Every May, the city of Jinju celebrates the Nongae Festival at Jinju Fortress (Jinjuseong). It is a traditional arts festival that “presents the spirit of Jinju and the loyal spirit of patriotic Nongae.”
Jinjuseong was originally built during
the Three Kingdoms era (57 BC-668 AD)the eastern gate
Who is Nongae? She was, like most Korean historical figures, a complete and total bada**. Do you remember, in my post about Seollal, I posted a picture of a statue in Jinjuseong of General Kim Si-Min? Without much detail, I mentioned that in 1592 he and an army of 3800 men held Jinjuseong against a Japanese invading force of 20,000. And in my post about April, I mentioned Admiral Yi Sun-Sin and his turtle boats defeating a (much larger) Japanese naval force at the Battle of Sacheon in 1592. Well, all of that was part of a larger conflict known as the Imjin War (or Imjinwaeran War, or the Japanese Invasions of Korea). I could (and may, if I have time) write an entire post about this war, simply because of the many bada** Korean leaders and fighters (warrior monks!) that appeared during it. In the late 16th century, Toyotomi Hideyoshi* unified Japan and began looking toward Korea and China. In 1592, he invaded Korea with around 160,000 soldiers. They made a lot of progress across the peninsula, but became locked in a stalemate and declared a truce. When peace negotiations failed, the Japanese tried invading again in 1597, but ultimately failed to make further progress. Hideyoshi’s death in 1598, combined with the Korean navy interrupting their supply lines to Japan, led the Japanese to finally withdraw from the Korean peninsula and eventually resume normal relations. During the initial invasion, Jinjuseong was targeted by the Japanese as a strategic stronghold that would allow them access to Jeolla province in the west (a rich, agricultural region of the peninsula). Some 20-30,000 Japanese soldiers were sent to take Jinjuseong in what was supposed to be an easy victory for the Japanese. But General Kim was a clever and well-prepared man who had the foresight to acquire a couple hundred arquebuses (an early hand gun) that helped the small Korean force repel the Japanese. It was one of the greatest Korean victories during the war. Unfortunately, this rather pissed off Hideyoshi, who sent another force several months later with 90-120,000 soldiers determined to obliterate the Koreans. And obliterate they did. The few thousand Korean soldiers at Jinjuseong were killed, along with 50-70,000 Korean citizens. To celebrate their victory, the Japanese gathered in Chokseongnu Pavilion in Jinjuseong and summoned all of the gisaeng to entertain them.
Chokseongnu Pavilion (ca. 1241) was burned down during
the Korean War and was rebuilt in 1960Chokseongnu overlooks the Nam River
Gisaeng (another interesting subject that could consume an entire post) were basically government slaves who functioned as “entertainers.” This included everything from dancing and composing poetry to sexual services and even to medical care and diplomacy. Gisaeng occupied the lowest status in society, but because they were government employees, so to speak, they were also highly regulated and carefully trained. Many were accomplished poets and artists, though their talents went unappreciated because of their low social status. Gisaeng lived throughout Korea, but most worked at the royal court in Seoul. Nongae was one of these gisaeng. But she had other plans to “entertain” the Japanese soldiers. Putting on her finest dress and jewelry, the beautiful Nongae sat down upon a rock next to the Nam River underneath Chokseongnu. She began singing and playing a geomungo (Korean harp). Naturally, the Japanese were enthralled by her beauty and several went down to the rock, but only a Japanese general dared approached her. Nongae smiled and flirted with the general, then invited him to dance. Nongae embraced the general tightly, used rings on her fingers to lock her hands together, and threw herself off the rock into the river. Unable to escape her grasp, the Japanese general drowned along with Nongae.
view of Chokseongnu from the river bank;
Uiam rock sits below it by the water
Throughout the years, Nongae has been celebrated by various Korean authors and historians for her patriotism and loyalty. The rock from which she jumped is known as Uiam (“righteous rock”) and her spirit is honored in Jinjuseong at Uigisa (“righteous gisaeng shrine”), apparently the only shrine in Korea dedicated to a woman. Her rings, a symbol of her loyalty, adorn the Jinju Bridge that crosses Nam River. The city has long held a festival honoring Nongae’s spirit, but they began the Nongae Festival of arts in 2002.
Korean ladies in their hanbok
The festival is held over three days the last weekend in May. It began with the ritual honoring Nongae’s spirit – “Uiambyeolje” – superintended by women and involving song and dance. A variety of other songs and dances were performed throughout the festival, as well. There were booths showcasing traditional foods and drink, pottery, wood chopping, books and writing utensils. We tried some traditional Korean rice tea, and puffed rice with some kind of ginger toffee. There were commercial booths selling Jinju strawberry jam, Jinju silk (the city produces 70-80% of Korea’s silk), and other local specialties. We bought a delicious pineapple smoothie from Buddhist nuns. We got ice cream and watched part of a traditional “intercultural” wedding (the groom was Dutch, I think). There were booths devoted to traditional clothes, as well: one to choose your hanbok and one to have your hair and makeup professionally done. Groups of beautiful Korean ladies in hanbok sat on the grass underneath the trees, surfing the web on their smart phones. There were pony rides, archery games, strolling drum bands, a place where kids could draw Nongae on a leaf and hang it on a “tree”… and several other booths that were not yet set up when we were there (we left before the party really started). And all of this was just in the fortress. Across the river was an even bigger party and we could see an entire street full of booths, plus a temporary dock on the river with boats and jet skis for rent.
showcasing a traditional restaurant and foodshiding from the suntheir drawings of Nongae……to hang on the “tree”Jinjuseong bellthe path down to the riverby the Nam River“traditional life” boothsConnery joined a family in their soccer/football gamedrummers… so early in the day (noon), the crowd was lightNongae and… friend?
The highlight of the festival every year, which unfortunately we missed, is a nighttime reenactment of Nongae’s sacrifice. The audience sits on a pontoon platform floating on the river and watches actors reenact the battle, the rock encounter, and Nongae grabbing the general before leaping into the water. As you can imagine, the sight of actors fully clad in traditional clothes leaping into the water in a display of patriotic loyalty is rather popular with the crowd. I hope we can see the reenactment, if we return next year.
*Toyotomi Hideyoshi is remembered by the Japanese for a number of achievements, and by non-Japanese for a number of atrocities. I’m sure you can guess what Koreans think of him. A million Koreans died during the Imjin War (one-third of their population at the time). And there is quite literally an ear (and nose) mound in Kyoto known as Mimizuka (“ear mound”), a monument dedicated to the war trophies Hideyoshi sent back to Japan: the ears and noses of tens of thousands of Korean citizens. Such “trophy” mounds from the war are actually found in several places throughout southern Japan. Mimizuka has been a point of contention between Korea and Japan, especially in the late 20th century, when Japanese educators refused to include the site in history textbooks – and when they finally did, tried to argue that it was a monument to the spirits of the Koreans who were killed. A Times article written in 1997 on the 400th anniversary of Mimizuka’s dedication stated that few Japanese knew about the monument’s existence, and yet nearly all Koreans did. … And if you watched Martin Scorsese’s depress-fest Silence last year, you may be familiar with the persecution of Christians in early 17th century Japan. Hideyoshi got that ball rolling when he crucified 26 Franciscan missionaries and Japanese Catholics in Nagasaki in 1597. The imperial government – which initially welcomed St. Francis Xavier as a possible bridge to European trade and Catholic missionaries as a counterbalance to powerful Buddhist monks – became fearful that Christianity was a precursor to colonialism (as it had been elsewhere), so outlawed the foreign religion. Over the next few decades, hundreds of Japanese and missionary Christians were killed and those who remained became the Kakure Kirishitan, “hidden Christians,” worshiping in secret until the religious ban was lifted in 1873. Western missionaries who arrived in the late 19th century were shocked to discover around 30,000 Kakure Kirishitan in Japan at the time.
let’s end on something happy… like a cute little girl!… and a sassy little boy
Mother’s Day last month was a beautiful, beautiful crystal clear Sunday, and I told the family I wanted Starbucks and a drive. The closest Starbucks is down in Samcheonpo, so I don’t get there very often (not a fan of their coffees but they have the best chai around). There’s also this bridge we pass on the drive down there and I’ve always wanted to know what’s on the other side. So, after a quick stop at Starbucks for my drink and some snacks for the kids, we followed the bridge west across Sacheon Bay. There was not much in the area immediately past the bridge: a rest stop with a large tourist map of the region; some homes; what we thought was a historical site but turned out to be a pension and a love hotel on top of a hill; a couple of concrete piers; lots of fishing boats sitting on the mud while the tide was out. The view across the bay to Sacheon was lovely, however.
