Fish Pedicure

Looking for an unique and new pedicure? Come on over to Seoul and Dr Fish Cafe! Have a coffee while small fish suck on your feet.

Crazy, huh? I did it though and it was a completely unique experience and one that anyone who visits me will try. It wasn't as bad as I thought, they don't actually nibbled as much as they suck. It is ticklish and the bigger fish were much harder to adjust to. My feet were cleaned and my honey cinnamon latte was delicious.

Feed us!

Small fish

BIG fish!!

Translated directions

Yeoju Pottery

A few weeks back I had the opportunity to visit Yeoju-gun, about 90 miles southeast of Seoul. Known for their pottery shops, this town is an odd mixture of traditional small city and tourist destination. 

Aside from the extra large kimchi pots and rooms literally overflowing with china, I was most fascinated with the unity of work and home. Several of the smaller shops we visited were underneath the homes of the craftsman. I observed small gardens, crates of sweet potatoes and peppers and beans drying out in the open and in most instances, in the way of anyone walking through the shop. I know that traditional Korean cooking is very much about the "heart", so seeing the future ingredients of their meals out in the open was moving to me. Their lives are completely intertwined.

The Squatter

Please excuse the bluntness of this post but I wanted to share a big cultural difference between Americans and Koreans; the squatter.

Most every restroom I have been in has western style commodes. The first time I saw a squatter was in an outdoor stall while hiking, that made sense. The picture above was taken at the church where I attend bible study. This building was built in the 80's so imagine my surprise to open the door and find this. I have since learned when talking with friends that this style is common in Seoul, they are found at the subway stations and at the rest areas along the highways. They do flush and there is toilet paper but be sure you have done your squats in the gym to build up your leg muscles!  

Random Thoughts

So I take a lot more pictures than I actually post, so I thought I would just post some of the random shots with brief observations. Enjoy



First off, this is why I don't drive in Korea.  I would (a) miss my turn while trying to figure this sign out, (b) hit someone while figuring out how to correct my mistake and (c) get horribly lost in the process! I should note that there are 3 lanes of traffic plus the bus lane.












Is "Pizza School" a place where you go to learn to make pizza or a restaurant? We sat in traffic for a good 3 minutes looking at this sign and were unable to figure this one out.

I love this. You will see that the sign indicates these yummy looking pastries are "Peacan Monkey." When you think about this, "monkey bread" is a rather odd name so it would make sense that the translation would be lost.

Mushrooms are found in almost every Korean dish so obviously they are sold in grocery stores.  There are 12 different varieties of mushrooms on this row of all sizes. The store even had samples (cooked) and I tried one. Great flavor but I'll admit to being wary of what I was trying. I bought some sliced Oak mushrooms though for my homemade pizza. 

I had this lunch at the Shinsegae department store in Myeongdong. It is Mandoo and Riceball soup. The dumplings are filled with shredded beef and the colors are derived from spinach, jasmine and beets and there are small riceballs in the broth. It had a mild flavor and the dumplings were delicious when dipped in soy sauce.









On the bottom floor (11 stories in all) of the Shinsegae department store, there is a wonderful variety of food counters including this bakery. This baked bread concoction smells good and looks good but has beef (I think) baked in the middle with cheese. I haven't seen a lot of sandwich options here so I think this the equivalent. I did not try this. 

Bukhansan National Park, 북한산국립공원

Saturday we had the pleasure of getting out of Seoul and driving to Bukhansan National Park. This park is just north of Seoul and is the "Most Visited National Park per Unit Area" with 5 million visitors per year, according to the Guinness Book of World Records.  Thankfully park management has rest periods or sabbaticals for different trails and areas of the park so the ecosystem can recover from all the visitors. The park was busy and while the hike to the top was somewhat private, the hike down was fairly crowded. At one particularly steep point there was even a line of us.

We took the Bukhansanseong Trail to the Bogukmun or Castle Gate.  The trail is only 2.4 km but it is 2.4 km of stone steps uphill.  I really do not think I am this out of shape but again found myself stopping every 10 minutes just to catch my breath.

At the top there is a gate and a stone or fortress wall originally built in 1676.  The wall runs up the ridge line 2 miles. The view of the city at the top was breathtaking. I know that Seoul is a city of 12 million but seeing it from this vantage really gives you a sense of just how BIG this city really is.

