The Ramblings of Loren Christopher

It’s the Lunar New Year holiday this weekend, which means I have Monday and Tuesday off (gotta love 4-day weekends)!  Traditionally, Korean people spend this time with their family in the countryside or in their homes.  Things are closed in Seoul and the streets tend to lose their bussle.

Last year for this holiday (yes, it has in fact been a year now that I’ve lived here), being newly arrived, I took advantage of the fact that it wasn’t as crowded and went exploring around the city.  This time though, I wanted to get away.  Originally I thought some friends and I were going somewhere together….but the closer the holiday came, no one had made any plans, and the idea of getting away on my own for a while sounded more and more attractive.

So Sunday morning I left for Asan.  It’s close-by Seoul, just an hour or so south.  I didn’t want to go far because the whole country is traveling on the roads this weekend and I knew traffic would be bad.  Three snowy and scenic hours later, I had arrived in the small city. There’s nothing too special about Asan from what I can tell.  It’s not nestled in the mountains, there’s no real river running along side of it, it’s not village-y looking.

They have an old-looking cathedral that’s nice, an old folk village, and the main reason I went….about 10 minutes away is “Spavis“, one of the biggest spa resorts in Korea.  I checked into a motel near the bus terminal right away, dropped off my bags and headed out with my camera.  The receptionist lady called after me, “Adjosshi!  Adjosshi!”.  I just kept walking.  The word “adjosshi” in Korean is typically used in reference to an old man, of at least his 40’s.  Turns out she was in fact talking to ME!  Thanks to our miming techniques I figured out she was asking if I wouldn’t rather just get some sleep at the motel first.  I explained that I wasn’t tired and wanted to walk around….heck, it was noon anyway!

This city could be a dump for all I know, but in the fresh snow everything just looked so pretty.  There were, of course, the slushy parts….and since I didn’t bring any snow boots I couldn’t wander off too far.  But it was nice to venture through the small streets and take photos again, it had been a while and I was in a creative mood.

I had some sundubu-jigae (spicy tofu stew, one of my favs) and then took a taxi over to Spavis.  Wow, this place was pretty big, certainly bigger than any jim-jil-bang I had ever been to.  It has its own water park and community pools for men and women, as well as the separate saunas.  I headed straight for the sauna.  I can’t tell you how much I love the sauna aspect of Korea….and this place knew how to do it right.

There were so many different kinds of baths.  Salt baths, green tea, mountain berry, red wine, herbal mint, bamboo, rice wine, medicinal, etc.  They had a bunch indoors, and when I felt like I was about to pass out from all the heat, I stepped outside on the patio (in the snow) and then dipped into a couple of the outdoor baths surrounded by bamboo.

I dried off and treated myself to a full-body massage and then foot massage afterwards.  Then visited the Dr. Fish spa they had as well.  I can tell you, this is the kind of relaxing and refreshing thing that stays with you for a while.  I headed back to the city later in the evening and just relaxed in my motel room and read a book.

Sometimes it’s nice to get away by yourself and have some time alone.  I think the major thing was that I just wanted to get away!  But I am back in the big city feeling refreshed and rejuvenated, and ready for my Birthday weekend (next weekend) in which much fun will be had out on the town, my friends are going to make sure of it.

Originally, a few friends and I had planned on heading down to Icheon for a day of pottery-making on Saturday.  As the week drew to a close, and the more we researched it, we decided to post-pone it a bit and just have a fun weekend in Seoul instead.

Now, I don’t know if I’ve written about the woes of shopping as a taller man of Western size here in Korea, but there are woes my friends.  Korea is a fashion-forward place, the people are an image-obsessed society and you find cool trendy fashion around almost every corner, and cheap too.

My excitement quickly turned to disappointment after trying on jackets where the sleeves went down just above my wrists, shirts that cut off just below my belly button, pants that stopped around my ankles, etc.  It’s not THAT drastic….but being almost 6′3″ (189 cm), I notice it.  There’s no point in buying clothing even if it’s slightly too small, because I won’t feel comfortable in it.  Shoes are entirely the same story.

