Blogs from Insadong, Seoul, South Korea, Asia - page 2

Come to Korea... and speak Mandarin. I met and was adopted by my three new Taiwanese housemates at around midnight last night (when I was shattered but still wide awake, thank you jetlag!) and, on their invitation, we spent the day together today. In case I am accused of overinflating my (non-existent) skills in Mandarin, let me say that all three speak excellent English and pretty good Korean, so I am learning a lot! Our first stop was the traditional village in Bukchon, just a few subway stops north of the Meong-Dong district where we are staying (which is full of little shops and restaurants that will bear further exploration later). Bukchon is famous for its Hanok houses - traditional Korean houses made of wood. Since many of the Hanok are modelled after the architecture in ... read more

We were greeted in Seoul by a plethora of English signs and western amenities. There were 7-11’s and Dunkin’ Donuts everywhere! It’s hard to believe it’s only a 50 minute flight from Dalian! Incheon airport is the best airport in the world. Literally. Furthermore, the transportation system in Korea is phenomenal – so efficient, organized and vast. Getting to our hostel (Phil House) was easy. On our first day in Seoul we went to Gyeongbokgung Palace in the middle of the city. Upon exiting the metro station we were offered a free English speaking tour guide. Its a great deal for both the tourists and the guide. We had no idea where anything was or what it was and she, Helen (14 years old), wanted to practice her English. Gyeongbokgung translates into ‘Palace Greatly Blessed by ... read more

> Starving! We sat down at a restaurant for a good 15 minutes before we realized there were no servers. It turns out you have to order your food from a machine in the the middle of the dining room.The machine prints out a receipt, you hand it to the kitchen staff, and 10 minutes later your food is ready for pick up. No server, no extra cash needed for tips. Works for me! ... read more

> I woke up at 5:30 a.m. this morning. What to do...My aunt dropped me off at a nearby shopping mall called Coex. For those who are familiar with Los Angeles, Coex is much like going to The Grove, only all of the stores are underground. There's a movie theater, food court, department store, and even an aquarium. http://www.coex.co.kr/eng/intro/overview.asp ... read more

Two hundred and fifty-four people gathered into the basement performance hall on Sunday morning, February the 13th at Jogyesa Order Administrative Building to hear Mingyur Rinopche speak about Tergar meditation. This form of meditation helps calm the mind, open the heart and develop insight. From the first smiling word spoken by Mingyur, his being radiated happiness to all those in attendance. Each word chosen to communicate with came from a well of knowledge and wisdom. Every gesture and movement captured the audience’s attention with genuine kindness behind every thought presented. Over the next two hours during the talk he imparted the joys of meditation, techniques to improve meditation and the benefits of meditation. Over the first twenty minutes he spoke about the two most important things “body” and “mind.” Beginning with “body” he spoke about posture. ... read more