Empty Nesters on a Green Global Trek

IT’S JANUARY 2024, as we write this and as good a time as any to finally start to catch up on our blog since we last posted from the Philippines at the end of April 2023, where we lived for two months on the tiny island of Camiguin.

(For the last two years, we have lived in a different country for no more than one to two months at a time. This pattern began with our participation in the Airbnb program in Sept 2021 which was built around the concept of one month per country for ten months. Once the program finished we kept going… at more or less the same rate of spending one to two months in a country.)

So as you can imagine, with changing countries and all the logistics as well as Ben working full time, it got increasingly difficult to keep our blog currernt…. However, we did journal our lives and adventures on instagram @greenglobaltrek which was an easier format for us to keep up with while moving around the world so much. Thanks to those of you who have continued to follow our jouney there.

We have decided to use some of the text, and a few photos from our instagram posts, which served as a journal for us, in an attempt to catch up our blog to present time.

We are writing currently from the beach town of Zipolite, in Oaxaca Mexico. It’s good to be back for a while. As many of you know, we created a home base here in 2020 and started our journey with Airbnb in 2021, from Zipolite.

Anyhow, back to the catch up process. After living for two months in the Philippines, we headed to Seoul, South Korea, (en route back to Chicago).

APRIL 2023 ~ SEOUL, SOUTH KOREA

The first day in a new country always gets us revved up. And our first day in Seoul is a really good one…

We set off on a rainy Saturday morning to walk through our neighborhood, towards the market. Seochon (서촌) is one of the oldest neighborhoods of Jongno-gu in Northern Seoul.

Our tiny Hanok (200 year old traditional Korean house, converted into a guesthouse) is in a small alley right next to a food street ~ small restaurants one after the other… all of them enticing. One of the reasons we are in South Korea, is because of our decades long love for Korean cuisine.

The Tongin market is where we are heading for breakfast. First bite in Seoul is sticky rice grains with lotus root, ginkgo nuts & chestnut steamed in a leaf & crunchy pickled veggies in beet & spinach thin pancakes. Delectable start!

We walk on to the Royal palace (Gyeongbokgung palace) past a string of charming coffee shops and cafes ~ some quirky, others ultra modern.

Koreans typically wear traditional outfits (Hanbok), which can be rented to visit palaces and temples. (Hanbok are also the formal clothing worn during holidays & on special occasions). This silk clothing originated during the Joseon dynasty. (A kingdom that lasted 500 years from 1400 to 1900). Our favorite part of the palace structures is the king’s library ~ a small jewel of architecture & ornate ceiling detailing.

We stumble upon the National folk museum of Korea, also on the palace grounds. Unexpectedly large & comprehensive introduction to all things Korean. The focus on the seasons, education, and the life cycle from pre-birth to death, is all informative, but the most interesting thing is the centrality of traditional Korean foods in every part of the exhibits!

It was inevitable that after this we went to a Korean bbq restaurant in our neighborhood. Incredible! The quality of the beef & the kimchi … always best in the home country.

By evening we are ready for our first traditional bathhouse (an essential part of contemporary South Korean culture), known as jjimjilbang (찜질방) ~

Hot tubs, ice plunge, clay saunas & massages are just what we need after two days of travel.

Okay truth be told.. we are primarily here in South Korea for the food.

Gwangjang Market is the oldest and largest traditional market in South Korea and is well known as a haven for traditional Korean street food.

We are not looking for her, but we pass by Cho Yonsoon who we saw featured in the popular Netflix show ‘Street Food’ ~ there’s a long line of people and her stall is twice as big as any of the others. We are sure her food is delicious but also sure there are others equally good and we would rather give them the business and eat with the locals. And not too keen to be in a line for 20 minutes either.

(Remindful of when we lived in Hoi An Viet Nam and tourists would head straight for the places where Anthony Bourdain ate… but once you live in a place and have time to try and test a bunch of them, you know that the hype is… well, the hype)

There are plenty of other vendors all around offering the same fare. We squeeze in on a metal bench, point to what we want, and watch, as the cook in front of us rolls out the dough and then makes knife cut noodles (kalguksu). The freshly made soup dumplings are piled high .. the kimchi is fermenting inside an onggi, a traditional earthenware pot that creates ideal conditions for probiotic bacteria.

But it’s not hot soup I’m after.. it’s naengmyeon cold broth with thin buckwheat noodles. Naengmyeon is served in a large stainless-steel bowl with a tangy icy broth, sliced cucumber and Korean pear, lightly pickled radish and slices of cold beef. Spicy mustard sauce (or mustard oil) and vinegar are added before consumption.

My first Naengmyeon in Korea and there will be plenty more… is the BEST one I’ve ever had. And because this is one of my favorite foods of all time no matter what country I’m in… I’ve had many!! Definitely an acquired taste but once you love it, it’s addictive. I could have it every day and I just might!

Whenever we get together with our sons, Korean food has become one of our favored traditional meals together!

Two very popular items at this market are the mung bean pancakes and the marinated crab. No space for either of these today but we will be back for another round..

We searched for traditional guesthouses (hanoks) to stay in Seoul.

Our first one has 5 tiny rooms. A very comfy futón mattress on the floor and heated floors. It oozes of charm. A 200 year old home which was converted into a guesthouse.

It also houses a tiny little tea house with drinks such as sweet almond tea and orange honey tea. It’s tucked in a little alley and steps away from a street jammed with traditional restaurants.

The second hanok (in an entirely different neighborhood) has original wooden doors and beams and is owned by a sweet elderly couple. It is right next door to the best neighborhood Korean restaurant and a more modern neighborhood with lots of shops targeting the university student population such as photo booths and waffle shops.

And then … Ben got Covid (his first time) !! and were told by the host that health authorities had instructed her to get us to move right away to a quarantine hotel.

Our first ever quarantine anywhere! The term quarantine is used loosely these days as one can come and go at will and go for walks but just not into restaurants. And it’s way more expensive than the hanok.

After a visit to a local clinic to get a prescription for paxlovid (free thanks to the Korean gov) Ben started feeling much better. Clinic visit total cost = $28.)

Fortunately, we had kicked off our stay here with a lot of energy and enthusiasm so we saw a fair amount!

Inevitably I caught it from him (tiny rooms, small beds), so definitely not the best timing during our short stay in Seoul but I guess there’s never good timing to get Covid. We obviously won’t be to do much of what we had contemplated for our time here and obviously no day trips.

C’est la vie!

It was inevitable that we would close out our stay in Seoul with another culinary experience and a corresponding post.

We discovered Shojin Ryori (temple food) in Japan, and loved the plant based simplicity and complexity of flavors.

While it’s not called temple food here, we were pleased to discover an organic farmer cooperative restaurant in our neighborhood, which features the Korean version of Shojin Ryori!

Our last meal in Korea was an exceptionally memorable one. Housed in a 300 year old Hanok (traditional wooden house) with beautiful wooden shutters, Korean scrolls, and a row of well used Onggi (earthenware containers) for kimchi.

On the menu, small plates of: shiitake mushrooms, sliced king oyster mushrooms, bean sprout pancake, japchea glass noodles with burdock root, baked daikon radish, sticky rice in lotus leaf, steamed peanuts, stir fry spinach, root vegetable in miso spicy sauce… Superlative!

Goodbye Seoul ! We have enjoyed our first taste of Korea and look forward to coming back to explore more of the country.

If you are interested in seeing more photos or stories on our time in Seoul Korea, you can see these on instagram @greenglobaltrek. The stories are archived in the highlights (small circles above the photographs, labeled by country).