Yongsan Family Park

Yongsan Family Park or as I discovered, a small piece of solitude in the middle of 12 Million people.

It is man-made but you take what you can get

One of the new experiences for me living in Seoul is the adjustment to the noise. There is always noise, at night, early in the morning and after a year it has become the norm. So imagine my surprise when I discovered, quite by accident, a place where there was no people-made noise. There were no cars, trains, weed eaters, no people jostling around, no noise except for what nature makes. Between the grounds for the National Museum of Korea and Yongsan Family park I found a waterfall and a small fast moving stream. 

It surprised me so much I sat down and stayed for 20 minutes. I listened to the water, the birds, the crickets and the cicadas. Not a single person walked by and I heard nothing. It was wonderful. 

This park really is a lovely place to get back to nature. There are several ponds, sculptures, a playground, and walking paths. It bumps up the grounds for National Museum of Korea and you can walk between the two. I guess that on the weekends it would be crowded but on this Thursday morning it was very quiet. I need to go back when the weather is cooler and the sky is clearer for better pictures but here are few. Enjoy!

My favorite sculpture

Pagodas from the 11th century

Bosingak Bell from 1468

Eurwangni Beach (을왕리해수욕장)

Euwangni Beach is found on the west coast of the Korean peninsula near the Incheon International Airport. Having experienced an east coast Atlantic beach, a west coast Pacific beach and a Gulf of Mexico beach, I was pretty excited to add the Yellow Sea to my list. 

The beach is described by one website as white sand. It is not, it is brown with lots of tiny rock, shells, glass and, sadly, some trash. The water was perfect for swimming although the riptide was pretty strong and the tides move at lightening speed. Seriously the tide came in 30ft within 10 minutes. It was a little scary. 

At this location there are 3x5 platforms with umbrellas for rent and it was great to have a place to put food and stuff. It was very windy that day and the man in charge of renting the platforms would come around and tie down the umbrella to ensure it didn't fly away. In additions to the platforms there were umbrellas in the sand.

The picture above shows just how far out the low tide was. When the tide came back in this boat was floating. At one point there was a tractor pulling the boat closer to the water. Makes me wonder how it became beached.

One cultural difference in Korea is sun protection. It was very common to see people completely covered from the top of the head to the feet yet still swimming in the water. It is very different from the states where most people tend to wear as little clothing as possible. The gentlemen with the umbrella even took his into the water.

All in all I will say that my first Korean beach was a success. Lots of people, lots of food vendors and lots of sun. 

Noryangjin Fish Market

Markets. There are markets everywhere in Seoul. Flower markets, herb markets, veggie markets, and fish markets. Anywhere there is a space, there is an enterprising person set up selling his or her wares. The Noryangiin Fish Market in Seoul is no different. Underneath this huge roof there are a lot of vendors selling fish, mussels, squid, octopus, shrimp, sea cucumbers, sea urchins and the list goes on and on. 

 As with most markets, it is so overwhelming when you first enter. There is just so much to see. I went with an experienced friend and with a list; to buy a white fish. There are a lot of fish to choose from, fresh and still swimming, to recently removed from the water and lastly frozen.

In the end I bought prawns, mostly because I know what a prawn looks like and it was easier to make the transaction in my VERY limited Korean. I got 1/2 kilo for 10.000 won ($9.80). Cooked them with lemon and butter and kong namil as a side dish. They were fresh and delicious!

 Outside of the fish market along an alley way, there were 20 vendors selling vegetables. There were so many selections and I bought a large bag of soybean sprouts for 1000 won ($0.80). I'm not familiar with a lot of the vegetables but wish I were. I can see myself frequently these "stands" daily for my fresh produce. 

Cherry Blossoms in Korea

This is long past due especially since today the temperature is 88, summer is full swing and monsoon season is just around the corner. 

However I can not neglect to mention one of the most beautiful things about spring here in Korea; the cherry blossoms. Cherry trees can be seen everywhere along streets and sidewalks. 

I especially enjoy looking up on the mountains and hills and seeing the trees. There are festivals in every city and every weekend. I think part of the excitement stems from the signal that winter is done and spring is here. It is time to celebrate and get outside. Enjoy the pictures

Jjimjilbang 찜질방 (Korean Spa)

Yongsan Dragon Hill Spa (compliments of Official Site of Korea Tourism Org) "is a charcoal sauna permeated with an oak fragrance created by traditional heating techniques. The jjimjilbang and spa facilities offer sweating rooms/sauna, an open-air bath, a seawater bath, a salt room, a swimming pool and a health center."

Sounds lovely. It is lovely. You are also completely naked. 

