We took a cross-country bus today from Seoul to Sokcho. It took about 3.5 hours to reach our destination; a large portion of the drive seemed to be on bridges and tunnels as we made our way across the mountainous country. The first thing we did when we arrived was make a quick stop at the tourism desk to pick up a map, then we went off in search for a hotel. Passing by the one that looked like a castle, we followed the waving lady wearing a white bucket hat into the hotel across the street. She took us up a flight of stairs, down a hallway past a Shawshank Redemption movie poster, and into room 207. A quick look at the wallpaper and circular bed was all it took. “We’ll take it!” Matt told the lady in not so few words via the help of a translator over the lady’s phone. And so we plopped down our packs and settled into our room for the next couple nights. It is reminiscent of the Darjeeling Limited, minus color-coordinated bathrobes, guys in turbans, and then there’s our luggage, which sadly does not match. Matt asked me, “Have you ever slept on a circle bed before?” “When would I have had a circle bed to sleep on?” I asked back. Matt shrugged and responded, ”It’s like Austin Powers. This,” laying on the bed and demonstrating, “is a circle: you can sleep any direction on this bed and it wouldn’t matter.” So you can. And the hairdryer is pink too. Upon further reflection later in the day, we came to the conclusion that this is not some take-off of the Madonna Inn (San Luis Obispo) but rather most likely a “Love hotel.” Oh well. What’s not to love about this: