Here I am today with exactly 2 months left to go until my time in Korea finishes and what did I have to do? Take a week off of course!
Luckily with my resigning of 3 months for Twinkle, they gave me 5 vacation days to use as I saw fit. I figured I should place it roughly in the middle between Lunar New Year and the end of contract to give myself a good demarcation with which to count down the days. Here’s hoping it works, and each day I return home from my job I can simply look at the calendar, cross out a day, and smile as I take another step closer to the light at the end of the tunnel.
With nine days off, what did I do? On Friday I happened to lament thinking about “how little I did” with my days off. But as I sat down for a coffee and took a count, it hit me that I actually did quite a lot. Take a read and see for yourself.
The First Weekend
This was all about The International Playgroup of Destiny. Francis happens to live pretty far outside of Seoul in a mythical, magical land called Gimpo. What’s in Gimpo? Not a terrible amount it turns out, but more than enough to keep me interested.
Thomas, Jamie, and I started our day off around 9am as we drove out to help Francis move from one shared apartment setting to a single only a few streets away. In those four hours we helped him pack up his stuff, threw it in the back of Thom’s car, and drove it to the new place in only three trips! It was a wonderful time in which we all competed to grunt the loudest, while our muscles strained and quivered under the stress, and sweat trickled from our brows. The scent of pure testosterone could be smelled for miles off. We were all exceedingly masculine, so much so that – had they been there to see us be the perfect examples of a modern Heracles – Chris Evans, Paul Rudd, Michael B. Jordan, and John Legend all would have relinquished their awards to us on the spot.
After the move was done we sort of just hung out. It wasn’t that late and so, as is common for our group, we aimed for somewhere that served food that was also big enough to play Magic. My, my, my did Thomas find a primo spot for just that. Called Café de Chelsea, we were treated to a three-story building serving brunch food, deserts, and coffee. They also sold a copious number of ceramics. Outside was a lovely garden that hadn’t quite been touched by spring. We talked around there and proceeded to play about three games of riveting Magic: The Gathering.
Then we drove off to a temple for a view, saw Francis’ work compound, got lost in the countryside, tried to enter a closed park that overlooked North Korea before getting chased off by soldiers, then ultimately decided to end the evening with a nice meal of chicken and beer in a bar named The Philadelphia. All of it involved lovely conversation, and it was a spectacular start to my nine days of vacation!
Monday
Monday was the first official day off. I don’t know if anyone else gets this feeling, but I almost never believe that my days off will actually be days off until I’m supposed to clock in, am not actually at work, and no one messages me asking where I am. Thus, I spent the day all the way up until around 1:40pm checking my phone and feeling guilty – as if it wasn’t actually my day off. At which point I rejoiced before heading out for the day!
Somewhere I have wanted to go for nearly a year now is a small wetland park on the border between Seoul and Gimpo. We actually passed it on our way out to Francis’s, so I figured this vacation was as good a time as any to check it out. I took a bike ride in perfect spring weather over the course of about an hour to the area known as Gangseo.
I had no idea what to expect out here, but when I found myself presented with a long trail that supposedly went up a mountain, I was all in. I followed that path for around 3 or 4 hours, just walking in a circle around the area. I saw birds on the river, I saw signs that warned “The Area where Snakes Appear,” and I saw a modern shanty town constructed between highway interchanges where they were actively farming. The best part, perhaps, were the cherry blossoms at the top of the mountain. As popular here as they are in either China or Japan, though my coworker claims Japan is nothing but cherry blossoms this time of year.
At the top I happened to find a sign pointing to Gaehwasan Mountain Yaksasa Temple. I love a good temple, so I took the sign up on its offer and trooped off in the proper direction. It was nice, if a bit small. I arrived just after evening prayer as the main Buddha hall was closing, so I couldn’t go inside. I enjoyed it none-the-less, and the short experience planted seeds in my brain for events later in the week.
Tuesday
Tuesday was really simple. I was under the impression it could start raining at any time that afternoon or evening, so I decided early on that it’d be a really chill day spent mostly indoors. That it was!
I happened to have a voucher for a free movie ticket from when I saw Ant Man 3 and the power shut off everything but the sound for around 5 minutes. John Wick 4 isn’t out here in Korea yet, so I couldn’t see that. This all meant that I started the day off by seeing Dungeons and Dragons: Honor Among Thieves at around 10am; because early morning movie showings are a thing here and I love it.
It was a ton of fun. I have, for basically the last 16 years of life, wanted to play Dungeons and Dragons with a group of friends. For whatever reason I have never been invited to an actual game despite telling this to everyone. Regardless, the movie was pure, simple entertainment. A classic fantasy plot in a mystical world, serious stakes for both the world and the main characters, jokes that kept the entire thing lighthearted and fun. I’ve read that there’s never been a more “realistic” depiction of a D&D game on the big screen, and all the things I loved about it are reportedly why. It’s not Oscar worthy or anything, but certainly worth an afternoon.