the bridge to Seopo
On the large tourist map, the kids noticed a statue of a bunny riding a turtle on one of the nearby islands, and they insisted we investigate. We continued down the road to Seopo, and I did my best excited-dog-in-the-front-seat-with-the-window-open impression, yelling “It’s so prettyyyyyyyyyyyyyy!!!” into the wind while admiring the gorgeous views. Vibrant green deciduous trees mixed with darker pine trees along the tops of the hills, farms and homes cascaded down into valleys where terraced rice fields had recently been flooded in preparation for planting. Rows of mountains faded into the distance in lighter and lighter shades of blue. Yellow wildflowers were popping up along the road. And Koreans have a thing for tree-lined roads, so the narrow highway we followed, curving along the hills, was covered with a leafy canopy much of the way. In between patches of trees, we could catch glimpses of the bay behind us sparkling in the afternoon sunlight. After a cold, leafless, and mostly smoggy winter, the green trees and flowers and clean air were almost magical. And as the land warms up, people get to work. More than once, we had to pass an old Korean man driving his tractor between fields (and play chicken with oncoming drivers along the narrow road). Elderly couples and some families were tending their fields and gardens. One young boy carried freshly-plucked and characteristically massive Korean green onions (daepa) to his mother while the family pup trotted alongside him. We turned south, back towards the bay, and we could see long stretches of mud flats exposed by low tide. Poking out of the water – and found all around islands in the bay – are bamboo weirs. This traditional fishing method, known as jukbangnyeom, involves driving long wooden beams into the sea bed and stretching bamboo screens along the top to catch fish in the fast current of the incoming tide. Apparently, anchovies comprise most of the catch, and these Jukbang anchovies are supposedly one of the best regional products. Anchovies are commonly used for making soup stock in Korean cooking; you can buy large bags of dried anchovies in the grocery store. They also sell bags of a much smaller anchovy, which is used to make anchovy stir fry, or myeolchi-bokkeum – quite literally a pile of tiny dead fish, sadly adorable beady eyes and all (so small they look like noodles, but one bite and you realize how wrong was that assumption).
mud flats and bamboo weirs
Following the road over a couple of bridges, we arrived on Bito Island. We honestly didn’t know much at the time. We just kept driving along, looking for that whole turtle/bunny thing. On the south side of the island, we took a wrong turn, and came across a harbor full of fishing boats, a long footbridge to a small island even farther south, a group of ajummas cleaning some kind of fishing net, and a pile of clam shells that was literally the size of a house (I’m not even joking… I thought it was a huge pile of sand before a closer look revealed it to be shells). Naturally, we had to stop and walk around.
footbridge to Bito Sea Park
After our kids charmed a few of the old ladies with their “annyeonghaseyo” and Lena’s formal bow, we walked along the edge of the concrete-enclosed harbor to the big footbridge. Turns out, that little island is a fishing park: the Bito Marine Fishing Park. For a small fee, you can take your gear across to some floating docks out on the water and waste an afternoon hoping a hungry fish comes your way. For an even smaller fee, you can just walk around and take pictures. And for what I assume must be a not-so-small fee, there are dome-shaped huts, each with a kitchen and bathroom and an outdoor picnic table and each on its own platform out in the water, available to rent. According to an advertising poster of the island hanging on the wall outside a bathroom, somebody has/had big plans for the place. Fancy little hotels, some kind of sports field, something that may or may not be an amphitheater. I’m not sure if all that is still in the works, but as it is it’s an interesting little park. The kids spent some time romping on what must be one of the most beautifully situated playgrounds I’ve ever seen. But other than that and fishing, there wasn’t much to do.
it was a bit windyboardwalk runs along half the little islandplayground with a viewthough it could use a few updates
Unless you’re also into clams. Because I hear this place has the best oysters in Korea. And if that massive pile of shells is any indication, raking for clams – clamming?? – is pretty popular. A few of the ajummas were wandering along the edge of the water, bucket in hand. And as we drove away from the harbor, we saw an entire family – grandma, grandpa, mom and dad, two grade school kids – hobbling into the rocks and mud with buckets and rakes. I read somewhere that these are Manila clams, a large clam species found in Korea’s coastal marshes and yummiest in their spring breeding period. Apparently, the locals make a soup out of them.
ajummas on the hunthe’s still working on that peace signso many fishing boats
Continuing down the (only) road on Bito Island, we immediately noticed a large bunny statue at the base of a forested hill. Nearby was a parking lot – sure sign of a tourist site. Upon closer inspection, we discovered that the large bunny statue was of a standing, hanbok-clad, concerned-looking mama bunny holding a swaddled baby bunny and surrounded by several small bunny and one small turtle statues. Behind the statues, slightly up the hill, was a large fenced enclosure with at least a few dozen bunnies. Real bunnies. Real, fluffy, and adorable bunnies. Big, fat, and lazy. Palm-sized, fluffy baby bunnies. Fast bunnies. Hungry bunnies. Bunnies, bunnies, bunnies. Only, in Korean. So it should be tokki, tokki, tokki.
gwiyeouuuuuuuuuuuuun!!!nothing says family fun like a bunny widow
After our brief encounter with the Bito-Island-cage-full-o’-tokki, Aaron and I have decided that we absolutely must return with bags full of sliced carrots. A friendly Korean family shared some weedy vegetables with the kids to feed bunnies, which was fun, but I’m pretty sure we can kick it up a notch. Anyway, we could see some kind of observation tower on the top of the hill, so decided to walk up and check it out. It was a short but very steep climb over a few switchbacks that ran up the side of the hill. Exhausting, but worth it. The observation tower not only offered a gorgeous view of the surrounding region, but the tower itself was constructed to look as if it was sitting on the back of a turtle. I thought it was pretty cool. Taking the path down the back side of the hill, we walked past various construction projects, some Korean picnic tables cantilevered out over a cliff, some kind of stage or amphitheater down near the water, and eventually another clearing full of statues. This time, panels told a story about a bunny and a turtle, and there were statues of the bunny and turtle, some artsy mirrored columns, as well as a boat (?) and what looked to be the bunny’s house.
I don’t think the bunny had such a cushy rideI’m guessing this was one of the “third hole” versionsgreat company for Mother’s Day
I looked up the name of the story when we got home and discovered that it is a well-known Korean fairy tale, “Rabbit Visits the Dragon Palace” or “Byeoljubujeon.” The story goes something like this (shortened for your convenience)… Long ago, the Dragon King ruled the seas. One day, he developed a seemingly incurable illness. His physicians told him that the only thing able to cure his illness was the liver of a rabbit. However, no rabbits lived in the seas and nobody had ever seen one. Nevertheless, the king asked for volunteers to go fetch the liver of a rabbit. The only volunteer to step forward was a lowly turtle, who argued that he alone was able to both walk on land and swim in the seas. So the Dragon King bid the turtle bring him a rabbit. The turtle left the Dragon King’s palace and swam to a nearby shore, where, conveniently enough, a rabbit happened to be hopping by. The turtle and rabbit greeted each other, exchanged pleasantries, and discussed each other’s homelands. The turtle told the rabbit that the Dragon King wished to entertain a guest in his palace, and asked if the rabbit would like to visit. The rabbit agreed but wondered how he could survive underwater. The turtle explained that the rabbit could ride on his shell, and that the magic of the Dragon King would allow him to breathe. So off they went to the Dragon King’s palace. After greeting the Dragon King, the rabbit soon learned that he had been tricked and that the king intended to kill him and take his liver. But the rabbit, being a clever rabbit, told the Dragon King that rabbit livers were so valuable rabbits had to hide them in the forest. And this, in fact, was exactly what the rabbit had done with his own liver. But the rabbit flattered the king and offered to retrieve his liver from the forest so that the Dragon King might be cured of his illness. The king agreed, and asked the turtle to take the rabbit back to shore so he may get the liver. Back on shore, the rabbit bounded away from the turtle, saying, basically, “Haha, you losers! As if!” And neither the rabbit, the turtle, nor the Dragon King were ever heard from again. I’ve read several versions of this story now, and there are many slight variations. Sometimes it is just a Sea King, not necessarily a Dragon King. Sometimes it is the Sea King’s daughter who falls ill. Sometimes the Sea King is merely a hypochondriac and is not really ill. Sometimes the rabbit parties hard in the palace. Sometimes he gets a government position. Sometimes the Sea King suspects the rabbit is lying and tries to kill him immediately. Sometimes the rabbit has to prove he removed his liver by showing his “third hole” (I assume belly button?). Sometimes the rabbit claims he was cleaning his liver by a stream and accidentally left it drying on a rock. Sometimes the rabbit and turtle become good friends. Sometimes the rabbit gives the turtle persimmon seeds as a “rabbit liver” and this cures the king. And I haven’t read anything about this, but apparently some versions give the rabbit a wife and/or girlfriend who waited so long for his return that she turned into an island (legend says this is Mok Island, one of the islands next to Bito). And in the storytelling panels around the Bito Island park, it looked as if the rabbit drowned on his return. I have no idea what precisely are the origins of this story. One academic paper I read argued that it is a Korean derivation of “The Crocodile and the Monkey” tale from India, brought by Buddhist monks across China, and that it appears in the Samguk Sagi records of 1145 as an already-known older tale. But a local news article said “Byeoljubujeon” was a satirical novel written by an unknown author during the Joseon era (1392-1910). So… who knows? I’m guessing it’s an old tale that has had many retellings over the centuries. But the latter origin story was used as justification for the whole Bito Island Byeoljubujeon thing we visited, as Bito is presumed to be the location of this novel. The Sacheon City Government even had the International University of Korea confirm that the island and its surroundings matched the novel’s setting. They designated it a tourist attraction a few years ago, and have been building it up as a themed park to stimulate tourism in the area.
that speck in the distance is our apartment buildingso prettyyyyyyyyyyy!
