It’s March 6, 2022 as I write this and Korea is in the midst of the Omicron wave of Covid19, and the country has basically given up on trying to contain Covid. Looking back on the joy and hopeful faces in these photos… my heart, y’all. It hurts.
When I originally planned this road trip we didn’t know exactly when teachers would be getting their first jabs of the vaccine, so I went full steam ahead. “The most I’ll have to drive in order to get home is 4-5 hours, and I’m not planning my summer around an unknown date.” Luckily for me, the first vaccine was scheduled right as I was planning to switch cities and accommodations. So I did what any normal person would do: I drove about 2.5 hours from Samcheok back to Seongnam on Sunday, July 25th, got my vaccine on Monday, July 26th and immediately drove out to Yangyang, another 2.5ish hours away. (More on Yangyang in my next post.) If you’re going to have side effects, better do it with a view of the beach, you know?
After MONTHS of watching friends and family back in the USA get their vaccines, us anxious teachers in Korea were champing at the bit for teachers here to have dates for jabs open up. Korea decided to vaccinate teachers and staff, as well as rising or recently graduated seniors, on the same day by booking a huge chunk of time at the local shot center (the Tancheon Sports Complex.) Our school’s nursing and business staff did an incredible job of trying to figure out (1) who was in the country and was eligible, (2) when we should show up, (3) sending us all of the pages of paperwork in advance so we could be ready upon arrival, and (4) translating and walking us through every step of the way.
After about 16 months of having barely any social events due to covid, it was THE social event of the year! Side note – I’m the head of the social committee at my school. All of you who have known me my entire life, go ahead and die of laughter. Best social event ever, and I didn’t have to do any work!
We were all chattering away in line like crazy, catching up on our summer adventures past and future, our excitement about getting the vaccine, and life in general. I felt sorry for the non-school local citizens who ended up listening to us be loud foreigners, but honestly, sorrynotsorry. So much joy!
Bonus: The school’s nurses were there handing out Tylenol like candy after you got your jab. “Just in case you have some side effects, like a sore arm or mild fever.”
Not pictured: The workers trying to shoo us out the doors after exactly 15 minutes. We wanted to stay in the air conditioning and hang out with our friends!
Or “that time I went to a penis-themed park” – but more on that later.
After the long drive down to Bunam Beach and back, I decided the next day that I wanted to go to a beach closer to the house. I looked at the map. “Hmmm… Maengbang Beach is THE big beach in this area. But it looks like they have miles and miles of sand, multiple parking lots… what the heck, I’ll risk it even though I know there will be lots of people there. It’s a weekday; it can’t be that bad, right?”
I entered the beach and parked near the South entrance. There’s a back bay, and a small hill with some hiking trails nearby, as well as campsites for RVs and car camping.
Fun fact: Going to the beach here has the opposite flow of East Coast beaches in the USA. In the USA, beaches are crowded with families with little kids early, and then many clear out after lunch to get home for nap time. In Korea… it’s the opposite. Beaches are generally empty until 12 or 1 pm, then people show up in droves. Again, going with the theme of “I don’t want to catch covid19” I got there around 10 am and figured if it got crazy crowded by 1 pm, I could just leave and head back to the air conditioned house.
I gotta tell you… Maengbang beach was nice. Tons of lifeguards, designated swimming areas roped off, lots of rent-a-racket options, as well as every kid’s favorite “you wanna be dragged on the water around on an inflatable thing for awhile? Sign up here!” There were multiple bathroom and shower facilities, lots of folks camping on the beach and also behind the parking lots in the pine tree forests, and multiple lifeguarding stations. I imagine in a non-pandemic year this place fills up blanket-to-blanket. (My mom grew up near Jones Beach in New York, and it had a similar vibe.)
Random beach observations I’d like to share with you:
2) Korean beach setups: Y’all, the amount of cute and coordinated outdoor Stuff in this country is amazing. Matchy-matchy chairs, umbrellas, blankets, and cooler? Check. Illegal use of MLB logos etc? Check.
I was so excited for this Red Sox tent next to me, it felt just like I was on Cape Cod!
3) Beach floaties: Every single kid at the beach up to about age 7 here wears flotation devices. They come in all shapes and sizes, including models I’ve never seen before in the USA. Don’t have any sort of flotation devices? No problem! Rent a proper life jacket or inflatable floaties at the lifeguard office or from the rent-a-racket folks. There are also a bunch of baby-friendly floatation devices that have mesh on the bottom so kids can experience the water safely.
4) This family… Y’all. GET ON THEIR LEVEL. They brought the folding table, have the umbrella tied down against the wind, and ordered Korean fried chicken (3 types) and sodas to the beach. Like… this would never have occurred to me, but now that I’ve seen it, I must do this with friends sometime.
5) The Korean word for jellyfish is “hey-pa-ri” or 해파리. Lifeguards here will scoop them out of the swimming area if only a few show up. I assume they close the swim area if hundreds float in towards the swim area…
I decided to head south to Haesindang Park, or the Penis Park… because sure, why not. I’ve known a bunch of friends who have already been, and I had nothing better to do, so I went. This definitely would have been better with friends, and probably with alcohol involved, but it was a very pretty location next to the water and gave me another excuse to explore the coastline in Samcheok.
Technically, there’s a ridiculous story about some young woman being swept away by the sea, and how some dude pissed in the water which brought all the fish in for plentiful numbers of fish, but I think it was really more like “Hmmmm we need some sort of touristy thing for folks to do in southern Samcheok, because there’s nothing around for miles and miles… I know! Penis Park!”
Phallic zodiac
Was it worth driving all the way down the coast and back? Probably not. Was the “eco park” attached to the penis park good? Eh, I suppose it would be a good place to bring kids and run around for a bit. Was it a good way to spend the early morning on a very hot summer’s day before hitting the beach? Yup!
Or, “That time I went to the beach inside an active military base.”
First time visiting Samcheok! I’ve spent a ton of time in Gangwon-do province, but always at points further North. After hearing great things about Samcheok from friends I decided to add it to my summer adventure.
The Airbnb I stayed at: Let me just say, things went wrong. Like, some pretty sizable problems on days 1-2-3. However, the couple who owned this place definitely deserved their Superhost designation, as they bent over backwards to make things better ASAP. Even with the language barrier, they were awesome. 10/10 I’d recommend this place to anyone in Korea.
This house was at the top of a village built on a very steep hill. Best part was the spectacular views I had of the area (yes, that’s a concrete plant straight ahead… but who cares, it was quiet, the wind was blowing inland, and the mountains and ocean were there to look at, too). Big selling points for me: THAT DECK. My tiny apartment has no outdoor space, and it kills me. Anytime I have a chance to book accommodations with a deck, porch, or balcony, I take it.
Did I mention that I loved the views from this AirBnb? I had an amazing week of kickass sunsets, too. Watching ships maneuver in and out of this port was fascinating.
Beaches in the time of Covid19
Let’s talk for a moment about how every beach in Korea worked this summer.
1) Arrive at the beach. You don’t have to pay for parking or anything. FREE! I love beaches, and I love activities that are cheap. Win win!
