Ya-Ya Weekend in Seoul

First you have to ask, "What is a Ya-Ya?" Well, probably a friend who is so dear to you. You can call them in the middle of the night and just say, "Can I....". A Ya-Ya would interrupt you and just say "Yes." before you can ask what it is that you need. They are your girl friends that you can just sit for hours with and just chat about anything, while sipping your coffee or other beverage of your choice.

So, this weekend was a Ya-Ya weekend. There are 4 of us; three of which are moving back to America this summer, which is sad. But on this weekend only 3 of the Ya-Yas could partake, because our 4th Ya-Ya was running amuck and having a great time in Tokyo! So, here our story begins.

Here we go...........the big toll plaza on the outskirts of Seoul. The pictures doesn't do it justice; the plaza is massive! And there are so many cars............and we are so very excited!

So, we arrive at the lovely Dragon Hill Lodge, a premiere location for any weekend stay in Seoul! Nestled in the heart of Yongson Garrison, (that is Army talk for base). We get settled in our room and decide that it is lunch time and we are hungry..............and thirsty! And since this is a no kid weekend, yes, there are cocktails at lunch! (I know we're geeks, but it was fun!)

First, one friend had a hair appointment, so I and my great Air Force friend decided what fabulous treatment we would get done. There were so many choices! After much discussion, we decided on a 40 minute full body massage. It sounded like a good idea!

Two ladies came to get us and we went into a room that had three beds in it. On the first bed was a small Agimah getting her massage so I stood next to a bed and my friend stood next to one. Then we awaited further instruction. Our ajashees (young women) came over with a small basket for each of us and told us to take off all clothes except our underwear. We looked around for a changing room. Hmmmmmmmmmmmm. We looked at each other. The ajashees looked at us. Then they took matters in hand and quietly told us that it was okay. We were to undress right there in front of God and everyone and hop up on the table and then we would be covered. Hmmmmmmmmmmm. We looked at each other. The ajashees looked at us. My friend said, "right here?? In the open?? Just like this?? Right here?!" Her ajashee said, quietly cause we were in the massage room...everything was said in a whisper..."yes, it's okay. Take off clothes." Hmmmmmmmmmm at that point someone whimpered. It may have been my friend. Then we got the giggles which was not appreciated by two ajashees trying to keep everything quiet and serene. We looked at each other again and just decided to go for it. Why not?!?! I remember saying, "I love you man." Yeah, good times! We felt better after the massage. It didn't matter at that point about being naked!

That night was spent enjoying girl time and chatting, sharing secrets, and consuming some beverages. We slept in to prepare for our big day out into Seoul! We decide that we should take the subway. Well, the Seoul subway looks a lot like the NYC subway........many lines of different colors. We figure out where we need to go and try to figure out the ticket dispensing machine. Here is my Air Force friend and Paigee with her beautiful hair looking a little terrified at the amount of choices at the ticket machine.

We decide to check out the Dongdameum shopping district. Well, a little bigger than the Daegu shopping areas that we were very familiar with. First is some fun shopping with vendors scattered throughout. Notice the Tourist Information Center behind the crowd, and yes, it was closed!

This is where you are supposed to find everything and anything. WOW! It was Saturday and very crowded. This building held many, many, many floors of fabric, ribbon and stuff. We attempted, but were overcome! Maybe we were still feeling the effects of our massage and a no kids weekend. It was just too much chaos for us!

And then there was the crazy traffic and people and bikes, and.............."CALGON, take me away!"

We walked around for too long, because none of us wanted to say what a crazy place this was and we wanted to go back to the Dragon Hill Lodge. I don't know who said it first, but we made a bee line for the first cab back to familiar territory! We ate lunch downtown at Outback and headed back to our room for a nap! We woke and decided that we would go to a movie. Then it was back to the room for PJs, secrets, giggles, and more beverages.

We had a great weekend that was restful and meaningful. Love you Ya-Yas!