Adieu Asia (for now)

Half a year ago, I was just starting to settle into my internship at the Embassy in Beijing and excitedly rediscovering China and exploring a new city. The following months, were filled with new encounters and experiences, passed quickly and I became quite at home in Beijing. Now, after two weeks in Seoul, my time in China already seems rather far away again. Considering I set foot in the city for the first time two weeks ago, I already feel rather familiar with it.

Unfortunately, I haven't seen much of Korea beyond Seoul, but that's just a reason to come back again!

For now, it's time to pack my suitcase. Tomorrow, I am taking the bus back to Incheon airport, from where I am flying to Zurich, via Munich. Cross-continental traveling is nothing new for me, and I am more curious about the second lap of my flight. I have a ticket for a flight on Air Augsburg, an airline of which no one seems to have heard before. I am hoping that they will nevertheless get me to Zurich safely, from where I'll be in the hands of the Swiss train and bus system before reaching what will be my final destination for the time being in Lucerne.

But before I start all this traveling, I want to conclude here with a few words and pictures from my last couple of days in Korea. Since both my activities and photography have reduced towards the end, it shouldn't take too long (though I'm sure I can stretch it out...).

First, here's the picture from the dinner on Saturday evening that I mentioned previously.


On Sunday morning, I woke up to an apartment once more full of people. A bit later, I got to enjoy a belated and reduced Chu-seok breakfast, as the parents had brought back a few of the specialties prepared and eaten at the grandparents' house.


I spent the rest of the morning at the apartment, as Su Yeon was busy doing some school work.
At noon, I finally went outside for a quick run in the neighbourhood. Afterwards, we ate a small (especially I, since I felt as if I had just had breakfast) before Su Yeon, her mother, and I drove to a nearby shopping center.

Su Yeon and I walked around the huge underground complex while her mother did some grocery shopping. When we went back to meet her mother at the store (which was in the basement of a big department store), we used the opportunity to try some of the samples that were available at the various stands in front. Since we shared an interest in such free tastes, we even went back into the main store. In exchange for my guides' introductions of Korean foods, I also tried to explain some of the available western foods that were unfamiliar to them.

Eventually, we left the store and drove home again. In the evening, Su Yeon's aunt, uncle, and cousin arrived for dinner. Although I was unavoidably rather isolated from much of the conversation, I was very glad to enjoy such a family evening. As they had done before, my hosts expressed a slight worry about how I felt about really seeing all facets of their life, but for me the chance to truly be a part of the everyday routine of a local household was one of the best parts of my stay here in Korea.

This morning, I started my last day in Korea with another neighbourhood run. When I came back, I found that the rest of the family (except for Su Yeon, who had already left for university) had also not had breakfast yet, since the father had another day off from work today. So I got to enjoy another family breakfast before making a last trip into the city to walk through some of my favourite streets and areas again. Unfortunately, I couldn't buy much to take home in my already full suitcase. I did purchase a couple of things (including some boxes of Swiss cookies found in another department store basement grocery center) to leave with the family as a small gift in appreciation of their great hospitality these last two weeks.

Along the way, I stopped at an eatery to enjoy a roll of gimbap, which is the Korean version of sushi (as in the version I had in my breakfast box last week). Apparently, I was already partially out of tourist mode, since I didn't think to take a picture until I was more or less done with the meal. But it was probably more exciting to eat than look at anyway...

A bit later, I bought a small fish for dessert. And while I have by now eaten fish in all kinds of versions and situations, this one didn't involve any actual ocean product and was instead a tasty little cake filled with some red beans (which I have now learned to quite like in some contexts). I did take a picture of this, after first walking away a few steps before thinking of turning back to do so.''


Eventually, I took a last subway ride in an appropriately full train back to the apartment. In the evening, I joined Su Yeon and her parents to walk back to the area in which we had already eaten dinner two days ago. This time, we went to a restaurant serving ra men noodles. As usual, the table had a big burner at the center, on top of which the waitress placed a large pot of broth. Into this, various ingredients were added, including a couple of squares of the curly dried noodles I was until now only familiar with in their instant noodle pot form.

(I realise that many of these meal pictures look quite similar, as it's hard to distinguish the different contents of the pots)

Once again, it was a tasty meal and took yet another Korean favourite off my list of foods to try. Of course, there are still plenty of things to try, and I hope I'll get the chance to do so sometime in the future.

