Two cities in South Korea

I love it. I've been in this country for 6 days and in the capital for only 4 and I am not only beginning to understand the written script (things to do whilst waiting for the metro), but also completely capable of going into a kimbap joint, ordering my veggie kimbap, paying and departing with all the necessary pleasantries in a language I knew nothing about a week ago.

This is very different to the part of Asia I actually live in.

Ulsan was my first port of call, reachable by no hassle at all and simply clambering onto a bus at Incheon airport armed with some Tuna kimchee wrap and some fresh juice. There was snow and lots of it. And it was coooold.
I hadn't expected to a. see snow; b. feel real cold; or c. be in a dry climate again for at least the next 12 months, so it was all very exciting.
The bus stopped at a service station on the way down. I could have been anywhere. I had one of those great moments when you blearily, jet-laggedly look about you and wonder "Where am I, really, in relation to anything I actually know?" I could still buy a Cafe Mocha, though, so it wasn't that disorientating...

Ulsan was quiet. It's a city, it was busy - in its way. There were even traffic jams, but these were only noticeable by looking at the cars as there were no sounds, constant tooting, revving or utter chaos, which I am now, surprisingly used to. It was eerie. Nice, though.

I didn't go on this, as I value my life didn't have time, but I thought it worthy of a photo or two:

 

I had some great sushi, some equally great saki, met some nice folk and caught up with some good friends. I also almost froze to death, so decided that some Coat Investment with Silly Hat Additions may be worthwhile, especially as the predicted temperatures in the capital were -10º to -14º C. I successfully changed money and got myself some cheap Korean food using the local language as well (admittedly all written out for me on a bit of paper by my mate, but still...).

Then the trip to Seoul - yay! We could only get first class tickets as it was, to all extents and purposes, christmas weekend over here. The KTX is the Very Speedy Train* in South Korea and got us there in relative comfort in two and a half hours. Then onto the metro - YES! There is a metro! Bliss! -and out in Anguk, the older part of the city, to our guesthouse, a quick dinner search (easy) and then to sleep in a wooden, paper-windowed, floor-heated annex covered in snow and icicles.

Exploration of the city, with another mate, who lives here, began the following day. There was shopping in Insadong (gloves and travel chopsticks), general wandering a-plenty, and a trip to Seoul Tower, which now costs a ridiculous amount to go up to the top, incidentally.

Some views:

They do that thing with padlocks here, reminiscent of the bridge in Paris, only this is Korean style: 

This was followed by a trip to a rather sedate Gangnam, tried to do the photo on the main stretch and (thankfully) failed, dined well, had tetra-brick sake (mistake), fun all round. Hurrah.

The following days consisted of a palace visit:

where I managed to see some be-Hanbok-ed ladies and dressed-up guards:

...more wandering about a completely deserted Seoul, seeing an empty Dongdaemun market, and a thumping Itaewon (ex-pat area ergo Lunar New Year means something else). Bringing me to today, my first day loose in the city without Korean-Savvy friends, during which I visited the National Museum of Korea, closed:

(yesterday was a public holiday)

So I wandered about the lonely and empty grounds, which was actually pretty cool. I, like a friend of mine, have a fondness for lonely places, especially when they are meant to be thronged with people.

My next visit was to the War Memorial. Also closed. I managed to get a shot of this beautifully moving statue before my camera died:

There's a better one here with a bit of blurb about it too. It had me captivated for a good half an hour. I saw many tanks and planes (including a B-52) and other vehicles of death before going off in search of lunch (achieved) and meeting the Seoul-based pal for a visit to the Samsung Gallery. This was pretty interesting and gave me a much needed dose of art, something I'm hoping to get more of later in the week while I'm in London.

Shopping, ambling, kimbap later brings us up to date.

I like this country.

*direct translation+
+ nah, I'm joking

Literature is Art

I've just had a lovely experience. I was umming and ahhing about heading over to the Temple of Literature to investigate the calligraphers that are currently in residence and decided, thankfully, to go.
This is (some of) what I found:

I chose a venerable looking gent and with the help of a random reporter managed to make my request.

Whilst I was sat there looking about in amazement and soaking up the very bohemianly intellectual atmosphere, I noticed a chap next to me being thoroughly worshipped by an artist and people in general, so I asked the reporter who he was. He's the most revered Calligrapher in Vietnam and has a PhD in the subject not only in Vietnamese, but also in Chinese. He had a long beard and was, in my humble opinion, cool.

Here he is overseeing his student's work:

It's a shame the picture's a bit blurry.

His student/artist friend decided after we had talked to each other for a couple of minutes (obviously not understanding a word the other was saying) that he wanted to paint me. So he did:

No money was to be given. It was a gift for the new year. I was touched and now proudly have my picture waiting for a home in my home.

I then got interviewed for national TV about my "feeling" about the street with the calligraphers. I explained it in a very wordy and British way and then she repeated "So, how do you feel?". "Good," I replied more succinctly.

Such a lovely afternoon I even walked most of the way home, past Uncle Ho (first time on foot) and then got ripped off by a cheeky xe om. But it is Têt, so I'll let him off.

Chúc mừng năm mới !