My trip to Seoul to play with kitties

Saturday morning, I got up early to catch the KTX bullet train to Seoul in order to meet with some people I’d met online regarding adoption of a special-needs kitty. The KTX bullet train is a wonderful, wonderful thing. The last time I took a train from Daegu to Seoul was in 2001, and it took about four and a half hours. This time around, with the train averaging 260km/hr (161mph), it took a little more than an hour and a half. (Also, Melissa – do you remember if we left from Daegu Station or Dongdaegu Station back in ’01? Because if it was Dongdaegu, it’s changed a lot. I’ve got one word for you: ESCALATORS. Damn how those would’ve been handy.) Anyway, I’ve ridden on a lot of trains, and this one was by far the smoothest and most comfortable I’ve ever ridden. My assigned seat was facing backwards (something that people prone to motion sickness should try to avoid) and yet I felt no nausea whatsoever. Additionally, the train was clean, plush, comfortable, and very modern. The whole train ride was fantastic, and I found myself imagining what the TransSiberian could be like if they let KTX re-do it... ahh, paradise. Of course, one way to Seoul was $38, so I certainly paid for this luxury... but it was definitely worth it. I spent the trip taking pictures through the train windows and getting strange looks from fellow passengers for doing so.

Just north of Daegu


Halfway there.


See, there I am.


Just south of Seoul, everything was dusted with snow.


This was in a magazine on the train. Now, I don't read Korean, so maybe it says something like, "Get your mind out of the gutter, this is not a saddle-shaped vibrator." However, as I don't read Korean... use your imagination.

I arrived in Seoul, and was supposed to meet Anne-Marie at the Shinchon subway station. Now, I love subway systems in general, and the Seoul subway system is pretty easy to navigate, but what I didn’t know was that in addition to Shinchon, there’s also a Shincheon station. Thanks Koreans. Anyway, I think I may have spent more time on the Seoul subway than I did on the bullet train on my way down before Anne-Marie and I finally figured out what had happened I was able to get to the correct station. For those of you who aren’t familiar with the way the Seoul subway works, you purchase your ticket based on how far you’re going to be traveling (short distances cost 900w, long distances cost 1200w – or something like that). You have to insert your ticket in order to both enter and exit the subway (I much prefer Moscow and St. Petersburg, where they just charge a flat rate per metro ride, and you don’t have to have your ticket out upon exiting). I’d always wondered what would happen if you paid for a 900w ride and took a 1200w ride. Well, it turns out that the machine spits your ticket back out at you and refuses to open the turnstile to let you out. I’m not entirely sure what a person’s supposed to do in that situation, but if you’re me, when that happens, you look around, then squat down and duck-walk under the turnstile.

Anyway, I finally met up with Anne-Marie, and we headed over to her place to meet the kitties. She’s doing a great job up in Seoul: rescuing kitties, getting them fixed and immunized, and doing her best to find homes for them. When Anne-Marie found Mia, she was living in a tiny cage on the side of the road. The cage was the size of her body, so she didn’t have room to move. Inside her cage was newspaper, on top of which she slept, urinated and defecated. It also was atop her empty food dish. In order to get the cat out of this horrible situation, Anne-Marie ended up paying roughly $50 to its owners. She was promptly taken to the vet, where she was treated for liver and kidney problems, as a result of malnutrition, dehydration and (no doubt) having consumed her own fecal matter. Her liver and kidney problems have cleared up, but she has been diagnosed with hip joint dysplaysia. The vet said that this is probably a result of having been confined to such a tight space from a young age, causing her bones to grow improperly. (She is only about six months old.) Anyway, the hip joint problem is being treated with a daily dose of glucosamine, and with pain-killers if/when necessary. Mia is beautiful and loves to play, and I can’t wait to have her down here with me in Daegu. She’s going to love having this huge apartment to romp in.

Mia


Just look at those sultry eyes!


Mia in action!

In addition to playing with Mia (who was being fostered by one of Anne-Marie’s neighbors), I got to meet all of the lovely kitties who currently reside with Anne-Marie. I have definitely been suffering from kitty-withdrawal here in Korea! (At least last year I had Gosha...) I played with kitties for hours and hours, which was awesome. I also took tons of pictures.

Mom, who does this remind you of?


Awww....


This guy is awesome!


I liked this shot, with the sunshine.


This is Baby, a "mini" cat - her growth was stunted, so she's full grown, but little more than the size of a kitten. She's also a biter like Brie. I must admit, it made me nostalgic. ("Awww, I haven't been bitten like that in a year and a half, " said Jane, as the jaws clamped down... That cat still has me trained into thinking that kind of behavior's normal.)

Anyway, Mia has to return to the vet for a checkup at the end of the week, after which I can pick her up and bring her home. I’m planning on heading back up to Seoul for that very purpose this Saturday!