Finding a hostel & The Hydes’ combat

We got off the bus in Sokcho, South Korea, and walked around to the front of the building where the information booth was located.

Curtis had read reviews about a place called The Hostel House, and we were hoping we could get in because we were not able to make a reservation due to a poor Internet connection earlier that day. The information booth actually had a hand written scanned copy of directions to The Hostel House. This told me great things about the place, not only were they reviewed well, they were efficient, and costumer service oriented in their marketing plan. LOVE!!!

We saw some tourists ahead of us, and started to book it. We did not want to miss the spot. Aside, the no walk symbol is not a guy just standing there with his arms out like ours, this guy has his hands behind his back. Ha ha…whoever made that makes me laugh. 

Anyway, The directions were pretty helpful if you follow them. When a map in America shows you a road, you don’t turn down alleys or skinny walk ways, but when a map in Korea shows you to take your next left and there is an alley…you take it, especially if its right after the small market someone mentioned would be there. Fortunately, we did, and we came to this adorable French villa called The House…

Upon entering, American classics were mood setting the lobby playing Frank Sinatra’s “Saying something stupid like I love you”. Post cards from around the world adorned the walls along with classic paintings by Monet and Da Vinci, along with letters from past grateful visitors writing about their journeys to distant lands. An inviting seating area lined with vibrant exotic colored pillows called out to pad our backs and tired feet like soft clouds. All together every piece was saying yes, yes, this is your haven…this is your melting pot calling you home. The sweet tall Asian Man walked out from his humble office and said in the most pleasant voice, “ We are all full…. BUT…, can I call a car for you??

This is when all my hair fell out and I bursted into a million pieces like on those sprite commercials only less refreshing and more bursting.. I turned to Curtis and asked, Why? WHY???

However, the car came and a lady stepped out of the passenger seat, opened the door for us, and helped us in. It was like a continuance of the kindness we were experiencing in the villa…

In the Car we discussed, “ It’s ok, if we don’t like it, we will go somewhere else.” We drove around the corner through twists and turns in the most fantastic market place we’ve seen, the car stopped. We got out, and the lady did too and handed the Cabi money. A surge of mixed emotions came through me. I guess we were staying wherever she was bringing us now that she paid our way there!!! I HATE kindness with strings attached!  We walked through a hole in the wall (door) and up stairs, and down halls, and then she opened a door, and let us in and told us to take off our shoes as she bowed a little and waved us in waiting by the door.  As I walked in the closet where she directed me to go, I urged” PAY her Curtis!!”, hiding in the matchbox, and put my backpack on the bed. Ok, Ok…it was fine, and we did find the bathroom eventually, which was connected to our room, and our very own. Between the two places it felt night and day. The night only furthered to get worse from there on out however.

Have you ever heard the saying, “ Take a weekend trip together, it will further the relationship, and confirm if it’s a go or stay.”?  Well, Curtis and I travel constantly together, and we love it, but there it something different about traveling to a place where night is literally day because of the time difference, and either you’re not sleeping well, or not eating well…but the Hyde version was discovered in both of us, and my Hyde and his Hyde are mortal enemies! Mortal Kombat Enemies even! So basically we got a divorce, and he is heading back to Utah….JUST KIDDDING!!! Wow that’s not even funny to write..I cried a little, and told Curtis how much I loved him after writing that.  We did however fight it out a bit….

During the so-called intermission of our fight we took a night stroll to get food to tame the raging beasts within. However, by this time we had been eating Korean everything, and Curtis was over it, but being in a smaller town we found we were now subject to only KOrEAn, but wanted AMERICAN!!! We walked through the market, and saw some interesting things

(Insert pictures), but nothing we wanted to eat. We walked down the Sokcho strip, ( insert pictures), but found nothing to eat. We walked past 10 Korean restaurants that smelled so good, and looked incredible, but scoured left and right and found no American food to eat together.
Then we came to an island and pulled ourselves across the water on a self-pulled ferry. 

I felt hope in my heart. There was a homey feeling, and the island felt quaint and refreshing.

TANGENT ALERT: A little boy was roaming through the streets with no adult..maybe 3 years old or four.  No one was out and he just was walking quickly looking for someone like he was lost. I was so nervous he was going to get kidnapped, but we kept a close distance behind him, and to our surprise he walked in to a restaurant like he knew where he was going the whole time…I don’t know. It was scary moviesk. Small child roaming empty street lures concerned tourists into restaurant, where he turns out to be a monster…muhahaha….

Anyway, long story short, we saw this historic town where North Korean settlers live, and I saw soup that looked so tasty, and ordered it. Curtis bought pringles from across the way that taste like card board, and then came and sat traditionally on the floor with me after removing our shoes to eat. They brought me the usual Kim chi and such, which tasted especially fermented, and then brought the soup out to me, WHICH strangely they call Korean Sundae… however, it is not ice cream, rather, squid intestine stuffed soup. It’s a delicacy, and we experienced it. I was so hungry I ate everything that looked familiar and drank the broth, and then in my HYDE way, asked Curtis if he wanted some question marked stuffed intestine, AND because he THOUGHT that I had some…. He could not back down from the challenge and he fear factored down two chunks.  I couldn’t bear to watch it anymore, and asked him why he was eating it and if he knew what it was, and he said yes, and that he thought I had eaten some, and I LAUGHED and said are you crazy…while slurping down the rest of the intestine soup out of pure starvation lol

We bonded over squid intestines, and went to bed less angry, but then woke up raging again something fierce.  In 15 minutes we ended things, apologized, got remarried exchanging our 5 Fullmer Foundational Vows/Rules, pinky swore on it, spit shook that would never happen again, and promised we would keep saltines by our beds to keep the beasts at bay.

Basically we love each-other, and its been a blast ever since….to honey-moon it up we got a room at The House!!!!!