2) Get your temperature taken, call the phone number on the sign for contact tracing, and receive some sort of wristband or sticker noting that you don’t have a fever. (The wristbands are the amusement park kind that stick on your wrist all day. The stickers literally slide off your sweaty sunscreen-covered skin within the first 30 seconds.)
What a stupid choice. At least the wristbands don’t slide off after 30 seconds of sweat or water.
3A) Attempt to find a place away from other people. I genuinely don’t think people who grew up in this country, especially the large cities, realize how internalized it is to be close to others. Not spectacular during pandemic times. The beach folks have set up umbrellas, lounges, and tables/chairs for you to rent for the day, and they’re spread out (note: I call this “rent-a-racket” because these folks make money left and right). Or, like me, you bring your own umbrella and have to find a place to put it. OH NO NOT THERE close to the water, you’ll be blocking the view of the [non-existent] people who may rent these lounges or umbrellas! You have to go WAY OVER THERE or sit WAY BACK THERE away from the water. (Con: I maaaaay have gotten in a slight argument with an old dude who was running the beach chair racket in Tongyeong earlier this summer, because I set up all my stuff on a deserted beach, including digging my umbrella waaaaay down, only for him to wake up from his “mid-morning nap on the job” and inform me of these rules, which weren’t in place at this exact beach last summer. Pro: I did all this in Korean, and he understood me. I’m guessing that being able to argue with old guys isn’t part of the TOPIK test… and my Korean teacher was thrilled to hear that I can argue in Korean now… but I digress.)
I chose “way over there” because I like to be near the water, gosh darn it. Also – bonus – staying away from people.
Rent-a-racket to the left
Rent-a-racket to the right
3B) Once you’ve found your spot away from everyone else, learn how to say “Hey! Social distancing! Please set up farther down the beach… no… no… yes, that’s far enough” in Korean, because people will literally try to set up 2 meters away from you even when there is 100m of empty beach next to you. *Insert angry face here*
Samcheok has bunches of beaches. I decided to try a few during my time in this city. And, as I was as yet unvaccinated, I didn’t want to go to the super crowded popular beaches. My time in Samcheok overlapped with Korean public schools’ summer break, and while a lot of people stayed home at the government’s urging, there are still many who went to the beach. For those of you who haven’t been in Korea, generally folks here like to do The Thing at The Place that Everyone Knows and has tons of public transportation options to get there. That means there are a few super famous and crowded beaches around the country, but many of the others are very quiet with barely any visitors.
Cue Bunam Beach (부남해변)
I looked at photos on Naver Maps (Korea’s version of Google maps). It looked beautiful. Read a blog in English saying it was family friendly. Saw lots of sand and jagged rocks. Yep, this is the beach for me. As I’m driving there, I notice I pass an entrance to a Korean military base along the main road. No surprise, there are tons of military bases all over this country (remember, the Korean War is technically still ongoing, only an armistice was signed in 1953). I get to the parking lot; there’s only room for about 10 cars and currently only 3 are here. YESSS it’s not gonna be crowded!
Load up my stuff and walk down the walkway and stairs to the beach… at the entrance I realize I’m walking through a break in the fence + barbed wire, there are CCTVs, and signs in multiple languages all around with rules… uh… what?
Stairs down – WOW looks great!
Entrance with barbed wire fence. Uhhhh what?
Yep, apparently Bunam beach is inside a small military base and only open for 8 weeks every summer. The Samcheok city workers (lifeguards, rental equipment, little concessions stand folks) aren’t part of the military. There are CCTVs and bunkers at the backside of the beach, poking out of the sand, and lookout posts along the coastline and on the hillside behind the beach.
Go ahead and read the rules, then get angry. Like, really angry. Korea – WTF is rule number 3 – don’t wear skimpy bathing suits near the guard posts. Maaaabye instead we teach folks in the military not to be shitty. Let’s try that, eh?
I head down and to the left, where there’s more large swaths of sand and you can actually go swimming. To the right are these cabana type things you can rent for the day, lots of rocks in the water, and huge NO SWIMMING signs posted. Not pictured: The family in one of these cabanas that brought an electric grill (the cabanas have electrical outlets, naturally), a standing fan, and an entire Korean BBQ meal with them. Like… dang, I need to level up my beach routine!
I say hello to the young guys on lifeguard duty, and head out past the rent-a-racket and start digging the hole for my umbrella. Lifeguard (who looks like he’s barley 18) comes over to me and we start talking in Korean. Let me paraphrase our convo:
Him: Hello! Oh… sorry, but you cannot put your umbrella up here.
Me: Why not? I’m not blocking the views from the rent-a-racket.
Him: Uh… coronavirus. You cannot do this because of covid, sorry.
Me: (Teacher voice activated: I start listing the dozen of beaches I’ve visited in various provinces already this summer, and had no problem with it. Also pointing out I am literally the only person on this beach, and I’ve set up away from the rent-a-racket places, so covid isn’t the real issue here.)
Him: *nervously* uh… hold on a moment, let me get my coworker.
Coworker appears, who speaks British-accented English (lived in London until age 12) and explains to me that it’s not because of Covid, but rather that the military base folks have told the city/public beach workers exactly where umbrellas and rent-a-racket items can go, so as to not interfere with the military line-of-sight to the ocean for surveillance purposes.
Me: OH! That makes perfect sense! Why didn’t the first guy say so?
Also me, 30 seconds later: Crap. I’m gonna have to pay those rent-a-racket guys money to sit under their umbrella, because it’s high summer and 100F/38C and I’m not getting a sunburn thankyouverymuch. Grumble grumble, go over with my cash and learn it’s a decent price, but still, it’s the principle of the thing, gosh darn it – I didn’t want to pay for beaches this summer!
After all that drama, I had a lovely time. Beautiful, sandy beach, clear water, barely anyone else there. A delightful day… then I had to haul all my crap back up the stairs. *siiiiigh* y’all know how much I hate stairs, but hot and humid summer + stairs is the worst. All nice and cool from the ocean… swamp monster Sharon, blasting the AC as soon as I got in the car. I actually ended up going to this beach once more, because it was so nice and quiet and empty.
Fun fact: I didn’t take any photos or videos of the nice big sandy part of the beach, because I didn’t want to get yelled at for taking photos/videos of military surveillance posts. So here’s a short clip of the gorgeous rocks at this beach.
10/10 I definitely recommend this beach for a quiet, family friendly, out of the way beach if you’re in Samcheok in the summer.
Knowing that Korea in the summer swings between two extremes – pouring rain, thanks to monsoon season, and hot and humid a la Satan’s armpits – I decided to book only four days in Jecheon. Turns out this summer wasn’t nearly as rainy as last year, but instead had a three week long heat wave… and yep, I was in Jecheon during that.
Letme tell y’all…I AM IN LOVE.
This area is stunning. I can’t wait to go back when the weather isn’t heinous. To be fair, I saw only a bit of this region, but I am excited to go and explore more when the weather and Covid19 aren’t awful.
Every day I was there the forecast was less than ideal. It wavered between 94F but feels like 110 due to heat and humidity and massive downpours with thunder and lightning thanks to monsoon season. I tried to time my outings to avoid both.
