seoul korea: day1 dongguk university

it is a midnight flight and i fell asleep almost immediately since i was pretty tired. it was when i woke up, that i start thinking straight. one week ago, my cousin reminded me she is leaving for korea for work. she asked again if i would like to join her -- free accommodation and dinners. 3 days later, i actually bought the ticket with nothing plan. and here i am. i cannot believe it, im on the plane. ahhha... i am going to korea. i took a midnight flight and i will be arriving in seoul before my cousin. the moon kissing the morning sun is exactly how i felt in my heart, muakkkk... excited.


did i ever say this, that i am determine to make sure i visit every starbucks in the country i go to. yes, it says a lot. it does say that i am actually more interested to visit metropolitan cities. unlike most ppl who love to escape from the city when they travel. i like to be lost in another city, where transportation is all well planned for me, allowing me to merge so freely into the cultural and ppl. contrary going to the rural area, looking supreme and villages looking at my small camera as if im some posh fella which-im-not doesnt entice me. nor am i good with outskirts public toilets or showering by the river. lastly i never like the idea of oozing my heart with compassion and doing nothing about it. my point is: i just love the city. i love to see ppl just like me busy-catching-the-train after work, walking-hand-in-hand with their lovers, kids running around, teenagers just having the time-of-their-life. knowing that im among them observing, and no one will probably notice i exist -- makes me wonder how many ppl like this exist in our life. enjoyed having the best excuse in the world to stop a cute guy to ask for direction. despite the language barrier, i find comfort somehow in ppl not understanding me not due to the gap between people.

enough said, this is my trip.


yeoksam, this is the train station closest to me. i use this subway every day. not difficult at all, almost similar to those in spore just probably more lines and 30 more interchange. very much clearer than the one in tokyo. at least i never get on the wrong train. on the third day, i can even read my book and travel as if im one of the local.

1. jangchung-dan park

supyo bridge





2. some park around the area.
i was a bit disappointed with that park because there is really not much there, my walk up the the korean national theatre is not even worth the mention. later i found a stairs, the stairs is so steep and i really have no idea what is ahead. i took the step of faith, climbed up and found another park, the name which i-do-not-even-know. but it is pretty up there.



now, that is a great piece of architecture and you will be seeing a lot of that the next few days. and there is a park behind.


look at this statue. it is the first of the many piece art i see in this park. and it was not exactly a comforting way to start off this trip because it reminded me that i am all alone (im not sure this trip or in this pilgrimage). at least they have each other to keep them warm.




stairs...


and more stairs. before i walked down, i was thinking twice. do you think, i can get out of this place from this route. should be, right?.... no it dont... so i had to climb back up. it was freezing and there is no one around. not a single soul. i was wondering, if i faint climbing this stairs. i will probably die here in the cold. it was getting dark and no one will know im here.

i was kinda lost in this park. but it is not a waste of time. find out what i found:

A. those typical house in korean series... but i really dunno what is this uncle doing on his rooftop.



B. hotel shila's open air restaurant, it looks like a perfect small wedding venue.


C. a perfect view of seoul tower from the park.

more photos of day1 here.

when i was about to leave the place, it started to snow... (just a little...) it is pretty. i didnt take any photo since it is my first day and i took for granted thinking i might see that the next few days. little do i know, that is rare. must be the snow, it washed away my loneliness, i was very glad i had the luxury of going for another holiday. God somehow has his way of making me feel special when i think otherwise. it was indeed a very special welcome gift.

---

my very first meaty meal, korean bbq. yum.

who i met
in my hotel's lift and i actually initiated the conversation
cy: where did u get that (referring to his coffee).
x: oohh... down the street, in fact if you like starbucks there is just one right outside our hotel.
cy: really, i would love that.

a long while, after that. passing by the lobby to my room
x: hey, got your coffee
cy: ... (how does this pilot guy know i've got coffee. then it registered it was the guy in the lift. sorry im really bad with caucasion's face). ohh yahh...
x: somehow u just need to grab one of those to start of the day, yah.
cy: yahh :), you are leaving already?
x: yah, we always stay here
cy: really, it is a nice place. anyway nice meeting you

*anna rina said somehow ppl talk to you a lot when you travel alone, i think that is true. this column is dedicated for that.