Well I have just left South Korea, leaving my good friend Won and his wonderful family behind. It has been a fascinating five days. Living with Won and travelling around mainly on public transport has provided much insight into the Korean culture. SAT: Arriving There As I came off the aircraft, a blast of cold air caught me just at the doorway. Won had warned me that it can get cold in Korea. I just got an idea of how cold, and I was not dressed for it. In fact, on my first day there it was the coldest day that winter and clocked in at minus 5 celcius. It got down to minus 9 degrees later. Fortunately I had heeded the warnings of my friends and carried warmer gear in my backpack. Won met me at the gate and together with his Uncle and Dad's girlfriend, we drove the long drive back to Won's house. I dozed a few times during this drive, still trying to catch up on my shut-eye. It was a long drive through heavy traffic - something that does not seem to ease greatly in Seoul. Traffic continues flowing solidly every day of the week until early the next morning and starts up again the next day well before dawn. Even during the "off" periods there is a substantial number of cars on the roads. You never feel alone in Seoul. And we were certainly not alone, stuck in heavy traffic. Housing Won's house is situated on the sixth floor of a large highrise building that contains four such houses per floor. It was a new building so there were many new features. Video door bell, remote control door lock, automatic lights, electronic entry doors, and other such items. It was a gadget paradise. The house was centrally heated, with a narrow balcony section separating the heated house from the cold outside. With the central heating we only needed light summer clothes inside. This allowed for a comfortable place to hide from the freezing weather outside. Dinner with the Family That night I was taken out for a traditional Korean meal at a newly opened restaurant. Here we sat on the floor around the table, careful to take our shoes off before entering the establishment, and were inundated with multitudes of bowls and plates. Each one containing something different although we all had our own collection of bowls too. On the menu was Duck and Kimchi, a lovely spicy cabbage served with almost everything. As we started devouring this, another dish appeared on the table which after much prodding, I discovered was dog. A distinctive meat with its own flavour, it is easy to see why so many like it. To eat our meal, we were served with Soju, a traditional drink poured into shot glasses and carrying a lot of punch. I tried everything on the table, both food and drinks, much to the surprise of my new Korean friends. Public Baths After dinner we all head off to some public baths. I was surprised to find them on the 6th floor of a high-rise building. In this place the women go to the floor below and the men to the floor above. Given a locker, you leave all of your clothes behind and go to the baths floor completely naked. On this floor there are many pools of water, heated to various levels from almost ice to very very hot. Before sitting in one of these baths we must first shower. It was during this showering process that I discovered how much one of my new Korean friends liked me. Sidling up beside me, he slipped his hand into mine. Shocked at first, I realised that there was noThere were several shows of affection including washing my back for me, holding my hand, and then hugging me - while still naked. I was assured that this was actually normal behaviour for many in Korea, although it did little to comfort me at the time. The next new experience was what Won called a massage. It involved lying on a waterproof bed while a professional proceeded to rub the dead skin off your body - everywhere. Providing a massage through their methods of removing the skin, it became a very personal event, treated very professionally. The rubbing of the skin was hard and bordering on painful at times, but afterwards I felt very very clean. After this we headed down to a communal floor where all the boys wore blue pjamas and all the girls wore pink. This was the sauna section where each sauna was a different heat and all were shaped as igloos. The hotest one had strong red lights inside, intensifying the feel of the heat, while the coolest had bright white/blue lights and crystal walls which looked like ice to give the impression of coolness - and it was too. Large pipes covered in ice surrounded the inside of this igloo, taking the temperature down to only 24 degrees C. SUN: Yonggi Cho's Church One of the largest churches in the world, Won and I head off to check it out. The first thing that impresses me, other than the massive size of the building, and I am later to discover not one building but many high-rises are also part of the church, taking up almost the entire city block. Entering the church an usher moves us along to another usher, to another usher, to... well to a multitude of them actually. Enough to be every two to three metres apart around the church. Not only are there gallons of ushers, but when communion is taken there are also hundreds of deacons who give it out to the people. And people... there are lots of those. The sanctuary, as it is called, seats thousands of people and is filled over eight times every Sunday. An impressive church indeed. Snowing Just as we are about to go to bed, Hannah, Won's sister comes in and tells us it is snowing outside. We both race outside into the freezing cold and search the skies for snow. None. We search the ground for snow. None. We look at each other quizzically, when suddenly a tiny snowflake falls between us. As we look into the night air we start to see teensy tiny little flakes of snow falling. MON: We wake to discover a thick blanket of snow covering everything. I am amazed at the transformation of the landscapes. The snow makes everything look