“How much good inside a day? Depends how good you live ‘em. How much love inside a friend? Depends how much you give ‘em.” —Shel Silverstein, A Light in The Attic
I took this photo yesterday. It was the first time going out in a month. It wasn't to anywhere special - just to Town and Country Animal Hospital to pick up Bartles' eye drops for his dry eye. We made a stop at 7-Eleven on our way home. Bartles had fallen asleep on my lap. It was so relaxing and I had actually put on make up for the first time in a long time.
My May off days became full at the last minute as we ended up watching our friends' Beagle puppy so that their Westie could rest (Beagle was a bit too hyper and overly playful, which ended up taking a slight toll on the older Westie). I had always wanted to repay our friends somehow - they were extremely helpful whenever Piri was sick and even donated an incredibly large sum of money to help pay for Piri's vet bills when he was going through his expensive cancer treatment. So this opportunity was something where I thought I could do a little something for them. I hope I was helpful.
After our last May guest dog left on the 30th, I exhaled a long deep breath.
Wow.
Guys.
It was a long, long month.
And it was tough.
Things were a little harder because Bartles has been going through some weird funk where he couldn't walk well and fell down more often and couldn't get back up, which meant every other step he fell down, I was there to help him back up. Whether it was 9 am, 12 pm or 3 am - or whether it lasted 10 minutes or 30 minutes, I was his shadow.
Some nights he got up every hour to pace (and fall).
Other nights he slept through without waking up.
Most nights he got up 1-3 times, and I would wake up with him to make sure he didn't need help getting out of bed.
There were accidents. Potty accidents. Leaking accidents. Lots of laundry. Lots of wiping. At all different hours of the day.
And then there were the not so pretty potty accidents, which then added a trip to the bathroom for a bath. And whenever this happened in the middle of the night, it was just brutal.
Along with all this was taking care of the guest dogs, taking lots of pictures, editing pictures, sending updates and cleaning the house, cooking for Bartles, cooking for us, doing the dishes. Treat times, belly rub times, play times.
When I tell people this, they kind of think, oh well that's not too bad. Still easy compared to (fill in the blank).
And by the time you find a little break time, it's 10 pm and you're butt tired because you didn't get proper sleep and your break ends suddenly because you have to get everyone ready for bed, which means pee and potty time in the backyard - pick up any poop, wipes paws and pee and potty areas, get everyone in their beds, brush their teeth, wash water bowls and refill them in case someone gets thirsty at night.
Then it's lights out for me -- and depending on the night I will either get up every hour or 1-3 times or if I'm lucky, sleep straight through.
Sometimes the tough came with frustrations.
Frustrating when you're about to eat your first meal at 3 pm and an accident happens or at 3 am when you go to help Bartles back up after falling down but it looks like he's fallen asleep in that spot, but you wait 5 minutes in case he wants to go back to his bed and when he really doesn't move you finally decide to go back to sleep and the second you lay down he tries mighty hard to get up but can't. [Insert deep sigh if this happens on the night where he happens to get up every hour - by the 5th time it just gets physically tiring].
Or when you are wiping poop off the carpet so fast so that other dogs don't step on it but also because the water is boiling for the coffee (which I will end up making but won't get to drink until 3 hours later) and no one is there to turn it off for you.. (thank goodness we don't have a kettle that whistles)
I'm not looking for people to say what a incredible person I am or how I'm so great and wonderful and how Bartles is so lucky. I once had a job where people thought I was a compliment seeker and would throw these compliments at me left and right, and it made me so incredibly uncomfortable and angry because 1. they didn't mean it and were only saying because they thought it would make me feel good (I mean, really??) and 2. I don't take compliments that well. I'm not saying that people don't mean it when letting me know how I'm doing a good job with Bartles, but when I write about these experiences, the point isn't to generate compliments. It's just to share. And to just say it's hard. And that it's ok.
Sometimes I grapple with writing about some of my stories because I'm so afraid that it may deter people from thinking about adopting sick senior dogs. But you know what? It was this way with Piri - it was hard, and tiring and frustrating. I wouldn't have gotten rid of him. It was probably a time in his life when he needed me the most. And I keep thinking and wondering if for some reason I wasn't there for him, would there have been someone who stepped up and took him in. Or would he have been passed up time and time again because he was just too old and too sick. That thought kills me.
