One thing about jet lag – it doesn’t hit you immediately - you’re more likely to feel it on the third or fourth day of a trip – just when you think you’ve found your groove.
Fortunately today was a travel day, which started with an early morning flight from Tokyo to Seoul. When the plane flew over beautiful Mount Fuji – I had one of those “it” moments - very exciting for a girl who comes from a small town in West Texas.
Korea took me by surprise and is very different than I had imagined. Maybe is seems so exotic - as I’ve just come from Japan, where everything is so organized and clean that it sparkles like a shiny new penny.
After checking into my hotel, I headed out with a map of the city to explore Seoul. My destination was the Imperial Palace, but due to a minor flaw with the map I never made it there. Note to self: Remember to tell the hotel concierge she may want to let her guests know the city map is not to scale..... like, really not to scale.
A wise friend once advised me that getting lost is a good thing, as that’s when you really get to know a place. This afternoon I proved her theory. While trying to find my way, I ended up in an outdoor market – one of those places that is frequented only by the locals - who all seem surprised to see a tourist there. It was so amazing – a mass of humanity, vendors selling vegetables and fruits that I had never seen before, woman carrying huge baskets on their heads, the pungent aroma of the street food. I bought a ceramic Buddha for my collection at home – maybe it was the jet lag, but I’m not sure if I paid $40 or $400 for it.
Instead of relying on the map to find my way back to the hotel, I decided to flag down a taxi. I’ve always prided myself of being able to communicate with the locals, even when I don’t speak their language. This isn’t a strategy that works here. I had to flag down five cabs before I could find a driver who could understand where I wanted to go. I tried everything – speaking in a clear voice, speaking in a loud clear voice, charades (it’s not easy to act out Westin Hotel), pointing to the map – nothing worked.
When I did finally get back to my hotel room, I couldn’t help but compare my luxurious surroundings to the marketplace I had just come from. It made me feel decadent to know that I am staying here, which is little disconcerting as I’m not used to feeling like I'm part of the establishment.
Fortunately today was a travel day, which started with an early morning flight from Tokyo to Seoul. When the plane flew over beautiful Mount Fuji – I had one of those “it” moments - very exciting for a girl who comes from a small town in West Texas.
Korea took me by surprise and is very different than I had imagined. Maybe is seems so exotic - as I’ve just come from Japan, where everything is so organized and clean that it sparkles like a shiny new penny.
After checking into my hotel, I headed out with a map of the city to explore Seoul. My destination was the Imperial Palace, but due to a minor flaw with the map I never made it there. Note to self: Remember to tell the hotel concierge she may want to let her guests know the city map is not to scale..... like, really not to scale.
A wise friend once advised me that getting lost is a good thing, as that’s when you really get to know a place. This afternoon I proved her theory. While trying to find my way, I ended up in an outdoor market – one of those places that is frequented only by the locals - who all seem surprised to see a tourist there. It was so amazing – a mass of humanity, vendors selling vegetables and fruits that I had never seen before, woman carrying huge baskets on their heads, the pungent aroma of the street food. I bought a ceramic Buddha for my collection at home – maybe it was the jet lag, but I’m not sure if I paid $40 or $400 for it.
Instead of relying on the map to find my way back to the hotel, I decided to flag down a taxi. I’ve always prided myself of being able to communicate with the locals, even when I don’t speak their language. This isn’t a strategy that works here. I had to flag down five cabs before I could find a driver who could understand where I wanted to go. I tried everything – speaking in a clear voice, speaking in a loud clear voice, charades (it’s not easy to act out Westin Hotel), pointing to the map – nothing worked.
When I did finally get back to my hotel room, I couldn’t help but compare my luxurious surroundings to the marketplace I had just come from. It made me feel decadent to know that I am staying here, which is little disconcerting as I’m not used to feeling like I'm part of the establishment.
3 comments:
WOW! Thanks for letting us follow your journey...I feel like I'm there with you!
traveller's nightmare ... could'nt find anyone who can understand you
Thailand is always welcome let me know if you will come here :-D
I'm enjoying reading your blog and have been anxiously awaiting news of your travels! I just finished reading an interesting book by Jan Wong an Asian/Canadian journalist called Beijing Confidential. It was an interesting true story of her times in Beijing pre Cultural Revolution during Mao's influence and today. She was a student ( one of only a handful of foreign students allowed to study)at Beijing University...(learning history and digging ditches the communist way) when she " turned in" a fellow student who asked her for help to " get to America". 30 yrs later she returns to a very different Beijing to find her to apologize. So descriptive of a Beijing past ( great history lesson) and a Beijing of today. I think you may enjoy it!!
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