Palace visited today by me (and Ben and a bunch of other people we didn't know).
So I'm seeing English letters -- an improvement over Korean (which the keystrokes had just been producing...).
After 5 days in Seoul my senses are beginning to absorb some of their surroundings (and Korean culture). I've got 'thank you' down pat and I'm getting used to people staring at me. Today marked my first solo subway experience, which is a small feat (the signs all have English on them, so a small feat is correct).
Taken on the Freedom Bridge. Make of it what you will.
Today we went to the DMZ, which is one of the biggest tourist attractions in Korea. The idea of the de-militarized zone as a tourist attraction rates in the confused-emotion category with visiting the Anne Frank House and Dachau. What do I make of it? What do I make of the Korean army guy that boarded our tour bus with an AK-47 on his back? There is something about the experience that is sobering and frighteningly realistic simaltaneoulsy, the latter referring to the fact that the threat is still current, the pain still active (especially for the separated families). Maybe that's also because we trekked through one of the tunnels that North Korea built to invade South Korea, if they so desire. What if they desired when I was in it? Luckily (for me, not the Koreans, since I go back to my home country in 2 weeks) they did not.
That's North Korea in the background -- not the type of Communism I'm into. I apologize for the picture quality, but there are restrictions as to where tourists can take photos.
On other fronts, I've been having a good time in Korea -- drinking soju, perfecting my chopstick usage, trying to watch the sunset (damn you smog!), not getting run over by motorbikes. After the DMZ today we went to Kyongbokkung Palace (altho I think that's the old spelling). Quite cool that there's a massive palace, twice as old as anything in the states, hanging out in the middle of a massive city, with mountains behind it (I would have said the mountains are massive, but I can't considering I just came from NZ). I found a bit of peace by the water palace below:
Nothing like some willow trees by the water to make me happy.
I'm off to nap before going out for the evening -- it's nice to feel like a 24 yr old again.
1 comment:
so, there were a couple of other white girls in the pic of the dmz. so you were not alone that day. no comment on the statue or whatever that thing was...
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