#beccabokchoy

Sleepless in Seoul: The After-Party 

Brendan and I were lucky enough to have one of our greatest friends come to stay with us for two weeks! Curran brought a rejuvenated sense of adventure to Korea and gave us the opportunity to check out some places we had yet to visit. So for his final weekend in Korea we thought we'd check out the vibrant city of Seoul. Saturday came and we had no plan, no travel arrangements made—just each other’s wonderful company and a lingering hangover. As fate would have it, we ran into a friend on the way to the subway who gave us the suggestion of where we might stay for cheap and a cool area to see with limited time. Thanks, Brett from bowling!

Next, we made our way to Busan Station to grab the KTX, Korea Train Express. We cut our travel time in half by taking the bullet train, and got to see Korea's gorgeous countryside. I've always loved train/bus/plane rides. There is something about boarding at point A and exiting at point B that has always been exhilarating to me. The trip itself always prompts introspection of the travel I've encountered...where did I start, and where have I ended up? Physical change prompts emotional change, and I was excited to see where Seoul would leave me as our time with Curran was coming to a close. After a headache of technical difficulties and some Korean kindness from the information booth, we were on our way. The refreshment cart went by and we figured it was time for a train beer because when isn't it time for a train beer? The train tunneled in and out of mountains and zoomed past rice fields and small villages.

When we arrived in Seoul we figured out how to get to Hongdae University and managed to make it to the guesthouse our friend suggested. The subway map was the most complex I've ever encountered, so we were happy to see our stop so close. Hongdae was crawling with young people and vibrant night life. There were countless bars and restaurants that lined a neat courtyard filled with street performers. We grabbed some yummy eats and pitchers at a place called OH YEAH OH YEAH! Pub. A pub so nice, they named it twice. Afterwards we roamed the streets with some cold beers—gotta love that open container law. Finally, we picked a place that had live music. We made the right choice. There was an underground punk rock vibe about the venue and the band, which consisted of three musicians - the drummer, bassist, and the crown jewel that was the guitarist. She was fucking incredible, bleach blonde, punk rock Korean princess who shredded her guitar. It was so refreshing to see a kick ass female in the spotlight after having experienced the usual demure, submissive female role in Korean society. She was baring her shoulders (OH YEAH OH YEAH) and her musical soul. Needless to say, I was a #fangirl in the front of the crowd. When their set ended we headed to the club upstairs for some drinks and dancing. To our surprise they played hilarious 90's/00's throwbacks from The Spice Girls to Aerosmith. It was awesome! Throughout the night we accumulated a group of Korean friends who I convinced to join us for norebong (karaoke room). By convince, I mean I just kept nodding my head with two thumbs up, a smile and repeated "Norebong? Norebong? Norebong!". Whatever, it worked. We followed our six new friends to a singing room where we were serenaded with Korean ballads by some truly talented singers. Curran and Brendan's rendition of Madonna's "Like a Prayer" was...impassioned.

When our vocal chords had had enough and our glasses were empty we fought for the bill. Our efforts were quickly snuffed out by what I've encountered as infinite Korean generosity. It was Curran's last night and they said they "were so happy to have shared it with us.” The man paying gave Curran a handmade bracelet as a parting gift and we said our goodbyes. While in the norebong, we had no need to check our phones or pay any mind to the time so when we emerged to a fresh blue morning sky, all we could do was laugh.

#blessed in Bijindo

For Buddha’s Birthday, we had our first real break from teaching, a sunshiny forecast, and three glorious days of freedom. It was the perfect opportunity to properly celebrate Brendan’s 25th birthday and to explore more of Korea.

Bijindo is part of Hallyeohaesang National Marine Park and is better known for it’s incredible infinity shape. It’s northern and southern islands are connected by a sandbar making it a prime location for gorgeous sunsets and stunning sunrises. Growing up in Southern California, I am a born and bred beach bum water baby. A long weekend on the sand sounded like heaven. But, what made this weekend unforgettable was the company.

I’ve made a habit of making friends by asking for directions since moving to Korea, and the pattern continued in this Korean paradise. His name was Kim ByungJoon, and he showed me the way to a convenience store (really just someone’s home). I thanked him and asked him if he’d have seaweed soup for Buddha’s Birthday. Lame, I know, but I heard that’s what you do here. He responded “You like soup” (I nod) “You have soup. One hour.” I explained I was here with Brendan, and Mr. Kim said he was welcome to join as well.

Dinner, or the “party,” as our hosts referred to it, was spent with eight Korean men mostly in their 60s and 70s. We had seaweed soup, samgyupsal, kimchi, a number of traditional side dishes, and, of course, cold mekju and soju to wash it all down. Mr. Kim acted as our translator and the other men chimed in with what English they knew. They were old friends gathered to check out a property one had bought on the island. They were very savvy campers and seemed well prepared for roughing it in the outdoors.  I had no idea just how hardcore they were until they told us that three of the men at our party had climbed Mt. Everest! (Two of the three climbers being the first and second Koreans EVER to climb Everest!!!) Definitely one of those moments I wish my Korean was better to ask some follow up questions. The jolly man sitting to my left pulled out a book titled “Everest” which had a picture of the men at our table and their excursion team in the 1970s. Brendan and I were floored. I felt unprepared in what I could offer them as a thank you, but the Hershey’s bar I brought for s’mores and a flask full of whiskey would have to do. Sharing is caring, and it’s just the Korean way.

One night with those guys would have been more than enough to make this trip a lifelong memory, but there was a second round. As we came down from our hike to the peak on the southern island, Mr. Kim flagged us down on the beach and said “Kimchi pizza.” (confused) “Last night seaweed soup, tonight kimchi pizza” “Hurry!” So, we headed up to their rooftop campout and sat down for yet another traditional Korean meal with our new best friends. One man wearing a bucket hat repeated most everything he said the night before because he was too drunk. The jolly man to my left insisted we sing “Amazing Grace” and “I Left My Heart in San Fransisco.” We sang, drank, ate kimchi “pizza” (actually more of a delicious pancake), and their catch of the day–about 30 perfectly grilled fresh fish. A bit overwhelmed on how to tackle the whole fish sitting in front of us the man across the table pointed and said “Harmonica.” and motioned how I should eat it. Everything about these guys was classic, and I loved every moment with them.

I go out walkin’...