Soooo, long story short, I bought lots of stuff when I went back to the states for Christmas.  This weekend though, we went to Myeongdong to check out the new Forever 21 store.  It’s an American company and I’d heard great things about their men’s clothing, so I was hoping for Western sizes and Korean prices.

It was….awesome.  I picked up a few things, all of which fit perfectly and are stylish.  Will be going back on a weekday this week when the crowds are more manageable.

So we just walked around Myeongdong and Namdaemun a bit….enjoyed the crowds and shopping.  Then we were headed off to Hongdae to meet up with some other friends.  Hongdae is one my favorite places to go out in Seoul.  The nightlife is great and it’s located right next to a couple big Universities so there are a lot of trendy younger people there.

I’ve posted a little about this area before, but it just bears repeating that Hongdae is FUN.  So many different people, scenes, things to do, etc.  We went to a couple different bars, saw a couple bands play live music, ate some delicious (albeit VERY spicy) tteokbokki on the street, and at some point in the morning we called it a night.

When I lived in Prague for a year, I used to have recurring dreams in which I would simply walk into a Cracker Barrel restaurant, the waitress would come up and I would order anywhere from 10-15 different American breakfast food items.  I would always wake up from shock when they were brought to the table.  Never did I actually get to eat them in my dreams.  Well luckily, Seoul is a much more modern and globalized city than Prague….there’s no sense in dreaming about ecstasy when it lies just a subway ride away.

I had heard about the restaurant “Butterfinger Pancakes” before, but only first ate there a couple weeks ago when my friend Houston suggested it.  They only have two locations in Seoul, (Apgujeong and Gangnam) and the newest location is most convenient for me to get to….so I was excited.

Sidenote for those living in Seoul, you can find the Gangnam location if you leave Gangnam station exit 6, turn left after the first block (I believe it’s the corner with The Body Shop on it…..walk down a little ways and you’ll see it on the left.  If you pass the Bennigan’s then you’ve gone too far!)

Well, where do I begin really?  When you have a craving for home cooking of the sorts (American breakfast being one of my favorites) and you’re in a foreign country it can be hard to find the real deal….done right, for a moderate price.  There are quite a few places to get American breakfast in this city, but they’re either not that great, or ridiculously expensive.  Butterfinger Pancakes has everything that you could want and more.  A wide variety of pancakes like chocolate chip, banana, even mozzarella and cream cheese (sounds gross I know, but they are incredible)….there are waffles, omelets, hash browns, fresh oven-baked biscuits, bacon, eggs, even pigs in a blanket.

The reason I feel this place deserves a blog entry is because the quality was superb, among the best pancakes I’ve ever had….even compared to back in the states.  And the prices were reasonable too (10,000 won for a full breakfast combo).  Thank you Houston, for taking me here to see what all the fuss was about!  What could I possibly miss from the states now other than friends and family?

Disclaimer:  I do not enjoy reading Korea expat blogs that are mostly about “teaching life”, which class bothered you most this week, what your co-workers or daily activities are like.  This, to me, is boring to read.  So in no way do I intend for this blog to come across as one of those ‘today-this-happened-at-work’ blogs.  That being said, let me take this one entry to tell you a little about my work since I took some cute pictures of my kids recently.

I’ll be honest, up until about a year ago I was frightened by kids.  I didn’t know how to act around them, I was afraid they wouldn’t think I was funny.  Looking back now, I know I had nothing to be scared of….kids are great!  There is a kind of instant joy you get working with kids that I just don’t think you can find anywhere else, and there have been so many moments with my kids over the past year that have left me truly touched.

It’s funny, I can be in a bad mood or stressed out, and the kids will cheer me up with something silly or ridiculous that they say.  And sometimes they say the most RANDOM things.  Likewise there are a few terrors here and there that I have to keep under tight control, but I’ve gotten much better at that.  They know when they hear my sudden soft, demeaning tone of voice, to be quiet so they can hear exactly what I’m going to say to reprimand one of them.