Caring for sick senior dogs isn't for everybody but they certainly deserve to live out their golden years on a warm bed, have good meals and enjoy lots of chin scratches.
While things have been hard, and tiring and frustrating, having good people in my corner helps me to push through. This is pretty important. Because on those hard days, that someone in your corner is going to drop by with a warm home cooked meal so you don't have to worry about cooking dinner. And that someone in your corner is going to leave a super funny comment or send you a funny picture that'll make you laugh from the bottom of your stomach. And that someone is going to tell you that you are doing great even when you are so doubtful, or send you a free bottle of herbal supplements to help make Bartles feel better and surprise you with a hidden can of soda just when you need a little kick.
It's ok to be tired.
It's ok to get frustrated.
But have good people in your corner.
And always leave room in your heart for sick senior dogs.
On an early, brutal Monday morning, Yangkyu and I woke up at 4 am to head to a subway stop near Yangkyu's brother's place where the express train took us to Gimpo Airport. It was brutal because we only got 4 hours of sleep and we were already tired from jet lag and lack of sleep from days before (and frankly, we're too old to be doing this kind of hard core traveling). But I tell ya, arriving at Gimpo Airport woke me up right away as it was chaotic (and I mean this in the nicest way possible). I thought I stepped into one of Korea's most famous night markets with so many people bustling and going about carrying all sort of luggages that came in the form of traditional travel bags and boxes and such, wrapped in nice silk fabric (presents, I presume?).
When I was little, Gimpo Airport was Korea's main international airport. My family flew out of Gimpo, making a stop in Anchorage, Alaska, before arriving at JFK Airport. This was August of 1986, the year we immigrated to the US.
After the 1988 Seoul Olympics, Korea saw a rise in international air traffic. By the 1990s, it was realized that Gimpo Airport could no longer handle the amount of flights and it was decided a new airport would be built. Construction of the new airport began in 1992 and took 8 years to finish and in-between testing and quality control and having the overall completion delayed due to Korea's economic troubles in 1997, Incheon Airport was finally opened to the public in March 2001. Since 2005, it has been ranked one of the best and cleanest airports. Gimpo Airport now serves mostly domestic flights and shuttle flights to nearby cities in the East Asia region.
We almost bought our Jeju tickets through Expedia but Yangkyu at the last minute decided to ask his brother to check flight prices in Korea. It was $150 cheaper to buy it there. I think it was because Expedia only showed flights from Korea Air and not other domestic airlines that operate from Seoul to Jeju. Yangkyu ended up asking his brother to book our flights and our car rental, which all came out to be a bit cheaper.
We flew Jeju Air (and for all you Song Joong Ki fans out there, he is apparently the face of Jeju Air as we saw his advertisement plastered everywhere). And while it wasn't the most pleasant experience (it wasn't a scary ride but the inside of the plane looked old), it got us to where we needed to go. It's about an hour flight from Seoul to Jeju and Yangkyu and I slept the entire way there, which ended up being a bit more difficult to get up because our bodies were just telling us, "Sleep more, human! Sleep more!"
One thing about flying domestic was, we kept asking security if it was ok to bring liquids past security and if we needed to take off our shoes. You can bring liquids and there is no need to take off your shoes, but there are certain things you can't bring on board, like rechargeable batteries. Those things you have to check in with your luggage otherwise they will confiscate it. We also didn't have a phone number and so they asked us to hang out about 15 minutes while our checked luggage went through security. Usually, if you have a phone, they will contact you if there are restricted items, but since we didn't have a phone, we were just told to wait or come back to the check-in kiosk. We didn't end up having any issues.
Once at Jeju Airport, a shuttle took us to our car rental place. We used BillyCar, which is operated by AJ Rent A Car. I don't think you get to choose beforehand what kind of car make you want (they just kind of give you what is available on the spot, even though on our rental confirmation receipt it said that we would get the Hyundai Advante), but you do have to choose the size of the car (pricing reasons). We chose the sedan and was given the Samsung SM3.
