Ulsan City Tour

I am red!! Is the sun here stronger than in Seoul?? No hat today, so my face and neck got lots of sun, along with my arms and the back of my still-white legs. It was an incredibly hot day. I also have a rash on my legs, from the heat and brushing up against weird plants. Yuck! After a shower it's not too itchy.

When I got to church and saw a ton of Korean kids going on the tour with us, I was not particularly happy. I thought this was an English tour for the foreigners!! To a certain extent it turned into "We let you use our facilities, so you have to talk to, teach, and entertain our kids for the day." I'm surrounded by kids all week! I like to avoid them as much as possible on the weekends!!

At the first stop of the day there was a getting to know you game where we interviewed people and got their name, age, address, and job. I felt like I was in the classroom, coaxing answers out of the kids and adults who surrounded me and asked questions faster than I could answer them. You do the math: 50 Koreans, 10 foreigners. AUGH! Stay away from me!! With the kids, it wasn't so bad, especially when they were brave enough to interview me on their own. But one adult came up to me and interrupted a kid like she was more important than the kid. The annoying lady came (the one with an adult's body but a child's mind). Just the little bit of time before and after church is bad enough, but a whole day of her following us around, interrupting our conversations to add stupid comments, etc. was maddening.

However, all-in-all it was a good day. It lasted 10 AM~5 PM. The tour was in Korean, with Kendall reading a few comments that he'd pulled from the internet. I understood a little of the Korean, but the guy's accent was strongly southern, so mostly I heard "left" and "right" so turned to that side and tried to figure out what they were looking at. Kendall was hilarious. Since we had copies of what he was reading from, he had to read so the kids could hear the native English speaker. He added in several not-so-factual parts which left the foreigners roaring with laughter and the kids looking around trying to figure out what was so funny. "And at this place, the queen played volleyball, and soccer, and hockey with her attendants." I sat in the back of the bus with Sarah, Owen, Allan, Kendall, and Shelly. We had fun joking around and flying off of our seats as the bus hit bumps in the road. I felt like one of the cool teenagers as the "adults" and children sat farther up.

The first place we went was Ju-jeon Beach, famous for its black pebble beach. Usually people just wade in the sea, but the heat drove lots of people into the water. Many tents were set up on the beach for families to rest in. Next we went to Daewangam, where we had lunch and the kids did a treasure hunt. Sarah skipped school to come on the tour. Well, sort of skipped. She asked her teacher if she could come, and he said no but she came anyway. She was funny going over the bridge. Apparently she's afraid of heights, so kept asking me if the bridge would fall down, and how it would be better if it were made of stone. No, I think stone would be too heavy!

We were all glad to get back on the bus. After lunch and all of the walking, the air conditioning and the rocking bus put most of the adults to sleep. It took a while to reach the next stop. The narrow winding mountainous coastal road made for a rough ride. (Were there enough adjectives in that sentence?!) Back and forth, forwards and backwards, hitting a bump so flying at least 6 inches off of your seat.......several people weren't feeling well, but I had no problem. I'm sure glad I outgrew the motion sickness!

Third stop was Standing Rock. It took less than 10 minutes to see the 12 meter high rock standing in the middle of the Taehwa River (an inland portion out in the countryside, much smaller than the river is in the city). Many people were wading or swimming in the shallow part.

Last stop were the Petroglyphs in Cheonjeon-Ri, Ulju (National Treasure number 147). I had seen models of them at Munsu Stadium, but the petroglyphs themselves were greatly disappointing. Despite the mountain blocking the sun and the slant of the rock blocking the rain, the carvings have eroded horribly. Surely the heat and cold each year can't help. In another fifty years they probably won't be there at all. The upper part of the rock had pictures and symbols, while the bottom part was newer (how is that possible?) and had what looked like Chinese characters from the Silla period. At the same place on the other side of the stream were some fossilized dinosaur footprints. Most of them looked like plate-sized craters in the ground. We were allowed to walk all over the area--around the footprints and in the footprints. How's that for preserving them?! Danica was a little too close to the stream and slipped in. Less than a minute later one of the little kids fell into a 2-foot deep puddle. The tour guide (a man in his 60s who used to be a teacher) freaked out a bit and ordered everyone away from the slippery ground near the stream. A couple of minutes later he sent everyone back to the bus.

