The day was so beautiful that we decided to buy some ice cream and take a stroll along the beach, which was right outside of the restaurant (it’s a hard life!). We walked for a while and then came to a work out area that faced the ocean. This was Jessie’s first experience seeing one of these areas and it reminded me of my excitement when I saw one for the first time… such a foreign concept for Canadians.
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We spent the next hour testing out the workout equipment and having a great time.
Eventually, it was time for Kay, Amy and I to go to work, but luckily Ruth had the day off and recruited Jessie for an afternoon for hiking Geumnyeonsam Mountain. This was a relief for me because I knew Jessie would be bored if she spent another full day with me at work. Ruth is a wonderful and optimistic person, and I was sure that Jessie would have a blast with her.
Sure enough, when I came home that night, I was told various stories of all of their adventures hiking up the mountain (I haven’t even hiked that one yet!). One of Jessie’s favorite things was the “Starbus” van that sold snacks and drinks on the mountain. She told me that she and Ruth relaxed with a bottle of Maggoli which is Korean rice wine and enjoyed the stunning views.
Tuesday morning was an early wakeup. We met my friend Amanda at the subway station and boarded the train to the Shrine. This shrine was a monument set up to honour the Korean soldiers who fought against the Japanese. It consisted of beautifully manicured gardens, traditional houses and many different historical artifacts.
Although the shrine is much more beautiful in spring when everything is green and blooming, it was wonderful to see it and experience the beauty that is still present in winter. I think Jessie really enjoyed it.
Afterwards we had the option of going to a market or heading home. I was tired from our early morning, so I opted for a quick nap before I had to go to work.
On Wednesday, I took one of my 10 vacation days and spent the day with Jessie. I had a huge itinerary for us to do and we had a nice early start to the day. First, we made our way to the aquarium. I had found a coupon online so we got in for half price (although it seemed to puzzle them employees, I think they just didn’t want to have to speak English to us, so they let us pass).
The aquarium is a beautiful place full of different aquatic life. My favorite displays were the penguins, otters, sea turtles, sting rays and sharks. A few of the sharks were quite comical. One had crazy teeth and looked like it was in severe need of braces. Another had a dramatic back deformity. All I could think of when I saw him was my Chiropractor back home and what he’d say if he saw the shark!
We were lucky enough to see a feeding show of the sharks and large fish. I couldn’t figure out which were better to watch: the fish or the captivated toddlers in the audience. Overall it was a great way to spend the morning.
After the aquarium we walked around the Haeundae market. This is where Jessie tried her first Pajon (Korean style pancake) this one was filled with a green grass similar to chives. Unfortunately this Pajon was pretty oily but usually they’re very tasty. She also tried some tempura vegetables, shrimp and kimbap…. She loves kimbap!
Soon after, we got back on the subway and arrived at the BEXCO convention centre. Currently there’s an exhibition going on called Trick Art. This is an area where there are many different paintings and displays that you can take pictures with and interact with. It was a great time and was fun getting to be silly with Jessie. By the end of it though, we were done with pictures.
Originally we had planned to go to Nampodong which is a large shopping area, but by this point we were already winding down. We stopped off at Suyeong Market and bought some fruit which we brought home and then went down the road to a highly recommended traditional Korean restaurant.
Jessie had been looking forward to a traditional Korean meal on the floor so this was the perfect opportunity. The menu was very reasonable and we both ordered a stewed beef meal. The meal came with a beautiful assortment of fresh vegetables which would be used as wrappers for the meat and rice. It also came with a spicy fish stew, seaweed soup and a large amount of Korean side dishes…. Quite a table full of food!!
Jessie and I enjoyed the meal. I think she enjoyed it more than me because these flavors were new to her (the taste of Kimchi is beginning to get old for me now) but it was very good. We finished the meal off with a tasty ice cream from next door.
After eating and sitting on a warm floor, I was feeling a bit drowsy. Jessie agreed to pausing our day of adventure for a quick nap as I was quite knackered… well after 30 minutes I was ready to go out and embrace the world again, but Jessie was dead to it. I could not get her to wake up… she was out!
She didn’t get up until after 9pm, so the remainder of our plans for the day were shifted to next week (no problem at all). I decided to make the rest of the evening into a cleaning spree so that our apartment didn’t look quite so horrendous. I already had a lot of stuff to begin with, but the addition of Jessie, her backpack and two large suitcases make my apartment into more of a madhouse.
We went to bed a few hours later… it’s amazing how tiring touring can be.
Thursday morning was also an early one. We left the apartment early and headed off to Igiedae Park which is a beautiful mountain /costal walk right along the ocean. The views are breathtaking and it’s only about a 40minute walk from my house. The day was amazing! It was a high of 15 degrees…. Much warmer than previous days. We had such a fantastic time walking around and meeting fellow Korean hikers along the way. It was a great way to spend time with Jessie.
I’ve noticed over the past week that I can relive the excitement of Korea through Jessie’s experiences. Over the past year, I’ve grown accustomed to the many wonders of life in this country. The fact that Jessie is experiencing all of these things for the first time causes her to react in a very expressive way… this reminds me how wonderful these things are and that I shouldn’t overlook them as much as I do. Igiedae was one of those things… I had forgotten just how valuable and beautiful the coastline of Korea can be if you stop to appreciate it…. Thanks Jessie!!
Once we got to a plateau in our walk, we came across a little bar/café/beverage area and sat down. We ordered some Maggoli from a very cute old Korean man. The Maggoli was a little off but the view was beautiful. Sitting in the morning overlooking such a fantastic view with my sister, who I haven’t seen for a year…. It’s the best! I think the old man saw that we weren’t downing the Maggoli too eagerly, so he came and gave us both a cup of coffee as “service” which means Free of Charge here. It was so sweet. When Jessie went up to pay for our drinks he thanked her by saying “Sank you, Sir”…. Awww!!!
Unfortunately our walk came to an end a little while later because I had to get to work. We had some slight confusion after ordering a cab but eventually we found one and made our way to work… the rest of the day was not nearly as exciting.
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