// Yongdu-am, or Dragon Head Rock. This is the main attraction here, but you can also enjoy other views and also an area where you can enjoy freshly caught seafood, prepared on the spot. See below. //
// That tented area is where freshly caught seafood is sold and prepared for you to eat. The seating isn't what you would normally find at restaurants, obviously by the look of the picture (I feel like I have to manage expectations for people who aren't familiar with these types of places), but it is enjoyed by many tourists. //
// We had the squid all the way on the left -- it was dusted with curry powder but you couldn't taste the curry at all. //
We had a list of places we wanted to visit on the first day that was mainly along the western part of the island. Our lodging, Pause in Jeju (we found it on AirBnB but booked through Expedia because their response to a question we had took over a week and we didn't want our reservation to have the same fate and fall through - although, we would find out, going to Jeju in April wasn't at all busy and I'm sure it wouldn't have been a problem for us to find a room on the spot), was located on the southern part of the island called Seogwipo. Jeju Airport is in Jeju City, which is located on the northern part of the island. Our sightseeing course for that day, since we arrived early morning (I mean our flight was at 7 am, and it took an hour to arrive in Jeju, after getting our car it was 9 am), was to start in Jeju City and make our way over, riding along the coastline along the western part of the island, and arrive in Seogwipo City by the evening. It sort of was the perfect plan... but we didn't account for how tired we would be. It was most unfortunate..! And it rained for most of the day, which added to the doom and gloom, but Jeju is pretty so it sort of made up for it.
The first place we had on our list was Yongdu-am Rock, or Dragon Head Rock, which is very close to the airport. We asked the rental car person about it and he basically shrugged it off and said, "well, there isn't much to it. It's just a rock." I laughed and he said, "Perhaps if you go at night because you can see the pretty lights, too." Well, we didn't go at night (and to be honest, I think it would've scared me to go at night), and ended up making the easy drive over.
It was a quick view, and while for us there wasn't much to view, I thought it was a great introduction to the island of Jeju. You are greeted with a beautiful seashore with a breathtaking view. The rock itself didn't look like a dragon to me - more like a rabbit, or even the peninsula of Korea, but distorted a little (you know, when you resize a photo by dragging the corner and the picture kind of look distorted?). Well, Yangkyu thought worse - he thought it looked like a camel. I have no idea where he got that one from.
Right near Yongdu-am was a little makeshift area where freshly caught seafood was sold, I presume by haenyo, or Korean female divers. We didn't make a stop here to eat, mainly because we didn't think we would be able to eat any of the raw seafood there, but we thought to save it for another time.
We did however, stop by another small eatery called Haewon Chogajip where they sold squid and other seafood on a stick. We had the squid dusted with curry powder (you can't taste the curry powder though). You don't get to eat it off of a stick (probably a bit hard to, if I may add) -- they cut it up for you and put it in a little paper cup with a tooth pick.
We found throughout our travels to Korea that carrying around disposable anything ended up being a chore because it was incredibly difficult to find public trash bins. And Korea is strict with its recycling program so you can't just throw things out. Most of the time, we carried around our trash, neatly folded or crushed and thrown out altogether once we found a trash bin or back at our lodging or at our families' homes. Other times, when we would eat at a restaurant, we would kindly ask if they can throw out our trash for us (not big ones, like soda cans or water bottles, but more like wet paper tissues and such) and most folks gladly and kindly allowed us to. Other stores like Dunkin Donuts in Jeju did not allow that (they didn't even have trash bins inside the store).
We had many places we wanted to stop by while riding along the western coast of Jeju Island, but because we were tired (and driving made both of us really tired) and sometimes because we couldn't find the exact location or a certain place even though we had a GPS (and we were too tired to try harder and look it up on the Internet) we didn't end up sightseeing as much as we wanted to.
We stopped by two more places after Yongdu-am, including the Manjanggul Lava Tube.
Normally you would have a purchase a ticket to enter the cave, but throughout the month of April, most of the tourist attractions had free entrance fees. It was to encourage tourism in April, the start of the spring season.