After we got back to church some of us went out to a new Italian restaurant near the University--Kendall, Shelly, Owen, Sarah, Roger and his wife, Allan, and me. After the heat and all of the walking, the food was among the best I've ever had! I arrived home just after 7 PM, and will be going to bed early tonight. I am so tired!

A Short Week

The last several days have been normal. Wednesday I slept really late, did some cleaning and laundry, took a long walk, watched TV, and spent three hours typing all that happened on Monday.

The short 2-day workweek went well. Two adults showed up for class: Jennifer and Grace. Grace must learn to listen!!!!

Alvin asked me about my trip to Seoul: "People look at you strange?" No, not at all, barely a second glance. In Ulsan still all-out stares. The girls were telling me about a trip to their grandmother's house, and about how they saw their "big father" and "small father." KIDS!! It's "UNCLE!" Is your father big? In English it's not important, but if you feel the need to specify, you can say "My father's older brother" or "my father's younger brother." Alvin asked me if we call all of our father's brothers "uncle," then isn't it confusing when the whole family gets together? I explained that we add the person's first name with the title. Alvin deemed that "So strange!"

Brandon was his normal self--cheating on the hacking test, speaking constant Korean, and using his classmates as punching bags.

On Friday Sally and I exchanged stories about our trips to Seoul. Her family went to the National Assembly building on Sunday, so couldn't go in. She found it unfair that I got to go in. She asked if I had been to the Blue House (where the president lives) and I said yes, last year. At first she thought I meant inside, but I hurried to explain that I was just in the yard. She complained about how many pictures her parents took of her and her brother and how they were so embarrassed. When her family visited Seoul University there were "so many buildings" but they had to see a lot of them because that's the school her father wants her to go to (she's in the 7th grade now!). At the national cemetery her father asked a soldier something, and the soldier laughed at her father's 사투리 (accent, dialect). Seoul people think Ulsan is way out in the middle of nowhere.

This is a humorous look at the taxes rich vs. poor people pay.

I'll try to finish writing about the last day of Seoul tomorrow, but I'll be on the Ulsan City Tour for most of the day, so might not be able to.

Seonyudo Islet

The man from the National Assembly tour said that the Islet was 1 KM away. It wasn't. It was more like 4 KM. I had more to drink on the way, and tried to enjoy the slight breeze coming off of the river. The Islet was a disappointment. A small island on one side of the Han River, it's connected to either side by a bridge for cars and to one side by a pedestrian bridge. After floods in 1925, rocks were taken from the Islet to build banks on the Han River, which led to degradation of the island. Later it was used as a water purification plant. Now it's basically a park. The remains of the plant are used to support a "wild plants" area that amounts to some cattails and bamboo and a separate shallow pond area for kids to splash around in. A big deal was made of the World Cup Fountain, reaching 202 meters high, apparently the tallest in the world. Everything in Korea is the tallest or the biggest or the fastest or the best!

When I got back to the mainland I could not find the subway station. I walked one way and then another. I asked a man walking with his daughter where Dangsan Station was (in Korean), and he told me in perfect English how to get there. I continued walking, saw a bus stop with lots of people across from a building under construction that said Dangsan Station on the side. Huh? Are people taking buses instead of the subway from here? I'm not doing that, especially hearing about how horrible navigating the buses are. I'll walk back to Yeouinaru Station (on Yeouido Island) if I have to!