I’ve made a couple kids cry over this past year.  I’m not entirely proud of that, but in a way I am, because those two kids have since become really close to me and are now among my favorites.  There’s no point in holding grudges….you have to show the kids you care about them and truly want them to do better.  It’s amazing how far the slightest bit of interest you show them can go.

I don’t mean to sound like I’m patting myself on the back here….there is still soooo much to learn.  That’s one reason I like teaching, it’s a constant growing and learning process.  And I am so so so thankful that I have an amazing hagwon (private school) to work for though.  They don’t take advantage of me or over-work me at all.  It’s rare to find such a sweet deal in Korea and I’m not sure, had I gotten a job at one of the many crappy hagwons, if I would be as stoked about teaching.

So, when I reflect on this past year of teaching, and I see kids who I know I’ve made an impact on and they will remember me for the rest of their lives, I feel so lucky to be doing what I’m doing.  Like I said, there are certainly tough times with some classes, and there will always be more ahead.  Figuring out how to make the best of the situation is a challenge that every teacher should be strive to achieve.  The pay-offs are worth it.

I had a fantastic New Year’s downtown in Jongro with friends….I took some video with my new camcorder I got for Christmas:

 
Hope you all had a good one.  New Year’s resolution #1 for Loren = keeping his blog updated more often, haha!

For me, there’s nothing like this time of year.  It is hands down, my favorite.  When things get colder, the leaves fall and you can see your breathe at night, the first snowfall, the holidays getting closer….there is just so much change in the air.  I’ve been busy this past month, but all has been well and I find that I’ve been enjoying my home here more than I ever have before.

Dani came to visit me a little over a week ago.  We were roommates together in Prague and have become best friends ever since.  She is one of those people who has a never-ending desire to travel the globe, and I think that’s why we hit it off so well.  This was her first time in Asia though, so I felt like I really needed to show her a good time.  According to her, mission accomplished.

We did all the big touristy things, temples, Insadong (touristy souvenir street), the Korea House where you can see a traditional dance and music show.  We visited Namsan tower at night, which is always beautiful to look out over the city and see all the lights.  Took a trip to Dr. Fish, went ice-skating at Lotte World….yeah, we did a lot.

I always love having visitors.  For one, it’s just nice to have visitors and to see friends again, but also I love watching their reactions when it’s their first time in Asia.  Dani seemed a little culture-shocked (understandably) when she first arrived.  I realized I was just plowing on through the subway connections, carrying her baggage….for me this is a normal trip.  She on the other hand, was wide-eyed and taking in the sites and feeling of being surrounded by a sea of Korean people.  Haha.  It was great!

Soon the shock wore off, but it was fun remembering how almost a year ago I was going through the exact same feelings.  I’ll never forget walking around the subway station of the Express Bus Terminal after arriving in the city center from the airport.  So many people, some looking at me, others not.  

I thought to myself, “Oh my god.  I am going to live here and have to get used to this.”

“Wait, are they staring?  Well some are….ok what are they thinking?  Is it a bad stare?”

“Woah there are SO many people here!!!”

Of course, it all turned out ok for me.  One of the main reasons I like having visitors is so that I can show them what a cool country Korea actually is, and what it’s all about.  Most people don’t know much about this place, and understandably so (it’s relatively new).  When they think Asia they think of China or Japan.  Korea has a lot to offer too though, and the culture and people have a distinct nature of their own that sets them apart from their neighbors.  Most people here do not eat dog meat, they don’t eat live octopus everywhere, etc etc etc.  Those stereotypes annoy me more and more the longer I live here.

So her trip was a success, and that’s one more person sent back to the states to educate others on the positive aspects of Korea.  *pats himself on the back*  

I’m taking a trip this weekend with my friend Ashley (my good friend who is now my neighbor and co-worker!).  We’re going to visit the Sharing House, which is home to Korean “comfort women” who were used as sex slaves to the Japanese during WWII.  It looks like it will be quite a sobering and sad experience.  I’ve been reading a book about comfort women, so I’m not going into it blindly.  Well, that’s for another blog entry.

