1world100words

A simple travel blog. One world. One hundred words.

[1world100words-blog]

노량진 수산시장 (Noryangjin Fish Market)

Noryangjin is a whole sale fish market in Seoul. The lovely stank of fresh seafood floats in the air in between the mass of people. The ground is wet with fishy liquid from fish, crabs, and other sea creatures splashing around in their open tanks.

The vendors yell at you and crawl up the pyramid of blue tanks to grapple with the thrashing sea creatures. After choosing your desired fresh meal you can take your purchase to the second floor restraints. For a sitting and cooking fee (about $10) they will serve you the fresh seafood that you just bought!

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Korean 찜질방 (jjimjilbang, or sauna)

I stood staring into my empty locker wondering when, andwhere I was suppose to disrobe. It took five minutes of failed eaves dropping for me to just take off my clothes and follow the other naked ladies into the sauna. I unfolded my towel only to realize it might cover one boob.

Three hours later I was casually hopping from cold bath to steam room to full body scrub. The novelty of being embarrassed wore away fast. Korean saunas are cheap ($7-$11), open 24 hours, relaxing, and a great way to be the only naked foreigner in a room.

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Busan's Bookstore Alley

Bosu-dong Street runs innocuously parallel to a busy street in Busan. However, once you turn down this narrow alley the literary world explodes. Walls are lined with books. Piles of books support each other. Books support shelves. Books stretch to the ceilings. Books cram in between cracks and act like papier-mache along every dimension of every tiny shop.

There is no need to crack the spine of an old book and flip through the pages to arouse that sweet musty smell because the aroma leaks from every word and crinkled pages. This alley is the red-light district for book lovers.

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Gamcheon Cultural Village (감천문화마을) - Busan, South Korea

In Busan, Gamcheon Cultural Village is a colorful landslide of lopsided houses. The buildings run down the hill tapering to a point and face the ocean. If you walk the haphazard streets you find coffee shops, random acts of art, and even Le Petit Principe sitting on a rail daydreaming.

  Gamcheon looks nothing like Korea.  It’s as if an architect cut a South American city and pasted it in Korea. Gamcheon was settled by Taegeukdo refugees from the Korean War. They believe ying and yang define our universe. Perhaps, the imperfect homes which create a perfect view illustrate their belief.

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Seoraksan (설악산) National Park: Hiking in Korea

In autumn, Seoraksan National Park is a vibrant landscape of fiery red, deep yellow, and warm orange leaves contrasted against dark tree bark. Above the canopy are jagged mountain tops that slice through the thin clouds. Throughout the park, waterfalls, trails and rocks with Chinese characters carved into the stone are ubiquitous.

However, the tree’s leaves are not the only flamboyant colors; thousands of hikers flank through the trails wearing brightly assorted hiking gear. The colorful hikers’ clothes compete with the fall colors which give the National Park wonderful character. In Korea, all four season feature the colorfully clad hikers. 

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Noraebang (노래방) - The Karaoke of Korea

The auto tuned microphone cannot mask the drunken yells that are meant to be singing. Cigarette smoke rises and hangs over the large television that is the only light in the cramped room. Behind the tobacco musk is the smell of soju and sweat, oozing from the ten bodies squished along the two sofas. Arguments over the next song are followed by laughter and boisterous duets. On the table, bottles of Cass gradually become a small mountain. The free cheese balls scatter across the table and onto the floor, crunching under our feet into orange dust. We leave at dawn.

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Seoul Lantern Festival

In the middle of the cheonggye stream, lanterns stagger forward in a frozen parade. The beautiful yellow and red lights shimmer off the shallow water and illuminate the narrow path. Hordes of people, mostly couples, stroll along the outside of the river. At random intervals the crowd stutters and selfie sticks block the path as people capture a million photogenic moments.

Most of the lanterns represent significant moments or people in Korean culture. King Sejong stands tall in a red robe, surrounded by the vowels and consonants of Hangul that he helped create. I meander forward enlightened by Korean history. 

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닭발 (Chicken Feet): Seoul, South Korea

A small oval plate was placed on the table. Mangled chicken feet seemed to claw out of the viscous red sauce. With a plastic bag over my hand I reached through the rising steam and pinched one chicken foot between my own fingers. The tiny bones inside the skin rolled with ease between my finger tips.

The hot pepper sauce slowly consumed my senses. My lips blossomed red and my tongue felt rubbed raw. Yet, I continued to devour the scrawny chicken feet. A few salty tears built up in the corners of my eyes. I spit out the bones.