Going down the rabbit holes...

My Mommy came to visit! And while she was here she reminded me about a very important aspect of traveling… Just do it! While she was here we did so many things I had planned, but we actually did so much more because when a new opportunity came up we just said “yes” and we did it.

For two weeks, she stayed with me.My Mom brings a portable air mattress on legs to sleep on.My apartment is smaller than her living room, but we treat it like a camping trip. We climbed a mountain and went to palaces and museums.She came to my school, sat in a class, met my fellow teachers and students and went out with us to eat on a Friday night.I went to work everyday and she made her way around the community by just smiling and nodding when making a purchase.The shop clerks in the neighborhood came to understand that she was my Mom.

But we had even more amazing adventures.The first example is my mother helped me discover a new attraction in Korea called the Namsan Seoul Tower. It started with my taking my mother to Itaewon and we stumbled on an international festival. At one of the first booths a guy gave us a pamphlet saying we should visit Namsan Seoul Tower. Of course my mother being my mother asked how to get there. At this moment, we both realize this man has probably never been asked this question before because he really couldn’t tell us. After some nebulous instructions we actually figured out the bus to get there.

Needless to say we actually made to the Tower and it was great experience. We went to the very top, bought some souvenirs and we took a cable car down. The Seoul Tower is a great place and if you are ever in Korea you should give it a visit. Just note that the bus that takes you to the tower stops half way at up a mountain and you’re in for a real hike on your way up.

The second experience was on our way down from the Seoul Tower we went down a different way than when we came up. Therefore, we didn’t know where we were. I was confident with Korea’s subway system we could get home. Nevertheless, we wandered around until we landed in an area called Myeongdong. Little did I know this was one of the most vibrant parts of Korea known for its shopping.

Since my mother and I were there, we decided “why not”? And we continued down the rabbit hole! It was here that we discovered the glories of street food. Like at scene from Ratatouille, I tasted flavors that excited my taste buds. It was then that I decided to stop being a vegetarian.

Wandering for hours and trying almost everything was one of the best decisions of my life. We wondered around for hours, sampling food and looking at random stores. It was worth it! Everything was worth it.

My Mom got a two week vacation for the price of the airline ticket, that she got a really good deal on. Because she stayed with me, the ticket was, by far the biggest expense. We had a great vacation. She kept saying she felt like Alice, In Wonderland!

The moral of the story is that when you see an opportunity for something new or something unexpected, a “rabbit hole” if you were, go for it and don’t look back.