pretty. It also hides the colours that were there before, making everything white. I don't mind. This is my first ever snow (other than skiing in mountains where it is supposed to snow). I love it. Everland Won, Hannah and I head off today for a local fun park called Everland. Hannah had three free tickets that gave us unlimited free access to all of the rides. Over the course of the day we find our way onto every single ride they had available and open to us. We even tried some of the kiddie rides but the carts were too small. From the ferris wheel to the bumper cars, from rollercoasters to merry-go-rounds, from whirligigs to boat rides, we did them all. And what a fun time it was. We ran and laughed and played around as though we were 10 years old. It was lots of fun doing so much together. Karaoke Afterwards we head off for dinner at another yummy local restaurant. During our meal Hannah gets a phone call. It is her dad asking us to join them at the pub around the corner. Well, not really a pub, but it served beer at least. We leave our 4th floor restaurant and walk around the corner. No one knows where this pub is but the prolific signage of all the businesses up the side of the buildings helps us locate it quickly. It is on the 2nd floor that we meet up with the rest of the family. After everyone finishes their drinks we head out to a karaoke establishment. Late at night, it seems we are the only ones there, and are assigned a private room where we can sing to our hearts content. It is 2am when we leave and although I suspect all are intoxicated we still drive home. TUE: Korean Folk Villiage An area of town built as the old folk villiages used to be, this provides an interesting and accurate picture of earlier Korean life. Many people live there during the day, performing every task in the old ways. We saw people cooking, thatching roofs, making pottery, and writing papers. A very interesting place. The most startling discovery while I was there was the ice that covered the running stream and all pools of water nearby. I had never seen a lake or river freeze over. This was amazing to see. It also reminded me of how cold it had been the last few days. WED: Gyeongbokgung Palace This is an old palace that has been destroyed many times during wars and rebuilt each time. The current version is not quite complete but displays all of the most important structures. Looking around the place reveals that most of the buildings are very similar in structure both outside and inside. They are intricately decorated and strongly built, with a high rock or sandstone base. We soon discover the most interesting aspect of this palace is the gardens. Old gnarly trees twist and turn in every direction. Ponds are freezing over and reflecting the sky on their still waters that remain. Artists abound, painting from many different viewpoints, their own interpretation of what they see. This was the highlight for us. Folk Museum Similar to the Folk Villiage in information, we found ourselves moving through this quickly to the displays that contained new information. Some fascinating displays were present there showing the various rituals, fishing methods, and clothes of the early Koreans. Seoul Tower Just as Auckland has the Sky Tower, a tall needle-like building with revolving restaurants and observation decks, so too does Seoul have a Seoul Tower, situation on the top of a tall hill in the city. Having missed our opportunity to go there on Sunday with Won's dad, we decided now would be a good time to go. Within those few days the smog had crept in leaving us with a limited view of the city surrounding us, although it was still very pretty. A cable-car ride returned us to the bottom of the mountain again. The flu struck me today, possibly because of the constant changes between hot and cold environments, and by the time I crawled into bed that night I felt like I was hit by a train. THU: Movies and Shopping Although feeling better after a good nights sleep, I still felt roughed up with the flu. This day, although my last, was going to be an easy one. Won and I decide the movies would be a good way to spend the day and head off to the cinemas, located in a huge shopping centre. We wander around most of the shops, comparing our prices with that of the market place we visited only yesterday. Most prices were still competetive with Australian clothes prices but almost 6x more expensive than the market place. Mind you, the quality here was probably that much better too. I finally buy some steel chopsticks as a gift for Brodie and Keiko, and a Christmas tree for Won's family, who have been wonderful to me during my stay. I also find a camera store that will burn my digital photos to a CDROM so I can then take even more. After trying for my entire time here, this is the first shop I found that would do this for me. The movie, shown in English with Korean subtitles, was an anti-climax and both Won and myself wondered what it was all about. After it finished we waited over 30 minutes for our bus but nothing arrived. For Seoul, this is very rare since most buses arrive every 5mins, and we were in a hurry to get home, so we needed to do something fast. A taxi who was craftily waiting at the bus stop provided our transport to where there was a bus we could use. Korean BBQ Dinner It was my last night in Korea, so the family got together again and we went out for another meal. I was still feeling the effects of the flu, so was not eating a lot just yet. The meal we had, a scrumptious BBQ cooked on our table before us, was very big and I was sorry that I could not eat more than I did. Cooked on red hot coals that are placed inside our table, the raw meat quickly browns. You then wrap it in a leaf of lettuce with some favourite sauces, garlic, and anything else that looks interesting. This is the meal. You can also eat each piece individually too, although that is not as fun. The meal finished early