I’m rather hesitant to say that a themed park based on an ancient tale of rabbit livers and turtle rides, located on an obscure island at the end of a long country road, is going to be a raging success. But, I’ll be honest: the views were spectacular, the bunnies were adorable, and I’m already making plans to return. Well played, Sacheon City Government. Well played.
For the first time in my life, I planned an international trip approximately one week before departure. Since I’m a plan-ahead, be-prepared kind of gal, it was a little nerve-wracking.
However, there is reason for this: Aaron doesn’t have a lot of whole weeks off, and “international trip” over here is kind of like hopping down to Mexico from Phoenix. Well, maybe not that casual, but definitely not as big a deal as it would be coming from the States. Gotta take advantage of it while we can.
The first week in May has three Korean national holidays: Labor Day (1st), Buddha’s Birthday (3rd), and Children’s Day (5th). There’s some debate about making the 2nd and the 4th public holidays also, to give Koreans a “Golden Week” like they have in Japan. (Golden Week in Japan is this same week, but they celebrate three different Japanese holidays, plus Children’s Day.) Originally, we planned to stay home and sightsee around this area, but then Aaron felt we should take advantage of his time off. He really wanted to visit Guam. However, being Golden Week, everything around this region was booked and/or too expensive: Guam, Saipan, Okinawa, Kumamoto, Jeju Island, etc. Then I stumbled across some deals to Bangkok, so… what the heck? Bangkok it is.
the beautiful Chao Phraya River…
there are so many interesting and colorful boats
it’s hard not to sit and watch all day
I last visited Bangkok in 2001 as part of a larger backpacking trip, and I remember great shopping and great food. There’s wasn’t much else to do, really, unless you were into temples (not my thing), drinking (just one glass, please), backpacker debauchery (no, thanks), prostitutes (nope), or, as my travel buddy Jen noticed on our street one night, “Prostitutes and elephants!” (don’t ask). Due to circumstances, we were stuck in Bangkok for about a month, and we were so bored we took one whole day just to visit every Starbucks in the city (there were about a half-dozen at the time; now there are 8 pages of listings on the starbuckslocations website). Actually, since we forced ourselves to take different forms of transport, from river ferries to tuk tuks to motorcycle taxis, it was a pretty fun day. Plus, we could “reward” our efforts at each Starbucks.
Well, 16 years later, with a husband by my side and kids in tow, it was an entirely different experience.
Great shopping? “Mom, it’s sooooo hot. I’m tired.” “I’m sweating, mommy.” “Where are the toys? I want to see toys. I’m done here. This is boring.”
Great food? “Eww! What is that??” “I’m sweating, mommy.” “I’m not going to try that.”
Alright, then, let’s try a boat ride. “How much longer do we have to wait?” “I’m all sweaty, mommy.” “Is that our boat? … Is that one there our boat? … How about that one? Is that our boat?”
Okay, let’s do some sightseeing. We’ll visit the palace. “It’s so hot! I need water or I’m going to dieeeeeeee!” “I’m SWEATING, mommy!” “This is sooooo boooooring.”
Fine, we’ll just go to the pool. “Yay! The pool!” “Yay! The pool!” “Wait… You forgot my goggles. I can’t swim without my goggles.”
And that was pretty much it.
We stayed in a nice hotel next to the river that had a lovely atmosphere and a couple of nice pools. Since this was supposed to be a more relaxing trip than the Japan schedule-fest, we only planned something every other day, and spent the off days relaxing in our room or by the pool. (This was also to allow me and Connery to recover from our colds.)
there are many more riverfront high-rises and shopping centers todaysmall shrine on the hotel groundscelebrated the little miss’s birthday
Sunday, we took the kids to Chatuchak weekend market, one of the largest outdoor markets in the world. It is a massive labyrinth of tiny stalls that sell… well, just about anything you can think of. Clothes, home goods, art, electronics, pets, food, etc. Is it an item you can exchange for money? Then you probably can find it at Chatuchak.
one of the many, many, many alleys in Chatuchakfinding relief near a fannot a fan of sweatfinding relief at a cafe with live musicclock tower in the center of Chatuchak,
built in 1987 to commemorate the king’s 60th birthday
I have fond memories of Chatuchak from my trip with Jen. We would slowly wander the alleys, exploring the different stalls, browsing piles of silks and scarves, handwoven baskets, cups and teapots, or traditional birdcages, looking for that little diamond in the rough. I bought a beautiful intricately handwoven silk scarf on that trip. I carefully carried it home, draped it over a dresser, and accidentally set it on fire. But the memories are with me, and that’s what’s important.
Chatuchak today is a different place. It’s a bit more polished, more organized, more… hipster, I guess. You can see the cultural influence of development, the internet and globalism. Locals sit around in distressed jeans and tank tops, sipping iced coffee, smart phone in hand, listening to a saxophonist playing jazz at the “café” stall nearby. And not one person tried to rob me (I’m looking at you, dude who thought I couldn’t feel my backpack unzipping 16 years ago).
According to the World Bank, Thailand is one of the great development success stories, and it became an upper-middle income country in 2011. The poverty rate has dropped from 67% to around 10% in the last 30 years. Kids are getting more education. Nearly everybody has health coverage. Young people on the Skytrain wear the same nerdy nyan cat t-shirts and name brand sneakers you see on teenagers in America or Korea.
popular night market with food trucks and a cover band…
if not for the myriad motorcycles and passing tuk tuks,
I’d have thought I was in an American college town
This seems to be true of Asia as a whole today. It’s undergone a lot of growth and development in the last 20 years. And it’s still growing. Every place we’ve been is covered in construction sites. Plus, the middle class boom in China has sent Chinese tourists all around east and southeast Asia, and unlike European and Australian backpackers, middle class Chinese tourists expect quality. They are not happy to slum in a hovel for $10 a night, no matter how cheap the booze is. And as countries modernize and develop, young adults have more access to the internet, to global awareness and culture. International companies and brands move in. Tech companies move in, bringing jobs and allowing people to join the global conversation. My anthropologist/historian side kind of hates this, because ultimately development means less diversity. But who am I to deny somebody the joys of a smooth iced coffee or the life-changing technology of a smart phone? Who am I to say they should move their goods in tuk tuks rather than air conditioned trucks? Really… it’s an interesting time to be in Asia. Though they seriously need to get some environmental watchdogs with teeth (I’m looking at you, China).
That said, Thailand still has problems. Much of its rural areas are dominated by subsistence agriculture, and millions of people are still vulnerable. Thailand used to be a monarchy. It was never colonized by any Western nations, but after a 1932 revolution, it became a constitutional monarchy. Over the years, the Thai government has had some democratic moments, and a lot more military-quasi-dictatorship-repeals-constitution-after-a-coup moments (they have had SEVERAL constitutions, and the latest was ratified this April). Does anybody remember the political protests and coup that occurred a few years back? It’s all pretty complicated, but let me see if I can sum it up quickly…
Thailand was hit hard by the ’97 Asian financial crisis, and this led to the election of Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra. At first, the economy grew and he was popular. Then the 2004 tsunami hurt the economy, and he was less popular. The “Yellow Shirts” started protesting against him. There was a contested election. Then a coup in 2006 while Shinawatra was visiting the U.N. The military leaders allowed an election and a pro-Shinawatra party won in 2007. Then the 2008 U.S. financial crisis happened and the Thai economy fell again. The Yellow Shirts got angry and occupied Government House. A court ousted the Prime Minister and Shinawatra’s brother-in-law became the new Prime Minister. The economy tanked. The Yellow Shirts got really angry and seized Bangkok’s airports. A court ousted the bro-in-law. Opposition party took over and new a protest group, the “Red Shirts,” arrived. In the 2011 election, Shinawatra’s sister became Prime Minister. The Thai flooding of 2011 then 2012 Eurozone crisis pushed the Thai economy to the brink of recession. More protests. A court removed the sister. Then, in 2014, another military coup.
National Council for Peace and Order is a pretty name for a military dictatorship that has squelched and imprisoned politicians, professors, critics, protestors, and the press. Rather than hold an election and return the government quickly, as most of Thailand’s previous military leaders have done, the NCPO is hanging on. Some thought they wanted to remain in power until succession for the country’s ailing king was clarified, but King Bhumibol Adulyadej died last October after serving for over 70 years – making him the world’s longest-reigning monarch – and he was succeeded by his only son, King Maha Vajiralongkorn Bodindradebayavarangkun.
There were many Thai mourners paying their respects at the palace in Bangkok the day we visited. Long lines of people dressed all in black, standing along the road, crammed into tuk tuks and trucks, posing for photos in front of the temple. It was a very warm day, and we were all rather hot in our required modest pants and shoulder-and-cleavage covering shirts, so I could only think how hot they must have been standing around in full length black dresses and suits. But the king was apparently very popular. The new king? Not as much. It will be interesting to see what happens.
To be honest, as a tourist I would never have known about all of their political turmoil had I not remembered the coup and looked up some articles on the subject. The Thai people are as hard working and friendly as I remembered. Many of them are unhappy with the situation, but their protestations (apparently including eating sandwiches and posting images of the Hunger Games’ three-fingered salute) were harshly reprimanded. I hope they can find their way back to freedom, development, and progress soon.
