I flew into Seoul and Sangwon was there to pick me up, it was so great to see him. It is nice to be with people who care about you when you are ill, and I instantly felt more at ease and less stress about attending hospitals on time. He was here to look after me; he had a car and a place for me to stay....what a huge reassurance that was!
He was really worried about my medical situation so we immediately went back to his apartment for me to rest. I slept almost the entire day while he was busy on the phone trying to find out as much as he could in regards to the Rabies, the Bird Flu and the treatment available.
Apparently the Rabies vaccine is not so common in Korea. We had only 2 days for me to get the shot. He eventually was able to find out where it would be administered. The next day he took me to the hospital, we arrived and he talked to the doctors regarding my situation.
They then told us that the Rabies is actually not kept there, and we have to go pick it up at a special lab where they keep not common medicines. So we immediately went to the lab to get the vaccine and I signed the paperwork. After returning to the hospital, they took the vaccine and refrigerated it while we waited to be seen.
Sangwon was really stressed once he learned what the Korean word for Rabies is....apparently he didn't actually know what I had until the doctors explained it to him...I think he was more scared for me than anyone had been yet. First treatment in Seoul was a success! Now I will live until my next shot! Yippee!
Next on the agenda is a lot of good food (I can’t even express how much I misses cooking!) and a lot of resting so my body will recover.
But let’s not forget my obsession with noodle soups…and of course I found one in Korea that stole my heart as well….Jampong. It is a spicy seafood soup…red color from the chili powder…MMmmm!
Seoul was so different than the other places in Asia I had visited....perhaps because it was much more modern than S.E. Asia, and feels a lot like the US…but still feels really Asian.
I felt strange to be here....I had been living out of a backpack for a long time, and not always looking so fabulous. I was instantly self-conscious being in such a modern city looking like a complete dirt-bag climber…. so after resting for a few days we went SHOPPING! YAY!
Sangwon decided to show me around the city…we did a lot of driving.
Seoul is a massive, massive, massive city. We get stuck in traffic all the time…we drive for like an hour and will still be in Seoul. The side streets are what dumbfound me the most. S. Korea is a small country, but there are a lot of people, so they don’t waste any land.
Think of it this way, it’s like Europe in the way that it crams so much in to a tiny little area; side alleys winding to and fro, houses built on tiers up on hillsides, sidewalks weaving through the levels, so people never miss an opportunity to make use of every patch of land. It’s in credible. So although it feels European in the structural weaving, it feels America in the accessibility and the convenience. I suppose it is because the modern style of S. Korea is relatively new since the Korean War. At least these are my theories.
These two photos are from building 62, the tallest building in Seoul, we were at an art gallery at the top, and this is the view of Seoul from the window…so pretty…love the river and bridges. The view from here makes me feel like I am in the US..you can really feel the influence our contry has had here after the war.
One of the days after I was feeling more up for doing things out and about on the town. Sangwon took me to the ever famous Lotte World. Imagine an Asian version of Disney land and you are getting close.
The place is pretty large, but not nearly as big as Disney Land…more of the same size as Lagoon in Utah is.
There are 2 main sections, the outside theme park area and the the indoor area. There is even a rail system through the park where you can take the tram from the outside area to the inside.
We of course had to do the paddle boats in the park, the friggin lines were so long for the roller coasters that I go so exhausted waiting. Finally I just stood in line here because I knew it would be faster, more relaxing for me, and probably a better option. But we did do some of the rides of course…how could we not?!
These photos are from the inside area of Lotte World, I felt like I was in a movie, or like a child’s dream playground, On the ground level (not visible here) there is even an ice skating rink…they have movie theaters, restaurants…basically anything you could want.
This is a photo we took when we went inside a fun house…really cool effect. Except the creepy skull in the top left corner…not sure what that is all about??
Next up...more from S. Korea!
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