Day one Shanghai Heaven

SHANGHAI

Shanghai is GORGEOUS! The moment we stepped outside of the Pudong airport and onto the Maglev train I felt at home.

If you didn’t read before the maglev uses magnetic levitation to suspend, guide and propel vehicles from magnets rather than using mechanical methods. WOW.. 431 kilometers per hour roller-coasting us right into Shanghai. WE love amusement parks and big cities, and that is the combination that was felt in Shanghai.

We transferred onto the line 2 metro. What a fast paced place, there’s so much user-friendly technology available. For not being able to speak the language, getting around was cake. We stepped off the train and climbed the subway stairs, which are deeper than New York subways. It’s more like D.C..

There we were in our very own Shanghai time square, fresh off line two, with absolutely no WiFi, which meant we HAD NO IDEA where we were going, because we were meeting up with our friend Kendra, and had NOO way to get a hold of her.

If you are wondering why we did not get ahold of her before this…well we tried, but she was teaching a class at the time, and then our Chinese governmental friends censored what we were up to, and blocked our apps ability to work.

We downloaded a VPN to combat the censory powers here, but for a while we were out of commission. Fortunately, Kendra looked for the only Blonde on the block and found us!!! It worked in the midst of tons of people!

Kendra led us through the city, helped us get metro cards, and then brought us back the their place to drop off our gear. We changed and then took a Taxi to meet up with Jeff Lindsay to eat! Kendra and Jeff have really picked up on the language, which made it super easy to get around.

The sky is mostly overcast in Shanghai, maybe because of smog, (always good for taking pictures) but as we arrived at the restaurant the cloud opened, rays beamed down at the doors of this Chinese restaurant, and heavenly Angels began to sing…hallelujah, Hallelujah, HALLELUJAH…. I was confused, but I went with it.

We walked into this swanky place. The walls had beautiful photos on them, that Jeff mentioned had been changed since earlier in the day. They greeted us at the door in traditional Chinese attire, and walked us to our table.  We looked at the menu, picked a few things to eat, and then we all caught up from our 3-day split since Korea.
 We talked about our travels, and each made up a use or reason for the huge metal earphone on our plates, A hat?, An earphone? A megaphone? A funnel? We will never know because we did not ask and they came and took them from us and brought us our food. A faint chorus of hallelujahs started again.  Shaking my head in confusion, I took a piece of the cooked chicken, and placed it in my mouth. Trumpets sounded, the heavenly host was loud and clear now, the sunrays broke through the curtained windows, we began levitating, serotonin was shooting out of my finger tips… “YES, YES…it tasted sooooooooooooooooo good”. I looked around me, and then over to Curtis to say how I was feeling, but noticed that Curtis too was beaming and reveling in every dish. Had we died and gone to heaven?

The meal was over, and we were full. We were at peace with the universe, our chi was strong and positive,  we had good feng shui…WE had arrived. I don’t know it at the moment, but I will get the name of that restaurant so you may eat there also!

To make a great night greater we took a refreshing walk around the Bund a few blocks from the Lindsay’s place. There was a beautiful circular walkway that beat many of the walkways in all the other big cities I have traveled to and lived in. Absolutely amazing architecture! The Bund is lined with gorgeous neo classical, Gothic, art deco, and several European influential banks and buildings on one side, and then out across the water are all these enormous space age sky scrapers. I'm pretty sure several of them were actual alien space craft from a previous alien invasion.

We walked through the apple store into the mall for ice cream, and BELIEVE ME I was nervous. Remember “bubble gum” ice cream in Korea? Well, my unhealthy love for ice cream has been, well, more healthy since then. I keep my distance much easier, but everything seemed so perfect….so I took the risk. I ordered dark decadent looking chocolate gelato on a chocolate covered waffle cone.

Ooooweeemama! St. Louise cheetah bears in sparkly flats! I mean…, what do you say when there are no words for complete and utter bliss. The gelato was incredible!

 (said in an Italian accent) and MORE than that, the chocolate dipped waffle cone did not taste like wax like at Coldstone, it tasted like waffle-cone with chocolate! ??? Right!!

We jumped on a train and hurried home to do Readeo with our niece and nephew a.k.a the Lindsay’s grand kids!!! It was soooo fun! Thank you Readeo for making it possible to read books to our kids from across the world!!! Then we talked to my sister and shared the adventures of Shanghai, and of course being famous as a blonde in China!

I took a warm relaxing shower, we group hugged goodnight, and settled into THE most comfy pull out bed I’ve ever experienced in my life.

I <3 Shanghai and our Lindsay Fam!

