Seoul -- Day 2 -- Soju, soju and more soju!

After the last night's festivities, I woke up somewhat late and over breakfast I met Britt and his friend Charles, both New Zealanders. I had no specific plans and neither did they. Charles lives outside Seoul, where he teaches English as a second language to Koreans. We decided to walk the newly constructed footpath and park along the Han river. Han river, incidentally, bisects Seoul neatly and is almost a kilometer wide within the city limits.

Seoul has been growing fast, real fast and has been gaining a lot of international attention as well. In the wake of its hosting the Olympics in 1988 and the World Cup Soccer in 2002, there's been a lot of construction and beautification. The Han river walkway and park runs almost 17 kms and is now a popular area for outdoor activities like bicycling, fishing, running etc. They also unveiled a fountain to commemorate the World Cup 2002, supposedly the world's tallest capable of reaching almost 202 meters (673 feet). Earlier, there used to be a sewage plant on the Han river that let made the river dirty and smelly. It's much better now. Reports indicate that there has been significant improvement in smog and pollution. At any rate, the three of us walked about 5 kms of the stretch and chatted about Koreans, English as a second language and fashion.

We walked past the National Assembly building, an extremely drab one at that. It looked like a building from the Soviet Union days. It was Sunday and yet there were soldiers in riot gear near the assembly. Apparently, South Koreans have a habit of protesting for everything and so the cops are always ready for a new demonstration. We were very hungry and searched long for a restaurant. The only place we found open was Popeye's, yeah I know. Lame.

Walking in the city gives you a good idea of how huge the city is. In the newer parts of the city, the streets are very wide with 7 lanes of traffic. However, it is a challenge to cross the streets, because traffic doesn't stop and it isn't easy to find subways to cross either. The architecture of the city is a mishmash of modern glass structures and older nondescript buildings mixed with storefronts and restaurants. What is amazing is that there is very little urban art and very few outdoor cafes. Everything in Seoul takes place inside and every part of the city resembles every other part. In short, it is a generic cityscape with nothing to distinguish it -- say like Eiffel Tower, Golden Gate Bridge or Petronas Towers in Kuala Lumpur. It is not at all a scenic city.

After a late coffee, we walked to Seoul Station and to our surprise saw a few drug addicts, drunks and panhandlers. Seoul Station is a hub for local and long distance trains, and is a popular shopping place. We walked around with no particular destination in mind. In and around Seoul Station is the business district dotted with tall buildings from the corporate giants of Hyundai, KIA, LG and Samsung. Britt and Charles had to take off, so I bade goodbye and headed back to Kim's, where I met other house mates, Marc (France), Andreas and Matthias (Germany). Manuel, Charles and I went for dinner to a local restaurant for bulgogi and an excellent fish soup. We returned to guest house and picked up a few bottles of soju and beer. We had to bid goodbye to Andreas, because he was leaving early next morning. Again, plenty of conversation about politics and people. In short, a good time was had by all. Good night.

Seoul -- Day 1 -- Annyeng haseyo!

From Hong Kong airport, I took a red-eye flight to Seoul (Incheon) International airport, arrived at 4.30 am and exchanged some local currency. I had a hard time sleeping on the flight, and to top it all, I had to wait for an hour for the airport bus #602 to Hapjeong Subway Station (8,000 won). As of this writing, the public transportation to the airport is via buses; plans are underway to extend the trains. You may think that the buses are inconvenient, but they are actually extremely efficient and easy to use.

I arrived at the Hapjeong station and according to the instructions took the exit #8. The first lesson was that English directions are completely useless. The second lesson was that you have to pay careful attention to the exit numbers on the subway. After following the directions faithfully, I arrived at Kim's Guest House, probably one of the nicest guest houses around. Mrs. Kim, who runs the place, speaks excellent English and is very helpful and accommodating. I had an a/c room at 25,000 won (~25 USD) per night. A fantastic deal. Having slept little on the way in, I napped a little on the couch in the "living room". Nice thing about this place is that internet access is free, breakfast is included and laundry is free. Around 9.00 am, I met some of the house mates, Britt (New Zealand), Manuel (France), Andreas and Matthias (Germany), Miho and her brother (Japan). Breakfast is strictly do it yourself -- bread, jam, butter and coffee.

I showered and set out for the city. Hapjeong subway station is a 10 minute walk from the guest house and quite convenient, once you know your way around. ATMs in Korea are quite confusing, because very few accept foreign cards. Even then, finding one with English instructions is a bigger challenge. I found one ATM at a local bank that was bought by Standard Chartered.

