Going to the Motherland - Seoul, Korea
July 14th-18th, 2023
After ANOTHER delayed flight, we got into Incheon International Airport around 11pm. We did some potty breaks, got our bags and by the time we got out by the taxi stand it was close to midnight. Unfortunately, as a 5 person family, we needed a larger, "jumbo" taxi, which were unavailable at that time of night. We all piled into a regular taxi and made our way to our Airbnb. Not sure it was legal for the driver to take us all. . . And not sure what is going on with all of these delayed flights in Asia, but we are rolling with it. . .
Met up with my sister and her family and proceeded to do a Korean Family Reunion tour. We started with a typical, modern Korean wedding on Saturday! My cousin's daughter (on my mom's side) was getting married and of course the American cousins (me and my sister) were invited to the festivities. Here is how it works, you arrive at the wedding, which was in a building in the financial district of Seoul. You check in at the desk, sign in, give your gift envelope, and then get a meal ticket for lunch. Some people just skip the ceremony and go straight to the buffet. Others sometimes come later and just head to the buffet. WE decided to go to the ceremony, which was only about 20 minutes long - seems like nothing compared to some American weddings. Afterward, there were photos galore. We were invited to be in the big family photo with both the bride and groom extended family. My guess is that it was probably about 80-100 people all together!
The next day, we met with my dad's side of the family for lunch a visit to the DMZ (not Dexter-Max-Zoe, but the De-Militarized Zone)! We went to a very cool lookout point with a clear view of North Korea across the river. It was eerily quiet and empty. I've never seen a large river without any boats or ANY activity on it.
That everning we hung out in Ilsan and went to Outback Steakhouse for dinner! Definitely not the same as US versions, but they had their own version of the Tomahawk. And we watched a beautiful water fountain show at the mall. At this point, I feel like we've been eating our way through Korea - since there is always eating with family!
Monday, July 17th, 2023, was kind of a chill out day and explore the Ilsan area, where our Airbnb was. We visited the mall, where the kids went to SMOB, an obstacle course. They killed 2 hours there while the adults walked around the mall, ate some Shake Shack and sat in a cafe. Good times for everyone! That evening, Scot and I managed to rent a car from the airport and drive into Seoul. We went to dinner with our mom's side cousins. I figured out that I have a total of 19 first cousins! 11 on my mom's side and 8 on my dad's. People sure had big families back then!
Next day, roadtrip to Gochang. . .
