Chuseok Holiday Trip to Seoul--Day 2

Thursday, September 19^th

Our second day in Seoul dawned and found us preparing for another day of sight-seeing. The first item on our agenda was Gyeongbokgung Palace. This palace is famous as one of the largest and grandest, and although it was destroyed during the Japanese invasion it has been fully restored.

That morning we set out once more through the subway system, and just about missed our first train. We came so close to missing it, in fact, that the doors started to shut on me while I was trying to get on. That was a first! Though thankfully, even if we had not made it we would not have had to wait too long before the next one.

A couple transfers later we arrived at the palace site. Because of the holiday entrance was free, which also meant huge crowds. It was a stiflingly hot day with not a cloud in the pale blue sky. I was reminded of my home in Texas, though I can't say that the heat made me homesick.

At first I thought it would only take a short amount of time to see everything, but I soon realized that the palace grounds were much larger than I expected. Down every path there was a new building to see which led to another new building and so forth. As always, I loved the intricacy of the architecture.

In addition to the sights of the palace, they were also holding demonstrations of traditional Korean dancing and singing. There were booths set up for children to do various crafts and activities, and they were passing out some tteok (pronounced like “dukk”) which is a kind of rice cake especially common around the time of Chuseok.

We spent a couple hours wandering around Gyeongbokgung, but after a few hours of walking under the blazing sun on an empty stomach, we decided that it was time to move on. It took awhile to reform our group, but we reconvened and made a plan for the next step. It was on to Insadong next.

This is what Insadong is:

“Insa-dong Street is one of the most memorable attractions in Seoul and represents the focal point of Korean traditional culture and crafts. Stores in Insa-dong specialize in a wide variety of goods that can only be purchased or appreciated in Korea: hanbok (traditional clothing), hanji (traditional paper), traditional teas, pottery, and folk crafts.” (http://www.visitkorea.or.kr/enu/SH/SH_EN_7_2_2_1.jsp)

Lunch time had already come and gone, but we needed a place to eat before we walked through Insadong. It was incredibly crowded which made it difficult to find a restaurant with room for us. The growling in our stomachs spurred us onward, and we ended up finding a very nice little place down a side street. It was a small place with all the usual Korean dishes, and decorated in a very pleasant and old fashioned manner. I ordered Bulgogi in a stone pot. I have to say, it was incredibly delicious.

Refreshed by the food, we braved the crowded street once more. We mostly stuck to window shopping which was fine with me. We also got to see a lot of street food, including this very unique way of eating ice cream:

They break off those long cones and fill them with ice cream, so you it's like you have a tube of ice cream. The cone is corn based, and really very good. The people selling them must have made a killing, because it seemed like everyone was enjoying one.

In addition to shopping, there were also street musicians. I admit to having a deep fondness for street musicians. There was a violinist who was particularly good. I was very sad when he put up his instrument and left.

Before leaving Insadong, I found myself a cozy coffee shop and ordered a chocolate espresso. Small, but a very tasty and refreshing drink. It was also good to sit down in a quiet place for a bit.

While waiting for the entire group to make it back to the appointed meeting place, we got to watch more street musicians and a man making giant bubbles for the delight of the children gathered.

We decided to head to Han river next, and as the sun set we hopped onto another subway. It was night when we arrived at the riverside, and all of the lights were aglow amid the rippling water. The park beside the water was really lovely. There were fountains, benches, grass, and families all enjoying the cool night breeze together or watching street magicians. It was really a peaceful place, with the moon high above us and the lapping of the water beside us. A snack of squid only added to the atmosphere.

I was a little sorry to leave the riverside, but also so exhausted that I was grateful to return to our home base. Once more I found myself eating a late dinner from a convenience store and then sleeping deeply.

It was a long, hot day but once more productive. My favorite parts were the street musicians and the river. I find places like Gyeongbokgung and Insadong very interesting and enjoyable because of the way they are steeped in culture (both old and new), but at the end of the day I like nothing better than to sit in some grass and enjoy a peaceful scene.

Thanks for reading! More to come. Sorry if the posts are slow--I am still a college student, even here in Korea, with homework to keep up on. Thanks!

