Defining Trip: Part 2 - the DMZ and Seoul

Continuation of the last entry....

We end up back in Seoul on May 6 (Happy birthday Dad!). Jackie and Rach checked back into the hostel, I was staying with friends in the city for the next two nights so I didn't need a hostel. We did some shopping in Insadong. I got new earrings and postcards and some gifts for co-workers. I got a 꽃보다 남자 (Korean drama version of the Japanese comic "Hana Yori Dango") file folder and I had an argument with the saleslady about who was cuter: Gu Jun Pyo or Yoon Ji Hoo. I'm a Gu Jun Pyo girl all the way! Later, we met up with my friends, Suz and Ellen, for dinner in Gangnam then drinks in Itaewon.

The crazy taxi incident happened this night....so we decide that taking a taxi is easier from Gangnam to Itaewon. We find a taxi that can fit us then at a random stoplight the driver opens his door and looks down. He was checking his tires. Later he turns on his hazard lights and proceeds to drive suuuuper slowly. If anyone knows anything about Koreans and driving, they drive really fast normally. So everyone else on the road was driving fast, it was just our cab going slowly with the hazards on. What a jerk! Later we find out, after Suz translating, that the driver thought we were heavy and was worried about his tires so that's why he was driving really slowly. UGH! It was only a $7 cab ride, but what a crazy experience...

We head to the bar in Itaewon and get some drinks and smoke hookah. We laughed at some drunk Koreans trying to dance....not so pretty. Jackie and Rach head back to their hostel, I stayed out with Ellen and Suz later and toast to my birthday at midnight!

The next day, we went to the DMZ. Our tour left the USO office at 11am and came back around 7pm. It was a long day! But really fun. This was the same tour I went on last August when I went, but it was a lot more fun since I had my friends there and the other people on the tour were really interesting and nice to talk to as well. When we got on the tour bus, there were no seats together so I ended up at the very back in the middle of four guys around my age. Three of them were from the US and they were just studying abroad in Tokyo. The other guy was an English teacher like me so we had a lot in common. I mostly napped on the way to the DMZ though. I was sleepy from the night before.

The highlights of the day were that one of the guys in the back was wearing a Domo-kun t-shirt so I got some classic photos of him with my Domo-kun mascot. Another highlight was the third infiltration tunnel. We had a fun time going down then back up...it was so steep! Afterwards, Jackie and I talked to Corporal Park about his job. He was busy, but I'm glad he could spare some time to talk. He was really cute and had nice glasses, and spoke English well. Another highlight was talking to a couple that worked in the Foreign Service during lunch. The woman was from Minnesota! Small world. Anyway, talking to them piqued my interest in looking into working for the State Department. We'll see.

Main highlight was going into the JSA (Joint Security Area) again. Our tour bus even drove right in front of conference row...crazy! I want to take my parents on this tour someday!

When we got back to Seoul it was pretty late so we went to dinner at the outdoor stalls in Namdaemun Market. Highlight of this meal was the live octopus that I ate! The ahjumma (the lady that worked at the stall) chopped it up in front of me and it was still wriggling around! Eeeee! It wasn't so bad though, I just chewed really fast so it wouldn't squirm around in my mouth.

Too many stories and photos from this trip...stay tuned for the next installment. There are now some videos on my YouTube page from Korea: http://www.youtube.com/user/salonga7

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