It took awhile since there were hundreds of photos... but I finally got them up on my Flickr account. Here they are if you're interested...
Hong Kong and Macau photos
Seoul photos
Enjoy!
Wednesday, April 24, 2013
Tuesday, April 9, 2013
Joni Deb
I'm on the plane back to San Francisco. Hard to believe that the trip is over! I've had a lot of fun, but I am ready to return to my own country. I am ready to sleep in my own bed again and slip back into the comfortable familiarity of my own language and customs.
When I last wrote, I was in The Plaza Hotel. My perfect five star dream hotel wasn't so perfect the last night we were there. The hotel is situated near an area where there's always protests. That last night there was a protest with a man yelling on a bullhorn until 1 am! He came back again at 7 am and started up his yelling again. The front desk told us that it was a protest about unions, but who knows.
SATURDAY
It was hard to get out of bed and greet the day since we had so little sleep and it was rainy and cold outside. After so much rain in Hong Kong, I wasn't looking forward to being wet again. All you can do is buy an umbrella and get on with it. I'm glad I packed an extra pair of shoes because my feet kept getting soaked.
Finding our next lodging - Rakkojae - was pretty difficult. Seoul is a very confusing city to navigate because it's not on the the grid system. To make matters worse, many of the streets have the same name but with subtle differences. Korean words are kind of like German words in that they can get quite long and confusing. After wandering through the maze like streets in the freezing rain with our heavy luggage we finally located Rakkojae. I was rather crabby when we first checked in, but the hostess (I think her name was Whoopie or Winnie) was so gracious that I relaxed and cheered up. We had yuzu tea and traditional Korean cookies with her for awhile, and she told us the history of Rakkojae and helped us plan out our day. I think the staff at Rakkojae is the most hospitable group of people I've ever met.
Rakkojae is a traditional hanok (guesthouse) located in a historic area of Seoul called Bukchon. Seoul was pretty much destroyed by the Japanese so most of the buildings here are new, but the Bukchon area was preserved. A traditional hanok has tiled roofs, paper windows, and sliding wood doors. The floors are heated by a system called "ondol." The warm wooden floors keep the hanoks warm, which is quite amazing even with the paper windows. You must take your shoes off when you enter a hanok, the beds are futon mattresses on the floor, the seating is floor pillows, and the tables are low. It's pretty similar to Japanese ryokan but a bit more rustic and the mattresses seem much thinner. Mike didn't sleep so well on the thin mattress atop the heated floor, but I slept pretty deeply.
That afternoon we decided to explore the traditional neighborhood of Bukchon. It was still raining and cold, and we got lost again! This became a recurring theme during our time in Seoul. When we got to the point where we could no longer feel our hands, we decided it was time to find a place to sit down and have some hot tea before our dinner reservation. Mike saw a sign for a tea house and we managed to find it nestled deep in the labyrinthine alleys of Bukchon. What a treat the teahouse was! It was traditional, so you had to remove your shoes upon entering and the seating was at pillows around low tables. The decor was very simple and stark and they were playing very relaxing music. Nobody else was there except for a lone Korean woman drinking tea, so we whispered to each other so as to not disturb her reverie. We both had hot ginger tea that the hostess served in large beautiful ceramic cups. The tea came with small cute little snacks that tasted like green tea and sesame. My experience there reminded me why we braved the freezing rain and confusing alleys of a foreign country - you sometimes stumble upon hidden gems that make it all worth it.
Our dinner reservation was at a traditional Korean restaurant owned by Rakkojae. And guess what? We got lost trying to find it. Whoopie gave us a card with directions in Korean, so we were incredibly confused. After about 45 minutes of wandering around totally confused in the freezing rain, I screamed in exasperation. We were about to give up and find somewhere else to eat when a really nice Korean girl offered to help us find the place. She led us right to it - I am so thankful the Koreans are so helpful and sweet.
The restaurant was very lovely and traditional. I am thankful we were seated in our private room, because when I removed my wet shoes it was the stench of ages. They served us so much food. Just when I thought we were done, a waiter came in bearing more dishes and trays. I don't understand how Korean people stay so slim since they seem to eat so much.
When we got back to Rakkojae that night, we spent some time in their mud-walled sauna that was delightfully scented with mugwort until a Japanese tourist on her cellphone came in and disturbed our peace. Argh. Really, lady? The outfits we were given to wear to the sauna looked like something straight out of a 90's urban dance group/rave video. Think Kriss Kross. It didn't help that they were sized for small Asian people, not giant white people. We took some pictures of each other wearing the hideous mustard yellow get-ups that will remain in our private collection, ha!
SUNDAY
Breakfast at Rakkojae was not so good. I made the mistake of neglecting to request Western breakfast so were served Korean style food. It was a piece of fish, some sort of lumpy fish stew, anchovies, fish paste encrusted vegetables, and kimchi. No. I took a few bites of the kimchi and put the rest outside of the room because it smelled strongly of fish which is always unpleasant, and especially horrible in the morning. I think they realized something was wrong because then they served us (and I am not kidding you) about a tablespoon of plain yogurt with frozen berries and black coffee.
We spent the day at Changdeokgung Palace, which was very beautiful. Seoul has 4 main palaces and the city is built somewhat around them - we chose Changdeokgung because it is considered the most beautiful. We took a tour of the Secret Garden area which helped to illuminate exactly what I was seeing. Everything has meaning, from the gnarled rocks to the square shaped ponds to the ornate paintings on the ceilings of the pagodas. We toured a Confucian style structure which I found particularly interesting. The men and women lived separately, can you imagine? It has some appeal if you think about it, ha! The doors were so small too - the typical man of the Confucian period was 5'2" and the typical woman was 4'9". Tiny folks! We've banged our heads on doorways a lot during our travels through Asia.
After touring the palace, we went to see the changing of the guard at (and forgive me if I spell this wrong, I don't have a book or the internet to check the spelling right now) Deoksugung Palace. This was near the Plaza and right next to the protests. The changing of the guard was very colorful and had much pomp and circumstance. I finally got to see who kept me up at night. It seemed to be a bunch of students camped under a tent with many signs in Korean. I didn't see any anti-American looking images so I didn't high-tail it out of there, but who knows what those signs said. There were literally hundreds of cops just milling about the area. Our food tour guide told us the Seoul police are an ineffectual bunch. Hmmm.
We checked into our next and final place of lodging next - another traditional guesthouse. The spelling is really complicated so I won't bother telling you the name. The host was very friendly, but we both immediately disliked the place. It was basically a glorified shack! The courtyard area was filled with random junk and our room was a shoebox with two thin mattresses on the floor. Our host told us the construction site next door started up at 8 am. I think the last straw was the dirty and wet communal bathroom. This guesthouse looked like a bomb shelter from a war torn third world country! We didn't travel thousands of miles to stay in a terrible place like that. Wait until you see the photos of this place.