The AirBnB I stayed at had lovely hosts who spoke English in the house across the street. For friends in Korea reading this, they have two homes across the street from each other up for rent, and this would be a great place for two families to book and visit together if you’re looking for that sort of thing.
I was in this little village on the edge of Chungju Lake. Chungju Lake is the largest lake in Korea and was created by damming the river in 1985 to provide electricity. About 20 homes were in this little village and there were so many gardens all around. And beehive boxes and flowers! Apparently a lot of honey comes from this area. The photos in the slideshow below are from the homes in the village, and also a small hill overlooking the lake at sunset – totally worth the dozens of mosquito bites I got while standing there (yes, even with heavy duty bug spray).
Little rest area and workout equipment in the village
Such dramatic clouds during monsoon season.
Typical home in the village
Grapes in the garden where I stayed.
More dramatic clouds
Sunsets aren’t too shabby
Great view of an anvil cloud forming at sunset this evening.
“Sharon, we have extra tomatoes and basil that I just picked, do you want some?” – bnb hosts.
I decided to take the cable car up to the top of Bibongsan mountain (531 meters elevation), because I sure as heck wasn’t hiking it in this heat.
Did I mention that I was VERY afraid of heights as a kid? There may have been an incident at the Hanna-Barbera Tower at Kings Dominion when I was about 7 years old where I discovered this fear. It’s gotten a lot better over the years, but still… cable cars are NOT my favorite thing. You know that sweaty palms, soles of your feet tingling like you hit your funny bone thing? I felt that the entirety of this trip up and down. I didn’t have anyone in the car with me to distract me, so enjoy my terrified babbling and rambling (and the gorgeous views) in this video.
The views from the top, though – totally worth it.
Makgeolli bar at the top!
Daily ‘its hot AF’ message from the government.
BUBBLES! My favorite.
Contemplating life choices as I saw the angle of the ride down.
Was confused by the “grit onion” flavor until I realized Grit is the name of the cafe.
NYC, so far away.
By the way, for those of you interested, here’s how going just about anywhere in Korea works during pandemic times: you either have to sign in on a sheet of paper or scan a personal QR code that is attached to your ID card/registered with the government, or if you go to a place with tons of people like Costco, an amusement park, or this cable car, you just call a number on your cell phone, wait for the automated voice to pick up and talk for 3 seconds then disconnect you. This way the government contact tracers can more easily notify you if you’ve been in close contact with others who turn out to have had Covid at that location, and tell you to go get screened. Super easy and simple.
Passed by lots of roadside goods shops featuring local products.
Another day I decided to try something new: valley hiking. I cannot remember how I stumbled across this gem, but I found this EASY hiking trail along a river running down a mountain with spots along it for folks to swim, chill, camp, etc. I parked near this bridge/pension (Naver map link for friends in Korea) and there were dozens of people already parked and in the water right near the bridge, lots of tents and camping going on. TONS of people. Really close by, without masks on… no thanks. Let’s hike it up the trail a few kilometers and away from people. I left my car at 8:15 am, trying to get a hike and swim in before the midday heat and the 2 pm thunderstorms. TIP: Go early. Go on a weekday if possible. This place is popular in the summer.
Honestly, this may have been my favorite day of the entire summer. I brought a book and just enjoyed the cold, fresh, running water and sounds of cicadas. Happened to meet a very nice couple hanging out at the same spot, too, and chatted with them in Korean for about 20 minutes (and of course, they gave me some of their food). Just an entirely lovely experience. 10/10 need to do some valley hiking in the summer again!
Scroll through the slideshow below to see what it looked like.
People here don’t mess with camping.
Lots of stuff this-a-way
Go past the tons of cars, then veer right at this bridge for course 3 or stay left and hike up course 2 to the temple.
Didn’t have a plan, aside from get up to Mandangam or maybe Chwijeokdae.
Hiking club ribbons
9:00 am, about 800m up the trail, already sweaty as heck.
World’s best footbridge
Little home/cafe/stopping point for refreshments.
Near the stopping point.
You know if the sign is this weathered, it’s gotta be good food.
This was about seeds being dormant for awhile. Very cool.
MASSIVE cairn, probably 3+ meters high.
Well marked trail
“CittaSlow” is an Italian designation. Go look it up, it’s fascinating.
In case of emergency, here’s a sign with ID including pronunciation in English, and a map.
Where I spent most of my day.
Translated sign of this area.
Nifty mushroom, toes/shoe for scale.
Parked my butt right here, overlooking this footbridge.
The small temple here.
This other couple had brought top notch supplies with them.
They gave me 2 of these, and rice cakes, too. Had full bags of both. People here don’t mess with packing food for hiking.
Seen on a camper on the way back to my car. Wonderful reminder!
The last activity I did was take the ferry around the lake, a 90ish minute affair that departed from the sculpture park/ bungee park/ massive water fountain area. (Naver Map link for those who want to go, too.)
Life pro tip: If you’re gonna take a ferry and sit in the sun for 90 minutes on a hecking hot day, (1) wear sunscreen and a hat, and bring extra sunscreen, (2) Bring a big freaking bottle of cold water, and (3) bring a towel to sit on, because those plastic chairs will burn your legs. Luckily, I grew up with my mom and she beat preparedness into my brain taught me well.
Where I went hiking yesterday.
Big bridge along some hiking path
And because I have lucked out with unreal sunsets during this vacation, here’s my last evening in Jecheon unedited sunset photo:
En route to Tongyeong on a winding country road I came across this lotus pond, and it wasn’t raining much, so I hopped out for a quick stop. Definitely worth it.
I arrived at my Airbnb in Tongyeong without any problem after driving through quite a bit of rain. Y’all… this might be my favorite new favorite place in Korea. It doesn’t have a bathtub, but otherwise it was perfect. Beautiful gardens, views of the ocean from the house, absolutely quiet teeny tiny village.
Those frogs… I took this video on the second day of my week-long stay. Those frogs called every night of the week I was there from about 9 pm – 3 am. Bring earplugs if you visit a country house, folks.
The first few days it was very wet and not beach weather at all. How’d I spend my time? Aside from writing some blog entries, I…
Looked at all the cute details around the house.Made inside out grilled cheese for the first time (google any recipe). GAME CHANGER!Contemplated this emergency text message from the area near my home. While a nice change from the nonstop covid19 messages, it was a head scratcher. They caught the bear, by the way.
Watched “Cat TV” featuring the neighborhood cats.
Completed this puzzle.
Relaxed on the deck whenever the clouds broke for a bit.
Enjoyed the garden
I also made bossam, one of my favorite Korean dishes. You basically gently simmer some pork belly in a flavorful pot of water for 40 minutes and eat it with lots of lettuce, cabbage, and kimchi.
I didn’t make either of those kimchis, but I did make cucumber kimchi (not pictured) to go with it.
And then the next day I hung out with the kids at Wayheon beach in Geoje while mom got some work done. Great sandy beach to visit if you’re in the area!
“Let’s take a nice photo and send it to your mom” then they did this automatically.
