KTX, Snow, Hanbok Strike 1, and Bibimbap in Jeonju

January 19, 2016

Tuesday was action packed!  We woke up at 5:15 to catch a 7:05 train to Jeonju, Ephraim’s birth city.  It’s an hour and a half from Seoul on the KTX high speed rail (it would take over 5 hours if driving).  The day began with some excitement since I started us the wrong direction on the subway (1^st time) to get to Yongsan Station where we would catch the KTX to Jeonju.  We got turned around and arrived in Yongsan at 7:01.  We ran to will call to pick up tickets we had ordered online.  The clerk was very helpful and efficient but didn’t understand the rush.  After handing us the tickets we asked the platform number and she realized that it was arriving that moment.  We RAN through the station.  The train was pulling in as we arrived at the top of the steps to the platform.  We just made it to our seats as it began to move.  God definitely orchestrated that tight schedule and kept us with peaceful attitudes.

Then it was the ride south to Jeonju.  We got to see the majestic Korean countryside as the sun rose.  Korea is a beautiful country.  There are lots of mountains.  Mostly the land is flat or a mountain, we saw little in between.  We passed a lot of greenhouses and farmland, and went through many tunnels in the mountains.  It snowed most of the trip so there was some whiteout that made it difficult to really see.  

The KTX got up to 297 kmh, that’s 185 mph!  But it’s so smooth we didn't really notice.

There was at least 2+ inches of snow on the ground in Jeonju.  Jeonju is much smaller than Seoul, something like 650,000 versus 25,000,000 in Seoul.  So unlike Seoul we really stuck out as Americans.  We got a lot more stares, especially Rachel’s blonde hair.  There was little to no English on any signs or other navigational aids, so it was much more difficult getting around.  And I think we saw only one westerner all day.  We got our bearings, found the bus stop, and returned to the train station for a bite before catching the bus into the city.  Our breakfast snack was Americano, a hot pepper sandwich, and a breakfast hot dog for Rachel (including soy sauce maple syrup).  Then we hopped on a bus (after asking the bus driver a couple of times if this bus went to Hanok Village, a nice, young man asked the bus driver something in Korean, and the bus driver understood and shook his head at us) Once on the bus, I nervously watched GPS on my phone to make sure it was going toward our destination.

Our main destination was Hanok Village.  It’s a very old part of the city with lots of important history.  The buildings are traditional architecture and there are many shops.  It was an incredible sight in the snow.  Usually there would have been a few other tourists, but with the weather it seemed to be exclusively locals out.

We spent several hours looking in tiny gift shops, relaxing in a stylish coffee bar, under a hill named Omokdae, drinking a latte and steamed milk, and just taking in the sights.  High schoolers, especially girls, often dress up in traditional hanbok garb for a fun outing.  There were many groups of them walking around the village laughing and taking pictures.  There were also a few dads playing with their children in the snow across the street.  Jeonju definitely had a more small town feel :)

It was great to get a flavor for life in Ephraim’s hometown.  As I sat and drank coffee several young women sat down nearby.  I wondered if one of them could be Ephraim’s birth mother.  If she sat down next to us we’d have no idea. 

We saw a hanbok shop and went in thinking to purchase one for Rachel and one for Ephraim.  The owner spoke no English so we struggled to communicate.  Rachel tried on a pretty green and gold hanbok.  She pointed to a sign with prices and we thought 35,000 KRW was very reasonable.  When she was all dressed up we asked to buy it, and after several minutes, finally found that it was rental only.  We left a little embarrassed, but it was a fun experience and she looked amazing.  We’ll try again in Seoul to find some to buy when we come back to get Ephraim.

We did a little more gift shopping and then found a place for lunch.  Jeonju is famous for bibimbap.  If you know Korean food at all you’ve probably heard about kimchi (fermented vegetable, spicy or white) and maybe you know about bibimbap.  If not, find a place to try it.  It’s just lots of yummy ingredients in a bowl.  You mix it up and enjoy.  Rachel and I both love it and we cook it regularly at home.  So we had to find some in the city in which it’s most famous.  We found a little restaurant and had some and some spicy soup.  It was delicious – the best either of us has had.

The snow started to let up and the sun came out as we trekked out of Hanok Village toward downtown Jeonju in search of a taxi.  We got across town back to the train station and waited for the train to Seoul. 

On the return, we got to see a bit more since it was snowing less.  Rachel got a snack of dried honey sweet potatoes from the snack cart –yummy! 

I got kick out of a Hyundai Avante (Accent model in USA) commercial every time the ad displayed on the KTX tv’s.  It was a commercial obviously touting the technical advantages and sleek lines of the car.  The only English in the entire ad was “Super Normal” – some things just don’t translate well.  This was definitely not the message they intended.

At Yongsan station I again led us in the wrong direction on the subway (2^nd time).  If you’re ever in Seoul beware the signage in Yongsan station is not as good as the bulk of the metro system.  We turned around after only one stop, and after several minutes wandering around the station we got on a tram headed the correct way.  I was hangry (I’m sorry wife) and frozen after walking from the subway toward the hotel and searching for some Korean fried chicken so after several blocks of wandering around, we ended up having leftovers back at the hotel.  We went to bed eager to get sleeping out of the way and get back to Holt to see our Ephraim again tomorrow!