Day 17 ]Back to the familiarity of Korea…or so we thought
We breathed a sigh of relief as we slept in until 10:00 a.m and woke up to familiar surroundings. To us the Castle Motel was our home away from home. As we vacated the room in anticipation of day use from others, we smiled, confident that Korean culture had no further surprises for us.
Mary played a quiet game of cards with members of the family in their apartment. Card games scare me (other than when I was in the courtship stage with my future wife and wanted to impress the in-laws) so in defence I fell asleep again on the nearby couch. The Thai experience had really taken a toll on my energy level.
Apa arrived after putting in a hard morning at work and proceeded to help us plan the last stage of our trip. He had secured information regarding numerous tours to areas such as Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia, Toyko, the Phillipines and Hong Kong. The prices were incredible but then we remembered why they were so discounted. We spent four hours in a travel agent’s office (the poor fellow was visually impaired so he kept entering in our information incorrectly). It was quite a production since Canadians don’t usually wander into a travel agency in Kwangju asking for a tour that doesn’t involve the “time share” principle.
The little brother was very patient throughout this ordeal and proceeded to engage in the most current video games available on the nearby agent’s computer. After discovering that our passport were less than 6 months from expiry and might not be accepted, that our credit card information confused the Korean computers and that our itinerary didn’t match our flight times etc etc, we managed to secure a return flight from Seoul to Hong Kong. This was of course for three times the cost it would have been had we agreed to embrace the concept of listening to presentations regarding mattresses, honey, jewellery and giftware. We hastily exited the agency thanking Apa endlessly for his patience throughout this tribulation.
The little brother was quite a character today as we noticed many cute quirks about him. Sometimes he prefers to sleep on the living room floor instead of his own bed. He loved to play rough games with Mary but god forbid if he was the one who became injured. It seemed he took things very personally, whenever he was hurt either accidentally (even by a complete stranger) or during play fighting. One of the sisters meanwhile was an expert in the art of dragonfly catching as we discovered while visiting a beautiful Buddhist monastery deep in the Korean woods. Mary and I were truly blessed having the opportunity to experience Korea through the eyes of a Korean family. One could only wonder what eccentricities about us would be revealed if a Korean couple wrote about their experiences touring Canada through the eyes of a Canadian family.
Apa took us to his family’s private gravesite later on that day. It was a tender and revealing moment as we appreciated how he shared his family history with us. According to Korean tradition, families purchase a huge tract of land (very expensive) for the family gravesite. It must be near a mountain and a river having a certain view of those features.
Our last stop that day before dinner was to a striking bamboo forest that seemed out of place with the rest of the countryside. Apa was intent on showing us every possible geographical and cultural feature his wonderful country had to offer us. He was indeed the supreme tour guide. My bond with him grew stronger and stronger. However, I felt a deep pit in my stomach knowing that the day where we had to part was approaching too quickly.
Apa knew I wasn’t feeling well today so he decided to take us out for some chicken soup. I should have known that in Korea that doesn’t mean the Campbell’s or Lipton variety. Indeed, there was an entire boiled naked little chicken lacking only the head sitting in broth and stuffed with rice waiting for my consumption. I couldn’t even manage to gnaw away at a third of it but appreciated his effort to cure my persistent illness that day.
We turned in early that night although Mary stayed up a bit later and began to research Hong Kong hotel availability. As we discovered later, this was not an easy task. Perhaps we should have just bitten the bullet and join another famous Korean tour…
Day 18 Korean National Holiday
Today was a proud moment in the history of Korea. Although not outwardly patriotic unless a soccer match took place, Koreans flew their flag everywhere today. The country was celebrating its independence from Japan. Poor Ama still had to work today but Apa was once again readily available. He waited good-naturedly as Mary and I attempted to secure our Hong Kong hotel on the Internet. We had to use our laptop since Ama had taken all the wires required from the family computer. The little brother had played one video game too many… After two hours of research, we still couldn’t find any room at any inn. We gave up and headed out on the latest Apa tour.
Our first stop was just down the street at the most resourceful food court I’ve ever encountered in my life. An exact plastic replica of each meal helped us choose quickly as we submitted our corresponding number to the cashier. When our food was ready, we picked it up from the appropriate restaurant counter. The area was packed due to the holiday today. Not surprisingly, we were celebrities due to our hair and skin colour as many children slurping various drinks moseyed on up to us and simply stared.
The brother decided today was consuming everything in his path day. I couldn’t believe how much food he digested without having to make room for more. Apa also bought him a bird whistle that kept him occupied for most of the day until he broke it.
We hastily visited a replica of an ancient burial ground due to the extreme heat and then made our way to the Buddhist monastery. We watched as a monk kneeled and stood up countless times before a statue of Buddha and marvelled at his endurance. However, the experience didn’t seem quite as authentic as is should have. The bottle of Coke beside the monk diverted our full attention from this ancient ritual. Entering these monasteries was also a very intimidating experience. Statues meant to ward off evil had the fiercest expressions on their faces, not unlike Mary’s when I attempt to wake her up too early. Of note were toilets that had open holes perched over the crystal-clear mountain stream below.
We picked up Ama from her job (she was so exhausted she couldn’t keep her eyes open) and visited our last restaurant together with this unforgettable family. Apa decided to go all out with the exotic food. This time we encountered “preserved” rotten fish, chewy jellyfish and very bony fish. The strawberry wine enhanced (or perhaps masked) these flavours nicely. We sat on the floor but I managed to lean up against a nearby wall once again. Mary glared at me, which I ignored at my own risk.
We all consumed some Korean red wine and raspberry vodka back at the apartment. The lump in my throat grew rather large as Apa told us he was so honoured and pleased to have hosted us. That was the only time during our visit that I truly became frustrated with our communication difficulties. I wanted to tell him that we have never encountered such hospitality in our lives and would never forget his family’s kindness as long as we lived.
During our last night at the Castle Motel, Mary managed to book a hotel in Hong Kong for us in less than 10 minutes… go figure!
Day 19 A Sad Goodbye
We were treated like royalty once again when we left early this morning. Ama came out in her pyjamas and high heels. The little brother groggily rubbed his eyes and waved goodbye. Apa and one of the sisters took us to the train station and even in these final moments still insisted on buying us food for our journey to the Seoul airport. He also made sure he secured us seats on the bus where the sun didn’t shine directly on us and that we had proper room for our legs and luggage. Heck, I’m getting all choked up again just writing what a kind human being this man was. He wanted our visit to be memorable. It was so much more.
The bus ride was hassle-free and very comfortable. Apa even made sure the other sister met us at the airport (she studied in Seoul) to make sure we arrived safely. Even in his absence, he was still watching over us.
We purchased a meal FOR THE FIRST TIME on this trip. It was also the first forgettable meal. The airport version of a club sandwich was jellied ham, egg, tomatoes and sweet pickles. Yuck. We missed authentic Korean food already.
Our flight to Hong Kong was in a half-empty Boeing 747 operated by Cathay Airlines. I was so emotionally drained I fell asleep during take-off! Our flight path took us right back over Kwangju again and then crossed Taiwan. We landed in Hong Kong and effortlessly transferred to our hotel in the district of Kowloon. We were on our own for the first time in Asia. And what an experience that would turn out to be…
