South Korea

What a difference one week makes!  Our experience in South Korea is like night and day compared to Japan. The bulk of Japan was sightseeing and wandering around the big cities by ourselves with no one around to explain to us the significance of what we are seeing, eating, hearing, etc.  We feel incredibly fortunate to have been graciously taken in by Tom and Gabi, thanks to an old friend and colleague from Kehoe, Emily! Emily connected us prior to starting our travels and Tom and Gabi welcomed us into their home in Seoul for the week.  Gabi is native to South Korea and her husband, Tom, is from England.  The two of them made our experience of South Korea exponentially more enjoyable and fulfilling.  Thanks to you both!!

When we arrived we hopped on a train into the city--to the neighborhood of Iteawon, an area close to the US military base and a huge melting pot of foreigners living in Seoul.  Upon stepping out of the subway station, we recognized a handful of extreme difference between Tokyo and Seoul--the sound of lighthearted chatter and emotionally charged arguments between taxi drivers, a Kaleidiscope of colors and unique styles of clothing, the exotic smells of Turkish, Indian, Korean, Italian food (and Taco Bell) hit us at every corner.  Seoul may be dirtier than Tokyo, but the value that is placed on artistic expression, individuality and diversity more than make up for what Tokyo seemed to lack.

We again made sure to hit some of the major tourist hot spots throughout our first few days in South Korea.  We visited the War Museum of Korea and a handful of temples.  We took a beautiful morning run up to the N. Seoul Tower to catch 360-degree views over the massive city. We hiked in the Bukhansan mountains on a trail that dropped us at the foot of the very unique and traditional Bukchon Hanok viillage.  Besides a few drops of rain the first day, we had the most perfect weather--mid/high 70s and sunny all week.  I don't know about the rest of the year, but September in South Korea cannot be beat!  Although we enjoyed seeing the sites that Seoul had to offer, what truly made our experience memorable was our time spent experiencing the culture of South Korea and getting to know Tom and Gabi along with their friends.

We caught a train to the outskirts of Seoul one afternoon and visited the horse races.  The experience was very similar to going to the races in the US, but it gave us the opportunity to relax and enjoy the time with a group with people living in South Korea.  That night, Tom and Gabi took us to a local Korean BBQ and showed us what a proper Korean BBQ was like.  Absolutely delicious!  We returned the favor later in the week by cooking them a gourmet meal of spaghetti, garlic toast and salad--ok, not the most original, but you try making a meal in a new kitchen with a grocery store that is 90% unfamiliar items and all labelled in Korean!

Mid-week we visited the DMZ (demilitarized zone) at the border with North Korea. The tour was through the USO and provided an in depth history of the Korean War and the tension between the North and the South.  The tour brought us to a look out point that offered a sweeping view over the North Korean landscape. From this position, we could look down on "Freedom Village" in the south and "Propaganda Village" in the north.  These are the only two villages located within the 40km demilitarized band on either side of the border line.  The two villages are a very interesting concept--in the south, Freedom Village is filled with generations old families that are from the region even before the division of the north and south.  These families generally farm the surrounding land within the DMZ.  They are loaned the land to farm by the South Korean government and are free to keep all the earnings from their crops, their homes are built and funded by the government, the government pays for their children's education, they are exempt from taxes, and they are exempt from having to serve the mandatory two years of military service that South Korea requires (even so, every single able-bodied male from the community has volunteered the two years of service in the military).  A few stipulations though--they must be present in the village overnight for a minimum of 270 days of the year in order to maintain their status, women can marry into the village but men cannot (because of the military service exemption), they have to be inside the village by 10pm and inside their homes by midnight every single night.  The purpose of the village is as a statement to the North Koreans of what prosperity in a free country looks like. A daily reminder of what freedom from oppression can bring.

  

North Korea's answer to Freedom Village was a small village that is known by South Koreans as "Propaganda Village".  Mirroring Freedom Village just across the border, the town is made up of empty buildings that have doors and windows painted on.  There is rarely anyone in the village and the insides of most buildings have no floors (you can see a bright light shining down from the ceiling inside the building and it gets dimmer the closer you get to the ground away from the light source).  Loud speakers within the village pipe propaganda over the border for the inhabitants of Freedom Village to hear, coxing them to cross the border and defect into North Korea--hence the name.

