I like travelling alone. That way, I've only got one idiot to worry about.
Roads are a sign of progress, both when they’re built up and when they’re taken down.
Such is the story of one of Seoul’s newest (and at the same time most ancient) landmarks: the long-lost, now newly restored Cheonggyecheon stream that runs right through the heart of the city.
Continue reading “Field Report: Seoul (12 February 2013) – Part 1/2”
With five sprawling royal residences scattered across their capital, a shortage of palaces was something the Joseon kings had no right to complain about.
In any case, their past extravagance is a boon for the tourists of today, who now have a rich buffet of historic structures to choose from and add to their itineraries.
Out of the five, I visited Gyeongbokgung and Changdeokgung earlier in this wintertime journey across Seoul. Time to add one more to the tally.
Continue reading “Field Report: Seoul (11 February 2013) – Part 2/2”
The Kingdom of Joseon was a Confucian state, and its rulers considered ancestral veneration a high priority. It should come as no surprise that royal ancestors would be enshrined, and the prescribed rituals performed for them, in appropriately grand surroundings – like the ones I encountered on the third day of my trip to Seoul this past winter.
Continue reading “Field Report: Seoul (11 February 2013) – Part 1/2”
Walking deeper into the garden, I was struck by the silence and the stillness of the snow-covered scenery all around me. We were right in the heart of Seoul, one of the world’s busiest cities, yet standing here I might as well have been hiking through a remote stretch of countryside far beyond the reach of the 21st century. No traffic noise, no heaving crowds: just the faint crunch of freshly-laid snow under my feet, the clear calm air of winter, and the woven arms of the innumerable trees, mercilessly shorn by the harsh season of any leaves that might break the progress of the warm sunlight filtering onto the cold skin of my face.
Continue reading “Field Report: Seoul (10 February 2013) – Part 4/4”
Gyeongbokgung was nice, very nice indeed – in a straight-laced, straight-lined, right-angled sort of way. The neatly planned succession of gateways and courtyards strung along rigidly laid axes makes for an impressive statement of power and order, consistent with the sort of ground plan one might encounter in other East Asian palace complexes (the Forbidden City in Beijing, for example).
Nonetheless, a strong case can be made for the rustic charm of a rambling layout, which was what I encountered in another of Seoul’s sprawling royal residences.
Continue reading “Field Report: Seoul (10 February 2013) – Part 3/4”
The charming brick-faced area around Myeongdong Cathedral may have had a strong European flavour, but my next stop featured some splendid examples of unmistakably Korean art and architecture.
Continue reading “Field Report: Seoul (10 February 2013) – Part 2/4”
Another day out in the freezing cold – but with bright sunshine and clear blue skies, conditions were just right for a relaxing journey through the historic centre of Seoul.
On today’s itinerary: Myeongdong Cathedral, Gyeongbokgung, and Changdeokgung.
Continue reading “Field Report: Seoul (10 February 2013) – Part 1/4”
Next week, Diego’s jetting off to South Korea for a family holiday. Now travelling with other people might not be his cup of tea, but when the chance for an excursion paid almost entirely out of parental pockets comes by, he’s not one to let the opportunity slip past.
As an appetiser for (and a nice seasonal counterpoint to) the autumn field reports that I’ll write after that forthcoming journey, I’ve decided to post a series of field reports documenting my solo trip to Seoul this past winter. It’s been months since that trip ended so these reports may contain less commentary than usual (a sad consequence of not having a memory card for a brain), but the photographs will no doubt speak far better than I ever can.
Continue reading “Field Report: Seoul (09 February 2013)”
Where Diego enters, sits, and leaves. (That’s the lounge part.)
And then enters, sits, and leaves. (That’s the flight part.)
Yep, that’s pretty much it.
Where Diego sinks into Cathay’s uber-comfortable long-haul seat for a second time, can’t eat the appetizer, and orders sweet wine to go with his mixed nuts.
Continue reading “Flight Report: HND-HKG on CX 549”
Within striking distance