influence in Seoul.  This stems from our involvement in the Korean War in the 1950s and we still have a huge military base there to keep an eye on North Korea.  Seoul is approximately 45 minutes from the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) between North and Korea Korea and we have upwards of 30,000 soldiers in the near vicinity.

There was some sort of miscommunication with the travel agent planning our trip.  There were a few mishaps, if you will, during the trip.  None were big enough to matter or derail the trip in the least bit, but it did cause our professor a headache or two.  He is an easy-going guy but he definitely went to bat for us when we got shafted on the first hotel.  Our original hotel wasn't the nicest place in the world and was right near the military base, the most Americanized part of Seoul.  I didn't fly halfway across the world to see Americans and eat American food.  Luckily we got everything taken care of on the first night and we never ended up staying the district.  Our actual hotel was fairly nice.  A dinner got mixed up one night and our tour guide had some communication problems but nevertheless, I had a great time. 

A view on the ride in from the airport

A quick time line of my note-worthy activities in Seoul

-Flew in from Beijing (About an hour and a half flight, all of which was spent asleep)

-Buffet dinner on night one (Not intended to be a buffet, but because of the mix-up, it was the best option)  Duck, beef, pollack (fish), octopus, tuna, salmon (Yes I know it is not pronounced sal-mon Kaysee, even if I have said it multiple times)  kim-chi (a traditional Korean dish that is okay, but very strange) among other things.  No Donkey's penis this time, that was a one time occurrence.... well, unless I see someone else doing it and get talked into it.  If someone told me to jump off a bridge would I do it, well no.  But if I saw someone eat Donkey's penis and they looked like they enjoyed it, then yeah I would probably eat it..... again. 

-A traditional Korean dance.  This originally wasn't even on our itinerary but with the mix up, we had already paid for a $75 buffet and this was included.  I have been to some nice buffets before, but I don't recall ever paying $75 for one so our group decided to get our money's worth out of the night.  (Although I would probably pay $100 for the Ten-Ten Chinese buffet in Raleigh if it ever resurfaced anywhere)  The performance lasted about an hour long and had about 7 or 8 different sets which mixed and matched people playing wind instruments, bongo like drums and some dancing and singing.  The people in the performance were like robots, there were many complex dances and synchronized movements between 3-15 people at any one time and they looked pretty damn good doing it.  I could only imagine the amount of training it took to do this show.  Some of the routines were very slow and others were pretty wild, with 15 drums going at one time, and guys doing flips everywhere.  Some guy was spinning a plate on the end of a stick, throwing it 25 feet in the air and then catching it on the stick, pretty impressive.  (But I'm sure Jordan Vance and Travis could do it with enough practice)  It ended up being really cool and at the end, out of about 50 people in the crowd, my friend Casey and I got taken onto stage to dance with them and beat a drum during one performance.  Cameras weren't allowed in the performance, but I think someone in our group snuck one in and got a picture of me, I will post it if I can get a hold of it. 

-The DMZ, which was the highlight of my trip to South Korea.  I go into much more detail below

-Eating a traditional Korean meal while sitting "Indian Style" on the ground.  My professor won't let his kids call it Indian Style because it is politically incorrect, his version is "Criss-Cross Applesauce".  Our group of 11 sat at a long, rectangular table with three things to cook goose on.  It was heated by coals and we put the goose into lettuce wraps with rice, garlic, a Korean sauce and eggs.  Seems strange, but it was great.  Also had kim-chi again, egg patties mixed with a few things, and octopus.  There were things hanging down from the ceiling to suck up the smoke and heat coming for the coals.   This was my favorite Korean meal.   

-Korean War memorial.  The group I went with got there a little late in the afternoon to visit the actual museum, but outside there were many planes, ships, and tanks that were used during the war.  There were explanations about what each was used for and you could even climb up on some of them.  There were plaques in memory of all the Americans who died in the war, divided up by their home state.  Like the Vietnam Memorial in Washington, D.C. going up and looking at the amount of lives that were lost is overwhelming.  Many of these people were my age or even younger.  It makes me appreciate my life and the opportunities I have.  60 years ago, I could have easily been in their position.

