The Mecham's in Korea

In honor of Bennett's birth, my whole family minus Nick and Megan :( came to visit the Land of the Morning Calm. This is not a brief account of their visit, so be prepared, and if your name is Richard or Laila, don't look at the pictures too carefully or you'll ruin your trip. (NOTE: Many of these photos are courtesy of others as I was busy tending to 2 children and not taking many photos myself).

Day 1, July 30 - Seoul:

The very first full day that they were here, we had to rush to Seoul so that we would have Bennett's passport in time for us all to fly home for Laura's wedding, and rush we did! We had to catch the bullet train that leaves from Daegu, a city that is an hour's drive away, but with all the people and things that had to get ready for the trip, we were a little tight on time. We finally got all loaded up in the car and drove 10 minutes when SOMEONE (we won't mention who, DAD!) forgot their passport so we had to turn around and grab it cause passports are required to tour the DMZ. Matt drove like a mad man and got us there with just a few minutes to spare. We had already purschased the train tickets, so we didn't want to have to catch the next train and pay for more tickets, so Matt dropped the ladies and kids off at the front to see if we could catch it. We ran in and stepped on the train just as it was pulling away, leaving Matt and my dad to fend for themselves.

Lincoln enjoying the train ride

We had to fend for ourselves as well because we realized after boarding the train that we didn't have a cell phone, and in the rush, I forgot to grab my wallet from the car which meant we had no Korean cash. Hmmm. . . I played charades with a man on the train in order to borrow his cell phone. I called Matt, and of course he didn't answer. When we got to the train station, my mom found a plcae to exchage so money, so rather than rush to our hotel, we decided to grab a bite to eat at McDonalds. As we were waiting for our food, lo and behold, Matt and my dad walked by. Aparently they caught the next train which left 10 or so minutes behind ours, but since they had fewer stops, they arrived only 5 minutes behind us. Here is our happy reunion at the Golden Arches. It was a great start to a great trip.

First thing, Matt and I snagged Bennett's passport for the Embassy while everyone else took naps at the hotel to try and recover from jet lag, that is after they threw Lincoln around on the bed for a bit.

Then we headed to Changdeokgung, one of the 5 ancient palaces in Seoul. Here are some pics of the palace:

Afterwards, we headed to Insadong, a cute little place with lots of shops and restaurants. Here's yet another pic of the Paparazzi surrounding Lincoln. You can't even see him!

Here's what we ate there:

Next we went to Myeongdong, a very popular shopping district. A lot of western stores are here, i.e. Ralph Lauren, Bebe, H&M etc. Laura got herself a "free hug" while we were there:

I guess she figured she better get it out of her system before she's a married lady.

Day 2, July 31st - Seoul:

I sent my family on a tour to the Demilitarized Zone (the DMZ). My dad's a big history buff/politician type so I believe this was a highlight for him despite the fact that it took ALL day, he had to wear slacks and a button-up shirt which he was strongly opposed to (yes, they have a dress code there), and it cost him a pretty penny (actually LOTS of pretty hundreds of dollars for the four of them to go). The DMZ is the buffer zone between North and South Korea where no military activity is permitted. According to Wikipedia, it is the most heavily gaurded border in the world. My family actually had to sign a waiver stating that they would not hold the UN responsible if anything happened, i.e. they got caught in cross fire or something. Yikes! For obvious reasons, kids aren't allowed, so Matt and I stayed with the kids. For more info about the DMZ, you can go HERE. Here are my mom and sisters standing next to the table where the armistice was signed. That is a South Korean solider in the background.

Here's a pic of a North Korean solider giving the South Koreans the stare-down.

Notes of hope and thoughts regarding reunification written by South Koreans adorn the barbed wire fence at the border:

The photo below is my dad eating Korean style on their tour. I love this picture because (A) I don't think I've ever seen my dad sit on the floor... especially not in Indian (or Korean) style and (B) he just looks so awkward with his knees almost up in his armpits. I seem to be talking a lot about my dad. I guess that's because I was interested in his reaction to Korea in general. He is a man of preditibility. He likes patterns, and things to be done systematically and by the book. He's not the type who welcomes new experiences or change. This was his first trip overseas. I was going to say his first time out the country, but that's not true as he served his mission in Canada (if that really counts as out of the country), and I do recall going slightly across the Mexican border once with him on a family trip. He is not much of a traveler and so it was just wonderful to see him out of his element and uncomfortable. This picture is a perfect depiction of him in Korea... uncomfortable. One of the major highlights of their visit was when we sat down for maybe the 3rd, prehaps 4th time for a Korean meal and he was kind of letting on that he wasn't pleased with the situation. I asked him what he wanted to do, cause there was really no where else to eat and we were hungry, and he said, "Well, I want a burger!". I thought the kids were the ones who were supposed to be the whiners on family trips, not the dad! I have to admit, I'm not much of a Korean food fan myself, and I really could have gone for a Wendy's burger, but burgers just aren't as plentiful here. Anyway... here he is enjoying himself:

Meanwhile, back at the camp, Matt and I took Lincoln to the hotel swimming pool for his first swim. Despite the look on his face, he really did enjoy it. He giggled a lot. Matt loved taking him swimming.

We also spent the day traveling to Taco Bell on the subway with 2 children. The last couple of times we have been to Seoul, the Taco Bell was "Coming Soon" and under construction. When I was pregnant with Lincoln, I would go to Taco Bell in Houston almost every other day. It was really tough being pregnant with Bennett and not being able to satisfy my burning desire for Taco Bell. This trip, the Taco Bell was open, and boy were we excited!!!

