Up All Night...

Day Four

The absolute worst part of international travel (besides the security screenings and long, cramped flights) is jetlag.


The bed I barely slept in...so sad.

 It is now 2:49 AM, and I have been up since midnight.  I laid there staring at the ceiling for awhile and answering work e-mails (it's around 1:00 PM in Washington) before I made up my mind to call the front desk and see what time the fitness center opened.  If I wasn't going to sleep, I might as well put my time to good use and run.

When I called the front desk, I was extra careful to enunciate and ask when the FITNESS CENTER opened (I don't know if it's my Southernness or just being an American, but Koreans don't always understand me), but to my surprise, the concierge quickly replied "24 Hours".  Sweet!  Quickly, I pulled on my running shorts and tennies and headed down to the fitness center.  I don't know why I was in such a rush because when I arrived down there (six floors down and all the way across the complex, mind you), the doors were locked and lights off.



Pink, pre-dawn light casting a romantic glow.

Puzzled, I looked around for someone, anyone to ask about the gym, but of course, no one was around.  Great.  I jogged up to the front desk (the only jogging I was going to do at this hour apparently) and a very nice lady was pleased to tell me that the BUSINESS CENTER was open 24 hours.  Well, that wasn't going to do me much good.  Agitated, I stomped back to my room, and I here sit at the desk waiting for the sun to come up so I can run...hurry up Sun!

Okay, so it is now 5:32 AM, and I'm sitting on the edge of a cliff overlooking Jungmun Beach waiting for the sun to peek out from behind the mountains.  Everywhere is aglow with the faint, pink pre-dawn light - without a doubt, this is my favorite time of day.  It's those moments somewhere between night and dawn, dream and reality, when it seems as if anything could happen...yuck, now I sound like a romantic.  Forgive me!



The sunrise I was waiting for...since midnight!!!

 You might wonder how I found this perch, and that, my friends, is a very good question.  After my fruitless trip down to the FITNESS CENTER, I still couldn't find anything to do.  Korean television was getting on my nerves, I didn't feel like listening to "Defying Gravity" anymore on my iPod and it was hot in my room.  Around 4:00 AM, I found a small, lit trail meandering through the woods.  Hmmm...  I saw it from my hotel balcony and knew I had to check it out.  I'm a woman, so of course, I'm naturally curious.  Talk about some hills...whew.



Creepy statues all over Jeju Island.



After about thirty minutes of running, I stumbled upon this spot, high above Jungmun Beach.  At that time, the silver moon was shining down on the sea below, and I knew it would be a beautiful place to watch the sunrise.  I didn't have my camera with me (who would at 4:00 AM?), but I knew I'd be remiss if I didn't take the opportunity to snap some photos at sunrise.  I was a good distance from The Shilla when I thought this, so I started really hoofing it back to the hotel to grab a quick shower and my camera before I missed daybreak.



My actual work:  IFNEC Steering Group Meeting

I know there's a long, stressful day of work ahead of me (first day of the actual conference), but for this second, I feel completely at peace.  It is an amazing feeling, and one I don't get too often amidst the hustle and bustle of DC.  It's funny that I have to go to the other side of the world to hear myself think.  Let's hope I can carry this feeling through the day and not get too stressed out. 

 

On that note, I need to snap some pictures and find coffee.  My boss likes to act like the meeting can't start without my smiling face.

Happy running!