Seoul Metropolitan Subway: It is one of the largest and most complex subway systems in the world. To get an idea of the complexity, see this map. It has to be efficient, because must serve a population of 23,000,000 -- Seoul metro is only second to Tokyo. Wow! I didn't realize it was so big until I arrived there. Trains run every 4-5 minutes, are very reliable, but always crowded. Cellphones work everywhere, and many commuters watch TV on them. And here's the thing -- no graffiti anywhere. It's a pleasure. There are clearly marked signs in English, Japanese and Korean, and local maps are available in every station. In as far as tickets are concerned, each ride is about 1,000 won (~ 1 USD), but smart cards (available at every subway station) give you a 100 won discount. You just flash it past each gate and the go. I also discovered that to cross streets near a subway, you have to use the underground pathways. It's a system that simply put -- works!

People: The Koreans are extremely polite and bow at every opportunity. They are very well dressed, and even a stroll is an excuse to wear formal clothes. Sure, like any major metro, they have their share of alcoholism, but the Seoul drunks are the politest I've seen. No violence, none whatsoever. I've never felt safer in a big city than in Seoul. The social system respects its elders and even on the subway, the seats for the elderly/handicapped/pregnant women remain unoccupied even if the train is overcrowded. Nice. Very few older Koreans speak English, but the younger generation is learning English in increasing numbers. In fact, many young people from New Zealand or Australia finance their travel in Korea by teaching English as a second language. The Koreans are very hardworking and it's not uncommon to hear about school children slaving away for 8-10 hours a day.

Now on to the sight seeing. I went to Changdeokgung Palace, one of the "Five Grand Palaces" in Seoul. The palace was completed in 1412 and suffered multiple invasions by the Japanese. It is a beautiful palace, but after a while the tour becomes very monotonous. I booked myself on a guided English tour (admission 3,000 won) leaving me 2 hours to grab lunch. I wandered around for a restaurant, but all signs are in Korean and the only recourse was to see the pictures and decide. Not knowing what to expect, I read Lonely Planet's recommendations and chose Bibimbap. It appears that the name is generic and each restaurant has its own variation, differentiated mostly by the side dishes. The meal was very cheap (4,000 won), but tasty. It had an interesting texture of rice, crunchy carrots, crispy mushrooms, chili sauce and of course, kimchi. Loved it!

I returned to Changdeokgung palace and joined the English guided tour (1 hour 20 minutes). The guide was very boring, spoke in a monotone and hurried everyone along. Man, did she have a plan! Had I known better, I would have taken a Korean tour and simply used the printed English guide. Once out of the palace, I took a break and had instant coffee (1,000 won) at a roadside stall. To make this coffee, a prepackaged mixture of coffee and sugar in a long tube is added to hot water and milk. To stir simply use the "tube" as a spoon. Ingenious.

I took the recommended "between the palaces walk" and walked about 3 kms on the sidewalks. What you notice is -- no Japanese cars! Almost all cars were Korean, save for a few BMWs and Mercedes. Almost every cab has a sign on the door saying "free translators". Since the cabbies speak no English, you can call a central telephone number from the cab and talk to an operator who then provides instructions to the cabbie. The cab drivers are very honest and pride themselves on providing a good service.

After about an hour, I arrived at Gyeongbokgung or the Grand Palace (admission 3,000 won). This palace was completed in 1394 during the Joseon Dynasty and like other places in Korea, destroyed multiple times by the Japanese. The palace is huge and impressive and obviously carries a special meaning for the Koreans, but the lack of English signboards made my experience somewhat deficient. With the same ticket I visited the neighboring Palace Museum of History for an hour with a guided audio tour. I didn't enjoy this museum much.

It was getting late (and I was tired too) and I rode the subway to Hapjeong station. I stopped for coffee at a pub called "Beer, Hof and Coffee". It was a complete ripoff (4,000 won). What I learned later on is that any restaurant that has "Hof" written on its signboards is good for drinking alcohol -- not coffee. I walked back to Kim's and joined a group of youngsters (Manuel from France, Charles from Singapore, Miho and her brother from Japan) for dinner. We went to a neighboring restaurant for galbi or Korean BBQ. We sat on the floor and generally enjoyed ourselves, not in the least due to a liberal supply of soju (similar to sake but flavored). Since most of us were new to the experience, the restaurant owner (through Manuel, who spoke some Korean) came by to help us with the grill and the meats. All ingredients were fresh and the taste, you ask? Heavenly. Soju certainly made the conversation much easier and on our way back to the guest house, we picked up few more bottles of soju and beer, and chatted away until the wee hours of the morning. As the night continued more people joined our group for an impromptu part-ay! Depending on whom I was talking to I switched between English, French and German. Good times!

Bali -- Day 6 -- Goodbye Bali!

