Korea (November 12th 2016)

It was the spring of 1996 when I first came to Korea to teach English as a second language. It was my full intention to stay 12 months, move on and never look back. One thing about life is it never goes quite as planned. By the time I finally left the land of the morning calm in 2006 I was leaving with Jueun, who was now my wife and the understanding that Korea would always be a major part of my life.

Fast forward another 10 years...

The Ferry from Russia to Korea was interesting to say the least. It was far from luxurious and certainly nothing like the ships we had taken in Scandinavia. The boat was old, the service was questionable and the atmosphere amongst the passangers was down right odd. For some reason the mostly Korean and Russian passangers seemed to represent the worst qualities of both cultures. Although unusual, it was entertaining to observe the gambling and drunken behaviour that occurred both inside the ship and on deck.

From the unusually loud country hits of the 80s in which we boarded the ship right up to the disembarking system arranged according to nationality we were continously amused by the unusual nature of the whole operation.

After 24 hours at sea including a night in a shared sauna like cabin as we floated just east of North Korea, The Eastern Dream ferry finally docked. We arrived at Donghae Port at 12:30 pm on September  22nd. It was the first time we had ever arrived in Korea anyway other than flying and it felt great to be back in Korea.

During the first few days in Korea we stayed on the east coast very close to Chotdaebawi in Gangwon Province. This beautifully formed rock towers high into the sky and resembles a candlestick, from which it gets its name. Chotdae is Korean for candle, while bawi means rock; quite literally candle rock.

The beauty of the rock at sunrise is so picturesque that it's image is used in the Korean national anthem video. Seeing the sun rise here is something I had always heard about but never experienced until now.

We then moved on to Seoraksan National Park, known for its dramatic peaks, deep valleys, and beautiful autumn colours. It was here we enjoyed an amazing yet challenging day of hiking.

Our 4.5 km hike lead us to two Buddhist temples and the famous rolling rock called Heundeulbawi which is located on top of a larger rock. This rock is about 5 metres high and people come from far and wide to give the rock a push and feel it slightly move.

From here we continued hiking the Ulsanbawi trail. The first few kilometers were fairly easy; however, the last kilometer became very steep and far from easy. After numerous stops along the way we finally made it to the top, took in the view and then started to make our way back down.

Once reaching the bottom we rewarded ourselves with some Pajeon and Makgeolli which is traditional mountain food in Korea.

Pajeon is a pancake-like dish made from eggs, wheat flour, rice flour, green onions, and other ingredients like beef, pork, kimchi and seafood. Makgeolli is rice wine and is a milky, off-white colour and drunk from a bowl.

We stayed on the beach in Sokcho which is located in the far northeast of Gangwon Province very close to Soraksan. There we walked along the board walk and explored around the small fishing town.

One evening we ate Jogaegui which is grilled shellfish. For me it always represented one of the more wild eating experiences in Korea. For this meal you sit at an outdoor BBQ pit and basically dump shelled goodies of all shaps and sizes on the grill. Then you wait for the cracking action to start.

The reason I call It wild is because of this dramatic action that includes spitting, spraying and squeals that come from the grill. After all, the shellfish is being cooked alive. Once they’re ready, with your gloves and aprons on it is time to dig in. It may be a little messy; however, it is a unique experience of saltwater goodness and best eaten where we were right next to the East Sea.

After a few days on the east coast it was time to move on. From here we took a three hour bus to Seoul. We were met by Jueun's older sister who took us to her mother's place in Youngin, south of Seoul. Here we stayed off and on for the next month and a half.

During our time here we visited the UNESCO World Heritage site, Hwaseong Fortress, in Suwon. The site contains 4 gates as well as over 5 km of wall. This mini great wall was always one of my favorite walks and we both enjoyed it once again.

We spent one day at the Korean Folk Village where traditional Korean life and culture are always on display. There are multiple sections to the park and numerous replicas of traditional houses from different social classes and various regions.

We took another day to visit Gyeongbok Palace in the heart of Seoul. It was the main royal palace of the Joseon dynasty originally built in 1395. In the early 20th century much of the palace was destroyed; however, since then, and even since I lived in Korea the palace has gradually been reconstructed to its original form.

We spent a night in a hanok very close to the palace. A hanok is a guesthouse located in a traditional Korean style house. Most hanoks are built with natural materials and have beautiful sliding doors. The rooms surround a courtyard and the hanok where we stayed gave us a chance to stay in one of these nicely renovated rooms and sleep on a soft cushion on the heated floor.