Spent another couple of hours over the course of two days at my old favorite from last summer, Suryuk beach in Tongyeong: another quiet, mostly sandy beach.
One day I went and there was a 6% chance of rain, and barely any clouds in the sky when I left the house…
All in all another wonderful week in Tongyeong. Can’t wait to return yet again!
I packed up my stuff and headed to Namhae. With a few hours to kill before checking into my next pension, and needing to go to Suncheon to the big grocery store, I had to find something to do to pass the time. I’ve been to Suncheon many times in the past and have played tourist here a bit, but decided to visit the Suncheon Open Film Set. This site has been the backdrop for many movies and dramas set in Korea from the 1960s onwards.
Caveat: I haven’t seen any movies or dramas filmed here.
It was a nice place to spend walking around for an hour outdoors. There were really interesting details, like movie posters from that decade on the walls, and each area had music from that time playing over speakers. You can also rent an outfit for an hour or two for a more authentic feel and photo taking. Each decade had common storefronts with items or replicas from that decade inside. My favorite detail was the old election campaign posters from years gone by – I see these all over the place during local and national elections, and I have to be honest: they haven’t changed much in decades.
I got to my pension which was tucked away in this remote bend of the road right next to the water in Namhae and unpacked. I came to Namhae for a week last summer but stayed on a completely different part of this peninsula. This pension is simple, but with amazing views. Not going to lie, it’s incredibly dangerous to drive anywhere in Namhae because the entire coastline is stunning and you don’t really want to keep your eyes on the road.
View from my sliding glass door.Views from the road in front of the pension
The family that runs this pension is incredibly kind and generous. They are hosting a Korean-Canadian couple for 6 months in their guesthouse as part of a “live in rural areas and get to know them better” program through the Korean government. We had a lot of conversations over the week while I was there, and they kept giving me food! One evening they made a boiled duck and rice dish, ori baeksuk (오리백숙), similar to the boiled chicken and rice dish samgyetang (삼계탕), but I had never tried it before. They were eating outside and invited me to join them.
Me: Oh… with covid going around, I don’t feel comfortable joining you, but thank you so much.
Them: Sharon, we are all vaccinated. Please join us.
Me: Vaccinated already? How???
Them: Sharon. We are old. *lots of laughter*
So I brought out a bunch of homemade cucumber kimchi and joined them for the meal. I also spoke mostly in Korean for about 90 minutes, with some English words or phrases translated by the Korean-Canadian couple. They all wanted to know ALL about me, my time in Korea, my family, my travels, what do I like about Korea (we probably talked for 30 minutes about all the Korean food I’ve made, and they all agree I am basically Korean because of the foods I’ve cooked and need to find a nice Korean man to marry and cook for). It was so nice to feel almost normal after 18 months of restrictions and being super cautious.
Hosts out back cutting up many kilos of “seconds” tomatoes from local farms
Boiling a duck and rice in this pot out back
May not look appetizing, but oh so good!
They gave me lettuce and a cucumber from their garden – possibly the largest cucumber I’ve seen in Korea!
“Sharon, what do you pack on a 50 day road trip?” you may be thinking. Well, here it is. I must confess, I have completely turned into my mother. Growing up she would load up the car and car top carrier every year with tons of stuff for us to bring to the beach, including things she could easily buy there, like paper towels, tissues, and olive oil. I always thought she was slightly nutso for this. Now, as an adult – I totally get it. YOU WERE RIGHT AND I WAS WRONG, mom. There, I said it. No, I don’t want to spend my time on vacation shopping, and I don’t want to end up with doubles of things that I already have in my tiny apartment after the end of my trip.
Did I mention that monsoon season officially started? Yep. RAIN. So much rain, for multiple days in a row. Whenever there was a break in the rain I could see the low-hanging clouds rushing by the mountains and hills. Absolutely gorgeous. Luckily I got a few good weather days in before the rain hit, and also made Korean BBQ one evening. This pension is right next to a small nature reserve, and I saw lots of little critters and some huge boulders. Also… the sunsets from here – Oh my gosh! Every 30 seconds they just kept getting better.
While the weather was still good one of the things I did was visit Boriam Hermitage atop Geumsan mountain. I visited here last year and was eager to return – one of the most beautiful views I’ve seen in Korea. Last year I only visited the temple, but this year I did a bit of exploring the hiking trails near the temple. You drive up the mountain, then can take a shuttle bus from the lower parking lot to the upper parking lot, or the drive it yourself – it’s a 22% incline at times. No, that isn’t a typo.
From the upper parking lot it’s about a 1 km walk to the temple, and that is when I ran into the Suwon professional soccer team, the Bluewings, who were down in Namhae for a two week summer training camp and visiting Boriam on their last morning. Suwon is the next big city quite close to where I live, and I’ve been to their games before. I had a lot of fun chatting with the guys as we walked up to the temple and enjoyed the scenery.
Suwon FCIn case you were wondering, I still HATE HATE HATE stairs.Lots of old calligraphy carved into the rock faces around the temple and mountaintop.Suwon FC again at the smoke signal placeThe sweat… it’s real, folks.The beacons are lit! Gondor calls for aid!Views from this temple… simply beautiful.I can’t be the only one wondering just how many man-hours (and donkey-hours) of labor went into hauling all the rocks and wood up this mountain a few hundred years ago, right?Ah yes. More stairs to leave the temple. My favorite!This bird – the fairy pitta – only comes to South Korea in the summer to breed and nest, and only in the southernmost part of the country. In Korean it’s called “8-colored bird” and this is the closest I’ve gotten to ever seeing one.
You can hear a Japanese Bush Warbler singing in this video, too.
Other things I did while in Namhae, before the monsoon rains arrived:
Spent time at Sangju Eunmorae Beach – this is by far my favorite beach in Namhae. Tons of sand, no rocks, well maintained toilet facilities, convenience store and restaurants nearby. I’m sure it’s packed during Korean public schools summer break in a few weeks, but on a Tuesday it was like having a private beach. I also love people watching at the beach.
Couple dressed head to toe in matching outfits.
Baby shark(s)! doo doo da doo do dooo
Not a bad way to spend a few hours.
Other things I did while in Namhae: Stopped at the side of the road a few times, including overlooking the cable car over the water and up the mountain, and a small memorial to the UN forces during the Korean War.
Korean war began on June 25th, 1950, hence the 6 and 25 on the memorial.
And on a “not beach, but not downpouring rain” day I visited the site of fossilized dinosaur footprints in Namhae. I thought the entire set of fossils was right next to the parking lot/toilet, but no – walk around the temple to the beach. Go at low tide! So many fossils and rocks to scramble about and play!
If you don’t think seeing all of the layers in these rocks that show tens of thousands of years of Earth’s history, or fossilized footprints of animals that lived 100 million years ago is cool, then I don’t know what’s wrong with you. Did I mention one of my degrees is in Earth and Environmental science and I loved learning about Earth’s history?
