Philippines and Korea are simply different, and sure, maybe it would be better to say how one is as mars is to a platypus as would be to the other, but the truth is the truth no mater the dramatization is given. The Philippines is an actual island and for all transportation and shipping reasons so is South Korea. South Korea's “island” state is for political and social reasons going back far longer than my arrival. When you are there, those political and social reasons have shaped South Korea and inspired a population to strive harder and work together to show North Korea how wrong they were by economic means—now that the war has basically ended. The war is technically still on and you can sense some of that urgency, while in the subways or just by the fact there is still a DMZ. The fact is combat ended decades ago in an armistice...okay, so lets get back on track with my experience, because I know that I'd rather write about me, than about a political matter I'm no authority on.Some differences...
The Philippines had uneven sidewalks (most of the time, and I'm only talking about the times there were even sidewalks present), theft worries, inexpensive food (and I don't mean cheap), inexpensive travel (and maybe I should say cheap for most cases?), low cost lodging options, and all of their signs I could read (didn't always know what they meant or how they were pronounced but I could read them), while the opposite was true for most cases while in South Korea. Those above points of difference are a great window into the experiences I had in South Korea. As for the people, Wikipedia (yes, the all knowing beast that professors and teachers hate for you to use because it is so easy and proven in multiple studies to be as reliable and in some cases better than printed alternatives) let me know the population is near 100% Korean, which is the most homogeneous country in the world for that reason. If you look at the numbers you find this near 100% is because in South Korea you are Korean if you have any ancestor from Korea, which would be something unlike the U.S.A. In the U.S.A you don't claim that you are black when if 1% genetically is from an African decent and 99% European descent. Sure the truth is the person is black, but in the States it isn't socially acceptable to say they are. This ancestor social divergence in South Korea and the States is also a good window of difference between the two and the same would be true in the Philippines as it is in the States. My point isn't that the way things are done in South Korea, the Philippines, or the States are correct or wrong, just different methods to talking about yourself. And that is another insight about South Korea, it is often very different in methods than I am used to. I don't mean different as in weird either! I just mean another way was found to live and coexist with each other, other than I was used to. This difference from other nations seemed desired and a source of pride for most S. Koreans I encountered. I had several conversation with individuals simply asking about is “this” or “that” better, and at the root asking me is this different from that? Yes, they were asking if something was better but to that person different meant better. I just think different isn't better or worse if it works.
Whoa! I've out done myself from previous rants. Thank you for attempting to follow along my stream of thought...A.K.A. R.A.N.T. (Random Ass Nonsense Talking).
...Moving on to my actual stay in South Korea...
The first thing we did in Korea was meet-up with a now mutual friend of ours late on a very chilly night. We decided to stay out and talk. The night ended up becoming an adventure to find a place to sleep quickly. It wasn't all that late when we first began looking around but around 3 A.M. the hunt became desperate. We stayed in what is best translated as spa. The actual word for the spa I don't know. This spa had a place to work out, play digital golf, bath, relax, and of course sleep. We paid about 10 USD and were given cloths to change into. We changed and went to the sleeping room. Men and women go to separate changing areas, as well for bathing and such. The sleeping area is for both genders. Meg never showed up to this room but I was too tired to care. The sleeping room was a little warm to me and boiling to our friend. I was just glad it wasn't too cold, since I had just been to the very warm Philippines. I slept near some old ladies and was deep asleep until roused by our friend. Eventually, we got Meg to join us in the lobby by asking Korean ladies to go in and ask the girl with colored hair to come out :) Our friend didn't sleep at all and Meg had gone to bed on a massage table. The first day was a very long day.
The next day we went to a swap meet/flee market type styled market. There are building like (Seoul Folk Flea Market) this around Korea where people sell used goods of all sorts. In the place I found some interesting, rare, and odd items.
Walking around the area, we saw some more goods such as roasters and statues. On the walk I was told that the double parlor shop poles are really advertisements for places that give *special* happy massages. I don't know if that is true, but something to look out for and avoid. The weather was cold but otherwise the area was very nice.
We kept finding more places that sold goods and some building with far too many lights...
I found the subway to be very efficient and awesome. It was a change to see emergency supplies in the tunnels though, but for a country with constant vigilance about war preparedness it isn't that surprising. The screen with a windows error was a little surprising because I thought they would be running a specialized operating system (O.S.) for their trains'.
A few more random photos...
Overall the first few days in Seoul were great but a major change from the Philippines. I quickly remembered how much more difficult ordering food is when you can't speak the language.
Next time I take my first bullet-train to Busan!
Tip Of The Day: Honking as you run a red light......completely okay, when in S. Korea! No horn, no okay!!