The tour also brought us into one of the four narrow tunnels that North Korea dug under the DMZ to invade South Korea.  The commitment to years and years of labor and a huge amount of manpower these tunnels must have taken to dig...four times...is pretty commendable---but mostly just insane.

Our last stop was Conference Row - the area where the guards from each side face each other in a stance of intimidation and strength.  A series of buildings straddle the border line and guests are free to enter the buildings that act as a neutral zone where you can stand north of the border without getting shot.  What I never realized was that the Korean War never ended.  There was no winning or losing or agreement that the war was over...it was merely a cease fire. It's more clear to me now why the tensions are so high at this border--they literally hit pause 51 years ago and it seems that North Korea is eager to push play again at any moment.

We caught a bus the next day and took a three hour journey to the northeastern coastal region of Gangwon.  The bus wound through a mountain pass with hairpin turns and breathtaking views.  We instantly regretted not spending more time to hike and visit the hot springs in this beautiful area, but our time in the east was well spent doing a temple stay at a Zen Buddhist temple called Naksan-sa.  It was a challenging but fulfilling experience to live as the Buddhist monks do in an area where English speakers are few and far between.  

After touring the grounds and changing into the clothing that was provided for us, we attended an evening ceremony in one of the many temples on the property. Most of the time was spent with the monks singing the mantras and bowing prostrate towards the buddha.  Although I didn't participate in the activity, it was interesting to experience this form of Buddhism first hand and I found the time and the droan of the indeciferable mantras offered a peaceful setting for reflection about my own life and faith.  After the ceremony, we had time to meditate under the leadership of one of the monks.  The first 25 minutes or so was great.  The act of clearing your mind of stresses and worries about the world around you offered an incredible calm. So calming, in fact, that I fell asleep for the last 20 minutes. I'm sure everyone around me reached a whole new level of enlightenment from this experience...as I had drool running down my cheek.

After a 9:30 bedtime, we were woken at 3:00am for the morning ceremony.  Nope, not a typo--3AM!  I dragged myself to the temple barely awake and strategically placed my mat in the back corner of the temple behind a pole to remain as inconspicuous as possible.  As I started "meditating" with my eyes closed, a monk snuck up alongside me and swung a large mallet into the massive gong positioned four feet away from my ear. I NEARLY CRAPPED MYSELF!!

After all this, you know what our strangest experience of the stay was??  The one monk that spoke English on the whole complex asked Blair and I where we lived and what we did for a living.  In response to Blair's explanation that he was a nurse, the monk replied, "Oh, you're like Little Paukers!" At this, Blair and I exchange confused glances and he insists, "Like Greg Pauker!"  Then it clicked...this monk just called us Little Fockers.  Martha Focker.

All joking aside, the most impactful and memorable experience of our temple stay was the sunrise just a few hours later.  The temple grounds rested on a cliffside overlooking the East Sea.  Part of the agenda was to perform 108 bows while reciting the Defilements of Buddhism.  Generally, you would do these bowing towards the massive statue of Haesugwaneumsang (Bodhisattva of Mercy) or facing the Buddha statues within one of the temples.  After reviewing the 108 Defilements that largely mirror Christian prayers of repentance, gratitude and requests, Blair and I decided to spend the hour reflecting and praying over a tweaked version of these topics on the cliffside as the sun rose over the sea.  Connecting together through this experience was one of the more special moments of our relationship thus far, and the beauty that surrounded us was awe-inspiring.  Although I know that I didn't "do Buddhism" the right way while I was attending the temple stay, I found so much value in the experience, as it offered me a better understanding and respect of a belief system that has been very mysterious to me thus far.  It also provided me the time and state of mind to reconnect with my God and refocus on what is important in my life--something I have been in desperate need of for a long time now.

Japan

Our first two days in Kyoto were spent touring around a ton of temples, shrines and palaces. We rented bikes from our hostel, Piece Hostel, for $5 per day and they proved to be a very efficient way to see a huge amount of the city. We biked around for about 6 hours each day! The first day was really rainy, but it was so hot that biking in the rain wasn't bad at all. The second day was so ridiculously hot and humid that we were dripping with sweat just standing still. Of course, that's the day we decided to visit Fushimi Inari Shrine where we hiked the path up the sacred Mt. Inari honoring the Shinto god of rice with a thousand torii (orange arches).  It was a fun hike, but I'm pretty sure I have never been so hot in my entire life. 