I walked some more, noticing how different the neighborhood was from the downtown part of Seoul. This neighborhood was no different than Ulsan--mostly 3~5 story buildings, people in more subdued fashions, fruit being sold from the front of stores, etc. It also looked like a newer area of town, or one that was being redeveloped. There was construction everywhere.

After eating at a McDonald's I crossed the street to what I had figured out was a subway station. I was expecting to see it underground like the others, not raised above the ground.

Back in Insadong I visited the tourist information center to ask about the postal museum. The volunteer was fascinated by my booklet full of Seoul museums, and asked if she could copy it. OK, sure....aren't they still available? Well, apparently the Seoul government put out a lot of tourist literature during the 2002 World Cup, but hasn't done much since then. I warned her that some of the information wasn't accurate or was outdated. While she copied I used the internet briefly.

I was really hurting at that point. I had gotten entirely too much sun over the course of the day, especially on my lower arms and on the back of my legs. My legs which were previously white white white white had changed to red. I was tired and sore and had aching feet. I had a heat rash on my lower legs (some left over from wearing pants yesterday). I returned to the yogwan shortly after 8 PM and ate half a Subway sandwich (another food I rarely get in Ulsan) before going to sleep at 11. What a long but exciting day!

Yeouido Island--National Assembly

While the 63 Building is on one end of the somewhat long narrow island (in the middle of the Han River), the National Assembly, my next stop, was on the other end. On the half-hour walk there, I saw lots of Korean tourists. The kids were complaining to their parents, along the lines of, "It's too hot!" "I'm thirsty!" "I'm tired!" "My feet hurt!" "My bag's too heavy--carry it for me!" Hey, I feel the same way, kids! If my parents were here, I'd be making the exact same complaints to them!! But as it was, I had to continue plodding along in order to see everything that I wanted to see, and there was no one to complain to (or carry my bag!). I continued drinking a lot--some water, Gatorade, Powerade, anything to stay hydrated. I didn't end up eating until 6 PM--my body was too busy keeping itself cool to be hungry.

The National Assembly building is an impressive building. It has 24 HUGE pillars and a greenish dome. Other government buildings surround it, and a fence and security guards and police officers surround the fence. I hesitantly approached the gate--too many authority figures with weapons today!--and the guard waved that it was OK to come in. Again, gestures were used as I asked if it was OK to come in, then I asked if pictures were OK. The overly-enthusiastic guard said, "Yes, yes! Pictures OK!" They were inspecting any vehicles that came in the gates, but people carrying backpacks are OK, I guess!

There was a fountain in front and many older people were working on the impeccable lawn and flowers. I approached the front door of the building with its 2 guards and asked if I could go inside and if there were any tours. They directed me to the back of the building downstairs. I walked through another metal detector and placed my bag on the airport-style x-ray machine. Again, keys and change in my pockets, no problem. They directed me to the information desk where I had to fill out a form with my name, nationality, address, and phone number. They didn't ask for ID there. I used my American address because something about all of the security guys made me nervous. What looked like the most senior guy escorted me to the elevators and up to the 3rd floor.

I had no clue what we would see. Since the Assembly isn't currently meeting, they were doing some construction so the hallway was a mess. We approached a door; it was locked. He got the key and when he opened it I was in awe--I actually got to see the National Assembly Hall!! The place where the dramatic filibuster took place when Roh Moo Hyun was impeached! It was the spectators' section, like the U.S. has, but with no glass separating the visitors and the legislators. The man gave me a lecture about the Assembly Hall in decent English, once he got started. He even knew words like "bicameral," but his pronunciation could use some help. He asked me the difference between an Assembly and a Parliament--I don't know! If you have a Parliament you have to have a king/emperor figure??? There are 299 legislators in the unicameral body; cabinet members and various helpers also attend meetings; press areas are off to the sides. Usually the legislators vote using an electronic system which displays their votes on a board, but if it's a really important vote like choosing a chairperson they vote in secret in 6 booths, 3 on both sides of the hall.

