Yes Virginia, There is Kindness in Korea

We have been looking forward to today all week. Traditionally we go exploring on Saturdays (sure we have only been here for 14 days but traditions have to start somewhere, right?) and we had a long list of locations we wanted to see. So we woke up at the crack of dawn, threw on our Tikki hats and were out the door. Our initial goal was to visit the Ulsan Science College and check out their recreational facilities. We have been wanting to get in better shape for awhile now and we heard that they have a decent gym. On the way to the College we noticed a sign for a Buddhist Temple and decided to make a brief stop to explore. Upon walking up a long drive we were greeted by an amazing entrance way that really captured the style of Asian art that we are most familiar with. In one word it was gorgeous.

We walked around the compound for a few minutes (waving to the welcoming monks every few feet or so) until we found the main area of worship. We really wish that we could have taken pictures inside but it was not allowed. The walls were lined with candles, paper lotus flowers, painted dragon carvings, beautiful artwork and, of course, pictures of Buddha everywhere. The main pulpit area was decorated with golden statues and faced a sea of pillows where practitioners could meditate in peace. Neither of us are strongly religious but we both agreed that it was one of the most serene and peaceful rooms we have ever had the pleasure of being in. After a few minutes of admiring the artwork and tranquility we were approached by staff who gave us some sort of sour apple drink, and made hand signals suggesting that they wanted us to eat. We have always heard in passing that if you are traveling and hungry to visit a Buddhist temple, because they will treat you to a remarkable amount of food. Let us just say that it was everything we have ever heard. We were welcomed into some sort of hall and were placed at table with many strangers. However, it was never uncomfortable or unnerving to eat with complete strangers as everyone was incredibly friendly and welcoming.

(Just minutes before Shayne shaved his head, put on monk's robes and started mumbing about how great Richard Gere is)

We were given a large assortment of vegetarian foods and have to say that every single dish was tasty. It was much better than the Buddhist vegetarian fare we tried back home.

(Oddly enough, we weren't able to supersize)

After the meal we bid our gracious hosts farewell and once again headed to the College. The funny thing about the College is that it’s on a hill that must be only second to Everest in terms of gigantic mountainous ranges of death. With bellies full of vegetarian delight and enough common sense to avoid unnecessary pain we avoided the College and decided to go explore another area of town instead.

What happened next isn’t really important so our tale skips ahead until the journey back home. It started out normally enough. We got on a bus, nodded to the driver, placed our money into the machine, and then went to sit down. But friends, this is where our story takes a turn to the macabre. The bus fare in Ulsan is around 80 cents per person. So imagine the surprise of the driver when Jo accidentally dropped the equivalent of twenty dollars down instead! His initial reaction seemed to lean between disbelief at our stupidity and hope that it was indeed a tip of epic proportions.

Between our broken Korean and his broken English we managed to decipher that he wanted us to stay on the bus until the end of the route so he could remedy the situation. As friendly as the Korean people are, we could feel their eyes taunting us as we sat with heads down in shame, knowing that we had failed in a task that any five year-old could accomplish.

(Remember that even a degree cannot prepare you for the vigorous tests of the public transit system)

Luckily, instead of an hour-long ride across Ulsan, which we had feared, we only went about five minutes past our stop. At the bus depot, the driver asked us to wait, while we’re sure he went inside and had a good laugh with his co-workers about this day’s batch of stupid foreigners. Luckily for us, we were in Korea where kindness seems prevalent (as long as you’re not driving, walking, trying to speak Korean to cabbies, trying to defend hockey to 13 year-olds, or explaining that kimchi doesn’t have to go with every meal including dessert). The driver not only gave us our full 20,000 Won back, but showed us to the proper bus back home and instructed the driver to not charge us. I can’t imagine a Canadian driver (especially in Vancouver) being so kind and helpful to a couple of ultra maroons.

Tomorrow we are traveling across our province to visit Costco in Daegu, so stay tuned.

Cheers,

Shayne and Jo