Another new experience during this trip was visiting the nearby town of Sacheon. On the advice of the pension hosts I visited this local park that has an entire area dedicated to forest bathing, i.e., chilling out surrounded by pine trees. This one had hammocks made out of wood. I brought my yoga mat for some cushioning, a book, and bug spray and spent over three hours chilling and reading. Completely wonderful, aside from the retirees who were playing old warbling Korean music at a very loud volume (but they left after about 30 minutes). There were also platforms and benches spread around on this hillside for forest bathing of your choice. And hiking trails – always hiking trails.
I also spent an afternoon haning hanging around Dasolsa temple looking for a bird I haven’t yet seen, but was told it was in the area. I didn’t see the bird (oh well) but I did really enjoy this temple, which has a big hillside of green tea plants behind it and lots of pine forest with walking trails around. Have I mentioned how much I love visiting Buddhist temples in Korea? They always make me slow down, notice details, and make me smile.
Mom, you mentioned checking for ticks… YUP we do that here, too! In fact, sometimes there is a free spray nozzle with bug spray at the entrance to hiking trails.
It sounds like I did a whole bunch of stuff while I was in Namhae, but really I mostly relaxed, especially once the monsoon rains came in. It was fantastic.
Bonus to day 3, my last evening in Gurye: this killer sunset. This pension/bnb was up on the side of a mountain, and the owner has three little rentals up near each other. Another American couple with a little kid was renting another unit, and we hung out and chat as the sun set. This photo is completely unedited, and that color lasted for about 10 minutes. Gorgeous!
Day 4: Trip to Goheung
Let me tell you about packing for a 50 day trip in the middle of a pandemic, where you’re trying to cook every meal at home because you aren’t risking going to restaurants or cafes. You spend a few days making an epic packing list, then the day or two before the trip packing and repacking everything in the world’s worst game of Tetris. Then, you get to your first destination and realize you have left a crucial ingredient from your pantry at home – apple cider vinegar.
Especially aggravating when know you have a small bottle at home, and your dear friends who just departed Korea left you a Costco-sized bottle, too, and you were planning to take it on the trip… but somehow, it didn’t happen. Keep in mind that apple FLAVORED drinking vinegar is available just about everywhere in Korea, but American style apple cider vinegar is not – and you cannot substitute one for the other when making coleslaw. Been there, done that, threw it out. SO… you go on social media and ask around where you can find some in this southwest part of Korea, because coleslaw is a big part of your summer diet, and you refuse to let this slide. (Side note: watermelon are crazy expensive in Korea, so I don’t buy any here, ever. I’m not willing to part with both watermelon and coleslaw.)
“There’s a department store in Gwangju that carries this vinegar” the strangers on the internet told me. Hmmm Gwangju isn’t too far out of my route… and I have to be out of my Gurye pension at 11 am, but can’t check into the new place before 3 pm… sure, why not. Let’s detour to Gwangju. But what else can we do there – buying one item at a store isn’t enough of a time killer… enter the SCIENCE MUSEUM!!!!
The National Gwangju Science Museum was fantastic. I mean, it could be that I’m a science teacher/super nerd, but it was really well done. Tons of interactive exhibits for kids and adults of all ages. Some were cordoned off due to covid19 restrictions, but most were available. Also thankful to Papago translate app, which you can hold up to some typed Korean and it’ll spit out a translation in real time. If you’re in Korea and heading that way with kids, or need a rainy day activity, I highly recommend it. Did I mention it has huge grounds with plenty of picnic areas?
Let’s get our nerd on!
Elements and their spectra in English and Korean
These are a bunch of pills, like a pharmacy, on display.
Makerspace!
For those of you unfamiliar with the electromagnetic spectrum song, I watch it with my students and have them learn the chorus every year. Always a crowd pleaser!
After the museum I went and got my apple cider vinegar (SUCCESS!) and also 5 avocados for an outrageous price. I’ve ripened and consumed 3 of them so far, and they’ve all been perfect. Waiting for the inevitable “when it ripened it was all black” phenomenon because there’s always at least one like this. #KoreaProblems
I got to my airbnb in Goheung and was treated to yet another stunning sunset from this property atop the hill next to the ocean.
Days 5 – 11: Goheung
This is the third time I’ve stayed here, each for a week or more, and I just love it. The owners are so kind; their son actually lives a subway stop away from me in the Seoul area. The house boasts floor-to-ceiling windows, a huge tv and fridge/freezer, and a massive soaking tub – basically a dream for someone like me who lives in a teeny tiny Korean apartment.
I spent this week of vacation doing very little. The weather wasn’t quite beach weather for a few days, so I spent time working on every teacher’s favorite activity: figuring out how many points I still need to renew my teaching license in 2022, working through dyslexia training for Virginia, and a bunch of child endangerment/mandatory reporting type of stuff for international schools. Side note – Virginia DOE, why doesn’t the licensure renewal manual mention Continuing Education Units (CEUs) that so many other states use? Why do I have to email your office to figure this stuff out?
When I finally got to the beach, I went straight to Namyeol Haedoji beach. I’ve been to a few other beaches here, but once I find a beach that I like – clean, great views, plenty of parking and space to spread out from others, well maintained toilet facilities – I don’t bother going to others. I went to the beach a few days this week, when the weather was warm and sunny enough for it. On the weekdays it was just about empty, mostly me, the surf shop people, and few small families. I ended up going on a really nice weather Saturday and there were more people there – still very distanced from each other, but the difference was stark.
Goheung is home to Korea’s space program facilities. Lots of space themed attractions nearby.
This beach also has a lot of campsites. People here are serious about their camping.
Finished my first puzzle of the summer (500 pieces) in between rounds of online training modules.
Remember when I said the hosts of this bnb are incredibly nice? Each time I’ve come, they make me some homemade food – the first time I came, last summer, they were excited that I love Korean food and shared some of their homemade kimchi with me. This time, she brought me homemade fish pancakes, Korean radish kimchi, and pickled garlic scapes.
I’ve also finally signed up for Audible and LOVED listening to the Born a Crime by Trevor Noah book – you may or may not know that I did a semester-long independent study course on Apartheid and post-Aparthied policies as part of my political science degree, then studied abroad in South Africa. 10/10 recommend the book or audiobook to anyone. If you’ve got any really well read/narrated audiobooks on Audible in the Included/PlusCatalog, please let me know – any genre is fine, I just don’t want the monotone/robot-like voice of so many of the books I’ve tried to listen to already.
What have you been reading or listening to lately? I’m always open to more recommendations.
Hey everyone! It’s been quite awhile since I last used this blog. Long story short: the laptop I was using when I posted the “mom and dad in Asia Part 1” post died, and getting the photos and videos off the hard drive has been a hassle. Then life happened, then Covid19… You know how it goes.
BUT NOW…. *drumroll* I present to you my Summer 2021 Road Trip!
Last summer I stayed in Korea (thanks, Covid) and did a 43 day road trip. This year I’m doing the same, but for longer. I have a new(er) car, a few new destinations planned, and a “maximize chill out time” goal.
Hoping to cross off a few more places I’ve not yet been (black parts).
Day 1: Seongnam to Gurye
Just like last summer, I packed my car full of half the stuff in my apartment and hit the road. I’d say it’s about 40% clothing, 40% food/kitchen items, and 20% miscellaneous. But I can still safely see out of all windows, so it’s all good. Remember, the goal is to not have to buy much of anything and maximize time away from people – no vaccine for me, yet, but hopefully later this summer or early in the fall I’ll be getting mine.