We walked around Insadong which is always an interesting area to explore in Seoul. It is made up of alleys full of antique stores, art galleries, restaurants and tea shops. I was glad to see that the Little India Cafe was still there where we took a break, reminisced about the past and drank a cup of chai.

Our Korea time also included a number of visits back to Iteawon which is a unique place in Seoul for both Koreans and expats to enjoy a diversity of culture, shopping, and nightlife. It is the global village in Seoul and was one of my main hangouts in Korea especially during my early years living there.

On the 25th of October we took the KTX bullet train south and spent about a week in Jirisan which is located in the mountains in the southern part of the country. Here we were able to explore a new area of Korea for both of us. We did some hiking in the mountains including one very challenging 6.8 km climb and took part in a temple stay program.

A typical temple stay program includes a stay at a Buddhist temple, and participation in numerous Buddhist rituals and activities. Our temple stay took place at Hwaeomsa temple. This temple is known for not only keeping Buddha’s teachings intact, but also Korean history, culture, and tradition. 

For us it was a place that gave our minds a break from the internet news, political scandals, and modern day life. Breathing in the fresh air amongst the beautiful scenery and peaceful atmosphere was definitely a pleasant experience.

Our schedule at Hwaeomsa Temple looked like this; 3:00am we woke up, at 3:30 am we had morning chant, at 5:50 am we ate breakfast, at 6:40 am we had communal work, at 8:00 am it was hiking time, at 11:20 am we ate lunch, at 3:50 pm we had temple etiquette class, at 4:50 pm it was time for dinner, at 5:50 pm we had evening chanting, at 7:00 pm it was tea time and at 9:00 pm it was bed time except without a bed I guess it could more accurately be called floor time or simply sleep time.

The schedule may sound busy but with lots of free time and meditation it really wasn't. Friends of mine living here in Korea questioned our interest in doing this and no doubt it was another "out of my comfort zone" experience; however, it was something we wanted to try and it turned out to be very interesting and enjoyable.

Now with the exception of our strict vegetarian diet at the temple, it is no surprise we both gained weight while in Korea and we assume that must reflect just how much we ate.

During our stay here we treated ourselves to multiple meals of samgyeopsal which is grilled pork belly and dak galbi which is marinated diced chicken in chili pepper paste stir-fried with sliced cabbage, sweet potato and  onions. Both meals are cooked on a grill right on the table.

Other highlights in the eating department included a couple of meals of Jokbal which is a dish consisting of pig's leg and feet. It is cooked with soy sauce, ginger and garlic. We also indulged in numerous evenings of good old chimaek. Chimaek  is a compound word formed from chicken and maekju, the Korean word for beer. It refers to the wonderful combination of chicken usually fried or dipped in spicy red sauce and draft beer. It is easily found anywhere and can be delivered to your door, draft beer and all faster than it takes to download a high-speed Psy video.

One dish that was new to me on this trip was gopchang which is the grilled intestines of cattle or pork. Along with some friends we had a combo of both. Once getting past the idea of what I was eating I accepted the fact it tasted alright; however, according to our friends who are apparently gopchang connoisseurs it wasn't really gopchang at its best.

No proper trip to Korea could possibly be complete without taking part in Korea’s favourite past-time; A night at a noraebong.  First of all, I should say that to fully understand a noraebong you have to participate. I’ll do my best to describe it; however, it’s really something you have to experience, with Koreans, to fully understand. Noraebong translates literally into English as a singing room. It’s basically karaoke, but instead of a bar, you sing in a private room with a mini-stage and usually some kind of coloured-disco ball and light effects. Anyway, even though I still can't sing, I'm glad to say we found time to hit three Noraebongs during this trip. 

When traveling or living abroad one is often faced with translation issues and humorous situations. Some examples on this trip would include Jueun noticing cultural differences in a way I did when I first came to Korea. This time, there were times when she, now as a Canadian would get frustrated by things and I'd be the one saying to her, well you must understand in Korea things are like this...

Some humorous experiences while travelling around included an apartment security guard inviting us in out of the rain into his little cubby hole for coffee and a chat. I don't think he had ever met foreign backpackers before and talking to us seemed like the highlight of his day if not week. By the end of the conversation this strange yet very kind man was making plans to go hiking with us someday.

One time at a hotel where we were staying a chamber maid came barging into the room. When she saw Jueun she apologised and said she thought there were foreigners staying in this room... Although we laughed it off we were both left wondering what difference that made when entering a room.

Another equally odd experience happened when a random off duty bus driver stopped to pick us up for really no other reason then to satisfy his curiosity. Finding out what we were doing and where we were going seemed to be all the fare this bored, off duty bus driver really needed.