And I hope we can return to enjoy and learn more about Thailand when the kids are a little bit older, a little bit more adventuresome, and a whole lot less whiney.
clean and happy before heading into the muggy heaton the river ferrythe only temple that gave Aaron “freaky vibes”finding relief near a fanthere were very many Thais coming to honor the late kingnot really tryingsort of tryingdaddy trying for themthunderstorm rolling infinding relief near a fanit was a very busy day at the palaceguardstrying a bit too hardone of the dozens of Starbucks now found throughout Bangkok…
and it was constantly packedgelato with a giant teddy bearso sweet and quiet when they’re sleepingclean and happy before heading into the muggy heatanother beautiful sunset on the picturesque riverfancy new riverfront night marketthe Thai carny let them stay on this thing for at least a half hourwatching the foot cleaning fishtaking a tuk tuk back from the market…
Connery was NOT a fan (“It’s too fast… Too fast!!”)Connery took this pictureenjoying some pool time celebrated the little mister’s birthday
(Note: Thumbnail picture only)more of the beautiful Chao Phraya enjoyed a lovely dinner before heading to the airportone benefit of having kids…
you can force them to do the embarrassing thingslovely dancersSuvarnabhumi Airport at 2 am was as busy as Sky Harbor before a holidayKorean preschool has created a seaweed addictiondrive home after the (far too short to be a) red-eye flight back to Korea
My apologies for not updating in the past month. I spent much of April swamped with sick kids or sick me or, often, both. Even Aaron got in on a bit of the action.
The week before we left for Japan, the kids recovered from a double ear infection and tonsillitis (Lena) and an ear infection (Connery). Connery and I came down with another cold in Japan, and returned home with it. Just when we recovered from those, Connery caught a tummy bug. Then Lena came down with a cold and a double eye infection. Then Connery and I got the cold/eye infections. Then mine turned into bronchitis. Connery and I had not fully recovered by the time we went to Bangkok (yes, we wore masks on the plane), but were mostly over it by the time we returned home. Then Connery’s came back again.
Ugh.
It’s been pretty much this nonstop since both kids started school in January, and we’ve worn down a path from our apartment to the local clinic. (I’ll post more about Korean healthcare later.) Thankfully, we have all recovered and are all currently healthy. I’m being extra diligent with the neti pot, vitamins, and making sure everybody gets a full night’s sleep. Lord willing, we’re past the worst of it, now that winter is done and school will be wrapping up in the next few weeks (well, Connery’s school anyway).
I’ve had enough of this kind of fun
In between bouts of sickness, we managed to do a few activities in April.
First was a visit to Seonjin-ri Fortress to view the cherry blossoms. The fortress is only a couple miles southwest of our apartment and, judging by the pack of buses in the parking lot, it seems to be a well-known spot for cherry blossom viewing. The road from the highway to the fortress is lined with cherry trees, and the entire fortress is covered with cherry trees. It was quite beautiful.
The evening we visited, there was a small festival set up in the parking lot of the fortress. Singers and bands were performing, vendors were selling everything from kitchen mitts to toys to nuts to large packs of seaweed (Aaron bought a head lamp), food vendors set up tents for Korean BBQ and others were selling waffles (kids tried) and corn dogs (Aaron tried), there were games (Connery did well) and even a large swinging boat ride (kids refused).
that dude in the middle was working it
Because our neighborhood is a foreign investment zone, there are a number of foreigners around and I think the local Koreans are accustomed to this. So, I tend to forget that a lot of Koreans, especially down here in the countryside, are not used to seeing foreigners. In particular, foreign kids. Consequently, among the many Korean sight-seers visiting Seonjin-ri, our children were very popular. Those with kids asked to take pictures of their kids with our kids. Those without kids smiled and waved and said “Hello!” and commented on Connery and Lena’s hair/eyes/attractiveness. At one point, we asked a couple to take a family picture of us with our camera. Our camera. And yet somehow it quickly turned into a paparazzi-esque situation where a crowd of people gathered around and everybody started taking pictures of us with their cameras. Granted, the kids were being extra cute trying not to squint in the sunlight, but still… it was kinda weird.
Really, I can’t complain too much about unwanted attention, because Koreans generally are extremely friendly and helpful and even the grumpiest-looking ajumma will blossom into a springtime garden at the sight of one of Lena’s kindergarten-trained greeting bows (feet together, hands together on belly, a full 90° bow).
Fun fact #1: Seonjin-ri Fortress is said to be the place where Admiral Yi Sun-Sin built his infamous turtle ships in the 1500s. The ships were first used in combat at the Battle of Sacheon in 1592, when Admiral Yi didn’t let a bullet to the arm stop him from decimating a vastly overpowered Japanese naval force. What is a turtle ship? Despite the cute name, turtle ships, or geobukseon, were ingenious and fearsome armored boats (the world’s first armored boats, in fact) designed by Admiral Yi specifically to combat invading Japanese warships. Since the Japanese used ship-to-ship boarding as a battle tactic, turtle ships were covered with a spiky metal shell, making it impossible for anybody to board them during combat. There were oars in addition to masts and sails in order to increase speed (for brief periods) and maneuverability (they could turn on their own radius), a dozen cannons on each side, two more in the front and back, an underwater battering ram for close combat, and as if this wasn’t bada** enough, they also had a dragon head on the front of the ship that would release toxic smoke and shoot flames. Turtle ships played a key role in helping Korea repel the Japanese invasions, and they remained in use until the 19th century.
turtle ship model in the Jinju National Museum
Fun fact #2: Of all the American foods to adopt… apparently, corn dogs are a thing here. I noticed a lot of fancy versions being sold by street vendors when we were in Seoul: bacon-wrapped, potato-wrapped, seaweed-wrapped, etc. I’ve seen shops selling them at highway rest stops, at festivals, and just this month a new corn dog shop opened in our neighborhood. I’ve always hated corn dogs, mostly because the corn bread wrapping is so fake and gross. But in Korea, they use a more pancake-y wrapping, and it’s surprisingly good!
he’s actually really enjoying that corn dog
Now that the weather’s warming up, we’ve explored some of the nearby parks and walking trails. I seriously regret not bringing my bike to Korea. I may have to go buy one, because the gorgeous temperatures and all this pretty green stuff everywhere are just begging me to come out for a leisurely ride. Beyond Connery’s school is a nice big park with a pond and a stream and a fountain and picnic tables (Korean style) and paths through the woods and a big grassy field and sport courts. All it needs is an ice cream/froyo shop to be truly perfect.
On Easter weekend, the expat community here held a picnic and Easter egg hunt in a local park. We mistakenly thought it was the nearby fancy park, so just walked over carrying our potluck contribution and (Aaron’s) beer. But, alas, it was the park beyond the fancy park. And you know how sometimes things don’t look that far on a map, but then you start walking and you keep walking and walking and, oh my goodness, how much farther is it now?? And I totally didn’t wear the right shoes for this. And for pity’s sake, Lena, stop whining!
In the end, I think it was a bit much for the little girl, as she came down with her double eye infection/cold a few hours later. (Bad mom…)
Anyway, it was an enjoyable picnic. We got to meet some new people. Somebody brought homemade cinnamon rolls! A bunch of the international school teachers were there, so the games and egg hunt were super well organized and equitable. My kids got a bunch of chocolate, which Aaron and I not-so-equitably plundered once we got home.
Given the lovely weather (occasional Yellow Dust storms notwithstanding), April is also the month of school field trips. In Lena’s kindergarten, they are called “Forest Walks.” I chaperoned Connery’s field trip to a local science museum and the arboretum. His class also went to the fortress to see the cherry blossoms and took a walking field trip to the weekly neighborhood street market. Lena’s school doesn’t take parent chaperones, but her class also visited the arboretum and took separate trips to a local park and to the climate school. There are other field trips throughout the year, but it seems like they really ramp it up in April.
they found dino tracks when building the museum,
so just built around them
Fun fact #3: We’ve been fortunate to have only one Yellow Dust storm so far this season. It came in the weekend before last and was supposed to last all week, but a big storm came in midweek and seemingly cleared the air. What is Yellow Dust? Yellow Dust, or hwangsa, is a dust storm that begins in the deserts of Mongolia and northern China, but due to wind patterns and meteorological conditions, grows to ridiculous sizes and blows across most of China, Korea, Japan, and parts of eastern Russia before finally blowing out to sea. (Although particulates have blown as far east as the US.) It is as if a dust storm in Phoenix grew in size and intensity to cover all of Arizona, Utah, Nevada, and California before blowing out to Hawaii. The phenomenon is ancient, and appears in records thousands of years ago. However, hwangsa has worsened in the last several decades, becoming bigger, lasting longer, and occurring more often throughout the year (not just in spring) because of climate change, desertification, and the loss of trees in northern China. And in addition to the large particulates, these storms now pick up industrial pollutants, chemicals, and even viruses and bacteria from China, making them toxic dust storms. I’m sure you can imagine the effect this has on people’s health, farmland, wildlife, and marine life and corals. Perhaps, if this trend continues, we’ll begin to see more of these particulates showing up in the US? Something to keep in mind the next time you buy that cheap whatever made in China.