We found a nearby coffee shop with wi-fi and decided to check out a few nearby hotels. Hotel Sunbee was the second place we looked at and we really liked it, the price was right, and it was in a great neighborhood. For anyone looking to travel to Korea, I would recommend you forgo making hotel reservations ahead of time. The best thing to do is tour the hotel once you get there and decide whether or not you want to spend the night. Korea isn't a popular tourist destination for many Americans or other Westerners for that matter, so the few travel reviews I read on the hotels and guesthouses I selected didn't accurately represent Western tastes. I hate to sound like a tacky American, but I have certain standards I expect. Plus, I am too old to be sleeping in a place that is pretty much a slum.
After checking into the Hotel Sunbee, our mood improved 100% and we decided to celebrate by tracking down some Mexican food and cheap beer. We found a place that was actually pretty good, albeit a little odd. Like every other place in Korea, they were blasting insane techno music interspersed with smooth jams from Luther Vandross. We both had a crazy drink called a Mexican Bulldog that consisted of a beer bottle tipped upside down into a giant glass of iced tequila. The drinks made us feel pretty good we decided to get another beer somewhere else. Wandering through a neon lit nightlife district, two young and very drunk Korean men stumbled up to and asked us what the hell we were doing there considering what was going on with North Koreans. We started talking to them and decided to all grab a drink somewhere. It was weird at first but we decided to just go with it, you know?
The first place we went to was blasting obnoxious techno music. It was practically empty and after a few beers I decided I wanted to dance. I think I freaked the Koreans out because they were staring at me. Whatever, I'm on vacation. They danced with me a little and then told me they didn't think it was okay for me to dance with other men since I'm married. I told them Mike and I aren't jealous people, and it's very common and acceptable for American women to dance with whomever they feel like. Korean women are definitely more restrained than American women. I've tried to explain this to women who complain about being an American but it's not something you understand unless you travel. American women enjoy many freedoms a lot of other women on this planet aren't allowed to enjoy.
Mike talked a lot with the Korean who spoke better English about the North Korean situation and I communicated with the guy who didn't speak as good of English via notepad on my iPhone. They had a lot of questions for us and we had a lot of questions for them. They were particularly fascinated with Mike's beard and said he looked like Joni Deb (direct quote from my iPhone text conversation) and Brad Pitt. They asked to feel my nose and said it was very big (which doesn't bother me because I like my nose.) They also kept saying we are both very beautiful and should make a kid, and that they hope we have good feelings about Korea. Of course we do! We ended up going to a norae-bang (karaoke private room) and singing for a few hours. Oddly, the only Western pop songs they seemed to know were ballads by the likes of Michael Bolton and Mariah Carey. They sang a Korean song for us they introduced by saying it was "the most sad song of all." I think Koreans have a taste for the melodrama.
MONDAY
On our last day, we strolled the Cheongyecheon Stream (I have to look up the spelling) and did some shopping and eating at the Dongdaemun Market, Kwangjung Market, and Insadong neighborhood. The stream is situated along the center of the city and makes for a nice, peaceful walk. At the markets I looked for souvenirs and found a tiny kimchi pot, a pearl inlayed lacquer box, and a ceramic pendant. I am turning into my mom and grandmother because two of my souvenirs are knick knacks- although I might put some sea salt in the tiny kimchi pot and stick it in the kitchen.
We turned in early and got a good night's rest for the long travel day ahead. Now I'm sitting on the plane bound for SF and it's not so bad. My seat isn't broken, my neighbor is a nice guy with full capacities and average body weight, and my flight is a heck of a lot shorter on the way back.
Stay tuned for photos and random various thoughts! When I get home I'm attending a typography convention so they'll be up sometime next week after I have a few days to recover.
When I last wrote, I was in The Plaza Hotel. My perfect five star dream hotel wasn't so perfect the last night we were there. The hotel is situated near an area where there's always protests. That last night there was a protest with a man yelling on a bullhorn until 1 am! He came back again at 7 am and started up his yelling again. The front desk told us that it was a protest about unions, but who knows.
SATURDAY
It was hard to get out of bed and greet the day since we had so little sleep and it was rainy and cold outside. After so much rain in Hong Kong, I wasn't looking forward to being wet again. All you can do is buy an umbrella and get on with it. I'm glad I packed an extra pair of shoes because my feet kept getting soaked.
Finding our next lodging - Rakkojae - was pretty difficult. Seoul is a very confusing city to navigate because it's not on the the grid system. To make matters worse, many of the streets have the same name but with subtle differences. Korean words are kind of like German words in that they can get quite long and confusing. After wandering through the maze like streets in the freezing rain with our heavy luggage we finally located Rakkojae. I was rather crabby when we first checked in, but the hostess (I think her name was Whoopie or Winnie) was so gracious that I relaxed and cheered up. We had yuzu tea and traditional Korean cookies with her for awhile, and she told us the history of Rakkojae and helped us plan out our day. I think the staff at Rakkojae is the most hospitable group of people I've ever met.
Rakkojae is a traditional hanok (guesthouse) located in a historic area of Seoul called Bukchon. Seoul was pretty much destroyed by the Japanese so most of the buildings here are new, but the Bukchon area was preserved. A traditional hanok has tiled roofs, paper windows, and sliding wood doors. The floors are heated by a system called "ondol." The warm wooden floors keep the hanoks warm, which is quite amazing even with the paper windows. You must take your shoes off when you enter a hanok, the beds are futon mattresses on the floor, the seating is floor pillows, and the tables are low. It's pretty similar to Japanese ryokan but a bit more rustic and the mattresses seem much thinner. Mike didn't sleep so well on the thin mattress atop the heated floor, but I slept pretty deeply.
That afternoon we decided to explore the traditional neighborhood of Bukchon. It was still raining and cold, and we got lost again! This became a recurring theme during our time in Seoul. When we got to the point where we could no longer feel our hands, we decided it was time to find a place to sit down and have some hot tea before our dinner reservation. Mike saw a sign for a tea house and we managed to find it nestled deep in the labyrinthine alleys of Bukchon. What a treat the teahouse was! It was traditional, so you had to remove your shoes upon entering and the seating was at pillows around low tables. The decor was very simple and stark and they were playing very relaxing music. Nobody else was there except for a lone Korean woman drinking tea, so we whispered to each other so as to not disturb her reverie. We both had hot ginger tea that the hostess served in large beautiful ceramic cups. The tea came with small cute little snacks that tasted like green tea and sesame. My experience there reminded me why we braved the freezing rain and confusing alleys of a foreign country - you sometimes stumble upon hidden gems that make it all worth it.
Our dinner reservation was at a traditional Korean restaurant owned by Rakkojae. And guess what? We got lost trying to find it. Whoopie gave us a card with directions in Korean, so we were incredibly confused. After about 45 minutes of wandering around totally confused in the freezing rain, I screamed in exasperation. We were about to give up and find somewhere else to eat when a really nice Korean girl offered to help us find the place. She led us right to it - I am so thankful the Koreans are so helpful and sweet.
