Dinner Out

I was invited to have a traditional Korean dinner with COL Kim and his wife (they are Korean) and a few other people. What a fantastic experience! I can't believe I didn't bring my camera! We went to a restaurant where we sat in our own room, on the floor of course. The waitresses brought out all kinds of traditional dishes, just like the pictures you see with tables full of the dishes. Most of it was really good! There were dishes of tofu with chili sauce, mushrooms, cucumbers, two kinds of kimchi, noodles, seafood soup, little dried fish, fried fish, spinach, and a lot of other things--probably 25 different dishes in all. You use your chopsticks to take a few bites of each thing and usually have one or two things on your plate at a time (small plates). It's a fun way to eat. I'm not a fan of kimchi, the taste isn't horrible, but usually the smell makes me gag, but this place I didn't even smell it. One night it came with something that I got to go, and I had to take it to a garbage outside my hotel room because I couldn't stand the smell. One thing I really like about Korean cooking is that they don't fry their tofu! (But they do fry a lot of other things!) Anyway, it was a real treat to do this! Mrs. Kim is a professional singer and sings at one of a Korean culture center here that is in my guidebooks! I'd like to see her perform some time.

From L to R: CPL Ban, MAJ Baxter, COL Kim, me.  This was in 2003.  I have a current patient who just got here from Korea (2011), and COL Kim was his physiatrist, so he's still holding down the fort there.

Out and About in Seoul

I've had several chances to get out and explore Seoul. The subway system is extensive, so it is easy to walk downstairs to "my" station (Ichon) and get virtually anywhere I want in the city and beyond.  I love seeing the old gates and palaces.  I took this picture to illustrate the dichotomy (and beauty) of the new and old, which are often found side-by-side.

This is the Royal Guard Changing Ceremony at the Deoksungung Palace.

Traditional drum.

So this is pretty funny.  I used a guidebook for my first venture or two of exploration.  While I was out, I visited a tourist bureau and picked up several maps.  I think this was actually my first trip that I planned from the maps.  I was so excited to spend a Saturday at a major palace that I found on my map.  I plotted my route, got on the subway, and confidently followed the map from the exit station to the... prison.  That's right.  This is the entrance to the "palace" that turned out to be a prison where the Japanese tortured and killed Korean disenters.

So I went hiking on the small mountain behind the prison.  I saw this...

... and this!  An outdoor gym that is fairly typical.  You have to hike a long ways to get to them.

These men are all playing Changgi.  It is a 2-man game like chess, but often bystanders get involved.

All-in-all it turned out to be a good day, but I still think that next time I'll use a map that's printed in English!