longmen caves

our primary reason for visiting the city of luoyang is its proximity to the invaluable Unesco World Heritage site of longmen caves. positioned only 7 miles outside of the city, it made for an amazing daytrip and site to see. the grottoes at longmen constitute one of china's few surviving masterpeices of buddhist rock carving. the carvings took over 200 years to complete and consist of over 2,300 caves and niches, 100,000 buddhist images, and 2,800 peices of inscriptions. the images of buddha and his disciples emerge from over a kilometer of limestone cliff wall along the two banks of the yi river. in the early 20th century, many of the statues were beheaded by collectors, or simply extracted whole, many ending up abroad. some sculptures are slowly being returned and heads are are being restored to their severed necks. unfortunately, many statues have had their faces crudely smashed off, deliberate defacement that dates back to the dark days of the cultural revolution.

aside from the few chinese tourists, david and i felt as if we had the site to ourselves. we enjoyed a peaceful day seeing such a beautifully maintained and thoughfully presented site. we ended the outing by visiting the fengxian temple, the largest structure at longmen. we made a donation and rang the bell 6 times for the sake of health and longevity.

alina

leaving the capitol city

the 10 hour overnight hard sleeper wasn't that bad. the clean, tidy compartment slept 6 of us. david and i both had bottom berths, which were actually tall enough and quite spacious. our sleeping companions were 2 young businessmen and 2 loud-speaking older men. one of the young guys spoke fairly good english and was all about talking story for the first 1.5 hours of the journey. he kept my interest for quite some time, or at least until he started talking about china's dynasties, theology, and the rivers of china. as i began to nod off he started directing all of his attention to david. shortly after, we all retired to our individual berths - which for me, provided a somewhat restful night's sleep. david tells a different story in that he was abruptly awoken in the middle of the night by a man grossly hacking up flem then puking in the sink area next to our compartment. unbelievably (and thankfully), i managed to sleep through all of it.

arrival into luoyang was quite easy. we appeared to be the only westerners in sight and were approached by a good number of touts as we exited the train station. two smiling ladies trying to push their hotels relentlessly followed us the 4 block walk to our youth hostel - the luoyang international youth hostel. we checked in and paid the attractive, low rate of 100 yuan ($13.50) per night. we realized immediately that the room was increadibly cold and had no towels. i went to the front desk and was promptly given a remote control for the wall heater and 2 still damp towels. we guessed that if you don't ask for them, you don't get them!?

after a three hour nap we decided to venture out for a walk around the city and a bite to eat. the feel of the city is completely different from the big city of beijing. with 1.4 million people, luoyang actually feels like a "small city" in comparison. we are definitely a spectacle, as we are constantly noticed and looked at. the people seem more shy and less accoustomed to seeing foriegners. the children are excited to see david up close and yell out, "hello!". a woman poses with her child so we can take a photo. old ladies smile big toothless grins and wave at us. a young boy gives us mandarin oranges and a vendor gives us a sampling of corn snacks. the people are nicer. NO ONE TRIES TO SELL US ANYTHING! we have most definitely left the capitol city...

alina

touring around beijing...

there is so much history in a city that is home to nearly 6000 years of chinese culture it is impossible to see nearly any of it in the matter days. none-the-less, over the course of the last week, alina and i tried to visit what we deemed to be the most significant sites around beijing. we took in a few strolles through tianamen square, toured the forbidden city, scaled the great wall of china at badaling, and visited the temple of heaven and the lama temple.

it was emotionally leveling the first time we walked through tianamen square. after settling into our hostel on the first night, we walked through the square on the way to get dinner. we made it there after most of the hawkers and vendors had left and tourists were making their way out for the evening - so we kind of had the place to ourselves. much as our parent's generation associate so much to red square in Russia, our generation can easily recall the events of july 4, 1989 at tianamen square. those images we watched on the news almost 20 years ago we vivid in our minds as we made our way through the square. to say the least, it was a memorable experience.

the following day, we visited the lama temple, the first and most significant tibetian buddist temple outside of Tibet. the lama temple houses a number of pieces of buddhist artwork, including the centerpiece maitreya buddha. standing at 18 meters tall. the buddha is carved out of one single piece of sandalwood. after the lama temple, we headed south through the city to the temple of heaven park. the park is home to the several temples all used by the emperor, when praying for good harvests and bumper crops. the temple of heaven was an impressive sight, especially after learning about the astrology and numerology that was employed in the architecture of the buildings and alters.