At the moment, I am once again sitting on the sofa in the living room, where the other family members are working and/or watching televisison. Once I finish this entry, however, I should busy myself with my luggage. Even though I've kept my suitcase more or less packed the whole time, I do want to try to assemble the contents a bit more effectively. I also need to redistribute between suitcase, backpack, and bag in the hopes of somehow getting all of my baggage throug the weight restrictions.

So I am going to end this writing and hope I can also quickly add the few remaining pictures. I'm not sure how I'll be using this site in the coming months. Although living in Switzerland is also quite a new adventure for me, I don't know that it will provide as much interesting content as the last few months (assuming these were in fact interesting) and I will probably not be adding to it regularly. Nevertheless, I will keep the journal here, ready for when the world calls again!

Chu-seok Cheer

Now that Su Yeon has some time away from the university (and her family is out of the city), we've been enjoying some rather leisurely days.

Yesterday, we set off around noon to Daehangno, which is a theater and university area in the northern area of Seoul. We first walked a bit up a steep hill in the attempt to find some public art displays Su Yeon knew about, but we eventually gave up the search. Instead, we went into a simple eatery to try a small snack.

I was interested in trying the Korean "sausage," so we asked for one serving of this to share. In this dish, the traditional intestines are stuffed with a noodle filling instead of the more common meat. I wondered what gave the sausage its dark colour, and since Su Yeon also didn't know, she asked the woman who served it to us. Their conversation resulted in the claim that I might not want to eat it if I knew, but of course I wouldn't settle for that answer. Not to my complete surprise, they then confirmed that pig's blood is used in the preparation.

While not necessarily my first choice of food, the knowledge wasn't enough to deter me from eating (and not just because I wasn't going to be the delicate foreign eater). Still, we didn't end up finishing the plate, which was quite big for a single serving. I was also comparing the food and service we received for the small price of this one dish. For about the price of two bottles of water, we had the sausage, small dishes of kimchee and pickled radish, some broth for both of us, and unlimited drinking water. And in Switzerland, one couldn't even get one glass to drink for the same amount!

I would show you a picture of the sausage and meal here, but unfortunately I for once left my camera at the apartment yesterday. I did take a picture with Su Yeon's camera, but so far we haven't downloaded it from there.

After eating, we walked around the neighbourhood for a while. After a while, we went into a coffee shop with the plan to get something to drink. When we saw the selection of gelato, however, we decided to try some of that as the second course of our lunch. I thoroughly enjoyed some of the darkest chocolate ice cream I've ever seen. The only problem was that when we finally moved on, the temperature had cooled down quite a bit and some wind was blowing, leaving me wishing I had chosen the hot chocolate instead!

Nevertheless, we made the bus ride into the city to a bookstore, where Su Yeon was looking for a book she needs. I was quite impressed by the size of the shop, which is supposedly the biggest one in Korea. So it was even more unbelievable that they didn't have the one book we had come there for!

Thus, we returned home with the day's plans partially complete. Su Yeon had to go out again in the evening to give her tutoring lesson. I wanted to walk around the neighbourhood a little and used the need to buy some milk for breakfast as an excuse to explore the local supermarket. It was fun walking through the shelves and seeing the different available products. I bought some freshly prepared dumplings outside the supermarket entrance and spent the rest of the night in the apartment. On my look through the hundreds of available TV challenges, I even found the end of a movie in German!

This morning, I got up quite late but started the day slightly more actively by going for another neighbourhood jog. Later, we left the apartment at around noon again, this time headed for Namsangol Folk Village. Today is the main day of the Chu-Seok holiday, and Su Yeon knew that this "museum village" in Seoul's center was hosting performances and displays of various traditions. Although we at first thought that there might not be too many people since most people go home for the day, we soon saw that there were plenty of people who were celebrating the holiday with a visit to this site.


Along with hundreds of others, we wondered through the square and courtyards of the recreated village viewing the various displays and activities.

Swinging

Standing see-saw

Metal-hoops

Kite-making

Corn-popping

Rice candy pounding

The traditional altar table (the holiday is used to honour one's ancestors)

Like the girl practicing her hoop-guiding above, many of the visitors (especially the young girls) were dressed in traditional costumes.


There was also the possibility to get dressed up in the traditional dress, as this couple did.



After looking all around, we bought some of the traditional rice cakes and found a place to sit down for a moment.



