Without much research, my plan was to take Friday off and spend the weekend in Seoul. My first choice was to visit the DMZ which we still hear about as the conflict between the Koreas stays in the news. There is an opportunity to go on a USO tour through Panmunjom, the actual DMZ area and finally into one of the four tunnels that has been discovered in the area constructed by the North Koreans for a surprise attack on the South. Well, I was too late and the tour was sold out and the waiting list was over its limit. So it’s on to the rest of Seoul.
After checking into my hotel (which of course took four or five attempts to secure a reservation), I headed for the huge tower that allows for wide views of the area and would help get me oriented to where things were. The tower is impressive. At the base of the tower, is an area where lovers declare their relationships secure and unbreakable. This picture depicts what people use to display this…
I saw a similar display in Mongolia but didn’t get the meaning at that time.
Then there's the local people who are fun to watch...
There was also a group of schoolchildren on a trip to the Seoul Tower and here’s what I was able to photograph of them.
After a nice dinner, I headed up to the observatory at the top of the tower hoping to be back down in time for the light show everyone talks about. The tower was pretty much a disappointment as many of these structures are but especially because there are no striking landmarks or particularly well definable sights. Also, Seoul has awful hazy, smoggy skies which destroy any nice views you might find. However, before heading down to see the light show, I used the bathroom. Now, a bathroom 500 feet high has an opportunity for great views so as I stood there at the urinal looking out I noticed this guy looking back at me. When I smiled, he smiled and when I waved, he waved. Oh wait, that was just me.
This is not the typical photo you find where a person merges two shots. This is a single exposure where the bathroom lighting plus the reflection off the window combines the two images but this looks more like a hologram of me looming over the city. I thought it was kind of cool and creative. Of course, the guy in the urinal next to me thought I was going to take a photo of him doing his business which made for an awkward moment.
Then there is this photo which is really four photos stitched together to show the view from above…
So it’s down to the light show, which despite its hoopla was not very interesting or exciting and the photos are not worth displaying here. Then it’s down the hill on the cable car which leads to a funicular and then the main road. Now, I was walking to a market that everyone raved about as a must see. Getting there near closing time was not good but it was mostly the same stuff repeated over and over like many markets around the world. Some clothes, some souvenirs, some food, blah, blah, blah. Okay, walked away from there and headed back toward the subway to check out another market. On the way, was a high energy outdoor market that had lots of different things but again not much for me, the non-shopper, except a Smoothie King to get a fresh Strawberry Smoothie and then I stumbled upon an official MLB store. They had very overpriced baseball clothing and caps so I hustled out of there and headed to the subway to check out the other big market just to make sure I wasn’t missing all the good stuff. The market which is open all hours of the night had lots of clothing but not much else so it was back to the room for a much needed rest.
The next day brought hope for better and first up was the must see castle. On the way to the castle, I wanted to see a fresh food market which hopefully would reveal some more tasty local foods. Here is what it looked like…
Then there’s seaweed that is in squares and really looks like Astroturf.
The castle was like many others, a boring tourist trap. I did get the digital headset to listen to the stories along the way and since they are now equipped with GPS, the stories change as you enter the area where the signal indicates a new section. If you believe the narrative, this place gets 38 Million visitors per year (100,000 per day).
There was a changing of the guards ceremony that provided some nice colors and a feel for the spectacle.