We returned Sunday night from a trip to Japan for our first R&R. I had an ambitious schedule planned, and we got a lot done in one week. Unfortunately, things didn’t go quite as planned in all areas. For starters, it was supposed to be 60° and the week of cherry blossoms, but a storm system came through at the last minute so half the week was 40° and rainy. I didn’t really pack for 40° and rainy – though we did grab our umbrellas and some ponchos as we were walking out the door – and I had no idea my tennis shoes were 50% sponge. The cherry blossoms, in their wisdom, were having none of it. Side note: What the heck is up with the whole poncho thing? I’ve never used ponchos before, and I have to say: what a dumb invention. Raincoat? Yes, please. Umbrella? Handy if you have a backpack to protect. Poncho? No. Just… no. They’re cheap and tear easily, the size is all wrong, you have to take them off anytime you go indoors so the wetness on the outside spreads everywhere making you wet the next time you try to put it on, they blow around in the wind, and you can’t even use your pockets to protect your hands from the cold. They’re just stupid. Did you see those pictures of Bush Jr. fighting with his poncho at inauguration? That was me through half of Disneyland. I will never trust you again, ponchos. NEVER.
Cinderella’s castle in Tokyo is the 3rd tallest Disney castle
We arrived in Tokyo Saturday evening and checked in to a hotel near Tokyo Disneyland. There are actually two Disney parks there: Disneyland and DisneySea. Many people say DisneySea is the best Disney park in the world, but they also say it’s better for older kids, so I went with Disneyland. Now, for those of you who don’t know, I have a lifelong history with Disneyland. My mother grew up near the original park, so we visited almost every year throughout my childhood. Even though the parks are a bit… different… than they used to be, I still have a nostalgic fondness for Disneyland and was eager to visit the Tokyo version. Aaron, on the other hand, hates anything that stinks of tourist trap, so he generally lacks my desire to pay big money to stand in line.
The Main Street/World Market is entirely covered
And were there lines! I didn’t realize until we were actually en route to the park that there is this handy website that tells you how crowded Tokyo Disneyland is expected to be on any given day. And on the day we were there, it was a “people very congested” day, just one level down from the max “people violently crowded” day (I think they slightly underestimate). This was even with the rain. To be honest, I was kind of expecting crowds. Crowds alone, I could handle. But crowds and rain? Icy, frigid rain? With crappy ponchos, soggy shoes, and two kids who had just barely recovered from tonsillitis and ear infections? I’ll pass on that 2 hour wait for Pooh’s Honey Hunt, thanks.
Long wait for Peter Pan…
Connery: “That was great! It’s like I was really there!”
Lena: “I liked the movie better. There were more scenes.”
In the end, we only rode a couple rides, but one was the Monsters, Inc. ride, which, along with Pooh’s Honey Hunt, is unique to Tokyo Disneyland. We were able to succeed because the Fastpass line was not terribly long first thing in the morning (Fastpass lines on a busy day at Tokyo Disneyland can be almost as long as ride lines on a slow day, and Fastpasses are usually gone well before noon). Aaron and Lena bailed as soon as we finished Monsters, but Connery wanted to try Star Tours, so he and I stayed in the park a bit longer. I changed to my boots, but should have grabbed a sweater. Even though I was really hoping to see the Light Parade (nostalgia from my past that still exists in Tokyo Disneyland), I finally got too cold and had to call it. Maybe we’ll find a time to return before we leave Korea, if I can pick a day that’s warmer, drier, and just a little less crowded.
The wait line twists around a beautifully crafted Monsters, Inc. lobbyBeautiful evening lights
The next day, we transferred to a hotel in the city. Our room was not ready yet, so we grabbed some lunch, wandered around the local subway station to get a feel for it, and visited the local 7-11 to buy unnecessary but amusing snacks (egg-flavored mochi, anyone?). That night, we visited what turned out to be one of the best places of our trip: Ninja Akasaka. Ninja Akasaka is a ninja-themed restaurant. It’s campy, it’s fun, it’s atmospheric, and it’s very, very well done. At the entrance, the host calls a ninja for your “protection.” I was waiting for our ninja to hop out of the wall when instead he dropped from the ceiling and scared the bejeebees out of me. You then follow your ninja protector through dark, small, twisty cave-like hallways. There’s a magic bridge that raises and lowers, a waterfall and pond, dramatic lighting, and eventually a village/ninja hideout full of different rooms for your “ninja training.” It all has a very Indiana Jones vibe. Some dining rooms are in the village “buildings” and some are in caves (this is all indoors, by the way). Our room was a cave. After removing our shoes and coats and getting settled, our ninja trainer/waitress for the evening arrived. What followed was course after course of beautifully prepared and delicious food, all with ninja themes. There were shuriken-shaped crackers with shuriken-shaped foie gras, a salad with shuriken-shaped veggies and an “egg” made out of herbs, mango, and fish held together in some kind of jelly (the egg itself came in a treasure chest our ninja trainer opened with fire), sushi, steak, Japanese curry, sweet-and-sour pork, and many, many other dishes I can’t remember. At one point, our ninja trainer brought a grapefruit with a sword stuck in it; when Connery pulled out the sword, smoke poured out of the grapefruit (the top of the grapefruit was hollowed out and filled with crab salad). Dessert was equally impressive: a Japanese kabuto (ancient combat helmet) crafted from ice cream, mousse and cookies with the restaurant logo made out of chocolate, and, for Aaron, a bonsai tree made out of wafers and ice cream. The kids got their own special kids’ meal that came with a strawberry ninja for dessert. The strawberry ninja was adorable. So adorable, in fact, that Lena sobbed for a full ten minutes and apologized to the little ninja before eating him.
Chocolate logo, sesame crackers, walnut mousse, and soy sauce ice creamCookie branches in ice cream “soil”
Midway through our 2+ hour meal, another ninja came in to perform a Ninja Magic Show. It was all simple sleight-of-hand magic tricks, but it completely blew Connery’s mind. He spent the rest of the night talking about what amazing magic that ninja had and how cool the magic ninja was, and wondering how he could get ninja magic. “Do you think I just ask God?” Connery asked. I told him he could try that, but most likely it took years and years of ninja practice. He looked a bit disappointed with that answer.
It was a great evening. The service was fabulous, the décor was amazing, the food was the best we had all week. If you’re ever in Tokyo, I highly recommend it. Side note: I really struggled with the food during this trip. Maybe we just had bad luck, but I cannot currently say that I’m a fan of Japanese food (miso soup, notwithstanding). The meat was too fatty and undercooked, the veggies were slimy, and too many things tasted like the bottom of a boat. Granted, I hate seafood, so that really didn’t help. But the Ninja place got it right. One of my courses was a black puff filled with whipped soy cream, salmon, and avocados, and even in spite of disliking seafood (and avocados) I would eat that thing anytime. We spent the next two days in Tokyo visiting a variety of different places: Akihabara to buy robot parts and drink fluffy drinks at a Maid Café; Harajuku to overwhelm the kids at the six-level Kiddyland toy store and to pet bunnies at the Ra.a.g.f Bunny Café; Meiji Shrine to walk through the gardens; Takeshita Street, which was far too packed to eat crepes, and a nearby burrito shop to get our Mexican food fix; and Shibuya to take pics of Hachiko and the scramble at Shibuya crossing (said to be the busiest intersection in the world). Thankfully, the weather cooperated these days and walking around the city enjoying the sun and (relatively) fresh, clean air was lovely.
Akihabara… nerd townHappy little usagi green tea latte at the Maid CafeConnery needed some convincing;
Aaron… not so much“Moe! Moe! Kyuuuuuuuun!”Playing with Soccer Bot at the robot storeMeiji Shrine is located in a 170 acre forest in Shibuya
in the middle of the TokyoIt is dedicated to the deified souls of Emperor
Meiji (1852-1912) and his wife, Empress ShotenTakeshita Street in HarajukuHeading down into the subwayJust before joining the “scramble” at Shibuya crossing
I asked the kids which part was their favorite, and they both agreed it was the bunny café. The café is located in a small apartment off a backstreet in a trendy neighborhood. There are several cages with a bunny in each, and if you stay for an hour, you get to play with four different bunnies. (Bunnies are maxed at 15 minutes with guests, so as to not make them too stressed or tired.) The kids picked out the bunnies, and each had a very distinct personality. There was Excited-To-Be-Out-of-His-Cage Bunny, I’ll-Do-Anything-For-a-Veggie-Stick Bunny, I-Like-to-Be-Roughed-Up-Masochist Bunny, and Hyper-Horny Bunny. I’ll-Do-Anything-For-a-Veggie-Stick Bunny was the most pet-able bunny, as he would literally crawl all over you to reach that piece of lettuce. You could pet him all day, so long as the snacks kept coming. Despite being impossible to pet, Hyper-Horny Bunny was the most amusing to watch, especially since the kids had no idea why he was doing that to their legs. He even quite literally tried to get into Aaron’s pants, and made it halfway to his knee before Aaron was able to extract him. The kids thought it was hilarious.
Masochist Bunny apparently likes rough pettingBut he was the softest of the bunch
On Thursday, we took the “Romancecar” train from Shinjuku to Hakone. The train is not at all romantic, so I’m not sure why they call it that. Hakone is a famous hot-spring town about 90 minutes from Tokyo. It is historic and picturesque and I can understand why it is popular.
