Garlic and Chili Peppers

Chicken Calbi

You cannot live in Japan for as long as I have and not love Japanese food. However, you cannot live in Japan for as long as I have and not be just a little sick of Japanese food. As delicious as it is, sometimes Japanese cuisine is just a little too refined, and a little too under-spiced. (Wasabi aside)

Traveling to Korea was more than just a chance to see some new sights. It was a chance to eat my way through some of the best food on the planet. I must admit, this took me by surprise. I have always enjoyed such stalwarts as bibinba and Korean BBQ, but the huge variety and tons of amazing flavors rather blindsided me.

Like most in most Asian countries, eating in Korea is about more than just sustenance. Eating out is a chance to excite your taste buds while you enjoy the company of your friends and family. The first part is covered with liberal application of chili paste and garlic in most meals. Some of the worst (best?) garlic breath of my life was on Jeju island, and not Italy as one might expect. After the more subtle flavors that predominate in Japan, I was pretty excited at the thrice daily chance to sear a few layers off of my tongue.

As mentioned, eating is very communal in Korea. Rather than pick a dish and order it for yourself, most restaurants will serve up a huge main dish, with five endlessly refillable side dishes to share. These side dishes were quite interesting. Usually composed of a variety of kimchee or two, with other various veggies, pickles and what have you. They were often mysterious, but always delicious. Top the meal off with few bottles of cheap beer and/ or soju and by the end everybody feels great.

I was happy enough to come back to okonomiyaki, sushi, shabu shabu and tonkatsu, but Korean cuisine will always hold a special spot in my pantheon of food.

Korean BBQ, one of the best things. Ever.

The DMZ

Hanging over the hustle and bustle of Seoul is the nearby border with North Korea. It can be hard to believe that a brutal dictatorship exists so close to a vibrant modern state. We couldn't come all the way to South Korea without a trip to the DMZ, or Demilitarized Zone  that separates North from South.


As we got closer to the border fences, pillboxes and watch towers begin to appear. This bridge is one of the only links between the two states, a recently built railway that was hoped to bring the sundered halves closer together.

The first real stop on the tour was at a museum that looked at the history of the Korean war, and the cross border tensions since then. It didn't have the more recent spats listed, but it gave a good overview of things. There was also a video presentation that stressed the nature reserve aspect of the DMZ over the soldiers, pillboxes and landmines aspect. It was fine, but it did seem a bit Pollyanna considering the history and the tensions.

After the museum we got to visit Infiltration Tunnel #3. This is the third of four tunnels that have been found piercing the border. The North Koreans claim it is a coal mine, and planted coal dust to back up their claim. However, the way the tunnel is fashioned and the way it slopes (up towards South Korea) show the lie. It was built for use in a surprise attack. It is estimated that there are many more tunnels that have not been found. Sadly for me, photography was not permitted within the tunnel. In this way, the tour was very highly regulated. Passports were required, and photography was strictly limited. If you were seen taking photographs in a forbidden area, guards would accost you and make you delete the file.

 

Then it was time to journey to an overlook where we could peer into North Korea itself. We were there on a very clear day, and got excellent views of the hills surrounding a North Korean city whose name escapes me. We also got to view what were once the tallest and second tallest flag poles in the world. Each side kept building their flagpole taller, until South Korea stopped bothering. Here again, photography was only allowed to a certain point. From the edge you could see South Korean military fortifications, and they wanted to ensure no agents could photograph the troop dispositions. 

Our last stop was Dorason station. It is a brand new train station that has never been used. It was built to service the same train line the bridge was built for, but relations between North and South soured, and regular service never began. It was eery walking around a shiny but empty train station. 

While we did not get to see the Joint Security Area and the actual border line on this tour, we did get an excellent glimpse of the fractured recent history of the Korean peninsula. It was a fascinating day, and a sobering one as well. A true peace treaty was never signed, and as we have seen in the news there are still flashes and flare ups. While we may hope a resurgent Korean War will never happen, our trip to the DMZ reminded us that it is certainly possible. 

Gyeongbokgung Palace

The largest and grandest of Seoul's several ancient palaces is Gyeongbokgung. Sadly though, much of the Palace is less ancient than you might think. Much of the palace was destroyed by the Japanese colonial efforts prior to the Second World War. Quite a bit has been restored and rebuilt though, and the whole thing is very impressive. 

 

We were lucky enough to arrive right at the height of a ceremonial changing of the guard. What most interested me was the military bands horns, they sounded a lot like bagpipes without the bags! The colorful flags and costumes where perfect for setting the mood as we got ready to explore the palace.

This particular building was one of the few left standing, and was built as a party pavilion. I can see the appeal, with the lake side location and gorgeous mountain views. Sadly, I don't think it is being rented out anymore. 

What was being rented (for free) were costumes. Wear a guard costume, and experience Korean Culture. Or just horse around and pretend to be in a fighting game. We had a lot of fun in our allotted time, and a great many very goofy photographs were taken. 

The general architecture and layout of the palace was very interesting, East Asian for sure, but still unique. The basic layout reminded me of a smaller scale Forbidden City, though far less elaborate in color scheme than China tends to be. In fact, it was like much of Korea seemed, a bit of a halfway point between Japan and China. Which, geographically at least, it certainly is. Poor Korea was caught between those two quite often throughout the years. 

The grounds of the palace also contained a museum of Korean history and culture that was very well done. I learned a lot about a country that I must admit I have often overlooked.

Is Your Seoul Saved?

