Osaka, Dongdaemun, Insa-dong, Namsan

Let me just begin by saying: GEAUX TIGERS! And even the SAINTS! I might not get all the news up here of Louisiana excitement, but I do know that both teams won their season openers and I was definitely proud! Wooohoooo!!!

Well, as many of you know, I went to Osaka last week for my visa run. You cannot be in the same country for which you are applying for a work visa, so you have to go to the Embassy in another country and get it all taken care of. I ran into a guy I went through training with at the Osaka airport. We'd been on the same flight, and he's been in Seoul for 8 years. A veteran of the visa run - What luck! I found out from him, and then confirmed it once we reached the Korean Embassy, that it can no longer be done in one day. I had to buy a shirt and toothbrush, get a hotel, change my flight, etc. But I wasn't disappointed because I wanted some time to check out what Japan had to offer. You will be most intrigued to know that it was nearly impossible to find sushi. HELLO! This is the second largest city in this small island country-- you'd think they'd have it at every street corner, vending machine, and fast food restaurant. But no! I had to search high and low, and even then only found 2 restaurants. Japan is definitely expensive, and it is considered rude in Asian culture to go "dutch" -- one person is expected to pay for everyone at the table. Yowsa!

One of the funniest moments of the trip: After I discovered I wasn't leaving the same day, I went into the travel agent for Korean Airlines next door to the Embassy. I flew Asiana to get there, so I thought these guys might at least have a clue of the direction to point me in for a flight change. I walked in and looked at the 3 or 4 people sitting inside a semi-circle desk. I said, "Does anyone in here speak English?" and they all just sorta looked at me like I had three heads. I said, "Nope, no English. Alright, thanks!" and walked back out. As soon as I did, they all erupted into laughter. So did I. As my director told me once I returned, Japan is the least English-speaking country. Korea is second to it. (I'm sure this stat has something to do with developed nations though).

Anyway, overall a good trip. I have uploaded pics and will e-mail them shortly. For those of you who want to see them and do not get an invite, just lemmeno. Geoff also gave me the name of a school he recommends for taking a Korean class. Woohoo! I need to get started on the basics-- the little I know isn't enough to get me around, and my Korean-English dictionary can only last so long.

Once back in Seoul, I decided to meet Amy and check out Dongdaemun, which is supposed to be the hot place to shop. Boy was it! I imagine it's what Baton Rouge looks like post-Katrina. People were EVERYWHERE! Think Macy's on a sale day. Escalators were packed, 8 floors of people looking for bargains and gold. The real deals to be had are at the street vendors though-- the guys who set up tents are definitely the ones you can get a discount from. I know how to ask "How much?" in Korean, but I also know that they understand the English word "discount!" When I was a kid and my family would go down to Mexico, I used to get mad at my dad for paying people less than the first price out of their mouth. I said they were poor and they needed the money. The next time we went across the border, I was driving a harder bargain! The difference here is that these people have too much pride to chase you down the street to get you to buy their goods. They'll make a deal with you, and that's their final offer. Most seem pretty fair. I've learned that even marked prices here aren't the final one-- I went to the Carrefour, a supermarket type deal next door to my apartment, and the guy gave me a $34 clock for $25. Still overpriced, but I was glad to get $9 off.

So we bought a few gifts to send home and a few things for ourselves (don't expect these things to be mailed soon-- we don't get paychecks until October!). We had some yogurt and checked out what the stores had to offer. Then we went to catch the subway about 12:30 and we'd missed the last one. What a bummer! It would cost at least $20 each to get a cab to our respective homes! We decided to split a cab to her apartment since she had to teach in the morning, and I'd ride the subway when it opened. Deal! So I spent a night in Sanggye and it was very neighborhoody. There were flags strung from eaves of businesses, much like a parade. I liked it!

Sunday I had made plans to meet Brian at the subway stop at City Hall. We checked out the downtown-- there are palaces, skyscrapers, parks, and more! I really wanted to go to Insa-dong, which is a little section of true Korean cultural pieces and is known for their tea shops. It was a cute village-type area and each small store had authentic artsy items to offer. None of them were cheap, but so much of it was so cool. There were people cooking on the streets and an Irish festival of sorts (being part Scotch-Irish myself, I considered partaking in the beer!) going on. I took in what was there and plan on revisiting it after I get paid and for Christmas shopping! We had lunch at The Lime Tree-- club sandwiches for $5 was too good to pass up. (I'm converting all the money for you-- but it was 4,900won). I've wanted a club sandwich for a while, but the only ones I see are about $10 and I just think that's absurd, and it's probably not even that good. This one was! And a peach smoothie to boot- yum! (I am in desperate need of a blender here-- all the streetside vendors have fresh fruit!)

After lunch, Brian and I decided we'd attempt to hike to the top of Namsan Mountain. Of the pictures that I've shown you so far, you can see the "center point of the city" in some of them. That's the "needle," to borrow the mark from Seattle, of Seoul. That's Namsan Mountain! We were already tired when we decided to start this haul, but we trudged on nonetheless. Took a subway to Seoul Station and headed toward the Hilton (also a hotspot for foreigners to go and party, but it's expensive, so you pre-game with some soju and then head there to support Paris and her Simple Life-- ew!). We stopped at a convenience store and bought 2 beers and some Pringles. We needed motivation for the trip and some celebratory goodies! Brian had already been to this mountain in previous trips to Korea and he said it took about 40 or so minutes to get to the top. Not a long trip (the mountains here are rarely taller than 1200 meters, so about 400 feet I believe), but for a tired wuss and legs not used to steep mountains, it was a good challenge.

Apparently, we picked the perfect time of day to go. Though it was pretty hot and we were both drenched halfway to the top, the sun was just beginning to set, so my pictures are beautiful! There were a few places along the way to stop and take in the picturesque skyline. I loved it! I could've stayed there for hours. Oh, another point to note for those of us used to flatlands: People here, especially older ones, go into the mountains to work out. There is equipment built in to flat parts closer to the bottom so that the general public can use it. And so, on we went. At times, the steps looked like the freaking Great Wall of China and I didn't think it would ever end. They were small, steep, and went on and on and on.... Brian would say, "Here we are! We made it!" every few times we'd get a break. What an encouraging hiking buddy. But finally, we did get there. There was ice cream to buy, and even beer! There's a restaurant at the top (but you take the cable car up) and what a magnificent view it has! I walked around for several minutes just snapping away. I could see the stores of Dongdaemun, where Amy and I were the night before. I could see buildings I'd taken pictures of closer-up earlier that day. I could see everything! We broke out the beer and pringles and sat around just looking at the city for a while. The sun was down and the mosquitos were coming out, so we began the much easier trip down, but not before stopping to take pictures of everything lit up at night. Ahhh! I love cities! You could see the mountains surrounding all the big buildings, you could see what Brian and I call Korea's Old Faithful (just some water spouting up as high as apartment complexes) from where we stood. Great sights, great times.

Copyright 2005 Olivia R. Reed