Gwangju blues

I guess we haven't had quite ENOUGH adventure, so Patty, Brian and Jack went to the train station on Saturday morning and did something we haven't done for years ... pick our destination at the train station. Well, we decided to go to Gwangju (also known as Kwangju) because one of Patty's uncles said there was a great green tea farm and ocean-water spa. The other reason, we wanted to ride the bullet train and see the countryside.

We took a short ride to Seoul station, then found we were at the wrong place. It should have been our first clue. So, we headed to Yongsan. An hour later, we were on the KTX. http://ktx.korail.go.kr/eng/

The train was smooth and fast, screaming at speeds of up to 180 miles per hour. In less than three hours, we were in Gwangju, in the very southern portion of South Korea. Kwangju makes Milwaukee look like Paris for its culture. We went to the art section -- it was basically one block, with about four stores and two galleries. No one was around. Then we went to "new town" to get a hotel. We turned down this one ($35 a night)

to stay at the Central Tourist Hotel, which was $70 -- and supposed to be one of the nicest in town. It wasn't. There was a "sports massage" for $50 on the 5th floor. And I don't know how they define "sports," but I don't think this qualifies.

We had a seafood dinner that looked pretty good (before it was cooked), but didn't taste great. The octopus and squid were rubbery, and the shrimp and crab were scarce.

Plus, we kept hearing music all night. New town, as it turns out, is full of old pasttimes: nightclubs, bars, dancing women, etc. Jack wasn't too happy either. He screamed at the top of his lungs for more than 2 hours. Korea has been fantastic, but at this moment both of us felt very far away from home. It was probably the first time we both were really down.

The next day, we bounced back quickly: thanks to American food. (Or is it Australian). Yes, a big lunch at Outback lifted our spirits (and Jack's too). I'm not quite sure what you call this mixture of bread, ice and water ....


We got to the bus station, and found it that it was a 90-minute bus ride to and from the green tea farm. So, we bagged it. Took a train back to Seoul (yay!) and ate dinner at TGI Friday's with the Sam and Pearl Pang. Thank goodness for American franchises :) Jack loved the balloon so much, he slept with it in his hand Sunday night. This is a dark room -- it only looks light because of the flash.