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Published: March 12th 2008
Seoul Grand Park Zoo
Siberian Tiger skullery.Well, I haven't really been paying attention to what I've been doing very much. Mostly b/c I've been enjoying it too much to stop and think about it. In any case, I'm going to try my best to recreate the past few days.
A brief update: I successfully negotiated some WWOOFing (it took me 2.5 hours of strip poker, a swiss army knife, and a polaroid camera), I found the agency that does birth family reunification (and they told me I didn't have enough information on me to help me @ the time), and roughly figured out when I'm coming back to the States (around May 9). I hope everyone is doing well back home. Today, without less regret, is my last day in Seoul. I thought we would always be together. Some things just have to come to an end, right? Sigh. I am heading to Jeollanam-Do, which is basically the Southwest tip of Korea, to a town called Gurye. I am going to Jiri Mountain Bioland, where they operate large organic greenhouses. I plan to be there for 2 weeks. Afterwards, I'm headed north to somewhere in the Jeollabuk-Do region, to a farm called Natural Health (excited about that).
Noryangjin Fish Market
Just a fraction of how much was here. Then lastly, back south to another city in Jeollanam-Do where I will be with a small family on Onsum Farm. Then I will be headed to Mokpo-si, a port town in Jeollanam-Do, and taking a ferry to Shanghai in China. I know, I know, you're thinking, "Why would you ever go back to China, Kam? Don't they spit all over the place and pick their noses while making your food?"
Well, the answer is yes, and I'm not too super stoked about heading back, but it is the cheapest way for me to get to Beijing, from which I will take a
long train ride north to Mongolia, eventually ending in Ulaan Bataar, the capital. Then a week or so there (hopefully doing some trekking/touring of the Gobi desert), then another
long train ride back to Beijing, then a
long plane ride back to the states. Seems like a
long ways away. I'll survive (maybe).
Terminate update.
Shall we? This all starts on 3/9.
Warning: there are a lot of animals in this entry. So if you have some weird phobia of animals you probably shouldn't read on, weirdo.
Here Fishy Fishy...
---I overslept that morning. Jumped out
Noryangjin Fish Market
Octopi. Koreans eat octopus live sometimes. It's supposedly very good, you just have to chew quickly and thoroughly otherwise the tentacles can stick to your inner throat. of bed and said, "Shit, I overslept." Everyone looked @ me like I was weird for talking to myself. Whatever, losers.
---Headed for the subway station, it was packed (Sunday). Still got to where I needed to go just fine. I was headed south, past the Hahn river, which is big. For any of you who have seen the Korean movie, The Host, it looks exactly like it does in the movie
minus a giant, American-made, mutant beast kidnapping and eating Koreans. I wish it did though. I'd get my camera out
real quick.
---Arrived @ Noryangjin Fish Market. I could smell it a mile away.
---Headed inside. It was like a football field of fish tanks. Maybe bigger. It was apparent that it was pretty much a 24/7 fish market, as some of the people looked like they hadn't slept in days.
---Wandered the aisles staring fish in the face and silently asking them, "Was it worth it? Did you really need that worm?" Most of them were dead, so I guess they didn't really get my philosophical bantor.
---There were
crazy looking fish. Things I didn't even know existed. Most interestingly, there were a lot of rays, skates,
Noryangjin Fish Market
Rays, didn't know people ate these. and blowfish there. The purveyors expertly dismantled the blowfish for the good part (as the rest will kill you) on request. And I didn't even know people ate rays and skates. Whatever floats your boat.
---The coolest part of the market,
if I had more $, was that many people just buy fresh fish (especially the live ones in the tank), have them scaled and gutted on the spot. Then take them upstairs to a floor full of restaurants, where they are grilled, fried, filleted, and sliced for sushi.
---There was melting ice everywhere. I have to small holes in my Cambo-pumas. I didn't smell too good. No wonder no one ever wants to come near me...
---Left without buying anything. A terrible curse upon my soul.
Lions & Tigers & Bears, Oh My Science
---Took a long subway ride to Seoul Grand Park. There were a lot of old people on the subway park. I was definately in the wrong side of town.
---Seoul Grand Park is a giant space of land, @ the base of a big mountain, where there are campgrounds, an amusement park, a zoo, and a contemporary art museum. It's a strange mix. Kind
of like eating a Reese's Peanut Butter Cup and a Jellybelly @ the same time.
---Headed for the zoo first. There were lots of kids there. I punked them all and threw munchkins left and right till I got to the front of the line.
Then their parents showed up. I was like, "It wasn't me."
---The zoo was big, you could probably spend a slow paced full day there.
---In short, I saw: four African exhibits (gazelles, elephants, giraffes, rhinos, monkeys, etc.), primeapes exhibit (macaques, lemers, baboons, gorillas, etc.), aviary exhibit (Toocan Sam & Fruit Loops), insectarium (so super disappointing...crickets are not cool, Korea -
and how can you have a diagram of a black widow, but not actually have a REAL black widow?), big cats (pumas, white tigers, siberian tigers, cheetahs, leopards, tabby), greenhouse (thought this was a zoo? I didn't come here to see no plants!), nocturnal animals (owls, porcupines, other things that go bump in the night), oriental (
so not PC) exhibit (crocodiles, snakes, amphibians, primeapes), camel exhibit, small mammal exhibit (wolves, foxes, wild dogs, hyehnas), marine exhibit (polar bears, walrus, seals, dolphins), and much more.
