Why does the chicken cross the road?

Seoul Picture Album

Seoul Picture Album

Vietnam Picture Album

Vietnam Picture Album

Hong Kong Picture Album

Hong Kong Picture Album

Last Night in the Orient

Tonight is our last night in Seoul. We have decided against going to Singapore. We are ready to go home! Tomorrow we will depart Incheon at 3:15pm and arrive in San Francisco at 8:20am the same day. It's a time warp.

Today we visited Gyeongbokgung also known as The Palace of Shining Happiness. I found it odd that this monstrous estate shared the same name as my 500 square foot condo in Denver, Colorado. This place is huge. It was originally built in 1395 but has been destroyed and rebuilt a few times. It is a true Asian expression in architecture. I say Asian because it borrows from Chinese, Japanese and of course Korean style. Inside the walls of the palace are 13 individual structures that embody the palace. I would guess the size of the estate to be about 80 acres. We had perfect timing on our exit because as we were leaving we got to see the changing of the guards ceremony.

We decided to head up to Seoul Tower. The tower sits atop a hill in Namsan Park. We had to take a gondola to the summit. I have a bit of a fear of chair lifts. I am not as scared of the chair lifts as I am of the cable breaking. I was a bit tense about riding the gondola. I am happy to report that the cable stayed intact. It was a bit unnerved when the gondola took off and all I could see was Seoul sinking below me. I just looked down and pretended I was on the subway. The ride down was much better because it was dark, and for some reason that is easier. Anyway, We made it to the top of the hill. We then, of course, took a elevator the rest of the way to the top of the tower. The view from the top was awesome. Seoul is huge. It helped me understand how the city is laid out. The bathrooms up there are super cool. The urinals face the window, so while you pee you have a spectacular view. We sat and enjoyed a couple of beers while the sun set. We met a very nice German guy named Andrew. He is in Seoul fixing a piece of medical equipment. We talked to him for a couple of hours.

After the gondola ride down we headed for dinner. We had Korean Barbecue at Itaewon Galbi. It was very good. We ordered two big slabs of meat. The waitress stood right there and cooked out meat for us. Along with the meat came 7 side dishes. They love their sides up in there. One of the side dishes was Kimchi. Kimchi is fermented cabbage. I just don't think fermented and cabbage belong anywhere near each other. Koreans love red chili paste. It is everywhere and comes on everything. I really like it. Angi does not. Even on the flight from Hanoi to Seoul the flight attendant handed us each a small tube of red chili paste to accompany our meal. I thought is was an awesome and fitting last dinner for us to have in the Orient.

Greetings from the DMZ

I saw North Korea today. Angi and I took a tour of the DMZ (Demilitarized Zone.) The DMZ is, of course, the buffer between North and South Korea where the truce is held. Unfortunately, the tour that we wanted to go on, which included a chance to actually stand in North Korea for a minute or two, was not available because of some sort of state function that was occurring. We did however get to stand on a hill look through a binoculars and spy into North Korea. It was a very hazy day so all we would really make out was the ginormous flag pole complete with a 300lbs North Korean Flag. Yes, the bitch weighs 300 pounds. Could you imagine trying to raise that thing. The whole tour took all morning. I had no idea that Seoul was so close to the border of North Korea, but the distance is only about 40 miles. We met three other people from Denver on the tour, There were 9 of us on the tour, and one of the guys live at 4th and Pennsylvania... what so 6 blocks away. Small world!

Well I haven't blogged since Vietnam. We left on the red eye Asiana flight to Seoul. Their service is outstanding! We were treated like we were in first class and we were not. They served a full meal and it was really quite good. It was probably the best service I have ever had in couch in my entire life. I am VERY impressed with Asiana.

We arrived in Seoul at 5am Wednesday morning. Incheon Airport was dead. We found our way to the train to the city. We were the only ones in our train car. We took the train to Gimpo Airport and connected to the mainline Seoul metro system. It was starting to get busy as rush hour was starting but we thought we could make it to our hotel before it got too hectic. We were sorely mistaken. I have experienced some of the worlds busiest subway systems, but nothing was like this... NOTHING! The car would be full and I mean packed and some how at every stop another 10 people would cram themselves into the car. Mind you... we each had luggage with us. There was a while there where I wasn't holding onto anything. I was just smashed in there. The train would accelerate I would feel like I was going to lose my balance but there was no where to go so I wouldn't. It was awful and I hope to never experience that again. From the time the plane landed to the time we checked into our hotel was almost 4 hours. Our hotel is beautiful. It was another priceline name your price thing. Thank you Matt! $70 for a 4 star in Seoul. It is heavenly after the hotels we stayed at in Vietnam. Each of our beds has 4 pillows. After we checked in we crashed and took a nap.