as i am sure countless people have written before me, the great wall of china was an uncomprehendable mass of architecture and labor. it was amazing to walk the short span that we did.

on our last afternoon, we made our way through the gates of the forbidden city. the cold winter day and heavy fog that covered the city made the forbidden city seem almost otherworldly.

tonight, we are jumping on our first overnight train of our trip. we will be heading to luoyang, china for a few days to see the longmen grottoes and then onto xian, china to see the terracotta warriors. - david

beijing street food

dining on the streets of beijing has been a memorable experience for us over the course of the last week. for beijingers, dining on the street is a way of life, with vendors selling their specialties around every corner and down ever alley. we have been thrilled with the variety of snacks offered along the streets. skewers, dumplings, baked sweet potatoes, noodle soups, sandwiches, a variety of stuffed and fried breads, pancakes, candies, fruits and popcorn have been available day and night for usually around 3-5 yuan (about 50-70 cents…).

most mornings we eat jianbing, an egg pancake brushed with chiles, hoisin, and filled with rice crackers, scallions and cilantro. usually costing about 3 yuan, jianbing make for a satisfying and cheap way to start the day. scurrying along the streets of beijing in the mornings, everyone seems to have one in their hand.

another great snack are the variety of 'gyro' like sandwiches sold through the city. roasted, chopped chicken or lamb is mixed with shaved cucumber, scallions and hot chiles then stuffed into a round of warm fried bread. the sandwich has a nice balance of hot and cold, from the rostisserie meat, cold, raw vegetables and red chile paste - another great snack for under 5 yuan.

maybe best of all have been the endless varieties of hot soups served on the streets. both spicy noodle soup, laced with red chiles, peanuts and ground pork in a dark rich pork broth or sausage, tofu and tripe stew, again served loaded with chiles and sesame in a dark broth are filling and satisfying as the winter cold is taking over the streets of the city. - david

it ain't turkey, but happy thanksgiving anyways!

happy thanksgiving everyone. tonight we are going to celebrate the holiday with the long-time favorite of the beijing dining scene - peking duck. crispy skin, green onion, cucumber, plum sauce & pancakes are all the makings of a fine meal in the capital city. i must admit, we have already sampled peking duck at beijing dadong roast duck restaurant, regarded as a bejing dining institution. tonight, however, we are planning on visiting a local restaurant just down the street from our hostel in qianmen. hope everyone is healthy and happy, we'll report back on the dinner...- david

ni hao!

we're in beijing... we made it. after a subway, taxi, 27 hours on a ferry across the yellow sea, a bus, two cabs and stops at 2 hotels, we made it to beijing youth hostel at about 2am last night. after getting checked into the hostel, of which we didn't have yuan to pay for so we held the room with american dollars until we could get to a bank this morning, we got scrubbed up in hot showers and hit the bed for a well needed night's sleep. this morning (after paying for our room...) we made our way to qian men hostel, only a few minutes walk from tiananmen square, and got settled in our new home for the next week. beijing is amazing, we spent a while strolling through tiananmen square this evening. the sense of importance radiates from every direction there. it was a shock to the senses to be in such a historically significant place. afterwards, we hit the streets for a little dinner and retired back to the room for an early evening. i have a feeling that we are going to enjoy china and our time in beijing... more to come. - david

korea, the wrap-up

our comments and observations of korea:

