Seoul

This weekend I took a trip to Seoul, sprawling metropolis of Korea. One of my favorite parts of the city was the Cheonggyecheon Stream, which was recently uncovered and lined with walking paths, waterfalls, etc. for the public. It runs through a large portion of the downtown but is set off from traffic, so it's a great way to get from place to place.

My first stop was Gyeongbokgung Palace, where I took an English guided tour. The palace was originally built during the Joseon Dynasty (1395), but completely demolished by the Japanese. Since 1990, they have restored many of the buildings, and it's very beautiful.


















I met my friend Hyo Jung, whom I met at St. Olaf, for lunch. She lives in Seoul with her parents and is getting her masters in international business at Yonsei University. It was good to catch up with her (who would ever have thought we'd cross paths again?) and get some of her insider tips.








I stumbled across this "senior citizens" park, which was a peaceful place to catch my breath and watch some of the old men play a game that looked like checkers.



This was when I got lost in Seoul....but got to see some of the older, more authentic part of town that has been giving way to the modern apartment buildings. I also saw Insadong, a famous street with older shops and lots of antiques.

There were many more Westerners here than I am used to in Namyangju, especially in Itaewon, which is kind of an expat (and U.S. military) district, with lots of Canadians and Australians.


I found the subway system to be fast, efficient and clean. Riding public transportation here always makes me wish we had more mass transit in the U.S. Many people do drive cars (pretty much exclusively Hyundai, Kia, or Samsung, which bought the French auto maker Renault), but the subway, high-speed train and buses connect nearly everything. Another side note: I have been amazed at how nearly everyone driving has a GPS that they watch TV on. The IT teacher who drives me into school everyday watches Korean soaps in rush-hour traffic!





My last stop was the National Museum of Korea, which had lots of cultural artifacts and artwork. The influences of China and Japan was very evident; my favorite was the celadon pottery.

Climbing Baekbong

I happened upon a mountain trail that was a popular spot on a Sunday afternoon. I was surprised how many older couples there were, especially given the rugged trail, but I know hiking is very popular in Korea. The way up was quite steep in spots, sometimes a dried-out riverbed. It brought to mind hiking Mt. Marathon in Seward, Alaska, another memorable climb.

Halfway up there was a natural spring that people were using to fill up water bottles and buckets. I took this as a sign that I should not start drinking the tap water anytime soon.

Thank you, random clock.

(Just when I thought I could escape you.)

The view at the top was spectacular!

Hongneung and Yureung

Today I struck out for the royal tombs located near the city center and my high school (supposedly). It was my first time navigating the bus system, which is written entirely in hangeul and has no "map." However, the buses are frequent and quite pleasant when you can find the right one.

A number of kings and queens of the old Joseon dynasty are buried at Hongneung and Yureung. Many died tragic deaths, often due to the country's constant struggle for sovereignty with Japan, China, etc. It really is amazing that Korea has endured it all and become such a thriving place (well, the South at least.)


















Some of my favorite stone guards watching over the tombs...

Namyangju City

After arriving at the Incheon airport, my co-teacher drove me through Seoul rush hour traffic to Namyangju-City, which is about 30 minutes northeast of Seoul. My co-teacher said that the Korean government built the city to alleviate overcrowding in Seoul, as with other cities that started booming when the subway system connected them to the capital. He grew up in Seoul himself but said he could no longer afford housing and "bad air." Everywhere you look in Namyangju there are towering apartment buildings--it seems that everything is in a high rise here. There are mostly young families living here, and the population of 450,000 is spread out in different districts.


I've seen several churches already. Some have large red flourescent crosses sticking up--but those may be hospitals...I'll have to figure that one out.



Kimbap Chungguk, which provides most all my meals, has become my new best friend. It's like McDonald's in that it's dirt-cheap and ubiquitous in Korea, but unlike McD's in that the food is actually fresh and delicious. Kimbap, I've learned, means rice wrapped in seaweed (kim=seaweed, bap=rice).

I spy another Kimbap! Do you?

I've visited E-Mart several times. It's like a Walmart, and is always extremely crowded. There is literally a salesperson in every aisle, and others hawking free samples and yelling at customers. It too has many floors, with flat escalators for wheeling carts up and down. You have to lock up your bag before going in, and they even have lockers for dogs! Today I saw a poor little schi tzu in one and was tempted to break it out.

Have you no shame, Pizza Hut?

My digs

Welcome to the ghetto closet I call home! Still waiting to see whether any furnishings are forthcoming...but I've been in the dark for most of this process, so I've grown accustomed to it. I am conveniently located next to a restaurant with a pig and cow holding hands on the front.

It has been beastly hot here, very sultry nights. I will probably need to buy a fan. My bed was quite bigger than the sheets I brought over (bedding is very difficult to find here.) I do smile every morning when I read the Konglish on my faux-Armani mattress.

As for the bathroom--well, I'll leave that up to your imagination. Let's just say the shower is a hose over the sink. Oh, and did I mention the view...