Then I went the gym for two and a half hours before, much as I am at this moment, writing an entry for this blog. As I left the coffee shop it began to sprinkle, and I walked the short distance home to get a good night’s sleep.
Wednesday
Wednesday I woke up and decided quickly on two things:
1. I would go to a museum.
2. Today would be a day I would eat good food.
Food was up first as a coworker had mentioned a few times a place called Nosh you could get a Full English. I love Full English Breakfast; I have since the first time I visited England in 2012. When given the opportunity, I will chase after that platter of assorted deliciousness. Let me tell you, it was pretty dang good. That coffee in the picture? The best coffee I have had in all of Korea up to this point. I made exclamations somewhere along the lines of “My goodness… that’s incredible” enough times that the staff had to check and see if I was okay. They very much appreciated my compliments.
Once the meal was done it was well and truly raining, so I figured it best to get to my chosen museum for the day as quickly as possible: The War Memorial Hall of Korea!
There I was treated to over 2000 years’ worth of Korean military history. I really thought it’d just be on The Korean War – which the majority of its exhibits were – but they detailed events going back to the Korean Three Kingdoms period. A few details I found to be suspect – such as an alleged Korean “invasion of the Xi’an Plain” in 146AD, which would have been impossible (I checked the Chinese too, it wasn’t some other Xi’an) – but for the most part I was there to learn, and I enjoyed the entire experience thoroughly.
I am personally of the opinion that the UN’s decision to not see the reunification of Korea through to the end after the entrance of China into the conflict was one of the greatest geopolitical and tactical mistakes of the 20th century. I don’t even mean that from an American-centric view, either. Yes, America probably would have liked to have another unified ally on that side of the Pacific, but having lived in Korea I can only say that they are a people unfailingly proud of their culture and history; even now many somewhat resent the presence of American troops in their country (though that is admittedly a simplification). Of course, China didn’t want an American ally directly on their border given the situation with Taiwan, but just as the Americans questioned their relationship with Great Britain once the French Threat was removed from North America, I’m not sure a unified Korea wouldn’t look at least somewhat favorably on the economic opportunity presented by playing the Chinese and Americans off one another. I’m not sure a unified Korea would be quite as pliable to either side without a “treacherous” brother on the other side of the demilitarized zone. It’s maybe all hindsight, but because of the choice the UN made there is a dictatorship constantly teetering on the brink who commits egregious human rights violations daily, simultaneously puffing out its chest and throwing tantrums of a militaristic nature. Oh yeah, and now they either have or are close to having nuclear weapons. They also still openly have a goal of forcibly reunifying Korea, something they never recanted on at the negotiating table in 1953.
I’m not a historian and therefore assume there must be some critical error in my understanding of the situation at the time, so I really wanted specific details on why it was put off. I combed through the exhibits, but I’m not sure I came any closer to really understanding why the world made that choice despite proof the power-hungry despot on the other side of the 38th was bent on taking all the chips for, if not himself, then at least his dynasty. I can only surmise a lot of the souring to that course of action was due strongly to Douglas McArthur and a change in American leadership, at least from the UN’s point of view (the exhibits were suspiciously silent on the issue of South Koreans’ interest in continuing the war beyond they were “resolved to be strong”). For those who don’t know, McArthur was a primadonna who wanted to throw nuclear bombs at several Chinese cities for their participation in the war. When the president told him no, he complained to the media and tried to create an atmosphere of no confidence in the administration to rally populist support behind himself. He was “fired for insubordination,” though that quote was all the museum mentioned on the topic.
Overall, it was a nice museum and I learned a lot, though not specifically what I came to. I have to hand it to them though, they did a great job communicating those 2000+ years of history in a museum that took me about 6 hours to go through. And after a bit of research, it would appear many were concerned Soviet-Chinese agreements might kick off World War III, though I stand by my belief in everyone’s course of actions being a bit of a blunder so long as their only goal would have been to reunify Korea.
At last that day I had some tasty Mexican food! I keep seeing this Tiktok where people are eating a giant chicharron stick with guacamole and I’d love to try it myself. When a Mexican restaurant literally called “Crispy Pork Town” popped up, I had to see what was on menu. It wasn’t a single stick of fried pork belly, but it was at least good.
Thursday
Thursday was a touch more adventurous than all the rest. Remember how I said Gaehwasan Mountain Yaksasa Temple planted a seed? In my desire to do “something adventurous” with my vacation, I looked to the far south of the country where I discovered a mountain hike from one temple to another. Thinking it a good idea, I woke up at 5am to grab the subway and get on the KTX at 7am for the city of Suncheon. I slept fitfully the night before, fearful I wouldn’t be able to wake up in time for all the strict transport schedules. In total, I probably got 3.5 to 4 hours of actual sleep at home, and none on the KTX.
