Venturing OUt

Trip Start Nov 22, 2008
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Trip End Nov 30, 2008


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Where I stayed
Jong's sister's apartment
(Seoul hotels)

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Friday, November 28, 2008

Wow, it's hard to remember everything I've done since I last wrote.  Yesterday morning we set out northward to visit a place called Nahme Island.  It is very famous to Koreans and Japanese because a popular drama was filmed there, Winter Sonata.  THis drama's leading man is a Korean man that Japanese women are totally in love with because he is so sensitive and caring in the show.  Some women even have divorced their husbands because they are not being treated as well as this man would.  His picture is all over the place in SEoul.  Trent and I both thinks he looks like a girl.

So before getting on the ferry for the island, we ate a traditional meal for the part of Korea we were in. It has a fire on the table where they cook chicken, muishrooms and rice cakes.  Then you mix it with rice and cook it.  It was a cold, rainy day when we went to the isalnd.  WE just walked around and saw the sights.  It was quite beautiful, but not much to do, and freezing cold.  After that we headed back to the pension for the night.  WE made our own barbecue there with pork, mushrooms, rice and cookies.  The pension was pretty nice, BUT.....our bathroom had no sink and the shower was basically the whole bathroom.  This is a first for me - no sink at all except the kitchen sink.  There was a bowl in the bathroom that I guess was a makeshift sink.  So when I showered this morning there was a very wet bathroom as the result.  Also, I haven't mentioned, but since i've been here, the only towels that they have are very small - the size of a hand towel.  I"m not kidding.  ONe day Trent and I had to share one of the towels that was the size of a hand towel.  It is not so comfortable.  I am used to my lush and cushy towels that I can wrap up in and dry off.

So we headed off this morniong to visit Jong's home town which was about 3 hours from Nahme Island.  Right off I needed to go to the bathroom, so we stopped in CheongCheon.  I for the first time that I Recall in all of my travels turned down a bathroom because it was too nasty to use.  While I realize that before refusing a bathroom, many factors come into play, namely, how badly do I need to use it versus how gross is it.  I won't describe why/how it was so gross, but you know I don't have very high standards in this area, so just take my word for it.  It was so bad I didn't even take a picture of it ---that's bad!

Before going to Jong's hometown we went to Andong which is a city that has preserved many traditional Korean homes.  It was quite beautiful and interesting to see the many houses.  After that we went to Yeoungu which is JOng's home town.  First we went to his house.  His grandfather and great grandfather built the house over 40 years ago.  It is a traditional Korean house, and very beautiful with beautiful grounds.  We met his grandmother who is 93 years old.  She has 11 children!  She was so nice and so hospitable.  WE had tea, cookies, and an apple at the house.  Jong's family right now is in Seoul, so we did not see them.   AFter visiting her, we went for Korean barbecue.  It was awesome!  The beef was very yummy.  We are starting to get tired of kimchi.  I had only one bite of it today.  I do like it, but I don't always want it at every meal.  Yesterday I had it even for breakfast!

Now we are staying at Jong's sister's house for the night.  HIs sister is in Seoul right now, so it is free for the weekend.  WE didn't stay at Jong's house because it has traditional toilets and showers and is not comfortable for divas like Misoo and I :-)  Tomorrow we head back to Seoul and then Sunday we fly home.  It has been a great trip so far!!
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