On a lighter note, Thanksgiving is tomorrow.  Ashley, Molly and I are going to the foreigner district (Itaewon) to have a traditional turkey dinner.  Yummy!

Thanks to the advice of my co-worker (Ben), I took a trip to Sobaeksan National Park today.  Ben visited this place soon after he arrived in Korea, and I remember him telling me about how beautiful it was.  Riding the train through mountains that remind him of the Alps, he got off the train at a stop called Huibangsa, and spoke so highly of it that I knew I had to check it out some day.  Ben has traveled everywhere it seems, so if he tells you a certain place is amazing, you don’t do much questioning.

What better time to visit these mountains than fall, right?  Well thanks to a couple articles in the Korean Times newspaper, I was prepared and knew exactly which dates the autumn foliage would be at its peak and where.  I had to go at it alone this time, since everyone was busy this weekend or trying to save money.  Actually I enjoy traveling by myself a lot, so I was glad to get away and have some “me time”.

The bus ride took about two and a half hours from Seoul (not bad at all, especially considering I’ve taken 16-hour bus rides in the past), and I arrived around 10am.  I decided only to spend the day here and not overnight it, because I have lots of stuff going on tomorrow in Seoul and I needed to be back.  I immediately headed for the Gosu Cave.  Lonely Planet Korea had a rave review of this cave (noted as the best in Korea), so I decided to check it out first.

It wasn’t until I was descending into the darkness of Gosu, that I realized I hadn’t really been to a cave since I was a little boy.  I remember going with my family to some cave around Tennessee or Virginia, but I think that had been my only legit “cave experience”.  This only added to my excitement of course.  At first it was a long series of tubes with tiny and unimpressive stalactites and stalagmites around each corner.  But after about a 5-minute walk I heard the group of Koreans ahead of me gasping and saying “Waaa!”  (Their version of ‘wow’)

I looked up to see what all the fuss was about, and there was an enormous crevasse with mist of water shooting down.  It seemed to go up forever, and looking below the stairwell beneath me….I couldn’t see it end!  So as I continued to climb the stairs and squeeze through tiny pathways, I quickly realized what an amazing natural feature these things are.  Just how many millions of years old are these formations, who else has seen them before me?  I had a deep moment there in that cave I must tell you….but soon I was exhausted from hiking around it in the humid air, and it was a relief to break out into the cold daylight again.

Alright, it was time to check out the hailed Huibangsa.  I will admit it, I was a little tired, and only having the day there made me a little less patient than I normally would be.  I was waiting on the bus to come, and after about 10 minutes I decided to just take a taxi instead.  The ride was fantastic, swerving around the mountains…and after about 20 minutes (and 15,000 won!) I had arrived.

A huge sigh of relief struck me as we drove past the parking lot and I noticed it was practically empty.  That’s another reason I was so excited about coming here, because Ben had said that it wasn’t too touristy and you would really be able to enjoy the nature.  Well…he was right!  I’m not sure why this place isn’t packed with tourists, it certainly has all the attributes you could hope for in a peaceful and serene valley in the mountains.

I payed the $3 entrance fee and started making my way up the small mountain.  I just have to say, that I really love this time of year.  It may very well be because I never got to experience it much growing up in Florida, but it just seems electric with all of the bright colors surrounding you, the sound of crunching leaves underneath your feet, a slight bit of cold.  It’s all so temporary that you are really forced to be in the moment.

In any case, I eventually reached the temple near the top.  There were speakers softly playing Buddhist chants, which of course added to the effect.  I had one of those “Wow, holy crap I’m in Asia!” moments, haha.  It’s strange because just looking around I felt like this could easily be North Carolina, or somewhere in the Smokies.  Then listening to the ceremonial chants I realized I was in fact on the other side of the world….in a completely different culture.  It’s weird how those occasions just sneak up on you, but it does put things into perspective.

