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Published: January 27th 2012
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The whole crew together!
Tyler, Jeff, Kirsten, Matt, Sheri, Jessie, Jenna, and Colin. Ready to board our flight to Jeju. We’ve been planning and anticipating it for months. The whole family together in Korea! And, adding even more joy to our gathering this year, we are joined by 3 more young adults who are special to our family. There was much excitement and a bit of anxiety. Will they all manage to navigate the requirements of flying here on their own? Indeed, it required 4 waves of trips to the airport just to pick them all up. Will all 6 of them fit into our “apartment for 2”? Will we manage to stock enough food to feed them all? Will we really find enough to do that fits everyone’s interests? Will all of our pre-arranged activities go off smoothly? Will we all manage to stay healthy for the duration? Will we ever sleep??? In short: yes, yes (tightly), yes (thank you Costco), yes, yes, yes, and sort of…..
Here’s the crew: Dad (the shaker and mover), Mom (the organizer), Kirsten (the culture seeker), Jeff (the smiling sous chef), Tyler (the comic relief), Colin (the courageous tourist), Jessica (the giggling girl), and Jenna (the BIG surprise!).
And here’s a shortened version of the adventures we undertook:
Markets:
Namdaemun Market
Missing our subway stop for the electronics market, we end up taking the newly arrived guys shopping a traditional Korean commodities market. At least the street food was good! There were commodities markets (has everything, but nothing we want), trendy fashion markets (boisterous, vibrant, crowded), herbal medicine market (hanging dried herbs and caterpillars, pungent herb odor), wholesale food market ( strange Korean penis fish and skinned dog among other delicacies), and the fish market (15 lb lobster!, fresh king crab luncheon selected and cooked on-site).
Physical Activity:
Ice skating at Seoul Plaza: A frigid, clear day. Open air ice rink in downtown setting. Moderate size crowd of all ages and nationalities. Modern music piped over loud speakers as we skate around the rink. Feels like Christmas time!
Climbing scenic Mt. Manisan: Views of the East Sea, strenuous climbing, sweat steaming off of Colin’s t-shirt, Tyler frolicking along as we huff and puff, picnic at the summit, scary drops (Jeff: “Kirsten, get away from that edge. …Kirsten, I’m serious….” Mom: “Ty, be careful. Ty, stop jumping on that rock edge. Ty, you’re REALLY scaring me….”). The boys in shorts passing by Koreans who are all bundled up, grimacing and exclaiming as they pass "Ohhhhhhhh". Many laughing at their legs and one wanting to rub the hair on Jeff's legs.
Vantage point
A breather during our climb of Mt. Manisan. Kirsten looks small compared to the large rocks and the village far below in the distance. Basketball in a nearby park: Two big guys (Colin and Ty), 4 little guys (anonymous Koreans), frigid day, American size defeated by Korean skills, fun for all
Tango dancing and Night Clubs: Ok, the over 50 crowd didn't partake of these activities, but the young crowd enjoyed it and returned with interesting tales in the wee hours of the morning.
City navigation: Climbing subway steps, hustling along Seoul streets, bombarded by new sights – Jessie, do you have your subway card??
The gym: Jeff in sleeveless attire, lifting a gazillion kilos, astonished sneak glances from Korean gym enthusiasts, workout guidance for Sheri - in English!
Eating Adventures:
Shabu shabu, Korean BBQ, Korean pancakes, fine dining, noodle shops, creating together in the kitchen – after all, food is the common glue binding us all together!
Korea Exploration:
DMZ (demilitarized zone/border with North Korea): For the 20-something crowd, this was the favorite Korean activity. For me, this was a bit visually and intellectually blah, but still a worthwhile
Tyler, you're scaring me!
A narrow rock edge was all that separated Ty's landing from courageous to disasterous. outing to help in understanding the society of our host country. Via organized tour is the only permitted method to visit the DMZ. Participants must adhere to a strict dress code banning such things as flip flops, attire with holes or vulgar or political statements, drooping pants, short pants, exposed shoulders, and workout clothing. Hmmmm, for some of us that eliminated most of our wardrobe! Very early we jump on the subway to reach the bus which will carry us 1 ½ hours to the North Korean border. Once at the DMZ, our bus is boarded by a US military serviceman who provides historical and present day facts about this area. For instance, did you know that the DMZ is 4 km wide and 248 long with a farming village inside? In the MAC (Military Armistice Commision) building, we are permitted to walk “across the border” to the side of the room which is considered North Korea. Heavy presence of armed guards and more rules about where we can walk, where we can look, what gestures are not allowed, and where we can take photos impress upon us the seriousness of this location. At another stop, we bend our backs
Sea view
Hiking Mount Manisan, we were rewarded with numerous lovely views of the West Sea. to traverse a long tunnel, believed to be dug/blasted by the North Koreans as an attack route. A last stop allows us to stand on the tracks of the last train station before entry into the north – Pyongyang bound. The current “end of the line” so to speak.
Jeju Island: On Christmas day we depart for a 1 hour plane ride followed by a 1 ½ hour bus ride to the Tae Gong Gak Inn on Jeju island. A well orchestrated surprise rendezvous with Jenna at the airport leaves Jessie dumbfounded, shaking her head, and eventually in tears with the realization that her very good friend will be joining us for a few days. The 8 of us become compatriots in exploration of this volcanic island south of the Korean peninsula.
The generous and warm proprietor of the inn, Peter, simply makes our trip a wonderful holiday in itself. There were morning and evening gatherings in the coffee room, abundant Jeju tangerines picked from a tree out back, comfortable sleeping quarters, and wise guidance in planning our activities.
We hiked the rocky coastline, dined on Korean BBQ, laughed at Ty
Father and son
A revered ancient temple tree at the top of the mountain makes for a good photo spot. and Kirsten performing karaoke, climbed a volcanic peak, and trekked through a lava tube under the ground. My personal favorite memory involves the heroic action of Ty as he attempts to return a cell phone to a stranger who inadvertently dropped it in the water. Not knowing she had lost her phone, the stranger continues walking. Meanwhile, Ty and Colin work to retrieve the phone. Ty, after removing 2 of his 3 shirts and crawling in the water, eventually grabs it and takes off at a run to catch the owner. He runs and runs and we all lose track of where he is. Where is he??? Finally, waaay in the distance across a bay, we spot a spec of flesh color zipping around the edge of a cliff. What is that??? Get out the binoculars. “That’s him!” we all exclaim. He had removed his shirt and kept on running in pursuit. We were all cracking up at the sight. Unfortunately, he never caught up with the phone's owner and the only thing his heroic effort landed him was an angry response from a Korean who was apparently offended by his bare chest. Nonetheless, we all had a good laugh
at his tenacity and audacity. And oh yes, speaking of audacity, the songs “Free Bird” and “Party in the USA”, will always make me smile after Ty and Kirsten’s karaoke performances.
Closing thoughts on our Korean Christmas: It was fun. It was heartwarming. It was amazingly peaceful. There were laughs. There was time for easy conversations. There was always something to do and time for doing nothing at all. In closing, all these experiences, combined with living and cooperating in close quarters, to me, seemed to somehow bind our rag tag group of individuals into an appreciative and accepting family unit. Now that is probably the best Christmas present of all that I could have received!
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