Nauseous and in no way hungry, we were herded into a nearby restaurant to sample the famous Uljin snow crab. The sight of about 50 crabs lined up on individual plates started me off on the road to gaining my bearings. Sami had never eaten a whole crab before and wasn't sure what to do. I told her to use the scissors and cut the crab legs at each joint, then push the meat through with one chopstick. Poultry scissors are the norm here. Instead of a knife, they use the scissors to cut their meat before it is barbecued. I can see myself bringing this practice home.
After the crab snack, we left for the hotel/spa. We stopped at a store along the way so the kids could pick up booze. Our tour guide gently reminded us that we had to be up early the next morning for a hike.
Would you believe that right after we checked in it was time to eat AGAIN! We had samgyupsal and doenjang chigae.
Doenjang chigae is one of my favorite Korean foods and when we are back in the U.S. I am absolutely going to make it. I haven't made it completely the authentic way yet, but I just need to get one more ingredient at the store the next time we go and it will be all good.
Basically it is a soup flavored with soy bean paste called doenjang. It contains tofu, shellfish, garlic and vegetables like zucchini and maybe squash or onions. It is pretty salty and I like to tone it down when I eat it by plunging a spoonful of rice in to soak up the flavor and then eat the lovin' spoonful. I am not sure if this is the right way to do things, but I haven't been called out on it yet. Also, as a side note, I have started eating the Korean way which is to have chopsticks in your right hand and a spoon in your left. You are supposed to pick up the rice with your chopsticks and place it on the spoon before bringing the spoon to your mouth. Sounds like an extra step doesn't it?
After we ate we went back to our room. The few hotels we have stayed in since we have been here follow the same general format- one large open room and one bathroom with a shower but no showercurtain, guests sleep on the heated floor with a mountain of blankets and pillows provided.
We roomed with a nice couple from Canada and we swapped horror stories about our first few weeks here. They were stranded upon arrival and had a nightmare first few hours in Korea. We told them about Sami's jet boat injury and having to find an open hospital on Korea's second biggest holiday, Chuseok (yep, another post idea).
Despite the party in neighboring rooms' game of late night drunken tag, I slept pretty well.
The next morning I rose eager to hit the spa. This spa did not have a steam room or a sauna, but it did have two hot tubs (one hot, one really hot) and a cold tub. There is no better feeling than jumping right into the cold tub I say.
There were also a few rows of mini showers that are only about four feet high and have a detachable shower head. You sit on a stool to bathe yourself. It was here that I saw a few nude fathers washing down their nude sons. That is my queue to leave I thought.
To round out the trip, we finished off with a nice morning hike through the mountainous terrain of the east coast of South Korea. Even though the sky was a bit hazy, the cool air felt perfect.
With this lasting image, our trip came to an end. We were back on the bus eager jockey for position on the notoriously claustrophobic subway.
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