So we finally made it to Korea, yay! It has been very eventful these past couple of days, and I've really enjoyed seeing where my dad has been living since Christmas. We left Japan around 9:00, and got here around 10:30 on Wednesday (its now Sunday). Wednesday we hung out, walking around base and getting a feel for things. Wednesday night we went to the Officers Club for a Mongolian Beef dinner, and it was yummy! You could make your own meal by choosing your meat and what to put in it, so naturally we had leftovers! Our eyes must be too large for our stomaches!
On Thursday, we had another relaxing day. I was able to sleep in, which was glorious! Later that day, my mom, Katie, and I went shopping in Songton, the city right outside of Osan Air Base. Man did we find deals! Shopping in Korea is how I would imagine bartering for goods was, way back when. Our main mission was to find purses, and mink blankets that everyone keeps raving about. The first purse store we stopped in, the guy was so pushy! There were Coach purses for $50, and he SO wanted me to purchase one! After that experience, trying to tell him no ten times and he not listening, I understood that you have to be pushy with the salespeople here. If you don't want something, you don't want something! And, when you want something, you ALWAYS have to lowball the price, by like 25000 won (1 US dollar = about 11,000 Korean won). That way, you can buy the product at a good price! At one of the other purse stores, we tried to go in but the door was locked. Then, a man appeared and ushered us inside. Once we were inside (and the door locked behind us) he opened a secret door behind a row of purses, with stairs leading down (we didn't really know what was going on, but we talked with one of the generals the night before, so I had my suspicions!) and the stairs led to the real purses, hidden away from the inspectors! There were like, 10 other people down there, so we were pretty confident that the purses were good quality. Just goes to show that you never know when something is as it seems!
Calling dad to send more money! :)
We shopped and shopped that day, and both my mom and Katie made purchases. My mom bought a Louis Vuitton purse and wallet, and Katie bought a Jimmy Choo :) We also bought some mink blankets, because after touching them, we understood just how soft they were! I also found a messenger bag that I liked, to hold my computer and be my "backpack" this summer in Spain!
After a successful day, we went back and hung out with dad and Matt, and then went to bed, preparing for an early morning - we were headed to Seoul the next day!
It was a LONG ride to Seoul the next day, by train of course. On the train, there was a woman carrying vegetables to a market (I'm assuming). There was also a man, almost like a street vender, selling a shammy cloth. I'd never seen that before, but I guess they could do OK as long as they're good salespeople! When we got to our destination station, we were in the heart of Seoul, the capitol of South Korea (also known as the Republic of Korea). We were headed to Gyeongbokgung Palace, where the king lived. On our way, we passed the US Embassy, and we also passed a TON of policemen! Since the incident in February when the Cheonan sank, tensions between North and South Korea have been heightened, and you can feel that there is still a war going on. Technically since the armistice, there has been a cease-fire, but the Korean War is still ongoing.
When we first go to the palace, there was a change of guard (we think) occurring. We're not exactly sure if that is what was happening, but it was a very intricate ceremony, and was very cool! The palace was amazing, we saw the throne room and many other buildings. The palace isn't what I would necessarily think the first time I heard the word "palace". Normally, I would associate that with palaces in England or France, very intricate and one large building, usually. However, this palace had many different buildings for different purposes, and was much more sprawling. On our tour, the woman showed us both the kings bedroom and the queens bedroom, and informed us that the concubines bedrooms were farther away. My sister, not knowing what concubines were, didn't catch on at first, until we told her about the mistresses! ;) Unlike England, if the queen couldn't produce and heir, she could adopt one of the concubine's sons as her own, and thus still remain queen. The king's mother also had quite a lot of power, and her own building in the palace. The only downside to being a queen or the king's mother? You could never leave the palace once you arrived. I don't know if I could do it!
Gyeonbokgung Palace
After touring Gyeonbokgung Palace, we walked around Seoul for a little while, and went to one of the major shopping districts, Myeong-dong. It was crowded! We were stopped by one of the advertising groups for the Korean soccer team playing in the World Cup, and voted on our favorite poster design. They also videotaped us cheering "Go, Korea, Go!" in Korean :) Very cool experience!
Cheering for Korea in the World Cup!
We stopped for lunch at a local restaurant and enjoyed the noodles, ramen to be exact. Not the cheap ramen from Cub Foods, either. Authentic, deliciousness. Mine even had octopus, but it was a little chewy for me!
After exploring the shopping area for a little while longer, we went to the Seoul Tower, so we could see all of Seoul. We had to take a tram to the tower, and at the base of the tower there was a martial arts demonstration. It was really interesting! After watching for a few weapons demonstrations, we ascended the tower. At the top, you could see all of Seoul! I think that Seoul is bigger than Tokyo, or at least thats how it appeared from the tower. High rises stretched for miles! A cool thing about the tower was that each windowpane had a city in that direction, and how far away it was. It even had Madrid on there! Naturally, I had to get a picture under it :) They even showed Anchorage, Alaska, so we took a family picture there! I have to say, the bathrooms in the tower were pretty fancy too, each sink was its own blown-glass bowl, and there was a vanity room and everything. The one thing I noticed from the tower was how every building was similar in appearance. If there was a cluster of 5 buildings, most of them would be alike. Who knows the reason, but it must be cheaper to build the same building over and over!
That's where I'm going! What a coincidence
Seoul Tower
After the Seoul Tower, we took a taxi to Itaewon, another shopping district. Here, there were venders all over selling octopus and squid on the street! I'm not sure if I would buy it as a snack haha.
EEewwww octopus (on the cart, the red thing in the bag)
After heading back to Songton, the city outside of base, we stopped at a local restaurant and one of dad's favorites for a bulgogi dinner. A bulgogi dinner is a traditional Korean dinner, with very thin meat as the main source of protein. I ordered chicken, and they cooked it right in front of us! To eat bulgogi, you take one of the bite sized pieces of chicken and dip it in soy sauce. You place this bite in a lettuce leaf, and then top it with an assortment of vegetables, whatever you want. You can have seaweed, bean sprouts, bamboo shoots, even kimchi (a pickled cabbage, like sauerkraut, very spicy and very good!). After you've topped it with everything you want, you roll the lettuce leaf up into a ball, and eat it in one bite. I rarely could eat it in one bite, usually I had to split it up into two, but it was still very tasty!
Bulgogi Dinner
It was a very successful day in Seoul, and I love this country! I think its becoming a common trend :) The next day we explored North Korea, and I'll have to dedicate a new post to that, because its a very interesting, and intense, journey.
Hasta luego!
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