December 16-17: Korean Galbi

December 16

We made it to Korea after an overnight flight from Vietnam, where we had a six hour layover.  After a few stops, we made it to Ashley’s aunt’s apartment, where she made us a traditional Korean lunch with kimchi, tofu and seaweed soup.  Ashley’s aunt, who is 85, has a positive attitude on life and seems totally with it.  Ashley told me that she works out every morning at 4:30 am.  During lunch, her oldest son and second daughter visited with her.  My mom would love this arrangement.

We had two memorable stops on today’s adventure.  The first one was at the medical clinic, where Ashley had a whole body analysis done about a month ago.  I’ve honestly never seen anything like it in the USA.  As part of their universal health care program, Korean residents receive this full body analysis once every two years for free! I was intrigued by this preventive practice and wondered if it worked in helping its citizens live longer and healthier lives.  But, beyond this rumination, the efficiency of this clinic was remarkable.  During our short stay, I must have seen over 100 patients being seen by a variety of medical professionals in a seamless and concerted manner.  The one woman who was clearly in charge of this well oiled operation expertly informed and maneuvered a million moving parts so that patients knew where to go and when to be there.  I’m guessing that this is the type of universal health care President Obama had in mind for all Americans. The report that Ashley received was incredibly comprehensive as it reported on all of her bodily functions.  The report included a CD with images of her colonoscopy and endoscopy — yikes and wow!  

Our second fun stop was necessitated by Ashley wanting to gain access to the images on her CD.  The first doctor she went to to analyze these images couldn’t open them on their computer.  So, we went to a gaming shop, of course, and asked for help.  The computer gaming lady was wicked helpful as she was able to open the CD and gave us a look at the many pictures.  While pretending to analyze the images, we snapped pictures to show the doctor.  In the meantime, a litter of teenage boys were playing Fortnight and Call of Duty oblivious to our delicate and sensitive work.

December 17

We were greeted by a Korean breakfast and fresh light snow cover as we transitioned from Ashley’s aunt to  her sister’s house.  

We rode various trains and buses to get to our destination.  I was struck by the efficiency and cleanliness of Korea’s public transport systems.  I was also impressed with the old school manners of the riders as several gave up their seats for elderly passengers.

After relaxing for a bit, we went to the gym to workout and then ate Galbi for dinner.