I Did It!!

As of today, filming is completely finished!  YEAH!!  Not sure what is next, but guess I will find out tomorrow.

Headed to Seoul for the weekend and had a really good time.  One of my students who studied in Medicine Hat had returned to Korea just days before I arrived here, and she was kind enough to act as my tour guide for the weekend.  Soo came to meet me in Ansan and then we took the hour long subway ride to the centre of Seoul.  It was rainy, miserable and cold all day Saturday and I was a bit worried as many of Seoul’s sights are best enjoyed outdoors.  Luckily, the rain cleared on Sunday and it ended up being a beautiful day.  I didn’t really have any plans for my time in Seoul.  There was a bit of shopping I wanted to do, but other than that I was game for just seeing as many of the “hot” spots as I could.  I didn’t spend a lot of time in Seoul when I was here last time.  The city I lived in was a 3 hour bus ride away, so it was similar to Medicine Hat.  Every once in awhile when you started to go stir crazy from small town living you would hop the bus to go to the big city for the weekend, but you didn’t do that too often because the drive was so annoying.

Soo was really sweet and had made a list of things to see and do.  I saw her pull out her list a few times during our time together.  She sometimes got us lost, but that was part of the adventure (I’m pretty bad at not doing my own research when I know someone is going to take care of me!)  By the end of the weekend we had hit all the things she wanted to show me.  It was great, and it was really fun to have a student so excited to show me her city and culture.  Thanks Soo!          

Seoul (like many other East Asian cities) is very much a contrast of the old and new

I’m assuming these can be found in many places around Seoul.

When we first went to ride the subway I was really surprised.  I thought we were just at one of the underground shopping complexes, but this was a subway platform.  The glass wasn’t here when I was last in Seoul.  Apparently they were put in place because there were a number of suicides.  Once outside of Seoul though, I noticed the glass barriers were gone.

All Soo could tell me was that this must have been a sick tree.  All the trees along that road had these attached to them

Seoul’s mascot

At the base of Seoul Tower (on top of Namsan mountain).  We didn’t bother going up the tower because it was quite cloudy and we figured we’d get the same view from the base.

Seoul city view

At the base of Seoul tower is a place for couples.  Soo and I took the shuttle bus there and we were the only non-couple on the whole bus.  Couples can buy a lock or bring their own.  They write a message and attach it to the wall.

This was only 1 of 4 sides covered in locks.  Apparently when couples break up, sometimes one of the party goes up with lock cutters to remove the lock (if they can even find it again!)

Insadong – my favorite area in Seoul.  There is one main road and then a number of back alley type roads.  I was up early in the morning and managed to wander around before anything was open and anyone was around!  This is where I used to stay when I would come to Seoul on weekends, but I would not be able to tell you where my go to hotel was anymore!!

In Insadong

A symbol on a bench that is used to ward off evil spirits.

Hard to really convey the chaos, but people were grabbing for clothes left and right at this market stand.

There are always protests going on in Seoul, but they usually take place outside of city hall.  This was a travelling protester.  We saw him at many places that day (guess he was visiting the hot spots too!).  Soo said the gist is that he wants peace.  Can’t you tell by his get up?

I can’t let you go without a food preview!!

Hey Piddy, this is what we can do with the last of our spray cheese supply!

I think this is an “Insadong” thing.  Poo bread seemed to be everywhere there.

So far I have eaten coagulated blood soup, pig intestines and other things you don’t want to know about, but I couldn’t bring myself to even try these (boiled silkworm pupae).  The smell alone was pretty bad