Allie's Got Seoul: August 2013

As I close in on a full year in South Korea, I’ve been trying to recall what my expectations were before arriving. Surely I planned on traveling internationally a bit. I soon found my work schedule didn’t accommodate much more than a long weekend. In reality I’ve been plenty happy spending all my time in SoKo. Nearly 12 months later there are still new places I want to go in this (relatively) small country. With an uncertain future that may or may not bring me back to Asia, I thought should see a bit more. Destination: Taiwan.

Only a two hour flight from Incheon, Jac and I landed in capital city Taipei, meeting Julie coming from Hong Kong. It was well into the afternoon by the time we made it to the hostel. Little did I know this would be the theme for the entire trip: intense half days of travel.

The first adventure. A hungry ATM eats a bank card. Between the three of us we had at least six pieces of plastic that would keep us alive so it wasn’t a major issue. But still, not the nicest way to be greeted by Taipei. Pineapple flavored beer makes it all better, though.

Taiwan’s MRT ranks somewhere between the subways of Seoul and Busan, and miles above the D.C. Metro. I thought fare was cheap in Seoul, but try getting anywhere for the equivalent of 50 cents. Our first attraction: Taipei 101, the second tallest building in the WORLD. With a shape inspired by Asian temples it was easily recognizable while sheer height made it appear as the lone skyscraper of Taipei. The building also has a visible tuned mass damper giving it flexility to withstand typhoons and earthquakes. From indoor and outdoor observatories on the 91^st floor we officially met Taipei.

On a whim, we passed through the Chang Kai Shek Memorial, honoring a beloved political and military leader. A rainbow accented the plaza and shortly after, on total accident, we witnessed the most intense urban sunset I have ever seen. It’s those unplanned moments.

In the vicinity, Longshan Temple, among the most famous in Taiwan. The temple is a place to worship Buddhist, Taoist, and folk deities. The reds and yellows of Taiwanese temples came as a shock to my eyes so accustomed to the greens and reds of Korean temples. However, at night, it was the glowing bronze that made Longshan so distinct.

Around the corner was a much hyped night market. Not nearly as crowded as I had prepared for but it certainly provided opportunity to sample signature Taiwanese food. The bubble tea (invented in Taiwan!) the stinky tofu (smelled of manure and feet, but addicting in taste to Taiwanese…) pig’s blood cake, oyster omelet, scrumptious noodles, peanut ice cream (with cilantro!) and tropical fruit galore. Huaxi Night Market also beholds “Snake Alley” where snakes are kept for purposes of which I’m not entirely sure (blood? meat? other juices?) Though we didn’t care to sample, we can testify to seeing some uncomfortably large snakes.

Reaching our limits, we wandered through the Ximendiang area, what I can only assume is their equivalent of Hongdae though nothing. could. ever. come. close. Three tired travelers headed for the hostel. Because Taiwan was obviously the cool place to be, we actually shared our room with other friends from Seoul.

Taiwan isn’t a travel priority for many but there was more than we could handle in four days. We knew where we wanted to go despite a gorgeous mountain range dividing the country that made traveling rather intense. Going from the west coast to the east coast involved traveling back through northern Taipei. But our sights were set on Sun Moon Lake. One train, one bus, and one boat later we arrived…at 4pm. No time to bike or kayak but the small portion of the lake we experienced was lovely. The water color and vegetation gave a tropical feel. For nonsensical reasons, the scenic walkway was locked off in the evening, but we had come too far to not take matters into our own hands. If they really didn’t want us to be there they should have made breaking in a little more difficult. Unfortunately, overcast skies rendered essentially no sunset (maybe we had already used up our sunset luck in Taipei) but the evening was more than salvaged with a fruity Taiwanese beer tasting.

A mere 12 hours at Sun Moon Lake later we received our 3:30am wake up call. An hour cab ride and five hour train ride awaited us. Back through Taipei and down the eastern coast to Taroko Gorge. Unseated train tickets weren’t horrible as the floor served as a great surface to play cards. I also associate Michael Pollan and Forrest Gump with Taiwanese trains now. But floor seats meant giving up gazing at beautiful coastal scenery. Trains were booked and we took what we could get.

