Kimchi

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TO some people, travel is vacation time. To others, travel means work. You see this at the airport–those who are excited are the ones who are looking forward to their vacation, while those who are busy tinkering with their laptops and answering phone calls are most probably traveling for work and will have a meeting the moment their plane touches down.

And travel definitely means work for the OFW. Goodbyes at the airport could be the most painful for the family they’re leaving behind in order to earn money for that family’s survival.

There are times when you travel because of an obligation you vowed to fulfill. And then, it turns into a vacation for the young at heart as you discover this place that looks familiar, that reminds you of New York, while a friend says that it’s like Japan. But you’ve never been to Japan so the only basis for the hilaw New Yorker is the place you feel you belong to. Operative word: feel. Sa Bisaya pa, di tiyak. Busa gani hilaw. Hehe.

Seoul, South Korea is the home of beautiful people. Almost every young lady there looks like Sandara Park. The city is peppered with stores that sell beauty products, which leave the resident with no reason to look ugly.

There’s another reason for the Sandara lookalikes, if you can google that, then, ‘yon na.

And after seeing the beautiful and wrinkle-free faces there, I’m now convinced that Korean beauty products are the best in the world.

Visiting a place for the first time can make you vow to go back again. I wasn’t able to join the tour that included the N Seoul Tower because of the opening ceremony for the Rotary conference, and that tower is now my reason to return.

Ayha pa gani nakauli, mobalik na dayon? Hmmm.

There are people whose advice is to “buy experiences, not things.” And visiting places is one of those experiences. But a visit is merely an appetizer, it doesn’t allow you to live like a native but only gives you a glimpse of how life is in this foreign country. You’re merely touring, shopping, taking photos.

The only way to truly experience a place is to live there for at least six months, so that you’ve already memorized its streets, bus and train routes, the areas to avoid, and could now communicate a little in their language.

For the tourist who’s there for a few days, bring an English translation book with you so won’t get lost in translation. And learn how to read a map because even theme parks have maps to lead you from Points A to B. I’m duh when it comes to other languages and in reading maps, so…

Seoul has  night markets but since I’m not an expert in remembering prices, how would I know that what I bought there was cheaper than the ones sold here in Pinas? And there are night market sellers who don’t allow you to fit their clothes, thus, there’s that possibility of having too many loose or tight clothes once you’re trying them on inside the hotel room.

But to the fashionista who has memorized her body size and could perfectly estimate what fits, shopping at the night market can be one of her greatest experiences in Seoul.

One thing you’ll notice in Seoul is its residents’ loyalty to products made in Korea–from cars to TV sets.

The world has become more accessible, thanks to the Internet and cheap plane fares. Even the budget is not much of an issue anymore–don’t buy things, don’t eat out, and you’ll notice your travel budget increasing daily.

The tourist can stay for at least three days and discover teeny weeny bits of a place. The tourist spots, popular restos, yummy food. The familiar landmarks once he’s near the hotel. How they say Hello, Good morning, How are you, Good night, Goodbye. Or even how to say, Morning na, Sir.

And talk of Korean food, I got hooked on bulgogi. As for kimchi, hmmm, that’s the word our tourist guide preferred us to say for photo ops. Instead of cheese, we’d say, Kimchiii!

On our way home, the PAL plane we were in had more Koreans than Pinoys, proving that the world has indeed become smaller. Even Cagayan de Oro now has many residents who are originally from South Korea.

This is our world now. There’s no more reason to stay in one place like as if you’re glued to it for life. So, discover the world by investing in experiences.