Daytime Weekends are Good Too

It's Monday night and I am still recovering from another wonderful weekend, struggling to readjust to the dull monotony and responsibility of the weekday life. This particular weekend was a "daytime weekend," meaning most of my awake time was during the day -- read, no late nights out!

This morning I finally made it to the doctor to get my immunizations and malaria pills for my trip in September. The doctor was much more informative than most doctors back home, a welcome change. One interesting thing that just occurred to me about Korean doctor's offices (I've only visited two, and they have both been this way) -- instead of the doctor moving around to different rooms to visit various patients, as it is at the big facilities in the states, the doctors here stay in their office and you go in to see them. I think I like it better that way, because the doctor feels much more settled, and is able to give their full attention. At Kaiser, I always felt like the doctor was ready to bolt out the door at any second, because they were so busy. And I would often leave feeling dissatified; like I hadn't really been paid proper attention to. But when the doctor only has one office, you sort of have them "captive" until you are done asking what you need to know. And when you feel satisfied, YOU get to leave. And the doctor is sitting down during the appointment. I like that.

Anyways, I am all set on my vaccinations -- I only had to get Typhoid, Polio booster, and Japanese B Encyphalitis. The other recommendation was Rabies -- but its a $200 shot, so I am passing for now....I'll just be sure to steer clear of angry dogs, rats and squirrels! I also got Malaria pills -- and one of the most memorable moments of my day was watching the pharmacist count out 180 malaria pills. One for everyday I will be "on the road." Seeing that HUGE pile, it occurred to me that every one of those little babies represented one day of an upcoming epic adventure. That's a damn lot of days! Just imagining how much I will see, how much I will experience, how much I will learn......wow, its amazing. I felt both overwhelmed and excited at the same time. And grateful. Above all, grateful that I have the chance to do this.

So back to the weekend....yesterday was a hiking day, and I finally was able to get my butt back out on the mountain. It felt great, as usual, but I am still far more out of shape than I'd like to be. I had attempted to get a big group together, but its surprisingly hard to get people out early on a Sunday. My friend Steven did come with me, and he put me to shame running up the mountain while I panted along behind. The best part of the day though was when we descended, and found an outdoor restaurant barbecuing ribs -- American style! Usually you have to go to Outback and pay through the nose to eat that in Korea. So we devoured two racks and washed them down with a couple of beers. Damn good way to end the day.

Saturday was "cultural day," and Aaron, Diane, Laurie and I headed to the Korean Folk Village. Aaron and Diane are coworkers, and Laurie is a friend of Aaron's that I know from Tai Chi class. The Folk Village is located about an hour outside of Seoul. It's set up as a historical representation of traditional Korea, essentially a replica of a small town in the olden days. Korea the way it used to be. They have people dressed up, making crafts, serving food and what not, and a fair share of fake people inside houses. It was a nice place, and we spent a relaxing day surrounded by trees and sunshine. Honestly though, I don't find the traditional Korean aesthetic to be particularly charming or beautiful....its very dull and simple, but being at the Folk Village did give me a more thorough appreciation of it. I guess you could say that the charm is in the simplicity and rusticness. I didn't see that before, but now I do.

I got some lovely photos though. Here they are...some have been put into sepia tone for maximum authenticity!

A ceramics kiln

Upon meeting a famous actress, Aaron behaves as any gentleman should

The shitter....there are still many in Seoul that look a lot like this, only ceramic, with a flusher. I've gotten quite good at using them too. Fake or real person?

This is the basic look of traditional Korean architecture for middle class folk

A real guy making bamboo crafts

This lady is real too, even though she looks fake in this photo.

One of the best parts of the day was talking to the animals -- goats, cows, horses and pigs. I get so little animal contact here, so it's a joy to be around non-human creatures again. Check out the expression on the one goat on the left....so sweet!

A girl gets amazing air demonstrating the teeter-totter game

Seeing the land in the backround here reminded me of why people always say that Korea is a beautiful country -- its easy to forget that in Seoul.

A blacksmith forges a blade. The smoke comes from the red hot metal burning the wood as he inserts it into the handle. I bought one of his knives for an amazing price, and JUST used it to cut a melon -- its an incredible blade, so I'm stoked that I picked it up.

Protective Totems. I love how whimsical they are.

Diane, Aaron, and Laurie enjoying afternoon tea. We just about feel asleep after this, we were so relaxed.

The pharmacy

This is how ginseng is grown. Korea is considered to produce the best ginseng in the world. Plants often grow for 20-50 years and are replanted several times before being used.

A fan maker

My only disappointment of the day was that I did not find a tea set. In fact, they have NO tea sets for sale, which is quite odd. I have been waiting to find just the right one, and just haven't found it yet. I got a Chinese tea set, but would like a Korean style as well. Sigh, my tea addiction can get expensive... I guess it will have to be the ceramics village next!