Hydee and I have been living in Korea for a total of 15 years.
Not all at once, mind you. You have to take a break now and then.
Korea has a very unique culture. There was very little change in the lifestyle from pre-history until just after the war, a little over 60 years ago.
Then all of a sudden, BOOM! Korea went from a third world country to a world figure in a blink of the eye.
Many old customs still exist. Heck, many people who lived before the war still exist! Korea has no shortage of centenarians. I give credit to the Kim-Chi, which if you don’t know is a spicy fermented cabbage. Most people who haven’t tried it before will turn their nose at it. And, I must admit, it does smell really bad!
But, once you get past the smell, Kim-Chi could quite possibly be one of the greatest foods ever created! With the naval strength and Korea had access to, and cabbage that would never spoil in the holds, Korea could have been a world contender long before now. They just never really had the urge to travel far from their peninsula.
And why should they? The Korean landscape, which is about the size of Ohio, has just about every land form you could imagine, from rolling green hills to towering mountains. And in 15 years of travel, we have been able to see almost every aspect of it.
I have ridden a Harley Davidson Motorcycle around the entire peninsula and have been to places where they had never seen an American before! I’ve climbed to the top of Mount Sorak (Soraksan). I swam with a mermaid in Pusan. And even though I have been here for quite a while, I am still surprised at how much more there is to see!
One thing that has helped Hydee and I get around quite easily, is the ability to speak Korean. It honestly doesn’t take very long, especially if you take a few hours out to learn the alphabet, when you are first starting.
Learning the alphabet is extremely simple, and I will be creating a post soon that will teach you exactly how to do it! Seriously, you could learn it in just a few hours. It is really going to expand your head (mind blown!) and increase the joy you will find while traveling in Korea.
Another thing that has changed rapidly in Korea, is the food culture! Koreans are hugely proud of their own culture, so it was very difficult in the past for any foreign restaurants to find a foothold. When I first arrived in Korea, the most foreign thing you could get was an “American Steak” which meant a hamburger with a slice of pineapple on it.
Those days are in the past! Now there are flavors from around the world. I will be posting on several of my favorite restaurants, so keep your eyes peeled for that!
So, I know this is a short post. We will be adding much content soon. The fact is, even though we have been here for so long, we did not have the technology to share our stories. We have a lot to tell! So if you are interested in Asian culture, languages, travel and photography, you are going to love it here!
See you in the next post!