I found that everyone on the trail was friendly, with several younger Koreans practicing their English on us. Most of the hikers we saw took their hiking very seriously with proper hiking boots, gear and hiking sticks. I even felt a little under dressed without the hiking stick.  But it was worth the drive and even with all the people there was just enough solitude to feel as though I had reconnected with nature.

Hangang Park

What better way to spend a cool autumn Saturday morning than walking along a river. This morning we ventured out to the Hangang, "gang" for river and "han" the name of the river.  The hangang divides the city, Old Seoul to the north and New Seoul to the south. We live about 3/4 of mile from an entrance.  In addition to walking paths there are bike paths on both sides of the river going 40 km in both directions.  The expressway and rail system run above the paths so there is a bit of road noise but it is the city and you just have to go with it. 

Dongjak Bridge

Looking across the river, south to "new" Seoul

Mountains

Any guesses on the meaning of this sign?!

Badminton courts!

 

Flower Market

A lot of people

Anyone who knows me will know my excitement at going to the flower market in the Express Bus Station. I know, "why is a flower market in a bus station?" I don't have the answer to that but I do know that most of the florist in the city get their flowers here everyday. It opens at 4 am, we were not there at 4 am, and closes at 1:00 pm. We arrived at 9 and it was still pretty crowded but I'm pretty sure it is packed at 5 am. Anyway, there are rows and rows and boxes on boxes of flowers from everywhere. 

In addition to the fresh flowers there is an even larger section for silk flowers, baskets, wedding decorations and anything you could want to use to decorate your home. If you are the crafty type, this is Michael's on steroids!

Row after row, overwhelming

Plastic fruit or veggie anyone!

I can however sort-of arrange flowers so I bought several things, all for the great price of 7000 won ($6.80). In the end I had too many daisies and only one large vase so I gave some to a neighbor. The next time I will spend my time looking at the decoration side. You really can not process all the fresh flowers then attempt to process the decoration side, it is sensory overload.

Flowers

Dinner and a Movie

I should have posted this last week but I have surprisingly become very busy.  This is a good thing, I am settling into a routine and I am beginning to feel more at ease here.  

This past weekend we went to a Korean barbecue place followed by a movie. First there are more than a few movie theaters that show first run movies in English with Korean subtitles.  That was a great surprise.  I had assumed wrongly that we wouldn't be able to see movies in the theater unless there were subtitles.  The cost of a ticket is cheaper when compared to the CA prices, 8000 won or $7.80 for a Saturday night ticket.  The theaters are big with comfortable seating and good sound.  The only obstacle is buying the ticket.  Our cashier didn't really understand English or us Korean so she held up her fingers over her eyes like a mask and we all nodded and smiled with a "yes", we want to see Batman!

Dinner was no less of a challenge.  The "menu" was a ticket-sized piece of paper in Korean with no pictures.  We had to ask for a picture menu!  Korean barbecue is as varied here as it is in America.  Some meat is marinated with hot chili paste, there is beef and pork (no chicken), various cuts and bone-in or out.  The only constant is the method of cooking.  The very small table has a hole in the middle and when you order someone brings a bucket of red hot coals, puts them in the hole and covers it with a grill.  The waiter then bring plates of raw meat, along with all the common side dishes, and you then cook your food.  It is a little hot but good company and a cool glass of beer make it fun.

Our meal was beef and pork (resembling large cuts of bacon) and our sides were rice (as always), kimchi, spring onions in beef broth, scrambled eggs (a little odd), potato salad (also a little odd) and a tofu and onion soup (I have no idea what else was in the soup).  Everything was really good, the atmosphere was great and for obvious reasons the service was quick.  

Very small "table", there were 3 of us!

Quick tidbit of trivia, you do not tip in Korea.  Table service is less attentive but still good.  

Typhoon Bolaven & Sanba

So we have experienced 2 typhoons in the past 2 weeks, Typhoon Bolaven and Typhoon Sanba.  I wasn't sure what to expect but so far we have come through without any issues.  There were a few trees blown over, some flooding and power outages.  Both typhoons impacted the coast more than Seoul, we had rain and wind gusts only.  Because of Seoul's inland location the impact is not as great however it does give some idea of the immensity of a typhoon system.  Typhoon Bolaven was as big as the entire Korean peninsula!  I am thankful I don't live closer to the coast.  

I suppose I can now add typhoons to my life experience list. 