Upon arriving in Taroko we met our tour guide/driver for the day, a hard-working and slightly cynical wife and mother of two. I can’t imagine how many tours of Taroko you must have to lead before finding such a stunning place “boring.” Still, she was very friendly and insistent on every single photo op in the entire gorge. I appreciated the less obvious humor in her character…and besides, anyone who ends their tour at a watermelon store will earn some points with me.

Taroko National Park. The words “beautiful” and “picturesque” have been all too common in my vocabulary since I began blogging. But this was just what these dramatic cliffs forming the gorge were. A day spent driving through was probably ideal for three sluggish tourists. As cool as the mo-peds were my sleep-deprived self would have probably gone over a cliff. Scenic stops included a memorial commemorating the hand-built highway that cost 226 Chinese workers their lives, a cliff-side temple, plenty of rock formations supposedly resembling animals, and a short hike.

Our guide helped me secure a vegetarian meal, so for lunch it was daylily soup! I familiarized myself with Taiwanese food before arriving (in part thanks to Anthony Bourdain) but for the first time in a long time I felt like I sacrificed some eating pleasure/experience by staying (mostly) vegetarian in Taiwan. It wasn’t for a lack of delicious vegetarian dishes, as I had quite a few, I think just ended up with the wrong thing a few times.

Tired travelers needed a good dinner but this ended up being frustratingly difficult. We didn’t want to wander far from our awesome hotel, but our street had three options: Indian, Korean, and a cool looking Taiwanese restaurant that wouldn’t serve us. We headed downtown to a busy shopping area, but still couldn’t find the Taiwanese dinner we were looking for. Amused but frustrated, it didn’t seem like this could be possible. Nearly at wits end, we came across an expat BBQ restaurant. Had my time in Taiwan not been so limited I would have certainly enjoyed this venue. At the very least it fed our bellies and gave us some insight into what being an expat in Taiwan might be like.

Our last train ride, Hualien back to Taipei. Julie flew back to Seoul on Sunday afternoon but Jac and I still had the rest of the day. What to do, what to do? A stroll through the gardens of Shilin Royal Residence. A toilet-themed restaurant to enjoy a squatty potty of mango shaved ice, a Taiwanese treat quite similar to Korean bingsu. A painful Taiwanese foot message, just like the locals do. Shilin Night Market for the delicious and uncomfortably crowded street food fest that I first anticipated. People watching in a Taiwanese McDonalds (almost couldn’t get a seat with all the social gatherings and study sessions.)

And finally, to the biggest adventure of them all. Sleeping in the airport. A couple weeks later I still have mixed feelings. A money-saver and time-extender but also not your most restful night. Unlike sweltering Taiwan, the airport was freezing. All the clothing in my backpack combined still fell short. At 3am a cold and groggy Allie wandered to the nearest exit…a parking garage…where a five minute cat nap turned into three surprisingly solid hours sprawled on the cement. Those classy Americans. A 7am flight brought us back to Seoul in plenty of time to teach in the afternoon. Monday went surprisingly smoothly, but it took the entire rest of the week to recover from this one…

Taipei is not dirty but it is not polished like Seoul. When I think of Taiwan I think of the hoards of mopeds, AC units outside balcony windows, cooling mists on street corners, female taxi drivers, and a particular spice common in many foods that I could never quite pinpoint.

Taiwan was quicker and busier than I would have liked. With the size of our world I have realistic expectations of when I might be back so I’m glad to have experienced as much as possible. I’m thankful Taiwan reminded me what backpacking is like...I am better prepared for the big Malaysia/Singapore/Indonesia trip in 11 days!

Taipei 101

The visible mass damper that allows this building to resist strong weather

Chang Kai Shek Memorial

Cooperative lighting tonight

Water fountains aside the National Theater

Longshan Temple

Peanut ice cream! Shaved peanut brittle, cilantro and ice cream in rice wrapper.

Cilantro, how I've missed you!

Traveling companions, Jac and Julie

Dodging traffic instead of scenically walking below.

See that nice boardwalk down there?!

And this is how we got to our scenic walkway.

When there's a will there's a way, right?

Taroko Gorge

Chingshui Cliffs

There is this guy, kind of famous in Asia, goes by Buddha. He has shaped my experience in the ROK in many agreeable ways. The roots of Buddhism run deep on the Korean peninsula, tracing back to the 4^th century. Today, Korea is predominately divided into three religious groupings: Buddhist, Christian, and nonreligious. However, due to the long interplay between Korean society and Buddhism, many Koreans consider themselves culturally Buddhist to some degree. Take me to the temples! I’m inspired to live a life influenced by Buddhist teachings.

