My Korean Hospital Experience

After feeling nauseous and exhausted all week I finally plucked up the courage to tell my boss and ask him to take me to the hospital.

It's not quite as drastic as it sounds, in Korea any room with a doctor in it is referred to as a hospital.

I was expecting my boss, Ian, to take me and act as my interpreter, but no... I was sent with a 16 year old boy!! Andy, the school director's son was less than thrilled to have to babysit me for the morning.

Seoul Samsung Clinic in Doojeongdong was nice, if not over crowded. During the 30 minutes we had to wait to be seen, my companion sat with his hood pulled up over his head and his earphones in, playing games on his phone, he wasn't too fond of small talk.

When my turn finally came I answered all the questions every 16 year old boy wants to translate: When was your last period? Have you taken any illegal drugs? How much do you drink? And then when they pulled up my top for the physical exam I'm not sure who felt the most uncomfortable!

Awkwardness aside, I was diagnosed with colitis and sent away with some strange mixture of pills to take; 12 a day!!!

Hopefully they'll get me better in time for Thursday, as I've got some very special visitors coming!!!

Walking Seoul's Fortrss Wall

On Saturday we decided to have an afternoon out in Seoul, walking the old fortress walls and enjoying the cityscape. Little did we know it would be such an intense military experience!

Changuimun Gate

From Seoul Station we took a taxi to Changuimun, one of four gates to the city walls. The taxi cost 8,000w, although it is cheaper to go by subway and bus, we didn't want to waste any time, and the taxi only took 15 minutes.

The entire city used to be within the walls, which were first built in 1396 under King Taejo's rule and extend 18.2km around Seoul. Nowadays, the walk is a popular tourist attraction, however; on the north part of the circuit, around Mount. Bugaksan, the wall is still heavily militarised.

When we arrived at Changuimun the first thing we did was set off a very loud alarm by getting too close to a pagoda. There were no barriers, and no signs in English telling us to keep away, so we were rather startled. But then we did it again and took a video! Much to the annoyance of the guards and fortress-wall employees!

The area around the mountain is a military controlled area as it overlooks the presidential residence (Cheongwadae). In 1968 there was an assassination attempt on the President's life from the fortress by North Korean troops! There is a tree (still standing) that shows the bullet holes it received in the cross fire. 

To begin our hike we had to fill out an application form, hand it in along with our ID cards at a desk, wait while they checked that we weren't North Korean spies, and then we were issued with a pass that we had to wear around our necks for the duration of the walk. 

There are "city wall officials" every 100 meters along the wall and soldiers complete with rifles at regular look out points. You can only take photographs in certain areas, and you're watched like a hawk constantly. After getting a telling off by a city wall official, I asked why we weren't allowed to take photos in the particular area, the answer was a short and precise "secret". The wall is protected by no less that three barbed wire fences on the outside and alarmed motion detectors on the inside. It was more intimidating the the DMZ! 

Aside from the excessive security, the walk was great. As usual, we unintentionally started our hike on the wrong side of the mountain, meaning our ascent was incredibly steep and painful, and our descent on the other side was much flatter and more gentle! The advantage of this was that we were the only people going in that direction, everybody else was coming down the way we were going up. 

At the summit of Bugaksan (342m above sea level) we were randomly interviewed for by a Korean radio station about what we thought of the fortress walls. It was conducted in English, by a Finnish interpreter. 

The views were great; from the wall you can see over to Namsan tower, the river and the sprawling neighbourhoods of skyscrapers that wind through the valleys between dozens of mountains. 

Access to the protected part of the wall stops and 3pm, and you must be out of the area by 5pm. As we were going against the flow of most of the Korean hiking enthusiasts, this meant that as of 3pm we alone on the wall (except for the ever present soldiers and guards keeping an eye on us!)

The steep climb from Changuimun to the top of Bugaksan.

Namsan mountain.

Bugaksan

When we got out of the military protected zone on the opposite side of Bugaksan, we left the wall in search of food and water! It was a great afternoon walk and I think we'll definitely return and walk another section of it. 

From the section of wall at Waryong Park we took a bus to Insadong, where we did some shopping in the wonderfully tacky tourists shops and ate a platter of pajeon in a traditional restaurant.

Pajeon

Pajeon is Korean for pancake, on our platter we had: mung-bean and chilli pancakes, fish curd pancakes, spinach and seaweed pancakes, pork wrapped in sesame leaf pancakes, and crabstick and sausage pancakes! It was a grease feast.

