Walking and Getting Lost in Seoul

I'm in Seoul and yes, I couldn't stand being away from my computer, so I'm in a very well airconditioned and only slightly smoky PC room. Every part of my body hurts and I may never move again.

I didn't get to try out the KTX train.

{disgusted sigh}

I guess I didn't think about how buses run less frequently on Sunday mornings. The bus made good time once it came, but I arrived at the train station at 9:25. Korean public transportation is always on time. I went to the ticket area, hoping I could at least get a refund on the Daegu to Seoul portion of the ticket, since they might still be able to sell that seat to someone else. The guy had no problem refunding the whole ticket, but minus a 30% fee. Well, that's not so bad. I was angry at myself for not leaving earlier, though. I'd gone to the trouble of going there last week to buy the ticket but couldn't get to the station on time!

I walked from there to the bus station (about 20 minutes). I was able to get immediately on the bus (I think someone had returned their ticket). The bus left at 10 AM and got into Seoul at 3 PM. I didn't understand the breaks--around 12:30 we stopped for what was supposed to be 10 minutes but it turned into 15 because some people were late. We got back on the road for about 15 minutes, and then we stopped again for another 15 minutes. Hello? What's going on here? Let's just get to Seoul!!

From the bus station I took the subway to the train station. It's grand in its size and the architecture is nice and modern in an unfinished way. I had patbingsu in Lotteria, and then asked at the information desk where the railway museum was. "The railway museum is closed now." Oh, it's only open during the week? "No, this is the new train station and it closed when we changed stations." Oh, I see.

I walked back outside, wondering if the older building was possibly the old train station. With everything in Seoul being built mostly after 1950, old buildings really stand out. It was the old railroad station, completed in 1925 by the Japanese. The sign for the railway museum is still on it. I walked around and took a picture of it and the new station to show the contrast. They should keep the railway museum open!

I usually feel really safe and not at all uncomfortable in Korea, but as I was walking I started feeling uncomfortable very quickly. At first only a couple of people were lying down on the benches. OK, it's a hot day, they're tired, whatever. But as I walked just a little farther there were more and more people lying on benches, on the ground, sleeping, half-dressed, unshaven, and the worst smells ever.

Ulsan only has a few (visible) homeless people. With very few exceptions, they stay away from people and don't really look (or smell) that bad aside from being a little scraggly. These people, however, looked bad. Some of them looked at me; I tried hard not to look at them, yet still being alert to know where they were and if they were moving towards me. The contrast between the normal people walking around and the homeless people lying there with hopeless looks on their faces (for those who were awake) was extreme. I'm isolated from that so much that it's hard to remember that other kinds of people exist.

Then I walked forever, trying to find a couple of obscure museums. I could have gotten back on the subway, but the stop I was going to wasn't far away so I thought I could find my way on the surface.

I thought I could find my way on the surface.

It took me an hour to get from Seoul Station to City Hall. An hour!! By that time the closing time for the one museum was getting close, so I decided to try for the one with the later closing time. By that point I was getting better at following the street signs and the information signs and picking a direction based on the map. I couldn't find the other museum, though! I found some kind of Sejong Convention Center with an art museum inside, but no Seoul City Museum. (The museum booklet I have is a year or two old. Is everything in it obsolete??)

It was a nice time walking, though. In front of City Hall there were many families and children running through the fountain. I passed the police headquarters and even the MIC building! Is it ever huge--what do they do there?? Obviously they don't answer their email.

When I saw Gyeongbokgung (the big palace) I knew roughly where I was. I had to make quite a detour to be able to cross the street, then walked leisurely past the palace and eventually to Insadong. I checked in at the yogwan, went upstairs to take some things out of my bag (which had seemed so light to begin with but after 3 hours of solid walking was killing my shoulders), and wash my face. That made me feel refreshed enough to go out again.

I ate dinner at Burger King (I eat Korean food all the time! I don't often have access to Whoppers!). Then I went looking for the book store. (Not Kyobo, but the other one. What is it? Young-poong? I visit there nearly every time I come to Seoul. My reasoning is, "Let's support the smaller store, not the great giant." OK, the real reason is that I stumbled upon it the first time I was in Seoul and only found Kyobo this visit.)

On the way I saw some DVDs. The guy let me "test" a DVD on his machine to make sure it worked. 10,000 won for what can be downloaded off the internet, but this way there's no (or little?) virus risk. I asked him, "If I buy 2, can I get a discount?" I guess I could have named a price or been a tougher negotiator, but that's what I felt like doing at that point, and it's more than what I usually do. He thought about it like it was a difficult decision before letting it be 18,000 for 2 (a discount of about $1.60). I got Fahrenheit 9/11 and i, Robot (the one that just opened in the theaters here this weekend). The guy insisted the disks were region-free, but the first one's case is in German and lists region 2. Both disks are just plain DVD disks with no labeling at all. I'll have to see if my computer plays them.

I got a little lost in one of the under-ground passageways, and was totally unable to find the exit I needed for the bookstore. I passed these two foreign guys a couple of times, and one of them stopped me to ask for a donation. They supposedly work for some world-wide organization (that I'd never heard of) helping with education, food, medical, shelter, etc. The guy I talked with lives in India. They seemed legitimate, with flyers, business cards, and a website, so I gave them a little (totally out of character for me). If they're crooks then they're pretty good at it.

I finally found the bookstore, bought a single book (the others were outrageously priced) and headed for the PC room. I've walked at least 10 miles today (estimate based on my pedometer). In sandals. So far no blisters and the bottoms of my feet feel OK, but my ankles feel a little weak. For now I'm going back to the yogwan, take a cool shower, and either read my new book or watch TV for a bit before going to sleep. Tomorrow--lots more walking!