DON’T Do SNAFUS

Fifty-cent pieces are sitting on my eyelids today… but we have been having so much fun staying up late, and then getting up early.

I always thought jet lag was only a sleep thing, but it is the food & food schedule that is killing me. I believe it would have been beneficial to bring a box of power bars, and some vitamins for the initial part of the trip.   I know you want to know about the adventures, and believe me I will get there in a diff blog, but if you take anything from this blog… learn this, adventures are more fun when you feel great.

One of the greatest assets I have is a phone with the time at home, and the time in China. Why? Because I know when Curtis or I begin feeling upset, or sick, or hungry , what to attribute it to and how to quickly remedy it. It’s strange but those things seem to be more learned than innate---at least for me. Also, the time in China or the country you are in allows you to reboot and get on a new schedule!

I can also see how you can get into some “snafus” as Curtis would say in foreign countries…

Tip one: Dogs…

Right before we came we got rabies shots. Why….I thought to myself.  I don’t want to get bit by a ravenous human hungry beast. I will not go to those areas…

While walking in Sokcho, I spotted THE cutest dog in the WORLD!!!! Bigs eyes..tilted head..floppy ears…, can you say, come home with me any faster. The first time I saw him, he was hanging by his “owner”, and the second time he was randomly outside our hostel. I thought to my self, how coincidental that the owner was staying at the same hostel, AND how strange that he left his puppy outside. Out loud I said, “ He’s lost I think, should we go bring him to his owner.” Curtis reminded me lovingly that we are not supposed to touch feral dogs in foreign countries. ???! So basically the big bad wolf expectation, or a ferocious Doberman monster was not quite accurate.

1.     Don’t pet the cute and cuddly either.  

Leaving our Hostel, Curtis mentioned in his blog that we were headed out to the DMZ. The directions we were given looked like this: ( I will Insert the Drawing soon)

Go to the bus stop. Take the 1.1, or 1. It will take about 1hr. They will drop you at the bus stop. Walk twenty minutes to the welcome center, and then hitch hike to the DMZ……

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oRp_mVi969I  ( Record scratch sound effect)

HITCH HIKE?????

Um, sir is that safe? Is there another way???????? Because personally this is what I scream during tragic movies, “ No, don’t do it. You complete and utter fool tourists. Have you learned nothing in school, or at home???....” All these things are shouted at my TV emphatically just before the Americans are kidnapped and killed during these “standard Korean hitch-hikes”. Interestingly enough he said that was the ONLY way to get there from Sokcho, and that “everyone is doing it.” Where have I heard that before???

He was very reputable, and the people are so kind in Korea, so there we went…up the stairs in a scary film, under the bed during a fire or flood…

No, It is just very different in other countries, and makes sense that one in a 100,000 people get into snafus because there is the possibility of danger, but it is how it is done in other countries.  It is just like their use of bamboo for scaffolding, every now and then I’m sure it causes problems more-so than steal would, but it works most of the time.

Seriously…, just like Curtis mentioned, we got on the bus in full force to have our first hitch hiking experience.  Small prayers were repeated constantly within my mind.

I know, I know, but could it BE any scarier than the Harry Potter Skinny bus ride we took to the Bus stop far far away? How were we fitting in between those cars, and how were we not killing people or running over toes…I will never know, but I believe it was pure magical wizardry.  Oddly, it made the second bus driver seem like a slug on the way home. I kept wanting to be like, COME ON MAN…, the other guy got us there in half the time, and we are all still alive.

Anyway, I forgot to read if Curtis mentioned it so I will give a brief description of our experience. We got to the bus stop that was a random building on the side of the road. There were no signs that we could read. WE said, “ Welcome center? DMZ?” Wo jzo, jshing zjang.. was what he said as he pointed to the NORTH!!!! Dant dant dahh… So we started walking with our big backpacks towards to the communist country. Anyway, yaddy yaddy yaddah… we walked for 15 minutes, spent 30 minutes talking to a taxi driver that was offering to take us in, YAY! No hitch hiking for the Fullmers, 49000 Korean dollars (45ish $): pass 3000, Entrance 6000 for 2, and 40000 for the Taxi.  It’s free for walking or biking, but THANK Heavens for the taxi. When we went through the military check-point, I was grateful to be in the car!! :-o (Insert pictures with descriptions)

2. There is always a safer way so be aware of things!

We got back, bussed to Seoul, slept in a hostel, and flew to China the next day!

While at the airport….