All in all, it was great to be able to spend some time in Korea again. Obviously things change everywhere and here is no exception. Although the people are still wonderful there are noticable changes.  

It is a different place than we left 10 years ago. We visited some areas of Seoul that were completely unrecognizable to us. It was sad to see some of my favourite places are no longer there; however, for the most part the changes have been good. Things are now newer, cleaner, safer and I would have to say overall better. 

Korea still intrigues me after all these years. It has been great to see old friends and family. Ohma, my Mother-in-law took wonderful care of us. We were able to eat some of our favourite meals and try some new ones. We had the chance to visit old stomping grounds and explore new areas as well. Being in Korea this time for me was like putting on an old pair of slippers that I hadn't worn in awhile. It felt a little funny at first but before too long it just felt right.

Vladivostok, Russia (September 28th 2016)

After a week on the train if felt great to get cleaned up and have a good night's sleep.  We were more than happy to have a couple of days in Vladivostok before heading to Korea.

With its steep hills and huge bridge, Vladivostok has been described as the San Francisco of Russia. The Eastern Port city is very scenic and had a lot more to offer than I ever expected.

Highlights for us here included a walk along the ocean front boardwalk, a visit to an old artillery battery and a chance to get inside a S-56 Submarine.

We also rode the Funicular cable car to a very impressive lookout before making our way to the Pyongyang Restaurant. 

This North Korean restaurant has been on our radar from the very early stages of our trip planning. The more we learned about this DPRK sponsored establishment, the more we considered it a must visit for us.

The young North Korean female staff took our orders in almost robotic fashion and we enjoyed our meal as they periodically broke out in karaoke. It was a strange yet entertaining evening.

On Wenesday September 12th, we boarded the Eastern Dream DBS ferry. After sixteen days in Russia I still found the different feeling here difficult to explain; however, we were both ready to move on and excited to be going home to Korea.

Roughly 24 hours later we docked at Donghae Port. We had made it from Morroco to Korea by travelling entirely by land and sea.

The Trans-Siberian Railway (September 25th 2016)

On Sunday September 11th, with the music from Doctor Zhivago going through our heads, we make our way to Yaroslavskiy Station in Moscow to begin our journey on theTrans-Siberian Railway.

According to the Lonely Planet travel guide, the Trans-Siberian Railway has always attracted freak travelers. Well...here we are!

At 11:30 pm, we stood in the dark at attention on platform #4 as the Provodnitsa (carriage attendant) sternly and thoroughly checked our tickets, passports and visas while barking at us in Russian the whole time.

We had done our research on these Provodnitsas and had learned that being extra polite and respectful to them improves your chances of having a more pleasent Trans-Siberian journey. With that advice in mind we tried our very best.

That night we were given a plastic bag with sheets and a face cloth and along with one other Russian girl, settled into our small four bunk compartment in carriage # 5 on train # 100 to Vladivostok.

The train whistle blew and the big clanking antique was on its way. That night, like so many more to follow we were rocked to sleep in our cast-iron cradle by the movement and clanging of wheels.

In the morning, it was time to figure out what we were up against for the next week.  We had two Australian couples and an Irish couple in our carriage with us. It was nice having some other English speakers who were in the same boat or in this case, the same train as us. Together we discovered we could sign out coffee cups from the Provodnitsa.  Now we were set up to use the all-important samovar with hot water at the end of our carriage.

After finding the dingy looking wood-paneled dining car, we ordered an omelet and what we thought was toast. We received one scrambled egg and one peice of untoasted bread. This "big Siberian breakfast" left us with a taste for eating in our own compartment on succeeding mornings.

Although communication would continue to be a challenge, as time went by things did improve and we learned  the necessity of ordering each individual food item right down to butter, salt and sugar.

We used the samovar for hot water and had ramen in our compartment for lunch. We quickly noticed that most food eaten on the train was brought on by passangers and taken  in the compartments.

Being able to communicate with the Provodnitsa made it much easier for the Russians to know exactly how much time they had at each stop and therefore the amount of platform provisions they could stock up on.

Later that day, at 6:40 pm, we arrived in Kirov, the most Northern point of this trip and at 11:00 pm we stopped in Belezino for 20 minutes while we watched them change the locomotive. Seeing the engine removed from our train did made us wonder what was happening; however, increased our confidence in not being left. Not being left behind was something we took very serious.

While this locomotive swap was taking place, we noticed Korean written on one of the cars. It must have been used for the Moscow-Pyongyang run at one time or other.

