Howdy folks. It's Sunday morning here and also kodomo no hi, or kids day, here in Japan. It's basically a day to celebrate the little ones and yes, it is a nationally recognized holiday. Since it fell on Sunday this year, tomorrow will see a lot of businesses closing for the day. Tomorrow is also my first day back at work since having a week of vacation days, also known as Golden Week. I got back from Korea on Friday evening and it was a great experience for me. Let's take a stroll down memory lane, shall we?
I left for Seoul on Sunday, April 28th, via Korean Air from Fukuoka airport. This is super convenient for me because it's only a 2 hour train ride from Oita to Hakata station (in Fukuoka), and from there, a short 5 minute subway trip to the airport. I packed light, having bought a cheap duffel bag for my clothes and I checked in for my flight. The last time I went to Korea, back in 2009, it was an 11 hour flight from LA. It was a traumatic, turbulent flight to say the least, so I was beyond thrilled, seriously, to be flying back to Seoul with the flight time only being 1 hour and 10 minutes. I've never flown Korean Air before, but it was a pleasant experience. Even though it's such a short flight, it's still an international flight so you get an in-flight meal and free use of the entertainment system. I started watching Django Unchained, which I'd never seen, while eating a chicken sandwich. I was really into the movie but only halfway through it the Captain informs us we're preparing to land. I kinda wanted the flight to keep going so I could finish it, but I digress. When I got to Seoul, my friend Kelly was waiting for me and I was happy to see her. She helped me out with so many things for this trip, starting with renting an iphone so I could have a local number and maps on the go. I ended up renting an iphone 5 for 5 days and it only cost 10 usd dollars a day. My hotel was really nice, not five star or anything like that, but it was well good enough for me. The counter staff weren't the friendliest bunch, but I'll go more into that later. The room had two single beds (for whatever reason that was all I had available to book), a nice HD teacher and more than enough space for my stuff. After checking in, we went out to Itaewon, which is dubbed, "America in Seoul", due to it's large number or foreigners. I saw Taco Bell, and ran for it. I know that might sound weird, but I can't get TB where I'm at here in Japan and I wanted a taste of home. It delivered.
I was able to cram a lot of stuff into my trip which required a lot of walking. The shoes I brought weren't the most comfortable (I later found out), so I bought some shoes while in Korea. A necessary investment and I found out the hard way why everyone wears walking/jogging shoes in Seoul. I went to Seoul tower which provided beautiful views of the city. There was an awesome trail leading up to it that was quite scenic. I rode the subway...a lot, which is pretty much the preferred method of transport in the city. The T-money card, that you load up and swipe to get in the subway makes it easy and convenient. The driving in Seoul is totally insane, to the point where I can't even imagine doing it. The rules of the road seem more like suggestions than actual laws. Pedestrians...you do NOT have the right-a-way. I had some interesting meals; bibimbap, jjigae, toppoki, galbi, and various Korean foods. Visited Namdaemun market, which I can confidently say I'm not a fan of, due to the fact that half, if not more, of the stuff they sell is knock-off. I'm not into knock-off junk and it's basically a tourist trap. I visited the War Memorial of Korea, which was a fascinating experience. That place is huge and to see the names of everyone that passed is a sobering sight. Shopping in Myeong-dong was fun and there's no shortage of places to shop there. Ate some awesome pork by the Han River. Saw Iron Man 3 in 4D in Yongsan. The list goes on and on. It was a great trip. Oh, and for all my Monster fans out there, Korea sells them in the big, American-size cans. Wonderful.
My next post will be on my observations of the differences between Koreans and Japanese. Having spent a couple years here in Japan, I was able to notice these differences in a big way.
(blogger isn't uploading my pics at the moment, but I'll keep checking)
