Day 13: Beach Day in Jeju

Day 13
Friday June 27th

We had the whole day free to ourselves until 3pm.

We had breakfast together and then all met down at the beach on our own time.

It was sunny, hot and sandy with a light breeze blowing off the water. The water was so clear and ranged from aquamarine to teal to dark blue.

I arrived at the beach in my two piece: an off white tube top with a gold zipper front and forest green bottoms.
Our guide loved throwing people in the water who didn't want to swim. The first time, in Busan, I out smarted him by going in on my own accord. I tried to get away with it again but he followed me down to the water. I was waist deep but before I could dive in, he swiped my legs out from under me and I got a nose full of salt water. It was all in good fun- but I prepared myself for a second sabotage. I filled a water bottle with water and made a huge ball of seaweed and kept it by my side the rest of the afternoon.

He tried to throw me in the water a second time an hour later. He spotted my seaweed/ water arsenal sitting next to me. 
I stood up- armed and ready. 
At which point, I fell for the oldest trick in the book. 
He came up close to me. Pointed behind me and whispered something I couldn't understand. I asked, "What?" 4 times before finally looking behind me.
He snatched me up and started carrying me to the water. I poured the bottle of water on his head but he was undeterred. I started thrashing around and putting my weight backwards because I knew I didn't have that far to fall.
At this point, it wasn't about not going in the water; it was about not losing. 

Well kids, there were no winners or losers that day.
I don't know exactly what happened or how it happened but I wriggled out of his arms and landed in the sand. Topless. My hands around my chest and my gold zipper bikini top- which flung off like a rubber band- way, way out of reach. Our female staff member came rushing over with a towel while everyone else held their breath and then finally burst out laughing.
I thought it was hilarious. Our tour guide thought it was embarrassing.
The moral of the story is: I always win. Don't mess with me. (Or I'll flash you) 
Let's just say, no one tried to throw anyone in the water after that.

We hung out at the beach until lunch time- our guide made Japanese curry! We had to pack everything up and make it to the airport to catch our flight back to Seoul.

When we got to the airport, we all sat in the cafeteria and the staff handed out papers. We wrote our name at the top and then passed them around to have everyone sign them like a yearbook.We had a few hours at the airport to shop and grab dinner and then boarded the plane.

We arrived at the Women's Building (our hostel) just in time for curfew (the elevator stops running at 11pm and we were on the 13th floor). They handed out our papers that everyone signed. I organized my luggage and then went to sleep. It was my last night in Korea. 

Day 12: A Very Special Evening

Night 12
Thursday June 26th

I started to get anxious about leaving Korea.
I wasn't ready. I didn't feel like I had enough time.
I had 2 more days but I knew they'd fly by in a heartbeat.

That night everyone gathered to play games and drink together but one of my roommates opted to hang out in the room and have a good chat.

We talked about the trip, about our experience as adoptees, about our impressions of other group members, about how the trip has changed us, and what might happen when we went back to our regular life.

A glass of red wine and a long chat was exactly what I needed.

Just as we were wrapping up our conversation, we got a knock on the door. The rest of the group had bought fireworks and were heading out to the beach. My roommate turned in for a early night's sleep and I went out with the group.

It was a magical night. We all knew it was the last night together to be wild and free in Korea.

First we stopped at a small stand that had carnival games- balloon darts and a stacked block/ baseball toss.
We played, won more fireworks, and headed towards the water. There were beaches and a series of bridges and pavillions along the way. The edge of the water was lit up with rainbow lights that changed color and reflected off the water.

We stood on the bridge in a line and lit the fireworks all at the same time. You held the stick in your hand and they let off 6 tiny explosions.

After the fireworks, we all sat in a pavilion and had a long talk. Two volunteer staff members who had been on the trip before told us about their Journey Trip and their experiences when they went back home. Other people shared their experiences too. 

