When you sign up for a world cruise, you have to sign a lengthy agreement that basically says, no matter what happens, you won’t get your money back. Things that might go wrong are spelled out. We had already passed up Saipan due to bad weather conditions. Once again, we learned we were going to skip a port.
Our itinerary listed two ports in Korea; Incheon and Jeju. Each day around noon, Captain Jonathan gets on the public address system and lets us know where we are (longitude and latitude,) water and air temperatures, as well as weather conditions such as gale force winds which will affect our course and stability. Some days, the captain would conclude his communication by telling us about certain terms in English which originated from sailing such as “son of a gun” and “slush fund.”When we were sailing towards Korea, the captain announced he was forced to make a decision about docking in Jeju. Apparently there were two locations to dock the ship. One location had the feature we had become accustomed to which is easy gangway access to land. The other docking situation was out at the end of a breakwater and would require a very steep gangway. For whatever reason, another cruise ship was going to be assigned the docking location with easy access while the Amsterdam was going to be assigned the potentially hazardous one.
Captain Jonathan was apprised of the docking difficulty days before we were to arrive in Jeju. He attempted to negotiate an arrangement with the other cruise ship captain to share the easier docking by changing arrival and departure schedules. This rearrangement, at first, looked promising but other factors came into play and it was not going to work. Rather than risk potential injuries to passengers and crew, the captain chose to eliminate the day in Jeju and give us two days in Incheon instead of one.There were seven different shore excursions scheduled for Jeju. We had signed up for one. The first sentence in the lengthy description of the tour we did not get to take said “Jeju is Korea’s largest volcanic island, blessed with beautiful beaches, breathtaking waterfalls and the world’s largest Lava tube.”
When my friends and relatives heard I was going on a 96 day around the world cruise, they would refer to my adventure as “The trip of a lifetime.” Now, I am asking myself; “Will I come to Korea some day in the future and get to see what I missed in Jeju?”Since we were going to skip Jeju, we got to spend two days, instead of one, in Incheon. There were also seven tours listed for Incheon and we selected “The best of Seoul.” The write-up on this tour described an 80 minute drive from the pier at Incheon to Seoul, South Korea’s capital city.
I calculated that an 80 minute drive is an hour and twenty minutes. I was expecting a ride through beautiful countryside similar to what had been described for Jeju. I was in a state of disbelief when I was told we were in Seoul. I felt like, at the most, we had traveled 20 minutes. There was no scenic countryside. I saw one dense urban area continue from the ship’s pier to an equally dense urban area. There was no obvious line of demarcation between Incheon and Seoul.Before I describe my experience in South Korea, I wish to reflect on an invisible but huge line of demarcation between North and South Korea. When Korea was listed on the itinerary, “South” was not specified, nor did it need to be. Even the least sophisticated American knows cruise ships would not be visiting “North” Korea.
Since I live in San Diego, I have the opportunity, any time I want, to cross the border into Mexico and observe how life in Tijuana differs from life on our side of the United States/Mexico border. If I wish to, I may drive up to Los Angeles and observe the contrast between life in Beverly Hills and Watts. Even on this trip, I have already had the opportunity of experiencing the difference between Majuro and Guam. My visit to South Korea made me reflect about how dramatically different life is in North Korea.As a child of five, I remember that I was aware of the Korean War. On the news at Christmas time, there was a film clip of American soldiers singing “Silent Night’ around a campfire. I remember asking the adults in my life why God let wars happen. That was sixty-four years ago. The line of demarcation between North and South Korea remains. As an adult, I do not feel equipped to give a kindergartener a satisfactory answer. I am aware of more now. A five-year-old in North Korea will have stunted growth due to lack of nutrition and I doubt she will have the kindergarten education provided to the children of South Korea.
I suspect it was my awareness of the food shortage in North Korea that caused me to be amazed at the first marketplace Mary and I ventured into. The market was similar to the main thoroughfare at our San Diego County Fair. It was outdoors but situated in what seemed to be a very long alley. I think there was 10 times the amount of foods being offered as what the vendors at the Fair sell. In addition to food to eat immediately, there were offerings one might find at a local farmers’ market in San Diego. There was also fresh seafood that one would expect at a fish market. I admit that I am not the sort of person who gladly samples exotic food. I certainly am not inclined to try something in a marketplace that does not even vaguely resemble something which would be approved by the health department in my city. At one point, I was just inches from a huge vat of something resembling tomato soup with no glass separating me from whatever others were going to consume. As I reflected on the generous quantities of food being offered, my thoughts went to the situation of the people in North Korea who could not even dream of such abundant offerings.
