12 of 12 was Chad’s idea. All Hail Chad!
This first 12 of 2009, I find myself in Seoul, South Korea, with my partner Ray and my parents, where we’re visiting my brother who lives here. We’ve been here almost a week, and so far there have been no injuries or altercations, and everyone is still alive!
9:11 am: Home Sweet Hotel
Space isn’t at quite the same premium in Korea that it is in Japan, which is not to say that our hotel room is palatial. Not with the amount of clothing we brought to ward off the cold (and it is cold y’all – yesterday the high was -10 C (around 15 F). Today was considerably warmer … it got up to -3), and with the tendency toward shopping in markets that Ray and I have.
9:30 am: Coffee and a bagel
I’m not sure why, but waffles and bagels are all the rage in Seoul. You can’t go a block without tripping over another coffee-and-waffle/bagel joint. This one is half a block from our hotel and the four of us can eat for under 20,000 won (roughly $18), which is the cost for a single person at the hotel. The young lady behind the counter speaks decent English, too, which is a plus because none of the four of us speak Korean. I’ve made a decent stab at learning part of the alphabet, but … well, let’s just say I can say “hello” and “thank you” and that’s about it.
11:06 am: Seoul Metro
Kind of a late start today. We’re off to visit my brother’s school. He was able to take most of the time that we’re here off, but he had to work this morning so we arranged to come by and see the facility and go from there.
11:37 am: Conveyor Belt Sushi
We all have our different interests when we travel. Mom wanted to go by a supermarket just to see what local products are carried. My brother’s school is in a district called Apugjeong, which our guidebook describes as “the Beverly Hills of Seoul.” We wound up in the food hall at the Hyundai Supermarket, which I think is a bit like going to the food hall at Harrod’s in Knightsbridge. It may serve the same function as a supermarket, but the similarity ends there. Anyway, they had one of these little sushi counters with the conveyor belt, and I couldn’t help making a picture.
12:19 pm: Showing off to Mom
At the school where my brother works. Here he’s showing the rosters to mom. (And, I know it’s probably not PC to point this out, but in case you’re wondering if this is the right photo: my brother was adopted, so, no, there’s no family resemblance, although we did manage to warp him nice and good anyway).
2:09 pm: Shopping!!!
The pamphlet that the Seoul Tourism Board gives out describes Namdaemun market as “the most vibrant market in all of Asia.” I question that (I guess technically the Grand Bazaar in Istanbul is on the European side, but I’m pretty sure there’s a few vibrant ones in India and Malaysia and Dubai and … )
But you can purchase pickled ginseng …
… or all of your Korean dream hunks paraphernalia!
5:37 pm: Pre-show drink
Ray and I did pretty well where shopping is concerned. My brother had made reservations for us at a place called Korea House, which does a traditional Korean meal followed by traditional cultural performance. Basically, they combine a number of different things together into one show and give you about 10 minutes of each, so that just when you’ve had enough of one, it’s over. Nice thinking, that. We stopped in for a drink beforehand. Hite is a local beer. It’s cheap, but other than that there’s nothing to recommend it.
6:35 pm: All the pickled stuff you can eat
8:09 pm: With the performers at Korea House
Some of my best photos have been taken during cultural performances, but they don’t allow photography at Korea House during the show. Rats. Anyway, here’s Ray, Grace (my sister-in-law, for lack of a better term), my brother Lee, and me with some of the girls from the show.
8:34 pm: Seoul Metro
Heading home. Tomorrow is an early day for us, as we’re heading to Suwon, one of the suburbs, where there’s a “folk village” and an old fortress. It’s also supposed to heat up to 0 degrees C (32 F), so we’re gonna break out the suntan lotion!
Happy 12th!
