Well, they let me back into the country (just about, though I'll get to that later)! For those who don't know, last weekend I went to
South Korea for four days, and it was really really fun! I had magnificent
feasts every day, visited many
colourful temples, climbed a big hill and watched an
amazing sunset over Seoul, and had
karaoke fun. Plus I went to the Demilitarised Zone, and lived to tell the tale. I feel like I got a good slice of Korean culture, which is very very different from Japan; although I tended to avoid
kimchi, the cold, spicy cabbage which is inexplicably the "national dish". It was really great to be travelling again, and Seoul is a fun place; plus most importantly I got another shiny stamp in my passport!
Thursday: Croissants and Chickens
Travelling to Korea was fun-filled, not least because I finally tried a
chocolate croissant from Okayama station's "Vie de France"- without a doubt the best pastry I've had in Nihon. The joy from that early experience lasted all the way through the Shinaksen trip to Osaka, where I caught a Special Rapid Super Express (or something like that) to Kansai Airport. I happened to be sitting next to another english teacher- a Canadian girl who's parents are Korean. So she checked the pronunciation of my two Korean phrases,
"Kamsa Hamnida" and "Annyeong Haseo" (Thanks and Hello, which I constantly forgot all weekend) and gave me lots of tips for what to do in Seoul. We got the same flight, and before I knew it I was outside the Winroad Guesthouse, a shabby, run-down hostel run by a loony Korean guy called Lee.
It was lacking in most repects, but was dirt cheap, which is all that really matters. When I arrived there were only 3 people staying in the whole place, so I headed out on my own to check out Seoul at night. First I went to
Dongdaemun, one of Seoul's famous markets. It was dirty and noisy and full of cold, spicy cabbage, and reminded me of the old Bull Ring (for those who don't know it was dirty and noisy and full of Brummies). I was losing the will a bit in this strange land, but the Lonely Planet came to my rescue, guiding me to a restaurant serving whole chickens!
Samgyetang restored my faith in Korean cuisine; it's one of the aforementioned whole chickens, stuffed with rice and ginseng, and served with the usual many side dishes you get in Korea (
banchan). Full of beer and chicken, I headed up to
Namsan, or Seoul Tower. The views at the top were pretty
impressive; 360 panoramic views of Seoul at night. Even cooler were the heavily advertised toilets you can see to your left. I returned to the hostel around 12ish, and chatted with my roomates, a slight unhinged New Yorker with a mustache, and a Texan teaching english in Korea. There were also two Japanese guys who I attempted to chat to in Japanese! They were from Nagoya, and one of them especially was an absolute legend; we were talking about America, when he turned to me and said "speaking of England, Austin Powers and James Bond!" before bursting into hysterical laughter (he did the Austin Powers finger in the corner of his mouth thing in almost EVERY photo when we went out for karaoke). He was so funny, and his friend seemed slightly embarrassed by his strange comments throughout our stay.
