Someone came to visit me. Might be a big suprise, but it shouldn’t be. My vacation time was dependent on the public school’s scheduled vacation, which apparently remains undisclosed until like a month before. Get early tickets.. save money…forget it. On a whim, an educated and informed one, Glenna snagged a ticket and was here a month later during my undefinable vacation time. I was able to play tour guide for a week, but it was a tour I had wanted to take since arriving here.
Glenna’s 90 ton escort set wheels down in Seoul. Zach, her next biggest escort, picked Glenna up since I couldnt make it to Seoul until midnight. We started our tour that night and I introduced Glenna into a city that doesnt sleep (a brief introduction in light of her 14 hr flight). In hopes of brevity and consuming only a fraction of your free time, Im just going to mention some highlights.
Seoul
The most interesting thing we did in Seoul was visiting some of the Palace complexes that are situated amid metropolis areas. A contrast of modern and ancient scenes was suprisingly beautiful. We trampled over Seoul Tower, Dondaemun (downtown river walk) and many other must see spots, but still fell short of conquering this enormous city.
Daegu
Since I live outside Daegu, we switched themes when Glenna came down to my home. We went hiking to see a very popular Buddha, name Gotbowi, that is frequently visited by Koreans. Ive been told that many parents brave the challenging climb to pray for their children’s grades on upcomping exams. Upon conquering this deceptively exhausting natural staircase, my understanding of the importance of education tripled. However, the hike and summit were well worth the work even if you dont have a child suffering at the hands of Korea’s mentally draining and relentless educational system. Following that excursion, I introduced Glenna to Daegu metropolitan area and it’s myriad of shopping streets which breed indecisiveness. In my case, my indecisiveness is just exacerbated.
One of my experiences in Korea has been eating Sam ge tang (a hot pot containing one entire chicken stuffed with rice simmering in a delicious broth). There is no justice in calling it chicken soup, especially by any standards we hold at home. One of Korea’s most traditional and healthy meals, I had to take Glenna. We went to an infamous Sam ge tang restaurant (on tuesday) and there was 20 person wait. Stores being a step in any direction, the wait was easily endured and the food was well worth it.
Pusan
Our first night in Pusan was in Haeundae, the most popular and lively beach. Constantly packed with visitors as it is a venue for numerous festivals throughout the summer. Different than most beach scenes, Haeundae is a city on the water. There at least 30 motel/hotels where you can go from sand to lobby to in 2 minutes walking. There, Glenna and I were able to party as well as relax together. The second place we stayed was Hwanali Beach. This beach was much less populated. This distiguishable beach is a cove tucked between two popular penisulas of Pusan, connected by a emaculate suspension bridge. This particular sea view is memorable and certainly distinct from others. We enjoyed beautiful weather, coastline activites, hiking and some wonderfully affordable sushi in the world’s 4th largest harbor.