A jjimjilbang is a public bath house and they are common in Korea. The Spa is a combination of the bath house with various hot and cold spas, hot saunas, cold rooms, salt rooms, full body scrubs, massages, facials, pedicures, and general just relaxing with friends. The naked part is gender specific, so rest assured there is no lounging with naked dudes (unless you are one.) You can also choose to just sit in the saunas or have a facial fully clothed. However if you want a body scrub or want to enjoy any of the indoor or outdoor hot tubs you are not allowed to wear clothes. I know, sounds crazy, but as the saying goes "when in Rome."

So here's the break down.

Shoe locker room with fancy chandeliers

First you pay the 10,000 W entrance fee. You are given a set of spa clothes consisting of a pair of long shorts and a tee shirt. You also get a key/scanner wrist bracelet that opens your locker and allows you to purchase massages or food without having to carry a wallet around.

Next you move into the first set of lockers and remove your shoes.

You then proceed to your gender specific elevator. You head downstairs where you change into your spa outfit if you aren't up for the nakedness or you just take it all off. I forgot to mention they give you 2 towels, i.e. hand towels. Even for Koreans these are small towels. They don't do much but honestly when you are first naked they cover up the important bits and give you some sort of modesty. 

Very clearly marked "WOMEN"

Anyway you now move into the shower room. Proper jjimjilbang etiquette dictates you shower completely and really give yourself a good scrub. You have 2 options, you can sit on a stool while you scrub or stand. I chose standing for obvious reasons plus you look better standing. Ha! By now I was actually feeling a little more comfortable in my skin. There were a lot of other ladies and honestly no one is really looking at you anyway.

Once you are good and clean, you head for the hot tub area. There are a lot to choose from, ranging from scalding hot to icy cold, some jetted and some outside. I chose the semi-hot and finally started to relax. I was with some friends so we were talking and time just started to ease by. I followed up this pool with a lounging jetted tub and then headed to the outdoor ginseng heated pool. That was my favorite and by now I was really relaxed and not wanting to leave. We only had 2 hours and they flew by. 

Sexy spa clothes!

When you have to leave (sad face), you rinse off and head back to the locker room. I brought a bigger towel to dry off with and once dressed in my civilian clothes headed back into the world. 

Final verdict? Worth every last Won and I will be going back. I didn't even scratch the surface of things to do here. I want to get a body scrub and I want to sit in the saunas and I want to get dressed and lounge in the various "healing rooms" on the other floors. It was so enjoyable and quite honestly not as awkward as I thought it would be. 

Riding the Train

Well I am back again. I know it has been awhile and I have no real excuse except that it is cold and snowy and I just don't want to go outside. Pretty sure no one wants to read my blog about going to the gym. 

Anyway, one question I do get asked is riding the train. Seoul has a great subway system that goes pretty much anywhere within Seoul and connects to the other big cities in South Korea. It is cheap, 1100 Won one way or roughly $1 will get you almost anywhere in Seoul. Parking is difficult in the city and it is so much easier to just ride the train to your destination.  In answer to other questions, yes the train can be crowded, it is both above and below ground, all the signs and announcements are in Korean, Chinese and English and it is safe. It is, in my opinion, the only way to travel in Seoul.

Waiting...

Looking thru to other direction - Blue #4 line

Handy app to help with stops & transfers

Everyone is on their phones!

Milk Soda & Strawberries

This post will probably open the door to many different opinions but I feel fairly qualified to make this statement: Korean strawberries are the sweetest strawberries available! 

I have had fresh strawberries from North Carolina, Florida, California and Korea. California strawberries are huge, NC berries are small and sweet but the strawberries that I have had here in Seoul in the last two weeks are the sweetest. They have a beautiful red color and need no sugar at all. They are expensive but since it is 20 outside and every "fresh" produce that I've eaten in the last 2 months has been imported, these sweet, locally grown, $5/quart strawberries are worth every last penny!  

I have also tried a uniquely Korean soda, Ambasa. It is a milk based carbonated soda. Sounds a little weird and I'll admit we tried it before we knew what it was but we like it and have even bought it a couple of times since just for something different. 

Seoul in Snow

Snow. In the month of December it snowed 4 times. Never more than 3 inches at a time but enough to make the sidewalks and roads icy. Enough that by the 4th time was I over the snow and ready for spring; it was January 1. I am in for a long winter. The locals here tell me that this winter is the coldest in 35 years. They also tell me since there was less rain this past summer, it will be cold and snowy this winter. Yeah.

With all of that said, I decided on January 1, 2013, I would embrace the cold and snow and walk along the Han River and enjoy the outdoors. It was a rare morning with very few people out walking or driving. It was beautiful!

Yongsan Family Park

Even I know what this sign says!