Sitting at the edge of a small pond, it was almost possible to ignore the fact that we were in the middle of a crowd. This picture quite effectively hides the dozens of people that were sitting immediately beside or behind us!



Once we had enough of the crowds, we left the village and walked north to the small stream I had already passed a couple of times earlier in the week. For the first time, we walked down the stairs to actually walk along its banks for a while. It's a nice spot, but not especially exciting. Although we first thought we should have come at night instead, when it is apparently quite a popular destination, I soon realised that trying to walk in the midst of the crowds on the small paths and adjusting the pace to other's speed might not have been all that great either.

After climbing back to street level, we wandered around a few more streets before once again finding an entrance to the green line and taking the subway back to the apartment. Along the way, we passed this old belfry tower.


We spent some time sitting in the apartment, but in the evening we went outside again. Looking through one of my brochures on Seoul earlier, we had seen that I have tried quite a few of the mentioned Korean food specialties. One that was still missing from my list was dakgalbi, which is a dish of marinated chicken, rice cakes and other vegetable cooked, like so many Korean meals, in a big pot at the center of the table. Since we didn't know if we'd have another chance, we decided to use tonight to try this specialty.

It was more or less the first time that we left the apartment in the evening since I came here, and after walking through a few deserted residential roads I was surprised to find myself in quite a busy street full of restaurants, bars, and other entertainment venues.

The dakgalbi turned out to be quite tasty, although in the end we both thought we would have liked to find more vegetables in place of some of the meat inside the pot. It was the spiciest dish I've had in the past two weeks. Though it was not too much so, I did feel some of the heat, unlike some of the other dishes that I was initially warned against.

(I took a picture of the dinner, but since I just downloaded my camera before leaving and don't want to take it out again, I will try to post it with the next entry.)

We left the restaurant quite full to walk back to the apartment. The evening air has gotten quite chilly, and it was nice to come inside. We also just received the message that the rest of the family is on their way home, so by about midnight the apartment is going to be full again.

Around the City

The past two of days haven't been especially adventurous, but I did get to a couple of neighbourhoods I hadn't seen yet. Although I'm not getting far from Seoul during my stay in Korea, I am at least getting a quite thorough view of this city and think I will have experienced most of the significant areas by the time I leave.

Yesterday's new destination of the day was Yeouido Island, which I've seen described as Seoul's Manhattan. It's a significant commercial center and also houses the Korean Parliament. When I arrived there, however, I found that, while built up with many buildings, it is not quite a match to similar areas in Shanghai and other cities.

There is quite a nice park along the river on the northern side of the island.



At the end of the island, I reached the Parliament building, which proved to be quite as unexciting as I expected.



Walking around the island required crossing some wide roads tha cut across it and connect the two sides of the river.

There are some pretty wide roads cutting across the small island.


I didn't get as close to Building 63, which is the tallest building in Korea.


Even though I was tired, I had a couple of subway rides ahead of me before I could rest like these two men I walked by in a little park.



Today, I met Su Yeon after her last class before the long weekend. We ate lunch together at a restaurant close to her university. She chose a restaurant which serves a form of kimchee stew, which is cooked in a big pot at the center of the table.


Afterwards, we walked through the campus of the university.


Yonsei University is one of the best and most famous universities in Korea.


Korean Ivy League


From the back gate of the university, we took a bus to continue our program. Once there, we walked through a small park dedicated to memorialising Korea's independence.

Independence Gate

Independence Hall

Through this park, we reached the entrance of Seodamun Prison, which was built by the Japanese when they invaded Korea in the early 20th century. It was used to house Korean independence activists, who were treated badly and often tortured in the attempt to break their resistance. In today's the bright sunshine and peaceful calm, it was difficult to imagine the horrors that took place there not too long ago.

We were both quite tired, so we came back after the prison tour to rest instead of attempting any further city exploration. The apartment is relatively empty, since the rest of the family has left for the grandparent's house to celebrate the holidays.

North, South, and In-Between

It's been a rather tiring day and I've been wanting to go to bed for a while now. But I wanted to first add a short update first. Considering my energy-level and mental-awakeness, however, it is mostly a picture overview. This a rather incomplete entry on what was an interesting day in a thought-provoking area, but that's all I am capable of at the moment. Besides, it's hard to fully comprehend the complexities and challenges of the situation anyway. But here, for now, is an abbreviated attempt.