• koreans are friendly, helpful and generous people. they are honest too - we were never over-charged or short-changed.
• korea is a very safe country to travel. we never felt threatened or unsafe in any way.
• bus travel in korea is clean, efficient and cheap. we traveled the country by bus for a little over $100 total. one interesting note about bus travel - drivers require all passengers to wear seat belts and even check everyone before departing - unreal!
• korean girls, aged 9-13 are fascinated with david. they stare, point and giggle as they try to get his attention to yell out "hello!"
• korean men, aged 75 and older are fascinated with alina, primarily with her chest… they just stare.
• laundromats seem to be nonexistent in korea - we have washed all of our clothes in the bathtub.
• a good cup of coffee is hard to come by in korea without paying at least $3.50 a cup. instant coffee and cheap tea in convenience stores seem to be the most popular options.
• koreans love doughnuts - bakeries, dunkin' doughnuts and krispy cream line every street - and they always seem to be full (even though, by and far, koreans are thin and fit)
• the tap water in korea is drinkable. not to mention, most motels and guesthouses provide hot and cold filtered water, tea, energy drinks and instant coffee in the room. the later of which is less than inspiring…
• korea is a shopper's paradise. clothes, shoes, jewelry, cell phones - you name it, you can find at least one street dedicated to your particular poison. even in small towns and cities like andong you can find name brand boutiques and electronic stores throughout the city.
• outside of seoul we encountered only 4 other western tourists. chinese and japanese tourists were abundant.
• korean tourist information offices offer an excellent service. they provided maps, made arrangements for motels and ferry tickets, copied and faxed information for us, and kindly answered any questions we had. they speak perfect english, and their services are completely free.
• similar to their japanese neighbor, koreans love things that are "cute".

what things cost in korea:

• one hour shuttle bus from the airport to seoul city center $9.00 per person
• tofu skewer with spicy broth .79
• fast-food bibimbap $3.80
• bibimbap in a nice restaurant $7.00
• large bottled water $1.25
• room at han hung motel in insadong, seoul $43.00 per night
• 20oz cass beer from a convenient store $2.20
• a seoul subway ride $1.10
• fish cake corndog $1.65
• small bottle of soju $1.44
• entry to changdeokgung palace $3.25 per person
• small regular brewed coffee in a coffee shop $3.50
• small can of coffee in a convenience store $0.65
• beef korean barbeque $23.00
• pork korean barbeque $8.00
• entry to haeinsa temple site $2.20 per person
• postcards $0.50 each
• postage to the USA $0.47 per postcard
• gimbap (a california roll) $1.00
• a molten hot goodness $0.70
• mackeral lunch $6.50
• 6oz diet coke $0.75
• the korea mask $34.00
• microfiber socks from the market $1.00 pair
• earrings from a street vendor $6.50
• economy bunk fare for 24 hour ferry ride to china $130.00 per person

what's next?

tomorrow, friday, we are taking a 24 hour ferry across the west (yellow) sea from incheon, korea to tianjin, china. our arrival will be rather late, so we plan to spend our first night in china in tianjin, then move on to beijing on the following day.

onward!

alina

our top five korean dining experiences (and a few others worth mentioning…)