The temple area was pretty cool, but if you’re a regular reader of my blog then you know I’m kind of over the whole ‘temple’ thing.  Much like the cathedrals in Europe, they begin to look the same after a while.  The setting of this one was what made me stop and pause though.  It had so much more character sitting on the top of this mountain surrounded by yellow, orange, and red trees.

As much as I enjoyed just sitting there, soon I started to get hungry, and so I headed back into the city of Danyang…..by none other than taxi again (I don’t know why I was so lazy today, maybe it was all the walking).  This cab driver tried to speak to me…usually they just resign to the fact that neither you nor they can speak the other’s language, but every now and then you’ll get a cab driver who is determined to carry on a conversation with you.  Such was my case on the way back to Danyang.

From what I was able to gather, he had been given nine speeding tickets from the city police, he enjoys traveling behind big trucks because he likes watching them blow the leaves up as they whiz by, and he gave me two giant chestnuts, which when I proceeded to thank him for and attempt to crack open, he raised his voice a little and showed me they were only for swirling around in your hand.  All kidding aside, the guy was very nice, we each ate a banana (his treat) as we were curving down the mountain.

I didn’t do anything else too exciting other than walking along the river and stumbling across a park.  I was famished by this point because I hadn’t eaten since early morning, so I stopped inside a kimbap restaurant (a very casual Korean food chain) and ordered Sundubu Jigae, boiling spicy stew of tofu and clams, with the usual side dishes of course.  I only recently started eating Sundubu Jigae, but I really like it.  I never thought I would actually crave tofu, until I started eating more of it here….now I love it!

Before I knew it I was back on the bus returning to Seoul.  A short trip this Saturday, but it was well-spent for sure.  I wish fall lasted longer….it always seems to come and go too soon, before you can really enjoy it.  This year I made sure that did not happen.

Today was rainy and dreary, providing me with the perfect atmosphere to go visit the Korean War Museum.  This had been on my list of things to go see for a while now, since I think it can really help put the Korean culture and people into perspective.  Too often I overlook the fact that this country was torn apart by war less than 60 years ago.  Walking around the streets in Seoul, you’d never know it.

The museum’s name is a bit misleading, as it’s not just an exhibition of the Korean War, rather it includes the entire history of the Korean military.  There is plenty of information on the war though.  I will save you a detailed historical account, whether or not you know much about it depends on how interested you are in it….but if you’d like to learn more you can check out this site.

It is fascinating though, how these two countries (North and South Korea) came to be as they are today based on different ideologies and a proxy war that ripped apart a people that were once united, albeit under Japanese rule.  It is in fact sad, but comprehendable, and I couldn’t help wondering whether or not the world really learned anything from the tragedies that took place here.  This blog, however, is not a political one, and although as an International Relations graduate I would love to write more on this….I will try to spare my readers the rant.

Nearly 3,000,000 people were killed as a result of the war, which is just an astounding number really. Almost 600,000 South Korean soldiers and civilians lost their lives during the war….and there are huge hallways lining the outside of the museum where you can read all of their names (in Hangul of course).

I would probably rate the museum itself as “above average”.  There are a lot of miniature war scenes scattered throughout the place, and plenty of weaponry from the times throughout history.  I couldn’t help but feel that it lacked a certain emotional ‘pull and tug’ that so many other war museum I’ve visited have.  On the other hand I was a little tired and didn’t take my time to see everything in detail.  I did enjoy all of the old uniforms that the Korean military wore hundreds of years ago.  And they had shields and belts dating VERY far back into history.  As an American it’s always impressive to me when a country has a history that goes back so far.

Walking around the museum I was reminded of this Korean man I met a couple months ago.  It was the most random thing, I was sitting in a park during one of my breaks from work, right here in my neighborhood, and this old Korean man came up to me and started speaking to me in English.  I was impressed to say the least, but once we got the conversation going it was really exciting.  He had been in the military for 35 years he told me, he joined in 1950 at the start of the Korean War.