 

Ceiling at Kenninji Temple

The temples and shrines were very cool to see and experience, but, as expected, were packed with tourists. I would say that some of our other experiences in Kyoto were more memorable. We've been trying to eat as authentic as possible to get a true understanding of the local flavor. With that has come multiple dining excursions without an English menu or anyone who speaks English (I'm amazed by how few people speak any English here...I expected that in more exotic locations, but Japan, really??). Each time has been challenging, hilarious,  and has reaffirmed that the Japanese are incredibly kind and helpful people, regardless of the language barrier!  We have felt totally safe here, and the people are pretty much indifferent to us--no spite or awe, just indifference. We love that, because we can just go about our business without feeling judged. 

We are finding that backpackers are scarce in Japan, I assume because it is so freaking expensive here (glad we are only here for a week)!  The hostel we stayed at was booked solid, but there was no sense of camaraderie between fellow travelers. That was a bit disappointing, but we know we will connect with other travelers in more backpacker heavy countries. The second place we stayed was an airbnb place right in the heart of an AWESOME section of the city, Gion. The area is iconic traditional Japan filled with nondescript bars, restaurants and steakhouses. It's where the richies wine and dine and geisha girls come out at dusk. It was so beautiful walking around the area at night with the warm lights spilling through the traditional slatted windows of the Japanese buildings onto the narrow cobblestone streets.  The dimly lit streets with lights reflecting off the wet stone streets created an almost mystical feeling in the old neighborhood...like thousands of years of secrets were hidden within the walls.  We walked through again during the day, and although still cool, the mysteriousness of the place had vanished with the sun.

 

The place we stayed was huge and cheap...it wasn't until we heard someone trying to get in the front door at 10pm the second night that we learned that the host had sent us directions to the wrong property! We were supposed to be in a tiny studio apartment in a worse area, instead we were sent to his two bedroom place in the best area of Kyoto that cost 3x what we paid! He let us stay that night and put the intended tenants up in a hotel for the night for his mistake. Bummer for them, great for us!!  We were pretty freaked out when the people were trying to get into the place, though!

Our last night in Kyoto we went to a sentō, a public bath house. We were both hesitant about it because we had to split up...men on one side and women on the other. There are tons of cultural rules that go into the process and I was sure I was going mess it up and piss some old Japanese lady off. We went anyways--because this is a trip about experiences and going out of our comfort zone. When in Rome, right?!

I walked in and realized that we hadn't brought anything we needed--towels, washing supplies, etc. After a small panic attack, I noticed two Japanese girls around my age who came in about the same time as me. I thought to myself, "I'll just stall and discretely copy everything they do...maybe they won't notice!" I rent a towel and awkwardly strip down to my birthday suit, completely aware of the old dude manning the counter that can see me in all my glory.

Then my new Japanese friends head towards the bathing room, so I casually follow them in...10 feet safely behind them, my mini rent-a-towel acting as an inadequate cover (picture the kids' story leaf covers a la Adam and Eve).

I glance around and see about 20 of the oldest, saggiest women I've ever seen...and they are ALL watching me. Shit. What have I gotten myself into?! Ok, just remember what we read about bathhouse etiquette. Shower/wash before going in baths...well, I didn't bring soap, but I'll pretend. I shuffle over to one of the open shower spots, still within view of my secret friends. Everyone is seated bare-assed at low stools or directly on the floor washing at shower heads that are about 2' off the ground. I'm too disgusted to sit on a communal stool, so I'm crouched down trying to be as inconspicuous as possible (Bad Naked). That's when an elderly woman walks up and points to the stool, insisting in Japanese that I use it. Uuuuuggghhhh...ok, ok, I'll do it.

So, I'm seated, hunched over, scrubbing myself with my fake soap when another elderly woman walks up (also in all her glory) and starts yelling at me in rapid Japanese and pointing at the spot. After a few panicked seconds, I realize she is telling me I took her spot. I jump up and move to another spot, noticing that the scene has again drawn everyone's attention to me. Great.

My friends are still scrubbing away...they really make a production out of the sudsing and scrubbing process around here! I continue to pretend wash and jump when I feel a tap on my shoulder. I turn and see one of my very good bath house friends has approached me. She extends out a bottle and says "shampoo?". "Hai, arigato!", "Yes, thank you!" I say with a bright red face. Busted.

