Summer vacation is here for the kids and we're making the most of it with frequent pool trips. Even today, they were at the pool with Jack and a friend of his while you-can-guess-who was in her office trying to finish up some work (never, ever finish-able). We can spend pretty much the whole day at the pool, usually bringing our own fruit and snacks that rapidly disappear and having to buy ramen, udong, kimbap, and other types of food at the food stations. Luckily, the food is reasonably-priced so we don't end up spending a lot of money. The pool has some wacky rules like: 1) you must wear a swim cap at all times in the pool or a lifeguard will blow his/her whistle at you very loudly and yell that you have to get out if you don't get a cap on NOW (apparently, not wearing a cap is 'dirty;' ok, but it's alright to pee in the water? and not to mention the slick suntain oil that washes off into the water....); 2) you are required to take a 15 minute break at the end of every hour; the announcer says its 'for health, ' but I think it's so the lifeguards can get regular breaks (although they seem to spend half the breaktime blowing whistles and yelling at the kid who inevitably sticks his/her feet in the water, jumps in on a dare, or dips his/her water gun in the pull to re-supply); 3) you are not allowed to take photos (we got away with it by taking quick shots of the kids, but apparently the rule is in place so creepy guys won't go to take photos of girls in bikinis; also, it makes a safe place for celebrities and models to come and relax--we've seen a few there that Jack and his friends recognized, including one transexual that definitely passed for a woman). I met some British women who were new to the pool while in the bathroom (or, should I say, the 'loo') and they asked, "Why is no one swimming?" I was tempted to make up some fable about a suspected skin fungus or a Han River monster stuck in the pool (maybe they haven't seen the movie), but was nice and told them it was just break time. "Why?" they asked. "It's for health," I responded. It's funny that the excuses we find so lame, we end up using, too, for lack of imagination. They then asked, "Do I have to wear a cap?" I told them yes. "Even if we pretend we don't know the rule and don't know Korean?" Told them it doesn't matter; the lifeguards don't evaluate your linguistic ability, they just use body language to let you know you're breaking the rules. Go on, suck it up girls! This is Seoul. Buy the silly little caps at the overpriced supply store on site. The good thing about the swim hats and goggles is that the kids look so cute all decked up. Dahin does a pretty convincing Esther Williams. Another good thing about going to the pool so often: Dahin has learned to swim--she does a mean breast stroke. So there, expensive YMCA swim lessons! We didn't need you after all. The boys are a little tougher, but we're working on the doggie paddle in the shallow end. Photos of the kids and a friend hamming it up are courtesy of our friend Peter.
We just took our first family vacation in Korea and it was a lot of fun. Per usual form, I took WAY too many photos, which means I am having to post in installments. This is installment numero uno: the way there. Above, in the map of SK, you can see where we went. Seoul is closer to the west coast of Korea and is marked by that big red square towards the northern part of the ROK. We traveled to the eastern seaboard for our vacation. If you look on the map, you'll see the province in the north (and colored yellow) named Kangwon-do. We were east of Ch'unch'on (marked on the map, and where Dahin and I will be headed next week for a kugak--Korean traditional music--camp) on the coast; just west of the mountain range housing Seorak mountain--one of the highlights of our trip. The kids were so excited to go. The boys and Dahin packed their own bags the day before and placed them by the door. Oliver and Dahin did a fabulous job. Ronan, well, besides two shirts and pajamas, his backpack was filled with toys. After some careful bag-editing the day of the trip, we were on our way. We faced traffic the first part of the trip, which put SOME of us in a bad mood.
Dahin was NOT happy and laid down in the car in protest. We had to threaten her with abandonment (no kidding) so that she would actually get up and let her brothers sit safely in their seats. Are we having fun YET? Ah, good times. Relief came at the point when we realized that that long line of cars was actually headed somewhere else. So, after slow going for two hours, we had a clear road and found our way to a rest stop.
Rest stops in Korea are like combinations of cafeterias, snack food supply spots, and convenience marts (oh, and potties). We ordered mandu (dumplings), ramen, kimbap, seolleongtang (beef soup with clear noodles), and a bulgogi burger (for Dahin). We also got some jwipo (dried fish) and dried squid while waiting for the burger. The kids love jwipo--it is really good, but needs to be heated over a fire and makes one's home stinky. Ok while out and about, though. The dried squid (ojingeo) was not well cooked, however. Oliver used his squid to make funny faces and pose for photos. Most of it went to waste. What's that? Yes, my picky ("that's yu-cky") kids eat dried fish and squid with gusto (shocking, huh).
Finally, after 5.5 hours on the road, we made it to our little, overpriced room. Jack's idea was, we would just drive there and find a room. I envisioned full hotels and driving with grumpy kids ready to land and said N-O to that idea. So, we reserved a room on line for 70,000 won a night (about 70 dollars). After we arrived and when Jack went downstairs to get extra towels and bedding, he overheard the owner ask a guest how she liked her room. She said, "It's alright for 50,000 a night and a view of the ocean" (we had opted for the no-view room online because the charge was 30,000 won a night more). Yes, we got ripped off. But, hey, we didn't know and it was the height of the tourist season. Our room was alright. Minbak are little hotel-like places. You pay for basically a room with a sink, little fridge, tv, and bedding. We didn't need anything fancy because we didn't plan on staying inside much. Minbak lined the beach where we were staying. The ajuma and ajeossi who ran the place were really very nice, despite the fact that they ripped us off. Usual prices for minbak (off-peak season) range from 30,000-50,000 won a night.
And, our room did have a bit of a view. The boys discovered this as soon as we got to the room. It wasn't a full-on 'we're facing the beach' view, but it was still nice. And, smelling that salt air and hearing the waves was so, so nice. The kids had not seen a beach or the ocean in 7 months--an eternity when you consider that they lived most of their lives in the Bay Area and took regular trips to the beach to play.
A view of the rooftops and the beach and beachfront road. Next installment to be posted tomorrow: the beach, the fish markets, and fireworks (all in our first day/night!).
Friends of ours invited us over for a barbecue at their place tonight. The kids thoroughly enjoyed the company as well as the hamburgers, chips, soda, and icecream (you can imagine). Jack and I had a great time, too.