1. raw blue crab in spicy broth - a meal we splurged on in the insadong district of seoul. we were each served a whole blue crab, legs and claws cracked, served in a soy sauce based broth, slightly sweetened and seasoned with sesame, scallions and fresh chiles. it was ice cold, sweet and very spicy. we were a little trepidatious in getting started, but once we had gotten a taste for it, there was no stopping us. the primary accompaniments were toasted nori (seaweed) squares and steamed white rice seasoned with cooked black beans. the server, realizing we were inept americans (even if i am a professionally trained chef…), showed us how to scoop the rice, dredge it through the crab broth wrap the nori around it and make a delicious little snack in-between picking apart the crab. admittedly, this was the first time i had raw crab like this, it was very sweet and almost creamy in texture - arguably the tastiest blue crab preparation i have ever had. although, i hear that the chile crab in singapore will probably top it, a test i am looking forward to. along with the crab, we were served a wide array of banchan and other little shared dishes, including cold ribbon fish with stewed onion, pumpkin and celery in chile sauce; a bubbling, spicy hot pot of clams, crab and tofu in a slightly fermented fish broth; a cold radish consommÈ flavored with rose water (maybe?); a warm sweetened pumpkin bisque; assorted pickled mushrooms, greens and radishes; kimchi (maybe the best we had, effervescent like a perfect kosher dill); salad greens with a creamy ginger dressing; and for dessert, an ice cold tea steeped with cinnamon and garnished with a raw pine nut. a pretty elaborate, not to mention enormous, meal for 40,000W (about $45).
2. traditional salted, grilled mackerel - a lunch we had a little outside of andong. andong is a popular stop in korea, mainly because it has maintained much of the traditional charm of old korea. one such tradition is the art of salting fresh mackerel. there are several mackerel restaurants along the nakdong river, all serving similar dishes for about the same price. we picked what looked to be the most crowded and walked in. after being escorted to a table in the main dining room, where everyone (all korean) would be able to watch us and critic our dining abilities, we played charades with the owner (since he spoke the most english) and settled upon the modestly priced, grilled salted mackerel meal for two. within about ten minutes, we were served a crispy, hot-off-the-grill split mackerel along with boribap, steamed rice with barley, hot miso-seaweed soup, a few different types of kimchi, salted cabbage and leeks, fresh greens with cucumber dressing, pickled leek bulbs (just the oniony bottoms) with a spicy chile hot sauce, shoyu marinated quail eggs and konyaku ( a type of japanese wheat gluten cake, i don't know the korean name…) with fresh chiles and fried chile peppers served cold with a sesame soy marinade. the mackerel was moist, perfectly cooked, a little salty and crispy from the grill. it was an amazing experience, especially considering the price - 6000W a person (about $13 total). i think we made a good showing, leaving only the fish bones and empty plates behind.
3. jjimdak in andong. on the back streets of the food market in andong, we found a little street full of small restaurants all serving jjimdak, a spicy chicken, rice noodle, vegetable and soy stew loaded with chile peppers and sweetened with korean corn syrup. after mustering up the courage to walk into what looked like a 'locals only' type of place, i attempted to decipher the korean menu. after a few minutes of examination, i found the characters for jjimdak and pointed to it for the server and cook to see. they nodded in approval and quickly went to work on what would turn into a feast for two people… about fifteen minutes later the cook, whose pictures adorned the walls posing with news reports and what must have been korean celebs, brought in an enormous wok full of food. she quickly poured the bubbling mixture into a clay casserole pan and the server quickly brought it to the table, showing us how to cut the rice noodles with the scissors and then retreating to the kitchen area to watch us fumble around trying to serve ourselves (a common pastime among the servers who have helped us through he last two weeks). the jjimdak was sublime, unlike any other korean food thus far in our trip and almost overwhelming in volume. we had our work cut out for us, but after skipping breakfast and waiting until late in the afternoon we were ready for the challenge. jjimdak is composed of chicken chopped into manageable pieces, lots of rice noodles, carrots, potatoes, bitter greens, fresh red chiles and a little ginger. the cooking liquid was a deep rich brown, made up of chicken stock, korean corn syrup, soy sauce and more ground chiles. as the food started to disappear, the liquid did too as the rice noodles expanded, soaking it all up and turning a translucent brown color themselves. as we made our way to the bottom of the dish, it was evident that the cook and serve team were pleased with our progress as they periodically checked in on us. as our bellies filled up, we gradually started to recline more and more on the ondol floors (heated from below) - they were so comfortable, it took all of my energy to not lay down and take a nap right there. after paying the bill, we made our way back into the cold november air and slowly walked around the city for a little while before retiring to our room for that inevitable late afternoon nap.
4. bibimbap in haeinsa. we visited haeinsa temple, a UNESCO heritage site outside of daegu on a day trip one afternoon. after the bus ride we were ready for lunch before hiking around the national park and temple grounds. sometimes, you have the best dining experiences when you are least expecting it. we thought we would have a quick, cheap lunch of dolsot bibimbap (rice, assorted veggies, egg and chile paste in a hot clay pot) for lunch since it is an easy meal and filling. we took a recommendation out of lonely planet and headed to the restaurant on the second floor of the bus depot. since i never expect culinary genius above a bus station, we were very surprised when served a perfectly arranged hot clay pot of rice, raw egg yolk and assorted mountain vegetables from right in the area. the banchan accompanying the meal took the experience to next level and included, boiled glazed fresh peanuts; crispy deep fried, sugar glazed chile peppers that were more like candy than chiles; spinach greens, salted and dressed with sesame; dried fermented shrimp with a chile glaze, pickled beef and garlic, kimchi, tofu-peanut stew in fermented fish broth; and salted kimchi diakon radish. after lunch, it took a few minutes for me to muster up the excitement to make the hike up to the temple compound. i guess for a chef, sometimes the food is the main attraction…
5. korean barbeque - on almost every street corner in korea, we have found some variation of the korean barbeque. beef, pork, chicken, even tofu - all grilled over hot coals at your table and accompanied by lettuce (red oak) and sesame leaves (spot on shiso leaves with a less pronounced flavor), chile paste, raw onions in shoyu, sesame oil with salt and pepper, shaved leeks or scallions dressed with a spicy chile sauce, assorted kimchi, pickles, soft tofu dressed with raw chiles, shoyu, seaweed and sesame and some sort of sweet (not spicy…) dish, more often than not a few pieces of fruit or lettuce with a mayonnaise based sweet dressing. our first of several barbeque meals was at a restaurant in the itaewon district of seoul (after the sauna experience if you read alina's entry). we ordered beef striploin and pork belly meat. afterwards we realized that the pork was better and not even half the price - as is often the case, less expensive cuts of meat tend to be more flavorful… anyways, the beef was very well marbled, akin to kobe beef, and the pork was basically thick sliced bacon. as the pork rendered out it's fat on the grill it transformed into crispy charred pieces, sizzling hot - awesome. wrapped with the cold lettuce leaves, seasoned with sesame, sea salt and chile and laced with the spicy scallions, it makes for a sublime meal.