The tour was a little longer than I would have liked, as he was happy to practice speaking English. I learned that he wanted to be an acupuncture doctor, and had visited California, and.....I stopped listening after awhile. Two groups of around 20 people came and went while he talked, gave me advice on what to see in Seoul, gave me his handphone number and email address, wanted to hear my life history, etc. Finally we went out of the hall and into an adjoining area which had pictures of past Assembly leaders and various documents which he didn't go into detail about--I probably wouldn't have understood, not knowing the background info.

Then he gave me the choice about which way to go out. There was the way that I had come in, or the front entrance with the red carpet. I thought you told me that only legislators could come in that way. "Yes, but with me you can go that way, too." O....K.....red carpet exit it is!! We walked down while several guards watched us. We passed a TV screen showing a hearing in progress over Kim Seun Il and who was responsible for his death. We got outside and he asked me where I was going next. I told him, he wrote in Korean, "This person is going to Seonyudo Islet. Please help her and show her the way." I appreciated his concern, but how does he think I normally survive in Korea? I do fairly well without using perfect Korean!

The back exit was best to go to the Islet, so we went back into the building and down a side hallway that looked like only official people should use it. Quite a few guards were outside and gave us looks and perhaps even said something to him about me not supposed to be there. I heard a voice on a microphone, and he pointed out that the important hearing was going on inside that room, and then he started to open the door.

Do you recall what else I had been doing that day?! Let's see, Police Museum, park, hike up the mountain, hike down the mountain, subway, long walk to the 63 Building, even longer walk to the National Assembly building, 100 degree weather. I was dressed in a pink t-shirt, mid-thigh-length shorts, sandals, a dorky hat to keep me a little cooler and to keep the sun off, a backpack, and sweat everywhere. And you want to let me go into the equivalent of a U.S. Congressional Hearing?!?!?!?!

I protested and backed away from the door. NO! Look at me! Had I been properly dressed, it would have been awesome to sit in on such an important meeting, even if I couldn't understand much. But given my appearance, it would have been totally disrespectful to go in. I was in such shock and worried that he was going to push me in, that I didn't even get a good look at things. I just remember the voice on the microphone got a lot louder and there were lots of camera flashes going off and perhaps the woman speaking turned to look at the opening door.

The guy sitting at the desk outside of the room also said something to the man accompanying me. I HOPE it was something along the lines of, "Are you crazy? She can't go in there! Look at her!"

We continued outside the building, with me still astounded that he didn't have more sense, and horrified that anyone in the room might have seen me. He gave me detailed instructions in how to get to the Islet (I have a map!) and then made me repeat them back to him.

Yeouido Island--63 Building

It only took about 20 minutes to get to Yeouido Island on the subway. It truly looked like the pictures I've seen of Manhattan. So that's what skyscrapers look like! Nothing in Ulsan even begins to compare to that. I arrived at around 11:45 to see businessmen going to lunch in droves. I thought the 63 Building would be easy to find (as the tallest building in Korea) but with so many other tall buildings it didn't stand out. I stopped in at Starbuck's for a cold frappucino and to ask directions. (Another 100 degree day!) The employees told me how to get there (in Korean, and I understood!) but said that it was a long way. No problem, I can walk. It wasn't too bad, not over 15 minutes. Most of the walk was through Yeouido Park, a nice oasis of greenery amongst all of the traffic and buildings.

When I got to the 63 Building it did stand out. There were several 20~30 story buildings near it, which made its height seem even greater. The outside of the building was completely unimpressive, however. Just a plain boring building. It was built in 1985 and is 264 meters high. The buildings near the park were much nicer and more modern looking. I went inside to find TONS of Korean families going to the aquarium, theater, and observation deck. Too many people! No air! Do I really want to do this??

