From there it was off to the Museum of Oriental Medicine. I never thought a museum with exhibits full of twigs and berries would be interesting but it was. They've been using natural medicine for hundreds of years in this part of the world and the people seem pretty darn healthy and happy to me. I just feel bad for the kids; they don't get to enjoy the juicy flavors of Flintstone's vitamins like us.
-"Mommy, my tummy hurts."
-"Ah, honey, here's some roots I pulled up from the backyard, this will help."
From there I found myself in a doctor's office getting ready to become a human pincushion. I'd never done acupuncture before, mainly because the idea of needles in my back always turned me off, and because in America if you have sore back you just take Ibuprofen to fix it.
The sensation was minimal; I barely felt the needles as he gently placed them in my back. The doctor said he was aiming to balance my body, saying that my right side was tenser than my left. I'm not gonna come out and say that I noticed a huge difference, or any difference after the procedure, but it was a fun experience.
The day started for the second time at the natural medicine market where the pungent aroma bites at your nose. The sidewalks are overflowing with buckets of herbs, twigs, berries, and roots of every shape and size. I even saw little bushels of scorpion tails (supposed to be good for bad backs) and dried frogs on a stick.
I decided to try something I recognized, Ginseng. This popular stimulant is popular in energy drinks and can also be used an aphrodisiac, ooh la la! While chewing on some Ginseng candy, the owner of the shop offered me a cup of Sanhua tea. As I enjoyed my spicy cinnamon elixir, he explained to me that in the old days people drank this after having sex...in order to re-stimulate the man. I guess they should call it Viagra Tea...add a little Ginseng and this could be a hit!
The Noryangin fish market is HUGE! It's 66,000 square meters of the craziest fish you've ever seen and never seen. You can visit the market at normal hours, but between 1-3am is when it's most alive. This is when they unload the day's catch and fire up the auctions.
I've been to auctions before and I don't understand a word the motor mouth auctioneers spew out. Same thing in Korea, didn't understand a thing...not a great place to for a beginner to practice their Korean comprehension. Good thing I wasn't in the market for 500 pounds of Sea bass or I would have been screwed.
On the opposite side of the auction block were tanks full of live octopus, crabs, Sea horses and strange creatures I'd only seen on the Discovery Channel. It was like a giant zoo, a zoo where you can pick out your favorite animal, take it home and eat it. I can imagine kids pleading with their parents, "Mommy mommy, I want that cute pink squid, can I have it please?"
The market isn't heated and after an hour I was feeling like a frozen fish stick. It was time to return to my warm bed.
My next mission was easy and very enjoyable, a little sports massage! It began with a little fancy foot work by not by the hands of humans. I dipped my feet into a pool of about 30 little fishes that immediately began sucking on my toes. It tickled so bad I could hardly stand it. I provided them with a hearty dinner as they ate all the dead skin off my feet. Some massages are famous for their Happy Endings, but this one had an amazing Happy Beginning!
From there I was taken into a back room where I sat down in a huge, Lazy Boy type chair. The fish had a gentle, soothing touch but I was really enjoying the strong foot massage I was now receiving. My masseuse dug his knuckles into the bottom of my feet and even the tips of my toes. It was both pain and pleasure in the same moment.
After a final round of foot lovin, I was taken into the third and final station for a shoulder massage. A little aroma therapy and some back cracks and this boy was in heaven.
I offered to come back every day and feed the fish but they didn't take me up on my offer. I hope they don't starve after getting a taste of my scrumptious feet!
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