Korea!
About two weeks ago, Greg Bell and I took a short jaunt to South Korea, for a couple of shows representing the State of Victoria. No pressure. It’s not like we had to be a composite representation of all artists for the whole of Australia or anything. Just for the State. Gah!
Of course, my biggest question, after checking the weekly weather forecast, was ‘what was I going to wear?’ Just kidding.
No I’m not.
I decided to pack for all conditions and, hence, overpacked. My only two suitcases are sized either for carry-on, or house-moving, so I figured this four-day trip fell into the latter category.
The only thing I didn’t pack into my mobile-home, was my laptop. I took books instead and I read them (I mention the last part only because I often take books with me, but I seldom read them. Like the muesli bars that I took with me on this particular adventure and am only just eating now, as I type. They’re quite flat from their travel of over twenty hours in the air and many days by land, but they still taste okay). I thought that I would have very little access to the internet, while I was away. Wrong! South Korea has the fastest, most readily available, free wifi, of any country. Anyway, I was happy for the lighter load and for the literary love. I posted a few short points of interest (mostly food), as you may have noticed, and now here I am filling in the blanks.
Shall we get on with it then?
1. Bibimbap Faux Pas – On the plane, the meal choices were pasta, bibimbap, and something that I couldn’t understand, even after asking three times for the flight attendant to repeat the selection (I am quite deaf). I chose bibimbap. I’ve eaten this dish countless times in both Melbourne and LA, but not for a while and I was a little excited. I was handed my tray of ready-to-assemble separate dishes, accompanied by an instruction sheet with easy to follow pictures. ‘Do you know how to eat this?’, the very helpful attendant offered. ‘Oh yeah’, I said, with an air of been-there-done-that-and-got-the-attitude-to-prove-it, which must’ve sounded somewhat cocky. She retracted her offer of the pictorial guide and left me to it. I panicked, took the top off my seaweed soup and as I poured it onto my rice, I knew it was wrong. As I ate my bowl of shame, that resembled congee with kimchi, I caught the eyes widen on the face of our dear offeree, as she glanced over my porridge, before speeding past to offer assistance to a more just and attentive cause.
2. Pointing is rude – I read it in the travel guide that the Victorian Government kindly provided, alongside my itinerary. I believe Mr Benjamin Law just wrote an article on the perversity of the mind in these situations. I had not been on Korean turf for more than ten minutes (half an hour, if you count customs), when I raised my index and poked it in the face of our lovely tour manager, Min’s face, in a gesture of mock accusation at how wonderfully organised she was. A ham-fisted/fingered show of appreciation from the crass Australian that she would be herding for the next four days. First impressions are everything.
3. Gyeongbokgung Palace – It’s really a city within a city. Right in the heart of Seoul, where apartment living is highly necessary (and I mean highly, as in high-rise, due to the lack of space on the ground), this 600 year old palace sits on the lion’s share of land. I tried to find documentation on the actual size of the grounds, but I couldn’t. Please feel free to offer such information and I’ll update this post. All I can say is that it took us over two hours to cover one third of the palace! There are some photos on my facebook page, if you click on the photo above. They are mostly of walls, because I love the textures of the different brickwork and mosaics. Such a beautiful world. I would go there every day to eat my lunch, if I worked nearby.
4. Discipline! - Within the palace, there were many groups of tourists, as you would expect. There were also large numbers of local students boisterously roaming about on excursions, which I really enjoyed seeing. In one of the main areas, near the entrance, they appeared to be having some sort of assembly. Kids gathered in a group, sitting in rows, to form a rough square. The teacher would shout a word and they would all stand, he’d shout again and they’d all sit. They did this over and over again. It seemed non-sensical and it looked pretty funny. I asked Min why he would just make them sit down and stand up repeatedly. ‘For discipline,’ was her reply.
5.Saengil Chukha Hamnida – After the gig that night, we went to an awesome bar that sat on a raised patio, that you entered via stairs from a back alley. We were offered blankets (or towels, depending on whether you wanted to take a dip in the wading pool that lay by your feet) and a whole bottle of spirits, plus a measuring glass, to pour your own mixed drinks. The group of girls next to us were live-facebooking themselves on smartphones encased in animal shaped protective cases, applying make-up to their sweet wrinkle-free faces, whilst holding up mirrors that resembled anime characters. Apparently it was a ‘young persons’ bar. This was confirmed, when at the stroke of midnight, they began singing, ‘saengil chukha hamnida’, to the tune of ‘Happy Birthday’. They insisted we share some of their cake with them. They were 24. They were lovely. Thanks for the cake, ladies!
6. Fast Train! - We took the train to Busan. It went so fast (around 300kms, between stations!), that my ears were in a constant state of confusion. Up or down? They seemed to be asking my head.
7. Pixelated Camouflage – It’s compulsory to serve time in the military here. All the soldiers are in their late teens, early twenties. At the train stations, you can see them hanging out in groups. Personal touches of a pirate-style ‘skull and cross-bone’ duffle bag, or thick hipster framed glasses, surprised me in their casual nod to civilian life. I saw a lone soldier, whose camouflage uniform print was pixelated. Is this a particular division, or do they get to ‘pimp’ their ‘forms?
8. Wonder Woman – She’s a retro icon here.
9. Food – You didn’t think I’d forgotten about the food, did you? I’ve posted some food photos, for those who food-photo fetishists like myself. My favourite? Kimchi pancake. Yeah!
10. Because – Nine seemed odd.
Kamsahamnida!
X
p.s. Whilst googling the correct spelling of ‘Happy Birthday’ and ‘thank you’ in Korean, I found this:
(Nae hoebuhkeurapeuteuneun changuhro kadeuk cha isseyo)
Feeling a little low energy today. Fighting a flu that wants in, plus the obligatory come down from a great trip to Korea.