We walked through customs, and saw we had a Wifi connection. We decided to work for a few hours while we waited for our friends to get done with work. We went and set up our things on a bench. An American woman with blond hair, about 55 came and sat next to us. She sat right next to my bag, and I lifted it up and moved my things close to me so that she could sit down more easily. It was an interesting interaction. She was nice, and talked about losing her phone, and talked about the states, and gave us good advice for China, and that’s when I realized she kept getting really close to my bag. It has locks all over it though and is tricky to get into, and was no longer in her reach. I don’t believe she was going to steal my things, BUT I did read to beware of anyone that gets close like that. My expectations were scarier looking people, men, or un-Americans, but the sweet adorable women followed suit of the cute cuddly dog and they are to be considered also. JUST so you know most people are friendly, but there are blogs and books that give you warnings about specific situations. These are the situations I am talking about. I just noticed that sometimes I have the wrong picture in mind for these situations.

3.     Beautiful Grandma American women are sometimes the crooks the visa.gov site mentions…

Last Snafu tip of the day:

4. Beware of the Gift givers…

Being blonde and American has been interesting. People not only want to get pictures, but they like to give gifts. I can see how people can get carried away in accepting and then continuing onward to eat the gifts if the gift is say, chocolate…

You really have to be careful of the friendliness. Most and I do mean almost all are well given and wonderful, BUT that is also how you can lose track of what’s important… have you seen Broke Down Palace??

Oh yeah..

5. It’s not always easy to wait in lines while you are tired, but DO IT!! Don’t go for the sure fire ways to get sick by eating at places no one is at…. We have not done that, but you can look at the food and tell the difference sometimes. We have done well!! Also, don’t forget to brush your teeth with clean water, it is easy to forget and do it like you do at home! Especially after a couple days and you are comfy in the country you are in.

So basically while following the crowd is incredibly important in other countries because it will lead you down correct paths, take heed to the warnings they give out, and be smart!

Quick Airport news

Wowzer, does time fly......hmm...

Well, we flew from South Korea to Pudong Airport in China. The flight was two hours, but we got a full meal. That's how it's done here, and not going to lie, I looked like a starved pig at the trough ... Being hungry does something to a person..., I Heart airplane food...as of late!!!

As we walked through customs we were met by crowds of people holding signs. It looked like  we were walking down the royal hall. I started waving....elbow..elbow, wrist wrist wrist. I began knodding to the left and to the right. I would pause to bow..Ni Hao! Flashes left right and center.

In all reality I looked around saw the people...watched my bag to make sure everything was cinched down, and walked through asking Curtis to take pictures. Anyway, We took the Maglev...?? I was curious too. It's a train that uses magnetic levitation to suspend, guide and propel vehicles from magnets rather than using mechanical methods. Anywho, we were going 431 Kilometers an hour which is in the 250's miles per hour. It was Fast and Furious..with an amusement ride flavor...... While we were INSIDE the train I could feel the speed on my body. I was waiting for my cheeks to start flapping in the air. We DiD tilt sideways around fast corners. It felt like a roller coaster! I LOVED it.

DMZ Day

Monday or your Sunday

Today we slept in till 8am or so and it felt really good.  Sure 8am may not sound like sleeping in but after waking up in the middle of the night for several days and dealing with an incredibly sore, stiff neck the whole time, 8am was amazing.

We decided to take it easy in the morning so we went downstairs to have breakfast, blog a bit and catch up on email. The House Hostel has a great little kitchen and deck area to relax in. I ate 3 bowls of cereal and had 4 pieces of toast; my body was clearly craving some regular carbs.

(hi...this is Julie, inserting on Curt's blog. I wasn't hungry for breakfast, and thought, " No, Julie you need to eat. So I had one small bowl of cereal, and EVEN a half a piece of toast thinking that would really help. I WAS soooo hungry later! Why did I not follow in the foot steps of eating machine)

Since we weren’t flying out for Shanghai until the following morning we decided to try and go to the DMZ today before leaving Korea. We weren’t sure if we’d be able to make it back to Seoul with enough time to then go the DMZ from there because it would already be mid afternoon by the time we’d get back to Seoul. I had read somewhere that we could go to the DMZ near Sokcho so I asked The House Hostel manager, Yoo, what we would need to do to make it happen.

As always Yoo knew exactly what to do and gave us detailed directions on how to get to the DMZ from Sokcho:

1.     Go to the Bus Stop down the alley and across the street from the little market nearest to The House Hostel.

2.     Wait for Bus #1 or #1-1.

3.     Ask the Bus driver if they are going to Dae Jin because not all of those buses actually go to Dae Jin.

4.     Take the bus to last stop on the line in Dae Jin.

5.     Walk 20 minutes north to the Welcome Center, it’s on the West or Left side of the road.

6.     Then hitch hike from there to the Observation Tower, which is a 15-20 minute car ride north. (We fully expected to hitch hike but actually found a taxi driving by the welcome center that we had take us there and then back to the bus terminal.)

