Friday, April 9, 2010

Seoul is Good for the Soul

My first clue that Koreans might be a bit more polite than the residents of Shanghai ... these "Etiquette Bells" were mounted in each bathroom stall at the airport bathroom.  During our 2 1/2 days there we did notice that in general people were more polite than what we've become used to; although spitting anywhere and everywhere was still completely acceptable, along with some pushing and cutting in line...


Reunited with our Peace Corps friend, Amanda and on our way to hike at Bukhansen National Park.
I love that there is a Dunkin' Donuts at the trail head -- along with a ton of vendors selling everything one might need for the hike.  Jason observed that one could have arrived at the trail head with absolutely no clothes or food and been outfitted in a matter of minutes.

Ahhh .... hills!  I remember what these look like!  The air quality below wasn't quite as good as we'd hoped ... thanks to the desert sand that has been blowing here from China.
A man who asked to have his picture with us.  Nearly every Korean we saw was outiftted as if they were going on an extremely strenous climb.  Boots, backpacks, walking sticks, mats to sit on, etc were all part of the costume for the day.  We may have been underdressed by Korean standards, but we managed just fine. :)




















Our hike ended with a walk through this village that somehow had the feel of a small alpine village.




An entire store covered with empty "Soju" bottles (the Korean drink of choice).
Koreans definitely win the prize for their creativity in preparing foods at your table.  Mouth-wateringly good food and the entertainment of watching it get prepared in front of you.  You can't beat it!


1 comment:

williamqliu said...

Awesome! Glad you guys enjoyed South Korea and were able to hang out with Amanda!! :)