---All this and much much more, coming this Sunday, Sunday,
Noryangjin Fish Market
Shellfish. There were some gnarly looking selections here. Things I didn't even know existed. Sunday!
You're Blowing My Mind Right Now, Carl
---For those of you who don't know what that means, maybe you should watch some Arrested Development and laugh yourself to death.
---Went to the National Museum of Contemporary Art
---I couldn't take my camera inside, and everytime I did against the rules, some very authoratative Korean guy in a fake cop outfit would scold me.
Fight the man.
---Did get off a couple of shots @ the impressive 4 story TV pagoda. Unfortunately, it was closed. Why did I even come to this junk hole?
---All things aside, the museum was very thought provoking, and was largely impressive. Some of my favorite exhibits were: a giant black and red oil painting depicting the struggles of Korea through a risng flame of people portraits (so super dramatic) & a single TV in a room playing clips of news reports edited together to say more important things than the "news", like: eating and dieting are important, there are important things happening around us all the time, but nobody cares, and mocking the importance of vanity (applause for this well thought out piece).
---I left a smarter man.
---Headed back to the hostel.
Seoul Subway
The outer lines.
The Gamble in Me Comes Out
---Was planning to go to the aquarium here in Seoul. But why would I have done that when I learned there was a casino in town?
---Headed to the Millenium Seoul Hilton. There was a casino, but no poker games I play. It was a struggle to get there too. I bet Paris made the decision not to have Hold 'Em or Omaha @ her hotel. Good call. You just lost a customer.
---Korean citizens are not allowed to enter casinos. Smart move. They knew I'd be coming.
---Headed to the Sheraton Walker-Hill. There was a casino. There was Hold 'Em. I sat down with a 100$.
---In fact, I sat down for 12 hours. Met some nice people.
Took there money.
---@ about 8 in the morning, about half an hour before I left, a very obnoxious loud mouthed Korean guy sat down and called me a "chicken shit". Just thought you'd like to know.
---Left with somewhere in the 4 figure regions.
My wallet wouldn't close.
---Took a taxi to a subway station close to my hostel and arrived there a tired, but accomplished man. Slept till 6:00pm. What a grind.
Seoul Grand Park Zoo
Botanical garden cactus forest.
The Day After
---I didn't do
anything and it felt nice.
Odds & Ends
---Woke really early and headed out on the town.
---Used some of my new found wealth to buy some presents for some people.
Aren't you lucky?
---Headed for the WWOOFing office. I demanded that they contact some hosts for me. They happily obliged.
---Headed for InKAS (the agency that does birth family reunification), this time with better instructions on how to get there, and they told I didn't have enough information for them to help me @ the moment. They told me to contact SWS (Social Welfare Society) and that they would help me.
---While I was there, I caught a glimpse of their meeting room, where a translator helps connect birth families to adoptees. It looked strange, and made me rather anxious thinking about meeting my birth mother like that. I would rather just not. But I do want to know who she is and maybe a little more about her, or my birth father. (Like, does insanity run in the family?)
---Took the subway to the COEX Mall.
Enter Ginormous Mall & Cool Aquarium
---The mall was huge. It was, like,
the biggest thing I've ever seen.
---Not really a fan of malls, but the interior design was impressive, almost like being in Vegas.
---I've never been to Vegas, I just made that up.
---Got lost.
Yes, lost in a mall.
---Finally found the Aquarium. It was really cool. I saw lion fish, sharks, jellies, eels, crabs, etc. They had a lot of different exhibits, including: Amazonian, Mangrove, Deep Sea, Open Sea, Korean Waters, etc.
---Took a lot of pictures, people started to look @ me funny.
It's all part of being super cool with a camera.
I'll Sell My Seoul for a Direct Flight to Mongolia...
So now that I'm done here in Seoul, I have the obligatory random thoughts:
---This city is awesome
---Koreans are generally very polite, kind, and generous.
---Sushi is a dollar a roll here.
'Nuff said.
---Other than sushi, the food is Fing hot.
---Despite being crowded, people do not pretend they are in the NFL to get where they are going.
---They believe in manners here.
---Flights out of Korea are very expensive. One theory as to why: Korea does not want their people going elsewhere in the world.
---Do not just say
Seoul Grand Park Zoo
Wolf stands guard as other one sleeps. yes to a taxi driver b/c he said a destination that you
think sounds like the right place. All Korean words sound the same. (At least to me).
---Don't fall asleep on the subway.
---I didn't go to the DMZ b/c it didn't look that cool to me. Maybe I'm wrong. Maybe I'm not. Only time will tell. (what, Kam?)
---Seoul is probably the most Western-influenced Asian city in the world. Maybe not Hong Kong, but close.
---Learn how to bow if you come here, b/c people do it to you, and
you look like an ass if you don't do it back.
---The cat @ this hostel whines for food a lot.
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the soul cultivator
Claire Hall
Genetics
I think Im now your number one fan....Great funny entertaining blogging, BUT...Id love to know if you ever find your real parents? Please keep us all posted about your progress, I think they would be very proud of you. Kathy Bates.....(just kidding...Claire)