Korea Trip, 2009
Jeju Island, Seogwipo shore, down the stairs from the beach condo we stayed at. Note the creek flowing into the ocean.
Labels: jeju island, ocean, south korea, travel, vacation
Korea Trip, 2009
Jeju Island, Seogwipo shore. Taken during a very hazy summer day.
Labels: jeju island, ocean, south korea, travel, vacation
Korea Trip, 2009
Seoul, folk village. This woman and these musicians were re-enacting a traditional funeral chant. We were in the area for a good forty-five minutes, and she didn't let up once. I went in the little courtyard to watch a couple of times, but the view was blocked by the video crew. These were the only decent shots I got.
Labels: folk village, hanbok, seoul, south korea, traditional, travel, vacation
Korea Trip, 2009
Seoul, Myeongdong shopping district. I felt like a giraffe among a herd of gazelles, in this crowd of Koreans (though note the lone American in the foreground, there). And, although I did see poverty in Korea, it was here that I saw the only beggars I encountered during the trip. The folks in the caution vests are street preachers.
Korea Trip, 2009
Seoul, Lotte World amusement park. There was this very interesting folk museum upstairs. Here are the kids using oldtimey laundry paddles, and listening to a narration from a mannequin.
Labels: lotte world, seoul, south korea, travel, vacation
Korea Trip, 2009
Seoul, Lotte World Amusement park. Yes, those are Korean performers dressed like Scottish Highlanders, playing bagpipes. There were lots of foreign dancers representing different areas of the world; I'm sorry I didn't get a few snaps of them.
Labels: lotte world, seoul, south korea, travel, vacation
Korea Trip 2009
Lotte World indoor amusement park. This place was huge, and indoors! The photos were shot from the balloon ride, which circles the perimeter up near the ceiling.
Labels: lotte world, seoul, south korea, travel, vacation
Korea Trip 2009
These are views of the northeast corner of Seoul, with the Han River in the foreground, taken from our room in the Sheraton Walker Hill hotel. It was very hazy--I don't know how much of that was due to the rainy season, and how much to pollution. I was told that it's much clearer in autumn.
Labels: han river, seoul, south korea, travel, vacation
Korea Trip 2009
To the north of Seoul is this curious place, Imjingak. It's on the border with North Korea. It looked like a Korean rest stop, with bus parking, convenience stores, snack bars, but also with monuments, reflecting pools, even a little amusement park. The pool is in the shape of unified Korea. The landscape shot shows the rail line going over the river into North Korea. The wrecked train engine is from the early days of the war.
There were fences with ribbons and banners, wishing peace and unity to the Korean people. And over the border I could hear automatic weapons shooting, as the Norks were having a live-fire exercise.
Labels: dmz, imjingak, north korea, south korea, travel
Korea Trip 2009
The harbor city of Mokpo; scenes of the harbor and of a garden on the grounds of a museum. The rock formation is locally famous because it looks like a man wearing a traditional Korean hat, from some angles.
Korea trip 2009
Jeju Island, Seogwipo shore
Labels: jeju island, ocean, seogwipo, south korea, travel
Yudalsan Sculpture Garden, Mokpo, South Korea
I was here last in 1997, and this time was surprised to see that all the sculpture was new. They must rotate the pieces, to keep the park fresh.
Labels: Mokpo, south korea, Yudalsan Sculpture Garden
Korea trip 2009
Suncheon, Songgwang-sa Temple
Suncheon, Songgwang-sa Temple detail
Labels: south korea, suncheon, travel
Korea Trip 2009
Seoul, on the grounds of a historical palace.
Seoul, in front of a historical palace. Sorry, but I'm too lazy to look up the names of the different palaces we went to.
Labels: family, seoul, south korea, travel