     After plenty of relaxing on Jeju Island, it was time to visit the big city. Once we arrived at our rather swanky hotel and met up with Travis, the fourth and final member of our team, we headed into the thick of things on an important mission: buying pants. Marcos is a very connected young man, and one of his old friends from college is now an event planner in Seoul. She managed to get us on the list for a pretty fancy club, but they had a dresscode. No Shorts Allowed. It being summer in East Asia, I had not bothered to bring pants and so had to venture downtown to pick up a pair.

     While en-route we stopped off at a street vendor for a rather unique snack, a corn-dog covered in french fries and fried. As far as heart stopping bits of mutated Americana go, it was excellent. For our shopping pleasure we went to a huge mall of individual clothing stalls that were packed with cheap duds that could be had even cheaper if you felt like a bit of bargaining.

Dinner was in a small local place off one of the side streets, and like every other meal we had in Korea was utterly delicious and shockingly cheap. The dance club itself was intensely swanky, we looked and felt pretty out of place. Though I had fun dancing and seeing how the other half live for an evening. We all had a lot more fun at a restaurant / bar we went to post-clubbing. I enjoy drinking with good friends and good conversation much more than in a dark cavern where you can't even hear yourself think. The next morning we were ready to explore a bit more of what Seoul had to offer.

Jeju Islands Gorgeous Geology

 

In a lot of ways Jeju Island is Korea's answer to Hawaii. Both are getaway islands where you can visit someplace exotic without leaving your home country. Both are also massive shield volcanoes looming out of the sea.  In fact, geologically Jeju shares many traits with the Big Island of Hawaii. The Big Island is still active, erupting even as I write this.  Halle-San, the volcano that makes up the bulk of Jeju Island, is sleeping for now.

It last erupted about a thousand years ago, which is only an eyeblink in geological terms. During one of those past eruptions in carved out a few fantastic lava tubes. Lava tubes are formed when the top of a lava flow cools and hardens, insulating the center of the flow. This allows the molten rock to travel further down the flanks of the volcano, and leaves behind some pretty interesting caves. Jeju has two lava tubes of note, one the longest known specimen. The other is one of very few lava tubes to feature stalactites and stalagmites.

 

Stalactites and stalagmites are formed in limestone caves, but the black basalt of Jeju (or Hawaii) holds none of the minerals required for them to form. Except one of the lava tubes spent some time under the sea, and a layer of dead shellfish formed over the lava. After it surfaced, rainwater filtered through the shells and into the cave, bringing with it the lime needed to make the stalactites formations.  

 

For lunch we went for a local specialty, pan grilled black pork. It was heaven. You layer tender strips of pork, some kimchee, some garlic and some hot sauce on a lettuce leaf and make your own Korean fajita burrito. Everything but the pork has free refills, which encourages eating a lot of veggies. I can really get behind vegetables that have been dosed with plenty of garlic and chili pepper. 

On the other side of the island looms Sunrise Peak, a tuff cone built from the explosive meeting of lava and seawater. It was formed about 5,000 years ago, and is one of the most famous and beautiful spots on the island.

The hike up was short but steep, and the late summer heat left us all soaked in sweat. But as always, the view was worth it. It was very, very worth it.

Flyin Out

I have a confession to make. I haven't flown since I arrived back in Japan in March 2010. That is a long time for a travel hungry person such as myself! A total of four friends of mine were on board for summer vacation in Korea, but our start points were scattered all across Japan. The first part of my journey was in the company of my good friend Marcos.

Our flight originated at Haneda International Airport, which has actually been the domestic hub for Tokyo for the past few decades. Haneda is placed pretty close in to the city, and makes for a very convenient departure point. A brand new International Terminal was completed last year to service more flights to Asia and the United States. Part of the reason for this is the convenient location, and part to relieve pressure from Narita Airport, the primary International hub. Ironically Narita was built when it was deemed to expensive and difficult to expand Haneda in the first place!

Security in Haneda was quick and easy, yet still thorough. All of the people manning the machines were polite young women, with the older more muscle-bound types standing back. It was a revelation. The customer gets a fantastic, stress-free experience, without compromising safety. I hope the US learns that lesson some day.

Our flight was quick, smooth and generally uneventful, which is exactly what you want! We flew into Gimpo International, which is Seoul's equivalent of Haneda, taking a backseat to the larger and newer Inchon Airport. I collected a new stamp for my passport, cleared customs and we met up with the third member of our Group, Peter. Our next flight was to Jeju Island, essentially the Hawaii or Okinawa of Korea, an island of beaches, volcanoes and relaxing.

 

It was pouring rain in Seoul, but the weather in Jeju was said to be cloudy to clear, but no precipitation. Phew. Nobody wants to see their beach holiday rained out!

The flight was short and sweet, and around half way the whole plane joined in to play the Korean version of Rock Paper Scissors. As English teachers we are well versed in the intricacies of "Janken" and we did well, but none of us won. After we endured a hair raising taxi trip to our hostel (lanes were a mere suggestion, and red lights may as well have not existed for this driver) we tucked in to our first real Korean meal. Braised fish in spicy chile ginger sauce and seafood stew. I didn't try the stew, being a bit averse to shellfish, but the fish was amazing, the soft mild meat a drastic contrast to the spicy flavors of the sauce. Already our trip was looking successful.

Korea Bound

I apologize for the sudden absence of blog posts. My computer has developed some problems that have kept me offline for a week. I will be off for a bit longer, as I am departing for Korea tomorrow morning. Three days on the beaches of Jeju Island and three days in Seoul should provide a fantastic vacation! Expect plenty of photos and stories when I get back, and when I fix the computer.