Leapfrog

My time in Seoul was brief but informative.
I arrived easily enough, my hostel’s thorough directions including pictures served me quite well, and I quickly settled into some unrestricted internet access. The world without a firewall is very exciting. Later I took a walk around my neighborhood, Hongdae, which is a fascinating and overstimulating shopping and partying center. It’s right by one of the major university, so the student population just exploded the area. For me, the shops didn’t really hold much interest, the thing I’m buying has to be pretty special to warrant me carrying it around with me, backpack weight is really a number one priority. It was fascinating to watch all the young south Koreans go about their lives though, having a fun afternoon in a shopping district. I was also able to find a confirmed store and pick up some snacks, so it was really a win-win situation.

The next day was my only real day in Seoul, so I decided to take full advantage of it by once again, visiting a museum. The National Museum of Korea is really very good, well organized, signed, and extremely informative. It is also extremely convenient, you get off at a subway stop and walk to the museum still sort of in the station. Excellent for those of us, like me, who are not so good with directions. The natural light in the building is amazing, the whole roof is windows, and many more on the walls, but not where they could harm the artifacts. There is an extensive collection of artifacts and art objects that talk about the deep and extensive history of Korean Buddhism, which I knew nothing about, as well as just great pieces of art from many different asian countries. I enjoyed my visit completely.

I then moved into the exciting part of my day– a meeting for some delicious fried chicken with a Korean friend of my Dad’s. We met at a central subway stop and then walked to the chicken place my Dad’s friend had picked out, only to discover that it was closed! A setback, but nothing can really stop two women on a mission for Korean fried chicken, not even the torrential rains that came soon after. We found another place and we soon happily chowing down. It was excellent!

After lunch we took a look at the weather and decided an outside historic square- no matter how beautiful- was not the plan to follow, so we decided to go to the Leeum Art Museum, which is a mix of ancient and contemporary art, and it was quite wonderful. Many of the same traditional Celadon and Bouchon-Ware pottery were displayed, but in a totally different way that made them feel special and new. It was also so helpful to have a knowledgeable Korean artist that could give me fascinating anecdotes on the production of these important works. The museum also had a completely contemporary wing, which mixed big Western names with Korean artists. I enjoyed it so much.
I may not have seen much of Seoul, but I did get a sense for its complete devotion to consumerism, which really isn’t my scene, but I am sure there is much that I missed.

My friend and I spent our last 3 nights traveling together in Hangzhou, a quieter town focused on the beautiful West Lake and nearby tea gardens- it’s a place where one goes to appreciate natural beauty.

We were staying in a very nice hostel in an absolutely beautiful area- historically inspired buildings kept in perfect condition lined each side of the road, right behind the little artificial stream with strategically placed greenery. It was an area full of cafes, noodle shops, stores of all types, restaurants galore. We were right off of the main shopping street, which had announcers at every shop door, and little carts placed in the middle selling cheap souvenirs and snacks for all the visitors. We took several walks in the afternoons and evenings just to enjoy the atmosphere and do some people watching. It was a pedestrian only area with cobblestone streets, just all in all a lovely place to spend some time.

The museum didn’t particularly stand out among the many history and art centered museums we had visited, but it was very pleasant and there were many beautiful things. It was a relaxing way to spend the afternoon, and relaxing was just what I needed.

We had movie night, packed up, and prepared ourselves for another day of travel, but this time back home for my friend and preparing to leave China for me.

We spent nearly all of our first day at West Lake, the sight Hangzhou is most famous for, and it did not disappoint. The gray sky did not make the lake any less beautiful, and we walked around the edge, often stopping along the edge and sitting on a bench to watch the little fish feed and in my case, to pull out my journal and spend some time writing. After an excursion to try and get a better view of the famous pagoda we decided to rent a little boat and go out on the water. This was the sight of the wedding-photo-ruining incident, and it was an absolute joy. We spent most of our time just floating in the center of the lake, enjoying the scenery, the company, and laughing at my ridiculous characters and their convictions.

We started out our second day by hopping on a bus to try and see a famous temple nearby to the main city, but unfortunately that plan was cut short. I almost fainted on the bus. It is an experience I am familiar with, but once that happens, the only real choice is to go back to your accommodation and rest up. I was feeling better by lunch time so we got some noodles (of course) and then headed to the nearby and low-impact museum.

I really enjoyed my time in China, and I definitely feel like it’d be a great destination for a more experienced (the language barrier is much more extreme than in most of Europe) super-budget traveler. Seriously, it would be so easy to travel on $20-30 a day here, and feel very comfortable and full. You can easily get a room in a hostel dorm for less than $10, and delicious bowls of noodles will only set you back about a $1.50.

And the noodles are delicious. I spent the two weeks very happily eating a diet of vegetable noodles, tomato and egg noodles, various garlicky or salty or soy sauce laden vegetables, and, of course, rice. As a picky eater, there were some deep problems. Everything seemed to be cooked in pork fat, and I don’t eat meat. The fact that I am an absolute wimp when it comes to spicy foods did not help my cause, but I still ate incredibly well.

I did feel a certain distance during this trip, not just between me and the people we were interacting with, which was heightened by the extreme language barrier, but also between me and the history, and the Chinese with their own country, their own lives even. Everyone just seemed to float through the system, no one standing out, no one getting angry. I certainly felt that I was getting the version of China I was most supposed to. Being in a language bubble can help you step outside and observe, but I felt like I was already completely outside of that place, outside of my understanding.
That feeling of distance is amplified by the feeling of other. It is not quite as obtuse as in India, where buses of people would stare at me, but we still got selfie requests, through my Chinese friend, just normal people asking for a picture of or with me. Children were particularly fascinated by me, but could be scared off, or simply made embarrassed, by a few funny faces or a wave. My hosts could not have been any more welcoming, any more kind, or any lovelier in any way, but there was this incredible block the entire time I was in the country because everyone I came into contact with knew I would never belong there.