                                          The War Memorial and a View of the Seoul in the background

-A trip to a South Korean casino.  Believe it or not, South Koreans aren't allowed in, so it was only foreigners.  It was adjoined to a Hilton hotel and was fairly nice... not too big, but it still got the job done.  I met two Asian Americans in the military who were stationed in Seoul.  I picked their brains a little bit about the city and South Korean culture.  After losing a few bucks playing Blackjack at a $10 minimum table, I moved beside one of them them a few tables away.  After quite a few good stories, a couple laughs with a Chinese lady playing with us, and multiple obscenities directed at the deck of cards...... I walk away up $500.  Not a bad night.

-Staying up all night the last night in Seoul with my friend Jeff.  We hadn't really planned staying up all night, it just kind of came to that.  We started with an awesome Korean dinner with a few other people and next came a South Park episode at the hotel.  Then we went to a local park where at least a hundred people were playing music, kicking the soccer ball around, having a few beers and just hanging out.  Then we went to a Korean nightclub for a little bit, back to the hotel, back to the park where we met two guys from Denver..... Matt and Nick and their friend, Amarise.  It seemed like a good idea at the time to make a stop back at the club.  (Like the Chinese, Koreans have some pretty bad dance moves too, but they are awesome people to hang out with.  Guys dance in packs here and they loved Jeff and I.  And it was all American music, too.)  Before we knew it, it was 6:30 and light outside.  We caught breakfast at the hotel at 7:30 before heading to sleep.  There were people already awake eating and we caught a few looks walking into the dining room.  There is no telling what we looked like but by that point, I had been awake almost 24 hours and was only worried about the bad-ass omelet I was about to eat.  Luckily, I did catch a few hours of sleep before heading to the airport.  I should have checked out of my hotel room one night earlier and saved $100. 

From left to right... Lee (Korean guy), Timo (German, and Jeff

Me, Matt, Nick and Jeff.... Who loves cigarettes

Koreans Dancing

So a run-down of the DMZ and North Korea.  The Demilitarized Zone is a 4 km (About 2.5 miles... Why don't we use the metric system again?) zone that runs along the 38th parallel of the Korean peninsula.  This was set up in the treaty that ended the Korean War that split North and South Korea.  It is owned by neither country or the United Nations but there are a few natives who still live on the land.  This is a very tense area, with many patrol stations set up along it and many rules about where you can go and where you can take pictures.  There are tourist areas in the DMZ, but in order to get into it, our group had to switch to a special bus and show our passports before being allowed in.  There are roads that lead you into the DMZ, it isn't like a beaten path or anything.

                                                                                 In the video, I claim this is the DMZ, but this where the tunnel goes down and they show educational videos.... don't get the impression that this is where soldiers or the posts are.  This is the G rated version.

Our group was able to go into a tunnel built by the North Koreans that leads over to South Korea.  It was intended for a sneak attack into South Korea, but was never used.  It was discovered in the 1970s and a roller coaster like car was built that takes you down into it.  (Unlike the Great Wall toboggan, this one went really slow).  The section that is made for tourists to visit is about 200 yards long.  The ceiling ranged between 4 and 7 feet tall and the path was about 6 or 7 feet wide.  At some points of the tunnel you had to duck to avoid hitting your hit, which made it very awkward to walk through.  You are required to wear a hard hat to protect your head, and it came in handy for all of us.  At the end of the tunnel, I was less than 200 yards away from North Korea!  Maybe next time back, I will try to make it into the country.  After this, we went to a big observatory platform about 2 miles away that overlooks the DMZ and you can actually see North Korea.  They had the telescope thing (I'm drawing a blank on the official name) for 50 cents that allowed for a better look, but I could really only spot the North Korean flag as well as a few buildings and houses here and there.  Other than saying that I saw North Korea, it wasn't very exciting, but I can say I've seen it.  It wasn't a very populated area and didn't look any different than South Korea from the same viewpoint.  In both the tunnel and the observatory tower, pictures were prohibited in the exact places where you would want to take pictures.  A guy on the trip took a picture that wasn't allowed, and they made him delete a picture of a map that was inside a building.... if this gives you any indication of how strict they are. Here are the best pictures I could get of the area.

