Temples, Tea, and the DMZ

Last night when Jay asked what my plans were for today, I listed three sights I wanted to visit-all of them are outside. This morning, when I got up, I looked outside and couldn't decide if it was foggy or cloudy. I pulled up the weather report on the internet and saw that there was a 90% chance of precipitation. Even before I could shut the computer down, it began to rain. And rain. And rain… I pulled out Plan B and decided to hit a couple of museums instead.

I arrived first at the Prison Hall History museum. I love old prisons! They’re so creepy. And this one didn’t disappoint, especially given the dreary, overcast atmosphere. It was built in 1907, during the Japanese occupation, to torture and hold political prisoners. (I’m excited to try a few new pain-inducing moves on my little brother next time I see him!) There were several cell blocks, as well as the execution house. It was chilling. There was an area where they hung the prisoner, who then dropped through the floor. Once a person was deceased, he would be removed from the rope via a room in the basement. From there, the Japanese would take away the body through a side exit.

The last building on the tour was the women’s holding facility. There was a young woman highlighted in the history of the facility. She was 17, when she organized and led an uprising against the Japanese occupants in 1919. She was subsequently imprisoned, where, a year later, she organized the inmates in another protest on the anniversary of the first one. Although she met a very early death, she is revered in Korean history, with posthumous decorations and monuments in her name.

As I left the Prison Museum, the rain really began to pick up and become a constant, heavy downpour. I was soaked by the time I got to the National Museum of Korea, but I figured it would let up by the time it took to view the displays. The museum is three floors, and I started on the first floor, which contains the Korean peninsula’s history beginning in the Paleolithic Age. The museum is well-organized, with great displays of the nation’s past. I was very fortunate that they had a special exhibition running of the articles found in the Silla tombs in Gyeongju. These are the same tombs I saw last week, so I was particularly interested in the display. The Silla artifacts were amazing. I particularly liked the royal crowns. They were made of the thinnest gold, with three tree symbols along the front of the crown and two antlers rising from the back. Each was as flat as a piece of paper, with small discs adorning the entire headdress. They even had shoes to match! I ended up strolling the first floor so long I didn’t have the time to get to the other two stories. I had dinner planned for tonight, so I needed to get back to Jay and Imy’s before 5pm.

The rain was torrential when I came out of the museum. I got to the end of one set of stairs and had to traverse a 6 inch puddle. As I was scoping out other ways to get around (of which there were none), an older Korean man asks, "You American?" I answered affirmatively, then we both plunged into the water. We walked together, and he had a lot of questions for me. I was trying to be polite, but he was walking really slowly, and I was getting soaking wet. No bother to him. He just kept asking questions, and I would frequently have to ask for clarification because I couldn’t understand his English. Finally he looks at me and says, “You said you were American. English is your native language. I’m speaking English. Why can’t you understand me!” Well, maybe it’s your accent? I was thinking, but I just smiled and said his English was good. It wasn’t until we arrived at the subway station that he looked around and noticed his friend was no longer with him. He turned to find him, and I made a bee line for the train. I had never seen him with someone, and I wondered if he hadn’t left his friend at the museum.

I then learned what I hope is my last transportation lesson in Korea. The subway doors don’t automatically open when you put your hand in to stop them. Specifically, when they are closing, they will squish you rather than open back up. Luckily, my boob stopped the door long enough for the rest of my body to get in, but I think it’ll leave a mark. Unfortunately I was not wearing my breast plate; however, I would have made Wonder Woman proud. I suppose there would have been no harm in waiting for the next train, but I really wanted to get back to Jay’s apartment and out of the weather.

Now, remember I used the word torrential to describe the rain? Well, that was probably an understatement. Jay said he was evacuated from work and his car almost floated away due to the storm. I watched the water in the streets get so high that the traffic movement caused small waves to crash over the sidewalks and onto the buildings. Then there was walking up the stairs and hill to the apartment. It reminded me of hiking in Thailand, where we had to walk in a creek the whole way, except this one had intermittent waterfalls. The good news is that the rain let up for me to treat Jay and Imy to dinner. We had yummy Thai food, which always makes everything right in the world.Read more