We woke up around 4pm and decided to go find something to eat. With the blessing of Lonely Planet and our hotel concierge we headed for Gogung (Restaurant). This is where we learned the most important lesson about Seoul. Are you ready for this shit!? They do not use street names nor have addresses. "Use landmarks" is the sage advice of the Lonely Planet folks. This is what the book says Um, what!? The book continues So, now you are wondering how these people find anything anywhere. Every time they don't know where something is they call for directions. Every time Angi and I have asked where a certain something is a phone call for directions is made. Very strange indeed! We found the restaurant. It was very good. I had Bibimbap. The Koreans love there side dishes, so we order, and here comes about 7 side dishes. We had a regular ole feast at hand. Tomorrow we are going out for Korean Barbecue.

So far, Seoul is a nice contradiction to Vietnam. I think we both had a bit too much time in the city. We should have gone to the country to truly enjoy Vietnam, but I will go back. Angi says she will not. Seoul is modern, clean and oddly Korean. The Vietnamese were always willing to walk right up to you and become your best friend, and this is when the sales pitch would start. The Koreans won't make eye contact, but when they talk to you are the most pleasant people around. I am glad we are here. Tomorrow is the last day of our trip.. I think. There is some talk of going on to Singapore, but I bet that won't go anywhere.

Last day in Vietnam

Another public use comb was discovered at the restaurant/bar/travel agency that we ate at last night. This time it was red. I'm glad I didn't steal the one at the last hotel we stayed at because I would have been compelled to steal this one too.

Yesterday, we explored Hanoi. This city is such a tangle of roads it is hard to know where you are or where you are going. The street names seem to change every 300 feet. After our first day in HCMC we really didn't need a map to find our hotel. Hanoi is different. Hanoi reminds me of Paris with its short curved roads. Unlike HCMC, Hanoi, does not have a grid system at all. Last night, we stayed out late and drank some beer. We first stopped at Tunnel Bar which is very clean and shiny but the wait staff was too ambitions. We moved on to the Funky Monkey. This is where we met Dat. He is a very spunky little waiter that took a liking to Angi. The entire time we were in there he sat next to Angi. His boss didn't seem to mind. His English is extremely good. I would say out of all the Vietnamese we have met Dat's English is the best. As we emerged from the bar there were no less than 6 motor bike drivers vying for our business. We turned them all down. At night Hanoi can be a daunting place. All the doors are closed and locked. Curtains are drawn at establishments that are open late and very few street lights are lit. This all seems to happen in a matter of minutes. I think there is a curfew of some sort, but I haven't figured it out. Angi and I were sitting next to the front window at the Funky Monkey and all of a sudden Dat hurriedly closed the curtains. We gave him a funny look and he said "The police are in front." Apparently the police were lingering outside the bar and Funky Monkey was projecting too much light. Hanoi has a very communistic feel to it at around 1am. When we returned to our hotel we were greeted with a large metal gate. We found the doorbell and were let in.

Today is our last day in Vietnam. We have had a wonderful stay here, but I think we are both ready to move on. Tonight we fly Asiana Airline from Hanoi to Seoul. We are going to stay in Seoul until Saturday and then return home. We are both looking forward to Seoul, but it is much colder there than it is here. I did not bring a jacket, so today I am combing the streets of Hanoi in hopes of finding a knock off North Face. See you in Seoul!

Hanoi

We have outgrown our bags. We headed to the Ben Thanh Market to haggle for a bag. We found a cheap duffel bag and worked our way down to $3us. Back at the hotel we packed our stuff up in preparation for leaving HCMC. We really moved into our hotel room. Now it was time to move out. I can’t say we were that sad to leave HCMC. I won’t miss constantly perspiring. We flew Vietnam Airlines to. It was a completely full 777. There were no less than 16 flight attendants on the 2 hour flight. On a domestic 777 flight in the US you would see half that amount of staffing. Much to our surprise Hanoi is much cooler than HCMC. Hanoi looks like your average quaint city in Europe with a big bucket of Asia poured over it. We checked into our hotel and it was a complete shit hole. It was not without its amenities. In the bathroom we found a complementary bar of soap and a comb. The comb was not wrapped in plastic nor was it new. It was a large, green, public use comb. Don’t worry... I took a picture of it. We decided to go hotel shopping. We have found a very nice, clean, well furnished hotel for twice the price of the dive. We are now paying $40 versus $18 a night. It was time for a beer. We found a nice bar with a rooftop patio. We relaxed and drank the beer of Hanoi... aptly named Hanoi. While getting our drink on a group of Brits sat at the next table. Before we knew it we were all in a big circle talking about our travels. We made fast friends. It began to rain, so we all moved next door to a small pub. We had a really great time last night. Thankfully the Brits were staying at the hotel next to ours so we all helped each other find our respective bases.

We just checked into our new hotel and we are starving. Off to find some good Hanoi Cuisine.