My friend ended up being asleep in the morning afterall, but I still got up on time to catch the first subway of the day to get to the United Service Organization (USO) office in Seoul by 6:30, half an hour before the required arrival time. Along the way, I was eagerly waiting to open the box I was carrying along, which I found to have the following tasty content:


A lengthy check-in process, misty bus ride, and an initial restroom/souvenir break later, I and the other hundred people on the De-Militarized Zone tour reached our first destination of the day: Camp Bonifast just to the south of the DMZ.


As we entered the presentation room, we each collected the pass that would allow us to enter into the zone a bit later.


Two different buses took us into Pamjunmon, where the two sides meet within meters of each other. Photography was prohibited along the way, but once we arrived there were opportunities to record the unusual location. Though of course also only within the clear boundaries set out for us.


From our assigned position, we took in the view across the border towards North Korea.




The replacements arrive for the photography front lines.


And we took their place inside the Conference Building, which is located on the border and has doors into both North and South Korea.


Here, only a row of microphones divides the two sides.

On the borderline





The next stop took us to an observation tower, from which the Republic of Korea observes the border zone.
Unfortunately, the morning haze hadn't lifted and there wasn't much to see.


Although not yet noon, the next program point brought us to eat lunch, which was a satisfying meal but not necessarily the highlight of the trip (but I didn't expect it to be).

With our stomachs full, we drove to the next, and most active, portion of the tour. The buses took us to the site of the third of a total of four North Korean built tunnels that have so far been found leading towards South Korea. A steep access channel brought us to the main tunnel 73 meters underground. After a walk along some of its length, we then had to make the steep climb back to the top again. At least the air underground was significantly cooler than outside, where it had gotten quite warm by this point.

Once again, there was no photography allowed within the tunnel, but I did take a picture in the small exhibition hall to honor the Swiss presence in the zone. Along with Swedish colleagues, representatives from Switzerland handle claims of armistice violations and similar issues.


By this time, the haze had lifted somewhat, and the surprisingly flexible organisers let us know that we would return to the Observation Tower for a slightly clearer view.


Picture-taking here was limited to the area behind a yellow photo line.


It was indeed possible to see some of the DMZ and some of the North Korean area directly across the border, but my attempts to capture the panorama from behind the line was rather ineffective...


That was the last stop of the day, and a final bus ride took us back to the bustling center of Seoul. When I went into a small shop to buy something to quell my thirst, I thought it would be fitting to rehydrate from the day's activities with some DMZ water!

Walking around the surrounding area to balance out the mostly seated morning before riding the subway home, I passed below Namsan Mountain, which I was looking down from a day ago. The view would have probably been better at this time.


A few subway rides later, I was back "home" again.



Here, it is now time to go to bed!

Monday Movement

I quite literally began the new week with a running start. After a week long break, I also left the apartment when my friend set off for university for a short jog in the neighbourhood. I didn't have any ambitious goals but wanted to at least make sure my legs wouldn't completely forget what they're supposed to do before I get into a more regular routine again.

The neighbourhood track

The neighbourhood is actually quite suitable for running, since a nice lap of sidewalk around a few blocks is "paved" with the same springy material which covers athletic tracks. I did draw some curious looks along the way. This area of the city is not a place most foreigners ever have a reason to visit and I have yet to see a non-Asian on my walks to and from the subway. So people tend to wonder about my presence anyway, and seeing me in my sweaty running state must have been an even more unaccustomed sight in the neighbourhood.

Back at the apartment, I showered quickly and when I was ready I could sit down to the breakfast my kind host had kept ready. While she worried and apologised for the fact that I had to eat alone, I was as usual almost uncomfortable at being served like this, especially when I was eating later than all the rest of the family. But I think I will not convince her that she doesn't have to prepare the food for me and will instead just enjoy the tasty local food I'm getting to experience this way.

Continuing the day with an active theme, I decided to make a trip to Namsan Mountain, which is located at the center of Seoul. There is a cable car, as well as a bus route, to the peak, but I passed by this easier option and tackled the stairs instead. After all, Namsam "Mountain's" 26t2 meters aren't an overwhelming challenging. Though that is not to say that there were still plenty of steps to reach the top!

Starting out

Climbing along

Almost made it, looking down at the approach

Slightly before the top, there was a small "picture island" platform over the panorama of Seoul. Unfortunately, the weather was quite overcast, so that it wasn't possible to fully enjoy the extensive view. Nevertheless, it was still a nice spot to watch over the seemingly endless expanse of city around the backdrop of the surrounding mountains.



