This tournament was kind of a last minute deal and something
sort of spontaneous. I was fortunate enough to acquire a sponsor that gave me
full support to attend the tournament and that made it a must attend. As well
two of my friends were living/training in Korea so I would get to see them. In
2013 I competed in the Brazil international cup and made it to 2nd
round there which gave me a lot of world ranking points. This year however they
were testing the 11 point system at that tournament and I was not really
wanting to enter because of that. Due to not entering this meant I would lose
all those ranking points and my rank would drop, not something I needed to
happen. So out of the blue this opportunity presented itself and I jumped on
it, play a tournament and go back to Asia of course I was in. I had traveled a
decent amount this year but the thing is that I booked a lot of flights on
rewards points which meant that I didn’t acquire status miles on those flights.
This meant that I might not even get status for 2015 and that’s a year that a
lot of travel would be happening be it Olympic Qualifications starting in May. Because
of this I booked my flight to Korea through Asiana airlines but that meant
flying to LA first then to Seoul, Korea.
The day came it was time to leave and of course being
Calgary there was snow on the ground, it was November after all. Arrived at the
airport checked in and went to catch my flight but guess what it would be
delayed. No big deal I thought I had a 2 and a half hour layover in LA before
my flight to Korea how bad could it be right? Wrong turns out we were delayed
almost 2 hours so I got into LA half an hour before my flight to Korea
departed. Talk about stressful the next flight to Korea was the following
morning and that would mess everything up, so I had to run (me and one other
guy) through the terminals to get to the international terminal. Arriving at
the gate just as the last few passengers were boarding the plane I had
successfully made my flight but unfortunately my luggage didn't. 12 hours later
I stepped off the plane in Incheon airport and had no luggage just my badminton
bag and backpack. Now the fun part because the journey wasn't over I still had
to take a bus roughly 4 hours south into Korea to make it to Jeonju. This was
the killer part after flying for almost 15 hours already to sit down even more,
I just slept the majority of the ride except when we had a pit stop.
4 hours of driving through the Korean countryside
So I arrived in Jeonju and got picked up by the tournament,
dropped off at my hotel and told that my luggage would arrive the next day at
1pm. Thankfully I was in main draw and that meant that I did not have to go
through qualification on the first day. This let me rest and wait for my
luggage but not really explore or walk around. I got a little familiar with the
immediate area but there wasn't much to see just places to eat and the odd
store. There was a bunch of hotels grouped together where we were but they were
almost like hostels or “other” kind of hotels judging by the area and all the
gentlemen’s clubs that surrounded us. The interesting multicolored lighting in
the rooms and the light up hot tub didn't help break the perception of the
place either. Regardless it was still a nice hotel and perfectly fine for
staying a week in the country. After having a hit in the main hall it wasn't
looking to bad, the venue was big but because of the altitude and weather it
felt similar to playing in Calgary which would be nice. The downside though was
that the venue was cold and during the tournament you would see the umpire and
service judge wearing actual winter jackets to stay warm.
The area around the hotel
Signs like this everywhere
My hot tub/Jacuzzi changed colors...
The following day rolled around and it was match time, I was
scheduled to play one of the first matches in the morning while Grace and Henry
(my 2 friends from Calgary who are living/training in Korea) were scheduled to
play just after noon. I played a left handed player from Korea and at first
appearances it was obvious just the physical differences between us. He was
easily 6 feet and a bit as well was stockier in a good way compared to me. I
appeared to be a small kid standing next to him, this also made him a beast on
court easily covering the court and making moving him around a tough mission. Needless
to say I got my ass handed to me on that faithful day, I just was not able to
keep up to him in any way, shape, or form. There were some points where I
played amazing and just by looking at that one would think I was on top but in
reality they were rare strokes of pure luck mixed in with a bit of genius but
my lack of experience or my uncertainty/over thinking was what ultimately lead
to my downfall. After my match I stayed and watched Henry's and Graces mixed
match, they had a close one with a Korean pair.
Tournament Venue
Well that was the tournament for me, nothing I wasn't
accustomed to fly all that way play 1 match and then be done. For half of the
draw that is the tournament, you fly all that way and lose 1st
round, the other half wins and advances. But although the tournament was done I
still had a day left in Jeonju to go out and explore. When we went back to the
hotel Grace and Henry invited me out to eat and also invited the Egyptians out
as well. So I would make 2 more friends as well as get some good Koran food
that day. The following day would be my last in Korea before beginning the long
journey back home, a quick turnaround just 5 days in the country which is
normal for me traveling to tournaments. We all went out for some Korean hot pot
and then later on in the day me Grace and the 2 Egyptians went to sight see in
a place referred to as Hanok Village and it was a traditional looking area,
lots of shopping as well as a fantastic church to see, Pungnammun Gate which
was quite the sight located in the middle of a built up shopping area. Also
went to Gyeonggijeon Hall which was a symbol of the Joseon Dynasty where the
king had his royal palace. We spent a few hours browsing around and I was able
to get some gifts for people as well as take lots of pictures to remember my
trip down south in Jeonju, Korea. The day was not done yet though, there was
still dinner plans for later.
Pungnammun Gate
Once we left the area and got back to the hotel, Grace told
me that we would be meeting up with one of their friends for dinner and drinks
later. The night started off with Korean BBQ and as always everything is so
much better in its country of origin. The food was amazing, the various cuts of
meat we got melted in one’s mouth and the flavor was both intense yet
satisfying. The night was still young an after Korean BBQ and getting loaded up
on both Soju and Korean beer we headed to get what else but fried chicken,
something Korea is famous for and does damn well. Finding a location that was
close to our hotel we hit it up and went crazy with the chicken and of course
more drinking both Soju and beer. At this point we had had a lot to drink but
at the same time I made sure to drink my fair share of water so I wouldn't have
a nasty hangover to deal with the next day. I had already done the party all
night and then fly super early in the morning the following/same day many times
before and doing it without a hangover makes it substantially more bearable. We
finished around 2/3 am and I had to catch the bus at 8am to take the 3 hour
drive to Incheon Airport near Seoul in order to catch my 1pm flight back home
to Canada. Needless to say I ended up getting a few hours of sleep followed by
a hot shower to wake me up but ended up sleeping the entire bus ride up to the
airport.
Before...
The aftermath
Friend Chicken in Korea
So that was that, the trip to Korea had come and I was on my
way back home well to LA then to Calgary. The upside was that I would be flying
in style on the Airbus A380, the double decked plane, but would be in for a
surprise. I had only booked an economy class ticket on the 2nd floor
but at the last minute I was able to upgrade it to a business class ticket on
the 2nd floor. It might not be one of the private suites downstairs
but it was still nice to fly a 12 hour flight in business and have a pod with a
lay flat bed to relax on. The trip was complete I arrived back home Friday
night and would sleep then go to work Saturday morning for 8:30am only to
finish 9pm that same night. What about jet lag you ask well it was there and was
it every a tough, long, and painful day…another that was repeated on Sunday as well.
That was Korea, my 2nd last international of the year, I would play
1 more tournament to cap off 2014 and that would be Puerto Rico.
No comments:
Post a Comment