Anthony in Korea, Days 26-27, Sunday and Monday, May 17-18, 2009

Well, folks, this is my last post…Tomorrow I am heading back to Inwangsan, my favorite place in Seoul, the Buddhist/Shamanist worship area high in the mountains. I’ll also go to Sanchon, a famous Buddhist vegetarian restaurant in Insadong, and also a tea shop in Insadong. But I don’t plan on bringing my camera, or getting home in time to write on my blog (although I reserve the right to change my mind!).

I wasn’t home last night so I couldn’t write on the blog. And tomorrow I’ll be busy, getting ready to leave. SO this is it…

Last night I spent the night at a jimjilbang. For those of you who don’t know what that is, it’s a Korean spa/bathhouse where you can do everything from take a soak in a hot tub to get a massage, all for around 10 bucks. Jimjilbangs are huge in Korea, and by huge I mean in size and in popularity. Most men and women make regular trips to public baths and jimjilbangs. Basically, you go there and forget about everything else and just relax. I didn’t bring my cell phone or laptop and I had no communication with anyone but myself from 10pm-10am the next morning. Oh, did I mention you can sleep there (at no extra cost)? Yes, after you relax in the sauna or steam room or take advantage of any of the other services, there’s a giant room where you can sleep on a mattress on the floor. Jimjilbangs are so big. The one I went to, called Dragon Hill, is 7 stories tall and includes 2 restaurants, a snack bar, an outdoor pool, and so many other amenities. At around midnight I went down to the Korean restaurant in the basement and had some delicious bibimbap and Hite beer on tap. Then, as mentioned, I headed to the sleeping room and there I stayed for the next 9 hours. I’d love to go into details about this place, but honestly it would take me an hour to cover it all. Luckily, another guy staying in Seoul, writing on his blog, has covered it all right here:
http://softtofu.wordpress.com/2009/05/07/jimjilbang/
Jimjilbangs are so relaxing and stress-free…Had I been brave enough to try one at the beginning of my trip, I’d have gone 2-3 times a week. But at least I got to go once. It was a very interesting experience and one of the highlights of my trip to Seoul.

What else? Ah, yes…before I went to the jimjilbang yesterday I visited COEX mall, which is a mall so big it would make my mother’s mouth water. It’s an underground mall that has everything from an amusement park to a movie theater, plus every possible Western clothing store you can think of. I’ve never seen a mall this big. Personally, I hate malls, but it was interesting to see, and it’s obviously popular because it was packed.

Across the street from COEX is literally like entering another universe, in the form of Bongeusa, which is one of Seoul’s oldest and most famous Buddhist temples [check out the photo of the temple in the foreground and the highrises near COEX in the background; what a contrast!]. Bongeusa is much like the other Buddhist temples and shrines I’ve been to—serene, lush, and spiritual, a far cry away from the bustling concrete city just a stone’s throw away. It’s hundreds of acres large, set on a hillside, and so beautiful. Thankfully, such places are protected from the development that is sweeping through Seoul.

Back to today: after waking up in the Jimjilbang (and taking another soak in the hot tub), I went back to Sangdo. I ate breakfast and headed to Bangbae where I tutored Dahee and Sunae. Again, like the last two sessions, Sunae took it upon herself to write an essay expressing her ideas about the influence of the media on society. Again, I am posting a photo of her essay on this blog. She is such a good writer and I am so glad that she enjoys writing her ideas in English. Dahee also wrote some great essays about her personal ideas, and she has made a lot of improvement since I started tutoring her just a few weeks ago.

After I tutored them, we all met Bori at the jumac, the traditional Korean bar that I went to with Sunae and Dahee 3 weeks ago. I really love this place, and I especially love the dongdongju, the Korean rice wine that taste so much more delicious than it sounds. We also had seafood ttoekbokki, covered with melted cheese (which I didn’t like), and some kimchibuchimgae (often called Korean pizza, only there’s no cheese or dough), and other battered and fried vegetables (which were delicious). We spent 2.5 hours in the jumac and just kept drinking, eating, and saying “kungbae” (Korean for “cheers”), and eating and drinking some more. We had a great time. Dahee and Sunae gave me some nice presents and waited for me at the bus stop [see photo]. I will miss Dahee and Sunae, but since the former has family in Queens and the latter is considering studying in America, I know I will see them again.

Anyway, thanks for reading my blog. I’m not going to end with any dramatic or philosophical comments. As I said, I may write again tomorrow. There are many people I want to thank for making this trip possible, but I’ll email them individually in the next day or so.

Peace.