Once I stepped off the KTX I inquired about buses to the first temple, Seonamsa. The very kind lady said I needed to wait about 20 minutes before an hour-long bus ride would get me there. So, I wandered around Suncheon for a little bit before getting on that very bus.
I rode the bus and didn’t sleep despite keeping my contacts out just in case. I got to see the true Korean Countryside as well, with squat toilets and haphazard buildings made of little more than bricks and globs of cement. To be clear, I adore seeing this nitty-gritty side of any country. Even better when it’s all shrouded in low hanging clouds and the dull filter they cast on the world that sucks most vibrancy from the surroundings.
Once I arrived at Seonamsa I walked around. Honestly, I didn’t learn much about the temple as most things were in Korean and I never learned to read, but I encourage you to do that here. It was quite pretty, and the site is allegedly from the 6th century. Once I finished walking around, I set off on the mountain trail.
It was gorgeous. All of it. Some people like clear days for hiking, but not me. I love ascending into the clouds; it feels like traversing into another world. Doubly so when you pass a total of ten people in 5 hours of walking. The most consistent feeling running through me as I walked through the thin spires of nature was that I could be anywhere on the planet at any time. A sort of state of quantum flux. Clearly I was in Jeollanamdo, South Korea in 2023, but you wouldn’t know it based just on what was surrounding you. Obscured by thick fog, little beyond the 8 meters or so of visibility might as well have existed during that hike.
I was also able to exercise my critical thinking skills during the hike. The majority of the “trail” was merely carefully aligned stones in makeshift stairs, or the crossing of a stream. Due to the rain and aforementioned fog, those stones were slippery and those streams overflowing with miniature rapids. Some people would panic, but I smile and find the prospect of breaking my ankle an hour or so away from any other living person exciting! Did I mentioned all my luggage was strapped to me in an Osprey backpack? Meaning I was more off center than normal? Man, that was exhilarating hopping from one rock to another to avoid the rapids. One was mere feet away from a three-meter waterfall!
With the help of my good friend Sticko, and after about 5 miles of walking, I came to the entrance of Sanggwangsa on the other side of this mountain park. I have, in the past, claimed I don’t find temples terribly interesting any more after the pure exhibitionism on display in Chinese temples – they turn entire Islands into touristy-monasteries. Here, though, I found Sanggwangsa to have a certain lavish (though not in excess, and certainly in appropriate amounts for Buddhist religious sites) charm about it. I was honestly really taken in by the design of this place. I arrived too late for most buildings to be open, but I got to walk around to admire their expressions of devotion.
Once again, I’ll ask you to research more in depth if you’d like here. There was much more English here, but because of the time the history building was inaccessible. Seems it was also built at least by the 6th century (not too long after Buddhism arrived in the far east), and that of all the temples in Korean Mahayana Buddhism, this is among the three most important. The name literally translates to “a temple in which 18 great monks will spread the teaching of Buddha.” One heck of a translation, but that’s what it means. All due to their prolific history of producing influential Korean preceptors, or an important monk in charge of inducting new monks to the order.
I then waited around for roughly 40 minutes for a bus to take me back to Suncheon. There was practically no one there except a convenience store clerk who lounged with his naked feet up on the counter at all times except when I handed him money. Once I got back, I checked into my hostel, went for what was supposed to be a quick dinner, and ended up walking around for another two hours in the rain. I had some very impactful epiphanies on that walk. I also got a spectacular picture of Suncheon at night!
Finally, around 11pm, after three to four hours of sleep, a 5:30am subway ride, a 7am KTX ride, an hour-long bus ride, a five-hour hike across two mountains carrying all my luggage on my back, another hour and a half bus ride, and a two hour walk in the rain, I laid down on my very hard hostel mattress and fell asleep immediately. I cannot recall a time when I felt achier than I did the following morning.
Friday
Friday, however, that did not stop me. I only wanted to spend one night away from Seoul in case friends were eager to hangout Friday night. I got up at 8am to run off to the train station and buy a return KTX ticket for Seoul. Surely this early in the morning there would be tickets left! WRONG! Everything was sold out except transfers or their rural train service that would take 7 hours. Worse yet, by the time I got back from checking the bus schedules for the last place I wanted to visit on this trip, all the transfer tickets were also sold out. Bummer. So what did I do?
Decide to figure it out later. I’d either take a bus or stay another night if necessary. Off on the local bus I went!
