Asia

Dinner and a subway ride

I went out solo tonight for a rare night alone.  I met up with a fellow UW MBA alumnus tonight near Gangnam Station for dinner at Platinum Micro Brewery, a local brew pub.  It’s been awhile since we’ve seen each other.  I chose the place based on an online recommendation.  I wanted to find a place that brews its own beer, and Platinum turned out to be a winner.  I’m not too fond of Korea’s three major macro brews, OB, Hite, and Cass, but Platinum’s beer is outstanding.  The brew pub offers an all-you-can-eat buffet and all-you-can-drink beer from 6 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. each weeknight (yes, the beer tap shuts off at 8:30 p.m.  No sneaking extra pints).  The Western-style cuisine was delicious, and the beer was great.  I tried a cream stout and a sweet Belgian-style weiss bier.  Platinum does as good a job crafting beers as any brew pub microbrew I’ve tasted.  The place seems to be very popular with the college-age crowd.  Two others were supposed to join us tonight, but they had other commitments.  Still, my friend and I had a good time catching up.  The area near Gangnam Station was filled with activity, despite the fact that I visited it on a Tuesday night.  People there dressed up in suits and beautiful dresses, indicating that it is a slightly upscale part of town, albeit not as trendy as Myeongdong.

I went from work to Gangnam Station by subway.  I noticed a couple of oddities in the Seoul subway.  For one, peddlers love to hock their wares on subway trains.  Tonight a gentleman stopped next to me in the middle of the train car and began crying out about how good his product was to the passengers.  I think it was an exercise accessory, but I’m not sure.  In the past on the subway I’ve seen vendors sell key chain flashlights.  Based on the vendor’s claim, his product is the best on the market and could be purchased for a limited time on the subway for only 5,000 won (about $5).  I also noticed that many subway passengers play video games on their cell phones.  Korea is on the cutting edge of cellular technology, although I have yet to see it for myself (I have an old, cheap cell phone).  The screens are small, but on the subway simple strategy games seem to be a great way to break the monotony of the ride.  As usual, I did not see a single foreigner riding the subway.  It seems that foreigners living in Seoul may be too dependent on other means of transportation.

Our trip to Gyeongju, part two

Last Monday, on Korean Memorial Day, we toured Gyeongju (경주), the ancient capital of the Silla (신라) Dynasty.  We first planned to visit the Gyeongju National Museum, home to one of the country’s largest collections of Korean antiquities, but it closes on Monday.  The weather was beautiful, so it wasn’t too disappointing to us that we couldn’t see the splendor of the Silla Dynasty.  We started the morning at nearby Panwolseong (반월성), the crescent-mooned site of the former castle of the Silla kings.  Not much remains there now, although for over 900 years it remained the preeminent seat of power in Korea.  The only remaining structure from the period is the Seogbinggo (서빙고), an ancient ice house.  It looks a bit like a tomb.  Horseback riding for the kiddies and an archery range are available at the site, but we didn’t partake.  Many Korean families came to picnic at the site.  Next, we drove a couple of blocks over to Hwangryong-sa (황령사), site of a former Buddhist temple.  Only the foundation footings remain.  In the distance, we saw five tombs of the Silla kings, five grassy hills that resemble a greener, gentler version of the Pyramids at Giza.  Like the pyramids, these tombs are arranged linearly and vary in height.  We also visited Cheomseongdae Observatory (첨성데), the oldest observatory in Asia.  Built in 634, it resembles a large chimney and is well preserved. 

After stopping for some snacks at the strip mall near Hwangryong-sa, we visited Daeryeongwon (데영완), a park just north of Hwangryong-sa.  Daeryeongwon contains the most spectacular collection of Silla king tombs.  We visited the tomb of King Michu, one of the most famous kings from the Silla period, and the Cheonmachong (천마총), or “Flying Horse Tomb.”  The Cheonmachong is the only Silla tomb open for public viewing.  While it is obviously restored and modernized, it was nonetheless intriguing to see the interior of a Silla tomb.  The visit reminded me of when I went into the Red Pyramid in Dashur, Egypt, an absolutely amazing structure.  While the pyramids are far older and bigger than the tombs of the Silla kings, I still felt the call of history as I walked amidst these man-made hills.  The tombs also reflect the character of the Korean people, featuring a graceful blending of culture with nature.

