Again, I've been lazy about posting on my blog.
Its safe to say that I've hit the second stage of my time here. The glasses are no longer rosy, the grass here isn't always greener (actually, there's no grass at all), and I have discovered that Korean summers are hotter than the hinges of hell.
I have sweat more this month than all 12 months prior combined.
I've seen more Koreans wearing pants and long sleeved shirts in this weather than I've seen people wearing shorts... and surprisingly, every get up I see has an equal amount of blatant disrespect towards nature as lack of sweat on the persons wearing them. Koreans don't sweat. They just don't. I don't get it.
Also, I've learned that when it comes to absolutely anything, Koreans are mostly worried about appearances. Whether they're going to the local mart to get some ramen or going out on the weekend, you're not going to be able to tell much of a difference, they try to look great all the time. They will go all out promoting an event, making signs, posters, banners, jerseys, getting cheerleaders, fans, and just about everything you could possibly imagine for a basketball tournament...
and then have two basketball hoops like this set up at opposite ends of the court and expect us to play on them...
But really, here was the court:
Disastrous court.
We'll return to this theme later.
A few weekends ago, I was able to visit Seoul for the first time. I had been putting it off mostly because once arriving in Korea, I found that there are so many things to do in and near Daegu that I had just put it on the back burner and left it simmering. Also, the prices for a KTX high speed train are quite high at 30,000-40,000 won. Two of my coworkers told me that they were going that particular weekend and that they had decided to take a bus instead, which was about 24,000 won (about $20), so I decided to go. The bus took longer, but I really dont mind. Taking the bus in Korea has grown to become one of my favorite things.... it usually means I'm headed somewhere I really have no clue how to get to, what to do when I'm there, and the scenery is very beautiful. It's strange, because on the bus is the only time I really get a sense of open space.
We sort of have a joke between my group of friends. When we end up somewhere new we hop out of the bus begin to survey the area. Usually we'll sort of spin in a circle or two, look down and up the street, and then proclaim to the group something like: "Wow, that's pretty neat... Looks like Korea." We say this because it really all looks exactly the same... its only when I'm on the bus that I see the open rice paddies and the beautiful mountains.
My expectations of Seoul were that it would be bigger and busier than anything I'd experienced in Korea to date. This was moderately true. I did notice that the buildings were taller, but on the whole, it had the same feel to it as Daegu, just much bigger.
We started in Insa-dong, which is the "old" part of town. Apparently this just means that they have a street with a bunch of souvenier stores that sell things that look like they are from traditional Korea. Medicore at best... I wasn't too impressed, but its all part of the experience, and so it was necessary and enjoyable all the same!
Next, we stumbled upon Gyeongbokgung Palace, which I wish I could tell you a ton about, but I can't, because my memory is about as good as Korea is diverse. In any case, wikipedia remembers everything, so if you are curious, click here, and get learned!
The palace was incredible, really. It is in the middle of this incredibly vast city. Right from an area of twenty some story glass buildings it turns into this brick laid wall. Once entering there's a vast courtyard and another entrance at the far side. We continued to go further and further into the palace, expecting it to end, yet it continued on for a long time. To see this degree of preservation in a city this large is quite amazing, and it was one of my favorite parts of the trip. Here's some photos:
Next comes my favorite part of the trip...
The finding of the beer.
I found out there's this restaurant that brews their own beer outside of Seoul and has it shipped in every day. Its called Craftworks, and it does not disappoint. We traveled over to Itaewon, which is sort of the international hub of the city. Its easily the most diverse neighborhood in Korea and you can find all sorts of things there you can't anywhere else. The most common thing I heard walking by was "I have big size", "Sir, come here. I make suit for you."
We found Craftworks, and I was giddy with excitement upon receiving my first ipa since arriving in Korea, and it did not disappoint. If you're in Korea and craving a nice beer, go ahead and google it. Its not tough to find and it was worth the trip in itself.
After that we decided to go see what Itaewon nightlife was all about so we camped out at a local corner and just people watched for a while.
At about eleven I was ready to hit the bed, so we walked on over to a local jjimjabong. A jjimjabong basically a spa, which for one floor, divides into mens and womens rooms where you can steam and sauna as long as you like. For eight dollars we got a nice sauna, a shower, and a mat to sleep on for the night. It's not the most comfortable place to sleep, but it is affordable!
The next morning we finished off with a little shopping and then headed back to Daegu.
I definitely have not spent enough time in Seoul to get a feel of the city, but it was a nice little vacation.
I wasn't able to finish this post until about 2 months after it actually happened, which I realize is extremely lame. I'm hoping to keep up to date better with shorter, more timely posts in the future.
Peace and Love!
My expectations of Seoul were that it would be bigger and busier than anything I'd experienced in Korea to date. This was moderately true. I did notice that the buildings were taller, but on the whole, it had the same feel to it as Daegu, just much bigger.
We started in Insa-dong, which is the "old" part of town. Apparently this just means that they have a street with a bunch of souvenier stores that sell things that look like they are from traditional Korea. Medicore at best... I wasn't too impressed, but its all part of the experience, and so it was necessary and enjoyable all the same!
Next, we stumbled upon Gyeongbokgung Palace, which I wish I could tell you a ton about, but I can't, because my memory is about as good as Korea is diverse. In any case, wikipedia remembers everything, so if you are curious, click here, and get learned!
The palace was incredible, really. It is in the middle of this incredibly vast city. Right from an area of twenty some story glass buildings it turns into this brick laid wall. Once entering there's a vast courtyard and another entrance at the far side. We continued to go further and further into the palace, expecting it to end, yet it continued on for a long time. To see this degree of preservation in a city this large is quite amazing, and it was one of my favorite parts of the trip. Here's some photos:
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| Inside looking out |
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| After going through the first gate you come across this. Apparently, only the king was allowed to walk on this center strip! |
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| This is a ring on the ground that they would tie a tent down to in order to protect the king from less than favorable weather conditions. |
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| These markers indicated rank. If you were high up in the ranks, you would sit by whichever stone marker bore your title. Sorry, no tent for you. |
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| Inside one of the king's various buildings... |
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| This chimney belonged to a building which was made specifically to be warm, and that is all. It was a place where the king could be comfortable in the winter. They would light fires underneath the house in a stone cavern and the smoke would leave through the chimney. |
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| The queen had her own personal garden in the back of the complex. |
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| It had walls with cool patterns. |
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| This building was especially made for guests of the king. He would bring them here to impress them and have special dinners and entertainment. It's located on the west side of the palace and can only be entered by bridge. |
Next comes my favorite part of the trip...
The finding of the beer.
I found out there's this restaurant that brews their own beer outside of Seoul and has it shipped in every day. Its called Craftworks, and it does not disappoint. We traveled over to Itaewon, which is sort of the international hub of the city. Its easily the most diverse neighborhood in Korea and you can find all sorts of things there you can't anywhere else. The most common thing I heard walking by was "I have big size", "Sir, come here. I make suit for you."
We found Craftworks, and I was giddy with excitement upon receiving my first ipa since arriving in Korea, and it did not disappoint. If you're in Korea and craving a nice beer, go ahead and google it. Its not tough to find and it was worth the trip in itself.
After that we decided to go see what Itaewon nightlife was all about so we camped out at a local corner and just people watched for a while.
The next morning we finished off with a little shopping and then headed back to Daegu.
I definitely have not spent enough time in Seoul to get a feel of the city, but it was a nice little vacation.
I wasn't able to finish this post until about 2 months after it actually happened, which I realize is extremely lame. I'm hoping to keep up to date better with shorter, more timely posts in the future.
Peace and Love!