Not much good photography to be had but I did get a photo of me taken near one of the buildings…
Okay, it was time for a Korean lunch. I headed to an area no one told me about but my tour book had as a nice area to see. On my way to the restaurant, I noticed this small group of people holding signs and video cameras. The signs in Korean and English said “Free Hugs”. Now that seemed like an impossible to resist opportunity to have some fun with the locals and tourists. First I walked over to the person holding the sign and got my hug, then another from the next sign holder. Of course, that wasn’t enough. I took the sign from the hug giver and walked around in this crowded square holding it high and inviting people to come to ME for free hugs. The first person, surprisingly, was a man and I thought, wait a minute this isn’t working out the way I hoped but pretty soon everyone got in the mood and lots of people were now taking me up on my offer. It stunned the team doing this but it was all in good fun and everyone had a big laugh. (Of course, I thought, if only Dave Garrison were here, this would have really gotten out of control. Dave is a really good friend of mine and when we’re together, let’s just say we push things and people to their limits.) Here’s the visual proof…
Moving along the road, there was a small side street with a bunch of Korean restaurants. I found one that looked good and proceeded to be besieged by plates of food, all cold appetizers and thinking, this seems like a lot of dishes to convey their welcome. Then I ordered two things, a beef dish and a seafood pancake. Both were very good and this was a nice chance to recharge my batteries and rest. Out the door after that to examine the shops which were mostly clothing, souvenirs, etc. but all fairly unique. I did come upon some guys in a food booth selling a product made from a circle of honey plus a water and corn starch mix. They do a very funny rap about the product and the process which are captured in these two videos. I think they are worth watching for the laughter value.
After this it was on to another area that was recommended but again turned out to be a shopping strip. This area had a very different population makeup as it was the highest concentration of non-Koreans I saw. People from all over Europe and America were walking on these streets which boasted larger sized shoes and clothes than other areas. All in all, boring! I did find something that would make Porky Pig or Miss Piggy pretty unhappy…
some poor pig is walking around without its snout.
and some hot peppers outside in the sun getting dried out...
Now it was time for a break and back to the room for some shoes off time, I guess I could have gone for a foot massage but I just wanted to flop. Around 6, it was time to find dinner, since I wasn’t sure where to go, I consulted my guide book which had a suggestion of a restaurant back near where lunch was and that funny video was taken. This place boasted of dumplings made to an old recipe so I decided to try. Finding the restaurant was not easy but worth the effort. The servers greeted all guests with another array of cold appetizers that filled the table. The restaurant was filled with locals and no Westerners in sight. Ordering the dumplings and another seafood pancake was a great combination. The food was outstanding and as usually happens, not very expensive, a can’t miss! I watched another couple of performances by the food guys and then headed back for another sound night’s sleep.
So the highlights of the trip… 10 hours of walking over two days, nothing really interesting that’s a can’t miss see, the food was very good and not too spicy as I stayed away from anything that would overload my senses. The Korean people I met were very nice and very helpful, even the lady who emphatically gave me the exact wrong directions to my hotel. The drivers are amazingly nice and respect and stop for pedestrians. They also can navigate crowded busy streets without constantly honking their horns. While there was a very loud and nasty chorus of open mouth coughing on the subway, Koreans don’t push and race like Chinese people do which makes it more relaxing to take the subway. I was on the subway for maybe 8 trips and it was easy to navigate through the vast system in Seoul. It gives you a sense that Koreans are satisfied with their lives and are just enjoying living it.
I would only return for a chance to see the DMZ but it probably won’t happen. Korea is good for shopping, dining and some minor sightseeing, but of course, I didn’t get out of Seoul to view some of Korea’s natural beauty.
My next Visa leave is on 12/16 and there’s no doubt about where that one is headed, USA!
My one Seinfeld moment was that I saw some Korean woman with large heads. There may be some of you who remember a guy who, when his girlfriends broke up with him, insulted his girlfriends enough to infuriate them into harming him, insulted Elaine by telling her she had a big head that was too big for her body. He was called a "bad breaker upper". Of course, people then begin telling Elaine that her head was blocking the mirror (in a taxi) or a street sign, etc. and more silliness ensues. Also, there were many very pretty young women but not sure what happens to them because I didn’t see very many pretty middle age Korean women, similar to what I observe China. I’m not sure what happens to them. Oh yeah, childbirth!
Well at least they didn't have "man hands"!
So glad that you got a chance to go over to Korea! Sounds pretty interesting and I bet every person you took a picture with made the peace sign. What is it with that? Every.single.time!
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