Rick's Roadshow: Seoul, Korea Day 2.5

Rick's Roadshow from Seoul, Korea continues for one last day before I head off to my next destination. Plenty of exciting places yet to come on my Asian World Tour! But for today, I wanted to share some photos of my visit to the National Museum of Korea. Being my last day I had some early meetings and wrapped up my day's work well before lunch. That gave me some free time to check out the museum. Well that plus it had been raining cats and dogs all day. I rarely have time to visit museums when I travel, so this was a real treat for me. The museum is huge, and relatively new, so all the exhibits had the latest and greatest technology, not to mention everything was nice and shiny too. In this photo above left, I'm standing in front of a very old Korean bell from a temple. I love things like that. I only wish they had a recording of it so I could hear the deep sound.
I used the self-guided tour with the headset to learn about each exhibit. It would automatically start playing as you approach a particular item of interest. As I think about it, the tour was pretty cool actually. If something lost my interest I could walk away and the narration would stop. This painting above left caught my eye, both of them actually. Not only due to its huge size but also because it seems so peaceful. I was careful not to use any flash photography in the museum, although regular photos are permitted. So today's final post from Korea is all about things I saw at the museum that I enjoyed for some reason. OK so here goes, come along into the museum for a little visual tour. Although as usual I forgot to take ANY notes so you'll just need to look, click and smile.

above: Gojoseon Eight Article Law: CLICK ON THIS PHOTO ABOVE TO BIGGIFY. Read the laws of Gojoseon, developed in Korea in the 1300's. Only 3 of the 8 survived, the others were lost, but these three rules seem to make sense to me...
Boodahs Galore!
I could post 20 or 30 easily, but I won't. So here are just a few:

above: this Boodah is seated in a mini temple

above: now doesn't that make you feel all relaxed and at peace?

above: Bodhisattva, the most famous and treasured Boodah in Korea.

above: A very old Korean Gong.

above: This outdoor Korean structure is over 1,500 years old and now resides inside the museum.

above: Tea Pot I suppose?

above: Dragon Gong, I liked it so much I bought a mini replica.

above: Ceylon green vase

above: a folding screen

above: a Korean restaurant where I dined for lunch. I just love the ambiance, its so cozy and intimate. Well that's all for today I'm afraid. Please come back again tomorrow, where Rick's Roadshow continues from Taipei, Taiwan!
-Rick Rockhill

Rick's Roadshow: Seoul, Korea Day 1.5

Rick's Roadshow continues from Seoul, Korea. My day started quite early as I had a tour scheduled at Seoul National University with the College of Veterinary Medicine. They have a very impressive facility with some of the most sophisticated equipment in Asia in animal medicine. My day's travels took me all over, so it was a busy day out and about. Here at top left is the entrance to the Palace. Hopefully I'll have time on Saturday to go back for a quick tour. Later in the day we stopped for lunch at a fusion Korean-Japanese restaurant, where we sat on the raised floor and dined on fresh sushi, pumpkin soup, sliced beef, rice, noodles and a few other courses that I've already forgotten. My local colleagues/hosts are quite gracious and welcoming. Which brings me to my observations on Korea. The Koreans I've met are proud people, yet down to earth and humble. (South) Koreans are a peaceful nation who enjoy welcoming you into their home to make you feel comfortable. I noticed that far fewer speak English than in Japan, although I believe they learn English in textbooks but don't have as much practice. I bowed and smiled whenever appropriate, and the customary bow was always returned with a smile. Friday evening we went to a traditional Korean BBQ restaurant, where you cook your own beef in the middle of the table. The food was delicious, and it was a fun way to spend an evening.

The city of Seoul is very different from Tokyo. Seoul seems more typical of other big cities. It shares the same flaws of any western city, but also boasts many positive aspects and interesting historical sites. Clearly, the Koreans are very intelligent, with advancements in technology and such evident throughout the country. One interesting side note, they have the most amazing highway rest-stops. They are huge with numerous restaurants and things to do. Throngs of people were relaxing in cafes and listening to live music, just on the highway rest stop. Fascinating. Anyway here are today's photos:

above: Here with the top Associate Professor from Seoul National University, in the College of Veterinary Medicine. This was just after my tour of their facilities.

above: a temple entrance.

above: another entrance to a temple, with a playground for kids.

above: The Korean "White House" where their president works.

above: A nifty statue of remembrance for war veterans.

above: This colorful ceiling was at the entrance to the Palace. Koreans believe this design helps ward off evil spirits and bad luck. It was very beautiful.

above: Statue of the famous King Sejong who created the Korean alphabet of characters to write.

above: a famous Korean General whose name escapes me.

above: This was an unexpected surprise. Regular apartment buildings with rather interesting art scenes.

above: another building with an art scene on it. Sorry its a bit blurry, it was raining. Or should I say "Laining" like the locals say it. Well that's all for today's edition of Rick's Roadshow. Stay tuned for more from my Asian World Tour...
-Rick Rockhill

Rick's Roadshow: Seoul, Korea. A Preview of Sorts

This is a mini-post of Rick's Roadshow from Seoul, Korea, a preview of sorts. My Asian World Tour continues... I arrived in Seoul, Korea late on Thursday and made my way into the city center. It was hot and humid, similar weather to that of Japan. I immediately noticed a difference in the two nations, from the arrival in the airport to the drive on the highway. Not bad, just different cultures. The mindset of its peoples are different and thus their behaviors differ in many ways. But more on that when I've had more time to really observe life here. I enjoyed dinner with my business colleagues and then went out to briefly explore the downtown shopping areas, many of which are open all night long and into the wee hours. Being a work trip I have early meetings tomorrow, so I decided not to stay out too late. I had enough time to meander through the open markets and buy a few souvenirs. This is a late city, with lots buzzing around. I didn't have my camera, so most of the night photos I took were way to blurry to even pass as artistic so I deleted them. Tomorrow I'll remember to bring the good camera to capture more sights for you to enjoy. In the meantime here are just a couple that I took with my phone:

above: many streets have open markets with wares, souvenirs and food for sale too.

above: I was able to visually identify most of the food for sale, but that didn't mean I'd ever try any of it!

above: This Korean coffee house caught my eye. Not a whole lot special about it, but I liked the mug with the Korean character on it. Well that's all for now. Tomorrow I'll have more to share and will bring Korea to your computer. Thanks for stopping by today.
-Rick Rockhill