UFOs and Zelda

I always try to give facts and context in my blog posts, a bit of education for my readers. Here's some context for you and a description of our final preparations as we depart in two days for Seoul.

This map shows the plane trip from DFW to Seoul. Unlike the other Asian countries that Phillip and I visited, South Korea is not a tropical country. Seoul is actually located at 37 degrees latitude, the same as the US cities of San Franscisco; Springfield, Missouri; and Roanoke, Virgina. Fort Worth, at 32 degrees latitude, is closer to the equator than Seoul. Phillip and I will take our swimsuits on this adventure, but don't expect a lot of pictures of brightly colored fish during snorkeling expeditions. The pictures I do expect to take are of blossoms. Think April cherry blossoms in Washington DC. Hopefully cherry blossoms without a crazy man pulling a gun at their version of Capitol Hill.

I noted our planned locations while in Korea in my first posting. We actually fly into

Incheon, about an hour away by high speed train from Seoul. Seoul has a population of about 12 million people, with about 20% of the population of South Korea living in the Seoul metropolitan area. A big city for certain, and the closest we plan to get to North Korea!

This map shows our route around South Korea - counterclockwise so that we can head south to a warmer area, Jeju Island, a few days after our arrival. The climate of Jeju Island is compared to Hawaii in some of the travel sites and one of Jeju's main crops, like Hawaii, is pineapple. I'll have a lot more about Jeju in my posts during our 7-night stay there. I copied this map from the Internet, so please don't worry about the ferry sinking prominently displayed. We took a ferry in the Philippines, so we've already had our "Asian cruise" adventure and don't plan on another.

I noted that Seoul is on the 37th parallel. What else is on the 37th parallel? Multiple UFO sightings in the United States! A UFO researcher named Chuck  Zukowski noticed this track of UFOs. Perhaps they were enroute to or from Area 51, which is at 36-1/2 degrees! Let's hope that those UFOs have contained themselves to the 37th parallel in the USA. I'd hate for another Korean war to get started when both sides start shooting at UFOs.

I pack our two suitcases on Sunday and am now charging the electronics and will put them and their many cords in our carry-ons. Phillip and I compromised on the blue jeans/travel pants issue. He bought some cargo-type pants, lighter than blue jeans but not as light as my travel pants. We can still take just two small suitcases that actually qualify as carry-on luggage, my light-weight backpack, and a manly-looking tote for him and his snacks. Our packed suitcases weigh less than 20 pounds each. We have two flights within South Korea on puddle-jumper planes that have weight restrictions for luggage and we are well under those restrictions.

 

The one thing we cannot pack and take with us is Zelda. She will be in good hands while we are gone. She's spending the first weekend with Chris and Kathryn and the rest of the time with Leslie and Rock. Zelda will be well-cared for, although I don't think she'll get her regular evening snack of goldfish crackers! That's actually OK with me as our pup is a bit of a chunky monkey, even of Phillip doesn't think so. Zelda has maintained her weight at 65 pounds for the past two years, but that is over 15 pounds heavier than when we rescued her four years ago.

With Zelda taken care of, the luggage packed, and the route plotted, Phillip and I are ready to begin our new adventure!