Blog Entry XX - Our final days in Korea and Asia

Our last trip to Busan would also be a final “goodbye”, an adieu of sorts, to Andrew and Erin. 


Over the course of our three visits, we were not only glad to have spent 10 wonderful days with them but also to have developed a good sense of their city, their neighborhood, and the lives they're leading there.

And so this, our final return to Busan, this great city where the mountains meet the sea, was also a homecoming of sorts.  

Our goal: to spend as much time as possible talking with the kids, eating lots of Korean cuisine, and of course, hiking with Watson up into the mountains.

Throughout our time with them, we were constantly reminded of the courage they had to come here and to create a life for themselves.

They learned to take the good with the bad and to turn it all into an enriching, deeply personal, and positive experience....


one they'll remember for the rest of their lives. 

We're very proud them.

Seoul, the city that has taken our hearts, was a fitting place to spend our last days in Asia. 

From Busan, the Korean Bullet Train took us there. 

Unlike its still-superior Japanese competitor, Korail likes to brag.  

To Linda's great dismay, speeds displayed on the Samsung monitors in every rail car...

...showed us hitting  a scary 295 km/h....YIKES!!!!  
Linda had two strategies:

Plan A: To try to sleep through it.  No luck there!
Plan B: Failing that, never let her eyes leave the Kobo.  


Bingo!!

Once in Seoul, our plan of attack was to revisit those places we loved most about the city...

 ....all in 24 hours.

Amazing Seoul, the world's second largest metropolitan area, is also the world's greenest major city. 

In fact, public parks cover a quarter of the city...


...much of that, along the river 


...or surrounding its palaces, temples, and fortress walls. 

Our first goal was to walk the fortress wall trail...




...or at least as much as we possibly could in one session.

First constructed in 1396, these walls are the most conspicuous remnants of Seoul’s ancient past. 

If you asked Linda, she'd say that there was way more up than down. I'd say that it was a most adventurous and highly interesting aerobic work out.




I stopped counting at 900 on this particular set of steps.

 This shot of the guards was particularly characteristic of our walk over Bukhansan Mountain, just behind the Korean president's residence (the Blue House). 

At this post, we were stopped, required to register our passports and wear a special badge before getting permission to enter.

Both Linda and the guard
wearing their badges

And what a hike it was! 

Beautiful, yes!  Yet, the many friendly but very reserved guards every 200 meters were a stern reminder....

that the area had been the hiding place for a 31-man North Korean team of secret agents....


...assigned in  1968, with the mission of assassinating South Korea's president (Mr. Park). 

A fierce battle took place
here in 1968

The mission failed...but only at the cost of many lives.  
Here are the bullet holes to prove it.

The Blue House, the Korean president's residence, is right at the base of this mountain and just 2 hours from the border with North Korea. 

Until 2007, the entire section was closed to the public.  Today, it remains a highly sensitive area, one we felt very fortunate to have experienced and hiked. 

On top of a gate....This is where I'm standing if
you look right at the next picture.

Understandably, only limited picture-taking was allowed. Sometimes though, upon request,  the guards did comply.

Yes, the trail was full of challenges...but also surprises.   We loved everything about it. 

Can you see me up there?

I particularly liked two things about this great day:

- walking the trail with Linda,

- and looking out over the wall, with its gates, towers and near-by temples, and watching it snake over the mountain tops surrounding the city.  

Later on, we caught two outdoor concerts, 

...down by the stream,

Want to be both a tree and a ferry?

...did a little last minute shopping, 

...drank lots of coffee,

and read messages like these written on backs of coffee cups.  Hey, it seems that this coffee house wants to be a tree and a ferry in a river......

What a frantic, fantastic and satisfying finish to our month in Asia!

Sadly, it was soon time to take the plane.

Linda, pinching me...

My hope? That it wasn't all just a great dream... brought on by too much galbi and coffee.

Quick, Linda, pinch me!

Thanks, everyone.

Linda and Charles