New Years in Seoul!

I beat everyone to New Years :) We celebrated last night. Jina and I walked around one of the shopping districts - so many lights, like a mini-times square, then we met her friend Steven for dinner and went to a party at the Imperial Palace Hotel with Steve's friends. Good times! We had planned to wake up at 6am to see the sunrise from the mountains. It's a korean tradition to do so. But we decided against it - it is bitter cold here and I imagine that hiking for an hour at 6am, 10 degrees, may NOT be the best way to kick off the new year :) We did have rice cake soup for breakfast which is traditional and will supposedly add a year to my life!

From Seoul & Hong Kong

From Seoul & Hong Kong up the elevator at the hotel

From Seoul & Hong Kong party folk

We went to a Buddhist temple yesterday. People were praying with meditation beads and kneeling to the statue of Buddha- flashback to catholic church! It freaked me out. From my limited experience with Buddhist philosophy and mediation, I had this hope that Buddhism surpassed all that ridiculousness of other religions. However, I shouldnt be disheartned because Buddhism was polluted as it was adopted by other cultures and their prior beliefs. So I can still believe that there is a tradition out there that is spiritual/philosophical sans religion.

From Seoul & Hong Kong paper lanterns at the temple

First 24 Hours

My first day was great and packed with new things. I met Jina and her dad at the airport who were nice enough to pick me up, 2 hours from their home. We stopped on the way back at the Fish market. We got to pick out fish from the tank. The fish guy bashed them over the head a few times then turned them into sashimi for us. The best! The flesh is so firm its delicious. We also tried a speciality which is LIVE octopus/squid. You buy them alive and bring them home and either (1) stab them in the brain and eat them whole or (2) cut off their tentatcles and eat them while still writhing around. I did #2. Apparently you can soemtimes die if you do #1 because the octopus suctions your throat. Fun!

From Seoul & Hong Kong spread from the fish market, at jina's parents place

Next day we went the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ), which separates North and South Korea. A friend of Jina's family is in the Korean army and gave us a special access tour around the area, which is usually closed off except to military and pricey/limited tour buses. It's amazing how much easier it is to learn history when you are right there where it happend. North Korea is crazy - they put up this "promotional" town that can be seen from the South Korea side. Nobody lives there - its just to show off how people supposedly live in North Korea. A farce as North Korea is struggling economically. Also, since the 60s, North Korea has been secrelty building tunnels under the DMZ to reach South Korea. Even as the tunnels were discovered they kept building more. We went into the Third Tunnel. We also saw this town Cheorwan, that was completely destroyed during the war. Literally, its flat farmland for miles, where there used to be a thiriving town. On the upside - had two delicious meals - fresh tofu in a restaurant in the DMZ and fresh grilled eel for dinner.

From Seoul & Hong Kong meeting the cute lady who runs the tofu shop, near the DMZ

It's been nice staying with Jina's family. They are so welcoming. I am savoring this time because it will be so much easier than my time in Vietnam....in terms of amenities (shower! privacy! computer!) and decision-making (I dont have to wake up and decide what do to and how to get there). Ah, luxury. But I am still excited for part 2 - its invigorating to start a journey where outcomes are so unsure - from the extreme of dying, to the possibility of loving a place so much you never come home, and all the unknowns in between.

From Seoul & Hong Kong at the fish market (also visited in No Reservations - Korea!)

Launch

I am leaving tomorrow! It came up so fast. I am, as usual, not fully prepared. I still need to find a meditation place and potentially somewhere I can volunteer for a bit. Yes, I always have grand plans but that rarely means I put the effort in to make them happen :) I guess I rely on the saving grace of travel - which is that even if your well-laid plans dont work out, you are still in another world and can just enjoy existing there.

A bientot!