What a lovely trip to Korea we have had.
For Keryn it has been wonderful to be back and fun to show Logan around. For Logan it has been great to put some places and faces to names and experience some of what Korea has to offer.
We have done some great hiking in Seoraksan National Park (even though it was POURING with rain one day), visited both Keryn and Julie`s old homes and neighbourhoods, met up with friends from 5 years ago, eaten delicious food, wandered around streets and markets and parks, and have enjoyed Korean life and hospitality.
Thank you Annika and Soyoon for a wonderful day in Busan – it was lovely to spend time with your family again. Thanks Christa and Arianne for a fun night in Changwon!!! 🙂
These are some of the experiences that are unique to Korea that we think are worth a mention. They are probably funnier if you have actually been to Korea but still interesting if you haven`t!
Food:
- Bibimbap – a delicious mix of vegetables, rice and special red pepper paste…so good!
- Part-bing-su – a sundae that comes with shaved ice on the bottom and then fruit, red beans and ice cream on top that you mix yourself…the red beans make it!
- Dok (rice) cakes – so many kinds, so many colours…you either love them or hate them!
- Pajeon – spring onion pancake…mmmmm!
- Side dishes – when you order food in Korea you also get side dishes. Sometimes it is just kimchi (the Korean staple of fermented spicy cabbage) but the best places give you all sorts of vegetables, tofu, beans etc…one meal Logan counted 53 dishes between 5 of us on our table!!!
- Cafes – you can get instant coffee etc out of vending machines pretty much anywhere in Korea but if you want something a little more than that you have to look up to at least the second floor where you can find lush cafes with comfy couches and blue florescent lights…fun!
- Hiking food stalls – if you hike the more popular trails you never have to worry about running out of food and water…on the top of the peak someone will be just waiting for you to need water, dried noodles, instant coffee – usually with some cute Korean music playing!!! It was definitely nice to hike some trails where we were on our own.
- Bondegi – boiled silk worm larvae…arghhhh that smell!
- Lotteria – Korea`s version of the golden arches…kimchi burger anyone???
Rooms and accommodation:
- Yeogwan – small family run motels…these are usually about $40 a night but range in swishness from a small room with a hard bed and a bathroom with only a loo, a shower hose and a drain to a huge room with a massive bed (with mirrors above?!), a fast computer with free Internet, big flat screen tv, and a fancy bathroom with a rain shower head (the best kind of shower!). They all have a small fridge with complementary “good for health” fibre drink and the people that run them are usually delightful!
- Jimjabang – a bathhouse with separate men and women sections where you can wash in pretty much any way you want…there are showers, concrete troughs filled with water, low shower heads that you sit at on a plastic stool, different temperature hot pools, massage tables to get a cupping procedure, saunas, and plastic bowls a-plenty to fill with water to throw on or at yourself. There are mirrors everywhere and if you are lucky a little Korean lady will come and scrub your back. In the changing room, there is lotion and powder to do with what you like, and a shoe-shine man for the men. A new experience for us both was to sleep at the Jimjabang on floor mats in a communal room wearing colour-coded pjs – all the women in pink, the men in blue!!! Funny!
- DVD bang – a room you hire to watch one of a vast selection of DVDs…just like watching a movie at home on the couch!
- PC bang – a smoky Internet joint filled with grown men playing noisy Internet games…and 2 foreigners updating their blog!
Hiking
- Korean trails go straight up and straight down – none of this zig zag malarchy!
- If it is steep, they just add in a rope to pull yourself up or metal stairs to get over the tricky sections.
- Exercise equipment along the way – lots of twisting and swinging machines mixed in with hula hoops and weights!
- It`s pouring with rain – that`s ok I`ll just hike this 6 hour trail with my umbrella!!!
- It`s 30 degrees but I don`t care, I`m still going to wear ALL my gear (gloves, hats, jackets – the works!).
The lists could go forever…so many funny things that make this place awesome!!!