Bridge over the Haya River
Our hotel was a 100-year-old ryokan (traditional Japanese hotel) not far from the center of town. It looked small from the outside, but was a maze of twisting buildings inside. At least a dozen employees greeted us upon arrival, took our luggage and our shoes, fawned over the kids, explained their bath and dinner policy, and then led us through the maze to our room. Our assigned maid, Kouko-san, was very sweet and helpful and would giggle with delight any time we thanked her using her name (do most guests not remember her name? It’s pronounced “Coco,” for goodness’ sake). The room was fabulous. It was all tatami, bamboo, wood, ornate glass, and sliding paper doors. It had an entry with shelf for slippers, a small room with a wet bar (well, mini-fridge and tea kettle), small toilet room, a dining room with TV, a bedroom with a closet and two large futons prepared, and, down a short staircase, a private hot-spring bath with views of the mountains.
Enjoying the viewThe view
The hotel had a few public baths: two large baths that swap male-use to female-use depending on the time, because one included an outdoor bath (ladies got the one with the outdoor bath during the day; men at night); a smaller, private “family” bath you could use if it was available; and a private bath you had to book upon check-in (I think it was outside?). Several rooms also had private baths attached. I sprung for one of these because Aaron has a tattoo, and is thus forbidden from using the public baths. Regardless, I’m glad we got a private bath, because we could use it whenever we wanted and all go in together as a family. The water came from the hotel’s hot spring and was constantly filling, creating a nice waterfall-type sound in the room.
Perfect way to relax on a cold day
I’ve determined that you could show up to a ryokan with nothing but your wallet or purse, and still have everything you need for your stay. The hotel provides tea, water, food, all your toiletries, and a yukata to use during your stay. You wear the yukata to and from the baths, in your room, for dinner (whether in your room or a public dining room), and to bed. It looks great, is comfortable, is changed for a clean one daily, and apparently has specific wear rules. We’re tall, so it took Kouko-san a few tries to find us proper sizes such that our calves were completely covered. You must also wear it left-over-right. I took a bunch of adorable pictures with the kids wearing it right-over-left before Aaron informed me I had it wrong (apparently, there was a hidden pocket on the left side). I’ve also determined that at some point I need to buy Aaron a yukata because dang if he doesn’t look hot in one.
This particular hotel also included breakfast and dinner. A very traditional breakfast and dinner, served by Kouko-san in our room. As I mentioned in my prior rant, I struggled with the food in Japan. Primarily, this is because they just don’t cook their meat enough. Meat is meant to be cooked, people! And just waving it over the flame doesn’t count, either. That being said, I’m glad we got to experience a traditional meal. It was 12 courses, each carefully and artfully prepared. Several parts were delicious (even the fish was quite good, when cooked properly), several were questionable (I’m really glad I didn’t know what that jiggly blob in foul-smelling liquid was), and several were… well, let’s just say not my favorite. Let’s also say that cheap beer helped me get through several courses. By the second night, I completely gave up trying to eat raw fish and squid and just forced them onto Aaron.
Breakfast… yum?
Friday was the day we were to tour Hakone. We bought this thing called a Hakone Freepass, which covers transportation to and throughout the region (there is a cluster of hot-spring towns in the area). There is a well-worn “loop” tourists can take: from Hakone-Yumoto (where trains to Tokyo arrive and depart, and where our ryokan was located), you take an old electric train up the mountain to Gora; transfer to a cable car that takes you through Gora and further up Mt. Hakone; transfer to a gondola ropeway that takes you down the north side of the mountain all the way to Lake Ashi (the ropeway is famous for its views of Mt. Fuji); hop on a pirate-ship-themed ferry boat to travel across the length of the lake; and, finally, take a bus back to Hakone-Yumoto. If you look at a topographical map, you can see that Mt. Hakone is basically an ancient complex volcano and this loop takes you around the (approximate) circumference of its caldera. This explains the presence of so many hot springs in the area. When the weather is cold, you can see steam rising up from crooks and valleys in the mountains.
Along the Hakone Tozan Line
aka the Hakone Mountain-Climbing Railroad Line
And, as luck would have it, Friday turned out to be a very cold day. And wet. And, again, very crowded. We packed into the electric train like subway commuters during rush hour. It took about… I don’t know. An hour? It felt like forever to get to Gora, especially since I had by this point developed a nasty cold and felt terrible and the kids, who have the patience of gnats, spent the entire trip whining about not being able to sit or see out the windows (since they were steamed up from all the people on the train). We reached Gora, and as I watched a throng of people push their way off the tiny electric train and rush toward the equally tiny cable car, I thought, “…This is really stupid.” After apologizing to my husband and kids, I insisted we return to our hotel and spend the rest of the afternoon in the bath. It didn’t take much convincing. We found a place to eat, walked to a garden (as devoid of cherry blossoms as every other garden we visited), then returned to the Gora train station. The train back to Hakone-Yumoto had blissfully few people on it.
The electric railway is nearly 100 years oldIt averages an 8% grade, but has three switchbacks
for the steepest sections
The next morning – whether it was the sashimi, the squid, the viscous jelly, the cheap beer, or some combination of these, we don’t know – Aaron was really sick. I’m going to call it food poisoning, for lack of a better description. He spent most of the train ride back to Tokyo hunched over a bag. I gave him some soft croissants I picked up for the kids at 7-11, and they helped him enough to make it through the Shinjuku train station and on to the train for Narita. We broke up our travel home with an overnight in downtown Narita, at a ryokan overlooking the old temple complex Naritasan. The streets were curved and hilly and lined with beautiful old wooden buildings now full of shops and restaurants. Several shopkeepers were attempting to welcome spring with pots of flowers set along the road. We arrived just as all the shops were closing, but before most restaurants had opened. Aaron passed out on the floor in pain while I ran to find more bread for him (the best I could do was a loaf of “cheese bread” from a dessert shop – it was full of hard “cheese” chunks, but why didn’t they melt with baking??). This revived him enough to make it through dinner. We went for Italian, as he couldn’t even look at a picture of seafood. This ryokan was not nearly as fancy as the one in Hakone, but it was traditional and charming. It had shared public baths (that allowed tattoos) that we didn’t realize required bringing your own towel. I noticed this just before dunking, so I parked Lena on a bench in the changing room, threw on my yukata, and stood awkwardly outside the men’s bath calling for Aaron, who had our room key. Finally, some fellow came past and I did my best acting out him calling “Aaron” in the bath. Thankfully, the kind and understanding man knew what I wanted and was very helpful. Towels in hand, I returned to the bath with Lena. We showered, then soaked in the bath for a bit (she liked that it wasn’t as hot as the bath in Hakone). It was late, for Japan (an early-to-bed, early-to-rise kinda country; very different from Korea) – around 8:00 pm – so we had the bath to ourselves. We each got our own futon in this ryokan, but it was far less comfortable than the Hakone ryokan, despite having to “family bed” there. My right hip is literally bruised (still!) from the floor at the Narita ryokan.
One door leads to the closet and one door leads to the exit
Our last morning, we skipped the fish breakfast, per Aaron’s request, and spent about half an hour walking around the grounds of Naritasan. The monks (in very colorful robes) were chanting, turtles were sunning, vendors were selling trinkets at carney booths, tourists were swarming, elderly Japanese ladies were not-so-subtly taking pictures of my daughter, and Aaron was getting bad vibes off the temple’s Niomon gate.
Turtle ponds are commonly found in Buddhist templesNaritasan was founded over 1000 years ago, and
many of its buildings are hundreds of years oldThe temple’s pagoda was built in 1712
(Note: Small Pic)
Side note: Not many of you may know this, but Aaron is sensitive to… unclean spirits? Demons? Evil? There have been several times during our marriage where we’ve been in a place that set him off. For example, we were once walking through a hotel decorated with Asian art and artifacts, and as we were happily strolling along and chatting, he suddenly stopped, looked over at one particular statue and said, “I don’t know what that is, but it’s evil.” I walked over to investigate before Aaron unhappily pulled me away: it was a statue of the Hindu god Ganesh, with a sign saying it came from Indonesia and with a tiny pile of flowers left as an offering at its feet. (In some areas of Indonesia, people still worship idols and even have shamans invoke demons into objects in order to increase their power.) For some reason, the Giant Torii gate at Meiji Shrine bothered him, as well as the Niomon gate at Naritasan. The shrine, the temple, the various altars and pagodas – nothing else bothered him. But those gates did. I know torii gates are meant to represent a transition from the profane to the sacred (Shinto shrines are holy/sacred/unearthly ground), and some people literally believe them to be a point of connection between the earthly and spiritual realms, but I don’t know enough about Shintoism to comment beyond that. Niomon gates house the statues of the Buddha’s burly guardians. But, again, I don’t know much about them.
Giant Torii at Meiji Shrine, aka “Creepy Gate,”
according to Aaron
Well, not much to say after that. The hotel refused to help us find a taxi because of a “parade” that I didn’t see, so we wandered the street in desperation before one came along. Made it to the airport, had a short and bumpy flight home (fabulous Korean Air service, as per usual), couldn’t get a hold of the parking facility but managed to spot their shuttle dropping off another family, and then began our 90 minute drive home when, suddenly, we realized something. There are cherry blossoms everywhere!
