Road Trip!!

To get a way from Seoul for a bit and really enjoy some time together, we took a road trip to the Southeastern part of the peninsula, Kyeongsangdo. Our destinations were Pusan (pictured above, photo taken as we drove toward the city), Ulsan, and Kyeongju. In Seoul, snow was forecasted, so we were happy to go where it was just a few degrees warmer. ROK is a small country, but a few hundred kilometers south can make a big difference.

Instead of the standard minbak, we decided to try motels. Motels, hotels, yogwan, inns (minbak), are all different. Hotels are higher-end (like Hyatt or Westin), and minbak are lower end. Yeogwan have a pretty seedy reputation, and motels are somewhere between a hotel and a minbak. But, I learned on this trip, motels can be pretty seedy as well. The one we stayed at in Pusan was pretty nice--they even had a Christmas tree in the lobby. And, it did not smell of cigarette smoke (a bonus). But, the little 'accommodations packet' they gave us included a 'ladies kit' and 'man's kit' that made me go 'ew.' I'm ok with Jack, when we're on our own, but kids in tow make me one up-tight mama. Anyway, will not detail the respective kits' parts, but, besides the kits, the motel was overall pretty pleasant.

One thing that is always included in minbak, yogwan, and motels is toothpaste--like a tube of toothpaste that someone else's toothbrush has already touched. Needless to say, we bring our own.

These days, motels have their own special theme rooms. The one we got was a 'tudor room' so had wooden shutters and tudor-esque decor. The motel was the Paradia motel. Nicest thing about it was its location--right in the middle of a bunch of shops and restaurants and only a 5 minute walk to the beach.

After settling into the hotel, we went to a samgyeopsal (basically, grilled bacon--so bad for you but SOOOO good) restaurant that Jack had found on the Internet. It was a strange little place, decorated like some jazz club from the 1920s and playing a mixture of light jazz/rock over the sound system. I say strange because the whole feel of the place was not your typical samgyeopsal eatery. Normally, samgyepsal places feature trashcans turned upside down on which you sit (sometimes stools) and an aluminum table with a grill pit built in for grilling the pork. They are normally informal drinking places and, despite the drinking part, very family friendly (because so informal). But, the owners of this restaurant were obviously trying to take samgyeopsal to a new level. It felt like an upscale restaurant, but the prices were not that bad. We were the only ones in the place despite the peak dinner time, which added a creepy feel to eating there since the bartender and wait staff watched us the whole time. It was rather quiet, considering the fact that we were the only ones there. It was not bad, in reality. The food tasted good and the kids ate really well, which is all we can ask for. I think, during the day, you can see the ocean from the windows, which is maybe why someone recommended it online. That, or the owners wrote their own recommendation. Seriously, kidding on the last part. The atmosphere was nice and the people there were also nice--I think the lack of patrons is a sign of the economy more than anything else. It could also, on a side note, be that, when people are looking for samgyeopsal, they are really not looking for something upscale.

Above, Dahin makes her 'I can't believe I have two little brothers and you are SO gross' face at Ronan as he attempts to make a tissue move by blowing his nose. Below, Apa at the grill.

Of course, any good samgyeopsal meal would not be complete without a stop at McDonald's for some McFlurries, ice cream cones, and sundaes. And, yes, they taste the same here as they do there (you know what I mean).

One of the new logos here for McDonald's (besides the tired "I'm lovin' it!") is MAC tonight, celebrating the fact that now Korea offers the food that will never deteriorate nor digest properly in your stomach 24 hours a day. At first I was confused by the t-shirts and thought I was at the MAC counter at Lotte department store, but had to remind myself NOT to order a new half-n-half lipstick. The MAC colors on their t-shirts and the design is just too similar to MAC cosmetics. Oh, in case you really want to go all out, you can have McD's delivered to your home. I can't think of any place in the US where McD's delivers--maybe NY or LA? I, admittedly, did this once after a really stressful day at work. Just wanted a Big Mac after months of no McDs (not convenient to our home). The delivery time? 1 hour and a half. I said it was ok when they told me, but when the food arrived cold (cold french fries just don't do it for me), I changed my mind. Now, McD's is only for special occasions like vacations or mother-daughter concert-going outings. Think it should stay that way.