The restaurant was very lovely and traditional. I am thankful we were seated in our private room, because when I removed my wet shoes it was the stench of ages. They served us so much food. Just when I thought we were done, a waiter came in bearing more dishes and trays. I don't understand how Korean people stay so slim since they seem to eat so much.
When we got back to Rakkojae that night, we spent some time in their mud-walled sauna that was delightfully scented with mugwort until a Japanese tourist on her cellphone came in and disturbed our peace. Argh. Really, lady? The outfits we were given to wear to the sauna looked like something straight out of a 90's urban dance group/rave video. Think Kriss Kross. It didn't help that they were sized for small Asian people, not giant white people. We took some pictures of each other wearing the hideous mustard yellow get-ups that will remain in our private collection, ha!
SUNDAY
Breakfast at Rakkojae was not so good. I made the mistake of neglecting to request Western breakfast so were served Korean style food. It was a piece of fish, some sort of lumpy fish stew, anchovies, fish paste encrusted vegetables, and kimchi. No. I took a few bites of the kimchi and put the rest outside of the room because it smelled strongly of fish which is always unpleasant, and especially horrible in the morning. I think they realized something was wrong because then they served us (and I am not kidding you) about a tablespoon of plain yogurt with frozen berries and black coffee.
We spent the day at Changdeokgung Palace, which was very beautiful. Seoul has 4 main palaces and the city is built somewhat around them - we chose Changdeokgung because it is considered the most beautiful. We took a tour of the Secret Garden area which helped to illuminate exactly what I was seeing. Everything has meaning, from the gnarled rocks to the square shaped ponds to the ornate paintings on the ceilings of the pagodas. We toured a Confucian style structure which I found particularly interesting. The men and women lived separately, can you imagine? It has some appeal if you think about it, ha! The doors were so small too - the typical man of the Confucian period was 5'2" and the typical woman was 4'9". Tiny folks! We've banged our heads on doorways a lot during our travels through Asia.
After touring the palace, we went to see the changing of the guard at (and forgive me if I spell this wrong, I don't have a book or the internet to check the spelling right now) Deoksugung Palace. This was near the Plaza and right next to the protests. The changing of the guard was very colorful and had much pomp and circumstance. I finally got to see who kept me up at night. It seemed to be a bunch of students camped under a tent with many signs in Korean. I didn't see any anti-American looking images so I didn't high-tail it out of there, but who knows what those signs said. There were literally hundreds of cops just milling about the area. Our food tour guide told us the Seoul police are an ineffectual bunch. Hmmm.
We checked into our next and final place of lodging next - another traditional guesthouse. The spelling is really complicated so I won't bother telling you the name. The host was very friendly, but we both immediately disliked the place. It was basically a glorified shack! The courtyard area was filled with random junk and our room was a shoebox with two thin mattresses on the floor. Our host told us the construction site next door started up at 8 am. I think the last straw was the dirty and wet communal bathroom. This guesthouse looked like a bomb shelter from a war torn third world country! We didn't travel thousands of miles to stay in a terrible place like that. Wait until you see the photos of this place.
We found a nearby coffee shop with wi-fi and decided to check out a few nearby hotels. Hotel Sunbee was the second place we looked at and we really liked it, the price was right, and it was in a great neighborhood. For anyone looking to travel to Korea, I would recommend you forgo making hotel reservations ahead of time. The best thing to do is tour the hotel once you get there and decide whether or not you want to spend the night. Korea isn't a popular tourist destination for many Americans or other Westerners for that matter, so the few travel reviews I read on the hotels and guesthouses I selected didn't accurately represent Western tastes. I hate to sound like a tacky American, but I have certain standards I expect. Plus, I am too old to be sleeping in a place that is pretty much a slum.
After checking into the Hotel Sunbee, our mood improved 100% and we decided to celebrate by tracking down some Mexican food and cheap beer. We found a place that was actually pretty good, albeit a little odd. Like every other place in Korea, they were blasting insane techno music interspersed with smooth jams from Luther Vandross. We both had a crazy drink called a Mexican Bulldog that consisted of a beer bottle tipped upside down into a giant glass of iced tequila. The drinks made us feel pretty good we decided to get another beer somewhere else. Wandering through a neon lit nightlife district, two young and very drunk Korean men stumbled up to and asked us what the hell we were doing there considering what was going on with North Koreans. We started talking to them and decided to all grab a drink somewhere. It was weird at first but we decided to just go with it, you know?
The first place we went to was blasting obnoxious techno music. It was practically empty and after a few beers I decided I wanted to dance. I think I freaked the Koreans out because they were staring at me. Whatever, I'm on vacation. They danced with me a little and then told me they didn't think it was okay for me to dance with other men since I'm married. I told them Mike and I aren't jealous people, and it's very common and acceptable for American women to dance with whomever they feel like. Korean women are definitely more restrained than American women. I've tried to explain this to women who complain about being an American but it's not something you understand unless you travel. American women enjoy many freedoms a lot of other women on this planet aren't allowed to enjoy.
Mike talked a lot with the Korean who spoke better English about the North Korean situation and I communicated with the guy who didn't speak as good of English via notepad on my iPhone. They had a lot of questions for us and we had a lot of questions for them. They were particularly fascinated with Mike's beard and said he looked like Joni Deb (direct quote from my iPhone text conversation) and Brad Pitt. They asked to feel my nose and said it was very big (which doesn't bother me because I like my nose.) They also kept saying we are both very beautiful and should make a kid, and that they hope we have good feelings about Korea. Of course we do! We ended up going to a norae-bang (karaoke private room) and singing for a few hours. Oddly, the only Western pop songs they seemed to know were ballads by the likes of Michael Bolton and Mariah Carey. They sang a Korean song for us they introduced by saying it was "the most sad song of all." I think Koreans have a taste for the melodrama.
MONDAY
On our last day, we strolled the Cheongyecheon Stream (I have to look up the spelling) and did some shopping and eating at the Dongdaemun Market, Kwangjung Market, and Insadong neighborhood. The stream is situated along the center of the city and makes for a nice, peaceful walk. At the markets I looked for souvenirs and found a tiny kimchi pot, a pearl inlayed lacquer box, and a ceramic pendant. I am turning into my mom and grandmother because two of my souvenirs are knick knacks- although I might put some sea salt in the tiny kimchi pot and stick it in the kitchen.
We turned in early and got a good night's rest for the long travel day ahead. Now I'm sitting on the plane bound for SF and it's not so bad. My seat isn't broken, my neighbor is a nice guy with full capacities and average body weight, and my flight is a heck of a lot shorter on the way back.
Stay tuned for photos and random various thoughts! When I get home I'm attending a typography convention so they'll be up sometime next week after I have a few days to recover.
