One Spokanite’s trip to the Winter Olympics
My name is Heather, and I’m a Spokane native who is excited to be at the Winter Olympics in South Korea.
I came over here to watch my friend compete in Olympic events taking place this week. Korea has never been on my immediate bucket list, but going to the Winter Olympics has. I’m so happy it has led me to this incredible country with outstanding food, beautiful scenery and fascinating culture.
The food
I’ll go right ahead and say it: the food alone here is definitely worth flying halfway across the world.
The menus are impossible to read in a lot of true Korean establishments, but there’s almost always a photo depicting each dish. I was surprised to find Americanized places to eat where I’m staying in Seoul.
Koreans love coffee, and there are coffee shops everywhere you turn. Just like America, in the more popular areas of the city you’ll be hard-pressed to not see a Starbucks.
By the way, apples are 10,000 won per pound here… That equates to around $10. None of the apples I saw were from Washington.
It’s cold… but not for a Spokanite!
This week’s highs are forecast in the 40s (Fahrenheit), with lows dropping down into the 20s. A damp cold is felt here in Seoul; because the city sits next to the Han River, it can feel much chillier than the temperature. With some of Seoul’s modern architecture and the many scattered coffeehouses, it can feel like a cold day in Seattle.
I haven’t noticed any homeless camps in or around the city so far, which is great to see, as the evening temperatures can be quite cold. It seems like athletes and most spectators came prepared.
At our hotel and around the city, there seem to be plenty of Westerners, and you see people in their country’s gear walking around the streets. There is definitely an Olympic buzz around Seoul, which is about 90 miles by high-speed rail from Pyeongchang, where the Winter Games are being held.
Kindness is everywhere
Everyone I’ve encountered here has been especially kind and gracious. I sat at a local coffee bar yesterday and was brought two complimentary pieces of cake to go with my coffee (they know the way to my heart!).
Although many things are very Westernized, most people here do not speak English. Thanks to Google Translate and image search and exaggerated body language, I haven’t had too much difficulty figuring things out.
One thing I haven’t been able to figure out is how most of the doors operate; most of them push inward instead of swinging out. One side of the door will be automatic, the other manual; others operate the way we’re used to in the West. My gift to Korea seems to be allowing people here to watch me figure it out!
Tomorrow (Tuesday), we head out into the mountains to watch the men’s freestyle skiing competition at Phoenix Snow Park, located about 15 miles from Pyeongchang.