We decided to do a night-time trip to Haeundae Beach. A summer blockbuster was made about the beach called "Haeundae" (yes, creative). It was actually about a big tsunami that hit the beach. Our trip to the beach at night was actually fun, especially since there were no tsunamis. The kids did a treaure hunt and the boys found a lot of 'treasures.' Oliver's big finds were pine cones (below) and Ronan found some cool shells. Dahin also found some interestingly-shaped stones.

Below, guess who's sleepy? The kids were good and tired by the time we returned to our motel.

In the morning, Oliver, Dahin, and I bathed while Jack and Ronan did a McD's run. Ok--yes, we overdid it. After our McD's breakfast, we were over our McD craving, that's for sure. Once we all were bathed and had eaten, we packed our stuff in the car and headed to Haeundae beach again for some daytime beach play. One of the things we did not realize at the time was that we had left Oliver's beloved blankie behind entangled in some sheets. We were to discover that later that night, over a hundred miles away, when were were getting ready for bed at another hotel. But, more on that drama later...

Above, Ronan and Oliver as statues and, below, Dahin at the beach. They had these cool air blowy-thingies that blew the sand off of your clothes and shoes. Way more effective than water at cleaning remnants of the beach off of your belongings.

There was this beautiful walkway along the coast that was so wonderful--wish all coastal areas had this. It was constructed of wood and there were little side paths and stairs that took you down or up to different locations along the path. The views were spectacular.

There were a lot of people out fishing. Below,a group of friends go fishing and, in a seperate shot, a lone fisher waits for a catch while enjoying the view of Pusan.

Jack and the lighthouse and, below, Oliver wonders why we never have any pocket change so he can do something FUN. Pusan reminds me a lot of San Francisco. I think it's the bridges and the views. It is a very beautiful city overall.

The mermaid statue was too great a photo opportunity to miss. Well, that was, for the most part, intuitive, except for the sign that said, 'This is a photo opportunity you can't miss!' So, we took it.

Ronan took this photo of Jack and me. Pretty good job--a little out of focus but, hey, he's five.

The boys and I chilled out on the beach for a little while as Jack and Dahin explored the fancy beach-side Chosun Westin. They decorated their sand castles with the many treasures they had found on the beach that day and the night before. Although they gave many of these to me as presents, I had to explain that these shells, etc. really needed to stay where we found them (ok, I kept a few cool ones, but the rest just had to go).

After eating lunch, we headed to Ulsan for a visit to a whale museum. The only problems were 1) Jack had convinced me that, with the price of admission, you get a piece of whale meat to eat (I was flabbergasted and said I really 'do not want to go to a museum that does something so terrible as that'--he had me going for hours until I realized it was a joke; damn it) and 2) we were caught in traffic in Pusan that put us an hour behind and we arrived at the museum 5 minutes after they had stopped selling tickets (the museum officially closes at 6 pm, but last entry is 5 pm). So, instead, we just got some coffee and hot cocoa from the machines outside the museum and enjoyed watching the sun set while climbing on the coast guard boat exhibited outside. I felt bad because Dahin had really, really wanted to go to the whale museum. It is definitely now on our summer vacation list.

Below, the ticket booth and store for the whale museum. It is located adjacent to a whale and marine life research center. The museum itself is pretty big. Around the museum, there were all these murals of whales and the ocean. I had always thought of Ulsan as a boring industrial town, but now I think it's pretty cool. Very quaint and quiet, surprisingly.

We made it to Kyeongju around 7 pm and explored the local anapji (this means man-made pond--these were made to beautify palace grounds, etc--that's really all I know and I am not really sure of the Korean spelling). The temp was bitter cold, so we only played around outside for about 20 minutes before heading to our way tacky motel.