Yes, southern Korea is in full bloom this week. They are pink and white and fluffy and oh-so-pretty when they fall off and flutter to the ground like snowflakes. I thankfully did not crash my car while trying to take pictures of the road to E-mart, which runs through a cherry tree tunnel full of blossoms. On the mountain next to Samcheonpo, a few cherry trees are interspersed with the evergreens that cover the hillside, and they stand out like daisies on a lawn. Sooooo pretty. Overall, it was a good trip to Tokyo, even with the cold rain and sickness. We plan to take several little trips to Japan throughout our time in Asia. Here are my pros and cons for the week… PRO: Japan is wonderfully clean; I didn’t fear for my life when crossing a road; Hot springs are one of the best things on this planet; Everybody should adopt yukatas*; Trains rock; Ninjas rock; Bunnies are soft CON: Japan is a country full of morning people; I felt like a giant**; Too many people in overly small spaces; Too many lines; Food and undercooked meats***; Kanji *Everybody should also adopt the no-shoes-indoor policy. Korea does this, as well, and I had a no-shoe rule back in Arizona because of my allergies. But, seriously, how gross is it to wear your shoes in your house?? Go look up the study on how much e-coli Americans track into their homes and I can guarantee you’ll consider adopting a similar policy. **I do not feel especially tall in Korea, at least among the younger generation. Korea has made the greatest height gains of any country in the last 100 years. The difference between the older people today (who grew up during the war or post-war poverty-stricken dictatorships) and young adults (who grew up during Korea’s economic boom) is striking. The cultural difference between the two is striking, as well; it’s almost like two different countries (more on that later). Aaron seems about average for young Korean males and I’m only a few inches taller than most young Korean females – kind of like in the States. But in Japan? I’m HUGE. At one point, we were in a store at Disneyland and I looked up to find Aaron and realized that everybody – men and women – came up to my chin. It was a little less extreme in downtown Tokyo, but I still found it odd to be taller than most of the men around me. ***The first thing I did after returning home to Korea was to go get myself a big bowl of spicy pork bulgogi. I LOVE YOU, KOREA.
Since Connery’s school was off last Friday, we decided to take a mini-trip to Busan. It’s about a 90-120 minute drive, depending on traffic. We stayed at the Westin Chosun Busan, which sits right on Haeundae Beach – a large, powdery soft sand beach that was pretty empty, as swimming is forbidden this time of year. In summer, it looks to be insanely crowded. Haeundae is one of the swankier, touristy parts of Busan, and there were construction projects and upgrades in progress everywhere.
We walked along the (concrete) boardwalk, ate at an Indian restaurant, visited the aquarium, then returned to the hotel to swim in their indoor pool. Well, the kids swam (they have a nice little kiddie pool); Aaron and I sat along the edge and watched some grannies do a swim aerobics class in the adult pool. Then Lena decided to jump with all her might just as I was leaning over to help her out of the water and she headbutt me full-force right in the nose. As some of you may know, I had sinus surgery a few months ago, so it hurt like a @#%N*&$! After sobbing like a Bieber fangirl (I’m not, btw), I spent the rest of evening with a terrible headache.
Unfortunately, I didn’t get much relief overnight. If the stone bed photo I posted a couple weeks ago is any clue, you may realize that Korean beds are pretty firm. Very firm. And I have lower back issues. We normally sleep on a Sleep Number air mattress and I have my side cranked all the way down to “hammock” setting. And since Aaron still has issues from his Korean Hercules shoulder injury, there was a lot of mutual groaning and rolling and whispered swearing going on throughout the night.
The kids also seemed to sleep poorly. Lena likes to rotate like clock hands during the night, so Connery woke me up wailing about being pushed off the bed. Both of them had nightmares, and somebody was sleep talking.
Suffice to say, everybody woke up cranky.
The kids’ crankiness continued through our brief stop by Costco (they didn’t have two of the three things we were going for) and the drive home. By the time we reached our apartment, I was in full Grumpypants Mama mode, giving American moms everywhere a bad name in the parking lot. It wasn’t as bad as the time I lost my you-know-what and shot-put Connery’s backpack into the bushes (not my best moment), but let’s be honest… combining kids and travel can be a bit, uh, challenging.
I kinda felt bad about this later, though, once I realized that both kids had high fevers. Oops. We spent the rest of the weekend sitting on the couch watching Aaron play World of Tanks and The Odd 1s Out videos on YouTube (Connery’s new favorite thing).
So, in the end, it was kind of a crappy mini-trip. But, I took a bunch of photos that made it look fabulous…
Haeundae Beachour interesting parking spot beneath the hotelstreet market with lots of eelsthumbs up for fishshark bellies, turtle butts, and stingray window-lickerseating ice cream and posing like wormswould have been a family shot but nobody was around to take itview from our roomthe beach at night
The Korean school year began this month, and Lena started in a new class at her kindergarten. Despite the growing number of expat kids at the school, Lena is the only English-speaker in her class. There are pros and cons to this.
On the pro side, it really pushes me to learn and practice Korean. At this age, my brain is more of a pumice stone than a sponge, so anything that forces repetition and memorization is a good thing. Lena’s teacher is super sweet and understanding, so she’s patient with me and offers thumbs-up when I get something right. Although, sometimes, she beats me to it. I’ll spend the entire walk on my way to pick up Lena mumbling, 내일 뵙겠습니다…내일 뵙겠습니다…내일 뵙겠습니다…* to make sure I get it right, then just before I can say it, her teacher will blurt out, “See you tomorrow!” She doesn’t speak much English, but apparently she is also using this opportunity to learn more. Usually, we just text each other, since Google Translate helps with that.
On the con side, we sometimes have communication issues with the school on technical issues. A couple of teachers at the international school have kids at this kindergarten, so they have been amazingly helpful, but there’s still a communication gap there. For instance, we need to pay our milk fees. We keep offering to pay our milk fees, but they won’t give us a milk fee bill. We also had to fight to get a bill for education expenses (and, no, it didn’t include milk fees). I don’t care if the bill is in Hangul, just take my money!
Korean kindergartens often seem to have really cute facilities
And lastly, on both the pro and con side is Lena’s lack of Korean. The school is a great place for her to learn some Korean, but she kind of doesn’t care so isn’t really trying. We now have put the kids in after school Korean lessons in our home, so that should help. But because she’s not trying, she’s missing out on opportunities. For example, one day in music class the kids got to play with ribbons on sticks (the type rhythmic gymnasts use). I noticed later in the photos that Lena was standing to the side without one when all the other kids were dancing around and laughing. I asked her why she didn’t have a ribbon stick, and she told me that the teacher handed her a yellow ribbon and she said, “aniyo,” (“no”) because she wanted the red ribbon stick. But the teacher thought she didn’t want any ribbon stick so didn’t give her one. Lena and I talked about what she could do next time (even pointing would help), and I’m sure she’ll eventually get more comfortable expressing herself. I’ve actually already seen improvement just this month.
But overall I really like this little school. They do a lot of fun things with the kids. I signed up Lena for their weekly ballet class, which she loves. They also have PE classes, posture and health classes, cooking classes, art and music classes, field trips and nature walks, English lessons… they even started ukulele lessons this week. There’s lunch and two snacks each day, and lots of play time. Lena usually plays house or teatime with a couple of the Korean girls.
I’d love to help in class, if possible. There’s not much I can do with my crummy Korean skills. Maybe read a book in English to the kids? I need to figure out how to ask about that.
she’s more of a rock ballerina than a traditional ballerina**
*“See you tomorrow,” in formal speech, is the tongue-twisting “naeil bwepgetsumnida”… I can say it in my head, but it doesn’t always come out of my mouth correctly.
**Fun fact: “Ballerina” in Hangul, 발레리나, includes Lena’s name: 리나 (ㄹ is both L and R)
A couple weeks ago, Korea celebrated Samiljeol (literally, “three one festival”) or Independence Movement Day. It takes place on March 1 (hence the 3-1) and commemorates the Korean people’s mass demonstrations against Japanese colonial rule that began on March 1, 1919.
A full discussion of the Japanese occupation (1910-1945) will have to wait for another day, but suffice to say: the Japanese were total jerks and Koreans hate them to this day. Well, the first part is a bit of an understatement and the second is a bit of an overstatement, but there’s still a lot of bad blood there. Some people say, “It was 100 years ago! Things are different! Japanese young people weren’t involved in all that…” While this is true and the world is a different place today, it’s also true that the Japanese were really, really big jerks (read: monarch assassination, destruction of cultural artifacts, banning the language, stealing land, and eventually forced prostitution, slave labor, and even concentration-camp-style medical experiments), and they haven’t fully atoned for it, and they kinda whitewash it in school history books, so… yeah. It’s a complicated situation.
But on that day, a group of Christian,* Buddhist, and Cheondogyo** religious leaders and nationalists read out a Korean Declaration of Independence, inspired by US President Wilson’s “Fourteen Points.” This sparked a series of mass protests throughout the country. An estimated 2,000,000 Koreans participated in largely peaceful protests over the course of several months.
many homes and nearly all the streetlamps in town
flew the Taegukgi, the South Korean flag
Japanese response was, not surprisingly, rather harsh. (Colonial rulers are never nice.) Thousands of Koreans were killed, thousands more wounded, tens of thousands were arrested, tried and executed, and hundreds of homes, churches and even a couple schools were destroyed. Many of the movement leaders fled to China and began the Korean Provisional Government, a sort of Korean government in absentia.
