Korea is different. Here you are a list of things that I lived during my last stay in Korea, and which are not common in some other parts of the world:
- Someone forgets a scarf in the plane, and the stewardess runs till the Immigration Control asking to all passengers: “Is it yours?”
- Hundreds of people in the Immigration Control in a middle of a complete silence… except for the stewardess.
- The bus driver will bow in front of the passengers before starting your way
- A normal lunch will include 16 different dishes on the table (four of them will be kimchi)
- No floor 13 in the hotel. Superstition at its highest degree
- If you try to have dinner in a place where nobody speaks any western language, they will call someone who speaks “American” by phone to make yourselves understand.
- Most of sports time on TV news cover badminton, baseball and volleyball
- Lunch time in a huge office and lights are turned off (even in the meeting rooms), so that people can sleep.
- Technology applied to the WC: heating, water, air, music… everything you need
- Several people will tell you how healthy the garlic
- People do not smoke while walking in the streets (only in specific places), but they will smoke next to you in some bars
- You will be asked how old are you and what your marital status is in the first 2 minutes of conversation with anyone. It is not only gossiping, but a way to know what your position in the society is.
As I said in my previous post, my trip to Toulouse was completed with a couple of day-trips to some interesting places around Toulouse. We visited some castles and monasteries in the area, and enjoyed nice landscapes on our way there.
I would highlight the visit to the Le Pont du Canal, where the Channel du Midi crosses a river by means of a bridge (quite unique to see), the visit to Auch following the first steps of D’Artagnan, and the monastery of Flaran, which hosts a very well organized museum to explain how the life in such a place is and the history behind it.
More pictures from Toulouse and surroundings in this slideshow.