Kyeongju is famous for it's historical sites. As the capital of Silla, Kyeongju was at the heart of the Korean Renaissance, when Korea was a mecca for arts and learning and a destination for many who traveled the silk road. The Silla kingdom became symbolic for a unified Korea, since Silla emerged as the victorious kingdom after the Three Kingdoms period. When the other two main kingdoms fell (Paekjae and Koguryeo), Silla's dominance entered in a new era of unified Korea (well, except for that pesky little Parhae kingdom up north that many people forget to pay attention to). Anyway, because of its illustrious history, Kyeongju has been the site of many an archaeological dig and there are many historic sites to see here.

Yes--love, fun, and joy awaited us at the 'Show Motel.' With its little phallic friend as a mascot, the motel reinforced my opinion that, while minbak are low end I think I prefer them to motels. Going into Kyeongju's motel district, I felt as if I were taking my kids to a red light district. And, I think it was. The tell-tale 'barber shop' signs were spinning and all kinds of video stores surrounded our motel and there was nothing much else there. We weren't the only family in the motel district, I know, but still...

Ah, we got the cozy cottage room, complete with jacuzzi, flat screen tv, and disco ball black light in the bath room. Boom chicka wow wow...yeah. We also got 'lady' and 'man' sets upon check in and were delighted to find such wonderful art decorating our motel room (in the picture below behind Dahin--just wierd). Dang. Seriously, people, motels are not just for May-December couples. Families need places to stay on holidays that don't cost a fortune--not all of us can do the Shilla or the Hyatt. While Jack is convinced motels are nice, the best thing about them is the price. It is one of the cheapest ways to stay elsewhere. Very affordable for what you get overall. Yet, the cigarette smoke-stained walls and smell in the room was just so gross. I am voting for minbak next time.

Upon settling in for the night, we discovered Oliver's blankie was missing. We must have left it in the sheets at the Pusan motel. Looking at Oliver's face when we told him blankie was missing, Jack and I knew we had to do what it takes to get blankie back. So, Jack called the Pusan motel and asked if they had found a blue, crusty (just kidding, it is clean but definitely worn) baby blanket in our room. They had, and still had it in the office. Initially, Jack had told them we would go retrieve it in the morning, but the idea of facing traffic and foregoing our plans to sightsee in Kyeongju caused us to call a family conference. We decided that Jack, accompanied by Dahin, would go get blankie that night. So, Jack called the Pusan motel and told them he was heading their way, bought Dahin a soda and some snacks, and they headed off in the night back toward Pusan. We called each other at intervals to make sure all was well as they made their way to and fro. 3 hours later, Jack and Dahin returned from the blankie rescue mission with blankie neatly folded and wrapped in a plastic baggie. I pulled it out of its plastic cover and placed it in Oliver's arms and he hugged it in his sleep. Go Apa and Nuna!!

Once we escaped....um, checked out of the hotel in the morning, we found that the only place to get breakfast in Kyeongju was the sijang (traditional open-air market). In small towns like Kyeongju (despite it's history as the capital of Silla over 1,000 years ago) there are no Starbucks, no coffee roasting spots of any sort. There are also no McDonalds, Dunkin Donuts, or anything like that (well, maybe these do exist somewhere in Kyeonju, but we drove all over 'downtown' which was more like a stretch of stores in the middle or nowhere, and found nothing). Country in Korea is really COUNTRY, not suburbia. So, we made our way in the freezing cold through the sijang and settled on a place that sold basic sijang fare--ddokbokki, chapje, etc.--mainly because the ajuma said, "Hey, eat here." So, we did.

I liked the pumpkins stacked up against the wall with paper napkins, plates, and cups near the menu--ah, my love affair with this lovely pitted veggie-fruit finds its ultimate satisfaction in a big bowl of pumpkin porridge. And that's exactly what I got for breakfast. I nearly passed out from excitement when I saw it on the menu.

