Time Travel - Day One - Korea

So, as I'm a tad bit behind, I figure we'll just go back in time and see what's been going on in my life. I'm going to go in reverse order - so, the most recent thing I've done is go to Korea, the least recent is going to Spain - so, let's start with Korea, shall we?

It's been 12 years since I last saw Korea. Funny -I lived there for an entire year and probably saw less of Seoul during that time than I did this time. Back then, if I went to Seoul, it was to shop, or drink and go dancing. And I was always in the company of my active duty comrades. This time, I was there working with some Korean DNA analysts, and I was afforded the opportunity to see the city with a more local flair - at least where the cuisine was concerned.

You can't tell, but we're sitting on the floor, and we have little "napkins" in our lap since we're both wearing skirts. This particular dinner was roast duck - most likely the best roast duck I've ever had. During this week, we also had bulgogi (of course), bi bim bop, tons and tons of kimchi, Samyetang (chicken soup), Gaibitang (beef rib soup), sushi, sashimi, pho, and so many other dishes, I can't remember them all.

Our first foray into town was Friday evening, but only to do some shopping at Itaewon. Nothing new there (except the prices - boy, I remember things being a lot cheaper back in '98), but we did go visit one of my old haunts - the Seoul Pub. The owner is still the same man, but unfortunately, Gunther, the bartender I remember, is now living in Thailand with his wife (sister of the owner) - but we did get to see some pics of the year that I was there, and that brought back some fond memories. Otherwise, all we did was shop for souevenirs, etc.

Saturday, we took a tour of Seoul. That was a strange experience. They picked us up in a small van and Peggy and I were the only two tourists, with the tour guide and the driver being the only two on board. The first place they took us was Gyeongbok Palace.

A pretty place with plenty of beautiful architecture.

Had fun posing as a scholar and a warrior - funny - I'm the warrior - go figure that one out.

After Gyeongbok, we went to a Buddhist temple

- there was a ceremony in progress, so we couldn't go in, but the chanting was beautiful.

We went to this really nice area after that - the best shopping in Seoul in my opinion. Not quite as geared to western tournists, and more artistic. The best part for me was this beautiful tea shop.

We went to a few other --- weird --- places that we don't need to list here, but then we went to Changdeokgung Palace. I had initially signed up for this tour mostly because of this palace - it has a secret garden that I was really looking forward to visiting, so you can imagine my disappointment to learn the Secret Garden was a separate tour and we couldn't go in without being on a guided tour.

Still, the architecture was pretty at this palace as well - what I could see.

So, that was Saturday. Sunday, we decided we needed to go to the Yongsan Army Post Commissary to get groceries for the week. This would make our week a little less caloric (since we wouldn't be eating out every night) and a little cheaper (since I like to have a glass---or bottle---of wine before bed). This was my first chance to see how bad benefits are for military retirees these days - especially overseas. I found out retirees cannot shop on a military installation overseas without a ration card. I guess I already knew about this - somewhere in my subconscious, having heard about it before, but I had naturally forgotten, this not being something that usually affects me, and it came as a bit of a shock to not be allowed to buy simple groceries after having served as long as I did. But, blah, blah, blah - I don't want to rant about all the benefits that retirees have lost. Suffice it to say things worked out just fine.

So, the rest of the week was spent working (there they go again, expecting me to earn my income - weird, huh?), and it was pretty exhausting. Not much to report there except to say the students were very diligent, receptive individuals that seemed to appreciate our efforts.

A long week was rewarded with a farewell party and much applause.

I think it's safe to classify this trip as a success.

One last piece of fun - Peggy and I got to the airport very early, and while looking to kill some time, we found a little cultural center with a "learning experience" that let us paint fans for free - that was fun - especially as I totally forced Peggy to play along.
Oh, btw, no real knitting done on this trip. Heavy sigh.