This Blog Entry was imported via email so it has lost punctuation and some of the Graphics are missing and all of them are at the bottom of the page, not where they were originally.  Thanks, – Joe Jeter

Today is our last day in Seoul. While I have spent the last few days scouring the City, Tim has been working 12+ hour days keeping an eye on the CrossFit Asian Regional. I feel bad because he really has not had much time to see much of the City except the Mall and Airport Terminal and Train Station that are between our hotel room and the train to the event. Meanwhile, I finally figured out how to get a real Metro card and I hired a Guide for a day so I’ve given pretty much the entire City a quick glance.

Keep in mind that the population of Seoul proper is about 10 million people. Add another 20 million people in the Seoul “Region” and you have almost 1/2 the population of the entire Country. But, even as big as this City is, it is nowhere near as Chaotic as Shanghai or Hong Kong; the Koreans have a different perspective on personal space and they are impeccably clean. Even the markets where they sell just about everything and I mean EVERYTHING (except a simple air horn that I spent 4 hours looking for yesterday) are spotless. There is an incessant haze in the air (much like China but not as bad) from pollution, but if they can wash it, they do. Neither one of us has had so much as a gurgle in our stomachs and, while I can’t speak for Tim, I’ve been eating everything. Raw silk worms anybody? (yes I did – it had a nutty flavor and was meant to be fried with salt before you eat many of them) This is the venue where Tim is coordinating the Asia Regional One of the hundreds of Metro stops in the City. Spotless. The trains are the same way. Typical Subway car. This is about as crowded as they get NORMALLY. We were in a few cars that did get significantly crowded but they did eventually thin back out. My last email gave the impression that the City was devoid of any charm. There are pockets of impressive views, architecture, and landscaping, but I keep texting Tim, “It’s a big ass City”. He keeps texting back “You’ve already told me that”. When I look at the tragic “Public Transportation” we have at home (The Trolley), then I see the enormous amount of work and money that went into this system, it makes me wonder why the self proclaimed “Greatest country in the world”, can’t even come close to this. Look at how long this escalator is. Now triple that and that’s how deep this station was. Nobody talks about it but there are discreet signs proclaiming these stations to be areas of refuge. In other words, if that nutcase in the North decides to test his Nuclear Bombs somewhere else besides his backyard, there are places for the South Koreans to hide. This is the Mall that we literally step into when we walk out of the Hotel Elevators. This Mall is connected to an airport and there are two or three trains that run through here as well. It’s a great hopping off point albeit a little out of the Center of things. And just when you get fooled into forgetting that you are in another Country you open a Toilet Stall Door and find one of these. Fortunately the adjacent stall was equipped with a Western toilet but some people still prefer these. Frankly I have never figured out the Geometry of how to use this without crapping into my pants. Sorry, but that’s my dilemma. Then you step out of another Train Station and find an elevated walkway across what appears to be a freeway and into a beautiful riverside recreation area. Beautiful Views of the City from the River And a riverside walkway that stretches for miles. Beautiful splashes of color along the way. Replete with Party Boats And a place for the Kids to escape the heat. And then just a few stops away you’re back into the thick of things. In a 4 square block area I found streets lined with Restaurant Equipment, Electrical Motors, Engine parts, Clothing, Silk Works and Dog (to eat). They wouldn’t let me take pictures of Man’s Best Friend in the Freezer Department but it was unmistakably dog. 🙁 So as we wrap up our final day in Korea I leave with mixed feelings. If I had to draw a conclusion however, it would be that there would be no good reason for me to come back here again. While there is ABSOLUTELY nothing wrong with this Country, City or Culture, it’s just way too foreign for my Southern California, Chipotle, Grass Fed Beef, Fresh Spring Mix Salad and Cocktail lifestyle. The Koreans are generally thin and look reasonably healthy. The “Gym” and “CrossFit” culture is just starting to make inroads here and that is just a guess; it may never become part of their lifestyle. They work long weeks and there is a lot of work going on. Unemployment is around 7% and that is mostly the younger generation. I saw very few beggars (mostly blind or pretending to be blind) and almost no signs of excessive drug or alcohol usage. In fact, Tim and I ordered cocktails in the Lobby Restaurant the other day and while his Bourbon was very real, I honestly got a glass of water that was supposed to be Vodka & Soda. Even Tim, who has a much more sensitive pallet than I do, agreed that there was no discernible Vodka in that drink. Fortunately I had a small bottle in our in-room refrigerator so I made up for it when I got back to the room. But for as long as I remember this voyage into Korea I will look at Samsung, Kia, LG, and all the other Korean brands that are taking over our Country and I will know why. If you can take a city this massive and dense and bustling and keep it clean and operating this efficiently, then you have got your act together. I would add Korean to my list of languages to teach my children. Sorry this letter was more pictures and less writing but I am a little overwhelmed and could ramble on for far too long. Perhaps I will have some down time in Dubai. We fly out of Seoul at 11:55pm tonight and arrive in Dubai at 4:30am tomorrow. Tim has a 6 hour layover then continues on to Johannesburg. He has a 26 hour Itinerary plus about 2-1/2 hours before the flight to allow for time to get to the airport and get checked in. I have a 9-1/2 hour flight with him to the UAE (United Arab Emirates) but we will get separated at the gate when we disembark. I have a Marhaba Service where a Greeter will meet me at the gate, escort me through Customs & Immigration and take me out to my waiting car that will whisk me to my hotel in Dubai. This will be 4:30am Monday local time. On Wednesday at 9am I have an English Speaking Guide and a car to take me to Abu Dhabi for the day. It’s meant to be an hour drive and worth spending a day in. I’m on a mission to buy a small silk rug and Dubai is meant to be the best place in the world to buy Iranian rugs. So, if I don’t get thrown in prison for my Pain meds and Muscle Relaxers (they are forbidden in Dubai), I hope to come home with the last piece of my rug collection and a lot of memories. I meet Tim in South Africa next Thursday, spend the weekend volunteering at the Africa CrossFit Regional, then we are off to Cape Town for a week where I hope to drag Tim out of the Hotel room and actually do some tourist stuff with him. I hope this email finds everybody well. Greetings and goodbye from Asia. Next contact with be from the Middle East. Joe