Shortly after we had our new engine we were rolling into the foothills of the Ural Mountains. During the night the train stopped in Perm and we passed Vershina the border between Europe and Asia.

Tuesday morning at 9:30 am we got out for a few minutes when the train made a stop at Yekaterinburg, which is the home of Boris Yeltsin and also the place where Tsar Nicholas II and his family were killed at the hands of the Bolsheviks. About 200 km later we past Yekaterinburg and officially entered Siberia.

Later that afternoon at 3:15 pm we stopped in Tyumen which is apparently one of the oldest Russian settlements. At 8:00 pm we stopped in Ishim where the local time is now 3 hours ahead of Moscow time and we noticed the landscape change as it now became quite swampy.

On Wednesday, the third morning at 7:30 am the Provodnitsa vigorously went through the carriage sweeping and washing the floor in the hallway and in our compartment. We tried our best to move our stuff so she could do whatever it was she was trying to do.

Most of the time she didn't seem to do very much. We quickly learned that there wouldn't be any real service to speak of on this train.  The Provodnitsa was usually inattentive to passengers; however, for some reason scrupulous about standing at attention in uniform by the coach door at every stop.

An hour after the floor cleaning operation was complete we rolled into Novosibirsk where we had an hour stop in Siberia's capital city. It was amazing how much the landscape changed from region to region. In this area the scenery seemed very similar to Northern Ontario in the fall of the year.

At 12:45 pm we stopped for about 40 minutes in Taiga and were now 3565 Km from Moscow. This was possible to figure out from time to time by seeing the kilometer signs next to the track. At 3:30 pm we arrived in Marinsk which we learned was named after Tsar Alexander II's wife Maria.

Around 9:30 pm we stopped at Krasnoyarsk which is close to the exact center of Asia. Unfortunately this is also where we lost our roommate Alyona, probably the best compartment mate anyone travelling the Trans-Siberin could ever ask for. Although she couldn't speak a word of English, she was cute, quiet and very pleasent.  After we lost her we were joined by a continuous string of Russian men. These guys were all fine; however, none could complete with Alyona.

Thursday morning at 7:00 am I noticed we were at the 4644 km mark which we estimated would be close to the halfway point between Moscow and Vladivostock. Upon realizing this milestone we decided to crack open a celebratory package of three-in-one instant coffee and tried to break the ice with our new compartment mate Igor.

After about 45 minutes and some very basic pleasantries with Igor we rolled into Nizhneudinsk.  We got out to stretch and take in some fresh air. As you can imagine it gets quite stuffy and smelly in those small compartments.

This morning we both noticed how similar the scenery was to our home in Labrador especially Goose Bay with the mix of ever green and birch trees.

At 11:30 am we made a very brief stop in  Zima. Zima is famous for being a former exile town and its name translates into Winter which apparently it does very well.

We were four days along at this point and the train was running behind schedule which made it even more challenging to figure out station stops and how long the stops would be.

Although stop times would continue to be a mystery we now felt we were settling into a Trans-Siberian routine, a routine of figuring out what and when to eat, trying to keep somewhat clean and keeping an eye on when the toilet and power outlet was free. Other than that our days were spent reading, sleeping and gazing out the window as we crossed the largest nation on Earth.

We spent our time figuring out when the next station stop would be, some stations being little more than ramshackle platforms and others grand Soviet era stations.

At most stops we were met by platform sellers selling apples, smoked fish, berries, drinks and all kinds of other things. Usually we just watched as a few rubles would change hands. It appeared that for many of these local platform sellers the arrival of the train was the big event of the day.

The scenery was constantly changing and seemed to get more desolate today as we passed some Siberian settlements with no more than only a few small wooden houses.

As the sun started to set at about 2:00 pm Moscow time, which we were still trying to somewhat follow, the landscape now started to resemble the farm lands of Alberta.

At 4:30 PM Moscow time which was 9:30 local time we pulled into Irkutsk with me reminiscing of days gone by and playing the board game Risk, which up until now, had been my only connection with Irkutsk.

Today Irkutsk represented a real place and being back on schedule again. We got out and stretched our legs as we said good bye to our Australian and Irish friends who were more than ready to leave us at this point. They were headed to a hotel before going on to Mongolia and China. As for us, still days away from a shower and a real bed, we got back on board and made our way to the dining car.

We gradually made our way through the dinner menu even though after day one, we only went there once a day. Tonight we settled on the grilled salmon at 6 pm which locally was 11pm.

Friday morning we said farewell to Igor a little ways past Ulan-Ude which was about 2:30 am Moscow time.  After dozing for awhile we sat and watched the quaint log cabin settlements scattered along the way as we rode along very close to the Mongolian border.

