Korea Day 1: Meeting Random People, Weather, The Blank Stare, and Tours

Meeting New Friends:

Arriving late in the evening in Korea, I decided against trying to learn a new rail system only to get lost, and booked an inexpensive airport hotel instead. After claiming my bag I headed to an information booth to request the hotel shuttle. My shuttle driver came to pick me and another young guy up, and as we loaded our bags, I sized him up and I randomly concluded that he spoke English, so I said hi. Victory! Turns out he was from Boston and also traveling solo after graduating. "New friend #1 acquired!" (insert Zelda item acquired sound here). I learned that  making new friends could be as easy as just saying "hi".

Not horrible for a cheap over nighter

I hope there is not a fire....

Weather:

Due to the jet lag I ended up waking up around 6am, but forced myself to stay in bed until I was hungry enough to get out. Armed with my tennis shoes and empty stomach, I walked outside to be confronted by a rookie mistake, rain. It was monsoon season, and I had realised I did not research on Korean weather in July. Fortunately this was remedied by quickly stopping into a convenience store and picking up an umbrella. Mental note, check weather forecast of all destinations.

The Blank Stare:

I let my nose wonder me around the small town until I found my first meal, a small hole in the wall mom and pop shop. The owners greeted me in Korean and a smile as I walked into the restaurant. As soon as I realised that they talking to me, I stopped mid pace and blankly stared back at them, like a deer caught in headlights. The womans face lit up in an epiphany and she said "english menu?" in which I politely nodded and smiled. I would soon realize that this blank stare would be practiced and perfected along my travels.

First meal after I received the english menu

Tours:

North Korea starts at the middle of the blue buildings

I am very on the fence when it comes to paid tours. On one hand  feel like I could do it for cheaper by myself. On the other, sometimes I just don't feel like planning anything. In the case of the Demiliterized Zone (DMZ) there is not much of a choice (would you want to enter North Korea by yourself?). For anyone visiting Korea I HIGHLY recommend the combination tour through USO. One part is the Armistice building (main attraction), where you can technically be in North Korea and see guards, the other is a tour of tunnels that North Korea build and some other big land marks. The combination tour cost $80 USD and is worth every penny. Safety was concerned by many friends especially with the recent events, what I learned was that a lot of the events were media driven, and Korea is doing their daily routine without incident. We were also escorted by Republic of Korea(ROK)(how cool is that abbreviation) soldiers as well as US soldiers, I'm pretty sure it was safer then driving in Los Angeles traffic.

ROK soldier escorts us into the Armistice building

After the tour, I went to meet up with my friend who I was staying with in Korea, and invited another person I had met on the tour for dinner and drinks (queue music. "new friend acquired #2!) The rest of my stay in Korea was mostly food and drinks, which I will be covering things that stood out in my next post.