The trip that was months in the planning ended up being something a little more local than originally anticipated. My mom came to visit for her 50th birthday, and since JM and I had 5 days off (yes, Chuseok holiday fell right on my mom's birthday!) we had planned to do something exciting. Since 20 million people displace themselves from Seoul to get to the hometowns of their ancestors, traveling around this holiday is insanity. Think Christmas, times 100.
I had been fortunate enough to snag us some seats on the KTX to Busan, a coastal town with nice beaches, culture, and mountains to climb. It suited us as the perfect local place to go and get out of Cheonan. I also found a great online deal for the Novotel Ambassador hotel, right on Haeundae beach. We had ocean view rooms, king size beds, and gorgeous weather.
View from the rooms!
Thursday we relaxed on the beach. We wanted to have a bummy beach day, so we took a picnic with cheese, meat, crackers and fruit and lounged the afternoon away. The waves were so much fun to play in. They were huge and you didn't have to wait long to get knocked over and tons of sand in your bathing suit. Unfortunately, late in the season the ocean gets some "bugs" as Korean call them and they are a little picky, sort of like small jelly fish stings. Luckily, they didn't affect us too badly and we body surfed in the strong current.
Enjoying the waves!
Friday was my mom's birthday and she really wanted to go for a hike. So we woke up, ate cupcakes for breakfast (Sarah and I surprised my mom with cupcakes we baked before the train - we still don't know how she didn't smell them), and headed off to Jangsan, a mountain that was within walking distance from the hotel. We took the longest, most convoluted way to the top possible, but the hike was really pleasant. Not over crowded like most Korean mountains, or too steep, and there was a guy selling popsicles at the top! I've never been so happy to see a man with a melon popsicle.
Mom went for a morning walk on the beach
Sarah making cupcakes - well .. eating the batter
Sarah and JM - hula competition! This was in a small exercise park at the start of the hike.
Back stretch! We also had quite a few rock slides to climb over.
Popsicles at the top!
That night we went out for a Brazilian barbeque dinner, some Baskin Robbins ice cream, and to top it off, a norebang jam session. For those who don't know, norebang is the Korean karaoke. We rented a private room and had our choice of what songs to sing. I think my mom enjoyed her 50th celebration!
The things you can get your mom to do if you promise her ice cream ... he he.
Saturday was a bit of a bust. We went to a temple that was recommended on TripAdvisor as a must see, and sadly, it was not. Much too crowded and touristy, exactly the type of attraction I hate to be caught at as a claustrophobe. But we made up for it Sunday morning with another beach day and then some Busan culture in the afternoon. All in all, a great trip!
Our last hoorah in Seoul came in the form of a shopping spree. The goal was to get some bedding for the increasingly cold nights in Cheonan. While Jennika had found a nice duck down duvet on Gmarket (a Korean Amazon.ca), we thought we would try anyhow.
We made it down via the subway and passed by the Cheonggyecheon river. This river used to be covered by a highway, but the city decided to restore it a few years ago, a project that we support. The whole area was beautiful!
Well we didn't find any suitable bedding in the plethora of shops. They sure do like wild patterns and hello kitty here. The shopping style is very different in the market stores. There are many booths/kiosks with eager retailers vying for your business. Once you try something on, good luck walking away without purchasing it. On the other hand if you are the first sale of the day it is considered bad luck not to get you to buy something. Jennika used this to haggle her new jacket from a price of 120,000 won to 80,000 won. While we walked away the shop keeper was shaking her head in disbelief that she let us go with such a great deal.
Due to the diet change, I've lost some weight and I can now fit into some tight Korean pants and other accoutrement. Time for a new wardrobe! We had a great time playing dress up.
My new sports jacket.
A nicer view of the detail.
popping that booty. modelling a bag
Some tight Korean pants that I did not buy because you could see my junk. There was no room to hide.
One of the new shirts and tight Korean dress pants that I did buy.
These were also our bunk-bed accommodations at the Kpop Guesthouse near Seoul Station.
Jennika also found some dressier shoes, a cute spring/fall jacket, a new fancy headband, and a long shirt with leggings.
On the holiday Monday (October 1st), Jean-Marc and I decided to explore some traditional Korean culture. We had heard that over Chuseok, it was common for the palaces and museums to host activities. Our first stop was the Bukchon Hanok Village, a little neighbourhood with traditional Korean houses.
The Bukchon Visitors Center
A Korean door. I love these! Traditional Korean houses have many rooms off a common courtyard.
They also don't have yards, but gardens inside the grounds of the house.
Next we walked over to the National Folk Museum, which is located just inside the Gyeongbokgung Palace. Right away we saw people in costumes and a dance starting. One of the drummers came up to us and let us take pictures with his drum. It was very heavy and sort of like a bronze pot.
The Dancers
They had cool things on their heads!
Here is a video I took of some dancing. I love the things they have on the top of their hats. I don't understand the turtle part of the story, but we have seen this dragon turtle figure in a few places. Also, beware. The sound is very scratchy. It was much better in person.
There were many activities going on at the folk museum, including artistic booths. Jean-Marc decided to make traditional clothing origami ... along with all the children. It was so cute. He was the only foreigner and the only person at the workshop over 12 years of age. The father of the girl next to him kept leaning over and fixing all the errors JM was making. It was hilarious! Clearly he wanted to make origami too.
Some of the model designs
Jean-Marc with all the children.
Making the frame.
Showing JM how to fold the pants.
HAHA! The hands of the infamous father who always wanted to help.
All done and looking mighty proud!
Finally, we walked through Gyeongbokgung Palace. This palace was part of the Joseon dynasty and used to be the residence of the king. After Korea's many invasions and wars, the palace had been destroyed. When the Japanese occupied their country in the 1900s, they tore down buildings and erected their own offices on the palace grounds. Since 1995, there was a massive restoration project and to date, 25% of the palace has been restored to its former glory. Jean-Marc and I both agree that when they finally get it done, they should have it operate like how the palace used to be .. to give visitors a sense of what it was like back in the Joseon dynasty, with real servants and community members. As it stands right now, it's hard to know what happened in each building and who lived where. The palace grounds, however, are beautiful, and the details on the buildings are stunning. I would love to have a house like this one day.
The Front Gates of Gyeongbokgung Palace
For all our pictures of Gyeongbokgung, check out the album:
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I had been fortunate enough to snag us some seats on the KTX to Busan, a coastal town with nice beaches, culture, and mountains to climb. It suited us as the perfect local place to go and get out of Cheonan. I also found a great online deal for the Novotel Ambassador hotel, right on Haeundae beach. We had ocean view rooms, king size beds, and gorgeous weather..jpg)
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Thursday we relaxed on the beach. We wanted to have a bummy beach day, so we took a picnic with cheese, meat, crackers and fruit and lounged the afternoon away. The waves were so much fun to play in. They were huge and you didn't have to wait long to get knocked over and tons of sand in your bathing suit. Unfortunately, late in the season the ocean gets some "bugs" as Korean call them and they are a little picky, sort of like small jelly fish stings. Luckily, they didn't affect us too badly and we body surfed in the strong current.
Friday was my mom's birthday and she really wanted to go for a hike. So we woke up, ate cupcakes for breakfast (Sarah and I surprised my mom with cupcakes we baked before the train - we still don't know how she didn't smell them), and headed off to Jangsan, a mountain that was within walking distance from the hotel. We took the longest, most convoluted way to the top possible, but the hike was really pleasant. Not over crowded like most Korean mountains, or too steep, and there was a guy selling popsicles at the top! I've never been so happy to see a man with a melon popsicle.