Happy 발렌타인 데이

It really pays to be a teacher on Valentines Day in Korea!

...and that's only the stuff I didn't scoff on the spot!

Lots of love from Korea to everybody reading <3

Lunar New Year in Seoraksan National Park

Lunar New Year, or Chinese New Year, is a public holiday in Korea, meaning a lovely long weekend for Ric and I to explore somewhere new.

We went to Sokcho, a small coastal town on the north-east coast of Korea, and from there on to Seoraksan National Park.

Sokcho, view of the lake and the National Park in the background.

Undeterred by the forecast -25°C wind chill, or the fresh layer of snow that had been falling for two days, we set off early Saturday morning for the long ride to Sokcho. We arrived just before lunch and went straight to the beach (which is just a 5 minute walk from the bus terminal) to look out over what Koreans call the East Sea (the Sea of Japan). 

Sokcho beach.

For lunch Ric tried the local speciality dish, Ojingo-sundae (오징어 순대) - flavoured rice mixed with spices, vegetables and other mystery ingredients, all wrapped up in squid. I stuck to the safe option, stir fried beef and rice (불고기).

The bus ride to the National Park was nice, we followed the coast for a while and saw the harbour and the sea wall, then turned inland and followed a river into the valley. The further we went the more remote the scenery got, and the more imposing the mountains were.

Inside the park everything was snow covered and extremely slippery. We set off on our first hike of the weekend, to Biryong Falls. The walk follows a stream up a mountain, passing by three waterfalls. It was difficult to walk some parts of the trail and we slipped a lot! At one point I was sliding down the mountainside on my bum, luckily I had Ric to crash into at the bottom, saving me from an icy grave! It helps to have a sturdy boyfriend!

The stream and the waterfalls were frozen a bright blue colour. I'm sure they're very beautiful in summer, but in the winter they were fascinating; it looked as if they had been instantly frozen in time. Under the ice we could hear the water still gurgling and bubbling. I've never seen anything like that before.

This is what it looks like in the summer....

And this is what we saw!

As we headed back down the valley a Korean couple took pity on us (well, me, sliding around like Bambi on ice) and the man insisted that I take one of his crampons. It was very helpful but I felt terrible taking it, especially as he was quite old and I could see that he was struggling ahead of us, with only one remaining crampon. I eventually caught up with them and tried to give it back to the old man but he refused, and in the end I had to force him to take it. I think he was quite offended, as honour and pride are very important in Korean culture. Then I was tormented by what would have been the better thing to do; let an old man fall on the ice, or disrespect him and damage his pride. 

In the evening we went to see the Buddha statue and ate in the 'Tourist Restaurant', the food was neither good quality nor reasonably priced.

Buddha looks out over Seoraksan National Park.

The view from our hotel balcony!

The next day we woke up at 7 to see the sunrise, only to decide it was cloudy and we'd prefer another hour in bed! When we finally got moving we set off on another hike. The objective looked a little like this: 

Our destination was Ulsanbawi (above). According to the legend, a rock came to Seoraksan from Ulsan (south coast), fell in love with the mountain, and stayed there, which is why it is known as Ulsanbawi. 

We set off along a very nice, icy path, which gradually got steeper and steeper. Somewhere along the way we found a restaurant-come-shop where a lady very kindly rented us some crampons. They weren't glacier grade crampons, more like a belt that tied around our boots and had metal spikes on the bottom to provide some grip on the ice. A very wise move as at certain points during the hike they were the only things keeping me attached to the side of the mountain!

At the start of the hike.

2.1km into our hike we arrived at a temple built onto the mountainside. There was a rock (Heundeulbawi) that apparently can be rocked from side to side [by a small group of people]. From there we got a good view of the summit, another 1.5km up!

Heundeulbawi (Ric not quite able to get it moving)

To climb the sheer face of the rock someone had kindly built an enormous metal staircase. As the daughter of a welder I couldn't help but admire the structure, and ponder at how on earth they'd attached it to the rock face!

Killer stairs.

Needless to say, from the summit the views were breathtaking:

Dangling....

At the summit we did shots of soju with a Korean man. It made me want to puke and I worried that I might fall off the edge, but I'd already offended one bloke's honour that weekend so I feebly accepted.

Ric braving the -20 wind chill. The man in front gave us apples and oranges, the man in yellow gave us shots of soju. Korean people are so kind!