I’ve driven down this highway many times and seen the signs for Magoksa Temple (마곡사) but I’ve never been – until now.
Magoksa was built in the 9th century and is an important temple in Korean Buddhism. You can read more about it here.
But what I really want to talk about is the drive from the highway to this temple. Y’all, a massive wave of nostalgia hit me as soon as I started driving through this valley – chestnut tress. ALL of the chestnut trees, everywhere you looked. As soon as I started smelling them I was transported to my childhood home, where the previous owner had put one of these trees in over the driveway/front yard. That smell is unique, and BAM! it hit me out of nowhere. (Don’t worry, mom, all of the photos below were taken while stopped in a safe area with my hazard lights on.)
The walk from the parking lot to the temple took about 15 minutes, first through the cute cafes, and then along this boardwalk/sidewalk next to the river, with lanterns lighting the way and artwork installations.
Bridge separating the two parts of the temple
I’ve never seen an ondol chimney this big, nor covered in ivy.
Famous monk/political activitist
All the hostas!
I love these little creations
Stunning, quiet, calming – these are the words to describe temples in Korea.
After leaving Magoksa I headed to Gurye, which is on the southwest edge of Jirisan National Park – huge Shenandoah vibes! I’ve been to a few small temples in Jirisan before this visit, but only in passing on my way to destinations along the southern coast of Korea.
That word – I do not think it means what you think it means. Perhaps not the best name for a car shop?
Gurye is gorgeous and quiet, with way better views than my apartment in the Seoul suburbs.
Am I in Europe??
Pension was halfway up the mountain – not a shabby view
This view is amazing, and I’m loving the little bench and table with this view. Views for DAYS! After unpacking my stuff I was sweaty and exhausted and slept for 13 hours. I regret nothing.
Day 2: Gurye and Jirisan
Did I really just sleep for 13 hours?? And whoooo boy am I dehydrated! This pension uses water from the mountain in a cistern for toilets and showers (filtered, but not boiled) so I’m drinking bottled water – and lots of it. Even cool but humid days can sneak up on you, especially when you’re a sweat machine.
After breakfast I headed over to Jirisan. I wanted to visit Hwaeomsa temple and hit up the visitors center for some information in English.
Jirisan has a small population of Asiatic Black Bears that are making a comeback. There was a black bear museum along this road but I didn’t explore it.
Hwaeomsa is a HUGE temple first completed in the year 544. I thought Magoksa yesterday was pretty large – this one is larger, and up on the mountainside with views of the valley. Read more about this historic temple here.
Water drainage gate – amazing
Largest extant stone lantern in Korea, built between 668-935
Sold at the temple shop, these peppers help prevent bad energy.
The wooden posts holding up this temple – y’all, I can’t imagine the trial and error that went into figuring out how to build something like this. In the background you can hear the construction/renovation currently happening in other parts of the temple complex.
On the drive back to the pension I stopped in Gurye proper at this big park and took a video to show you this area. Driving here is dangerous; everywhere you look it’s beautiful mountains and clouds.
Owner of the pension told me there’s a lookout platform a few minutes walk up the mountain behind the pension. I had a Korean class via zoom then spent an hour reading and enjoying the view and birds before sunset. Not a bad day.
Day 3: Chill day at the pension
Caught up with some of my nearest and dearest this morning, then zoned out for awhile. I love having nothing that must get done right now now now! This is my last day here; tomorrow I leave for another pension. Having a good start to this vacation.
Hi everyone, how’s it going? Sorry for not posting for so long, but life has been busy busy busy. Hoping to make more posts this year.
My mom and dad came to Korea in March of last year (2017). They stayed in a hotel in Insadong, Seoul for the first few days, then we took an epic road trip around the country during my spring break. As usual, I kept a travel journal of our adventures. What follows is that journal, slightly edited. Of note, my mom’s knees were acting up a bit in January and February, so we were worried how the trip would go for her. My mom is a friggin champ, and she had no trouble getting around with her trusty walking sticks for a bit of help.
Tuesday 3/21 – THEY’RE HERE OMG! YAAAAAY! Got them to Insadong, settled in the hotel, then took the bus home. Why is there so much traffic at 10 pm uggggh.
Wednesday 3/22 – Met up with Mom and Dad for dinner at a great temple food restaurant in Insadong. Dinner comes with a traditional show of temple dances. Most hilarious part of my week was watching them have to sit down to put their shoes on post-meal.
Friday 3/24 – Met up with some of my best friends at a restaurant in Seoul. Lovely evening hanging out together, but in Korea instead of the USA.
Sunday 3/26– mom and dad taxi from Seoul to my apartment, load car, set out. Visited my coworkers on our way to the highway south. Road trip to Jeonju.
Monday 3/27: Jeonju exploring day. Moseyed our way to the traditional Hanok village, saw dozens of hanbok shops (Korean traditional clothing), had a tour of the shrine to the royal portraits, where we… saw a bunch of portraits. Ate lunch at a Korean beef restaurant which was delicious. Relaxed at hotel, then went to the Nambu market via taxi. Monday night- completely dead. Walked a bit, went back to the hanok village and had bibimbap.
Tuesday 3/28– set out for Gyeongju with a detour to Jirisan park to see a temple because we saw a sign on the highway for it (note: I thought it was Ssangyesa temple. It isn’t. My bad!). Very simple temple. Very few people around. The temple had one large courtyard. There was a family in mourning of some sort, which we didn’t want to interrupt. Everyone we encountered there asked us to join them for lunch. We declined until a monk came to our car as we were leaving and asked us in simple English to join them. Okay- we went back in. Temple “cafeteria” consisted of a self serve counter with bibimbap type veggies and rice. Everyone was super nice to us. Mom and dad sat on the floor! This small group of Korean women were very interested to talk to us, but with my limited Korean we mostly just nodded and smiled.
After lunch we drove to Gyeongju. Uneventful 3 hours, rest stops, moving traffic. Checked into our motel- not as nice as their hotel in Seoul, but it works just fine for the price and location. Ate dinner at a small restaurant in an alley way behind the motel at the manager’s suggestion; amazing meal. We had this dish with steamed pumpkin and beef. I’ve never seen or tasted anything like it.
Wednesday 3/29: Shilla dynasty day! We went to Bulguksa temple (a World Heritage Site) in the morning. Wandered around for a few hours. Gorgeous morning. Ate lunch at the mom and pop restaurant down the hill from the temple. Went to the Seokgoram grotto afterwards. Very windy road. Nice information lady gave us a private 30 minute lecture in great English about the history of the grotto and the mythologies/stories behind it. The guy who built both Bulguksa and Seokgoram did so for his parents in this life (Bulguksa) and his parents in the past life (Seokgoram). Lots of stairs up and down. Mom was a champ. Saw huge groups of school kids on their 6th grade field trip to Gyeongju, which is a trip that every kid in the country takes with their class.