Sunday, April 7, 2013
Quick update
I apologize for not posting in awhile - but I will post another long blog with lots of updates soon. We have been without wi-fi until now. Since I last wrote we left The Plaza, had a miserably cold and rainy day, stayed in a traditional Korean guesthouse, visited a beautiful palace, checked in and promptly checked out of a terrible place, checked into a new good place, made some new Korean friends who we drank a lot of beer and did norae-bang (karaoke) with, and lots of other things... stay tuned.
Today is my last day here so I'm going to get out and enjoy it!
Today is my last day here so I'm going to get out and enjoy it!
Friday, April 5, 2013
Kimchi and the DMZ
I am currently relaxing in our luxury suite at the Plaza Hotel. This place is so luxurious. I don't ever want to check out. When you arrive, you're greeted by an entourage of bowing men with white gloves. The hallways are dimly lit and decorated very tastefully in a modern style. When you open the door to your room, the curtains open automatically and a soft song plays on the speakers in the ceiling. Outside is the busy city of Seoul, but inside it's a tranquil sanctuary. The decor is minimalist in tones of black, white, and red and incorporates natural elements like wood and stone. The front room has a business center with many ports to charge your various devices. There are also TVs in both rooms so you can watch fascinating and hilarious Korean TV shows to your hearts content. The walk in closet area has red curtains that draw back to reveal a shelf for shoes and plush white robes. The bedroom has a plush bed with white linens that I slept like a baby in, waking up feeling refreshed and alive. There is a digital console next to the bed where you can open and close the curtains, turn the lights on and off, adjust the room temperature, call the concierge, and request maid service among many other things. The bathroom has a sunken tub that I almost dozed off in, a shower with great water pressure, and luxury bath products. The toilet is digital; it has a warm seat, flushes for you, and a bidet which I tested out this morning. Ha!
But enough about the amazing hotel room. Last night we went on a Korean food tour led by a guide named Jin. We were joined by a German couple and another couple from San Francisco. I booked this tour because I'm intrigued by Korean food and wanted to know more about it. Jin took us to a variety of interesting restaurants frequented by Koreans in these really interesting old neighborhoods with lots of winding streets.
The tour started in a Korean barbecue restaurant. Each table had it's own grill fired by hot coals. Jin put slices of beef on the grill and showed us how to grill it and eat it. After the meat was ready, you wrap it in a red leaf lettuce leaf or sesame leaf and can add things like red bean paste, kimchi, pickled onions, peppers, garlic cloves, seasoning, and more. It's like a taco of sorts? It was delicious. He also taught us a drinking game with a drink made with a Korean beer and a coke.
The next stop was at a topokki restaurant. Topokki is a stew of sorts with cheese, rice cakes, noodles, squid, and clams in a bright orange liquid I assumed to be kimchi (but I am not sure.) It's cooked in a pot on a gas grill that's built into the table. It was very spicy... and I know it sounds weird, but I ate it and highly enjoyed it. Even the squid was good and didn't taste bad. I never thought I'd say I liked squid.
Then we went to a place full of boisterous Koreans playing drinking games and eating. It was a really cute place decorated in a traditional wooden style with kimchi pots and figurines. We sat at traditional tables on the floor and played drinking games again with a few bottles of what I believed to be rice wine. I think it was makgeolli? We ate a dish that consisted of soft tofu and a mixture of savory pork and kimchi that was incredibly good - very flavorful and earthy. There was also a seafood pancake of eggs, leeks, and various guys from the sea. Again, I never thought I'd say this because normally I don't like seafood, especially when it's cooked... but it was super good. I even tried some pickled jellyfish. It didn't taste like much and could best be described as chewy spaghetti.
I was stuffed to the gills at this point but we had one more stop at a night market full of people selling all manners of Korean food (especially kimchi) and people eating at crowded tables. Mike tried a pickled baby crab (I couldn't believe it either) and said it tasted like crunchy candy. We stopped at a restaurant full of Koreans of all ages that were clearly having a good time eating and drinking. We had the same dish that we had on the street the other night (the German girl described it as spicy ketchup rice tubes) and a pancake type dish with pork and vegetables. And... more drinking games with makgeolli.
I left the tour feeling very full and with a new sense of appreciation for Korean food. Now I feel more confident about walking into a Korean restaurant or by a food stall and ordering something. The Korean food was an excellent change after the Cantonese food in Hong Kong (which I didn't care for.) The Cantonese food wasn't spicy or flavorful to me at all. Korean food is full of bold flavors and lots of spice. I plan on eating it more often when I get back to SF! I don't understand why it's not more popular, because it's super good. Maybe because it sounds and looks a bit weird at first. Don't be scared though... Korean food is delicious.
This morning we woke up early for the DMZ tour. We had to be at the USO office in Seoul at 7 am so it was kind of a rough morning after all that makgeolli last night. The tour guide was a really nice Korean girl named Haylee who had good English but said things in an odd but cute way. The other people on the tour were a mix of Americans and Europeans. Apparently Chinese and South Koreans can't go on the tour because of political reasons.
Our first stop was Camp Bonifas, which was right on the border. Before we went into the camp, they checked our passports and told us not to photograph any of the security buildings. I assume this was for safety reasons. The tension was palpable immediately. There were barbed wires and soldiers with guns in every direction. Before we went into the DMZ, we watched a film and a US soldier gave us a brief history overview of the conflict. Then we got back into the bus and a US soldier narrated our drive to the JSA area. Again, we weren't allowed to photograph anything. We passed a mine field and tank barriers. And here is something odd... there is a South Korean village in the DMZ. About 200 farmers live there who farm rice paddies and are guarded day and night by soldiers. They must be in their houses every night by dark and don't pay any taxes.
The JSA was the scariest part for me. We were face to face with North Korean soldiers. In front and back of us were South Korean and American soldiers standing watch. The South Korean soldiers were particularly disarming because they stood completely still, with their fists balled up staring straight forward. We were told that it's a psychological thing in Korean culture, and whoever breaks the staring gaze first is considered a coward. At first I thought they were mannequins because they were so still. At this point we were allowed to take photos, and I snapped some really odd photos of the stare down. We were told not to make any gestures or scoff because the North Koreans were filming us and use any sign of disrespect from us as propaganda to fuel their hatred towards the South. However, the North Koreans on the other side often make lewd gestures in the South's direction. Hmmmmm.
We then went into the conference room, were the North Koreans and South Koreans meet sometimes to talk. It was here that I was able to take a few steps into what is geographically considered North Korea. It was a strange feeling.
We were then taken to a viewpoint where we were shown North Korea's fake village in the distance. The government built a city that appears to be full of high rises but is in fact hollow buildings with painted on windows and doors. Nobody lives there, but occasionally people are bused into the village to give it some semblance of reality. North Korea wants to appear successful and normal when in fact they are poor and oppressed. Over this fake city is a giant flag pole with the North Korean flag. The North built a taller flag pole in response to the South erecting a flag pole. The whole thing is a giant pissing content - it's unreal.