Whenever the ship is docked at a pier that is a significant distance from the center of activity, a shuttle bus is provided. The shuttle bus had left us off right at the start of the combination county fair and farmers’ market site. Mary and I plus another passenger, Lila, had toured the market and, with my leadership, ventured just a little further to sit and watch activity on a busy street. Sure enough, when we decided to head back to our shuttle stop, all three of us were disoriented. Which way had we turned?I had assumed responsibility for leading two 86-year old women back to the shuttle stop and now I was lost! Well, this was not a desperate situation like you see in the movies where we are being pursued by thugs out to do us harm. I selected a young Korean couple to approach and ask directions. The young man, not only spoke English but, informed us that he had graduated from U.C. Irvine! What are the odds? We were only a half a block from where the shuttle would pick us up and return us to the ship. The couple happened to be heading that direction so they lead us there. The imaginary intrigue drama I fantasized was averted.
I sat in the back of the shuttle on the return trip to the ship. I struck up a conversation with a gentleman whom Mary recognized from the Amsterdam’s various dance events. Maurice told me that what looked like stairs to a subway actually led to an underground shopping center. What a surprise! We had been freezing as we wandered through an outdoor market when we could have been under the streets discovering no less than 1000 shops.
Lila and Mary were both willing to return and explore the underground shopping situation after eating lunch aboard ship. Before the day was done, Mary had purchased a new outfit. She found fur lined pants at one shop and an attractive pink sweater and necklace at another. The total cost was $25.00. Did I mention that Mary is both a bargain hunter and a bargainer?
Our second day in Korea included an excursion called “The Best of Seoul.” We visited Gyeongbok Palace where we watched a colorful and interesting ceremony. It was a re-enactment of the procedure for changing the palace guards as it was done many years ago when the king was alive. After this, we visited the Folklore Museum and became acquainted with day-to-day Korean life. Our guide, not only let us know what Koreans did but, what were the beliefs and traditions which caused them to do things which we, in our western culture, might think were unusual.We had an authentic Korean lunch in the lower level of a very modern building. Since I am not into spicy food, my selections were limited. Mary was not enchanted with the cuisine at all and spent lunch-time at the table writing postcards. One interesting difference at the table was the way utensils were provided. What I thought were wooden chopsticks sealed in a paper wrapper were actually metal chopsticks and a spoon. I would not have learned this if I had not been searching for a spoon. Since I do not use chopsticks, I had not opened this paper-wrapped item on the table.
The economy of South Korea is booming. This is due to Samsung products and Kia vehicles. Although I did not get a tour of the Kia factory, I was informed by our guide I can consider myself Korean since I drive a Kia Soul. The made me very happy because I have never loved a car as much as I love “Blue Lightning” my all-electric Kia. Christa loves her Samsung 7 Edge phone too. (This is not to be confused with the exploding ones.)
We visited two more markets in the course of our excursion. One was on Insa-dong Street. The other, after lunch, was called South Gate Market. This market had familiar names of what I would call “high end” products. I really had no interest in the products but gladly followed Mary in to whatever shop she chose. I did this to get out of the snow.
Yes, it was snowing in Seoul. I did not complain about the weather since a large number of people were on the cruise to avoid the winter weather in their home states. I have found that, as a San Diegan, when I tell people that the temperature is 72 degrees but with the wind chill factor it is 71 degrees, I do not get much sympathy.
Writing about the weather brings me back to my initial discussion about North Korea versus South Korea. When I was in grammar school, I believed that the sun never shown in Russia. Life was always grim in Communist countries and the weather consequently was also grim. The weather we had in South Korea, was Communist weather. This makes no sense because South Korea has an elected president. (She is currently the subject of some controversy but she is elected,)
I feel very sorry for people all over the world who suffer under oppressive governments which do not permit them to enjoy the freedom and prosperity which I get to enjoy. I am concluding this message with the words from one of the hymns I brought with me to memorize. It is entitled “This Is My Song” and is sung to the tune called “Finlandia.”
This is my song, O God of all the nations,
A song of peace for lands afar and mine,
This is my home, the country where my heart is;
Here are my hopes, my dreams, my holy shrine;
But other hearts in other lands are beating
With hopes and dreams as true and high as mine.
My country’s skies are bluer than the ocean,
And sunlight beams on cloverleaf and pine.
But other lands have sunlight too, and clover,
And skies are everywhere as blue as mine
So hear my song, O God of all the nations,
A song of peace for their land and for mine.