Back to hotel to chill out a bit. Did laundry and the owner was very nice to let me hang it on the roof where she sets her hotel laundry out to dry. Mom and dad wanted a non-Korean meal, so we went to the Ashley buffet at the Kensington resort. Small for an Ashley, but served its purpose well. Nothing amazing… but western was good. Ashley buffets come in various sizes and qualities.
Thursday 3/30: more Shilla! Went into town and to the Gyeongju National Museum. Spent a few hours with audio guides. Great history lesson! Drove into town, parked and had a pork ssam lunch (dwaejiggogi)… good god, that restaurant. Amazing dwaenjang jjigae with homemade dwaenjang paste. We then walked through Tumuli park, looking at all of the ancient burial mounds. We also walked over to see saw the Cheomseongdae astronomy tower. This tower is the oldest surviving astronomy tower in Asia. One of the most hilarious moments of the entire trip had to be mom and dad making friends with this huge group of university students, who were also on a trip to Cheomseongdae, and all dressed in matching pink shirts. So, obviously, they wanted to take a big group photo with us. We stopped by the remains of the old Donggung palace and Anapji pond around 5 pm; I’ve been to this place two times before, once during peak cherry blossom season with my friend Victoria. Unfortunately, we were about a week early for cherry blossoms. I knew this place would look spectacular after the sun went down, but we were pooped and sunset wasn’t for another hour, so we went back to the hotel to rest, then found a Korean restaurant in the neighborhood of the hotel. Again, we sat on floor, had samgyetang (Korean chicken ginseng soup) and just another great meal.
Friday 3/31– drove from Gyeongju to Busan. We stopped at the Haedong Yonggunsa temple on the cliffs overlooking the ocean north of Busan, but it was super cold and rainy, and there a zillion steps, so we went down most but not all of the way to the temple. Great views from the side, though. There were dozens of street food stalls near the exit to this temple, most featuring grilled fish and squid on a stick, but we decided to eat lunch at a Chinese restaurant – Korea’s Chinese food is very different than America’s Chinese food. Finally we made it to Busan and headed straight to Haeundae Beach where it proceeded to rain and be cold and miserable. We checked into our hotel really close to the Jagalchi fish market. We wandered around the area outside the fish market and found a really small fish restaurant to eat at, with decent prices. Had a few pieces of fresh fish, grilled.
And I may or may not have tricked my dad into eating seaweed… “I don’t.eat.seaweed.” He says. “Or raw fish!” (Note – he now does both after his epic Asia tour. The sushi, willingly; the seaweed, less so.)
After dinner, dad called it a night, but mom and I wandered into the nightfood market close to the hotel. Because when you’re stuffed full of food, the only choice, of course, is to eat more food!
Saturday 4/1– Busan- took the hop on hop off “jumbo city tour” and went to Taejongdae park. We saw the cliffs, ocean, and dozens of ships waiting to get into the ports in Busan (5th busiest container port in the world). Had a great scenic stroll along this new walkway over the ocean, featuring a few ladies who wanted us to join them in their church and wouldn’t take “please go away” easily, and a paraglider jumping off a mountain in the distance and landing on the beach nearby. Dinner at Jackys seafood in the Jagalchi fish market, which my sister and her boyfriend recommended from their trip a few months previously- then street food with mom and dad to top it all off.
Sunday 4/2 – drove from Busan to back to Seoul. Mom and her bad puns – we almost kicked her out and made her walk. Also, is there a universal rule that rest stops have to sell complete and utter junk that is sure to make a kid say “but I NEEEEEED it!”?
Mom and dad stayed in a hotel near me which looked very fancy, but we soon realized the drawers in the furniture didn’t open – at all! Oh, Korea. We met up for dinner at a restaurant nearby owned by some Americans – not Korean food- and a few of my friends joined us.
Monday 4/3– My parents came to my school, which was great. They’ve seen it on our social media sites, and when they FaceTime me, but seeing it in person was really nice. We went to my favorite restaurant in my neighborhood with my friends, and the next morning they departed for Tokyo.
Stay tuned for Part 2! – where mom and dad take on Japan and China.
The medical system here is a bit different than back home. Of important note, I am not on the Korean national health insurance plan (like everyone else living here); I am on a private international health plan that my school provides for the teachers. Most of the foreigners who are teachers in Korea are on the Korean health national plan. If you teach in an after-school academy (Hagwon), or a Korean public school, that’s your plan. Because I’m at an international school things are a bit different. For my insurance, I see the doctor, pay up front, collect a detailed receipt, and have to file it with my insurance company for reimbursement. No biggie.
Scene 1: The big university hospital.
I have a life-long thyroid issue – it’s really not a big deal at all, millions of people worldwide have the same issue – but it means I need to see an endocrinologist regularly for checkups and to adjust the dose of medication I take for this condition. When I first arrived here I started asking around at work to see if there were any personal recommendations for a good doctor. On the advice of a few coworkers, I called up the international health clinic at a huge hospital in Seoul to make an appointment.
The doctor can only see patients before 4 pm? Okay, fine. I’ll take a taxi from my school as soon as it lets out at 3, and hope I get there before my 3:45 pm appointment.
My health insurance is already accepted at this hospital, and they will pay for everything straight from the hospital billing department, I only have to pay a small co-pay? Awesome. Here’s my info.
Day of the appointment, I get the taxi from school to the hospital. Y’all, this campus is HUGE. There are multiple buildings. The taxi drops me off at the front entrance, I go inside, and… it’s like Union Station. People *everywhere* Umm… Oh! An information desk! Let’s try there. The nice people show me the way to the annex, where the international clinic is located. It’s a long, winding path that involves escalators and elevators.
I go to the international clinic, fill out a basic “why are you here today?” questionnaire, and the doc sees me 5 minutes later. This doctor is AWESOME. She’s an American raised in California, went to a great medical school, married a Korean man, and moved to Korea. She took the single best medical history of any doctor I have ever met; we talked for about 45 minutes and not once did I feel rushed. Of course she orders my typical blood tests to check my thyroid levels, and tells me to come back to the international clinic afterwards.
Well, thankfully there’s another foreigner in the waiting room area who was heading to the phlebotomy lab and has done it dozens of times, and takes me with her. (I later learned that if I had made an earlier appointment, a member of the hospital staff could escort me there, but since it’s later in the day they’ve gone home.) We make small talk as we wind our way back to the lab, and as we’re walking I notice some noise coming from the ceiling. Looks like there is a track for those fake-large room partitions – you know, the ones that look like this?
But they’re in odd locations and go around corners, and clearly not meant for partitions.
We turn the final corner and… oh my god, I’m at the Department of Motor Vehicles. Well, it looks that way to me. Probably around 80-100 people waiting around. People of all ages, and clearly they have come to a hospital with a family member or close friend or two. I’m instructed to give my paper (with a number on it from the international clinic) to the main desk, and the lady issues me a slip of paper with a number on it and tells me to go sit down. I’m facing a wall of phlebotomists sitting in a row, just like the DMV, but with lower counter tops and chairs in front of them. I have the passing thought that if my mother were here, she’d be freaking out over the lack of privacy and HIPAA laws.
Virginia DMV – the happiest place on Earth! … said nobody, ever.