7.     Yoo also suggested hitch hiking back from the DMZ to Sokcho and said that hitch hiking was safe to do.

The idea of hitch hiking to the DMZ made me a bit nervous but was an exciting prospect so we jumped on the bus and headed north.

I slept a lot on the bus, still catching up from jet lag, but in between dosing off I realized that as we headed North the entire beach front was closed off by a barbed wire fence and we kept passing sections of what looked like thick concrete walls painted in camouflage.  Upon closer inspection I realized that these were all rigged with explosive so that in case of an invasion from the North they could be blown up and block the roads. All the bridges we passed over were also rigged with explosives for similar purposes. On a side note, this also reminds me that in the subways in Seoul they have gas mask distribution stations with videos playing on monitors showing how to use the masks and get out in case of an attack.

It was an interesting experience to see these intense things juxtaposed in contrast to the open, kind and friendly people we encountered throughout South Korea.

After reaching the end of the bus line we got off the bus and started hiking north, not really knowing what to really expect or look for. Sure enough though, just as Yoo said, we came to what we guessed was the welcome center after about a 20-minute walk. There was no English writing anywhere and no English speakers to be found. We found a ticket counter but weren’t sure what the tickets they were selling was for and thought it may just be for the visitor center or museum so we decided to just go outside and try hitch hiking north.

Luckily, right when we got out to the road a taxi drove by. We flagged him down and asked about going to the DMZ. He was trying to explain something to us but we didn’t understand so he called someone and started talking to them about it. He then handed the phone to me and the guy on the other end was able to give me a pretty clear explanation of what to do in English.

We went up, bought the tickets to get entry to the DMV, jumped in the taxi and headed north. After about 10-15 minutes we came to a military checkpoint. Driving through barricades and barbed wire fences we stopped at the check point where South Korean military, armed with machine guns, checked the drivers credentials and took a close look at us through the windows. Satisfied that everything was in order they let us through.

After a few minutes more we arrived at the Observation building and the Korean War memorial museum. The observation building is up on a hill overlooking the Sea of Japan and the DMZ. From the top you can see into the DMZ and further on into North Korea. Looking through binoculars that cost 500 Korean (less than $0.50 US) for a couple minutes, you can see various lookout towers on the hilltops and fences covered with barbed wire all over. There is one road and rail line running North and South and they are heavily fortified.

It was a humbling experience to look out over this no mans land, covered in barbed wire, barricades and land mines, contemplating the divided Korea, the war and the intense situation that still remains. I sincerely hope that peace and unity will someday overcome.

The taxi driver took us back to the bus stop, where a bus was already waiting. 

 ( Julie insert: This is me walking into the bathroom that smelled like pure death and torture!)

We jumped on the bus, made it back to the hostel without incident, grabbed our bags and headed to the bus station, getting on another bus, which took us back to Seoul in preparation for our flight to Shanghai, China the next morning.

                                                            

Posted by Curtis Fullmer

The Honeymoon Hostel

   and The Walk to Ulsanbawi

 

 The House 

   Welcome to the The Honeymoon Hostel. When you come to Sokcho, South Korea there is no better place to stay than at the 4 thumbs up accommodations of The House. The House's homey atmosphere sweeps you in the doors to a refreshing melting pot of possibilities. A 15 minute presentation is given (in English) to inform you of site seeing opportunities, and when you don't speak Korean, what a better way to start your adventures than by receiving a wealth of knowledge about your vacation in your own language...because..,well you won't find that anywhere else!!  That alone, is priceless enough to book a room.

After arriving at the local bus terminal, and weaving your way to the front of the building, you will come to Sokcho's Bus terminal information center. You don't need to know Korean, just say, "Hostel House", and they will hand you a map that The House provides for you. Looking out of their booth, they will point for you to go to their right, or your left while facing the booth. Follow the map and you will kind your self walking the streets of Sokcho, curving down a small alley, where you will find The Honeymoon Hostel to your right. All said in Rod Roddy's voice from Price is right.

Like I said in a previous blog....It looks like a French Villa Cafe. Upon entering you will find an inviting atmosphere with a lot of character, and a very homey feel.

Yoo, the sweet tall Asian Man who manages The House will greet you and begin his presentation of the city. He knows Sokcho, Korea like the back of his hand. He welcomes you by handing you a flyer of amenities, and explaining them.

Here are the Amenities and handout that Yoo gave us:

* Laundry is not in the room, they take it and have it done for you.