A few more steps later, I finally reached the peak. I didn't buy a ticket to take the elevator to the viewing level on the N'Seoul tower and instead satisfied myself with the platform around its base.


The view was nice but once again limited by the weather conditions. However, the peak provided some other interesting sights. Most notably, much of the fencing around the platform was completely covered by locks and chains with messages left by countless previous visitors to the spot.



There was also some flying scultpure art.


After thoroughly taking in the scene, it was time to start the descent. While the climb up had been more tiring, the way down, as usual, also presented its discomforts in the steep paths and countless steps.


I did find a distraction along the way in a small exercise area (which can be spotted all around the city). Along with body twisting apparatus and strength bars, there were also a couple of machines designed to massage the back and waist.




Further distraction came along the way in the form of some wildlife.


Another gym further down the hillside, this one more fully equipped and in use by several elderly exercisers


Once at the bottom, I didn't have much of a plan except to continue walking. To do so required getting across some roads. As with many other aspects of life in this city, such crossings are quite neatly organised, with separate markings for the pedestrians as well as the cyclists from both sides (though I can't say I have seen these strictly observed in actual practice).


Later, I passed over the Cheonggye Stream. This is a canal-like waterway through the center of Seoul, located several meters below street level and recently redesigned to welcome people to wander along its banks.


However, I stayed on the street above and kept walking to the Dongdaemun Gate, which is Seoul's historic "Great East Gate."



After a bit more walking around and looking at the various street stands and small stalls in the area, I once again made the subway trip back to the south side of the Han River to the Songpa neighbourhood.



Tonight should be an earlier for me than some of the previous ones, since tomorrow will bring an early wake up. My friend has already agreed to wake me up at around 5am, until which time she is planning to stay away studying for an upcoming exam! A breakfast box is supposedly already waiting for me in the refriderator, although I once again emphasised that I could organise my own food. I actually bought some snacks this afternoon in preparation, though I did make sure not to select anything perishable...

Local Leisure

After a week of touristy traveling, I've now enjoyed a weekend sharing more weekend activities. On Saturday morning my friend and I enjoyed a lazy morning at home before taking the subway into a university neighbourhood in the west of the city. We walked around for a few minutes looking at the streets full of shops, restaurants, and clubs before meeting two of her friends. Together, we went to a Japanese restaurant to share some fried meat and sushi.

Following lunch, we walked to a cafe my friend had been at before. We had to wait for half an hour before being awarded with a table in the small establishment. Instead of its name, the sign over the door simply spelled out "Chocolate Cake." Accordingly, we ended up with a chocolate-full dessert. The three girls ordered the whole range of hot chocolate. While my "normal" cup was already deliciously choclately, my friend's "advanced" version, was more or less simply molten chocolate served in a small expresso cup. The third girl had the same strong version, though in her case poured over a scoop of ice cream. Together we also shared a small cup of warm chocolate cake, and all together I think all of us were quite satisfied with our chocolate consumption for the day!

My friend and I wandered around a fun crafts market in the neighbourhood until it was time to get back on the subway. While on our way back, her parents sent the message that they would pick us up at the subway stop to drive to dinner at a restaurant. So, though only a few hours after our chocolate feast, we still enjoyed a tasty meal of grilled meat and cold noodles. After that, there was not much left to do but watch Korean TV, read, and eventually go to sleep.

This morning, we had an earlier morning and the whole family and I were on our way before nine o'clock. We drove to the city of Incheon, which lies on the coast west of Seoul. Among other things, it is home to the port and airport serving the Korean capital. We headed to Songdo, which seems to be a huge development zone. As far as I understand, my friend's father works for an engineering/architecture company which is quite involved in the area and he spent some time driving around and pointing out the different projects.

Nearing completion

Building a city

After a while, we stopped at a newly built residential complex to look at the apartment into which the family will move early next year. I never object to seeing a new floorplan! Although the rooms are relatively small, I was quite surprised at the amount of closet space and the well-equipped kitchen.

Residential park

Apartment View

Neighbourhood under Construction

With the apartment inspection complete, it was time to eat. Before setting off in the morning, we had eaten a small half-meal of some different rice "breads" but for the first full meal of the day we drove to a small restaurant. Everyone automatically received the same pot of broth filled with rice, bean sprouts, seasoning, and an egg. Of course, the table also already had the standard range of accompaniments. While not an extraordinary meal, I was really happy to be in the simple place, where I would definitely never have gotten by myself.