The next stop was the third tunnel. According to an escaped North Korean who defected to South Korea, NK built 20 tunnels under the DMZ into SK for war purposes. Only 4 of these tunnels have been discovered and the one we went into was under a mine field. When SK discovered it, NK claimed it was only a coal mining tunnel and painted splotches of coal on the walls. This makes no sense because coal doesn't exist in this part of the world.
The final thing we saw was a train station built in 1997 that was meant to be a passage between the north and the south. Relations between the two regions were friendlier back then, and this was a step towards peace. It all ended when a South Korean woman was shot by a North Korean soldier. Now the station stands eerily empty, waiting for people who will never come.
As the tour ended, Haylee gave us her thoughts. She said she thinks things will end in war and asked for us to pray for her peninsula. I hope a resolution is reached someday; it's such a terrible situation.
But enough about the amazing hotel room. Last night we went on a Korean food tour led by a guide named Jin. We were joined by a German couple and another couple from San Francisco. I booked this tour because I'm intrigued by Korean food and wanted to know more about it. Jin took us to a variety of interesting restaurants frequented by Koreans in these really interesting old neighborhoods with lots of winding streets.
The tour started in a Korean barbecue restaurant. Each table had it's own grill fired by hot coals. Jin put slices of beef on the grill and showed us how to grill it and eat it. After the meat was ready, you wrap it in a red leaf lettuce leaf or sesame leaf and can add things like red bean paste, kimchi, pickled onions, peppers, garlic cloves, seasoning, and more. It's like a taco of sorts? It was delicious. He also taught us a drinking game with a drink made with a Korean beer and a coke.
The next stop was at a topokki restaurant. Topokki is a stew of sorts with cheese, rice cakes, noodles, squid, and clams in a bright orange liquid I assumed to be kimchi (but I am not sure.) It's cooked in a pot on a gas grill that's built into the table. It was very spicy... and I know it sounds weird, but I ate it and highly enjoyed it. Even the squid was good and didn't taste bad. I never thought I'd say I liked squid.
Then we went to a place full of boisterous Koreans playing drinking games and eating. It was a really cute place decorated in a traditional wooden style with kimchi pots and figurines. We sat at traditional tables on the floor and played drinking games again with a few bottles of what I believed to be rice wine. I think it was makgeolli? We ate a dish that consisted of soft tofu and a mixture of savory pork and kimchi that was incredibly good - very flavorful and earthy. There was also a seafood pancake of eggs, leeks, and various guys from the sea. Again, I never thought I'd say this because normally I don't like seafood, especially when it's cooked... but it was super good. I even tried some pickled jellyfish. It didn't taste like much and could best be described as chewy spaghetti.
I was stuffed to the gills at this point but we had one more stop at a night market full of people selling all manners of Korean food (especially kimchi) and people eating at crowded tables. Mike tried a pickled baby crab (I couldn't believe it either) and said it tasted like crunchy candy. We stopped at a restaurant full of Koreans of all ages that were clearly having a good time eating and drinking. We had the same dish that we had on the street the other night (the German girl described it as spicy ketchup rice tubes) and a pancake type dish with pork and vegetables. And... more drinking games with makgeolli.
I left the tour feeling very full and with a new sense of appreciation for Korean food. Now I feel more confident about walking into a Korean restaurant or by a food stall and ordering something. The Korean food was an excellent change after the Cantonese food in Hong Kong (which I didn't care for.) The Cantonese food wasn't spicy or flavorful to me at all. Korean food is full of bold flavors and lots of spice. I plan on eating it more often when I get back to SF! I don't understand why it's not more popular, because it's super good. Maybe because it sounds and looks a bit weird at first. Don't be scared though... Korean food is delicious.
This morning we woke up early for the DMZ tour. We had to be at the USO office in Seoul at 7 am so it was kind of a rough morning after all that makgeolli last night. The tour guide was a really nice Korean girl named Haylee who had good English but said things in an odd but cute way. The other people on the tour were a mix of Americans and Europeans. Apparently Chinese and South Koreans can't go on the tour because of political reasons.
Our first stop was Camp Bonifas, which was right on the border. Before we went into the camp, they checked our passports and told us not to photograph any of the security buildings. I assume this was for safety reasons. The tension was palpable immediately. There were barbed wires and soldiers with guns in every direction. Before we went into the DMZ, we watched a film and a US soldier gave us a brief history overview of the conflict. Then we got back into the bus and a US soldier narrated our drive to the JSA area. Again, we weren't allowed to photograph anything. We passed a mine field and tank barriers. And here is something odd... there is a South Korean village in the DMZ. About 200 farmers live there who farm rice paddies and are guarded day and night by soldiers. They must be in their houses every night by dark and don't pay any taxes.
The JSA was the scariest part for me. We were face to face with North Korean soldiers. In front and back of us were South Korean and American soldiers standing watch. The South Korean soldiers were particularly disarming because they stood completely still, with their fists balled up staring straight forward. We were told that it's a psychological thing in Korean culture, and whoever breaks the staring gaze first is considered a coward. At first I thought they were mannequins because they were so still. At this point we were allowed to take photos, and I snapped some really odd photos of the stare down. We were told not to make any gestures or scoff because the North Koreans were filming us and use any sign of disrespect from us as propaganda to fuel their hatred towards the South. However, the North Koreans on the other side often make lewd gestures in the South's direction. Hmmmmm.
We then went into the conference room, were the North Koreans and South Koreans meet sometimes to talk. It was here that I was able to take a few steps into what is geographically considered North Korea. It was a strange feeling.
We were then taken to a viewpoint where we were shown North Korea's fake village in the distance. The government built a city that appears to be full of high rises but is in fact hollow buildings with painted on windows and doors. Nobody lives there, but occasionally people are bused into the village to give it some semblance of reality. North Korea wants to appear successful and normal when in fact they are poor and oppressed. Over this fake city is a giant flag pole with the North Korean flag. The North built a taller flag pole in response to the South erecting a flag pole. The whole thing is a giant pissing content - it's unreal.
The next stop was the third tunnel. According to an escaped North Korean who defected to South Korea, NK built 20 tunnels under the DMZ into SK for war purposes. Only 4 of these tunnels have been discovered and the one we went into was under a mine field. When SK discovered it, NK claimed it was only a coal mining tunnel and painted splotches of coal on the walls. This makes no sense because coal doesn't exist in this part of the world.
The final thing we saw was a train station built in 1997 that was meant to be a passage between the north and the south. Relations between the two regions were friendlier back then, and this was a step towards peace. It all ended when a South Korean woman was shot by a North Korean soldier. Now the station stands eerily empty, waiting for people who will never come.
As the tour ended, Haylee gave us her thoughts. She said she thinks things will end in war and asked for us to pray for her peninsula. I hope a resolution is reached someday; it's such a terrible situation.
Thursday, April 4, 2013
Hi Seoul!
When we were in the Hong Kong airport, a tourism board representative approached me and asked me to take a survey on my experience. I gave Hong Kong very high ratings. I think it's a wonderful place that's definitely worth seeing. The people are very friendly, and there's so much to see and do. The only bad thing I had to say was when she asked me about the air quality. I rated it a one and told her the HK government should take better care of the environment. Other than that, I give HK five stars!