Later that morning I was suddenly awakened from a nap by a huge thunderous crash as the train came screeching to a halt.  We both sat up and stared out the window in the middle of nowhere as we watched lightning light up the sky all around us. After about an hour or so the show was over and we were moving again.  At about 11:30 we passed Yablonovaya, the highest point of the trip at 1040m.

We stopped at Chita but being behind schedule again were given the very stern and unmistakable hand gesture to not leave the platform area. You can be sure we didn't. We ate supper in the dining car at 2:00 Moscow time which was now pitch black out side.

At the next stop things got lively as the train got very crowded. Suddenly we were surrounded by a very large crowd of  stereotypical vodka drinking Russians. We just sat back and watched the vodka fueled events unfold around us. As it turned out things didn't stay too rowdy for very long.

On Saturday morning, which was now day six, the train ran only about 50km north of the Amur River which is the Chinese border. Apparently in the past blinds were locked down at this point of the trip due to the sensitivity of this strategic location. As for us on this day, we gazed freely out the window and watched the passing scenery as we drank our three-in-one instant coffee.

The first major stop today was in Mogocha. We stopped again in Amazar for about 20 minutes at 5am Moscow time and were now back on schedule again. Before we left the stop one roommate who joined us during the night left us some pine nuts as a good bye gift.

We stopped at Yerofey Pavlov at about 7am Moscow time which was 1pm local time. Time enough just to get out have a quick look at what Lonely Planet described as one of the oddest looking stations on the line and we have seen some pretty strange ones. They described the statues in front of this station as Lego dragons. Although certainty odd we both thought they looked more like lego dogs.

In the evenning we ate chicken for supper and gained a new roommate named Pavil and another guy came during the night. We never managed to get his name.

Early Sunday morning was overcast and foggy and the first major stop was Obluche, very close to the Chinese border.

The sky cleared as the day went on and we had a little chat with our roommates around lunch time as we rode through a number of large tunnels before we arrived in Obluche which put us 7 hours ahead of Moscow time.

Then we followed the Bira River as the sky turned completely blue before we crossed the longest train bridge in Russia. The bridge is actually featured on one of the Russian bank notes.

At 8:00 am Moscow time or 3pm local time the train pulled into Khabarovsk. Here we had a one hour break long enough to actually go to a nearby supermarket to pick up a few supplies.

It was also the first encounter we had with North Koreans. There seemed to be a  number of them around the station area.  Here we also picked up another roommate as our last hope of having the compartment to ourselves were dashed.

Although privacy would have been nice, at least we were lucky with our roommates. Considering we had eight different people come and go through out the trip we certainly can't complain.

Even though the language barrier kept compartment conversation to a minimum, we did exchange snacks and looked at each other's cell phone pictures from time to time. There were some comical moments like when we explained to one guy that we were traveling nonstop from Moscow to Vladivostok.  He shriveled up his face, shook his head and responsed with a thick Russian accent by simply saying, "You people are crazy".

As the train left Khabarovsk it made a sharp turn South.  We were on the final stretch.

One of the most disorienting aspects of the Trans-Siberian experience was working out what time it was. The train schedule continued to operate on Moscow time and therefore the clocks on the train and even at the station platforms were on this time. In reality however as we traveled East our hours of day light and darkness were constantly changing.

As we crossed seven time zones you can imagine the bizarre feeling of the sun setting at 2 pm and rising shortly after midnight. By the fourth or fifth day we basically gave up trying to figure out what meal we were eating or when we should be sleeping.  We simply ate when we were hungry or when food was available and slept whenever we felt like it.

Although the compartment was small and at times stiflingly hot, the food was far from great and it was a week without a shower, it was seven days we will never forget and never for a second regret spending exactly the way we did.

This trip gave us time to read, write and simply relax. A love for trains has always been in my blood and there was no better way to spend a week of my life than on the rails feeling the rattle and sway of the train looking out the window as we crossed the big country.

That evening at 1pm Moscow time we had our last Trans-Siberian dinner in the dining car and then settled in for our final night's sleep. I'm not sure if it was knowing it was our last night or not; however, that night I slept better than any other night and woke up only two hours before we arrived in Vladivostok.

As the sun came up we passed in our cups and sheets as the Provodnitsa, who by now we could get the scattered smile out of, completed her all important official paperwork.

After seven days and eight nights and 9300 km of track we arrived in Vladivostok exactly on scheduled time. We had made it to the Pacific Ocean and our time on the Trans-Siberian Railway came to an end.