After buying a ticket I waited in line about 15 minutes for the elevator. It took roughly one minute to go up the 60 floors. The glass elevator was great; my ears popped several times on the way up. The view was OK, but nothing better than the Busan or Namsan Towers. I stayed around 45 minutes, enjoying the air conditioning and the pictures of Seoul circa 1900. The street scenes showed people in traditional clothes, men with long Japanese-style beards, traditional houses (no apartment buildings or skyscrapers!), dirt roads, horses and carts, and lots of hard work in everyday life. The pictures of the foreign tourists were particularly interesting for me. One French tourist was pictured on his horse with all of the supplies he needed, plus a sleeping bag. A Korean (servant?) led the horse through the crowded streets. In that era, foreigners lived like kings and were completely isolated in their own little foreign section of town.

Sajik Park and Soldiers

From what I understand, this park is important to Korea because together, Sajikdan and Jongmyo form Jongsa, which symbolizes the nation. To say "Sajik is at peace" is to imply that the country is doing well, while to say "Sajik is in danger" means conditions are poor. An important national figure is referred to as a "Vassal of Sajik."

There was an enclosed courtyard and in the middle of the area was Sajikdan, where sacrifices or incenses or something were (are??) burned. There were a couple of statues, but otherwise the park is a shady place to rest or for recreation. In this park the remains of the legendary figure Dangun are enshrined. Dangun is referred to as the father of Korea; he is said to be descended from god and a bear. The shrine was being painted so I couldn't go inside, but I looked in through the side gate.

Next on my list was to try to find the Fortress Wall. The booklet put out by the Seoul government that showed the wall as an attraction neglected to say that there's also a military base on that mountain. From the back of the Dangun Shrine I walked up some stairs to the road. From there I walked about 15 minutes up a somewhat steep road. About 10 cars passed, some military and some civilian. At a fork in the road a policeman stood guard in a roofed pavilion. I approached him and asked about the wall. He didn't seem too receptive to me; perhaps he's not supposed to talk to people while on guard duty??

The booklet didn't include any Korean, so I pointed to the wall behind the policeman and said "Choseon" because that was the only word I could think of to portray the "really old" concept. (Choseon was a Korean dynasty, perhaps the last one.) He still didn't get it. I saw an information sign 50 meters ahead so I asked if it was OK to go a little farther up the road; he said OK. As I started to walk off he said that I couldn't go to the top of the mountain today, but I could go tomorrow. ??? As I passed the guard house that I had thought was deserted, it came to life.

At this point, remember that I hadn't gone through any gates or climbed any fences or passed any menacing signs. I had simply walked through a public park, up some stairs, and then up a road.

Inside the tiny guard house two soldiers rose from their chairs clutching their machine guns and one shouted out at me. The policeman said I could come this way?? {weak excuse in my mind} I couldn't think of anything to say in any language, {MACHINE GUNS!!!!} so I tried to look as innocent and harmless as possible as I kept my hands visible.

When they saw that it was just a foreign woman, they relaxed. I pointed at the sign, and through gestures we determined that it was OK for me to go and read it. I was in such a state that I don't remember too much of what it said. Basically that the mountain had a couple of important cultural treasures: the Dangun Shrine and the Fortress Wall. It didn't say if or how people could see the wall, though. I turned and walked back down the mountain and back to the subway while thinking about how the military is present in Korean everyday life.

Police Museum

Back to Monday. I woke up a little after 6 AM (that bright sun shining in the window!) and got up an hour later. I stayed at the normal yogwan, but in a different room. This one was a good bit smaller, especially the bathroom. Otherwise, the same as the other room. I had breakfast in the room (bought the night before) before another busy day.

Everything went perfectly today. I saw everything I'd planned and more. I walked past the main Seoul Immigration Office to get to the Police Museum. A Korean man walking out of Immigration gave me a strange look. Not the normal "Oh, it's a foreigner" look but "Oh, it's an illegal foreigner!" How did they find out about me in Seoul?! OK, so I'm a little paranoid. I'll feel a lot better about things when I get my ID card back with the extended visa properly marked on the back.

