Three Peaks

The three peaks of Bukhansan from southern Dobong-gu
looking westward into Bukhansan National Park.

A Fine Specimen

An autumn walk with an elementary schoolteacher
always involves the gathering of
fallen leaves to be used in classroom projects.
Gangbuk-gu, Seoul.

Rainy Day Courtyard

Autumn foliage and kids' playground brighten
gray, late October day.
Luceen Apartments.  Seongbuk-gu, Seoul.

On the Go

Elderly woman makes her way through
Namsangol Hanok Village.
Seoul.

Pretty in Pink

Flowering shrubbery set against traditional Korean
architectural design.
Namsangol Hanok Village, Seoul.

Young girl dressed in traditional
Korean hanbok.

Korean folk art.

Dancing Gangnam style.
Namsangol.

Brushing teeth.  Korean society encourages
good oral hygiene.
Toothbrushes are even kept at school.
Namsangol.

Young girl and painting activity.
Gwanghwamun Square, Seoul.

Girl atop shoulders.  Best seat in or out of the house.
Gwanghwamun Square.

October Dream Forest

Splashes of autumn color.
Dream Forest Parkland.
Gangbuk-gu, Seoul.

Butterfly.  Dream Forest.

Grassland.  Dream Forest.

Ashley's Bag

Yellow bag on crowded Mt. Namsan cable car.
This pic dates back a couple months and I can't recall
if it was shot deliberately or if the shutter
tripped accidentally.
Either way, artistic recognition or carelessness,
I like it.

Namsan Guard

Guard at Mt. Namsan signalling tower.
Namsan Park, south central Seoul.

Sidewalk Vendor

Sidewalk vendor demonstrating his wares
during Chuseok festivities.
Seoul.

Scooter Delivery

Big Mac attack?  Relief is on the way.
Near Mia Junction, Seoul.

Fashion Show

Evening fashion show on Cheonggyecheon Stream
near Pyounghwa Clothing Market,
Dongdaemun, Seoul.
The Dongdaemun market area is a global center
of the fashion industry.

Ssireum

Ssireum, Korean wrestling, is a traditional
sport of Korea.
Exhibitions are often held during
Chuseok (harvest festival) activities.

The matches are contested on a
circular mound of sand.

The winner is the competitor who forces
his opponent to touch
the ground with any part
of his body above the knee.

A Moment to Pause

Occasionally, something pops up in daily events that stops you dead in your tracks.  Stacey and I encountered a very simple war memorial recently that did just that.

During an early day of the recent seven day Seoul Festival, we were flitting around downtown, hopping from one merry event to another.  Chuseok, Korea's major holiday, was only a day off and people were in a festive mood.  Celebrations were underway everywhere.

We rounded a corner off Cheonggye Plaza heading toward Seoul Plaza.  There, along the sidewalk bordering the street, stood rows of flags from countries around the world, and under them, simple easels supporting large reproductions of old photographs.  The happy countenances of passerbys turned somber as they perused the photos and accompanying captions.

The memorial had been set up as a tribute to the sixty-seven nations that had come to the aid of South Korea in 1950 following the communist invasion from the north.  The photos portrayed in graphic detail the brutality and devastation that had spread across Korea.

There were pictures all too familiar to mankind of displaced, famished people; strings of refugees; POW camps; and the rubble of what had previously been Seoul.  They stood in stark contrast to the gleaming city readily viewed by simply raising our line of vision above the easels.  It would have been so easy to hurry by and return to the festivities around the corner, but most people I saw were momentarily transfixed in front of the easels.

It is impossible to fathom the suffering that civilians and military personnel alike endured on the peninsula during the war years unless experienced firsthand.  But it was easy and inevitable for Stacey and I to pause, awash in emotion, and marvel at the hardship borne by so many that allowed us to stand where we stood and experience the wonders of Korea below the 38th parallel today.

Autumn Tree

Fall color
Namsangol Hanok Village, Seoul

Yongmasan (The Pictures)

If you are a faithful follower of "Seoul Far Away", you are aware of a recent conquest of Mt. Yongmasan.  The following are pictures which serve as irrefutable proof of the great feat.

Trailhead.

Easy going on lower stretches of
route to the top.

Celosia along trail.

Palgakjeong Pavilion, set on side of
Mt. Yongmasan.

Ascent to Palgakjeong Pavilion.

From pavilion looking downhill
and out over Seoul.

Exercise area adjacent to pavillion.
Gee whiz...I think my
backpack is weight enough.

Sign pointing to the summit.

Trail leading to the summit.

Conqueror at the summit.

Conqueress at the summit.

Unfortunately, crystalline skies do not always prevail.
Looking out over distant Han River from the summit.

The descent. 
Still afoot before adopting the much
more efficient
stop, drop, and roll down the mountain technique.

Seoul Festival 2012

Seoul's weeklong big bash known as the "Hi Seoul Festival" took place the first week of October.  Koreans and people from around the world gathered in large numbers at the opening program in downtown Seoul.

The Citizens' Percussion Band led the opening parade which
moved in waves of participants and spectators
from Cheonggye Plaza to Seoul Plaza.

The crowd.

The Percussion Band.

Scores of volunteers used their bodies to separate
the parade participants from
the constantly shifting spectators.

Part of the parade procession.

The French street art group, Transe Express,
the festival's headliners,
perform on Cheonggye Plaza.

Transe Express on Cheonggye Plaza.

At Seoul Plaza, shadows of Transe Express aerial
percussionists and acrobat are
cast on Seoul City Hall.

Merriment and revelry on Seoul Plaza.

Dobongsan Station

Elderly woman at market set up in corridor
through Dobongsan Station.

The portion of Dobongsan Station served by line 1, Seoul's
oldest metro train line, lacks the refinement and
elegance of newer facilities.
On the northern end of line 1, the train runs
aboveground through several stops.

Bus stop outside station.

Corridor market.

Rotisserie chicken outside station.