My friend, nay, my savior, proceeds to come over three additional times to offer conditioner, body wash and face wash. Now that I've been invited into the cool kids club, I head to the soaking tubs with them. We wander around...naked...like a trio of Goldilocks. One tub is far too hot (like scalding hot), one tub is far too cold, and one tub is just right. Of course, the one that is just right is about 5'x5'. My two naked friends and I cram into the tub and make awkward, sign language-studded, conversation. Eventually, we dress and head our separate ways--with just the memory of our special time together (and new Facebook friends). 

Our final morning in Kyoto was spent at Nishiki Food Market where we tried some funky foods. I ordered a "Hawaiian" treat that was little warm dough balls, a sweet syrup and ice cream. It was delicious...until my chopsticks pulled out from the delicious blueberry-like syrup a chunk of squid tentacle. Yuuuuuuck!!

 

Kyoto Temples, etc we visited: 

-Kiyomizuderi Temple 

-Fushimi Inari Shrine - orange arches

-Kinkakuji (Golden Palace)

-Imperial Palace 

-Kenninji Zen Temple 

-Toji Temple 

-Gion District

-Nishiki Market

After four awesome days in Kyoto, Blair and I take the bullet train back to Tokyo.  The ride is just under three hours and goes through beautiful, mountainous regions covered in lush green forests.  Off in the distance, we catch an unobstructed view of Mt. Fuji which is pretty rare due to clouds and smog/fog.  Not the most impressive mountain I've ever seen, but still pretty cool.  Even more amusing is the guy in front of us unabashedly "reading" a Japanese porno magazine in plain view--two o'clock in the afternoon on a public train. Whatever gets him through the day, I guess.

We are pretty nervous about finding our way around Tokyo, a massive city of around 12 million people (NYC is 9 million).  We are dropped at Tokyo Station in the heart of Tokyo at the peak of rush hour.  It. Is. Packed.  The trains are busting at the seams, the station is a solid sea of people moving in waves from one platform to another.  Every transport system empties into this station--bullet trains, metro trains, subway trains, Japan Rail trains, the monorail--are you getting a visual??  Now here is the strange part...silence.  Complete silence.  No one is talking on the train or as they walk through the station, no one talks on cell phones, no music is piped into the station...all you hear are footsteps and faint announcements over the speaker system from distant platforms.  It is impressive and creepy all at the same time.

So here we are in this mass of people trying to find our way to our next train with big bags on our backs and an awkward collection of maps for every different train type and line we could ever need.  Amazingly, it takes us about 2.2 seconds to figure out what to do and where we need to go.  That is how meticulously organized and well thought out the Japanese systems are.  These people know what they are doing.  Everything makes sense, everything is crystal clear, everything is spotlessly clean--we are pros at getting around Tokyo by the very first day.  Well, that might be a bit of an exaggeration...but not much.

Beyond the organization, quietness and cleanliness of Tokyo, we find it to be ridiculously safe as well.  We never once feel in danger or like we are in a sketchy area of town, and we hit a LOT of areas!  As we head home from our last day of touring, we are navigating the chaotically organized mess of trains to get home and we see a trio of girls that couldn't be older than four and five years old.  They are riding the train home from school, completely unsupervised and no one even blinks an eye about it.  The youngest, who I swear is barely four years old, hops off the train at the same stop as us as her two little Magellan friends continue on. Without hesitation, she wanders up and out of the station, expertly scanning her train card as she exits and wanders home all by her lonesome.

We spend the next few days hitting all the tourist hot spots--Sky Tree Tower, Asakusa, Akihabara Electric Town, Imperial Palace, Shibuya (Scramble Crossing) and Yoyogi Park.  We spent our last morning at Tsukiji Fish Market where Blair ate a delicious cow stomach stew from one of the market vendors.  By the end of our stay, we are ready to move on to a new and cheaper country. It's just too, ridiculously expensive! We have stayed in five different places between Kyoto and Tokyo--we stayed at hostels, hotels and airbnb places where we were guests staying in locals' homes.  We really like the experience of staying with people, but we both agree that it was too much moving around.  Packing, unpacking and lugging these 35lbs bags that often is just too much. We will plan to stay places for three or more nights more frequently moving forward.  

 Now off to South Korea!