The Police Museum was appropriately enough located in the Seoul Metropolitan Police Headquarters. I hesitantly approached the guard to ask about the museum. He asked for my passport, but his buddy said an ID card was OK. My Korean ID card? {wince} I thought, "Uh, I'm a tourist?" as I tried to portray a confident air as I handed over my American driver's license. No problem. They gave me an ID badge which I pinned to my clothes, and then I went through a metal detector. Was it even turned on, though? I had keys and change in my pockets, and they didn't look inside my backpack at all.

One of the police guards took me into the main building and downstairs to the basement. It was only a few minutes past the 9 AM opening time so he shouted for whoever was in charge of the place. The cutest policeman ever hurried out and gave me a 45-minute private tour of the museum. The labels on individual artifacts were in both Korean and English, while explanations were only in Korean. His English was fantastic. When he didn't know a word he'd do his best to explain what he meant. He used actions a few times to get the point across. Trying to explain an electric gun or lab techniques or other such things isn't the easiest thing in your own language, but especially in a foreign language! He has one year (of approximately 2) left to fulfill his mandatory duty to his country (instead of military service) and then he'll enter his sophomore year of university.

The museum covered mostly the 1800s~present, but included clothing and a few artifacts from the dynasties. In the past hats were important in telling a captain from an everyday policeman. Police uniforms in other countries were displayed as well. While the Seoul Metropolitan Police had their first woman officer in 1946, it sounded like even today they can't do much beyond traffic control. Part of the display dealt with crowd (riot) control devices—the shields, gas, etc. used to contain hostile protestors.

At the end of the tour he escorted me back to the gate while making some small talk. "Where are you going next?" Sajik Park. "By train?" No, I thought I'd walk. Is it far? He had no idea where it was, so asked another policeman. They said it was close by, and that they'd show it to me. That's OK; I have a map! However, they insisted, so I went along with it.

The two policemen (also young, cute, and buff compared to the Ulsan scarecrow policeboys) walked with me the 10~15 minutes to the park. I would have had no problem finding it on my own, but their knowledge of the neighborhood did save about 5 minutes. They didn't speak much English at all, so we mostly just walked. When we had to cross the street, the policemen confidently walked in front of cars, even taxis! No hesitation on their part, and the cars didn't come anywhere near them. With normal people, it's never certain if the cars are stopping. I received lots of looks along the way—people wondering what the two policemen were doing with the foreigner. If they had handcuffed me I don't think people would have looked at me any more strangely! When we got there I thanked them both and bowed. As I turned and started to walk into the park, the more talkative policeman shouted after me, "Have a nice day!"

Back in Ulsan

I'm back in Ulsan but absolutely exhausted. It was another great day of seeing things and interacting with people. Will write more tomorrow.

Drama

I'm alive but.......something like 15~20 miles of walking today, no joke. I wore a hat, but no sunscreen, so I'm pretty pink and getting pinker as I type (and it's after dark and I'm inside!). I saw and experienced a lot of cool things today, way too much to write about now. I'm writing from the tourist info center (free internet!) and have notes on everything I did today, so expect a book when I get rested. Highlights to get you hooked: I got a police escort, was chased by some soldiers, was nearly on TV in the middle of a government hearing.....what a weird day!

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!

Off to Seoul

I'm glad I'm leaving today instead of yesterday, and I'm really glad I'm taking the 9:20 train instead of the 7:20 train!

Yesterday was a nice relaxing day. I explored by the soccer stadium and spent a couple of hours figuring out what I was going to do in Seoul. I have things broken down into days--mostly museums, an old fortress wall that promises to be quite a hike, the 63 Building, an island, and a little shopping.

What was I thinking to even consider the 7:20 train? Leaving at that hour should be done only when absolutely necessary! I've got to grab a few things, then take the bus the 20~30 minutes to the train station. Bye!