I began his birthday week at the Lotus Lantern Festival in early May. The festivity culminated in an enormous parade closing off the busiest boulevard in the city. Half of Seoul lined the street to watch the parade…while the other half marched down it with their lanterns. Aside from the symbolism, from a spectator standpoint it was delightful. After the parade, Koreans and waygooks alike congregated in the main intersection for the flower party/circle dance. It has become popular with foreigners, but let’s be real, congo-lining in the middle of the street while flower petals swirl above your head is pretty awesome.

Buddha’s Birthday (5/17) is a national Korean holiday and coincided with my parent’s first day in Korea. A jetlagged day of sightseeing ended at the Jogyesa Buddhist temple. Hundreds of lanterns coming aglow isn’t a horrible way to end a tour.

More recently my path to enlightenment took me on a temple stay to get up close and personal with the temple life of monks. Certainly an experience not to be missed…but once was enough. In our temple stay outfits, I felt like I was at a slumber party. The regimented schedule of eating, sleeping and activities recalled summer camp. Inclement weather left trails too muddy to hike but also got us out the communal work. We meditated in sitting, walking, and “dancing heart” styles. Had you seen us, our synchronized motions and ch sounds, you would have thought we were a brainwashed cult. We chanted. At 4am because that’s what monks do. We practiced mandala healing through sand art, what I imagine drug rehab therapy might be like.

We also bowed. Only 108 times, each prostration representing a vow. If it doesn’t sound like much, you try it. Coming soon: a 25 minute monk-led exercise video. Jokes and sweat aside, this was the most profound and spiritually enlightening activity for me. It served as a reminder of what is truly important in life, letting my tiny stressors fall insignificant. “Through bowing, I learn how to humble myself and how to have a healthy body and mind. I bow to realize that others' lives are just as valuable as mine.”

I was affected by each and every prostration, but here are a few that stuck out:

6. I prostrate in repentance for having taken this body for granted.

12. I prostrate in repentance for being unmindful of all those who have grown, prepared, and provided my nutrition.

19. I prostrate in repentance to all those whom I have stung with hurtful words.

50. I prostrate in repentance for a lifestyle built on the suffering of other forms of life.

68. I prostrate in gratitude for coming to see the beauty of this world.

79. I prostrate in gratitude for coming to see that a heart filled with hatred and resentment is the greatest misfortune of all.

99. I prostrate as a prayer so that all beings may live in peace.

Many Buddhist temples provide lunch free of charge, a little secret I wish I had come across sooner as temple food is everything I want in a meal. It is far from “fancy” but a strict Buddhist diet is vegan and mainly organic. However, there are five strong flavors that are excluded from Buddhist cuisine, including garlic and green onion. Bibimbap is most common (what more could I really ask for?) but on our temple stay we experienced quite an array. Rice, soup, and kimchi (the givens) to compliment the japchae, jeon, and various sautéed veggies and salads. Guests eat as much as they like so long as not a morsel is wasted and dishes are returned clean.

Being an observant member of the Seoul vegetarian community led to the opportunity to review a temple food restaurant. Temple food restaurants tend to be upscale. The food is vegan, organic, carefully prepared and meticulously presented. Course after course, they didn’t stop coming. Needless to say, I didn’t eat as modestly as a monk.

Living in a rather affluent area, I frequently encounter the materialistic and image-driven side of Korea. Koreans are shopping until they drop and buying brands that send a certain message (remember that song...Gangnam Style?) Consumer debt is widespread. Though Buddhism plays a strong hand in Korean culture, my experience in Mokdong has been minimally Buddhist.

Until visiting Asia my imagination was the only context I had for Buddhism. In my mind, Buddhist monks were sacred, mystical, nonhuman. Living in Seoul has given me a bit more perspective about Buddhism in the modern world. How off-putting it was the first time I saw a monk on his smartphone riding the subway! Another monk, who shall remained unnamed, even slipped that he was known to sip a little makgeolli outside of the temple from time to time. If your ever see a bald person suspiciously eating meat at a Korean restaurant…reality.

I’m not ready to convert but in the bali bali of Seoul life I welcome Buddhist thought and practice. Through Buddhism one can live a positive and fulfilling life.