I ended my travel naked.

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I was so excited to be on a high speed train. KTX runs at 350 kph or so. Different sources say different things and I don’t care enough to find out how fast it really is. All I know is that it’s the fastest train I’ve ever been on. I first saw it while on a bus to Gyeong-ju from Incheon. It went by so fast I did not have enough time to pull out my camera and take a photo of it. There is no direct train from Gyeong-ju to Seoul. I had to ride the regular train to Daejon. It’s also my first time to be on an old school train that runs on the ground instead of underground or elevated.



The trains come and leave on the dot. Some of the stations do not have signs with translation so that got me a bit worried as I might miss my station. However knowing the train arrives on time I knew that I only had to look at my watch to know that I am on the right station. The inspector did not check our tickets until after six stations. One could easily ride a train without paying. Like in Vancouver. Strange how I think of such things. Maybe it’s because back home you can’t ride the train without having to swipe your MRT card first in the turnstiles that will prevent the entrance of those who did not pay. I remember going under the turnstiles instead when I was a little boy so I could keep my train coin.



Daejon station is where I connect to Seoul via KTX! It’s the coolest thing! Definitely the highlight of my trip in Korea. It may take ten years or more before we can have a high speed rail in the Philippines. If there ever will be. I don’t know exactly how it works but I read when I was in college that they use magnetic levitation technology. It was very quiet. Maybe because there were no wheels. I’m not sure. I imagine magnetic levitation technology as the train floating over the rail instead of running on it. You’d hear something that sounds like white noise and your ears would pop like you were on an airplane. It gets a little uncomfortable because as long as the train is moving your ears would be in that abnormal situation. Unlike when you’re in an airplane where your ears will go back to normal when you reach the right elevation. They have free wifi on the KTX. So I kept on tweeting photos of the train and telling everyone what it felt like and how excited I was to finally be able to ride a high speed rail. I’m a bit of a nerd so I like things like that. I’ve read a lot about it when the technology was still under development.



Arriving in Seoul station I got confused. It was huge! Felt more like an airport. I didn’t know where to go. I was hungry so I went to the food court first. The food court was a bit confusing as there was a centralized billing station for all the vendors in the food court. It took me a while to figure it out because I’ve never seen anything like it. They have a board where you'd see the menu of all the vendors. I took a photo of what I wanted to order. Showed it to the counter and paid. It was rather expensive at about $15 for the meal. I was then given a number and I waited for that number to pop up in the vendor that sells it. I ordered Korean despite the risk of having to rush to the toilet later because I can’t handle spicy food. Simply because Korean food is good and I’m not in Korea that often so it was worth the risk.

I left my backpack in the lockers in the train station. They have lockers in bus stations and train stations all over the country. It's the usual Korean high tech touch screen and my locker lights up after I pay and key in my password for retrieval. They have different sizes at varying prices. Very impressive and tourist friendly.

Then I proceeded to the first temple on my list which was Deoksugung. More temples inside. I was unimpressed because I already saw Bulguksa. Then I looked at my list and there were two more temples. They were UNESCO world heritage sights so I felt like I had to see them. One thing that's cool about the temples in Seoul though was the contrast between the old and the new. The temples were right next to the modern skyscrapers. I like the ultra modern architecture in Seoul. Seoul is very busy compared to Gyeong-ju. Lots of business people in suits and designer bags. Seoul is the most fashionable city I've ever seen. I knew beforehand that South Korea is very stylish judging by what I saw on TV but I did not expect that even normal people dressed that way. I though that was just TV. Young Koreans look just as stylish as the actors that I see in Korean shows that are so popular in Manila. Seoul people dress a lot better than the people in Gyeong-ju. Even men had Luis Vuitton bags! I love love the jackets that the young men wear. I don't know why Korean designers are not at the forefront of world fashion. They have the most innovative designs I've never seen anywhere else. Too bad I couldn't afford to buy more clothes as I was almost broke.



Seoul is even more exciting at night. I wish I spent more time there. I thought I liked the country side more. At least in the Philippines I do because that means I don't have to work. Now I know for sure that I'm really more of a city boy. It's nice to visit the country side but I was born and raised in the city and I'm really more comfortable in the fast paced life where everyone is on the run and dressed to the nines. That Petula Clark song Downtown says exactly what I feel about Seoul and Vancouver:



When you're alone
And life is making you lonely,
You can always go downtown
When you've got worries,
All the noise and the hurry
Seems to help, I know, downtown

Just listen to the music of the traffic in the city
Linger on the sidewalk where the neon signs are pretty
How can you lose?

Don't hang around
And let your problems surround you
There are movie shows downtown
Maybe you know
Some little places to go to
Where they never close downtown

Just listen to the rhythm of a gentle bossanova
You'll be dancing with 'em too before the night is over
Happy again



I apoligize if that's cheesy. My life is a big freakin musical.

The city looks colorful and exciting at night. All the floors of the skyscrapers are lit. They use very bright white lights. The buildings in Vancouver are not that bright at night and many use the more mellow lights that look warm. Lots of people shopping and hanging out in restaurants and quaint cafes. I bought a ticket for the hop on hop off bus. It was only $12 so it's not a bad deal. Another highlight was going down Mt. Namsan fron N Seoul Tower. The cherry blossoms lined the road going down the mountain were in full bloom! Lot's of young couples walking under them as the white petals were falling. That is quintessential South Korea for me.

I had dinner in Paris Baguette. It's in a beautiful skyscraper with high ceiling. It looked very fancy and I looked so under-dressed. I got tired from walking and decided to call it a night at 11PM after walking around all over the city. I never thought I'd enjoy Seoul but I did. Much more than Gyeong-ju. Maybe that was also because I was excited to go home as it was my last full day in South Korea. I wish I spent more time in Seoul.

