Gwangju, Gyeongju, and Seoul Pictures

Sorry for the blurriness :(

Joanne, me, and Eric after the movie

Teuta, Joanne, and me

Friends :D

Monument honoring those killed in the Gwangju massacre

Ancient observatory in Gyeongju

Last day in Seoul

12. back to the beewon. Throughout May and June I had many moments where I thought, “surely this time will be the last I’ll be at the Beewon.” I was never right though, until our arrival in Seoul from Gyeongju. Even so, who’s to say for sure? We arrived very early in the morning in order to go on a DMZ tour starting at 7. On the way to the meeting point, however, I realized I had forgotten my passport and decided to forego the tour. It’s a possibility that seeing Korea’s de-militarized zone is a once in a lifetime opportunity, but if that’s the case I’m rather more fond of the idea of seeing the whole of North Korea. So I went back to the Beewon for a much needed day of relaxation.

13. saying goodbye. Thanks to Joanne and Eric, our last night in Seoul was a total blast. We had dinner at a Japanese restaurant near Insadong and then decided to go see Transformers 2. It was a great way to say goodbye to our friends and the city we called home for five months. The next morning we hauled all our stuff to the bus station (what a haul…three suitcases!) and began our first leg in the journey to Southeast Asia. Next up: Indonesia!

Gyeongju: Korea's ancient capital

10. arriving in the historic gyeongju. The ladies at the information desk seemed to anticipate all our questions as they began to map out a route for our stay in Gyeongju, complete with guesthouse recommendations. Whether this shows Gyeongju’s aptitude regarding tourism or just the beginnings of a tourist trap I cannot say. It may even be both. But I had no complaints when the owner of the guesthouse offered to pick us up from the bus station.

11. around the silla capital. Gyeongju was the capital of the ancient kingdom of Silla, which ruled Korea for most of the 7th and 9th centuries after taking over the other two kingdoms, Koguryo and Paekche. Two days and one night was not quite enough to spend amidst so much history, but it gave us enough time to see a temple, a palace, a very old conservatory, and the many royal tombs scattered throughout the small town. At one point we decided to go in search of a specific tomb that, judging by the map, was not more than 1.5 km away. We ended up walking over 3 km, all the while parallel to the tomb but on the opposite side of a large hill. Luckily, we were not the only ones to get lost. A nice man on his way to work at the city hall took a wrong turn and ended up helping us find a small and rather disappointing tomb. Ah well—his car was air-conditioned and made our return trip much shorter! Around 11 that night we said goodbye to our awesome little guesthouse and its owner and boarded a night train back to Seoul to spend one last day amongst familiarity and friends.

A Day in Gwangju

8. cramming a suitecase into a locker. Eight and nine should probably be the same post, but details matter. And the details go like this: With only one day to spend in Gwangju we did not want to spend money on a hostel so we left the bulk of our luggage in lockers at the bus station and planned to stay the night in a jimjilbang (public baths). During the day we visited the Gwangju massacre memorial and cemetery. While waiting for the bus back to the city we used the minimal Korean we knew to chat with an elderly couple about their family and our own. Back in the city we wandered around a shopping district, found dinner, then headed to the jimjilbang. We met two little girls who were there with their dad. We taught them a couple clapping games and we also exchanged email addresses with them. Unfortunately, we had to leave early in the morning so we didn't get the chance to say goodbye to them. But later they did email to say goodbye :)

9. morning after: uncramming the locker. Probably the sloppiest packing yet as we got to the station with just enough time to get our stuff and catch the 9:00 bus to Gyeongju.

Jeju Pictures

Jeju's Trick Art Museum

My scooter. Her name was Tory.

On the ferry to Gwangju

Jeju Island continued

5. leaving seogwipo. The first thing we had to do was return the scooters we had rented the day before. We took a bus north made it to Jeju City somewhat late in the day and decided to have dinner before catching the free bus to the ferry terminal. The plan was to board a ferry to Gwangju, but we missed the last one by about five minutes, forcing us to...

6. find a cheap guesthouse close to the terminal. It was a bit of a disappointment not having more time in Gwangju because of five minutes, but it did allow us to see Yongdu-am (Dragonhead rock) and adds to the packing list.

7. early morning ferry to gwangju. The ferry did not assign us seats. Why? True to traditional Korean style there were none, of course. Instead passengers and their belongings gathered into large carpeted rooms and made themselves comfortable on the floor for the three-hour trip. There are advantages and disadvantages to this set-up. One advantage is that you can sprawl. One disadvantage is that some people will sprawl. But once you find a little space for yourself, it's quite nice to just be able to lay down and relax.

Jeju Island

3. 30 minute pack-up in Seoul. Tah-da! I met my goal! After spending the night scrapbooking Japan with Krystyl I began to rush around at about 5:00. By 5:30 I was feeling ready for the month ahead. Packing puts life into perspective. After consolidating in order to fit everything into a 2x3' suitcase you realize there are things you can live without. This state of mind is definitely how I felt as I left behind my extra baggage to head to Jeju-do. Embarking on a new adventure with quite literally a box of stuff= invigorating.

4. making the traditional-style room our own. The room Teuta and I share at Jeju's Hiking Inn has a wooden panel floor with cushions layed out for us to sleep. I find it surprisingly comfortable and it kind of reminds me of camping. Needless to say, it didn't take long for our stuff to fill the empty spaces. Considering that less than a week ago I moved out of my home for the past five months, I couldn't help smiling when Teuta said it felt like we were in our own apartment. Home sweet home...at least until Friday.

Day 1: The Beewon Welcomes us Once More

1. packed at the i-house dorms. Took me most of the night and I had to recruite (or rather surrender) to Teuta and Krystyl, but everything is packed. Highlights: all my clothes except the ones I'm taking to Indonesia fit into a vacuum-seal bag:) knowing that for the next month and until I unpack in Singapore I will be searching for where Krystyl packed this or that:)

2. unpacked at the beewon. Starting the journey out right with a fresh face and clean clothes is a must. Goal: to be able to pack up within 30 minutes. I figure for every day you stay in a place you should allow 15 minutes pack-up time. Teuta and I leave for Jeju-do on Tuesday (Krystyl, sadly is leaving for Michigan). Two days=30 minutes :)