And while independence was not granted, many historians believe this movement and its nationalist fervor signify the beginning of modern Korea. After quashing the protests, Japan appointed a new governor-general and even gave Korea a bit more freedom. At least, until Japan started up its military war machine in the 1930s and colonial oppression got way, way worse. Independence finally came when Japan surrendered to the Allies in 1945. But Korea was then divided up between the Americans and the Soviets, which led to the Korean War in 1950 and millions more Korean deaths… But, again, that’s a discussion for another time.
Today, Samil is a national holiday with schools and businesses closing, so both Aaron and the kids had the day off. We took the opportunity to visit the Goseong Dinosaur Museum. It was pretty busy, as many other families had the same idea.
There’s not much to say about the museum itself. It’s a dino museum, with a bunch of dino bones and dino statues. One room full of animatronic dinos required entry through a large, gaping dino mouth – you pass under sharp teeth and walk along his tongue. It’s dark, with growling noises, and my kids wanted none of it. Lena eventually took my hand and squealed her way through, but Connery required a bit more coaxing. Aaron pointed to the wall behind him and said, “What is that??” Connery turned to look and Aaron took the opportunity to grab the boy, hoist him over his shoulder, and run through the mouth. After that, Connery said the dino mouth was his favorite part. … Sometimes, I really wonder how child minds work.
open the door, get on the floor
everybody ride the dinosaur
We didn’t spend much time in the museum, because the highlight of the museum is actually its grounds. The property sits along the top of a hill right on the coast. The views are fantastic (though it was somewhat smoggy the day we were there), and dino-themed playgrounds are scattered everywhere along the hill. There are walking paths, a hedge maze, a collection of random animals (deer, peacocks and rabbits), a small coffee shop and a cup-noodles café, picnicking areas, and a (currently under construction) observation tower. One path leads to a nearby beach with one of the world’s largest dinosaur footprint fossil sites. We skipped the fossils this time around, because it was a kilometer away and we ran out of time after our GPS sent us to some random town a half hour past the museum. But at $3 a head, we’ll definitely be back.
the largest umbrella I’ve ever seenthere was an interesting mix of adorable chibi dinos
and frighteningly realistic dinosthis slide down to the parking lot seemed like a fun idea,
but I almost instantly regretted my decision
(it’s not a slide so much as a sequence of rolling pins…
definitely not made for adult-sized bums)the footprint fossils are that-away
*I kind of wonder if the reason Christianity took hold in Korea is because of this association with Korean nationalism. In most other Asian nations I’ve visited, Christianity was historically seen as a religion of colonial oppressors or foreign influence.
**Cheondogyo is a Korean religion with Confucian and shamanistic roots that began in the 19th century. It emphasizes improving oneself and bringing peace and justice to earth, rather than a belief in a supernatural God or afterlife. There are about a million followers in South Korea, and apparently triple that in North Korea.
getting lost on the backroads can surprise you with beautiful views
We’ve settled into a somewhat predictable and boring, though for me quite enjoyable, Saturday afternoon ritual: our weekly trip to E-mart.
E-mart is Korea’s oldest and largest hypermarket chain. It was created in 1993 as a division of Shinsegae, Korea’s oldest and largest department store chain. (And Shinsegae Centum City in Busan is literally the largest department store in the world, according to Guinness.) E-mart became its own company in 2011.
Side note: The first department store in Korea was built in 1930 by Mitsukoshi, a Japanese chain, during the Japanese occupation (1910-1945). (Mitsukoshi began as a kimono shop in 1693!) When Korea was liberated after WWII, the store became independent and changed its name to Donghwa department store. In 1963, it was purchased by the Samsung group and renamed Shinsegae (“New World”). Shinsegae separated from Samsung in 1991, though it was run by the daughter of Samsung’s founder.
Side side note: The oldest hotel in Korea is The Chosun Hotel, opened in 1914. It was purchased by Shinsegae and called the Shinsegae Chosun Hotel, but they joined The Westin Group in 1995 and it is now called the Westin Chosun Hotel (still owned by Shinsegae). This was the first hotel we stayed in upon arriving in Seoul, and where we returned for Christmas. Shinsegae also owns Starbucks Coffee Korea. You’ll see ads for the Westin Chosun and, frequently, find Starbucks shops in E-mart locations. Unfortunately, my local E-mart does not have the latter.
but it does have this cute little coffee shop
In case you are unfamiliar with the term, “hypermarket” refers to a large store that is both a supermarket and a department store. They’ve been around since the 1930s, but exploded in popularity during the 1980s and 90s thanks to Walmart, Kmart, and Target developing hypermarket versions of their stores.
I’m sure you are familiar, though, with the much-ballyhooed detrimental effect of hypermarkets on smaller neighborhood retailers. In 2012, Korea’s government sought to protect their mom-and-pop stores by introducing mandatory Sunday closings for their super- and hypermarkets (E-mart, Home Plus, Lotte Mart, Costco, etc). On the second and fourth Sundays each month, these stores must remain closed for the day. We learned about these closings the hard way, after driving down to E-mart and finding it dark and roped off. Assuming it was a holiday we were not aware of, we drove instead to Bi-Mart (a small grocery store nearby) and found it busier than usual. So maybe the closings work? I’m not sure. I haven’t seen any statistics on whether or not these closings are having an effect, aside from annoying shoppers.
E-mart reminds me a bit of Target, but with Korean flair. It is important to note that “Korean flair” is a key factor in E-mart’s success. Walmart moved into Korea in 1998, but after continuing losses sold all 16 of its stores to Shinsegae in 2006 to be revamped and reopened as E-mart locations. Koreans apparently were not very big fans of Walmart’s lack of emphasis on food or its bare-bones discount vibe. What little I’ve seen leads me to believe that Koreans want quality and service, and, sorry Walmart, but when I think “Walmart” I don’t follow that up with “quality and service.” In fact, some of the worst service I’ve ever encountered in my life has been at Walmart. I try to avoid the place myself.
Now that I think about it, most American retailers have pretty crappy service. Korea kicks us in the bootie when it comes to service in general. They still have full service gas stations here; we’ve yet to even get out of our car when fueling up. And even their “discount” retailers like E-mart are swarming with extremely polite and extremely helpful employees – people who act like they don’t mind at all when you pick up a bag of spaghetti noodles, not realizing one side is open, and proceed to drop a million noodle sticks all over the floor.
Anyway, our local E-mart is a few stories high, with parking and specialty shops on each level and the main store in the basement. Our E-mart is smaller and has a more provincial feel than other E-marts I’ve been to in larger cities. For example, ours has a coffee shop and a café, but the E-mart we stopped at in Busan had a Starbucks and an entire food court with at least a half dozen chain restaurants like Baskin Robbins and KFC. Ours also has a kids’ play zone (this is extremely important, and the reason I shop at E-mart and not Home Plus), a salon, some kind of health clinic, some kind of studio for home economic classes, a dry cleaner, and several stores-within-a-store for specialty items like camping gear, cosmetics, baby gear, watches, home goods. They’re all brand name mini-stores, but I’m afraid I can’t remember the names right now.
the play zone lady knows us well now
The main shopping level has about the same variety of items as Target, but with a larger share for grocery. The grocery section has a vibe that’s like ‘a modern take on a bustling outdoor market.’ Salespeople wearing shirts with product logos offer samples of their products. Other employees offer samples of fruits or yogurt or potato chips. Butchers shout out the daily prices for fish and meat. Employees also shout out veggie prices, and if they have a seasonal area (as they did for Lunar New Year), there’s usually somebody shouting there, as well. There’s a large meat department with various tanks of fresh seafood, usually massive crabs. There’s also a bakery and a tiny pizza shop. Last week, they introduced a new bulgogi pizza, and the constant stream of people walking through the store with fresh bulgogi pizzas made the entire place smell of delicious cooked meats. (And made hungry shoppers buy crap they didn’t need.)
Aaron in front of the “No Brand” brand section…
one of my personal favorite brands
I really like our E-mart excursions. We check the kids into the play zone (they love, love, love it – it has a climby thing with a slide and a ball pit with pneumatic tubes!), and then Aaron and I spend an hour or two wandering around, hungry, buying crap we don’t need.
We finish up with dinner in the café. It’s comfort food, at best, but very yummy. The kids’ plate has katsu, rice, french fries, canned fruit, shredded cabbage, and ice cream. Aaron and I usually get the katsu and omurice plate, with cabbage, kimchi, pickled radish, and seaweed soup. I mildly suspect we got a touch of food poisoning there last week, but whatevs. Still yummy.
And I’ll be going back next weekend for more.
buying unnecessary crap in the clearance sectionwhy, yes, that really is a bed made of stone… heated stone, evenand here’s your wooden pillow to go with it (on clearance!)carrots and potatoes straight from the field, dirt and allthe ever-useful cart escalatorSO MANY YUMMY FOODSwaiting impatiently for their ice cream dinner