This was my last day in Bali. After an early breakfast at the hotel, we checked out and made the long winding journey toward Kuta. We drove through picturesque highways and spent some time at a botanical garden. Incidentally, since Ayub was doing the driving and the navigating, I forgot the names of the places we visited. We stopped at a vegetable and fruit market, because Ayub and Dewi wanted to buy some for their families. Incidentally, I figured out that I could shoot 640 x 480 movie clips at 30 frames/second with my camera (Canon A610). Until this time, I was shooting at a measly 320 x 240 at 15 frames/second. Better late than never, I suppose.

On the long drive, Ayub played some popular music called dangdut that sounded very much like Bollywood music I was familiar with. Dandut has become more popular than ever. I was so intrigued by the music that I purchased a VCD for keepsake. We also discussed the origin of some of the Balinese/Bahasa vocabulary that I recognized as coming from Sanskrit. They were surprised that I could guess the meaning of many words. Wow, stuff that I learned almost a quarter of century ago came flooding back. As we neared Kuta, we dropped off Dewi at her home and Ayub dropped me off at Restu Bali Hotel to pick up my baggage. I repacked all my belongings and walked a few hundred meters to where Ayub offered a ride to the airport. With mixed feelings, I exchanged goodbyes with Ayub, compensated him handily for all the assistance and departed from Bali. Over the past few days, I came to appreciate his hard work, friendliness and honesty, and I leave him as a good friend. I shall definitely look him up during my next trip to Bali.

At the airport, I avoided the stalls inside and hopped over to a small cafe within the airport where the locals eat -- saved a whole lot of money. My flight for Hong Kong was leaving and the highlight of my trip came to a close. I shall return here someday. Terimah kasih, Bali and selamat ingal!

Bali -- Day 5 -- Road Trip

I had a quick continental breakfast at Adi Cottages, checked out and went to an internet cafe to check my mail. Around 9.30 am, Ayub came to Adi Cottages to pick me up for the road trip to north of Bali. He had hired an SUV (a small one at that) for 2 days at 180,000 Rp (~ 18 USD) per day. Accompanying him was his friend, Dewi, whom I recognized as one of the staff from the hotel. They were on a "clandestine" trip together at my expense. I didn't mind it all. Dewi knew very little English, so we mostly communicated through Ayub. We drove through some terraced paddy fields, then northbound to Kintamani, near Mount Batur, an active volcano. We took the detour downhill along the steep and winding road to Lake Batur, where we spent a few minutes taking in the beautiful, yet rustic surroundings. There are lots of campers that spend days on end climbing the mountain. I might consider it one of these days. We'll see.

On our return to Kintamani, we went to a recently-built popular restaurant that overlooked the volcano and had lunch. I offered to take Ayub and Dewi with me, instead they went to the lower level where the Balinese go (it's much cheaper), while I went to the rooftop (90,000 Rp) and had the lunch buffet. I think it's a form of discrimination to have the locals and the tourists eat at separate places and to, of course, be charged different rates. As they say, while in Rome... It was a good spread, but nothing to write home about. The view, however, was fantastic. Strong gusty winds blew across while I ate looking at the weirdly denuded sides of the mountain where the lava flow had obliterated all vegetation.

Our final destination was Lovina/Singaraja, a sleepy town on the north coast of Bali and a welcome change from the hustle and bustle of Kuta. The roads to Lovina are relatively narrow, winding and full of traffic. The lush greenery and the varying vegetation made the long, slow drive very enjoyable. Bali has only two seasons -- rainy and dry, but the temperature remains more or less the same. Therefore, many fruits such as mangoes and bananas, and vegetables grow all the year round.

We tried accommodations at many beach resorts and after some search, Ayub recommended a cottage right on the beach. For the life of me, I cannot remember the name of the place, since it's relatively new and construction was still going on. To get a good price, Ayub bargained and got the local rate for two a/c rooms at 125,000 Rp each. Had I gone there on my own, I would have easily paid at least 3 times that amount! Good to have a local friend. We checked into the hotel rooms and after a few minutes of resting in a/c, we met again under the canopy facing north toward Bali Sea, relaxed with a couple of Bintang beers and feasted on the freshly cut mangoes Dewi had bought at a roadside stand. Man, it was peaceful, however, too hot to swim yet. This is what beach side resort living is all about -- leisurely pace, calm waters, good food and of course nothing to disturb you. I can fully imagine coming here to write a book (if I only had the talent to do so).

After a nap, we had kopi bali at a beach side cafe about 10 minutes by car and waited for the sunset views. It lived up to my expectations - gorgeous colors, calm, soothing waters. We drove back to the motel and I swam in the calm sea for about 45 minutes. Interesting fact: the sands on the north coast of Bali are black and volcanic, while the sands in the south (Kuta) are white and sparkling. The water in Lovina was fairly warm and very conducive for a swim. Upon my return, there was a minor crowd of locals hawking cheap jewelery and useless trinkets as well as Balinese massages and dolphin sight-seeing tours. They left when we didn't buy anything.

