Touristy Things. May include pictures. Also sight gags.
Setting Up
The plane that failed to crash into the Pacific Ocean and kill me. The same plane that, I noticed with some glee, took a detour from our Great Circle route over Siberia to avoid North Korean airspace.
The building I sleep in, and bum showers out of. I guess I'm not paying rent?
I was talking about the horrendous fortress blocks of apartment housing. This is exactly what I was talking about.
Here are some more warrens. If you squint, you might make out the corporate logos on the sides of the buildings. Stuff like Hyundai and LG and Samsung and whatever. I guess that corporations must own or control the buildings and use them to house workers. I couldn't stand that, but I guess the Koreans don't mind. ...I guess that's what I'm doing now, anyway.
Aaand the place I work. Last non-touristy picture, I swear.
Day One Rambling
So, some things I did on my first day. Mostly with Nara, since she was available and I had nothing else to do.
One of the ancient city gates. The walls are gone now, but they gate remain at the core of Seoul.
Hoehyeon Market. This is the grodier of the three markets we saw that day, complete with tons of pig knuckles and preserved ginseng and whatnot. Koreans are very proud of their ginseng, which is supposedly the best in the world.
Two WTF moments:
WTF FRUIT
WTF ATHLETE'S FOOT LOLLERSKATES
Gyeongbokgung Palace
One of the large (largest?) palace complexes in Seoul. Kirsta and I did the whirlwind tour last last weekend, and I managed to get some pictures. The place was apparently the height of Korean national awesomeness before it was burned down by the Japanese in 1592. And probably again in the 1940s. The Koreans aren't too happy about that.
To get things rolling, here's a picture of Kirsta getting mobbed by school girls.
They said it was for a school project, but I don't see how beatings and theft could possibly be used for extra credit.
Just kidding.
Here's the big ass courtyard. And the mountain that divides Seoul from my satellite city.
Some eaves. Lots of bright decoration, since the complex is actually being rebuilt. Since, you know, the Japanese burned it down in 1592.
The palace is actually in Seoul itself. It's kind of weird seeing the rest of the city going up outside the walls. This isn't the best shot, but the sun was setting on the side with all the cranes, and I couldn't get a picture where you could see anything.
Pretty colours don't just apply to the outside. Fresh paint is also evident on the inside, a necessity since the Japanese burned it down in 1592.
The center of said ceiling.
Here's the throne room under the roof that was burned down in 1592.
Here's a library that the Japanese burned in 1592.
And a courtyard with some elegant brickwork that was also burned down in 1592.
And a little arch that might have been...probably was...okay, got its shit ruined in 1592.
Despite the imminent threat of being burned down, the palace actually had a sort of central heating system, which was fueled by an army of slaves burning wood under the stone floors. All that smoke needed somewhere to go, though, so an elaborate chimney system was developed to vent it.
Here's some more of that brick work and some nice stones for sitting on. While the bricks were burned down in 1592, the stones probably weren't.
They're still rebuilding several buildings from the 1592 burnings, but they have finished the official royal summer soju party house. It has a nicer name, but I don't remember what that was and that is functionally accurate. The pond around it is very nice and is actually stocked with huge carp. I had a picture of them, too, but it came out funny.
...I'm not kidding about the burning down. Every last informational plaque in there reminds you that the Japanese had a very direct hand in the burning down of the palace in 1592. I understand the Koreans aren't too fond of the Japanese.
The palace is actually rather nice, and it would be interesting to see a lot of the areas that are off limits, like the servant quarters and the king's quarters and whatnot. I guess they haven't finished rebuilding yet, and it'll be quite the attraction when they finish in 2020 or whenever.
The plane that failed to crash into the Pacific Ocean and kill me. The same plane that, I noticed with some glee, took a detour from our Great Circle route over Siberia to avoid North Korean airspace.
The building I sleep in, and bum showers out of. I guess I'm not paying rent?
I was talking about the horrendous fortress blocks of apartment housing. This is exactly what I was talking about.
Here are some more warrens. If you squint, you might make out the corporate logos on the sides of the buildings. Stuff like Hyundai and LG and Samsung and whatever. I guess that corporations must own or control the buildings and use them to house workers. I couldn't stand that, but I guess the Koreans don't mind. ...I guess that's what I'm doing now, anyway.
Aaand the place I work. Last non-touristy picture, I swear.
Day One Rambling
So, some things I did on my first day. Mostly with Nara, since she was available and I had nothing else to do.
One of the ancient city gates. The walls are gone now, but they gate remain at the core of Seoul.
Hoehyeon Market. This is the grodier of the three markets we saw that day, complete with tons of pig knuckles and preserved ginseng and whatnot. Koreans are very proud of their ginseng, which is supposedly the best in the world.
Two WTF moments:
WTF FRUIT
WTF ATHLETE'S FOOT LOLLERSKATES
Gyeongbokgung Palace
One of the large (largest?) palace complexes in Seoul. Kirsta and I did the whirlwind tour last last weekend, and I managed to get some pictures. The place was apparently the height of Korean national awesomeness before it was burned down by the Japanese in 1592. And probably again in the 1940s. The Koreans aren't too happy about that.
To get things rolling, here's a picture of Kirsta getting mobbed by school girls.
They said it was for a school project, but I don't see how beatings and theft could possibly be used for extra credit.
Just kidding.
Here's the big ass courtyard. And the mountain that divides Seoul from my satellite city.
Some eaves. Lots of bright decoration, since the complex is actually being rebuilt. Since, you know, the Japanese burned it down in 1592.
The palace is actually in Seoul itself. It's kind of weird seeing the rest of the city going up outside the walls. This isn't the best shot, but the sun was setting on the side with all the cranes, and I couldn't get a picture where you could see anything.
Pretty colours don't just apply to the outside. Fresh paint is also evident on the inside, a necessity since the Japanese burned it down in 1592.
The center of said ceiling.
Here's the throne room under the roof that was burned down in 1592.
Here's a library that the Japanese burned in 1592.
And a courtyard with some elegant brickwork that was also burned down in 1592.
And a little arch that might have been...probably was...okay, got its shit ruined in 1592.
Despite the imminent threat of being burned down, the palace actually had a sort of central heating system, which was fueled by an army of slaves burning wood under the stone floors. All that smoke needed somewhere to go, though, so an elaborate chimney system was developed to vent it.
Here's some more of that brick work and some nice stones for sitting on. While the bricks were burned down in 1592, the stones probably weren't.
They're still rebuilding several buildings from the 1592 burnings, but they have finished the official royal summer soju party house. It has a nicer name, but I don't remember what that was and that is functionally accurate. The pond around it is very nice and is actually stocked with huge carp. I had a picture of them, too, but it came out funny.
...I'm not kidding about the burning down. Every last informational plaque in there reminds you that the Japanese had a very direct hand in the burning down of the palace in 1592. I understand the Koreans aren't too fond of the Japanese.
The palace is actually rather nice, and it would be interesting to see a lot of the areas that are off limits, like the servant quarters and the king's quarters and whatnot. I guess they haven't finished rebuilding yet, and it'll be quite the attraction when they finish in 2020 or whenever.