the long awaited....my korean experience (an unexpected visa run turns into much, much more)

i went to korea(south to be exact) last weekend for four whole days. unlike other vacations i've had over here this one had a very specific purpose called "get a new tourist visa". some call it a "visa run". i found myself in somewhat of a conundrum as my current application for a work visa had not come through yet and my tourist visa was almost expired. why not remedy the situation with a weekend getaway to seoul? and so i did.

it worked out pretty well considering i had to book my tickets less than a week before leaving. i found a welcoming, friendly and most importantly cheap hostel. the first night i arrived i met my dorm roommates who happened to be fellow alts(jennifer, daniel, and katie respectively) from japan. we were instant friends as i invited them to join me on a tour of the DMZ the next day. this was the most thrilling day. we learned a ton via our wise tour guide, austin (pronounced like the texan city), as we visit several key areas along the north korean/south korean border (otherwise known as the DMZ, de-militerized zone). the tour included visiting the third tunnel which the north koreans built in order to infiltrate the south after the cease-fire in 1953, the gyeongui train station which is now just a huge empty space awaiting the korean re-unification (the track is set up to go all the way to paris, but the remaining 3km are yet to be complete due to the countries separation), and the Dora Observatory which overlooks the north korean propaganda village. all very, very interesting.

this is north korea from Dora Observatory. you can see the huge statue of Kim ll-Sung and the North Korean flag waving opposite the South Korean flag.

this is at Freedom Bridge which was used by refugees from the north. south koreans who have family in the north place cards, flags, prayers, and letters along the entrance.





before i left japan i had several japanese teachers and friends tell me to enjoy the wonder that is korean food. and boy, were they right. the rest of the trip consisted of eating and shopping interspersed with some temple-viewing. we tried bibimbap, galbi, barbeque(korean of course), even the local favorite: live octopus! mainly this was my new friend daniel's undertaking, but i supported his efforts by taking photos and trying a little, non-moving, piece. the sauce was really good. i didn't keep it my mouth long enough to tasted the terrific "freshness" of the 'pus, but instead swallowed it right down. koreans are crazy.





another adventure occured the next day as i wandered off by myself at a old person festival. next thing i know i am dancing with some old korean men and their old lady friend is giving me korean liquour shots and shoving pig's foot in my mouth via metal chopsticks. this all took place within about a ten minute period. after realizing that the longer i stay the more i'd have to drink i decided to thank them profusely (the only thing i know how to say in hangul at this point) and duck out. koreans love them some blondies.

i got my name calligraphed by a korean artist at the park too. while he was painting i chatted with some of the old korean men. some of them spoke very good english and others spoke japanese. in general, i think that koreans are much more gregarious (without having to be drunk) than the japanese. though koreans do love their alcohol as evidenced above.

we decided to be as touristy as possible and partake in the infamous 32 centimeter ice cream cone. i decided to share this tall commodity with brad and his friend ryan. we hung out for our last night in the big city. we river-walked it, ate at a korean food stand and drank some korean brews. it was the perfect ending for an amazing long weekend in korea.


i woke up early the next morning to catch the bus to the airport and my hair looked like this. tsunami-esque. i thought it was funny. it was funny.