We landed in Seoul last night. The 4 hour flight here was quite pleasant. They served bibimbap again and I spent the majority of the flight catching up on this blog. Mike watched a Korean drama that was apparently quite good. When we deplaned, I was immediately struck by how much colder and dryer it is. HK was so muggy and hot. Seoul Incheon airport is like most other airports - grey. When we arrived in the international terminal, we found an information desk with a giant touch screen information kiosk that helped us figure out how to get into the city. South Korea is a very digital place and this was the first example of many to demonstrate how wired their country is.
We took the airport express train (otherwise known as AIREX) into the city and transferred onto the city's local subway line. Figuring out how to buy a ticket was difficult since almost everything is in Korean. A man saw how confused we were and showed us how to buy a single use fare. This was the first encounter of many that we've had with super friendly and helpful Koreans.
The train system here is pretty easy to figure out since it's color coded and uses Roman numerals. When we got off at our stop, we were stopped by numerous Koreans asking if we needed help finding our way our hotel. Two older men led the charge and escorted us out of the station to our hotel. When they asked us where we were from, they said "Baseball! San Francisco! Win!" and made a baseball bat motion. They kept laughing and saying "win! San Francisco win!" It was pretty funny. Eventually they found our hotel and shook our hands and left us to check in.
Hotel Doulos is situated in a district that seems to be populated by love hotels and trophy/award shops. Odd, isn't it? The streets are very narrow and twisty. Since it was nighttime, the trophy shops were closed and there were street food carts and tents everywhere. We were quite hungry and wanted something to eat. It was a bit frightening at first since we weren't sure what the foods were, but I picked one that looked like something I had seen on a travel food program. It was DELICIOUS! I can't describe it other than it was mochi like rice tubes covered in an indescribably tasty bright orange sauce. I saw other people eating it with toothpicks so I did the same. We also bought these goldfish shaped things filled with hot red bean paste - super delicious. I am getting hungry just thinking about it. So far all the Korean food I've had has been amazing.
So... our hotel. It was awful and we checked out early and found a new place. It had pretty good reviews on TripAdvisor which is why I selected it. I was fine with the room being the size of a matchbox, I was fine with the dingy quality of it, I was fine with the paper thin walls because I had earplugs, I could deal with the dodgy wi-fi connection, but I just could not deal with the bed. It was rock hard and lumpy and neither of us slept much at all. Getting a good sleep is crucial when you're on a vacation like this. When you're running on little sleep it makes you feel sluggish and irritable. The final straw was the awful breakfast. They didn't offer much food, and the hot food was cold and had obviously been sitting out for awhile. It was a joke.
We weren't going to get a refund on Doulos, but we were willing to eat the cost because it was so terrible. We went online and found another place relatively nearby that had excellent reviews - The Plaza Hotel. Of course it costs more than twice as much as Doulos but it's worth EVERY penny. We checked out the rooms before we booked it and I was sold immediately once I checked the softness of the bed. And, even better... the front desk hostess gave us a free upgrade to a luxury suite because she said she wanted us to have a wonderful time in Korea. I just took a bath and am lounging in my plush robe and feel wonderful. Now I feel ready for Seoul.
I have to get ready for our food tour now. I am very excited to chow down on Korean food! YUM. I can't drink too much soju either because tomorrow is our DMZ tour. SCARY.
We landed in Seoul last night. The 4 hour flight here was quite pleasant. They served bibimbap again and I spent the majority of the flight catching up on this blog. Mike watched a Korean drama that was apparently quite good. When we deplaned, I was immediately struck by how much colder and dryer it is. HK was so muggy and hot. Seoul Incheon airport is like most other airports - grey. When we arrived in the international terminal, we found an information desk with a giant touch screen information kiosk that helped us figure out how to get into the city. South Korea is a very digital place and this was the first example of many to demonstrate how wired their country is.
We took the airport express train (otherwise known as AIREX) into the city and transferred onto the city's local subway line. Figuring out how to buy a ticket was difficult since almost everything is in Korean. A man saw how confused we were and showed us how to buy a single use fare. This was the first encounter of many that we've had with super friendly and helpful Koreans.
The train system here is pretty easy to figure out since it's color coded and uses Roman numerals. When we got off at our stop, we were stopped by numerous Koreans asking if we needed help finding our way our hotel. Two older men led the charge and escorted us out of the station to our hotel. When they asked us where we were from, they said "Baseball! San Francisco! Win!" and made a baseball bat motion. They kept laughing and saying "win! San Francisco win!" It was pretty funny. Eventually they found our hotel and shook our hands and left us to check in.
Hotel Doulos is situated in a district that seems to be populated by love hotels and trophy/award shops. Odd, isn't it? The streets are very narrow and twisty. Since it was nighttime, the trophy shops were closed and there were street food carts and tents everywhere. We were quite hungry and wanted something to eat. It was a bit frightening at first since we weren't sure what the foods were, but I picked one that looked like something I had seen on a travel food program. It was DELICIOUS! I can't describe it other than it was mochi like rice tubes covered in an indescribably tasty bright orange sauce. I saw other people eating it with toothpicks so I did the same. We also bought these goldfish shaped things filled with hot red bean paste - super delicious. I am getting hungry just thinking about it. So far all the Korean food I've had has been amazing.
So... our hotel. It was awful and we checked out early and found a new place. It had pretty good reviews on TripAdvisor which is why I selected it. I was fine with the room being the size of a matchbox, I was fine with the dingy quality of it, I was fine with the paper thin walls because I had earplugs, I could deal with the dodgy wi-fi connection, but I just could not deal with the bed. It was rock hard and lumpy and neither of us slept much at all. Getting a good sleep is crucial when you're on a vacation like this. When you're running on little sleep it makes you feel sluggish and irritable. The final straw was the awful breakfast. They didn't offer much food, and the hot food was cold and had obviously been sitting out for awhile. It was a joke.
We weren't going to get a refund on Doulos, but we were willing to eat the cost because it was so terrible. We went online and found another place relatively nearby that had excellent reviews - The Plaza Hotel. Of course it costs more than twice as much as Doulos but it's worth EVERY penny. We checked out the rooms before we booked it and I was sold immediately once I checked the softness of the bed. And, even better... the front desk hostess gave us a free upgrade to a luxury suite because she said she wanted us to have a wonderful time in Korea. I just took a bath and am lounging in my plush robe and feel wonderful. Now I feel ready for Seoul.
I have to get ready for our food tour now. I am very excited to chow down on Korean food! YUM. I can't drink too much soju either because tomorrow is our DMZ tour. SCARY.
Wednesday, April 3, 2013
Asia's World City
So much has happened since I last updated this blog! I have to get it all down before I forget it. Also, please forgive all the misspellings in this blog. I don't have an internet connection to check location spellings.
