OK, our travel packet came yesterday and it had lots of great information. I thought I'd share some of it so that you can feel like you're tagging along!Accommodations:
Our agency in Seoul, Social Welfare Society (SWS) has 3 guest houses that range in price from $40-$70/night. We hope that one will be available when we travel so that we can be close to our agency. The travel packet also listed many of the hotels in Seoul. Although we can choose to stay anywhere, most people choose to stay in one of the guest houses. We have heard that they are quite comfortable. They only accept cash but the price is right :)
Sightseeing:
It also listed some great suggestions on what to do while in Korea. Shopping, museums, palaces, churches, etc. Apparently, we will have a few days to soak up the country and its culture. I may even get the chance to meet up with some relatives!
Transportation:
The subway is a clean, efficient, and easy way to travel. Most tickets are about 700 "won" (or 75 cents). There are two types of buses. Private buses arrive every 10-15 minutes. They are air-conditioned, crowded and drive very fast. City-owned buses arrive more frequently and cost about half the price of private buses. There are also two types of taxis. Black cabs are very clean, have a uniformed driver, and are spacious cars. These black cabs charge by the time in the cab so it can get expensive since Seoul can be a big traffic jam. The other type of cabs are generally pale blue, silver or white. These charge by the distance of the trip and are much less expensive. By and large, taxis are an expensive way to travel and most destinations can be reached by subway. We won't need a car while we are there and it is not recommended. We will be doing lots of walking so I won't miss working-out!
Food and restaurants:
There is a wide range of food to choose from. Seoul offers everything from traditional Korean food to American burgers and fries. They also have Italian, Subway, Tony Roma's, McDonald's, and Sizzler restaurants. You can also find a 7-11 and Starbucks on many of the corners. We received a handy-dandy map of all the nearby restaurants and markets.
Suggested Gifts:
Since the giving of gifts is a tradition in Korean culture, it is appropriate to bring a gift to the foster family when we first meet our children. Gifts are also recommended for the head of the agency, the director, and the social worker in Korea. The travel packet included some gift ideas. Some examples are: coffee, note cards, stationary, jewelry, make-up, scarves, anything American made, children's clothes and toys for future babies, hand lotion, etc. It also suggests that we wait to wrap the gifts in Korea since customs may want to inspect a wrapped gift.
Most importantly, the travel packet prepared us for what to expect. I thought our first meeting was going to be at the agency but early this morning, we learned that they will take us to the foster family's home to see our girls. We will only spend about an hour or so there but it will be nice to see their surroundings and ask some important questions regarding their habits. Depending on how the babies react, they may then ask us to come back in a day or two. Jill, our program director told us that they may actually give us the babies for the last few days in Korea! Boy, won't that be something! Talk about a crash course in parenting infants! Jill is requesting the bigger guest house for us just in case this happens. We will most likely be staying in Korea for a week. Although we'd like to stay longer, we also want to get back home with our new family. January is also Morgan's busy time of year for work so he can't be away for too long.
We are getting more and more excited about this trip of a lifetime! Well, I'm joyfully off to go shopping today! More soon!
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