In early afternoon, we drove back towards the Bomun Lake resort area to our hotel.  Our son was growing tired and needed a nap.  We stopped along the highway for lunch at a busy Korean restaurant.  The galbitang (갈비탕), or pork rib soup, and cold noodle soup were not as delicious as I’d hoped.  However, our son really enjoyed the playing on the restaurant’s jungle gym and interacting with some Korean children.  Afterwards, we went back to our hotel.  My wife and son stayed in the hotel room and took a nap, and I ventured out on my own.  I drove east to the Korean coast, stopping along the way at Girimsa (기림사), a Buddhist temple.  Although its architecture is not as spectacular as that of Bulguksa (불국사), Girimsa is rarely visited by tourists and feels much more like a functional Buddhist holy site.  I was struck by the sight of a Taster’s Choice coffee vending machines standing next to a temple building.  I wondered whether monks during the Silla Dynasty would have enjoyed coffee if given a chance to taste it. 

I drove on from Girimsa to the Eastern Coast.  The coastline is rocky, and the Eastern Range spills into the sea.  The highway wraps itself along the ridgeline, threading its way through mountains and valleys along the coast.  I stopped at a pavilion overlooking the Underwater Tomb of King Munmu.  It’s a site I’d heard about years ago, and at long last I saw it with my own eyes.  I was intrigued by the world’s only watery tomb dedicated to a king.  After King Munmu died in 681 A.D., his son honored his wishes and placed his ashes in a pool surrounded by a small rocky island off the Korean coast.  It’s difficult to see the tomb from the water’s edge, but you can hire a boat to take you there.  I enjoyed taking in the view overlooking the ocean and imagined what life must have been like for Korean nobility who looked upon his tomb.  Many of King Munmu’s ancestors visited the same site where I looked upon his tomb.  I ended my small excursion by driving about 10 kilometers up the Korean coast to the town of Gampo (감포), where I turned west and headed inland to our hotel.  Along the way, I stopped to take a photo.  I noticed rusty barbed wire and an unmanned guard post, remnants of days past when South Korean soldiers diligently watched for signs of North Korean amphibious operations.  I walked over to an abandoned military position and surveyed the sea.  I imagined dozens of Korean soldiers scanning the sea for many years following the Korean War, on guard for possible incursions.  Although tensions on the Korean Peninsula are now in a heightened state with the impasse over North Korea’s nuclear program, this place felt like a relic from the distant past.  The Korean coastal towns feel much different than those situated inland.  They feel as if time has passed them by, worn down by decades of wind and waves.  I was surprised by how dated the place felt in contrast to the city of Gyeongju located just 15 miles away.   

We spent Monday evening exploring the Lake Bomun resort area.  The boardwalk is very nice and features numerous restaurants and rental shops.  My son enjoyed looking at all the bicycles and vehicles parked on the boardwalk, waiting to be rented.  I rented a small four-wheeler and tried to pursuade my son to ride with me, but he was too scared to join me.  I still had a bit of fun riding it, even though it was a pint-size four-wheeler.  We ate pizza for dinner at one of the few Western restaurants we could find (I did not see a single American fast food restaurant in the Gyeongju area).  A bit heavy on the cheese, we still savored our brief break from Korean food.  Thus ended our wonderful trip to Gyeongju.

Take me out to the ballgame

I’m going to wait one more day to finish up writing about our trip last weekend to Gyeongju.  There’s too much to tell today.  Today was a much better day for my family than yesterday was.  In the morning, my wife and son went over to a neighbor’s house for a Gymboree-style music and play class.  My wife said that my son was a bit timid around other children and did not want to play with the musical instruments.  It seems that his mood changes from day to day.  He never used to be scared in these situations, but today was different.  I’m sure he’ll be different again tomorrow.

We then headed to the COEX Mall.  My wife took my son to the aquarium for the first time, and I participated in a cultural event sponsored by the International Youth Fellowship (IYF).  If you recall, we went to the COEX Mall for the first time in March, but we weren’t able to take our son to the aquarium because he was too tired (see March’s archive).  He really enjoyed himself today at the aquarium.  At first he was afraid to get close to the aquatic life, but his mom finally coaxed him into picking up a starfish.  That seemed to be the magic pixy dust that soothed his timidity, because he was much better for the rest of the day (and he’s made up with daddy too).  He found a small toy Nemo (from Pixar’s animated feature, “Finding Nemo”) he wanted to buy, and mommy bought it for him.  By the time I saw them again in the early afternoon, he had thoroughly worn himself out. 