What an amazing (and random) opportunity is was to talk to this man.  So we just sat there in the park, for probably half an hour, discussing the war and politics of his country.  He spoke frankly about the war it seemed, or at least I was surprised by his frankness since he was in fact a Korean.  I could tell he felt serious contempt for the North, and the only story he shared with me (I didn’t push him too hard) was that he can still remember the US army dropping napalm to light up their targets at night before they wiped them out.  Soon though, he had changed the subject to his travels (to over 40 countries he said, I may not have believed all this if his English hadn’t been so good…it’s rare to meet an old Korean person who speaks English so well), and before I knew it I had to say goodbye and go back to work.

It makes you understand this country more though, if you take some time to learn about its history and the people.  Things have by far not been easy for Korea….I tend to look at this country sometimes as “the Poland of Asia”–geographically unfortunate, but a strong culture nonetheless.  It’s just a shame that it remains divided still, but that’s not for this blog entry.

So to conclude, if you’re in Seoul on vacation, you may want to skip the Korean War Museum depending on how much time you have….rent a documentary about it instead.  If you’re living in Korea though as a teacher, it’s definitly something you should check out during your time here.  It would be a shame to live here and then leave without getting a chance to see this place.  Don’t worry about getting bored because there is plenty to see for just 3,000 won….and if you’re a foreigner, as with most touristy places in this country, you’ll be humored a few times by the groups of Korean kids saying hello, and maybe even a group of attractive girls (as pictured here) who told me they love me, ha!

This weekend has been nice and relaxing…..no trips out of town, just hanging out in Seoul with friends, catching up on some work and reading.  There has also been a lot of smog in the city lately I’ve noticed, more than usual at least.  Anyway, Seoul is a city where you can find lots of random things to do to suit whatever mood you happen to be in on that given day.  That’s one of the things I like about this city so much is that you can never really get bored….and I suppose if you do then you only have yourself to blame for it.

One such strange and interesting excursion (that I’d been wanting to try for quite a while now) is a visit to Dr. Fish.  This isn’t a real doctor, it’s a nice little cafe with books and a cozy interior, but they also have a foot spa area.  The fun thing to do at Dr. Fish is to actually have your feet eaten by a big group of a special kind of fish.

You go in and take off your shoes and socks, wash your feet off, and then plop them into one of these tiny pools filled with hungry little fishies just waiting to bite off all the dead skin from your feet!  We went to the one in Gangnam (it’s right across the street from CGV) and everyone was really nice.  We were ushered around instantly by this Korean guy who works there.  After we had something to drink, we went over and washed our feet and he asks us, “Which fish would you like?” (pointing to two of these little pools)  ”Big fish, or small fish?”

Now we are all of the spirit that if you’re going to try something new, you may as well dive right into it, so we chose the “big” fish….which, to be fair, weren’t really TOO big, just bigger than the other minnow-sized ones.  Nothing could have prepared me for the bizarre feeling that I was about to endure.  Immediately after I stuck my feet in, the fish came swarming up to me and attacking, so I jerked them out of the water.  These things take time to get used to.  I had to dip my feet in for a few seconds at a time and then pull them out.  Gradually I got more and more used to the feeling of all these sandpaper-like mouths chomping away at my dead skin, that I was able to relax a bit.

Conversation was difficult though, as I would randomly interject my sentences with a loud “WOOAH!!”  or an “EEEK!”  I must have looked like I was having seizures because my body would jerk into different directions periodically.  Especially when they got up under my toes, that really sent me into convulsions!  For twenty minutes though, and at just 2,000 won ($2), it was an experience that was well worth it.  And my feet do feel really soft now thanks to all the “food” I gave those little guys!  I will definitely go back sometime.

We headed down the street to Dos Tacos for some Mexican food and margaritas, a nice way to relax after Dr. Fish.  Then we headed over to a board game cafe.  They have these randomly throughout the city and I think it’s such a fun idea.  You go in, and they’re set up like little coffee shops.  After you order something to drink and look at the “game menu”, you just order whichever board game you’d all like to play and they bring it to your table.  We ended up playing Clue: the Simpsons version and had a lot of fun.  I hadn’t played Clue since I was little, and even then I only played a couple times I think….so we were all a bit “clueless” (har har har) as to what the rules were, but we quickly got the hang of it.