Chuseok Holiday Trip to Seoul--Day 1

Tuesday September 17^th was a long day for me seeing as I was in class from 10 a.m. to 5:15 p.m. But there was no resting after my last class let out, because I had just about an hour to finish packing a suitcase and then find the bus that would take dozens of Handong students to Seoul for the Chuseok holiday.

Chuseok is the Korean equivalent to Thanksgiving where family members gather together to eat and celebrate the harvest. Well, for me Chuseok meant a five day vacation from school. The university was almost completely shut down during this time so it was the most convenient opportunity to go to the capital of South Korea—the concrete jungle of Seoul.

At 6:30 the buses were rolling out of Handong and I settled down for the five hour trip. There is not much to be said about the journey because the darkness of night hid the scenery. We arrived in Seoul fairly late in the evening, but the trip was not yet over. There were about eighteen of us internationals who were all going to be staying in the same guest house. So with the help of two Korean friends we navigated the subway system. It was tiring having to transfer trains several times and haul luggage up and down long flights of stairs, but eventually we made it to our guest house in the area of Seoul known as Hongdae.

It was past midnight when we arrived at “Mr. Kim's Friends” guest house. I discovered that I would be staying in the basement portion of the establishment and sharing a room with seven other people. Also, our room was painted neon green.

Entrance to our temporary abode. Kind of cave-like

To our consternation, we discovered that the price that had been agreed upon before we came was now higher. Well, I knew I could not pay the higher price and the rest of us were in the same boat. One of the members of our group who happens to be Korean American ended up having a conversation with the guest house owner in which he managed to talk the price down. I was very grateful. It ended up being a very late night, and I had to shower without hot water, but I did sleep deeply when at last my head hit the pillow.

Wednesday, September 18^th

9 a.m. rolled around and found me reluctant to climb out of bed, but we had a full day ahead of us to get started on. Our group of eighteen split into two groups during the day, and my group was heading out to meet up with a Korean friend from school. It was time to see Seoul!

We set out for the subway station and with the help of a couple maps we made it onto all of the right subways. At 11a.m. we joined our Korean friend who led us into the insanity that is known as Myeong-dong. Myeong-dong is a famous shopping district of Seoul. With all of the department stores towering above me and the massive crowds pushing in on all sides, I was reminded a bit of Tokyo. There were more stores, restaurants and cafes than I could comprehend. I couldn't help but wonder how one could possibly need that much shopping, but by the sheer number of people engaged in that activity I concluded that other people probably think differently.

After pushing our way through the overflowing streets of Myeong-dong for awhile we found a nice, out of the way Korean place to have lunch at. It was a good meal and welcome quiet.

Once our stomachs were full we decided to split up and rejoin at an appointed time. Our small group decided to do a bit of sight-seeing instead of shopping, which was perfectly fine with me. We stopped to buy a Korean sugar cookie from a street vendor. This is what it looks like:

If you manage to punch out the shape of the little man without breaking the rest of the cookie, you get another cookie for free. We broke ours, so no free cookie. It was tasty though.

We made our way to Sungnyemun Gate, a traditional Korean structure that sits proudly amongst the skyscrapers of modern Seoul.

It was a sunny day, so after seeing the gate we stopped to get a drink. I discovered coffee soda, and had to try it. It was actually very good—just like root beer, but with coffee.

Next we got to take a look at the outside of Deoksugung Palace. It cost money to venture inside so we contended ourselves with watching a parade and taking pictures beside the unmoving, statue-like guards.

On our way back to meet up with the others we encountered something I found a bit strange, but fun—trampolines set up on the lawn in front of Myeong-dong city hall that were open for anyone to use. Little children and businessmen alike were enjoying some bouncing.

By the time we made it back to the main shopping street of Myeong-dong to reconvene, I was feeling the effects of the stifling heat. To combat the discomfort, I tried some delicious green tea ice cream. Our group reformed itself and we headed to the bus station for our next destination—Namsun Tower, otherwise known as Seoul Tower.

One crowded bus trip and a steep uphill walk later, we arrived. The view of Seoul was breathtaking from such a height, and it was refreshing to be amongst trees and in view of mountains again.