In the meantime, I went to work at the IYF World Cultural Fair.  In April, I participated in IYF’s English Speech Contest as a judge (see April’s archive).  The atmosphere at this event was much different.  Whereas the speech contest was formal and subdued, this event was casual and raucous.  The event filled a large room at the COEX Convention Hall.  The room contained dozens of booths representing countries from around the world.  I manned the American booth and answered people’s questions about the U.S.  Visitors were a bit shy, so I bribed them with free ice cream if they answered trivia questions and asked questions about the U.S.  I visited other booths and met some very nice Koreans involved with the event.  It was a great cultural exchange.  Unfortunately, the fair was not what we had expected.  Many of my colleagues participated in the event at a time when we really can’t afford to be out of the office, and I don’t think it was the best use of our work time.  I have a feeling that we won’t be involved with this fair again.  I had fun, but it wasn’t the type of outreach we usually do as a community service.

I’ve been missing America’s national pastime, baseball.  This evening my wife and I went to Chamsil Stadium in the Olympic Sports Complex to watch the second-place Doosan Bears play the cellar-dwelling KIA Tigers (the Samsung Lions are in first place).  As a big baseball fan, I’ve wanted to see a baseball game since the season started.  Today my favorite team, the Seattle Mariners, lost 9-3 to my newly adopted National League team, the Washington Nationals, in Interleague play.  In honor of that occasion (who would’ve thought the Mariners would ever play in RFK Stadium?), I donned my Mariners jersey and my Nationals baseball cap and headed to Chamsil Stadium with my wife to watch Korean baseball.  She’s also a big baseball fan and didn’t mind celebrating our anniversary watching baseball, drinking beer, and eating Cracker Jack and Korean kimbap (the hot dogs were overpriced and looked terrible).  The entire evening was incredibly cheap by U.S. standards–$6/hour for a babysitter, $2 round trip per person on the subway, $8 per ticket for seats just behind home plate, $5 for a Doosan baseball cap, $2 beers, and really cheap eats.  You can’t beat that in the states.  It costs more for a single decent seat at a Major League game than we paid for our entire outing tonight.  We paid more for two tickets to watch the New York Yankees and San Francisco Giants at Yankees Stadium a few years ago. 

The Bears-Tigers baseball game was a pitcher’s dual, and when we left in the 7th inning the score was still tied 0-0 (we left early to put our son to bed).  The KIA Tigers won the game 5-2.  We didn’t really go for the game itself, because we hardly know anything about the teams.  Instead, we went for the experience of watching Korean-style baseball.  The quality of play was somewhere between U.S. Triple-A ball and Major League Baseball.  The ballpark dimensions were much smaller than in the U.S.  (For example, the left field wall was about 325 feet, about 60 feet closer than in a typical major league ballpark.  Barry Bonds could easily clear the stadium with a swing of the bat.)  Korean baseball seems to focus much more on small ball than on the long ball, so there are far fewer home runs and more singles.  Chamsil stadium holds about 40,000, and as in Japan, the stadium is divided into two sections and each side is reserved for each team’s fans.  The hometown Doosan Bears fans filled the first-base side of the stadium.  There were far fewer KIA Tigers fans on the third-base side because the Tigers play in Gwangju.  Still, they were far more vocal than the Bears fans.  I really liked their enthusiastic and amusing chants, such as "Let’s Go KIA Tigers!" (in English)  Fans added to the crowd noise by fervently knocking together plastic balloon noise makers.  The crowd helped make up for insufficient multimedia.  At Major League baseball games, multimedia such as Jumbotron animation, billboards, team mascots, fireworks, public announcers, fan cams, and player songs blaring from ballpark speakers all play a big role in entertaining baseball fans.  Multimedia at this game was conspicuously muted.  Cheerleaders animated the crowd between innings, and I saw the fan cam a few times, but not once did I see a Doosan Bear mascot come out to roar up the crowd.  Maybe he was in hibernation.

The highlight of our baseball outing was when I spotted the Doosan Bears cheerleaders waiting near some concession stands during the 6th inning.  They were dressed up as boxers and were punching the air with their boxing gloves, practicing dance routines.  I pointed them out to my wife, who said, “Hey, why don’t you take a picture with them?”  So I did.  Three of them thankfully obliged.  I was very much a leaf among flowers, but I was happy as could be to have my photo taken with such beautiful cheerleaders.  That would never have happened in the states!