We made it down to the bottom in one piece, only for me to slip and fall flat on my back on the easiest stretch of path! Then we went to look at Sinheungsa temple.

Tranquil. You can do temple stays here.

After lunch we took the cable car to Gwongeumseong. It was the longest, steepest cable car I've ever been on. Worse still, it rocked from side to side due to the force of the wind!

From the cable car through the valley towards the sea.

LOOK HOW STEEP!

Gwongeumseong is a rock where once stood a fortress/castle. According to the legend, the fortress was built over night by two strong men. 

The wind on top of the rock was so strong that it knocked me over twice! There were no railings around the edge, and it would NEVER have been open in those conditions in England. It was thrilling (scary!).
Just look at how the trees grow, battered on one side by the wind:

We left the National Park on Sunday evening and gorged on pizza back in Sokcho, before getting the bus home the next morning.

Accommodation
When we arrived at the entrance to Seoraksan National Park we were surprised to find that we'd already passed all the motels, hotels and pensions further down the valley. The only options were the Edwardian Stars Hotel, a five star 'English style' hotel, and the Tourist Hotel. The Tourist Hotel is the only hotel within the actual park, so we decided the stay there, for convenience sake. The benefits of staying in the park are that you can be the first to set off on the hikes in the morning, beating the crowds of Korean tourists and the annoying smart phones. The hotel also has THE COMFIEST beds I have slept in since I left England, and balconies with an amazing view of the mountains. As we checked in at the end of the day, as the park was closing, and as it is low season, the owner agreed to give us discount on our room, so it wasn't even that expensive. On the downside everything in the park shuts by about 6pm, so make sure you eat your dinner early!

Seoraksan Tourist Hotel; cosy room, great view.

Back in Sokcho we stay in A PINK CASTLE!! The Rocustel is located right behind the express bus terminal, it's cheap (40,000w) and it has round beds! We fell out of bed in the morning and landed right on our bus! Perfect.

Rocustel, hard to miss!

Transport
Cheonan - Sokcho
~Express bus to Seoul Gangnam station  (1 hour)
~Bus from Seoul - Sokcho (3 hours depending on traffic)

Sokcho - Seoraksan National Park
~ Take the number 7 or 7-1 bus from opposite the express bus terminal, the last stop is the park entrance.

Will The Spring Ever Come?

It's SO COOOOOLLLLDDDD!

The temperature in Cheonan had just started to get into plus figures last week, the snow had almost all melted...

AND THEN IT SNOWED. AGAIN!!!!

There has been snow on the ground since December 4th. That's 67 days and counting. I just want to be warm again.

It's been -12°C  today. I have never experienced such prolonged coldness in my life before. 

On my way to work....

Those face masks that you always see people wearing in countries with a lot of smog... In Korea they're designed to stop your face freezing. Essential accessory! [Thanks to Jenny Burns for giving me one!!!]

The drain that runs by our window.

Sydney and I on a night out. You'll notice the similarities in my work wear and my going out wear! 

Hurry up Spring!

Do you speak 한글?

I've been in Korea for 8 months. One question I get asked a lot is 'how's your Korean?'

I studied French and Spanish at university, and have always picked up bits of vocabulary from other languages quite easily, so one obvious challenge for me whilst I was in Korea was to learn at least a little Korean (한글).

Korean isn't actually that difficult to learn. The different alphabet is intimidating to beginners but it's phonetic, which means every symbol has it's own sound, and most of these are even comparable to English. For example, when you see ㅏ it's always an 'a' sound ('a' as in 'cat'), but there are a couple that don't exist in English such as 의 which is something like 'uoiii' but I just remember it by thinking it's the same sound French people make when they're exasperated.

If that isn't simple enough for you, then try out these words; many words in Korean are the same as in English (aka. Konglish):
커피 [ko-pee] - coffee
콜라 [ko-ra] - Cocacola
햄버거 [ham-bo-goh] - hamburger
치즈 [chee-ze] - cheese
스파게티 [su-pa-gey-ti] - spaghetti
소시지 [so-sey-gee] - sausage
소스 [so-se] - sauce

At school...
Working with Korean co-teachers is a great way to learn Korean. They're always talking among themselves in Korean and whilst most of the time the English-speaking teachers sit quietly at our desks wondering what we're missing, I have picked up some words this way. For example:
진자 [chin-cha] - really (they use that a lot)
어머니 [oh-ma-nee] - mother

