Well, technically, neither do I. I’m actually in Daejeon right now, about 3 hours south of Seoul. I’m here for a research exchange program between Georgia Tech and KAIST that will last about 6 weeks. In this time I’ve met with a few…incidents that I feel are worthy of mention. Here’s a few tips for you to think about the next time you travel:

Tip 1. Assume that your AC adapter is a bomb

In most cases you’ll be right, and thankful. I made the mistake of thinking that Compaq’s “universe” implied by the use of the word “universal ac adapter” extended beyond the shores of Kansas, an error that could well have been my last. These units are black boxes of venomous death waiting to strike. White if you have a powerbook. Mine fortunately decided to go off while I was at the lab, and if it hadn’t been for a heroic LG Flatron monitor, I might have sustained some form of moderate injury. Instead, I found myself rationing battery life (2 hrs idle time over 5 days, less if you move your mouse) and searching for a US adapter through every Korean merchant that had a pulse. Needless to say I located a match, but don’t think I haven’t learned from this experience. Even now, as I type, I keep one unwavering eye fixed on my new unit in the corner … behind the stack of monitors.

Tip 2. Keep telling yourself, “I love being screwed!”

If you do this, you’ll save yourself from blood pressure trouble. I gave up trying to blend in long ago. Try 20 years (it’s hard passing as Norwegian with black hair). So it’s no surprise that they see me coming. Korea has many traditional markets that still operate on the bargain system. If you’re not prepared to challenge the price, you’d better be prepared to pay up to 3 times as much. What amuses me (bwahahah), are that some merchants don’t even try to hide their greed. They love knowing that you know that they are stringing you. For example, I was trying to get a pair of flip-flops for the rainy season (typhoon) and the gent in front of me gets a pair for 2000 won. But when it’s my turn, I’m asked for 5000! What gets me though, is that when I asked him about the price hike, he simply grins and nods! Bastard!

Tip 3. Tourist centers are where locals go to see tourists.

Makes sense, right? Lee and I wanted to make sure that we saw as much of S. Korea’s culture as possible during our stay. Last Saturday we decided to walk to the city Tourist Center, only ~5 miles away. Unfortunately we couldn’t take a bus because it’s quite difficult deciphering the route map, and we had never been there before. This was before we knew about the typhoon, and so we were quite soaked by the time we made it there. Once in the center, I found two English translators each commanding a vocabulary a goldfish would be ashamed of. Using a little persuasive reasoning (they had to pry me off them with a broom handle) I managed to get some complimentary postcards of the Korean countryside we would apparently never see. I guess I can superimpose us for the album.

Otherwise, we’re having a splendid time. Next weekend we’re going to hop a bus and ride it to the end (which should take us to the mountains). It’s just a matter of finding the right bus…

This entry was posted on Monday, June 21st, 2004 at 11:27 pm and is filed under Personal. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.