We were ready for dinner and searched in vain for authentic Balinese food, but had to settle for the beach side cafe we had visited earlier. We had some beer, excellent Balinese satay, nasi goreng, a fish curry and a terrible calamari. Oh well. The total tab for three was only 91,000 Rp! Well, time for bed. Good night! I will definitely visit Lovina again.

Bali (Ubud) -- Day 4 -- Monkey Forest

After a quick breakfast at Masih Bungalow (banana pancakes, fruit and kopi bali), I checked out, exchanged the mountain bike I'd rented for a new one and rode on the new rickety bike to Monkey Forest Sanctuary (admission 10,000 Rp). Monkeys are sacred to the Balinese Hindus just as in India and they are revered. (These monkeys are macaques, the name is familiar, of course, to Americans for the macaca comment made by George Allen. That idiot!) For an additional 10,000 Rp, you can buy bananas to feed the animals. The sanctuary is used by the Balinese for religious festivals and is a haven for 115 different species of trees. It is a harmonious mixture of man and nature. The monkeys, by the way, are extremely aggressive and if you are not careful, they can snatch away your belongings. Watch out. The guides are very helpful if you want to take pictures. You can spend a good two hours in this sanctuary.

I retrieved my bike and rode back to Tutmak cafe for brunch (banana pancakes and iced coffee). I don't know, I just liked the pancakes so much, I suppose. Anyway, I took directions to Elephant Cave (Goa Gajah). The maps say that it's 3 kms from Ubud village, but I rode far more than 3 kms, because the signs are poor, I missed my way a few times and the locals don't understand the English term Elephant Cave. After I used the local name, Goa Gajah (Goa=cave, Gajah=elephant from Sanskrit) from Lonely Planet things went a lot easier. Riding through Ubud, you see plenty of artists' homes. Many of them work and display their art on location. I suppose, this where you've to visit to get the real stuff. The lush greenery and the gentle breeze mitigated somewhat the intense heat. I was drinking fluids like there was no tomorrow. After almost an hour of riding including miscues, I arrived at the Elephant Cave.

Elephant Cave: This cave is not readily visible from the street, but once you enter the premises and pay the admission (5,000 Rp), you have to change to the acceptable attire, a sarong, which they will loan you at the temple. Incidentally, a sign there says that women in their menstrual period are not allowed. I wonder how they are going to control that? At any rate, a very helpful guide, in fact one of the custodians of the temple, gave me a good history of the temple. Founded in the 11th century, it is perhaps the oldest Hindu temple in Bali. The deities are unlike what you might see in India. There is not much ornamentation, but on the other hand, you can see the Hindu Trinity (Brahma, Wisnu and Siwa -- note spellings) in the same location -- somewhat unusual in India. After an engaging conversation with the guide, I savored some tender coconut juice and went onward with my bike ride to Pejeng.

Pejeng: This is a region famous for its rice paddy fields -- the terraced fields that you see in tourist brochures. It is a sight for sore eyes, believe me. The ride itself took almost 2 hours because of undulating streets and having to stop every kilometer or so to get directions. The locals are indeed very friendly and it appears that you only have to say the word Ubud, and they know how to direct you. Terimah kasih (thank you), you lovely Balinese.

The ride back wore me out completely, not in the least because of the lousy bike. I went back to the rental place, returned my bike and went back to Tutmak for yet another iced coffee. I was tired (again) and this time I went to Adi Cottages, where I was going to spend the night. I was so glad to have a/c that I fell on the bed and snoozed for an hour or two. Feeling refreshed, I walked on Monkey Forest Road for a while and saw this women handing out fliers for different massages. What the hell, let me try a Balinese massage (70,000 Rp), I thought. It turned out that only the name changes, but the massage is the same. Marketing certainly works! The masseuse was very surly, yet grateful when I paid her. Maybe it was due to the lack of business, maybe it was her nature. Who can tell?

I walked back to Putra Bar for a few beers and some relaxing Jazz. I made small talk with the bartenders and learned of their pecuniary situation. Many of them subsist on the largess of foreign tourists who have spent considerable time in Ubud. Tough times! Here I also learned about the Balinese custom of naming children. The names are unisex. The first born is Wayan or Putu, the second is Made or Kadek, the third is Nyoman or Komang and the fourth is Ketut. The cycle repeats for fifth, sixth born etc. Interesting.

Based on the recommendation of the folks at Putra Bar, I went to the neighboring Cafe Bali (every third or fourth restaurant is called Cafe Bali) and had Balinese clear chicken soup and a full grilled red snapper in Balinese style. The total tab was 77,000 Rp; the spices were an interesting mix, but not hot enough for me. I enjoyed it, though. I followed it up with more beer and music at Putra Bar and retired thankfully at the air-conditioned Adi Cottage room. This was the end of my Ubud trip. I shall return!