and we all bundled back in the car for another destination. I was not aware yet that it would be home. On the way we drop one person off. Afterwards I discover they had gone home. Back at the house Won's dad decides to take us to the pub, but my friendly friend, Benji also returns home. Again I did not realise until too late, and did not say goodbye to him either. Fortunately the rest of the family came to the pub where we talked about all the things we had done and those things we wanted to do. I shared my deep gratitude with each one of them, telling of how much I appreciated all they did for me while there. It was a touching time and I was glad for the opportunity it provided. FRI: Flying Out I wake early to ensure I can get to the airport in time. There was a prediction of snow today which would slow the traffic to a crawl and lengthen my journey to the airport considerably. Won also wakes to see me off. He is going to tell my taxi driver that I want to be taken to the airport bus stop. Hannah had retired before I could say goodbye last night, so I was pleasantly surprised to discover she too was coming with Won to the taxi. Packed and ready, we all head to the taxi rank. It is very cold outside so I am not surprised when Hannah jumps into the front of the taxi to tell the driver where to go. It does surprise me when, after I have climbed in, Won climbs in after me and we all head off together. Won just informs me in the terse manner that I have become used to by now that they are coming with me to the bus terminal with me. The airport bus is already waiting when we arrive in the taxi, so I only have time for quick goodbyes. I thank Won profusely for the great time we had together and hug them both goodbye. Once upon the bus I find it easy to sleep as we journey on toward the airport. No snow had fallen yet so my journey is quick, getting me there three hours before my flight. Alas, my time in Korea was now over. KOREA - SOME REFLECTIONS The Cities One of the first things I noticed from the plane was not one particular city, busting at the seams, but rather clusters of smaller looking cities. All of these combined seemed to make up Seoul, although they each have their own name and are seen as different cities by the Koreans. Between each of these cities lies vast areas of farming land with lots of little farms upon them. These stretches of land can also be seen from the road when driving between cities in some places. Other connections between cities are almost seamless and it is hard to tell when you are passing from one city to the other. In the main centres of each of these cities, the layout is highly planned and very structured. Everything has its place and there seems to be a place for everything. Streets are layed out in grid fashion and there are distinct shopping areas also. Leaving the main centres changes the structure of the buildings completely. Out here the development on the edges is totally adhoc. This leads to some confusing structures with farms, industrial, shops, wholesale and repairers all running next to each other in no particular order. These areas are mostly third world in appearance with much mess surrounding them. A total contrast to the cities. The Houses Within the bounds of every city lies a number of clusters of housing. These housing estates actually go up rather than out. Most are units in a high-rise building. Each building looks identical except for some large numbers painted on the end of them. A cluster could have up to ten buildings, and a city could have upward of ten of these clusters. The inside of these buildings are similar to Won's apartment which I described above. The dining room in Won's house had a table and chairs although this is not always the case. In the living room we sat comfortably on the floor on seating mats. Each bedroom had the normal (for me) bed and cupboards for clothes. The Food All of the food has no sugars in it and always seemed to be spicy. The same sort of foods are served for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Rice or noodles, as with all of Asia, are staples. Each meal is served in many small bowls that contain each item of what is often to be consumed in whole. This allows you to take as much or as little of each item that you want. Kimchi, as described above, is almost always served with every meal, as are many popular sauces. The People The people of Korea are very kind and lovely. I had read in my guidebook about strong attitudes and undesirable behaviours of the people yet found none of it while there. People mainly kept to themselves in public, but when approached with a smile they almost invariably smiled back. They were polite and friendly toward me in all of my experiences. With each other they are also friendly. Girls hold hands or walk with their arm around each other chatting as they go. Men seem more withheld in their attitudes to each other, but as I discovered with Benji, this is not true when in less public places. My thoughts Korea is a land of amazing sights. From the raggety outskirts of the cities to venders with their wares on the corner of country roads, from flashing neon lights climbing the height of every building on the block to old palaces and villiages, from scattered country farms to highly structured cities the sights just never seem to end. It is a land of fantastic food. I loved everything provided to me, and the spicy breakfasts were also a nice way to start the day. I loved how there was always a shop to suit your needs only a short walk from home. And I loved spending time with a group of wonderful people, learning about their culture. Korea is a great place. I loved visiting it and could have spent much more time there if it was available. Like so many other places in Asia, it has won a place in my heart and is on my list of places where I would love to return and explore more. Highly recommended. Next stop is Japan (via Hong Kong).