Breakfast Spread

Our meal complete, we got back in the car to drive to the site of the Incheon International Fair and Festival. Among other things, the grounds included pavilions featuring different construction and technology companies, tents displaying various technology, a street with stands and foods from a range of countries, and a small amusement park.

Fair Grounds

We started out at the presentation of the father's company, which featured a small 3D cinema experience "flying" over the development zone. We skipped a half hour high-tech animation presentation after realising it was targeted for young children but spent time walking around some of the other exhibits. The final highlight for me, however, was our final stop at the "Teddy Bear Museum," where the stuffed bears were dressed and arranged in all kinds of scenes...!

The Imperial Korean Bears

Alone in the Crowds

Another day in Seoul is coming to an end. As well as visiting a couple of new places, I also enjoyed wandering around some areas I've been to earlier in the week in my own time this afternoon.

Like yesterday, my first destination this morning was one of Seoul's palaces. Changdeok Palace can generally only be visited as part of a guided tour, so I made sure I got there for the first English tour of the day at 11:30. By the time I started, I was far from the only one waiting at the gate. So besides the cloudy weather (unlike the sunny light and blue skies on the previous days), picture-taking also required careful maneuvering around the crowds that could potentially obscure the view. Staying at the front of the group helped to some extent.


Our guide (who's English was much better and more understandable than the one yesterday) led us through the historic palace in her traditional hanbok dress.


A look back at the following crowd


The remaining Korean royal family lived in the palace until 1989, in this more simply decorated section of the complex.


It is also empty now, as there are no direct descendants of the dynasty left.

Changdeok Palace is especially known for the "Secret Garden" in the rear of the main buildings. This includes a small pond and collection of buildings in a shady forested park. The following pair of pictures demonstrates the changed scene after the arrival of our touring crowd.




Perhaps these stairs replaced the gym for the palace-bound royals?

The palace also boasts a couple of powerful gates.


This gate, carved out of a single piece of stone, supposedly prevents aging.

And walking through the passage at the back of this picture (with a lagging group member posing at the center) promises promotion to genius-ship within about ten minutes!

At the end of the tour, I set off southwards. My walk took me through some more simple commercial streets, which for once definitely reminded me of China. I passed sections seemingly specialising in gardening machinery, paint, tiles, bathroom fixtures, and lights, among many other useful wares.


As my colleagues had told me, there are not many places in Seoul where it is not possible to buy anything. Even these stairs to the subway presented a large assortment.


A while later, I reached my next destination by the City Hall. I had gotten on the subway just a block away from this center yesterday. Since my host then told me that there is currently a market featuring food from all over Korea at this location, I thought that that was a good reason to make an actual visit. It turned out to be a good decision. While I had expected stalls offering various snacks or small dishes, I instead found vendors offering differing local food products. This included multiple stands presenting a variety of kimchee and other pickles.



All of these products would have been interesting enough to look at, but to my happiness several of them could also be sampled. So I used the chance to expand my kimchee horizons and try a few other foods as well. This exciting discovery quite eclipsed the "Changing of the Guards" ceremony that was taking place in front of the gate of yet another palace right beside the city square. Besides, I think I've fulfilled my palatial quota for a while.

Once I had taken in all the sights the market offered, I walked on again, this time towards the Namdaemun Market I had already seen on Tuesday. While I had been glad for my explaining guide then, today I also enjoyed wandering around at my own pace. In the process, I got quite disoriented in the various alleys and certainly passed at least one spot twice, but I eventually made it out of the market lanes and into Myeongdong, where we were also on Tuesday. I didn't stop at the closest subway station and instead decided to walk a bit further above ground. I was I did so when I stumbled (by this time, after a few hours of walking, the term is not completely inaccurate...) by the entrance to a market alley. Seeing piles of dried fish and various other offerings, I knew I couldn't pass by without exploring a bit.




Eventually, I did reach my targeted subway station and thought it was probably time to descend undergound and finish my day of exploration.

Evening commute on the subway

Back at the apartment, I just saw Su Yeon as she was headed out. She was going back to her last class of the day after spending a good hour resting at home. Last night, she didn't end up getting to sleep until the early hours of the morning, so I think she didn't mind having a bit of a break. Hopefully we'll get to spend some more time together on the coming weekend.