The homeless people lived in the subway. I saw a sign that said "shelter". Still quite surprised to see homeless people in Seoul. I was still somewhat scared of them and walked as quickly as I could because I was the only one walking there and all the others were the homeless in their makeshift beds. I know it's bad to judge them but it's different in the Philippines and I was operating as I would in Manila.

To save money I went to a Jim Jil Bang to spend my last night in Korea. A Jim Jil Bang is a traditional Korean spa that is found all over the country. They are open 24/7 and it's only $10. They have sleeping quarters. Most people just go there to sleep after a party when theyre too drunk to drive home. Since this is my last night I decided to go to one of the fancy ones that cost almost twice as much.

After paying they gave me my toothbrush and the keys to my lockers. One locker for my shoes and the other for everything else. You do not go to a Korean spa if you're not comfortable being naked in front of everybody. Upon entering the section for men I was in a bit of a shock to see so many naked men walking about. I knew about this beforehand and I knew I wouldn't be comfortable. But I didn't know anybody there anyway and this is Korean culture. Nothing says cultural immersion more than bathing naked in front of the locals. I was so in the moment.

I couldn’t take it all of immediately. I wore my shorts and headed to the showers. They had separate cubicles but there were no doors. No problem. I can shower naked as long as only my behind will be seen. One step at a time. I left the shower without my shorts. But I had my small towel in front of me. One step at a time. Went back to the locker room to put my shorts in the locker then on to the pools. Still with the towel covering the family jewels. So glad the pool was not as hot as the hot pools in Canada which were scalding hot.

Time to go all the way. I went into the pool naked. Final step. I stayed away from the other guys. I think that is common courtesy all over the world when your privates are exposed in a room with other men who are equally exposed. Like when you’re in the restroom. When you pee and there are five urinals and there was one other guy using one of the urinals, you do not pick the urinal right next to that guy. I’m pretty sure you have to follow the same etiquette in a Jim Jil Bang. After the hot pool you take a dip in the cold pool which was not that cold. Then on to the sauna. Next the steam room. I didn’t sit inside the sauna and steam room. I k now everyone showered but I’m not that open minded yet. Went back to the hot pool. There was only one other guy there. I went to the opposite corner of the pool. After about a minute he moved to my corner. There was nothing in my corner. The water jets were on the side were he was. I don’t know if I was just being paranoid or if he was being inappropriate. Maybe he was just trying to be friendly. Well I do not want to get friendly with another man when we are both naked in a hot pool and we were two feet away from each other. I moved to the other side of the pool where the water massage things were. I put my calves on it and it felt great. I have been walking A LOT in the past few weeks. My calves and feet hurt. It’s great that I ended my travel with a night in a spa.

Headed straight to the airport the next day. The airport was huge. There was a museum and an ice skating rink inside.

Now I'm back home. It took some adjustment to get back to business as usual in the office. Excel suddenly looked intimidating. I was scared I'd do something wrong.

I came home a changed man. Some things that I thought were important are not as important anymore. Sometimes I think "Why do I have to do this, they don't do this in Canada and they're doing just fine" or "Why don't we do this instead! I saw them doing this in Korea and it's a brilliant way to do it". There are so many things to learn when you travel. You'd think that with the internet and the media you already know or have access to everything that you need to know. But there are so many things that you need so see and experience for yourself to understand and appreciate. The onslaught of depression came after leaving Canada. After seeing the things that I can never have. It is the main reason why I did not appreciate Korea as much as I should have. Which is unfair. I didn't think visiting one country can affect me that much! I guess I'm emotional.

Before doing the trip I told myself that that would be my last trip abroad until I get to where I want to be financially. I am turning 30 soon so it's time to get it together and live like an adult. That's what everyone says. Get married, have kids, buy a house and invest for my retirement. It's not an exciting prospect but it's time to grow up. Not that I think that those who sell everything they own to travel around the world are irresponsible. If you are young and there are enough opportunities to go back to then by all means do it. I'd love to save up for RTW instead of the adult stuff I mentioned. I'm really quite impulsive and spontaneous so I'm not sure how long I can stick to this plan. So I already set up appointments with investment companies and realtors so they can take my money and I'd be left with just enough to feed myself every month for the next 25 years or so. It's the right thing to do. I can have fun when I'm 50. Here goes adult life!

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Photos

Smog
Incheon is the smoggiest place I've ever been. Seoul was not bad.

Comments

[Dave Allcorn]

Sound of Music
I like your song writing and I like the expression you used about your "life being a musical"... Here's an interesting piece of trivia for you. In the late 1960's, the musical 'Sound Of Music' was very popular in South Korea... So popular, that many theatre played the movie 4 and 5 times per day. There was one theatre owner in Seoul, that decided to maximize on profit making so he made the film shorter so he could play it more often... To make the film shorter, he cut out all the songs.... Cool fact eh! Great blogs by the way!

[Josevich]

lol
A musical without the music. I would have demanded a refund. Thats not my song by the way its an old song from the 70s i think. Cheers!

[bertN]

You can travel and still save for your financial future. Just watch carefully where your money goes.

[D MJ Binkley]

You can have it all
Life is about balance. You don't have to give up travel to get married, have kids, buy and home and invest in your retirement. Each time we get paid we put money in a separate account for travel. We pay the travel account just like we do all of our other bills. No exceptions as we consider it a bill. It adds up quicker than you would imagine. In our case the thing that helped us most was becoming nurses which pays well and allows us to travel while we do our jobs. Picking the right career is key. Happy travels.

[Josevich]

thanks!
Will definitely try that. Cheers!