I wait for the number over the phlebotomists head to match my slip, then go to that station. I sit down, the woman types something onto the screen and… cccccchhhhzzzzzzt! a little trolley, on a track, zips up to her station with a basket holding a few glass blood tubes.
She reaches down. “Is your name [blah blah]? For [Dr. Awesome]?”
Me – stunned at this system. “Yes.”
Her: “Okay, hold out your arm.”
I do what I’m told. Best stick ever – no pain at all, couldn’t even detect it! – and 60 seconds later I’m done. She puts the tubes back into the basket and ccchhhhhzzzzt! They roll on down the track into a small opening in the wall and out of sight.
Her: “Okay, go back to [Dr. Awesome]. Next!”
Me: Stunned still. I turn around, with my classy band-aid on my elbow, and weave through the dozens of people standing and sitting. I make it back to the international clinic and wait a bit for the doctor. She confirms my medication dosage, gives me the prescription, and instructs me to go to the main lobby of the hospital to get my prescription filled.
I go back to the main lobby – Union Station – and see more DMV-esque counters and waiting chairs. Creep on the Korean people all around me; they’ve got “take a number” slips, so I go to the machine and get one. Get up to the counter, the nice woman helping me tries to explain something to me in Korean, and I just don’t understand any of it. Google Translate isn’t helping. She calls the international clinic and hands me the phone. “Oh, you don’t need to wait in this line. Go to the machines over to your right, and you’ll get your Rx in a few moments.” OKAY then. Makes total sense. I was supposed to infer this all on my own, obviously. (I was overwhelmed and exhausted at the time. Too many people, too many new sights and experiences. I’ve gone back since, and noticed the sign “Prescription pick-up” in tiny English lettering at the top of the machines.)
I get my 3-month prescription for the big price of… $5. Then I make my way to the nearest subway station and go home.
~~~~~
Scene 2: The Gynecologist’s office.
I know there’s a gyno somewhere on this floor of this building. I get off the elevator and see two doctors offices’ waiting rooms with the doors propped open: one left and one right. The one on the right has bunches of men and women, young and old, all sniffling and coughing. Hmm, let’s check the other office. I turn around and poke my head in the other office.
I am greeted with a 1-meter high advert: It is an image of the insides of a woman’s hoo-ha, with enough English to convey that they can do surgery to make you “like new” again.
Yep, this is the right office.
~~~~~
Scene 3: The Pharmacy
I imagine it’s different in different parts of Korea, but there are pharmacies everywhere in my Seoul suburb. Like, within a 5 minute walk/ 1 city block radius of my apartment I know of 4 of them. And the pharmacies tend to carry whatever medications are frequently prescribed by the doctor offices in that particular building/ city block. And perhaps the best part: there is usually at least one pharmacist who speaks enough English that you can communicate rather easily. Or if the language is a barrier, you can bring in a box of some medicine with the chemical names in English/ Google it and they’ll recognize it. Yay for science being a universal language!
I see an allergy and asthma doctor on the regular, and the pharmacists in the pharmacy are lovely people. The man speaks really good English, and the woman understands more English than she speaks. I just learned that they are a married couple, with two daughters aged 9 and 15.
The first time I went to this pharmacy was after meeting my asthma doc and getting multiple months worth of my asthma inhalers. Our interaction:
Man, typing on computer: Oh, I see you are not on the Korean health plan. This will be expensive.
Me: It’s okay, I have foreign health insurance. I pay for the medicine now, and they will pay me back.
Him, skeptically: Hmm… Are you sure? This is really expensive?
Me: I promise. How much is the total for 3 months’ medications?
Him: About $90.
Me: *Laughs* That’s not expensive at all! [Explain what “expensive medicine” means to an American.]
He and his wife have been awesome. I practice my Korean with them, and if it’s not busy we talk about current events, like President Park and Donald Trump. Since that first meeting they always worry about me paying too much for the medicines. I recently showed them the insurance app I use, and it shows how much I was reimbursed, and they were very relieved. It’s nice to know that there are people here who care about us foreigners, and making sure we’re not spending too much money unnecessarily.
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Random tidbits:
1) Band aids: Korean band aids for fingertips and knuckles come in designs that *actually* make sense with the motion of those parts of the body.
2) Marketing on many Korean products features a lot of Western people.
3) If you’re sick, or have a cold, or don’t want to catch one, you wear a face mask. They come in different sizes for adults and kids, and in various qualities, materials, and prices. You can often find them at 7-11 type convenience stores, too.
4) Koreans care about their skin – a lot. In smaller pharmacies, I think about 1/3 of the shelves are filled with skin care products meant to reduce acne and scars, and band-aids.
5) Medications from pharmacies come in these little prepackaged squares. The pharmacist explains how many times a day to take them, and you simply tear open and consume the pills in that packet for that dose. No futzing with multiple bottles, and really easy to take with you on the go in your purse or backpack. My students even bring these to school and take them after lunch sometimes. (Side note: they do NOT get suspended/ expelled for this. It’s totally normal.)
6) I’m so happy the internet exists. I can type the name of the medications I’ve been prescribed in Korean into Google, and websites will pop up listing the active and inactive ingredients, as well as the shape, color, and markings on each pill.
7) Korean doctors, when you’re sick or have a cold, will usually include a bunch of pills for things you don’t need. Like the “poop pill,” as I call it. I don’t know what it is with the prevalence of this pill here, but this pill encourages bowel movements, and every doctor wants to prescribe it anytime they prescribe another pill. I’ve since learned the name of the pill and will actively tell the doctor “Don’t prescribe me that. I don’t need it, and I only throw it out.” This completely bewilders them. Had an in-depth conversation about my bowel movements while sick with the local ENT about this after multiple trips. Apparently it’s common practice in Korea to discuss your bowel movements with your mom (as a child, at least) and your physicians. And many people feel constipated after taking any sort of a pill. Just a different way of looking at the health of the human body, and differences in their medical training.
8) You can get the same 8-pack of family-sized Kleenex at Costco here in Korea as you can in the USA, for about the same price.
9) What I eat when I’m sick: samgyetang (Korean ginseng chicken soup) and juk (or jook, a plain porridge made of rice and other ingredients).
This weekend, while sick, I made samgyetang according to this recipe… sort of. I altered the recipe to make chicken noodle soup because I was sick of rice. Here’s what I did: I followed the recipe, except I didn’t stuff any rice into the chicken, only garlic.
After cooking the chicken I took the entire chicken and other solids out of the broth, let the chicken cool, then pulled it apart. I then got my trusty Korean stone pot, filled it about half way with broth, and brought it to a simmer. I added some fresh noodles, cooked them, and added some chicken back in. I topped it with chopped scallions. It was delicious, and only slightly more effort than the original recipe.
My Korean Ginseng Chicken Noodle Soup. Om nom nom!
As for juk: You could easily make juk from the leftover samgyetang recipe. Or, if you’re like me and live around the corner from a juk restaurant that makes 20 different varieties of juk, simply go around the corner and pick up a container or two.
Juk restaurant menu. I get the veggie juk, because it’s plain but delicious.
My wings are dusty 