I was educated on one of the traditions of the tower—lock and key. Apparently it is tradition for couples to buy a lock and key, attach it to somewhere on the observation area, and then throw away the key. There must have been thousands of locks all piled on top of each other!

We decided to ascend the tower at night so that we could see the neon glow of Seoul. After waiting awhile and then eating dinner, we bought our tickets and took the elevator to the top. It was a worthwhile view. From so far away Seoul looked beautiful, like a million fireflies all trapped in a sea of velvet. Much more peaceful than being down in the streets!

After we got our fill of the view, we headed back to our guest house. It was late by the time we made it back, and we were all very tired. But it had been a productive day, and a good introduction to Seoul. I did no shopping, but was fine with getting to see the sights and take pictures of it all. Although the city can be overwhelming to this small town girl, I had fun experiencing something new. Namsun tower was my favorite part of our first day.

This concludes day one of my Chuseok holiday blog series. Look out for the next one soon! And if you want more of the pictures I will have them all up on Facebook in an album specifically for the Chuseok holiday.

Thank you for reading!

First Tourism Trip--Gyeongju

On September 14th I got to do my first real tourism of South Korea. One of my Korean friends from my home university who is now living in Seoul came down to Pohang for a visit, so we got together to do a bit of sight-seeing. We went to Gyeongju, a very famous area of Korea. Here is what Wikipedia has to say (a better explanation than I could give):

Gyeongju is a coastal city in the far southeastern corner of North Gyeongsang province in South Korea. It is the second largest city by area in the province after Andong, covering 511 sq miles with a population of 264,091 people. Numerous low mountains—outliers of the Taebaek range—are scattered around the city.
Gyeongju was the capital of the ancient kingdom of Silla (57 BC – 935 AD) which ruled about two-thirds of the Korean Peninsula between the 7th and 9th centuries. A vast number of archaeological sites and cultural properties from this period remain in the city. Gyeongju is often referred to as "the museum without walls." 
Among such historical treasures, Seokguram grotto, Bulguksatemple, Gyeongju Historic Areas and Yangdong Folk Village are designated as World Heritage Sites by UNESCO. The many major historical sites have helped Gyeongju become one of the most popular tourist destinations in South Korea.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gyeongju)

If you are curious for more information, I found another good site that has more of the history: 
http://www.visitkorea.or.kr/enu/SI/SI_EN_3_6.jsp?cid=255885

We set out from Pohang on bus, and ended up hiring a taxi for the entire day to drive us everywhere. It was the cheapest and most convenient option, and worked quite well. The trip to Gyeongju took about an hour and a half. It was rainy for a few hours, but that did not make it an unpleasant trip. It only added to the beautiful mountainside scenes that we drove up and down. 

The first place we went to was Bulguksa temple complex. I love the architecture--very intricate. We could not go inside any of the temples because they are special sites for Buddhists, but the outsides were fascinating enough to look at.

After that, we went higher up into the mountains to another famous temple, the name of which I have lost. 

After walking around the temples and up and down some beautiful mountain paths, we went in search of lunch and found it at McDonalds. I had my very first Bulgogi burger, and I admit, it was pretty delicious. 

Also, interesting cultural fact: In Korea, McDonalds delivers!

After lunch our energy was revived, so we went to Tumuli Park which contains the tombs of the ancient rulers of the area. The tombs were giant earthen mounds, and there was one that you could go into (no pictures allowed) and see the underground portion of. It was actually a very lovely park and I enjoyed it. A very different kind of graveyard than I am used to! The green, grassy mounds reminded me of something out of Europe, or maybe the Shire.

All in all, it was a good day and a good opportunity to get more of a taste of Korean history and culture. I really loved being in the mountains and the rural areas, and the tombs were my favorite part of the day. As bad as it sounds, I think it would have been a lot of fun to walk to the top of one and have a picnic.

Our little group

Well that is all for the Gyeongju trip. In the next couple of weeks I will hopefully be writing some detailed blog posts all about my five day trip to Seoul. Get ready for a lot of pictures. 

So far my time in Korea has been an incredible learning opportunity, and I am very grateful for all of the blessings God has poured into my life while I am here. I miss a lot of things about home, particularly the people, but Korea is starting to feel like a home as well. God is good!
As always, thank you for reading.