Surviving the rain in Seoul

Ran away to Seoul, as it starting dumping rain down south... damn unseasonal typhoons...

Wandered around parts of town on Sunday, shopped, walked some more, then stopped for overpriced coffee - over AUD6 for a tea-cup of latte that was mostly froth - but it was a very fancy tea shop upstairs there...

Ran away from rain and got blue skies - but only for one day !

But, stupid weather... Monday was actually the only day to date that had blue skies !  go figure.  So spent it around Namsan park - a rather large hill in the centre of town, with tower and views of the whole city - didn't bother going up the tower, as the view from the platforms was pretty good as it was.  Near the bottom of the hill is an area called Myeongdong - mostly a shopping area - had a look, but only bought a couple of trinkets as presents.  Also walked along (name?) stream - a stream through the middle of the city, that had once been concreted over but later reclaimed and beautified - a nice way to walk to Dongdaemun - traffic buzzing along streets above while I'm down below among babbling brooks, bamboo and stepping stones.  Dinner was in an art-student area, filled with little theatres, cafes and bars.

Now, for as nice as Monday was, Tuesday went the other extreme - it bucketed down.  I tried to brave the weather, wandering around Sinchon (women's university area) but the rain got so bad so when my trousers were soaked to mid-calf and damp to my knees, I knew it was time to give up... so, off to a cinema - arrived just in time for a screening of the Bourne Ultimatum - and the weather had cleared somewhat (no rain, a few dry patches of footpath).  Walked to Dongdaemun and wandered the market - only bought a requisite cute umbrella (one with cherries, but no frill on the edge) - the clothes were all for winter, but some really quite nice - and they  fit !

Itaewon is the foreigner area, but I found the place very sleazy.  Large muslim community, who were looking you up and down as you walked past.  Lots of Americans, mostly soldiers, looking and acting like meatheads.  Many of the bars and restaurants in the area also looked very dated - like they were built 20 or so years ago to cater for the "needs" of foreign soldiers and never updated since - I found the other areas much more up with the times.

Wednesday went to Panmunjum (sp?).  It's an army base in/on the de-militarised zone - a misnomer, given the heavy military presence.  Have been given my dress regulations... can't be influencing the north, can we ?  Anyway, there's big fake overhead roadways over the road heading up that way, which are big lumps of concrete ready to be blown up to block the road in case of a North Korean invasion... and there was lots of rain making it difficult to see "the other side"... but for all the seriousness of the place, it was also somewhat of a circus... there's a room in the JSA that's officially half north and half south... we had to walk into it in single file, carrying no bags and no umbrellas, only a camera (out of the case), not stopping, not looking around... but once inside, it was a free for all... posing and making funny faces next to armed soldiers and dancing around a table where serious UN talks happen... surreal... but worth the trip to see...

This time around back in Seoul has been better, and what I needed after meeting noone in the central area.  A real friendly crowd staying here, with many of us up chatting until midnight and going out to a few clubs for some soju and beers.  I also know another couple heading to Sokcho around the same time as me, so will have people to talk with at times the next couple of days too.