Right over the Wall is North Korea..... But no pictures past the yellow line

A post from South Korea looking over the DMZ and into North Korea

I know what went on in the Korean War, and had a vague idea of the ramifications and history of the DMZ, but being in the area was an experience.  There a few areas that are off-limits because of hidden land mines and there are a few fences with barbed wire, but there isn't this huge wall that divides North and South Korea, just a respected invisible line.  It is hard to describe the feeling and tension around the DMZ.  It is almost like being somewhere where sure, you were allowed in the area and nothing is going to go wrong if you don't break any rules.... but you just have a strange, uneasy feeling being there, like you're walking on thin ice.  In my last post, I talked about asking my Chinese tour guide about North Korea and that not being okay.  The South Koreans will talk about it like any normal conversation.  Something I never realized before going to South Korea, is that the vast majority of South Koreans like the North Korean people, and people from China and South Korea are allowed into North Korea under certain circumstances.  Our tour guide also talked about how many people had family members that had been separated after the war.  Some ended up in North Korea and others in South Korea.  She said she felt awful for the people, seeing that she had been to North Korea.  Many of the people there are malnourished and very unhealthy, while Kim Jong il is living the dream and drinking every day. It is politics and a few bad people that caused the separation, the people don't hate one another.  My tour guide told me that unifying North and South Korea would be the greatest day in Korea's history.   

After going to China and standing out like a sore thumb, (You know, if your sore thumb was asked to pose in pictures on a regular basis) I didn't know how the Koreans would act around us.  They go about their business like we don't exist.  Don't get me wrong, they were very nice people, but I would look at people walking by and they didn't even acknowledge my presence.  Their culture is very laid back, especially in comparison to the Chinese.  They are also a much more attractive group of people and they dress very nice in Seoul.  Clothes that don't make sense and horrible style isn't seen in South Korea.  There are well dressed and there were plenty of guys in suits walking around.  My friend Casey (Who is about 6'6) was disappointed that people wouldn't talk to him, but figured out that if you dress nice like them, they respond much better.... and he claims they did.  Although I tried the same thing and didn't get the same response, but I am only 5'10. (But I have dunked a basketball once in my life)  Korean people have a median income of about 20,000 and are a more sophisticated group of people.  Basically everyone has and iPod or something similar.  We were told that many people spoke English before arriving, but it was a struggle at times to communicate.

Understanding the City

• It felt even more safe in South Korea than in China.  It was okay to be out on the streets anywhere in Seoul at any hour of the day, and believe me, I tested the theory.  There is basically no crime in Seoul, and I only saw about 4 or 5 police in 3 and a half days there. 

• Seoul was a cool city to visit, but it was lacking on the tourist side.  The DMZ was cool, if you can call it a tourist attraction, but other than that, just experiencing everyday life was what I enjoyed the most.  We had a lot of free time to explore the city, which is sometimes the coolest thing to do in a new place.   

• Shanghai and Beijing were very spread out cities and had massive building after massive building, but with space between them.  Seoul had a couple areas where there were huge buildings, but there were many places were there 4 and 5 story buildings around and everything was connected to each other, especially on some of the side streets.   

• Because of all these side streets would curve and then connect with another side street, it was hard to find your way around the city, and I'm awful with directions anyway.  Luckily, my friend Jeff knew what he was doing.  In the words of my professor, Dr. Parker, "If you don't know where you are going or what you are doing, follow someone who looks like they know what they're doing."

• Seoul had the nicest subway system I have ever been to.  It is very clean, and the ride is very smooth.  

Most Asian countries eat with everything with chopsticks, although they use a spoon every once in awhile for liquids.  I am becoming pretty proficient with them, and won't use a fork for any meal.  Korean chopsticks are usually metal, smaller and easy to use..... In comparison with Chinese chopsticks that are usually wooden, longer, and sometimes a pain.  Some things are hard to eat, like slimy foods or long and skinny foods but most meals are pretty easy to eat once you get used to chopsticks.  Other than having two pieces of my roommate's pizza from Papa Johns that I didn't buy, I haven't had any American food.  Korean food is on average more spicier than Chinese food, but I enjoyed most everything I had.  I prefer Chinese food over Korean food, but that isn't a knock on Korean food, I prefer Chinese food over about anything.

My apologies if the post is a little long, but I had a 5 hour flight to Bangkok, and I really didn't have anything else to do.  Describing everything in a little more detail can't hurt.  I officially ordered my tickets for the US Open starting next Thursday, although my first round will be on Friday.  I'm off to Thailand now, and I hear it is a whole different animal there.  Stay tuned for my experiences in Thailand and my take on the Thai culture.  Thanks JHW3, for making all of my traveling possible.