The journey from Kathmandu > Delhi > Hong Kong > Seoul, and associated stops and trains/buses, took 24 hours. I was completely wired on arriving at the homely Bibim guest house in Mapo-gu, run by two cousins Konda and Panda. Despite the extreme tiredness I was excited to meet my good friends Seth and Juchan for a Korean pork BBQ. By the time bedtime arrived I was more than ready to sleep!
Seoul, after Nepal, was like a trip - they're worlds apart. Fashionable, great-smelling people swarm the streets with their heads buried in their super-sized super-phones, always connected to the internet, completely oblivious to the outside world. I almost missed the over-curious and friendly attention received from Nepali people. I'm not sure anyone really wondered who I was and where I came from, but this is big cities for you. Westerners are plenty here; American men mostly; NGO's; with Korean girlfriends. Korea shares a lot with America - unfortunately one of those similarities is a love of plastic surgery!
Food is everything in Korea. They know how to put on a spread! A thousand little dishes surround the meaty main course - this is up there with some of the best food I've eaten on these travels, and possibly ever!
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| Memorial to sex slaves from the war - cunningly placed outside the Japanese embassy |
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| Chicken Galbi - YUM! |
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| The controversial "tsunami" building - placed behind the Japanese colonial hall |
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| Bibim guest house sign |
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| Panda, me, Konda |
Looks exciting here in Korea...Love the flag.
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