Have I mentioned we talked a lot about our feelings? ; )

It was great to have the opportunity to do a lot of the processing while on the trip with people who can relate to your experience. I feel very grateful to have had such a great group of people to travel with. 

The trust we all had in each other was so strong. 

It's crazy to think that these people were strangers to me and to each other less than two weeks before. 

Their openness and honesty was a treasure.No one pushed anyone to share if they didn't want to but we knew it was a free space to talk about anything. 

Even the people who opened up less, listened intently while they worked things out in their own way.

It was already past the point of being late. We all headed back to the hotel together for some rest. 

It was a great way begin the end of the Journey. 

Day 12: Touring Jeju

Day 12
Thursday June 26th

We started our day at Sunsan Ilchulbong, a sleeping volcano on Jeju Island. It was a little bananas there. Jeju Island is very popular for Chinese and Korean tourists. What should have been a peaceful hike up a pretty volcano, ended up being a hot sticky mess where I was shoulder to shoulder with strangers scream talking at each other, taking photos in the middle of a staircase without warning, and spitting and burping with total disregard.
The view was pretty though.

Below the volcano, down by the water, women were selling live seafood they had caught.

Older women swim out into the water and fish for abalone, sea cucumber, and octopus with no equipment. 

Our guide bought us some of each to sample. 

The sea cucumber and abalone- they cut up right in front of you and you eat raw. 

The octopus they flash boil. 

It is served with gochujang and raw onion. 

The texture of the abalone was not what I expected at all. I thought it would be soft like sashimi but it was tough like tendon or cartilage. The sea cucumber was also chewier than I thought it would be. 

Women divers

Abalone live (top left) Women selling it (bottom left) 

Abalone and sea cucumber raw (top right) Gambe! (cheers!) (bottom right) 

1. Drink soju   2. Nom on sea creatures

After, we had one of my favorite meals of the trip- seafood soup, spicy pork, and grilled mackerel. We had to order a second fish because we all gobbled up the first one. 

Next we went to another folk village. It was very similar to the first. The highlight was playing with the traditional Korean toys and games. 

Swings that you stand up on and go really high. 

Tops. 

A game with sticks and a tall cylinder can you throw the sticks into. 

Stilts. 

Stick and hoop. 

Simplest of all, a round patch of sand with heavy rocks in it- to show strength and settle agreements. 

 At the folk village, they had hydrangeas as big as my head!

After that we visited a waterfall. 

In the parking lot at the waterfall, they had food vendors. Our guide bought a cup of silk worms for everyone to try.
I am not a picky eater in any sense- but silk worms were hard to me. It didn't help that I saw them crawling around the day before in the market. Bugs. Yikes. That's some Timon and Pumba ish. But- I tried it. Who knows when I'd get the opportunity again.

I hated it.

 I hated the idea. I hated the texture. 

I don't remember the taste because the first two things were clouding my senses. 

But I'm glad I tried it.

While the group had dinner, I shopped at a local department store- E Mart. It was my last chance to get goodies before I left Korea.

Day 11: Hyundai, the beach, and an airplane ride

Day 11
Wednesday June 25th

We got on the bus and drove the the Hyundai factory in Ulsan. I had never been to anything like it before. I cannot imagine being the an engineer who designed that building. We were at the finishing factory. Cars were on a track, winding through the factory getting finishing touches put on. Rubber seals on the doors. A dashboard being popped in like a lego. At one point the doors are on the car and the next, they're being put on a separate track, lifted, and are gliding above our heads.
We drove past lots of cars waiting to be loaded into shipping containers and shipped to another continent.

After the factory tour, we drove to Busan, the city I was born in. I was excited to see the city. From what I saw, I really liked it. It is the 2nd largest city in Korea. It seemed smaller and more manageable than Seoul but still bustling.

The bus dropped us off at Heaundae Beach. We had 3 hours of free time. I opted to walk around by myself and meet the group at the beach later.

