Seoul City Tour

Dongademun Gate and Doota! (the mall) in the distance

The tour turned out to be good value, despite the obligatory detour to an amethyst factory and a ginseng factory.  At the entrance to the amethyst shop my mom was delighted to see a Lions Club seal on the wall, and she insisted to be photographed next to it to show her Lions Club chapter back home. The visits were pleasant since the Korean touts were never as aggressive as the Thais could be.

We began our tour at the Royal Palace of Gyeongbokgung.  Coming from the hotel, we already saw one monument: Dongdaemun Gate which looked less like a gate and more like a small fortress. Seoul turned out to have few historical buildings and not all were truly ancient, because many were reconstructions of originals destroyed at war.  The Japanese were especially destructive, and was credited for abolishing the monarchy.

Gyeongbokgung Palace main entrance

On our way to the palace, the guide pointed out The Blue House, where the embattled Korean President Roh Moo-hyun was under house-arrest.  Just behind it we saw snow-capped Mount Bukhansan, a strangely serene and peaceful sight in a very industrial-looking city.

Gyeongbokgung palace used a lot of tasteful preppie colors: pink and green pastels, and subdued reds. I liked the roof details: the repetitive bamboo-like shapes under the eaves that seemed covered in embroidered silk, the runaway steel monkeys of the Monkey King at the top • a Chinese influence.  There were very violent stories: a few centuries ago the Queen was murdered in her sleep by a bunch of Japanese ninjas in that building yonder.

Jo, Louie and me!

Within the palace grounds was the National Folk Museum.  We saw a lot of dolls and mannequins dressed up in hanbok or re-enacting village life.  I liked the hooded cloaks used by the upper class women; have always liked mysterious hooded cloaks in general.  There were rows of pretty shoes and slippers behind a glass case that I wanted to try on.

We left the palace for Jogyesa temple, improbably located behind apartment blocks. Under renovation at that time, its façade was mostly covered.  Louie, our guide, revealed that he was Buddhist, and began to enumerate the steps to Buddhahood. Unfortunately, I’d forgotten half of them before he was through. I rather liked Louie because he reminded me of my friend Leon who has an Om tattoo.  The temple was full and the people had spilled over to the entrance steps, so we couldn’t go inside. Buddhism was a casualty of Confucianism. Most of the Buddhists had to flee to the mountains, so a temple that old in the middle of the city was rather special.

We met dreamy Go-san on the tour bus, and Jo had fun practicing her Japanese. Soon after, we were dropped off sans Go at Itaewon, which bordered the Yongsan U.S. Military base.  Mom, Jo and I were on our own from that time on. We quickly realized there was nothing to see in Itaewon except Americanized bars and leather-goods shops.  We found a shop where Yoda sold fake plastic Birkin bags!  We decided we might as well have lunch.

Street scene near Ewha

The street leading up to Ewha Women’s University seemed the most feminine street in all of Seoul.  It was lined with boutiques, cafes and tea shops, shoe stores, beauty salons, a Body Shop and its Korean counterparts. Going up to the university itself, which was on top of a hill, we were met by phalanxes of Korean girls coming from class, striding purposefully down the street.  Their heels drummed down the pavement and random wooden boards (road works were ongoing).  Since we hardly saw any men, they were free and easy in their demeanor and their actions.  They only looked at us curiously.

Going by foot from Ewha to Yonsei down to Sinchon we realized how hilly Seoul was.

Ewha Women's University grounds

At the end of Yonsei’s main street, which reminded me of UP’s, I felt more keenly than ever the lack of camera film (this was before I’d gone digital) when we spied this seemingly endless colorful mural at the crossing to Sinchon.

Yonsei University grounds

Quick detour: Kyobe Bookstore, where we bought original DVDs of Il Mare and Art Museum by the Zoo. Both proved to be enjoyable movies.