Mark in South Korea - Part 1 - Arrival

My South Korea trip has begun and boy is it cold here. It was such a big shock leaving the Sydney heatwave to arrive in a country with the temperature a top of 2 degrees. I had planned on the cold though so it wasn’t a problem.

I arrived at 6pm and it took over two hours to get out of the airport and begin my train journey to Seoul and then onto the hotel.

The room is small with white walls and a wooden floor. There is colour as well with bright blue curtains and a red chair for the small table. The bathroom scenario is strange.  There is no shower stall. At first glance, it looks like a normal bathroom. Toilet, western style thank god, and a sink but then you look for the shower area. You soon realise you are standing in the shower area. There is one of those snake shower heads that attach to the sink but you actually shower in the middle of the bathroom. It makes everything very wet but they do provide some rubber shoes.

On my first day out I head to Insadong. This isn’t my first visit to this famous shopping street. It is one of the areas in Seoul that is recommended to tourists. It can be really crowded to walk down and becomes even worse when a random car uses the street as well.

One of my first stops is the Knife Gallery. I am fascinated with this shop/museum. You can purchase knives of course but there is also a lot of military equipment you can purchase as well. My favourite is the rear room that has so many swords on display. From areas that show how a sword is forged to areas devoted each to Chinese, Japanese and Korean swords it is so easy to lose track of time. There is also a section for movie replica weapons with Lord of The Rings to anime swords on display and for sale. I resist the urge to purchase and leave.

Further down Insadong Street I search again for the elusive Taekyun headquarters. Taekyun is a very traditional Korean martial art that nearly died out during Japanese occupation as it was a part of Korean culture that was banned. You can see some videos at http://www.taekyun.org/yui/ but prepare to use Google translate. I have searched for the Taekyun headquarters on each of my visits to Seoul with no luck. Time and frustration have got the better of me in the past as Google maps really doesn’t work well in Seoul. On this visit though I am solo so can spend more time wandering and it pays off. I finally find it hidden behind some street food vendors and buildings. I have the details and hope to get an opportunity to practise while I am here.

My morning was spent in a warm Starbucks writing and my afternoon spent wandering in the cold, icy weather of Seoul in winter. I did learn two things though that I previously didn’t know if it was real or a myth.

1. Teeth ache in the cold. I had heard this before but thought it was someone pulling my leg. Nope. They ache.
2. If your nose is running and a droplet forms on the end of your nose, it can freeze solid.

So I am learning really useful stuff so far.

U.N.T. (Until Next Time)
Mark

Mark Underwood holds the rank of Master in three martial arts, 5th Dan Black Belt in Taekwondo. 4th Dan Black Belt in Haidong Gumdo (Korean swords) and 1st Dan Black Belt in Gongkwon Yusul (Korean MMA). He has also trained in a number of other martial arts styles. He is currently the owner and head instructor for Zone Martial Arts servicing the Sutherland Shire area from the Taren Point location