This Friday morning started out slower than the other days. We've been going and going and I think it may be wearing on us. Soles in Seoul are wearing thin. It was nice to sleep in and watch a movie to start off. But after Sherlock Holmes solved yet another one, we were anxious to get out. Our first destination of the day: Namsam Folk Village. As we rolled up there was certainly no shortage of tour buses on site. We weaved through at least 10 tour buses and dodged two Chinese filled ones that offered to shine their tail lights a little too bright for comfort. On our way in we bought some bean-filled pancake bread that is some funky combination of Mexican food and Ihop.
We entered the doors and it seemed like any other tourist attraction with fake wooden cut outs to make it seem like two American-faced Koreans were getting married. 
We browsed around for another half an hour and I was ready to go. We started making our way our and hanging in the last corridor was a special sign:
It mentioned something about having free traditional medical work done. I thought two things: 1)"Hmmm, that's interesting." and 2)"What an odd place to have an advertisement for traditional medicine."
We entered the dirt plaza to see what the dressed up Koreans were scheming up. Just like always, we could only smile and say,"Onya Ha seyo" [translation: hello] whenever someone came up to us speaking intense Korean.
Jin, conversed for a second and turned to us with the news that they not only did was the sign an advertisement but they actually did the assement there. I thought it to be a great idea and if there were even the slight chance of getting acupunture, I was comitted. They gave us a strenuously rigorous and thorough screeing to make sure we got the most tailored treatment possible (they let us choose between having a "cold" countanance or a "hot" countance).
As I sat laying shirtless on the table I thought maybe it wasn't my brightest moment, but hey, I was in Korea. If it wasn't the doctor's professional-looking fake Korean robe, it was all the 3rd graders on their class field trip on the other side of the bamboo hut that kind of gave me the Hibbie Jibbies. I adopted the general swim suit policy: I wasn't going to reveal anymore than I would at a swimming pool. When you have eleven needles in your back, you start to question yourself.
I started going over all the rational of why this whole thing was a scam. At any moment I though the female nurses would come in to take the pins out and then offer more, let's say "specialized" attention. Thankfully no such thing happened. Our host informed us that he saw the Korean equivalent to the American health board at the entrance so he knew it was safe. Otherwise we never would have entered.
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| Yes, that is my leg with two needles in it... Ask me to see the ones in my back. |
Each pin tingled as it settled in the upper epidermis. They said that the pressure in a specific area creates added blood flow and that the increased circulation speed recovery for most ailments. I really did feel my arm go tingly as the pins were place in my upper left back. The blood increase was a given though: who's heart wouldn't start pounding with needles jabbed in them?
I left the clinic less than pleased with the immediate results, but excited that only a true Chinese massage was next on the list. But a couple days later when Dallin's heel pain returned (that was healed as a result of the acupuncture), I was flying up stairs like a pre-teen Swedish boy! I really had been cured. I'm not suggesting anyone go out and get this done, but wow, it's hard to deny the results.
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