Thursday, August 30, 2007

Soraksan: A 3-WW Exercise



This is a true memory from travels in Korea back in 2000. The photo is of the Korean coastline just east of Soraksan National Park. Notice the guard towers and fence along the coast, designed to keep out North Korean spies. One of the places near here, where we were climbing, a group of climbers had been killed in the late 90s by a small team from the North who had slipped into the country. Soraksan means "snowy cragged mountains." Bone provides these three words for this Wednesday's exercise: forgotten, hotel and obscure.

I realized as soon as I’d hung up the phone that I was stupid. I’d forgotten to look at the number on our condo when I left to go downstairs to the lobby to a payphone where I could use a phone card to call back to the States. I looked around. I knew we were on the second floor, but there were at least 200 rooms on that floor as wings went out in five different directions. Feeling obscure, I stepped outside hoping the fresh air would clear my mind. It was February and we were in the mountains, only a short distance south of the DMZ. Snow was piled high and it was bitterly cold. With no coat, I quickly retreated back inside the hotel. I thought about going to the front desk, but I was staying in a condo with friends and I wasn’t even sure whose name the rooms had been registered. I’d just meet up with these folks that morning and with the exception of Chang Ran, whom I’d knew back in the States when we were both doing graduate studies, I didn’t even know their first names. She’d introduced her husband to me as Kim, which was his last name. He’d told me his first name, but said that I could call him Kim. I couldn’t recall what he said, nor could I pronounce or spell it if I could recall it. The other guy with us had been introduced as Cho, which was again his last name. Not knowing what to do, I walked around the lobby a few minutes as my heart pounded. Then I felt led to one of the long corridors. About half way down, a door flew open and Chang Ran stepped out. We smiled and nodded at each other as she headed down to the lobby and I stepped inside the suite. No one knew that I’d been lost, but it felt good to be back inside and I quickly feel asleep on the mat in my room.

10 comments:

  1. There was a woman in your room?!? I pray she was just housekeeping and nothing else. ;-)

    ReplyDelete
  2. That's what I call having an "Oh Shit" moment.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Murf, the suite we were staying in had two bedrooms and a small living area. So no, there were no women staying in my room. I changed the name from suite to condo to avoid any other mistakes.

    Ed, before I went anywhere else by myself, I got a business card from Mr. Kim and Mr. Cho and kept them with my passport.

    ReplyDelete
  4. You had my heart racing with that story; I could feel your anxiety. I've had moments like that, too, only I blocked them out of my mind. They may pop up in therapy in a few years. :)

    ReplyDelete
  5. WHOA....now that was a story!

    And congrats on your Reflective award too!

    ReplyDelete
  6. I am so longing for the ocean right now and that photo is just making it worse :)

    ReplyDelete
  7. Your travelogues are ever so interesting. I was right with you till the end.

    ReplyDelete
  8. Beautiful photo, Sage, and nice story.

    I love it when I manage to keep my embarrassing moments all to myself ;-)

    ReplyDelete
  9. Scarlett, you won't need therapy after blogging, will you?

    Deana, thanks.

    Mistress, that ocean has more barbwire around it than most--with only a few places with gates--such is life just south of the DMZ

    Gautami, Thanks

    TC, until now, I'd kept this to myself. Now anyone in the world can read it

    ReplyDelete
  10. great photo and great story - as usual!

    ReplyDelete