I walked through their market street. I saw all kinds of sea creatures and a box of live silk worms crawling all over each other, waiting to be taken home and cooked (heebie jeebies). I sampled some street food- kim bap (similar to sushi) and a humbow filled with pork, cellophane noodles and green onion. I walked around the streets popping in and out of stores. Later I met up with the group on the beach.
We played monkey in the middle in the water. Some people played soccer on the beach. The sun was shining. The sand was hot. It was great!

After the beach, we drove to the airport to fly to Jeju Island, a quick 30 minute plane ride from Busan.
We went from the airport straight to dinner. Jeju Island is famous for tangerines and black pig pork.

Grill it on the bbq.

Grab a lettuce leaf. Add rice, green onion, and gochujang. 

Put the whole thing in your mouth at once. 

That night we took it easy. Played some games and stayed up late talking. Our tummies were very, very pleased. 

Day 10: Drinking Games

Day 10
Tuesday June 24th

That night we all had dinner together. Staff made dinner- we had kim chi rice, pah jong (Korean savory pancake), dduk bokki (spicy rice cake), and pigs feet.

Afterwards, we all gathered to have some drinks and hang out.

We all shared drinking games.

A guy from the Netherlands taught us a game where you put a stack of cards on the top of a wine bottle.
You have to blow on the cards with one breath. The goal is to knock off as many cards as possible without knock the deck off the bottle. If you blow 1 or more cards off without knocking the deck off, you've done well. If you blow and no cards fall off, you have to drink. If you blow and knock all the cards off, you have to drink. You want to get the deck low, so the person after you has a hard time.

We learned 2 Korean games.

Baskin Robins 31:
You say Baskin Robins 31 and then someone starts counting.
You can say 1-3 numbers in a row, you get to choose how many.
The person stuck saying 31 has to drink.
EX: Person A: "1,2,3" Person B: "4", Person C:"5,6,7"

The Pointing Game (?) I don't know what it's called
The person who's turn it is counts to 3 and then says a number.
Everyone points at someone else.
Starting with the person who said the number you trace where everyone is pointing.
The person who is pointed at when you reach the number that was said, has to drink.
BUT- the person who says the number gets to choose what the loser drinks.

These are called punishment games.
Horrible concoctions were being made. Soju, mixed with soda, with chewed up and spit out rice cake. Beer with pickled daikon juice. It was pretty nasty.

I tried to teach everyone how to play flip cup.
Perhaps with a slight buzz on, I didn't explain it very well, especially with 4 languages present. People didn't get that it was a relay race. People just didn't get it.
Everyone asked, "What happens when you win?" I said, "Uh...pride that you won?"

At which point several people told me that is was a stupid, pointless game, like I had committed a horrible party foul...

At which point, I left. I was buzzed. I was exhausted. I was overly sensitive from the conversation I had had earlier in the day. I didn't want to play drinking games. I wanted to drink with friends.

But that's the nice thing about having a big group, I found other people having a quieter night. I even met some Americans in the lobby of our hotel.

Day 9 and 10: Climbing a mountain and Buddhist temples

Day 9
Monday June 23rd

Our guide told us we would be doing a moderate hike to the top of Mt. Seorak. He told us that a five year old completed the hike so we had no excuses. He lied.

It was an amazing hike though. There were beautiful rock formations, views, and streams. 80% was moderate. 20% was a challenge- the last 20%. Half way through there was a beautiful Buddhist temple with a monk chanting inside. We kept climbing higher and higher. Paved path, changed to a stone path, changed to rock, and then into endless steep stairways to the top. I needed the physical exercise. I think my sweat was pure soju. I thought I was going to die. I kept seeing Korean people, long sleeves, hats and pants. I was in shorts and a tank top and was burning up.

We all made it to the top with the exception of our guides and a group member who was feeling under the weather. At the top, there was a man with a tiny stand serving iced tea and coffee. It was crazy to imagine he hiked that peak everyday.