Gangnam is a really fun area of Seoul….it’s one of the biggest areas actually and the one where most Koreans want to live.  So there are lots of things to do there as you could imagine.  Unfortunately like I said it has been really smoggy lately, so I didn’t take any pictures of the street because you wouldn’t be able to see a whole lot.  I frequent Gangnam though so I’ll be sure to post some another time.  For now though, I need to do a little more work and get to bed.

I woke up earlier than usual this morning and decided to head over to the Gyeongbok Palace and take some pictures.  I hadn’t been there since Aubrey’s visit in March when all the trees were still dead, so it was nice to go back and see what little greenery is still left this time of year.  It’s about a 45-minute subway ride for me, but I only have to make one transfer and it’s pretty much a straight shot, so not too bad.

Now for your little history lesson of the day.  This is the biggest palace in South Korea (I believe), or at least it’s the biggest one in Seoul.  You can get lost just wondering around this place as it goes back quite a ways and there are dividers everywhere that lead to other sections of the palace grounds.  It was built in 1395, but unfortunately, like so many of the palaces here in Korea, it was destroyed by the Japanese during their occupation of Korea.

Fortunately enough, the city of Seoul renovated it in the 1990’s and brought this monument back to its original splendor.  This is fantastic of course, but almost all of the palaces in this country were renovated in the late 1900’s….which means they all look very very similar.  Impressive, but similar.  Anyway, this was the largest palace of the Joseon Dynasty, which ran all the way up until the early 1900’s.  It included the Great King Sejong who is on most of the Korean currency.  King Sejong was an amazing literary, mathematician, and scientist who invented the Korean writing system used today called Hangul.  I’m grateful for his contribution because it makes learning the language so much easier compared to other Asian scripts.

While wandering around this place it’s fun to imagine what it must have been like hundreds of years ago.  People walking around in their hanboks, scribes and scholars studying Confucianism hoping to pass the state tests (not a far cry from the test-run system still in place today actually, haha).  

Like I said, I was there bright and early this morning so it was nice to walk around and take pictures without having to worry about catching other people in them.  Soon though, it got a bit more crowded with kids and high schoolers visiting for class field trips.  The kids are always so cute when they see a foreigner and they’re in groups.  Eighty percent of the time they will shout “hello” or something.  I did get bombarded by a group of high school girls also, telling me “You are so handsome!”  I’ve heard that many times here, although I try not to let it go to my head because I’ve heard it’s a very common remark toward Westerners.  It’s still nice though, haha.  And I love the look on their faces when I say “kamsa-hamnida” (thank you).

I was leaving the front gate just before the changing of the guards ceremony took place, so I got to take some photos of that as well.  Their outfits are fairly unusual….heck, perhaps even comical.  The giant swords they stand with on the other hand, are no laughing matter.  There is one guard who bangs on a giant drum to signal movements for the guards, and also a smaller group of men playing instruments.  You might call them the “royal band”?  Not sure.

It’s a pretty neat show to watch.  After they’re finished everybody runs up to get a picture standing beside one of these guys as they stare blankly forward.  Koreans are typically very camera-shy, but the guards here just have to get over it I guess because people are snapping away (myself included).  I’ll have to go back in the winter when it snows.  I’d love to get some pictures with snow on the palace rooftops!

Admission into Gyeongbokgung is only 3,000 won (about $2.50), and they do offer audio tours or live tours which I haven’t done here yet.  I did at another palace in the city and I’m guessing it’s more of the same.  All in all, this is a nice place to visit for sure.  It’s the biggest palace in Seoul (possibly in Korea) so if you go to one, then this is the one to check out.  It’s nice because there are mountains in the background also, which unfortunately I could barely see today because of the fog, but they are there!