street food - i know, street food is a little harder to pin down than the previous five, but koreans know how to do street food right. vendors sell their specialties along every street, off of carts, the backs of trucks, in make shift roadside tents and even out of the back of their vans. you can eat a wide range of food, from tofu skewers, fish cakes, hot dogs, corn dogs, snails, silk worm larvae (one we didn't try) to walnut cakes, noodles, mandu, red bean cakes, blood sausage, tripe and liver. the list is pretty much endless. it is funny, because many little restaurants offer the same basic dishes at sit down tables for a few dollars more, but it seems like something is lost in translation once it makes it's way to the table. we ate some type of street food every day and it's safe to say that it was always better standing outside eating it like the locals do. most vendors offer chopsticks, dipping sauces and a large thermos of hot green tea. hard to beat when the prices rarely exceed $2… - david

the korea mask

tal = mask in korean

the first korean masks were made of shells and date back to 5000 BC and the neolithic era. today masks are still used in korea's folk dance arts. the dances are believed to attract good luck, heal disease, overcome famine, expel evil spirits, and even guide the deceased to heaven.

this is the mask from korea - it's called "the butcher".

alina

kimchi (it's everywhere!)

to say that kimchi is a fudamental component of korean cuisine is an understatement. over the course of the last two weeks, we have come to have a better understanding of this korean staple. kimchi is a part of every meal in korea, i am not quite sure how it could be avoided if you were here for longer than, say, a few hours. we have had endless variations on kimchi over the last 10 or so days.

for those of you not familiar, the most common form of kimchi is basically cabbage (napa or won bok) seasoned with garlic and gochujang (korean red chile paste). better versions are fermented for months or even years, providing a bubbly effervescence from the fermentation process. the variations of kimchi are endless, including diakon radish, radish tops, cucumber, pork, smoked meats, pickled chiles, dried fish and shrimp, fresh prawns, oysters, squid and octopus. typical meals include banchan, a set of small side dishes to be eaten family style. several versions of kimchi always make up a few of these banchan. popular dishes also use kimchi as a staple component. a type of bubbling hot, spicy tofu stew called kimchi jjigae accompanies most meals as a side dish.

outside of restaurants, kimchi is sold prepared in endless variations at just about every market in korea. also found in the markets are all of the components necessary to make kimchi at home. small vendors specialize in drying and grinding chiles, selling varieties of sea salts and various fermented and dried fish - all used to season, pickle and ferment kimchi. it appears that most families make and ferment their own kimchi, as homes and rooftops are lined with enormous clay pots. families also keep separate fridges in their homes to store the stuff. it is no wonder that kimchi is considered the national dish of korea. - david

seoul fishmarket

we visited the noryangin fish market on our last afternoon in seoul before heading south to daegu and andong. the fish market, located across a short pedestrian bridge from the noryangin metro station, proved to be an experience for all five senses. full of bartering fish mongers, salesmen, restaurateurs and housewives preparing for the evening's dinner, the market was definitely alive in more ways than one… fresh and saltwater tanks bubbled, teaming with varieties of groupers, snappers, flat fishes, eels, every type of shellfish and snail imaginable and an array of octopuses from 2" in length to some that must have weighed over 50#. some of the most interesting stalls were those selling stingrays. whole stingrays, weighing around 5-10# and prepared stingray sashimi platters made up their displays - something i had never seen before, not even in the enormous tsukiji fish market in tokyo, japan. the market made for an interesting afternoon and gave us a better understanding of korean cuisine.

