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Myeong-dong

Monday, 19 July 2010 14:13 Douglas South Korea - Sights

Location: Line 4, Myeong-dong Station (명동역)

Myeong-dong is known for its clothes shopping, and its Chinatown, neither of which are much to look at. Heading down on a Saturday will make you think you never got off the subway as you press your way through the crowd. Things get worse if anyone famous is around. If you are lucky you might be next to private Christian evangelists taking it upon themselves to tell you what you need to do to save yourself from an eternity of hell. They're easy to find, they have full-sized crosses with "Believe in Jesus" or more accurately "Jesus NO! Hell YES!" written on them. The loudspeakers are a dead giveaway too. I really need to a hold of a picture of them, but they give me a really sour look when I try...

The "Chinatown" is a Din Tai Fung, and a few random Chinese shops and bakeries. The red bean pastries are amazing.

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Last Updated on Monday, 19 July 2010 14:23

Seodaemun Prison

Monday, 19 July 2010 13:48 Douglas South Korea - Sights

Location: Line 3, Dongnimmun Station (독립문역)

The Japanese built and used this prison for political prisoners up until 1945. Pictures are mostly from the outside, which really doesn't give one much of a feel for what life here was life. The basement and the cells have been redone to show what it was like for the prisoners. (I don't want to give it away but they're awesome...for a prison)

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Last Updated on Monday, 19 July 2010 14:10

Inwangsan - Shamanist Shrine

Monday, 19 July 2010 13:40 Douglas South Korea - Sights

Location: Line 3, Dongnimmun Station (독립문역)

Inwangsan houses one of the few Shamanist shrine left in the city, has a good view of the Seoul tower and parts of the old city wall. It is a good hike on a clear day. The shrine is basically a cave behind the Buddhist temple on the site. When I went there I saw a shaman performing a rite on another woman, but I couldn't get close enough to figure out exactly what was going on, and it wasn't a good time to ask.

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Last Updated on Monday, 19 July 2010 13:50

Wolmido

Sunday, 04 July 2010 12:03 Douglas South Korea - Sights

You can't enter Wolmido without thinking it would have been better if you'd been there in the 80s. It has almost a 50s American boardwalk feel, but slightly more depressing. There is an amusement park, or rather 5 identical parks a bit back from the boardwalk. Each "park" is no bigger than 50m x 50m, and as you might imagine are packed to the gills with rides and people. Each one has a viking ship, a "star disco", and a few other mainstays. The "star disco" is quite possibly my favorite, making the trip worthwhile. An operator spins you around while daring you to stand up and making fun of you. Aside from this though, it is kind of a bleak place. They tried to revamp the boardwalk by putting in a monorail that takes you from one end to the beach to the other, that happens to block the view of said beach, and makes the boardwalk feel more like a prison than a beach side "resort."

I come here every Christmas to contemplate. You can't help but feel better after leaving!

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Last Updated on Sunday, 04 July 2010 12:24

Haeinsa - Temple

Wednesday, 05 May 2010 06:03 Douglas South Korea - Sights

June 2005

Haeinsa is the home of the Tripitaka Koreana, a collection of wood block carvings containing Buddhist scripture from the 13th century. The wood blocks and the temple are a UNESCO World Heritage site.