Friday: Demilitarised Zones and Militarised Museums
The next morning I had to get up at 6am for my tour of the
DMZ. I was soooo tired; I'd had about 4/5 hours sleep, and couldn't find any coffee. Luckily I had onigiri for breakfast (they have onigiri in Korea, yay!) and slept a bit on the coach. Once we neared the DMZ though I was wide awake; in fact the most memorable moment of the day was the first moment I saw the barbed wire start to line the highway, the number of cars diminish, the river widen and the military posts appear. The highway is MASSIVE, in preparation for unification, yet hardly used. Further on we passed
under several bridges that looked normal enough, but are apparently packed with dynamite to slow the North's advance if they ever broke through. Then, briefly, there is a stretch of the road where you can see the mountains of North Korea; its easy to tell the difference, as in the North there are no trees on the hills at all; theyve all been cut down. Before the DMZ itself we went to the
Bridge of No Return, so called because at the end of the Korean War if you crossed it to return to the North, you could never come back. Now its a popular tourist spot, and the last outpost that Koreans and foreigners alike can visit. At a
military checkpoint we had our passports checked, before heading into the DMZ. We couldn't take photos at the really cool bits sadly, though like others I sneaked a few! First we went down into the
Third 
Tunnel, reported by the South as an attempt by North Korea to dig under the DMZ and its 1,000,000 land mines. Cunningly the North painted the walls with coal when the tunnel was discovered, and claimed they had been mining down there; unsurprisingly, this tale was quickly exposed. Next we went to the best bit of the trip, the
Doran Observatory, where you can look through binoculars at the DMZ but not take pics. It's a really strange sight; a couple of miles of grasslands, the most heavily landmined square miles in the world, yet also a wildlife haven due to being
undistrubed for 50 years. In the middle is the green military demarcation line, a small fence compared to the reasonably tall fencing on the South border, and the massive, electrified fences on the North side. On the other side you can see North Korea; the town on the border, a statue of Kim Jong Il below the mountains, and the massive flag pole, the
tallest in the world, built ever-so slightly taller than the South's (which would be more of a propaganda victory if they didn't have to take the flag down every time it rains because its so heavy). Through the binoculars u can
also see people in the fields. Our extremely knowledgable and friendly tour-guide told us those put in the front-line village are the ones that truly have no hope; those who have fallen out with Kim Jong or have family members in the South. I guess the ultimate torture is to put them within miles of the South, and their family, yet force them to live in a propaganda village under the totalitarian regime of the North. The tour guide spoke passionately of her hope for unification, yet also understandably expressed anger and bitterness at Kim Jong and the virtual
enslavement of the North Korean people. It must be such a terrible thing for families that were separated; to be suspended in a point in history, an entire people divided by the will of a single madman, with no end in sight. Given the history of subjugation by other regional powers, it is a bizarre twist that Korean is now divided by one of its own. After Doran we went to
Dorasan Station; the last station in the South before the DMZ. It's hoped one day that the rail line will be restored, all the way from Seoul to London. The tour ended with
Korean barbeque, which was really nice.
Well due to the early start after all this stuff it was
still only 2pm. So, fighting my tiredness, I went to the
World Cup Stadium. The stadium itself was ok, but the parks around it were amazing; the leaves had
turned colours that I've never seen leaves turn before; luminous yellow, and bright red. Sugoy ne! I spent an hour and a half sitting and thinking (and dozing). Then I went to the
National War Museum; a really interesting and interactive museum that covered the whole history of Korea, as well as the Vietnam War! It was really informative, and I wandered round for something like 3 hours; there was an extra-large amount of stuff on the Korean War, as you'd expect, as well as some grim indictments of the Japanese occupation of 1910-1945.
Plus outside was a huge collection of U.S. tanks, guns, planes and missiles. After I returned to the hostel, and half-considered going to bed! But luckily I didn't; after downing enough coffee to wake the dead, I launched out into the crazy Seoul subway system, heading for
Insadong for the evening. It turned out to be a really cool night. First I had one of the nicest and most ridiculous meals ever; a massive hotpot of beef, onions and garlic in a tasty sauce (meant for 2 people), plus a total of
nine banchan! One was garlic prawns with Japanese pickles, mmmm!!!! It was so good, especially the beef
and onions- oishiiiiii desu yo! Full of beer and beef this time, I explored Insadong very very slowly. Its a nice area of tourist shops and quiet cafes and backstreets, and there was a really talented brass quintet playing on the street. I listened to them for a long while; its freezing cold in Seoul now, but I had free tea! Then I went to an Andy Warhol exhibition place, full of floating umbrellas, which had more live music and dancing; it was sooo cool, a really nice way to spend the eve. I got back and crashed around 1am.
Tune in for Part Two, highlights of which include more Whole Chickens, Crazy Korean Costumes, Sunsets and Karaoke!Extra Photos! - National War Museum, North Korean Flagploe (Wikipedia), Jazz and Dance at the Andy Warhol Centre, Scene Near the World Cup Stadium, Tribute to Andy in Seoul, and Leaves
View from Shonan koko. The photo doesn't do it justice really, as on nice days the Inland Sea sparkles.
Morning Wednesday Class
Wednesday Afternoon Class and Drop-ins during half-time break