That is Naganeupseong Folk Village! It was the original reason I decided to come down to Suncheon. I love history, I love cultural traditions, I love buildings! What better way to indulge in all of those than going to a well-preserved historic site that has been inhabited for over 600 years? It took another hour-long bus ride to reach, and I was trying to be very specific about the bus schedule so as to hit a desired Seoul evening ETA, but it was 100% worth it to see this.
Built in 1397 to defend against Japanese pirates, Naganeupseong is still inhabited by real people in roughly 100 households. They go to great lengths to maintain their traditional look and present historical methods of material production, from cloth dying to farming and wedding ceremonies. It’s like living in a historical reenactment. It’s been like that since the 1980’s at least when it was designated a cultural site, and it was really cool seeing the pictures of how this historic site evolved over 40 years.
Before I left, I treated myself to some food at a local restaurant. I’m sure that the prices were at least somewhat inflated, the restaurant being smack dab in the middle of this local tourist attraction, but living in the capital acclimatizes you to paying more than something is probably worth. This was possibly the best Korean dish I have had in Korea to date.
It’s kkomak-bibimbap, or blood cockles. Cold, but spicy, this little mollusk is surf-n-turf in a single package. There’s hemoglobin in the clam, meaning it has a red-meat sort of undertones to the clammy flavor. I wolfed it down and would happily do so again.
I rushed back to Suncheon. Waiting in Naganeupseong was sort of stressful, as the bus schedule for these “infrequent” buses is not online, and the bus stops are often primitive. After a half hour waiting, though, I was back on my way across the hills to the city center, aiming to stop at the bus station. I got myself a ticket (luckily) and was retaught the lesson that most bus agencies don’t really sell their tickets on English internet; I had a plethora of options.
I also had about two hours before the bus left Suncheon for Seoul. What is a person who has done little but walk for 48 hours do in that situation? Walk another hour and a half of course! It wasn’t planned, but there were several signs around town advertising the National Garden they have in town. With spring being here I figured the flowers would be quite beautiful. And I was indeed right!
This isn’t even the garden, though. That’s just some random multi-acre flower bed outside of the garden because the garden costs money. If I’d have an extra hour I probably would have gone inside the garden, but alas I had a bus to catch. I walked my way back to the station, sucked down an Americano, got on a bus for four hours, made it home, and passed out Friday night with 62,172 steps logged on my tracker for the trip.
The Second Weekend
The second weekend of my vacation and I was not looking forward to it ending. While on the bus back up from Suncheon I realized I simply had nothing on my mind. No thoughts or worries, not a care in the world. I can always tell I am at peace in those moments, when the “monkey mind” isn’t dragging my thoughts from one branch to another. I haven’t felt that way since my earliest days here in Korea. The moment I crossed over and saw the lights of the city I was instantly imbued with worry and agitation. Buddha once said, “You cannot heal in the same environment that made you sick,” and that wave of displeasure signaled to me that it was true. Therefore, I resolved to make the most of my last two days, even if I had to spend it in the city.
I played Magic! That was basically my entire Saturday. I spent time with the playgroup of destiny once again after eating a fantastic meat and fries’ lunch at this South African meat pie place literally called Pie Republic. Then it was six hours of games, a simple meal at Burger King with awesome conversations, and then a bike ride home.
Sunday was slightly more involved. Easter Day and all that. He is risen. You know the deal. I would not call myself a Christian, but I’m certainly faithful in some things and genuinely think visiting church every so often for the self-reflective prayer is good for the soul. Easter is a good holiday with which to do that. I’ve striven to visit a church and pray in every country I’ve lived. America (of course), England once, China was ornate, Macau (which isn’t exactly a country) had one of the simplest but that none-the-less filled me with content. I wanted to make sure I saw things here as well before I left.
I made plans with a coworker who is very faithful. She kindly accepted my request to accompany her to church and explained a few things to me as I was the only foreigner in the congregation. Many women wear veils, there is no blood of Christ offered, and the church is much simpler in its decorations. Still quite lovely. The whole service was in Korean, but I remembered many of the phases of the service as we worked through it – the hymns made it pretty easy – and I got a brief exposure to what life was like for those going to church before 1965. Overall, the service was a lovely time and I am quite thankful for my coworker who was nice enough to bring me along to her place of worship.
Then I wrote this article for several hours. I met up unexpectedly with Thom and Jamie to play one game of Magic, went off to finally have chicken and beer (something we’d been trying to set up since Wednesday), and then headed home to try for a good night’s rest to cap off the vacation.
THAT was what I did with my vacation. The very last full week I’ll have here in Seoul. While I was initially afraid I wouldn’t do much of note with the time off, I think I did pretty well for myself. The embers of exploration still smolder in my soul, and as I move on from here, I think the chance I carry their flame from place to place will intensify. Age is but a number, and while our time here is limited, the places we have to spend it may as well be endless.
On to the next!