after strolling the aisles for a while, alina and i decided that lunch was in order. again, unlike tsukiji, there was a limited number of restaurants around the market, so we made our way out into the neighboring streets to find a bite. after wandering around for a while, we stumbled upon a korean fried chicken and hof (beer) restaurant. we had heard lots of good things about korea's version of one of our favorites (being from kentucky and all…) so we thought it time to give it a try. we were not disappointed, crispy, spicy and piping hot from the fryer, the chicken uniquely korean while still reminding us of home. dried, ground red chiles (the same used for kimchi) gave the chicken a hefty bite while pickled diakon radish and a cabbage slaw provided cooling relief. seasoned salt and a version of sweet mustard were provided for dipping. delicious and cheap (6000 W or about $7.00), i am sure that we will find our way into another chicken and hof joint before heading to china. - david

an update since leaving seoul

we took a southward 3.5 hour bus ride from seoul to korea's 3rd largest city, daegu. the ride was beautiful, through korea's mountainous and forested countryside. we checked into motel amore - an establishment of the "love" variety - complete with mirrors, a round bed, and a vcr with a free video "library" down the hall. it was clean, in a convenient location, and the price was right at 30,000 won or $33.00 per night.

the next day we toured the city and visited a traditional medicine market. we saw large jars with strange roots, dried leaves, flowers, and herbs, reindeer horns, dried gekkos, and huge metal "pressure cooker" looking vessels brewing medicinal herbal infusions. some koreans still believe that medicinal herbs can be used to cure all illness.

the following day we took a daytrip to haeinsa, an unesco world heritage site. it's one of korea's most signifigant and most beautiful temples and houses over 81,000 original woodblock scriptures, making it one of the largest buddhist libraries of it's kind. the woodblocks are stored in special buildings equipped with advanced ventilation, temperature, and humidity controls. we enjoyed the peacefulness and natural beauty of haeinsa for the day as we listened to the chanting of the monks resounding throughout the temple grounds. haeinsa is definitely the most remarkable site we have visited in korea as of yet.

from daegu we took a 1.5 hour bus ride to andong, a small city (pop 169,000) that is noted for preserving much of it's traditional character. the city is know for mackerel, soju, and masks - of which we are interested in all three. upon checking into our motel, we were pleasantly surprised to find out that our room comes complete with a computer and high speed internet service. this will give us the opportunity over the next couple of days to catch up on emails, the blog, and researching the last few details prior to entering china. more to come on korea...

alina

the korean bath house

for our last night in the city we decided to visit the itaewon district of seoul. our primary destination is a sauna or oncheon, korean for hot spring bathhouse. after two easy subway transfers, we arrive in itaewon and begin walking our way to the sauna. we walk past many shops and see more western restaurants and tourists than we've seen anywhere else in seoul. the area is very commercial and has a lot of neon and hostess bars with "escorts". they yell to us, "hello!". some of them definitely look like very pretty men...

after a short walk, we arrive to the hamilton hotel and proceed underground to the sauna. we take off our shoes and place them in a small locker in the lobby. the receptionist shows us a list of options which include massage and reflexology. we opt for the bath and sauna only. we pay the $8.50 each and are each given two tiny towels and a locker key for the changing room. we continue on to our separate sex bathing areas and plan to meet in about an hour.

i enter the changing area and begin looking for my locker number. i must look like i need help, because the attendant rushes over to assist by escorting me to my locker. i quickly strip and continue on to the shower area. it is required to shower and be completely clean prior to entering the baths or sauna. after showering, i enter the large blue tiled room that contains 3 different mineral baths and 2 saunas. one bath is cold and the other two are ripping hot. i can't understand the signs noting mineral content of the baths because they are in korean. there are also 3 rows of "sit down" showers, where you can sit on a small stool to bathe in front of short showers. these are very popular, as they are all full with about 30 bathers. i feel a bit self concious as everyone stares. not only am i the only foreigner, but i also feel like a giant with about 5 inches, 50 pounds, and huge boobs, compared to anyone. everyone around me is mini in size. i quickly get over the funny feeling and proceed to the nearest mineral bath. i enter the hot bubbling water and sit on the floor, with the water up to my ears. i immediately feel relaxed. after about 10 minutes i enter the cold bath - which isn't nearly as cold as i expect. i think i've swum in colder ocean water before. i alternate between the baths and saunas over the next hour. i curiously watch the korean bathers as they enthusiastically scrub, loofa, and exfoliate. friends wash each other's hair and backs and a mother bathes her two young sons. it almost seems like a social hour as everyone laughs and has fun.

