I was fortunate enough to have a visitor in Korea this past week. My mom flew the 6,000 miles each way to set foot on Asian soil for her first time and see me after 5 months of conversations through a computer screen. We had an absolutely wonderful week.
Our fun filled, busy week included some of the following highlights:
Korean Folk Village: The Korean Folk Village outside of Yongsin City was somewhere that I had been wanting to visit since I first read about Korea prior to my arrival. Sam, my mom, and I decided to visit the village on Monday for the Lunar New Year holiday. It was a cold, muddy, but clear day. I really had a great time walking around, exploring traditional Korean homes, watching live entertainment of various sorts, eating yummy Korean snacks, and being outdoors away from the city in the fresh air. We listened to traditional Korean musicians play and march and dance. We watched a tight rope walker who must have been at least 65 years old bounce up and down on a tight rope. We experienced a reenactment of a traditional Korean wedding ceremony complete with procession and all. We marveled at equestrian acrobats as they balanced and hung from horses galloping around an arena. My mom had her second taste of Korean food for lunch; kimchi pancake and bibimbap. (Sam and I thought it best to go easy.) We left the village with muddy shoes, souvenirs, and a better idea of what life was like many many years ago in Korea.
Insadong: I knew that I had to take my mom to Insadong during her visit because she is crazy for hand-made crafts. This little neighborhood in Seoul is a traditional neighborhood that has become a huge tourist attraction. There are many little streets filled with restaurants, tea houses, shops, antiques, crafts, jewelry, pottery, you name it. Our first trip was successful and both my mom and I made some purchases. She liked Insadong so much that we even went back a second time later in the week.
Myeong-dong: I took my mom to one of my favorite shopping meccas in Korea, Myeong-dong. We really had fun checking out some of the Korean fashion and we even hit up some of the high-end stores in the famous Lotte Department Store.
Dr. Fish: I have written about Dr. Fish cafe before and knew I wanted to take my mom there when she visited. We tried both pools this time, one with little fish, and one with 'big' fish. My mom hated the big fish and reluctantly placed her feet in with the small fish for her pedicure.
Seoul Museum of Art: After telling my mom about the Andy Warhol exhibit at the Seoul Museum of Art she wanted to see it for herself. I went back for a second time and enjoyed just as much as the first.
Deoksugung Palace: This palace in downtown Seoul was built in the 1400's and now stands among sky-scrapers and modern architecture in the middle of this huge city. It is known as the "Palace of Virtue and Longevity". Most of the buildings in the palace compound were destroyed, so less than half the original size of the compound remains. My mom and I lucked out and were able to catch the changing of the guards ceremony outside the main gate just as we arrived. We snapped lots of photos and enjoyed walking around the palace grounds.
Namsan Tower: We woke up early one morning and caught a cab up to the cable car at the base of the mountain which Namsan Tower was built. We then took the cable car up to the top, climbed a few stairs, and we were at the base of the tower. After walking around outside we took the elevator inside the tower to the observation room. The 360 degree view of Seoul is fantastic and it was a really bright and clear day so we were able to see quite a ways in each direction. My mom raved about her visit to the tower and thinks everyone who comes to Korea should experience it.
Dongdaemun Market: I figured my mom would appreciate this large market which has a special section for fabrics, yarn, etc. We meandered through the stalls in the fabrics mall and checked out some of the clothing malls too.
Gangnam: Being one of my favorite areas in Seoul, I took my mom to Gangnam a few times. We ate dinner at an Italian restaurant there, shopped in the subway, went to Dr. Fish cafe, and met friends for drinks at Ice Bar.
Jogyesa Temple: On our way to Insadong, we stopped by the temple and I showed my mom around the temple grounds. We snapped some photos and even took a peek inside the temple. There was a service going on and there were many people worshipping. My mom pointed out that it was mostly women we saw there praying. She was impressed with their sense of devotion and the overall peacefulness of the temple grounds.
Dragon Hill Spa: My mom had read about the Korean spas before she came to Korea and wanted to check one out. Spas, or jjimjilbangs, are basically public baths with other pampering services available. We went to Dragon Hill Spa, the largest in Seoul, with seven floors of sport and relaxation. The floors are separate for males and females and spa etiquette requires you to be naked to enter the public baths and saunas. (I tried to enter the sauna with my shorts and tee shirt, but was told an explicate "no" by the woman working there.) I was not comfortable at all getting naked in front of anyone at the spa, so I hung out upstairs while my mom enjoyed the baths downstairs. I just couldn't do it. Maybe it was my embarrassment. Maybe it was my near-impossibility to enjoy spa-type relaxation. Call me a prude, call me lame, call me chicken, I don't care. Hanging out in a room full of naked Korean women nearly scrubbing their skin off while sitting spread eagle looking at themselves in the mirror and little naked Korean kids running around splashing in and out of baths is not my ideal way to spend an afternoon. I can find some other ways to relax; alcohol, for example, always does the trick.
standing in front of some Korean pottery in the Korean Folk Village
playing dress up
mom with a solider outside of Deoksugung Palace
changing of the guard at Deoksugung Palace
our heart at Namsan Tower
mom and I at Namsan Tower
fortress wall at Namsan Tower
takin the bus into Seoul
mom at the Buddhist temple bell tower
having tea in a tea house in Insadong
funky glasses
mom enjoying some shabu shabu
It was so so good to see my mom. We were really fortunate to get to do and see all we did in one week's time. I feel really blessed that she made the long trip to visit. It was hard to say goodbye when Sunday came.
Namaste