I need to knock off a few mundane, but necessary tasks, but first a remedy for this grey Melbourne day:
Georgia Fields!
We’re being work buddies in a cafe together and it’s sweet.
You should check out her blog on tumblr. It’s called PUTTING THE FUN IN DYSFUNCTIONALITY and it’s truly beautiful. She’s doing a gratitude project right now. You can join in, by telling her what you are grateful for today. Go on, try it:
georgiafields.tumblr.com
Korea post, with photos, coming soon.
X
Yet another view. This one is from my room at the hotel. (Taken with Instagram at The Westin Chosun Busan)
The view from my breakfast table. (Taken with Instagram at 롯데호텔 (Lotte Hotel))
Off to Busan this morning, on the train.
My photos are all on my camera, so I took a photo of the screen to show you these lanterns that line all of the streets. They’re in celebration of Buddha’s birthday, which is coming up.
Lots to tell you, but I’ll save it for two-fingered typing (yep, I’m a pro) on the computer at home, instead of one-fingered repetitive strain typing on the phone.
So many food pictures, so little time.
X
Don’t eat it all at once, don’t eat it all at once, don’t eat it all at once.
The welcoming cake arrangement in my hotel room. Hello Seoul!
X
Leaving Melbourne at an uncivilised hour, in a civilised fashion. Earl grey and Bircher muesli. Yawn yeah!
See you next week!
X
Hitting things is good for you.
Squeezed in a ‘last day before I fly to Korea’ training session with my friend, Pete.
We trade boxing for yoga. He trains me to punch like I mean it, and I train him to breathe in a mindful fashion. It’s like having love and hate on the respective knuckles of each hand, only it’s just love and love.
My flight is awfully early! Ouch.
I’ll take pictures and write while I’m gone, but I may not be able to post until next week, so just hang on and I’ll be back on the line (cue piano music while you hold).
Speaking of piano music, I played a piece along to the sounds of my friend, Kai relating a very long dream onto tape (iPhone) for me. It is tres amateurish, but I really enjoyed myself. Maybe I’ll play it to you when I’m done. It’s called, String.
Time to pack my suit and shirt and think about going to bed at a pre-movie time… 8pm.
Lots of love, until next week.
X
I’m back home! Today: the footy.
The song playing over the loudspeakers says ‘so jet-lagged’. Too right.
Getting there, though.
Go pies!
X
Breakfast at Fromin’s Deli - day 10.
I’m going home today. I’m ready. Back to school, back to teaching yoga, back to writing my album, back to planning upcoming gigs, back to organising my desk, my house, my head.
When I land, I go pretty much straight to an acupuncture appointment. What better way to ground myself?
I have another overseas trip coming up (which I’ll tell you about later), so I need to get a shot of my travel-weary face for a visa, the day I land. Yuck.
I am reading Peggy Frew’s, House Of Sticks, right now. It’s a Melbourne based story, as is the author. Funny that I’d take Melbourne to read in LA, seeing as my pre-travel reading was an LA-centric Joan Didion book, The White Album. I am perverse like that. The whole time I lived here, I insisted on still calling the boot (of a car), by it’s Australian name (the boot). When I moved back home, I couldn’t stop referring to the boot as, the ‘trunk’.
At breakfast today, I embraced my LA tendencies, one hundred percent. I ordered a poppy seed bagel with cream cheese, half a ruby grapefruit and a bottomless cup of drip coffee with non-dairy creamer, to trunk…
Wait, I mean, to boot.
See you later, LA. I love you!
X
The Marina Del Rey - day 9.
Hungover on a sailing ship, rocking and bobbing out on the water on a windy day. I ate a lot of crackers and thought about the horizon.
It was a beautiful day with some dear lady friends. We drank mineral water and talked with candour. A few tears were shed amongst much hilarious cackling. The love was so present and palpable, I can still feel it today.
X
Day 8 - My day started with a Cadillac margarita at El Torito’s and ended at the Sportsman’s Lodge, watching members of The Foo Fighters playing Queen and Journey covers.
There was The Fairfax Farmer’s Market, for old time’s sake, and Cook’s County, in between.
What a seriously silly and fun day!
X
Thursday (day 7), The Getty Museum.
In the entire time that I lived here (nine years!), I never went to The Getty. When I moved back to Melbourne, it became one of my regrets, or at least, one of those things that I felt I should have done.
Yesterday, I went to The Getty.
I took the tram up the hill and saw the city from a perspective I’d never seen. I dined in the fancy restaurant (fancy is becoming a theme here), with my friend, Cynthia. She works in the conservation department of the museum, so I got a little behind the scenes look at what they do there.
I believe people have mixed feelings about the building itself? I thought it was beautiful. I liked the soothing tones and the kind of other-worldly sterility of it. Quite grand in its uniformity in tones and it’s positioning on the hill, overlooking the 405. I guess it’s so unlike what I see on a daily basis at home, that my eyes find it exotic.
X
Wednesday (day 6), I strolled the surreality of the red carpet (funny, no-one wanted my picture), to watch the premiere of this epic movie.
Aren’t I fancy?
It was in 3D. Are all movies in 3D now, so it doesn’t even deserve a mention on the poster? Hundreds of well dressed folk in funny glasses is a sight to see!
Hands down, The Hulk had the best lines. I’m favouriting the green guy.
X
Tuesday (day 5), I went to the premiere of this movie.
It’s a horror and it’s funny. I do not watch scary movies, for my own preservation (I like my sleep).
I enjoyed it!
X