When I last wrote, we had checked into the YMCA. It was a really nice place with an amazing view of the HK skyline and somewhat softer beds. The breakfast buffet was MUCH better, though Mike may disagree with me. And Leslie, there was the watermelon again! The newspaper I read at breakfast had reports of a new strain of bird flu. I decided to avoid chicken for the rest of the trip. The bird flu was a big deal in HK, since I read signs about sanitation everywhere where I went.
There was no rain the forecast so we decided to hold off on Macau for another day and do some more exploring in Hong Kong. We started the day off in the neighborhood of Wan Chai. It was formerly a red light district, so there were various "nude model dancer" clubs. We strolled around a bit and took photos before we headed to Causeway Bay. The guidebook said it was a major shopping destination. It reminded me a lot of Times Square and there were a lot of the same Western stores that we have back home, so we didn't stay there long.
At this point we were pretty hungry so we decided to go back to Soho, the area full of international restaurants and the escalator with great people watching. If I lived in HK, I would probably hang out in Soho a lot. It's an area that combines two of my favorite things: international food and beaking. There was a Mexican restaurant that seemed interesting, so went in and ordered some veggie tacos and taco salad. The place was staffed by Indians and the food was fine, but extremely bland. Being from California, I am used to Mexican food having bold flavors and lots of spice. Ketchup was spicier than the salsa they were serving. I think the restaurant was trying to appeal to the HK palate - and I've noticed that Cantonese style cooking doesn't seem to have much spice. It seems to be more about texture and savory flavors.
Next we visited the Cat Street Market. The guidebooks said there were lots of stalls selling curios and antiques. It was a charming little street full of very cute little booths with nicely arranged items. I spent more time than I probably should have looking at things like Chairman Mao ashtrays, cinnabar jewelry, and bronze figurines of pagodas. Mike was very patient with me as I dithered over what I wanted. I really wanted a knick knack to stick on my shelf, but nothing was really speaking to me so I just gave up. I'm glad I didn't buy anything because I saw all the same things they were selling later on at the Sham Shui Po market for a fraction of the cost! It turns out they weren't selling real antiques at all! Oh well.
So... Sham Shui Po. Friends of ours told us this was an interesting place we needed to check out. It's the oldest and poorest part of Hong Kong. It also turned out to be the place where all the Hong Kongers shop. The Sham Shui Po Market kind of blew my mind. I think there had to be at least a thousand tiny stalls selling everything and anything you can think of. Piles of greasy drills, obsolete VCRs, eyeball searing strips of LED lights, Kenny G CDs, you name it. The sellers here weren't as aggressive with us, either. We were pretty much ignored which was a change after being harassed nonstop in the other markets. I think it's because there were very few foreigners there.
One of the most interesting things I saw in the SSP market was a snake soup stall. On on side of the entrance was a tank with live snakes. On the other side was plastic box piled with snake skin items like wallets. There was a cart with a woman ladling out chunky looking grey soup to men of all ages. I wonder what medicinal properties snake soup has? It must have something to do with men's health.
Adjacent to the SSP street market is the electronics district. Mike and I went into one of the malls and again - mind blown. It was a very brightly lit place with thousands of stalls selling any kind of gadget and part you can imagine. You could get totally lost in there and not find your way out of the maze for hours. It was just like Akhibara in Japan. Most of the clientele were men and some of the stalls had shop owners opening phones and repairing electronic items. I was overwhelmed by all the screens and blinking things, I didn't know where to look.
We headed to the Temple Street Night Market next. It was pretty different after being at the chaotic mess that is the SSP street market. The stalls were much more orderly and the walkways weren't jam packed with people. I found some awesomely tacky purse holder thingies and enameled wing earrings for a few dollars. Besides street vendors, the TSNM also had lots of street food, fortune tellers, and a Cantonese opera singer.
We dashed back to the harbor waterfront to see the Symphony of Lights show at 8 pm. Every night the city of Hong Kong puts on a light show where all the skyscrapers light and up in time to awesomely bad midi music. It was really cool and totally Hong Kong's style - over the top, a bit garish, and futuristic.
It was pretty late by then but we were hungry and decided to grab a bite to eat at a vegetarian Indian place nearby. To get to it, we had to ring a doorbell and go upstairs to a door. It seemed hidden until we opened the door and saw that the place was packed. The food was really good but I was beyond tired at this point. I fell asleep at several parts during the meal, even dropping tikka masala into my hair at one point. Glamorous.
The next day we took a ferry to Macau. To get there, we took a hour long high speed ferry. Navigating the ferry terminal was a bit confusing, but we figured it out eventually. The boat ride was a relaxing change of pace after all those days of walking for 10 hours straight. It was rainy and foggy outside so I didn't get to see much besides a fishing boat here and there.
When we arrived in Macau, we took a bus to the historic area. Macau is a beautiful and interesting place. It was colonized by the Portuguese, so the architecture is a mixture between pastel colonial buildings and Chinese buildings. The streets very narrow cobblestone, so a lot of the people who live there ride scooters. I thought it had a quieter, more tropical vibe than Hong Kong. It rained buckets while we were there, but we had our umbrellas and made the best of it.
Besides having a historical district, Macau is also the Las Vegas of Asia. Gambling is illegal in Hong Kong (besides betting on horse races) so a casino industry has sprung up in Macau to satisfy gamblers' desires. Mike and I don't care to gamble, so we skipped that area but saw it on our bus ride back to the ferry terminal. It's just as tacky and artificial looking as Las Vegas! Some things are the same the world over.
It was a relief to get back to our hotel and change into dry clothes and shoes. We had hoped to have dinner at a Moroccan restaurant in Soho, but it was so late that we decided to stick around our neighborhood of Tsim Tsa Tsui. We found a pizza place that reminded me a lot of California. The margharita pizza didn't have much cheese, which I liked. I assumed it was to appeal to the HK palate - they eat little to do no dairy.
After dinner we wandered around for awhile in search of a decent bar. Just when we were discussing how it seemed like Hong Kongers don't like to drink since we never saw any bars anywhere, we stumbled upon a bar district. Ha! We found a tiny place and had a beer. I was so tired at this point that I started to nod off again so we decided to head back.
As we were heading back, we were accosted repeatedly by ladies at every block offering foot massages for as low as HK $80 (equivalent $8 in USD.) I was REALLY tempted because my feet having been aching after all the walking I've been doing. There seems to be a brisk foot massage trade in HK, which doesn't surprise me because it's a city where everyone walks a lot. I decided to forego the massage because it was almost 1 am at this point and I was embarrassed of my feet stinking after being in wet shoes all day long. As I drifted off to sleep that night, I vowed to one day return to Hong Kong to get that foot massage I've always wanted.
I'm writing this on the plane and my flight is almost over! When I next write, I'll be in Seoul. Hooray!