I also bug the other teachers by asking them lots of questions, especially Soomi, who sits next to me, she's taught me useful things such as:
대박 [dae bakk] - awesome
멍청이[mong chong ee] - idiot
미친 [michin] - crazy

Another way to learn Korean at school is by listening to the students when they're speaking Korean (which they're not supposed to do). Sometimes I let them tell each other the meaning of a word in Korean as it helps them understand (and saves me having to mime/draw/invent elaborate contextual definitions off the top of my head). It also means I can learn some new words, even if they're not very useful:
심 [shim] - pencil lead
유자 차 [yoo-ja-cha] - citron tea
시금치 [shi-cum-chi] - spinach

In taxis...
We take taxis a lot, and taxi drivers are often curious about the funny looking western person sitting in the back of their car. Usually they ask a question containing 어디 [o-dee] or 어디에 [o-dee-ey] which I can recognise as meaning 'where'. The trouble is, when you're in a taxi that question could be:
'Where are you going?', 'Where are you from?', 'Where in Korea do you live?', 'Where have you been today?', or even (at a stretch) 'Where's that bloke you're usually with?'.
Sometimes I get the right answer first time, sometimes I don't. It's hit and miss!

It's been fun learning Korean, I feel like I'm at a comfortable level now, where I can get by in most everyday situations (using grammatically incorrect words and aided heavily by body language).

Triumphs...
Some of my finer moments speaking Korean include:
- Helping tourists find their bus by interrupting them shouting "HOW CAN WE GET BACK" at the attendant, and instead asking him [in Korean] what platform the bus to Seoul left from.
- Being able to read 50% of the menu in almost every restaurant.
- After telling someone I'd been in Korean 3 months, they replied saying 'wow, three months, not three years?'
- Making phone calls to the hotel my parents stayed in while they were in Korea.
- Booking hotel rooms.

Fails...
Some of the more awkward moments include:
- Paying at a restaurant the server asked 'did you enjoy your meal?' and I replied 'there isn't'.
- Getting in a taxi and asking to go to the ferry terminal, only to be taken to the bus terminal.
- Ordering 3 meals for 4 people, getting 4 meals, and not a single one of them what we wanted.

Snowboarding At Jisan Forest Resort

One of the intermediate slopes at Jisan.

It was AWESOME!

I've never been snowboarding before, or skiing. I've never been to a ski resort either, I'm far too working class for anything so fancy. So you can imagine how excited (and utterly petrified) I felt about going snowboarding [at a real resort!] in Korea [where I have no medical insurance].

We chose Jisan Forest Resort because it's easy to get to and is one of the less busy resorts in Korea. It's about a 2 hour bus ride north of Cheonan, close to Incheon, and the bus there and back was free!

Ric and I went with Claire, our colleague, friend and instructor for the day. We got picked up at 7.30am and arrived at the resort just before 9.30, when the slopes opened.

Claire teacher.

By the time we'd paid, rented, and changed it was 10.30 and we were ready, looking the part in our poorly fitting rental gear.

Fetching.

Once we'd mastered clipping in our boots and gliding around on the flat surface we went straight for the ski lift to the baby slope, where we spent a long time falling down and being unable to get back up again.

Ski lift, lots of fun!

My main concern was crashing into other people. Everyone on the small slope was a beginner, which meant that people were whizzing around not knowing how to stop, scaring the life out of me. Any body watching would have thought I was falling over loads, when in fact, falling over was the only thing I could do to stop! Going too fast! Fall down. Approaching another person! Fall down. About to fall off the side of the mountain! Fall down.

But at least I wasn't the only one...

Face plant!

Eventually we conquered two more slopes, each one higher and longer than the last. Amazingly, by the end of the day, I was able to go all the way down the hillside, like, actually snowboarding! I was so impressed, especially as we'd had no formal tuition and I generally have the balance and coordination of Bambi on ice. 

Worth it for the view alone really.

Ric and I at the top of the slope.

By the end of the day we were exhausted, cold and aching all over. It was a great day. I can't wait to go again.

Claire and I having a snack break at the bottom of the slopes.

Ric and Claire waiting for the ski lift.

Costs:

Transport to and from the resort : free

Full day lift pass : 65,000w (£37)

Full day board rental : 20,000w (£11.50)

Pants rental : 10,000w (£5.50)

Goggles rental : rental : 10,000w (£5.50)

Jacket rental : 15,000w (£8)

Total: 120,000w (£70)

Transport:

The resort runs free shuttle buses to many towns and cities, book on by calling the number on the website.