last full day in korea

today was my last full day in seoul. i had been trying to take it easy and relax for the past couple of day, but i felt the need to really cram it in today. i went to five museums and two shopping malls today and i'm exhausted. i just finished packing my suit cases, i leave around noon tomorrow and i and i want to be at the airport early to avoid any complications. enjoy some random pics from my last day. i'll see you on the other side of the ocean.

makkoli mountain, olympic park, best dinner ever

dick and his friends wanted to take me hiking up their favorite mountain before i had to go home. the mountain is not very tall, but it was a challenging and hot hike. they dubbed the mountain mt. makkoli because there are several small stalls that serve makkoli on the way to the top. makkoli is type of weak rice wine that tastes kinda of like the milk after you have eaten your morning cereal. the hike and companionship was very enjoyable, but the best part was going off the trail and taking a nap on the side of the mountain. it still amazes me that there is so much beautiful nature so close to such a massive modern city. seoul definitely has the best of both worlds.

i spent most of the next day in olympic park which is a short walk from dicks apartment. it was originally constructed when seoul hosted the olympics in the 80's, but now seems to be primarily a place were old people hang out and exercise. i spent over an hour talking with an 82 year old korean about the importance of english, the division of korea, and our families. all old people in korea look about 20 years younger than they actually are because all they do is work out. even on a 90 degree day there were old people everywhere doing exercises that i'm not in good enough shape to do. the park also had a huge sculpture garden which i spent alot of time wandering through and taking pictures.

today i went to julies school to see some of her students. the school is very modern and super cute. the kids were adorable, but i think they were acting up a little bit because i was there. one girl even called me mr. black because i was in my standard all black outfit. the kids were doing some illustrations and every single kid was an awesome artist. after school we went to insadong to get a vegetation temple meal. it was 40 bucks a person, but worth every penny. you take your shoes off and sit on a pillow and they bring you a 20 course meal all served in little wooden bowls. the food and the atmosphere were fantastic. i think it is the first meal that has really filled me up since i left home.

mountain













olympic park














best meal ever!!!

Seodaemun prison and the accidental mountain climb

dick told me that Seodaemun prison was worth a visit, so i decided to check it out. it was where the Japanese tortured and suppressed the korean independence movement. the prison was full of pretty graphic displays of torture. oddly enough, entire korean families treated the place like disney land and took lots of light hearted pictures and generally seemed oblivious to the fact the this was a very intense prison. after tour of the prison i didn't really have anything to do, so i walked around independence park and drank a few beers in the sun. off in the distance was a beautiful mountain, so i decided that i would get as close as could and try and take some pictures. it turned out that after walking for a while you could actually take a trail to the top. in hind sight it was probably a bad idea to climb a mountain in 95 degree weather in flip-flops, without having eaten anything that day but a mellon popsicle and two beers. even though i was incredibly unprepared i climbed the mountain anyway, and i'm glad i did. by the time i got to the top i was literally soaked in sweat, but the view all the way up was indescribably beautiful. i listen to the stars of the lid all the way up and when i got to the top i took a nap on a picnic table. it was one of the most peaceful and relaxing things i think i have ever done. i'm so glad that i threw logic out the window and braved my way to the top. when i got back to dicks i ate an entire pizza to myself and we went out to the bar and then to noribong which is a private karaoke room. it was alot of fun until a bunch of westerners from dicks work showed up. i wish i had some pictures, but i forgot to turn my flash on so none of them came out.

prison





independence park


mountain hike



fresh mountain spring water!


mountain views






wish i had worn shoes