Pictures!

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Seoul in two words? Sensory overload. Day or night, rain or humid-and-hazy-almost-shine, there are 489023423 things happening on every street. My guidebook says that, even though it seems like a lot, "Seoul rewards those who dare to explore" or something like that. So far, it's been right. Training has been intense, so I haven't been able to really sightsee, but when I wander the streets during my free time, I discover enough without having to see the real touristy stuff.


Walking around during my break. Way in the background is a building that looks like a syringe sitting on a mountain. That is the N'Seoul Tower and it is, in fact, in the middle of the city. That's how BIG this place is.


"Do you have a flag?

I only took this one to confirm that I'm actually here.


Open market. It occurred to me as I was taking this that the woman in the center might not appreciate being photographed by a stranger, but my distinctly foreign face lets me get away with a lot.


Eels in a bucket in the marketplace. It almost sounds like the beginning of a song, until the part where Koreans buy them, take them home and eat them. Notice I left out "cook them."


This is just to point out that some restaurants in Seoul use pictures of small octopi as advertisement.


I bought some mint gum in here, because Korean food is full of SPICE and GARLIC and PICKLED CABBAGE (called "kimchi"). There were two teenage-ish guys behind the counter, and when I thanked them in Korean, one of them said "I love you." The other one hit/tackled him and then I left.

Also the sign is funny.


Rush hour, which, due to a national workaholism, happens closer to 7:00 than 5:00. Sitting on a bus in the middle of this is kind of unnerving, until a bigger bus suddenly cuts across 5 lanes of traffic in front of you. Then it's terrifying.


The Han River with the giant syrin- I mean, N'Seoul tower in the background.


Dinner in the COEX mall, where everything has English subtitles and I FINALLY found an adaptor. The bowl on the top right is kimchi. The bowl with the white coleslaw-like stuff and the little bowl of bean sprout soup are the only things that don't set the tastebuds aflame.

A few minutes after I took this picture, I was deep in my epic struggle with the chopsticks, when the lady behind the counter where I'd bought my food (who spoke no English) decided it was time for me to give up. This would have been embarrassing enough even if I hadn't been across the room. Except then, she wouldn't have had to send some other customer to tap me on the shoulder and point to the counter, where she waved a fork at me.


COEX plaza.


Lights and fountains by the COEX plaza and World Trade Center. The only thing that could have made this scene better (and more random) would have been a sudden burst of fast-paced classical music. Oh wait...

...that's what happened.


Seoul is amazing at night.


Squid in a bucket at another market place. Still alive. Still moving.


Kimchi pots for sale! All shapes and sizes.

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Comments

[Kristen]

25 hours
haha, 25 hour drug stores! Really cool pictures!

[Skypaday]

Hi!
Thanks. I think the 25 was intentional, but it's still funny. How is RA training?