Sunday, May 27, 2007 - Seoul

Took the Palace tour this morning. It was just Peter and myself in the tour bus for the 10 a.m. schedule. We simply sat through the whole tour and got off at the last stop which was the main palace of Gyeongbukgung. It's the biggest palace where the royal family used to live. The backdrop of the palace was the two mountains which is pretty good feng shui.

The recurring theme for our day is serendipity and perfect timing.

When we went to the Palace we thought we'd check it out first then come back later for the changing of the guards ceremony, or skip it when we can't return. Well, to our surprise after we bought our tickets to enter the palace the announcement came that the ceremony was about to take place in just a few minutes. So, we were right smack dab in the front middle row. Perfect place, perfect time.

Next we went to Insadong where we walked through the streets full of vendors selling food, souvenirs, ceramics, etc. Right when we reached the end of the street some performers were dancing then when we walked back to the middle another set of performers started coming our way.

When we returned back to Daehangno area where we are staying there was a huge event taking place in the main road. The Seoul University students held a major concert with singing, dancing and stage performances. Again, we were in the right place at the right time.

We watched for awhile before having some "street food" dinner: Peter had the sundae (spicy sausage) in a bun with peanut sauce and other condiments for only $2.50, while I had the grilled ika (squid) for only $2. We took our time eating and sitting with the locals near the exit no. 4 of the subway. Then when stood up to go back to the hostel these guys in a "green tea" bottle costume were beginning their dance routines. They were so hilarious that Peter and I really laughed so hard, one of the bottle guys approached Peter to go dance with him (while some were already dancing with the other bottle guys), then later while I was videotaping their routine one of the rushed to me and shoved his face into the camera. (Will hope to put this on youtube.com)

Anyway, it really is amazing that all these things happened when we simply showed up. Perfect place, perfect timing.

~~~
Comments:

1. In Daehangno area the people leave their trash all over the place - no trash bins are provided in the streets, even in the subway stations (only in the Seoul station and the toilets).
2. The young women here can dress elegantly on certain days but on the normal days they dress casually - unlike in Japan where they are always well-dressed.
3. Street food is particularly the local favorite - that's why Koreans love the Philippines.
4. Their singing style are pretty much like the Filipino pop music.