After they finished the tour, we rendezvoused at the train station. Getting on the train this time was much less eventful. Here we are headed home. My dad is showing Lincoln how he can move his vein on the back of his hand. What a cool Grandpa!!!

Day 3, August 1st - Church:

It was Sunday so we went to church. Here's Lincoln being admired as usual by our branch members:

This was Bennett's debut at church. Here are all the RS ladies ooo-ing and ahh-ing:

Our RS president invited us over for dinner that night. I thought it was going to be a low-key thing, but she invited the missionaries and many of our branch members over, and set aside seats for myself and my parents covered in white material since we were the honored guests. It was a feast, and my family really enjoyed it. We ate on the roof of the apartment building she owns and lives in. Our RS president is in the bottom righthand corner. Behind her is our 2nd Counselor in the branch presidnecy and behind him is our branch president.

Here are Matt and Lincoln hanging out Sunday evening:

And here's Lucy accompanying Laura on her blow-up bed for a Sunday nap. Lucy was in heaven:

Day 4, August 2nd - Ilsan Beach:

We decided to take it a little easier Monday since we had been running around like crazy in Seoul. Here's Laura chillin' with Bennett:

And Julia giving Bennett loves. Bennett's not so sure the feeling is mutual.

Lincoln and Lucy overtaking the blow-up bed. I think Lucy spent nearly their whole visit on the blow-up bed.

Then, we headed to Ilsan beach which is about a half hour away from our place. Here's Lincoln finding things to eat:

Lincoln with his aunties:

We didn't have a tent like EVERYONE else there.

The tents:

I think Lincoln's outfit might be getting a little too small. What do you think?

Later that night we went out for Korean BBQ:

Laura got her guts up, and swallowed these raw guts (liver and intestine) down:

Day 5, August 3rd - Gyeongju:

We spent the day in Gyeongju. Matt and I had been there before for the Cherry Blossom Festival, but I had to take the family there since it's South Korea's number one historical sight. It was the capital of the empire duing the Silla Dynasty (57 BC - 935 AD). It is commonly referred to as the museum without walls. Here are some rice fields there. The rice fields make me long for my days in Taiwan.

The ladies and the kids at the Bulguksa Temple:

Here's mom waiting to sneak a peak at one of the many Buddahs:

While she was looking at the Buddah, my dad got busted for trying to take a picture of the Buddah statue. Ooops! Here are the twin-ers during our break after we saw the temple.

Lunch time for the kiddies. This was right before the fateful diaper changing incident where Bennett pooped all over the bench, and then as we were cleaning it up, he peed several more times all over the place. Get a diaper on that guy!!!

Day 6, August 3rd - Busan:

First thing while in Busan, we went on a little boat ride. It was quite nice, although very humid.

Cheese! We're on a boat!

This is how Bennett enjoyed the boat ride:

We saw Lincoln's (a.k.a. Captian Jack's) pirate ship while we were out:

Later that day after taking an hour plus to get across town, we went to the UN Memorial:

I was amazed to discover that of the 40,895 fallen UN soliders during the Korean war, 36,492 were Americans. Quite the sacrifice! Although I typically feel that the US is a little over-involved in other people's business, I must say that the prosperity and freedom that exhisits here in South Korea as a result of the involvement of the US and UN is amazing, especially when compared to what is happening in North Korea. It is amazing that all the cars, buildings and much of their infrastructure has only been here since the Korean war which ended just 57 years ago. Despite the issues that have arisen recently between the North and South, South Koreans DO NOT want to go to war and risk all that they have gained in the past 57 years. I don't blame them.

While in Busan, Laura was noticing all the "young love" around. Younger Koreans love to be in love or are in love with the idea of being in love. Young men always carry the purses of their girlfriends while they are out and about, and younger couples love holding hands, and wearing matching shirts, as seen below. There are many stores that carry matching couple's underwear. Too funny!

Day 6, August 5th - Jinha Beach

Our last play day, Laura, Julia and I headed for the beach. My parents were gracious enough to watch the boys while we went to play. On the way to the beach, Laura and Julia spotted a fake constrution guy on the road that I don't even notice anymore cause I'm too used to things like that. It really is hilarious. This construction worker actually has shoes on as well, and he really does wave the flag.

Here we are, some hotty American girls.

I didn't realize that we looked like a bunch of babes minus the husband and kids. Apparently, I still got "it", even after just having a baby, cause a couple of these Japanese and Korean guys (seen below) came over to chit-chat and offered us some beer. Acutally, I think Laura was the one they were coming over to talk to cause Julia and I were fully clothed at the time. It was hilarious. We spent our entire time there trying to avoid being picked up on.

We rented a raft to try to escape our pursuers, but they were everywhere. Laura accidently nearly whacked one of them in the head with one of the paddles. The guy said in his best English, "Oh, very dangerous". We laughed our heads off. Good times.

Day 7, August 6th - Flight Home:

Well after such a wonderful time, I was so glad that I didn't have to say goodbye, that I got to fly home with them. Matt, on the other had, went from a house full of people to coming home to just Miss Lucy Dog. Poor guy. Below illustrates the rare moment in time when Lincoln managed to fall asleep on the flight. What a nightmare flying is when you have a toddler that you can't reason with. I think we won't be making too many more trips home during our stay here. You'll just have to come visit us!