Gyeongbokgung Palace

In every travel guide about South Korea, it is almost certain you will hear about the "fluid mix of ancient and modern aspects" within the country (Lonely Planet). On Monday, I was able to experience a bit of the ancient at the Gyeongbokgung Palace. The palace seems to have a turbulent history of being destroyed and rebuilt, with the latest destruction during the Japanese colonial rule in the early 20th century. Gyeongbokgung, translated into "Palace Greatly Blessed By Heaven," was a place were kings were crowned, met foreign convoys, and determined state affairs.

The palace is filled with Chinese and Japanese tourists following tour guides rigorously waving tour group flags in the air. As a fairly big park, Jieun and I tried to circumambulate the palace leading to a very serene morning amongst gardens and pagodas. It was a slightly misty morning, but the cool rain helped ease the intense humidity!

The latest trend in Seoul right now...

Waffles!! I haven't had any yet, but will surely blog when I do :)

Arrival in Seoul

Ah, I have arrived in Seoul. The cicada are humming loudly this fine Monday morning. This past weekend was a bit of a blur, but fabulous nonetheless. Post arrival, we made our way to the clubbing district of Hongdae for Jieun's 23rd birthday. What a wonderful way to jump right in? The scene was a mix of Koreans, foreign teachers, U.S. marines, bright lights, trendy outfits, loud music, booty shaking, and spicy rice cakes. After eight hours of dancing and fun, the sun rose and I was a complete zombie. Was it worth staying up 30 hours in a travel induced daze? Absolutely! I am absolutely ecstatic to be here with Jieun, especially for her birthday :)

I must say, Sunday I slept till about dinner time. I was awoken by the sweet aroma of Korean BBQ. Mrs. Paik is a spectacular cook. Red pepper paste is used as a sauce to make lettuce wraps with the bbq-ed meat. Mmmm... The duck eggs (the black eggs in the picture below) were a delicious addition as was the fresh salad with sesame sauce.


Delicious dinner finished, Jieun, Sunny, Kicheon (Jieun's siblings) and I spent a relaxing evening biking along the Han river.