Last weekend (Sept 14-16) was our first weekend out of Cheonan and exploring Seoul. We will give you a detailed account of our adventures below, but the take home is ..
we had a great time! And we'll definitely be back. There is so much to do, and so many neighborhoods to visit, that we haven't even scratched the surface. 48 hours is never enough time, so we have planned a 5 day trip over Korean Thanksgiving (called
Chuseok). This will happen in less than 2 weeks.
So we blogged before about there being 2 things on the itinerary for our first weekend away: dancing and meditation. The dancing didn't really happen, but the meditation did!
Friday
We got off work just after 4pm and came home to eat something light so that we could have dinner once we got to
Itaewon. After posting our plans a week ago, we had received many recommendations to not stay in Itaewon, but to go to Hongdae or Gangnam. We had, however, already booked accommodations. So we promised not to judge Seoul from Itaewon, and ended up having a blast. Perhaps expecting the worst, we were pleasantly surprised.
Lacking to confidence to figure out the train system, we opted for the subway with which we had a little more experience. BUT it's a super long 2hr subway ride from Cheonan and we did not catch an express. We got into our hostel after 10pm. We stayed at the
Doo Guesthouse, which is located off the beaten track and down a private alley. The guests and hosts were having a barbeque and drinks in the garden when we arrived. We quickly showered and put on our party clothes. We had seen a bar on the way to the hostel that we just had to try ... the
Rocky Mountain Tavern!!! Yes, there was a Canadian bar that we found within minutes of exiting the subway. We headed there for some good ol' fashioned poutine, wings and beer. There were hockey jerseys everywhere, pictures of famous Canadian locations, and license plates from all the provinces and territories. It was so nice to be home for an evening.
Saturday
We had some peanut butter toast at the hostel before checking out. In the daylight, we could see that the hostel had a great view. It was a very cute property that we will definitely stay at again. Very reasonable price and the hosts were quite friendly.
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| Private garden at the hostel |
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| The front gates of the hostel |
Next, we walked the streets of Itaewon and I decided to get a phone since most shops in Itaewon offer service in English, something you cannot find in Cheonan. I am, however, not confident when it comes to shopping for phones and got really stressed out by the experience. It even resulted in tears. I did finally sign a contract (all in Korean, which I do not understand) for a phone and plan that I find overpriced (or at least, I would never pay this much in Canada because I'm a cheap-o). I chose to support local economy and got a Samsung Galaxy R, the newest style. For those of you into cell phone specs, you can find the info
here.
After my mini breakdown over the phone, we ate lunch at La Bocca, an Italian restaurant in Itaewon apparently known for its sandwiches. We each got one and they were delicious! Super fresh ciabatta bread, Italian meats, fresh mozzarella cheese, and greens. It was a little taste of heaven. Jean-Marc ate all the kalamata olives that came with our meal (gross).
Then we headed off to
Myogaksa Temple where we had registered for their overnight temple stay program. It was only 6 subway stops away from Itaewon and then a short walk up a steep street. We arrived at a beautiful ornate gate, with brightly coloured decor. We were taken to our rooms to change into our temple clothes, similar to hospital scrubs. We met a rest of the temple stay group, which included a few other foreigners and many Koreans. There were 23 of us in total.
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| Myogaksa's front entrance |
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| Meeting Yeo Yeo |
We were introduced to the Buddhist nun, Yeo Yeo, who was our bilingual guide to the temple. We learned why Buddhists prostrate and how to perform one. Then we completed 108 prostrations while making our own prayer beads. After, we went to the rooftop and participated in the evening bell striking. This giant bell resonated and you could feel the vibrations inside your body. It was very moving. Following this, we went to the evening Buddhist ceremony, where we participated in more prostrations and Buddhist chanting. JM especially liked the chanting; we would like to get a CD of this to listen to at home. It was so calming.
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| 108 prostrations and prayer beads |
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| Striking the bell |
Next, we had dinner in the temple 'cafeteria', where you not only eat in complete silence, but you must eat everything on your plate. No waste allowed. Rounding off the night, we learned how to meditate and what the nuns do to stay awake and clear their minds. JM also learned what happens if you are caught sleeping. haha. Ok, he volunteered to pretend to sleep so we could all learn about the stick. Then it was off to bed and lights out at 10pm.
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| Vegetarian dinner |
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| Shhhhh. |
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| JM getting smacked with the wake up stick. |
Sunday
We were woken up just before 5am for the predawn bell striking and Buddhist ceremony. The difference with this one? We were not allowed to speak. Buddhists wake up and meditate, usually with a vow of silence. So we did the same thing. We meditated for almost an hour which may seem easy, but it is not. Our legs were so asleep it was painful. Hopefully next time I'll be more prepared and will be able to clear my mind of thoughts of losing my legs. Next, we followed Yeo Yeo up the mountain for a walk in Naksan park. Surprisingly, the park was bustling at 6am on a Sunday morning, filled with joggers, badminton players, weight lifters (yes, there is public exercise equipment in Korean parks, very convenient) and more. We did a walking meditation in the park and stopped in a beautifully decorated gazebo. Then we walked on a foot 'massage' path .. which is really just a bunch of hard, painful, rocks you are supposed to walk on to massage your feet. The mountain also boasted a nice view of downtown Seoul.
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| Walking meditation in the park |
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| Foot ... |
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| massage? |
We returned to the temple for a traditional Korean breakfast of rice, kimchi, and other goodies. Again, we ate in silence. We finished off the morning by learning how to make tea in a traditional tea ceremony. JM and I both got the chance to be tea master and pour for our 'guests'.
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| Learning to make tea |
All in all, we both enjoyed the experience and while we didn't feel completely enlightened by the end of it, we did feel calmer (except that JM wanted to poop his pants, which he did later that day). We are looking forward to the next temple stay program we booked at Chuseok.
Finally, we went back to Itaewon to get a haircut. While searching for a salon, we bumped into two expats who helped us tremendously. They took us to the American army base where we got our hair cut (for $26) and bought a few treats (like Tostitos!!). Then on the way home, we ate at McDonalds for the first time in Korea. It was kind of magical .. because the price was magical!!! Seriously, I don't understand why Koreans aren't fat. We ordered 2 meals for less than $8. Yup, that's right ... $4 each!! Fries and all. It was a glorious end to a great weekend.
Jennika (and JM)
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