Manjanggul Lava Tube is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, designated in 1962. Yangkyu and I found it to be incredible, but it was cold and wet and very dark. We didn't end up going all the way, instead turning back mid-way. I read later that the cave is home to many living creatures, including the cave spider (wha?!) and even bats.
Afterward touring the lava tube, Yangkyu and I were legit hungry. There is a restaurant right at the lava tube and we ended up grabbing lunch there. I don't think the place is considered a "mat jip," which is what delicious restaurants are called (and there is a whole list of mat jips around Jeju, and all over Korea for that matter, that people specifically travel there for. We always want to try these delicious restaurants but end up putting sightseeing first and when we get tired and hungry we end up choosing the nearest restaurant to our current location).
Because Yangkyu and I eat like birds (little bits throughout the day), and we had so many things we wanted to eat in Korea, we went to Korea with a game plan. We would order just one meal and share, along with any appetizers we wanted to eat. That way we can get as many meals and food throughout the day into our tummies as possible.
// Seongsan Ilchulbong, or Sunrise Peak, from afar. This is in Seogwipo and is on the our way to Seogwipo City but we decided to come back to it when we were less tired, because we were interested in climbing it all the way to the top. Unfortunately we did not get the chance to ever come back here. We have it saved on our wish list for the next time we are ever in Jeju Island. //
Before checking into Pause in Jeju, we made one last sightseeing stop at Jeju Folk Village. I love these types of places and have been to a similar place called Korean Folk Village in the city of Yongjin in the past. Because it was raining, and perhaps because it was April, not quite tourist season, the Jeju Folk Village for the most part was empty. I liked that - it was nice to walk around not having to worry about it being overcrowded.
The rain picked up a bit while we were here and Yangkyu and I both walked around in silly raincoats we purchased at the gift shop. Yangkyu says it's the best $10 he spent while in Korea because the raincoats aren't filmsy, but durable (he cracks me up). I wanted to leave it in Korea but we ended up bringing them back home. They are still in their little plastic packaging although for the life of me I can't remember where I put it. I think Yangkyu forgot about them.
Oh well.
Jeju Folk Village is a sprawling landscape that showcases the lifestyle and traditional culture of the island from the 19th century. It has a mountain village, fishing village, a botanical garden, market place, areas where you can learn to make things from craftsmen (which were all closed when we were there), an old government building (where punishments were also carried out in public - mostly flagging) and an authentic shamanistic area (this was most fascinating and probably my favorite part -- there is literally a shrine in the shape of a penis where women went to pray at because they wanted bear a son - sons were precious, and this thought still exists today among some families).
// This was a maze inside the Jeju Folk Village. We couldn't find the exit and so we ended up coming out of the entrance instead. //
// An old game that children used to play. Yangkyu wasn't very good at this. He just made a lot of noise and the round thing fell over a lot even though it was attached to the stick he is holding on to. //
// Old government building //
After Jeju Folk Village, we went to Pause in Jeju for a quick and easy check-in but ended up having the hardest time finding the light switch. We realized a good 5 minutes later that we needed to place our key card in a slot right next to the door that activated the lighting in our room.
Our plan was to rest for 20 minutes, wash up, change our clothes and head out to dinner - raw fish, even though we were slightly tired of it as we had it at Garak Market and also for lunch with Yangkyu's side of the family, but we were in Jeju and we couldn't miss up on the chance.
Yangkyu and I both plopped down on the bed and said to each other, "20 minute power nap," and proceeded to pass out and sleep uninterrupted for the next 10 hours, waking up at 5 am the next day. It was a much needed sleep and we both felt so good afterwards, but looking back when we were leaving the island, it was most regretful as we lost an evening to eat good food and go night time sight seeing.
// These are called Hallabong, which are famous in Jeju Island. It is a type of sweet and juicy tangerine. I believe they are even sold now in the U.S. -- in Los Angeles. //
I hope you'll continue to join us for day 2 of our adventures on Jeju Island. On this day, we even bought a selfie stick.
Thanks for reading.
// Travel Korea : DMZ Tours
// Travel Korea : Childhood Memories
// Travel Korea : Seoul
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
Social Icons