When I last wrote, we had checked into the YMCA. It was a really nice place with an amazing view of the HK skyline and somewhat softer beds. The breakfast buffet was MUCH better, though Mike may disagree with me. And Leslie, there was the watermelon again! The newspaper I read at breakfast had reports of a new strain of bird flu. I decided to avoid chicken for the rest of the trip. The bird flu was a big deal in HK, since I read signs about sanitation everywhere where I went.
There was no rain the forecast so we decided to hold off on Macau for another day and do some more exploring in Hong Kong. We started the day off in the neighborhood of Wan Chai. It was formerly a red light district, so there were various "nude model dancer" clubs. We strolled around a bit and took photos before we headed to Causeway Bay. The guidebook said it was a major shopping destination. It reminded me a lot of Times Square and there were a lot of the same Western stores that we have back home, so we didn't stay there long.
At this point we were pretty hungry so we decided to go back to Soho, the area full of international restaurants and the escalator with great people watching. If I lived in HK, I would probably hang out in Soho a lot. It's an area that combines two of my favorite things: international food and beaking. There was a Mexican restaurant that seemed interesting, so went in and ordered some veggie tacos and taco salad. The place was staffed by Indians and the food was fine, but extremely bland. Being from California, I am used to Mexican food having bold flavors and lots of spice. Ketchup was spicier than the salsa they were serving. I think the restaurant was trying to appeal to the HK palate - and I've noticed that Cantonese style cooking doesn't seem to have much spice. It seems to be more about texture and savory flavors.
Next we visited the Cat Street Market. The guidebooks said there were lots of stalls selling curios and antiques. It was a charming little street full of very cute little booths with nicely arranged items. I spent more time than I probably should have looking at things like Chairman Mao ashtrays, cinnabar jewelry, and bronze figurines of pagodas. Mike was very patient with me as I dithered over what I wanted. I really wanted a knick knack to stick on my shelf, but nothing was really speaking to me so I just gave up. I'm glad I didn't buy anything because I saw all the same things they were selling later on at the Sham Shui Po market for a fraction of the cost! It turns out they weren't selling real antiques at all! Oh well.
So... Sham Shui Po. Friends of ours told us this was an interesting place we needed to check out. It's the oldest and poorest part of Hong Kong. It also turned out to be the place where all the Hong Kongers shop. The Sham Shui Po Market kind of blew my mind. I think there had to be at least a thousand tiny stalls selling everything and anything you can think of. Piles of greasy drills, obsolete VCRs, eyeball searing strips of LED lights, Kenny G CDs, you name it. The sellers here weren't as aggressive with us, either. We were pretty much ignored which was a change after being harassed nonstop in the other markets. I think it's because there were very few foreigners there.
One of the most interesting things I saw in the SSP market was a snake soup stall. On on side of the entrance was a tank with live snakes. On the other side was plastic box piled with snake skin items like wallets. There was a cart with a woman ladling out chunky looking grey soup to men of all ages. I wonder what medicinal properties snake soup has? It must have something to do with men's health.
Adjacent to the SSP street market is the electronics district. Mike and I went into one of the malls and again - mind blown. It was a very brightly lit place with thousands of stalls selling any kind of gadget and part you can imagine. You could get totally lost in there and not find your way out of the maze for hours. It was just like Akhibara in Japan. Most of the clientele were men and some of the stalls had shop owners opening phones and repairing electronic items. I was overwhelmed by all the screens and blinking things, I didn't know where to look.
We headed to the Temple Street Night Market next. It was pretty different after being at the chaotic mess that is the SSP street market. The stalls were much more orderly and the walkways weren't jam packed with people. I found some awesomely tacky purse holder thingies and enameled wing earrings for a few dollars. Besides street vendors, the TSNM also had lots of street food, fortune tellers, and a Cantonese opera singer.
We dashed back to the harbor waterfront to see the Symphony of Lights show at 8 pm. Every night the city of Hong Kong puts on a light show where all the skyscrapers light and up in time to awesomely bad midi music. It was really cool and totally Hong Kong's style - over the top, a bit garish, and futuristic.
It was pretty late by then but we were hungry and decided to grab a bite to eat at a vegetarian Indian place nearby. To get to it, we had to ring a doorbell and go upstairs to a door. It seemed hidden until we opened the door and saw that the place was packed. The food was really good but I was beyond tired at this point. I fell asleep at several parts during the meal, even dropping tikka masala into my hair at one point. Glamorous.
The next day we took a ferry to Macau. To get there, we took a hour long high speed ferry. Navigating the ferry terminal was a bit confusing, but we figured it out eventually. The boat ride was a relaxing change of pace after all those days of walking for 10 hours straight. It was rainy and foggy outside so I didn't get to see much besides a fishing boat here and there.
When we arrived in Macau, we took a bus to the historic area. Macau is a beautiful and interesting place. It was colonized by the Portuguese, so the architecture is a mixture between pastel colonial buildings and Chinese buildings. The streets very narrow cobblestone, so a lot of the people who live there ride scooters. I thought it had a quieter, more tropical vibe than Hong Kong. It rained buckets while we were there, but we had our umbrellas and made the best of it.
Besides having a historical district, Macau is also the Las Vegas of Asia. Gambling is illegal in Hong Kong (besides betting on horse races) so a casino industry has sprung up in Macau to satisfy gamblers' desires. Mike and I don't care to gamble, so we skipped that area but saw it on our bus ride back to the ferry terminal. It's just as tacky and artificial looking as Las Vegas! Some things are the same the world over.
It was a relief to get back to our hotel and change into dry clothes and shoes. We had hoped to have dinner at a Moroccan restaurant in Soho, but it was so late that we decided to stick around our neighborhood of Tsim Tsa Tsui. We found a pizza place that reminded me a lot of California. The margharita pizza didn't have much cheese, which I liked. I assumed it was to appeal to the HK palate - they eat little to do no dairy.
After dinner we wandered around for awhile in search of a decent bar. Just when we were discussing how it seemed like Hong Kongers don't like to drink since we never saw any bars anywhere, we stumbled upon a bar district. Ha! We found a tiny place and had a beer. I was so tired at this point that I started to nod off again so we decided to head back.
As we were heading back, we were accosted repeatedly by ladies at every block offering foot massages for as low as HK $80 (equivalent $8 in USD.) I was REALLY tempted because my feet having been aching after all the walking I've been doing. There seems to be a brisk foot massage trade in HK, which doesn't surprise me because it's a city where everyone walks a lot. I decided to forego the massage because it was almost 1 am at this point and I was embarrassed of my feet stinking after being in wet shoes all day long. As I drifted off to sleep that night, I vowed to one day return to Hong Kong to get that foot massage I've always wanted.
I'm writing this on the plane and my flight is almost over! When I next write, I'll be in Seoul. Hooray!
Tuesday, April 2, 2013
Seoul bound
Just a quick update... we haven't had the internet for the last few days so I've been incommunicado. I'm currently at the airport waiting to board the plane to Seoul. The flight is 4 hours long - enough to compose a nice long blog about the past few days in HK. Stay tuned!
Subscribe to:
Comments (Atom)