Sling Bar to Seoul

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19 July 2008

The send off the Friday before I departed to Seoul (South Korea) was outrageous! It was a terrific turn out and such a fun night. It certainly made me realise that my life and time in Brisbane has been a triumph with the friends I have made. What an eclectic mix you all are! Thanks to everyone who turned out and for the Beyonce badges!

Gordo was kind enough to drop me off at the airport, I’m sure he wanted to be certain I got on that plane and not return home after 3 hours. The flight itself was fine and arriving in Seoul was the start of the excitement.

I spent three days in Seoul. Knowing very little about South Korea I learnt pretty quickly to adapt culturally by being polite (yes, it was only for three days) following my nose for food, learning to eat Kimuchi, BBQ pork cheeks and learning a few basic phrases. By day two I became adventurous and decided to conquer the train system. All in all, I managed to get to city hall station, even if it was five stations away.

Exploring the city by night and taking a tour of the de-militarised zone (DMZ) were probably the highlights for me. Departing Seoul was actually a little sad as I was starting to feel confident about the city and people. From Seoul, I flew to Italy and while on the plane I reflected on my time by creating top 10 list. I guess, it’s my way of breaking down the fun I had in Seoul (by the way this list is in no particular order!).

1. While on the tour of the DMZ a short video provided a brief history of the DMZ and Korean war. It explained the DMZ in recent years and how the ‘unification’ process will occur in the future. I enjoyed the closing comments which were about building a new city in the unification area: “The DMZ, it’s our home!”
2. Upon arrival at Incheon airport (Seoul), I was asked numerous times if I was US military, (I so wanted to say yes and see where I would end up!).
3. Also at Incheon airport a taxi driver attempted to rip me off by offering and outrageous price to my hotel. Needless to say I took the bus which cost about 10 000 WON ($10 AUS). What had me suspicious was this guy had an uncanny resemblance of me!?
4. I had my photo taken at the DMZ with a character which looked like the North Korean president.
5. As I travelled to my hotel by bus I saw a few hundred police in riot gear, all dressed in black in a face-off with protesters demonstrating against importing US beef and ‘the prevention of mad cow disease’. This is where saying yes, to being US military could have been fun! The demonstration became violent several hours later with water cannons used to control the crowd. The news reported hundreds were injured. (Obviously no water restrictions or 4 minute showers in Seoul!)
6. I learnt to communicate in Korean with my favourite words being: ah yang ha say yo, gam sa ham ni da, kam sa ham ni da, ju say yo.
7. Paying 9 650 WON for a coffee, just under $10 AUS!
8. At night traffic is controlled in the markets by sweet Korean girls. A wonderful way to spend an hour listening to a sports whistle.
9. I have come to appreciate Korean bubble gum music (pop). The tunes are very catchy!
10.The special spices in Kimuchi caused me 20 minutes of respiratory distress. The problem here was it tasted very nice and I ate Kimuchi every night!

Finally, the Korean people are very friendly and accommodating. I would love to return and spend more time exploring this country and culture. What a beautiful culture it is!

Currently, I am residing in a little town south of Rome called Sezze. I have reunited with Mum, and relatives I have not seen in 15 years, for others 25 years, and a fortunate few recently introduced for the first time. My biggest challenge so far is practising my Italian and living with intermittent internet connection and temperamental mobile phone coverage. Hope all is well and spirits are high.

Paolo

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