i leave the bathing area and enter the shower area once again. i shower off the mineral water - whew, do i feel clean! i get dressed and go to the lobby to retrieve my shoes and wait for david. i feel relaxed, invigorated, and ready for some dinner. - alina

happy birthday!

happy birthday merilyn (mom). hope you have a great day and we miss you. love david & alina

eating around insadong

we relocated to han hung motel, a quaint little motel in the insadong district. it looks like it will be a great place to spend a few nights while we are exploring seoul. after settling in, we took a walk around the area and got a chance to sample some of the street vendor's offerings. one snack definitely showed how cultures are melding, even when it comes to food. alina and i affectionately started referring to it as the 'fish cake corn dog,' a small sausage rolled in a freshly prepared fish paste and deep fried. in true american fashion it was served complete with ketchup and mustard. a little further down the street we found these little mochi flour fritters filled with a brown sugar and peanut mixture, making for a molten hot filling dripping on our hands, sleeves and lips… a little further south, we found our way into namdaemun market, an expansive collection of vendors selling everything from sweaters and socks to chopped, smoked ham hocks and bibimbap. it was enormous and a little over whelming - I don't think either of us thought it would be so big. after getting lost in the alleys for a while we made our way back to a little mandu, or dumpling, restaurant. for all practical purposes, mandu are basically just like Japanese gyoza. the exception to this is the filing that the korean version uses is fiery hot with chiles, kimchi and ground pork. they were served with shoyu and pickled diakon radish - a nice balance to the spiciness. the walking and snacking, capped off with a few sips of soju, korea's version of vodka, and a hot shower made for a nice long nap before hitting the streets for dinner… - david

seoul is hot...

seoul is hot, well at least the food is… we got off our flight to find south korea a cool 13°c (about 59°f). without a hotel, we were expecting a little hardship finding a room on friday night in insadong, seoul. luck seems to be on our side though, as we easily converted money, booked a room blocks away from the area we wanted to stay in and made our way directly to the bus that would take us there. i guess there is something to be said about alina's diligent travel planning for the last nine months… we quickly got settled into the hotel and hit the streets to find dinner. i was immediately reminded of our experiences in japan - walking around hungrily looking into restaurants full of happy dinners (no english signs, menus or faces…) after a few passes, we decided to break the ice at a grocery selling skewers on the street. we asked for one in the international language of charades and were given an enormous skewer of spicy tofu (similar to japan's yuba) served with a small cup of the very spicy broth it was just simmering in. we followed the local's lead, brushed it with shoyu steeped with fresh chiles and quickly devoured it - the spicy hot broth was a warming finish to the snack. afterwards we found our way into a korean style fast-food stop. also similar to japan - the menu came complete with pictures, making our jobs much easier. we asked for dolsot bibimbap, a hotpot of rice, veggies, seaweed, sesame, a raw egg and gochujang (a spicy red chile paste that korea embraces much like america's love of ketchup…). our second dish was a bubbling hot crock of kimchi, sliced pork, squid, fish cake and tofu. the broth was red and thick from the chiles in the kimchi and the effect it had on us was similar to a strong prescription nasal decongestant - in short it was hot. the norm with any korean meal is an array of small side dishes, called banchan. our modest restaurant gave us three - their kimchi, which was fermented, spicy and really good. next were pickled hot peppers with small dried, fermented fishes, the peppers had an affect on alina similar to the 'habanero incident' in maui. last was the only non-spicy dish on the table, a mixture of bean sprouts and carrots. we capped the night with a 20 oz cass fresh, korea's non-pasteurized beer of choice - effervescent and slightly sour - a great end to our first night in seoul.
this morning, after breakfast, we are going to move to a guesthouse right off of insadonggi (antique road, a popular spot full of restaurants, street vendors and small artisan shops).