While the kids and Jack ate noodles and ddokbokki (yawn) I enjoyed a piping hot bowl of the lovely orange stuff--pureed pumpkin with rice balls, bits of dates, sesame seeds, and red beans. Yum! Just as good as oatmeal in the morning. The kids turned their nose up at my gourdish feast, but I knew that I was eating the real breakfast of champions. Yay for hobak chuk! (just not with kimchi, ok; really didn't get that) Eating in the sijang reminds me of what my friend Heather once said, "Living in Korea is one step closer to camping." In many ways, that was way truer years ago, but going to the sijang and eating food in stainless steel bowls outside in the freezing cold has a hardcore camping-esque feel to it.

After breakfast, we went to see Bulguksa, another really old Buddhist temple (lots of them here in Korea). Cool sights to see included covered buildings in mid-renovation (Jack: "they should give us our money back") and frozen water falls (Dahin "if the waterfall is frozen, how come we can still hear water running?"--I couldn't answer that).

Ronan was excited to see, as we made our way back to the front entrance, an "ice skating rink!" ("wah!! skat-eu chang-i-da!"). I explained that while, yes, the pond was frozen it was not a real skating rink and that getting on the ice was actually really dangerous. And, just as I said that, guess what....

...the kids spied several people on the other end of the pond slipping all over the ice. Now, the image below fits into the 'stupid things that people do' category, especially considering that they were pulling their kids out onto the ice with them. Apa or little Su-je falling through thin ice does not make a happy family holiday memory. Anyway, luckily the members of their party with some sense yelled at them to get off the ice and, eventually, they did. But their little foray into stupidity did nothing to help me convince my kids (Ronan, especially) that it was NOT an ice skating rink. I think he just had too much fun skating on Christmas Eve and thought he could re-live that here. No way, Buster.

See people (below): "Danger! Do not get on the ice." Duh.

You can always spot the country senior centers with their refurbished baby stroller parking lots (below). Older people who have trouble walking here tend to use discarded baby strollers as walkers. I've seen it in Seoul, but really see it in the countryside.

We visited the national museum in Kyeongju next. There were all kinds of artifacts from the Silla period to view on display. I, personally, was really impressed that they had a nursing room located in the museum. Not like I'm still nursing or anything, but still find myself continually impressed with how often I see nursing or baby rooms located in public spots in Korea.

The museum consists of several buildings with different displays. The wind was blowing and the temps were below freezing, so walking from building to building was not the most pleasant experience. But the views were beautiful. Kyeongju by day certainly beats Kyeongju by night, which appears to have nothing but tacky neon motels.

Another Ronan portrait below.

The museum had a great children's museum where kids could do pretend excavations, computer games, see videos, learn songs, and make stamps. There was a cafe located close by, but I didn't feel comfortable leaving the kids there to get grown up time, despite the fact that they were all signed in and checked by the staff. Jack got some coffee instead and I played with the kids. We put together this vase. It was really very cool--the ends of pieces had magnets in them so that the vase would fit together and stay together once you found all the right pieces.

One the way out, Dahin snapped some photos of the scenery, like me next to a giant Bodhisatva (right?) head and Oliver by a stone pagoda.

The burial mounds are also something Kyeongju is famous for; that, and Kyeongju bread. There are so many burial mounds, many of kings, queens and other famous people that they literally line the streets of Kyeongju. I snapped some photos of a couple of mounds near the car as Jack went in to get some Kyeongju bread for our trip back. Kyeongju bread is filled with red bean paste and the bread itself is made of barley flour. You're supposed to eat it cold but I really liked how it tasted when it was fresh and warm. It's also called 'hwangnam ppang''--apparently that's the kind you are supposed to get since it is really the original stuff, (we tried both Kyeongju ppang and hwangnam ppang and I'm telling you there is no difference) but it is easier to call it Kyeongju ppang. There were as many places selling Kyeongju or hwangnam ppang in Kyeongju as there were burial mounds and historic sites, and that is a lot.

Despite our worries that it would be too cold and snowy to take a winter trip, we had such a good time together. The weather was wonderfully sunny and mild for us. Pusan's weather was unseasonably warm the day we were there and, while bitter cold in Kyeongju, at least it did not snow! We were back home 1 hour before the New Year. Happy New Year everyone!