* Internet is not in the room, but they do have TV and they also have a computer lounge with about 4 free computers, and wifi capability.

* The Guest Kitchen always has coffee, tea, and bread, and they serve frosted corn flakes in the morning.

* This was not mentioned on the flyer, but The House is located right next to a market with Americanish food! It is wonderful. It is also very close to the Auto Bank which has the one global ATM available. ( It is past the Korean Post office) It is a second away from the bus stop, and 3 mins away for the bus terminal. 

Yoo will give YOU a map, or if you already have one from the information center, he opens it up and gives you a description of what there is to do in the city...(American, adventurous, Korean), how long it takes to do it all, what transportation is available, how to reach it, and the food options. 

What is there to do in Sokcho, Korea....?

Well, The Seorak National Park is about a 30 minute bus ride from The House.

 1. There is a huge waterfall.
2. A suggested cave to explore.
3. There are supposedly thousands of buddhas to see including a gigantic statue at the bottom of the Seorak Mountains,
4. The Seorak Mountains have various trail hikes through amazing landscapes including the most famous, where you can climb over 800 stairs to the Ulsanbawi rock formation.

This is the big Buddha at the beginning of our climb.

 Climbing the stairs to Ulsanbawi is said to take 4 hours from start to finish, but you have to be in good shape. And since we're fit and active youngsters we took on the challenge.....

This is us at the beginning of our hike! We look so happy!

Why are they wearing coats? It's hot!

Here we go.....I think this is where I turned my pants into shorts because I was dying...um, maybe 40 steps in...ope, no I forget..that was way back there before the steps even started.

These shops lined the climb, which is interesting as it was called rigorous. Too bad we brought so much heavy water with us, and needed chiropractic adjustments because of it...did I say youngsters?

More Stairs and Jackets? Curtis put on a show pushing the rock protecting the fortress. Someone used the word poser...and they did not even speak English! Pretty good description :-)

 I think this is stair 1500..... It was really awesome!

I think this might be where the 800 start...even though I'm sure we already walked up...HUNDREDS of Stairs before this point... I'm not complaining..it was incredible. Just trying to describe the experience..heat exhaustion, jelly legs.. you know..., normal hike up thousands of stairs info.

Hey, these stairs are padded!!

I was sooooo tired my muscles were shaking...my knees were clanking!! So forgive the droopy eyes...I was actually loving every minute!!!! At this point we still had a while to go, but everyone was saying we were close and so we kept pushing through!!!
The lady 3 pics below is ready to trek through light snow?...She probably got all decked out to go hiking because she saw it on a magazine...and was grumbling under her breath the whole way because she was SO unbearably hot.

I counted about 500 Buddhas....but that was the farthest I could see in...

These ladies were sneaking pictures of me...so I got some of them! They are cute!

Me and the cutest man alive! Look at our cairn below..

We made it to the bottom!!!!!!!!! Bring salt pills if you over heat easily they are a life saver!! And if you think you are fit..., well do some push ups and squats because you're probably not.

View from the bottom!! When you are done, you can take the bus down to the natural hot-spring and relax your sure-to-be sore muscles from the hiking. We were hungry..so we skipped the massage and continued onward to food!

There are markets to shop

There are beautiful parks that you can see by using one of the free bikes The House offers. This is down by the beach.

Night Market

Things to buy at market! Blek

The beach is fun! They have entertaining statues, and it is beautiful.

Self-Pull Ferry

Local restuarant for Korean Sundae..muhahahaha

local house hanging Jelly fish. ?? The Picture 2 above is a house with a garden that is taking over their place. You will see this at every house, and right in the city.

Many houses have mats laid out for drying fish and peppers

 While there are cities that never sleep over here, Sokcho has a night market that is open for a while, but it does eventually go to sleep, and you can be sure you will get the sleep you need. When you are hungry you can visit the American style BBQ house, or get in to the local feel and try the b.b.bop rice bowl. If you are feeling risky go for the Korean Sundae, otherwise come back to The House and pick up some food from the local mart right next door. That is EXACTLY what we did! We put our things in our room. Went to the Gas Station, bought "American Semblance" food (You can't win 'em all), and watched Titanic, I gave Curtis a Massage, and then we went to sleep after buying our tickets to Shanghai for Tuesday.—Sweet Slumber!

Here is a map of Sokcho with Yoo's informative scribble.

Oh yeah, these are some pictures of our fun hostel, The House.

Computer Lounge

Entrance to our honeymoon suite

Our bath for 2, if someone is on the others shoulders while standing. It was more for shower use..

One of the many many many staircases we had to climb to get to our room AFTER we hiked to Ulsanbawi

And That's the House!