When we got to the top, it was pure white. We were inside of a cloud. I heard the views on a clear day are amazing. Blerg. I thought maybe I had passed out on the way up and this was heaven- except there were squirrels and a man selling souvenirs and the girl who talks a lot was still there...so I was pretty sure it was just cloudy.

Squirrels look different. The other squirrel had tufts of hair sticking out from the top of his ears. We tried to feed them coco puffs from our hands. It didn't work...

This was a little beetle I met on my way down. I love the way they look. 

After our group photo, because-in Korea, there was always a group photo, I booked it down the mountain solo and was met by our guide who bought me ice cream. I teased him about being a liar and he laughed like a mischevious 8 year old boy who pulled off a great trick. My legs were jello.

It was a quiet bus ride that day to Gyeongju. We all passed out. We were exhausted. 

Day 10

Tuesday June 24th 

Tuesday morning we were met by Mr. Min. He was 55 years old and he looked like 40. He spoke English and toured us around Gyeongju. It was lovely to see the pride he had in his city and how happy he was to share its history with us

. 

First we went to Seokgulam Grotto, a buddhist temple constructed in 751. It was under construction so it didn't look quite like it usually did but it was beautiful. 

This was fountain you could drink from. If you drink a cup, you'll become a year younger. 

I filled my water bottle. 

We had lunch at a Chinese Restaurant. We had one of my favorite dishes- jang jang myun, fermented black bean noodles and cham pong, a seafood noodle soup. 

After lunch, we went to Bulguksa, another temple. It was really beautiful. Mr. Min shared a lot of information with us about Buddhism in Korea. 

There are two types of pagodas, Mr. Min explained, female and male. You can tell a female pagoda from a male pagoda because "the female pagoda is very complicated." He meant in design but I'm sure he meant in a greater sense as well.

I loved the design of the temples. 

The top is what is used to ring the bell, its supposed to signify a whale. There is a dragon at the top of Korean Buddhist bells. There is a story about the whale and the dragon but I'm not sure of the lore.

After that, we did a rapid tour through Gyeongju Museum but we were all still exhausted from the mountain hike. Mr. Min cut the tour short and we went back to the hotel. 

A few girls and I went to the sauna at the hotel.There was a steam room, a dry sauna, a hot tub, a very hot tub, and a cold plunge. It was really nice to relax and have some quiet time. 

That night I had a really important conversation with a group member. The kind of talk you can only have with another adoptee. It meant a lot Martine. <3 <3 <3

Day 8 cont...

Day 8
Sunday June 22nd

After the church service, we had lunch and spent time with Korean families who adopted domestically.

It was really sweet! I made some origami star boxes for the kids and chatted with the girls a little bit.

One group member of ours, Axel, had an extra special experience. He was wearing an H M Son World Cup jersey. We had gone to Nike the day before in Gangnam. He had it custom printed so it was the real deal.

This little boy lit up as soon as he saw him. The little boy was convinced he was Heung Min. Parents told him that it wasn't the soccer player but this boy heard none of it. He asked to be picked up. Axel carried him around for the full hour we were there. The boy's mother didn't want her son to be a bother so she tried to take him from Axel and the boys grip tightened. Axel assured her it was fine but other parents said that the boy was showing disobedience. Axel put him down but the boy didn't leave his side so a second. He put stickers all over Axel's face. I made him an origami dinosaur and the little boy asked for a pen. I gave him one and he drew hearts all over it. It melted all of us.

It was these moments. Never in a million years could you anticipate or plan for- that stick with you for a lifetime.

Later that day we traveled by bus to Sokcho. It was one of the most beautiful places I had ever been.
We had sundubu chigae and grilled dried fish for dinner-food that are famous in the region.
They have very pure water so they are known for the quality of their tofu.
They're so proud of their tofu, in fact, that their authentic version of sundubu is water, salt, and tofu.

That night, a fellow group member and I went to for a run around the grounds of the hotel. It was the first time we exercised in a week. It felt so great. The air was so pure. It was a great first night out of the city.

View from our room at the Delpino Resort in Sokcho.