The past few weeks I’ve been instructed to work at home because of the coronavirus, so naturally I’ve had a little bit more time to explore. The weather has been pretty dusty recently, so between that and working in my room during the day, things have seemed sort of dreamlike. 

Namsan and Hiking

I hadn’t realized but Namsan Tower, one of Seoul’s most recognizable landmarks and tourist sights, is lit to reflect the air quality. On clear days, it’s blue (very rare) or green; on bad days it’s red, and if it’s so dusty that people should stay inside, they don’t light the tower at all, which is very dystopian and freaky. 

A couple of weekends ago, I hiked Namsan Mountain with an expat group I’ve fallen into. The geography of Seoul is really unique- the whole peninsula is mountainous and Seoul’s neighborhoods are divided up by hills, rivers, streams, and mountains. From Namsan you can see all of Seoul and look directly down at a neighborhood called Itaewon on the foothills of the mountain. Itaewon is where most expats in Seoul live, and it’s the best neighborhood for international restaurants, especially Halal and Mexican. 

Two weeks ago, I also hiked a couple of city wall circuits, which were easy and scenic. When Seoul was much smaller than it is today, it was contained by four gates (North, East, West, and South) which were connected by these city walls. After the hike, our group went to a small English pub run by a man named Lewis and his wife. I had the best sticky toffee pudding of my life, and got to pat his dog, who was very sweet. 🙂 

Incheon and Songdo

Last weekend, a friend and I planned a trip to Incheon, Korea’s third most populous city, located east of Seoul on the coast. We had anticipated good weather and even joked about swimming, but our ferry tickets were cancelled due to a snowstorm and our hostel reservations over concerns about the coronavirus. Ultimately we wound up staying in a love motel which was $55 a night and actually quite clean and spacious, and just walked around Incheon’s Chinatown for a day (where there have been no reported cases of the coronavirus so far). 

Incheon’s ports opened in 1883, and people from Japan and China flooded in. Incheon still has a large Chinese and Japanese population, which are separated into distinct neighborhoods. On one street, the delineation is reflected in the the style of the statues leading up to Confucius (a powerful influence in both cultures). Chinatown is North of the stairs (left in the picture) and the Japanese community is South/right. 

On our trip, we visited Wolmi Island, a pier with an amusement park and seafood, but it was so cold that we only stayed for about an hour. I’m glad I got to smell the ocean and see the water, though. 

On Sunday, we traveled to Songdo, Korea’s first planned city. It is completely covered by 5G, and every building is built to LEED standards. There are also strange callouts to other world famous sights, like Central Park, and Venice’s canals. In “Central Park” there is a rabbit island, and deer enclosure. 

Meerkat Cafe

Animal cafes are seemingly going to be a part of every post I make. A couple of weeks ago I visited a meerkat cafe! They were like the raccoons: surprisingly curious, and little thieves. We had to empty our pockets before we went into the enclosure. I also met an incredibly angry wallaby and a raccoon. 

Hwesik

Before I started working from home, I had my first dinner/drinking outing with my coworkers, called a Hweshik. Traditionally these are supposed to be pretty brutal- your boss treats you to food and booze, but employees (especially those who are younger) are expected to eat and drink everything given to them. I had originally planned on just not drinking and politely leaving after two hours, it being a Wednesday night, but my boss got me my own personal pint of Jura whiskey, which he had his brother bring back from his trip to Scotland, so I sorta had to. Here’s a pic! The food was really good, and we were done by 9. 

Jongmyo

Jongmyo is a traditional Confucian shrine for the old royalty of the last Korean dynasty. When you tour, you have to avoid certain paths that the spirits walk on. 

Some Extras:

A Korean meme I saw recently about Gregg shorthand: 

A Dunkin Donuts brand medical mask:

Some views from a ski trip:

Banners celebrating director Boon Joon-ho’s Oscar wins:

That’s all for this time!