Seoul

Sunday, Aug. 21

I asked Cort to take me to the airport early so I could get checked in and he could get on with his day. I got here at 11:00 to find that my plane is delayed and we will leave at 3:30 instead of 2:10. They are still predicting an on-time arrival in Seould. I'm glad.

I ate some pretty crummy Chinese food for lunch here at the airport. Now I'm reading and relaxing until my flight. It's still 2 1/2 hours away.
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It was a long flight to Seoul, but it seemed to pass as quickly as it could under the circumstances. Several things helped. First, although Singapore Airlines does not have economy plus seating, their seats in economy are spaced apart as much as those in economy plus on other airlines. therefore, we all flew economy plus with extra leg room in regular economy class. Second, two interesting women sat beside me and involved me in conversations. Third, there were 60 movie selections on the entertainment program on the plane.

The women were from Corvalis, OR. Sherry works in health services at the university there, and Mirriamgives private violin lessons and has home schooled her children. They were on their way to India for two weeks to assist their church, Christian Healing Ministry (http://www.jglm.org). Fortunately, our conversations stayed within the rhealm of secular experiences they might have there and never moved to the topic of religion. They listened to stories of some of my experiences and precautions I recommended. They were so excited about the fact they would would have their own stories to tell after their trip.

I never caught the beginning of a film. I watched the last half of a French comedy with Thierry Lhermitte about a man falling in love again with his ex-wife. I tried to watch a Spanish comedy about a guy who had been called back to a soccer team just to perform a penalty kick, but I became bored. I watched most of a Korean teen fi9lm about a girl being chased by the two most popular boys before she discovers that one is really her half brother. Mostly, I napped off and own. The two meals were fine, but they weren't worth remembering.

We were 1 hour late landing. The airport was rather quiet and very clean and modern. Immigration went well for me, but many people were questioned for extended periods of time. There seemed to be concern about anyone not having a reservation for a place to stay.

The tourist desk gave me a map and literature, including a brochure for my hotel. They called my hotel which told them to have me go to a gas station at the bus stop and wave the brochure (which I thought meant that the station would call them to send someone to guide me, since they had told Kim they would do that when she called to make the reservation).

It was easy using the ATM to get 150,000 won (only about $150!) and to buy a bus ticket at the counter. I just missed a bus (#602-1) and had to wait about 20 minutes at the stop. A well-dressed young man approached me and talked to me. He said I looked concerned and he wanted to make sure I was in the right place. I think he must have gone to the side to watch to make sure I was okay, because he approached me again later and left after my assurance I would be fine.

There were only about 6 people on my bus. I had trouble hearing the stops as they were announced because of a radio the driver had playing, the communications radio between the driver and his base, and the ringing of cell phones. I showed my stop to a young man across the aisle from me, and he would look at me and make a downward hand motion (meaning keep seated) for each announcement until my stop when he shook his head yes.

The gas station didn't make a call. One of the five attendants spoke slowly and firmly in a strong accent, "This...way...one-a...block. Turn-a right. One-a block more." It was excactly what it looked like I should do according to the map, and I had no problem finding my way, arriving at the front dest at 9:50 p.m.

The room is simple, but fine. It hasone singlebed, a room air conditioning unit set in the wall, a mini-fridge, a 19-inch TV with satellite channels, a hair dryer, a tub-shower combination, and slippers. There is even a whole fresh tube of toothpaste. The floor is linoleum rather than carpeting. The bed has no top sheet. Instead, it has two light-weight cotton quilts.

ATM Charge at Airport 1080 won
Bus to Seoul 8000 won
Hotel 1 Night 28,000 won
Total 37,080 = $36.53

Tuesday, Aug. 23, Seoul

It's sunny today, and every one is commenting about it. The paper shows it has been cloudy lately. With the sun has come heat, but it doesn't affect me much. I saw a child being treated for heatstroke around noon, however, so it is hot.

Because of the napping I did on the plane and all of the time zones I passed switching my night body clock to daytime, I was surprised that I was able to sleep until 6:30 a.m. I got up and organized things, reviewed my guides, and bathed. I went to breakfast at 9:00 to find it is a do-it-yourself affair. There was a large bowl eggs, so I started the burner and fried two eggs while my bread toasted and my tea brewed. I had peatnut butter and jam on one piece of toast. It's rather nice to make what I want, but there is limited space. I hope I can always get downstairs while no others are there.

I decided just to wander the local streets to get a feel for the neighborhood. I was a little concerned about getting lost, since the narrow streets twist and wind, but I managed to keep my orientation. I'm still trying to figure out the walking patterns, however. Most people seem to walk to the left. Not all do, however, and double crosswalks have arrows promoting walking on the right. I've seen people almost walk into each other with confusion about whether they should go right or left.

I went to two tourist sites this morning. The first was Tapgol Park where the independence movement began and where a marble pagoda is located. The other was Changdeokgung Palace which is one of the major palaces and is a World Heritage Site with visitations only in groups. The lady who guided us wore a beautiful traditional dress of stiff gause-like silk and carried a matching orchid parasol. We saw the living quarters of the king and queen, the audience chamber, the private gardens, etc. It was a beautiful retreat within the city--only about 3 blocks from my hotel.