We had breakfast and we had already made plans to go hiking in the mountains. There are mountains to the north of Seoul and the base is accessible by subway. We packed some water and snacks and headed off. The subway was a bit unusual as we reached a stop that was a few stops away from our destination. The subway worker came up to us and said "Get off." We have learned that Koreans don't add any pleasantries when they speak but they are not trying to be rude. He told us that the train didn't go any further. We asked someone by showing our subway map and he mimed where to go (quite well) and we were off. The guide book said to follow the well dressed hikers from the subway to the mountain. It really was that easy. It was funny though, Koreans get all geared up for a hike. They wear long gortex pants and shirts, hiking boots, gloves, hats or huge sunvisors, and carry metal poles to help them walk. We were quite the spectacle in our shorts, t-shirts and runners! All along the way to the national park (where the trails are) there were stores selling hiking gear. It was incredible.
The trails were great, wide and often with steps made out of rock. There was a little stream that ran through the park beside the path we took. Our intention was to get to one of the peak's to see the view of Seoul. Unfortunately, with the heat (we started around noon) and my lack of physical fitness, we walked about 2.2km up the mountain but stopped 0.9km from the peak. It was great to be outside though and we had a great day.
We came back home soaking wet (yes there was some sweating going on) and happily exhausted. We showered and rested and then went out for dinner. We went to a place called 'The Bonnie House'. It said it had fusion cuisine but we were not sure what the fusion choices were. One of the entrees was fried rice with spaghetti on top and another was fried rice with pizza on top. This might make you think that the fusion was Korean/Italian but our food had no Italian flare to it. I was quite happy with my meal - fried rice and beef - because it came with green peppers and onions and a salad!! In Korean meals, they don't seem to cook the vegetables, they just throw them in raw at the end. I was still happy with raw onion and green pepper. The meal was a bit unusual in its presentation. The whole meal came on one place. It consisted of fried rice, beef and veggies, salad, a bun and 2 slices of fruit with whipped cream! We also got a few pieces of fresh fruit given to us at the end of the meal. Koreans also go with the 'tomato is a fruit' and serve it with any fruit dish. We were given some apple, kiwi and cherry tomatoes.
After dinner, we went for a short walk, bought some yogurt for breakfast, came back here to do some school work and then Joann helped my get caught up on my blog. She has been keeping a journal and it was up to date.
It is now 10:40pm and I am quite tired. I will try to upload a few photos before I go to bed.
After dinner, we went for a short walk, bought some yogurt for breakfast, came back here to do some school work and then Joann helped my get caught up on my blog. She has been keeping a journal and it was up to date.
It is now 10:40pm and I am quite tired. I will try to upload a few photos before I go to bed.
4 comments:
Hi Ginger and Joann,
I love your blog and pics. I am truly getting a sense of Korean culture and flavours through your posts. Wow, it's really different! How do you like teaching ESL? Welcome to my world.
Stay safe and have fun!
Love,
Lids
Hi Ginger....I love reading your blog and looking at the pictures. Especially like hearing about the food and the sites you're seeing.
Do you always feel safe when you're travelling around the cities? Do people look at you a lot, or are there many foreigners in the cities?
Is there anything left of the Olympic village (1988?), that might be interesting to see! Also, have you got of sense of how the people feel about the current actions of North Korea?
I'll continue to read through your blog so I hope you continue to write.
Have a fantastic summer full of wonderful adventures!
Nancy
Lids:
I find it is interesting teaching ESL but the biggest challenge is to be able to explain English rules on the spot. I am much better doing this in math class! We are all finding that outside of class we will mime things or speak slowly to each other - it is hard to change gears. Joann once showed me two fingers when saying 'two'!
Nancy:
I think we all feel very safe in Seoul. People are very law abiding and the subways are clean and neat. There are also always people around. If there is a dark road or there aren't many people around, we just don't go that way. The biggest annoyance is drunk Korean men in the evenings. The are moving uncertainly and will try to follow us or chat with us - they are really harmless, though.
The Olympic stadium and parts of the Olympic sites still exist but we haven't been to see them yet.
I find that Korean children look at us strangely and are shy if I smile at them. Other Koreans don't take much notice of us. Someone will immediately come up to us on the subway if we are consulting our subway map or discussing which line to take. We did get quite a few looks when we were hiking without the proper Korean gear. We have seen a number of foreigners here - American, European, Chinese and Japanese. I actually had one of my students tell me there were too many foreigners at the university. I was a bit offended but they explained that they meant the university students mostly from China and Japan.
We have to do a debate with our classes for the last day and my students suggested "North and South Korea should be reunited." When I asked them only about 3 agreed with this statement. I haven't had time to discuss why they feel this way but I will try to remember to post more information when we talk about it in class.
I'm glad to hear that you are enjoying my news. It is nice to feel connected to people back home.
Post a Comment