I'll see you tonight

As I am writing this, my girlfriend Rachael is somewhere over the Pacific at 35,000 feet. We have dated, and for the most part lived together, for nearly three years. I love her more than the modern lexicon permits me to express. While the past 106 days in Korea have been some of the most exciting and eye-opening of my life, living without my best friend has been harrowing. There isn't a moment of the day when she is not on my mind. So it is easy to understand just how excited I am to be picking her up at the airport in only a few hours.

I promised her a big surprise when she gets to Korea which I will reveal here and now. For the past month or so I have casually mentioned in certain entries that we will be traveling to Jeju Island, a passable vacation spot just off the south end of Korea. But this has all been deliberate misinformation. The truth is that I will be taking her to the tropical mecca of Boracay Island in the Philippines. For twelve wonderful days we'll wallow on white sand beaches, drink icy cocktails with little umbrellas in them, and sail on crystal blue waters. I'm usually bad at keeping surprises and if she doesn't happen to read my blog before we get on the plane I'll try to let her figure it out for herself. But I can tell you all about our romantic reunion later. For now, I have a very long and adventurous weekend to discuss.

Some friends and I had plans to go white water rafting on Saturday and the itinerary called for meeting near Hangik University Station at 7:00a.m. Since this terminal is over an hour from Suwon we just decided to frequent the bars in and around the college and crash in a hotel on Friday night. The club district covered a good 16 square blocks and was packed with thousands of rowdy Korean college students. I'd rather not detail the events of the evening but here are some pictures of various establishments.



We found the Adventure Korea buses at an ungodly hour on Saturday morning but despite only four hours of sleep I was surprisingly refreshed. What is there to say about this trip? We boarded some rafts, met some cool people, and paddled down a relatively gentle stretch of river. There were a few shallow bumps in the ride but nothing that one associates with torrential rapids. I actually had more fun ramming and splashing other boats than navigating the occasional foaming channel. After lunch we went to a bridge where anyone who was willing could go bungee jumping, but unfortunately I came up six kilograms over the weight limit and had to sit out. I was a little disappointed but there we're plenty of cool people swimming down by the river and drinking beer. I wasn't able to get many pictures of the trip because I did not want to subject my camera to the hazards of a river. At the end of the day did I get my 35,000 Won worth of fun? Absolutely. Did it meet my preconceived expectations? Not by a long shot.



Sunday was a different story altogether. Having a ton of extra time I decided to go sight seeing in Seoul. I knew it was going to be a memorable afternoon when I met this pimped out playa' on the subway. The first stop was Deoksugung Palace near City Hall. The name literally means "Palace of Virtuous Longevity" and it was built in 1454 as residence for Prince Wolsan of the Joseon Dynasty. The grounds are absolutely gorgeous with well kept orchards and awe-inspiring architecture. At sometime in the past an art museum/theater was installed on the grounds that was built in the Romanesque style. While beautiful and commanding I feel that the pillared gallery is out of place amidst the classic oriental backdrop. I got some fantastic photos of the palace and even managed to witness the changing of the guard ceremony. I uploaded my own video of this event onto Youtube but there are at least 45 others already on there and the one below is much better than mine.













As I was leaving the palace I noticed a booth offering a Free Joseon Dynasty Costume Experience. Now how could I pass that up? As soon as I tied the robe a score of Korean women wanted to get their picture with me. I was instantly popular. At one point I was surrounded by five or six school girls while ten feet away I noticed three police officers simultaneously giving me thumbs up.

Shedding my royal garments I proceeded up the main road taking pictures of the fantastic skyscrapers.

At one point the huge road allows for a wide median where a statue of some famous general dominates the terrain. At his feet are hundreds of children playing and dashing around gushing fountains.
Further up the road a terrible moss creature guards over a prismatic flower garden.At the end of the boulevard is Gyeongbokgung, the oldest and most important palace of the Josean Dynasty. It's size is overwhelming. The mountains climbing off distantly behind her form are breathtaking. I want very much to explore the grounds but as I am heading towards the gate I decide to save this one for later. This one Rachael and I will do together.

Cool Thing About Korea #22: Some public restrooms have these high-tech toilets. Push a button and your seat warms up, vibrates, or shoots a blast of water or air. Nothing makes your day like a bidet.