Preparing the trees for the wind

Flooded sidewalk

Some wind damage, nothing
compared to the coast

It's Official

So I am officially allowed to stay in the Republic of Korea for 2 years.  Yesterday I went to the Sejongno Immigration Office and got my visa.  I will admit that it is a little strange to know that I can live in another country for 2 years.  The experience was uneventful, exactly like going to the DMV; get a number, wait for an hour for your number to be called, hand your paperwork to a tired, overworked person who checks off the the paper, stamps your passport and sends you away after 3 minutes.  Good to know that some things stay the same across country borders.  

In other random observations, I walked by a park while out that rehabilitated birds injured in the city.  One cage had 5 black vultures, 3' tall.  They are huge birds.  I also saw hawks, owls, doves and magpies.  It was interesting, the cages were in a playground off to the side and you could walk right up the cages and stick your fingers in if you wanted to.  I am sure the posted signs said "do not stick fingers in cages!" but since they were in Korean I will only have to speculate.  

 

Books

Wanted to share this photo I took at the Itaewon Foreign Bookstore.  This used bookstore is chock-a-block of books from ceiling to floor.  This is the children's book section and I love the vibrant colors and the green step stools to crawl up and lose yourself in books.  

Bibimbap, 비빔밥

Thursday I had the wonderful privilege of eating lunch with 2 Korean women I met at BSF.  They took me to a place called Korea Traditional Restaurant in the Myeongdong district.

They took the lead and ordered lunch, asking if I was brave and did I like spicy food.  They ordered bibimbap, mixed vegetable rice bowl.  Bibimbap is a common dish and there are many, many variations.  My lunch was served in a hot (very hot) bowl and made up of rice, thinly sliced vegetables, beef, mushrooms, and a raw egg yolk. You stir this together along with gochujang, chili paste, and the egg and vegetables are "cooked" along the sides of the bowl.  

The presentation of the bowl is really beautiful and each of the ingredients are arranged carefully in the bowl.  I almost hated to stir everything together but I wasnt' really up on eating raw egg.  It was a delicious meal.  I think I could easily make this at home although I don't have the proper clay bowl so I might pass on the raw egg.  Just like all the meals I've had so far it also included various sides such as kimchi (red and white), mung bean sprout soup, seaweed chips and raw squid in chili paste.  I tried the squid; it wasn't awful but a little too fishy for me.  

As a side note, Koreans eat with metal chopsticks and a long soup spoon.  They eat rice and soups (obviously) with the spoon and use the chopsticks for everything else.  Eating rice with chopsticks has always been a challenge, very happy that it is culturally acceptable to use the spoon.

The meal was finished off with a spicy cinnamon cold tea.  The ladies were unsure how to translate what was in the tea, other than the cinnamon, but it is "very good for you."  Next week they have invited me to lunch again, what a gift.

Red beans again

Today I ventured into a Starbucks for a coffee fix and found that while the lay out is the same, the coffee isn't.  Or rather the coffee is the same but the lattes and frappuccinos are not.  Red beans really are everywhere and in everything.  Today I had a Red Bean Coffee Frappuccino.  Whip cream was not an option and my drink was topped with red beans.  It was very good although it is odd to be drinking coffee and chewing on beans.  I'm just saying...

Dinner Out - finally!

With my husband's work schedule we haven't had as many opportunities as I would like to eat out but we did find some time to enjoy a night out at Carne do Brasil.  This Brazilian Churrasco Steakhouse is found in Itaewon and is owned and operated by a native Brazilian.  It is a small place on the second floor (steps only) and has tables that overlook the street below.  Unfortunately you have to have a reservations to eat at one of those tables, so we sat inside.  

We ordered the steak set consisting of 3 different cuts of steak along with sides.  The steaks were brought out one at time by the chef on a sizzling plate.  I think I prefer this to the giant skewer of meat that is walked about the restruant.  The meat was very good and I wish I could tell you more about the sides and cuts of steak but a food writer I am not.   

I will talk about the dessert because it was completely different and my favorite part of the meal.  First they cleared the table and brought espresso.  Then a skewered pineapple covered in cinnamon and roasted was presented and sliced on my plate.  It was warm and spicy and full of flavor.    













It was a good meal, a beautiful night and we finished up with a lovely walk.  I truly believe walking is the only way to really see and experience a city.