Friday, August 24, 2018
Seoul, South Korea
After a very good night in our Seoul hotel, we decided to go outside and explore Myeongdong while looking for breakfast. We ended up at a place called You Are Here Cafe for Americano coffees and a ham and Cheese Pastry that they warmed for us to make into a very tasty and filling breakfast.
A Long and Tiring Hike to Igwansu Temple
Then, because we were basically free until 12.30 when lunch would be served at the conference, we dipped into Lonely Planet to look for suggestions on what we could do. We chose a walk around what was referred to as a number of little-known Buddhist temples. But boy, what a harrowing hike it turned out to be. Following instructions, we took the subway and got off where we were told. Then, following the directions on the walk, we found a small winding alley that led up a steep mountain in what seemed like a posh residential area as the place was filled with high-rise apartment buildings. A man stopped to ask if he could help us as we plainly looked lost. We told him we were looking for the Shaminist Temple at the top of a mountain. He looked at us as if we were nuts and strongly discouraged us from going up there—There is nothing there, he said.
However, we decided to press on. The weather was much cooler than it had been in China and we quite enjoyed being en plain air enjoying a new city and going off the beaten tourist track. Well, we climbed and climbed and climbed. Higher and higher and higher. We huffed and puffed our way past lovely residential buildings and eventually saw the entrance to what looked like a Buddhist temple. The outside walls were covered with fresh Buddhist paintings. We then saw a historical marker which confirmed that we had arrived at the holy site of the Igwansu Temple. Just looking at where the walk would take us, we felt daunted. It was a steep and very challenging climb--and honestly, we’d had enough climbing after scaling the Great Wall of China. But having come so far, we decided to soldier on and taking a deep deep breath, we launched upon our hike. We found ourselves then in an area that left the residential blocks behind and took us into what seemed like mountain wilderness. We passed a pagoda structure that housed a gigantic bronze Buddhist prayer bell—very similar to the large numbers of such bells that we had seen in Japan. We saw a small Buddhist temple but on attempting to enter it, we were shooed off by a monk who seemed to resent the intrusion on his privacy.
At this stage in the walk, we had climbed high enough that we had superb views of Seoul from different vantage points. Besides, the entire area was shrouded in fine mist-which made it even more evocative. The walk talked to us about Zen-like rocks which we could access by a flight of steps cut into rocks and without batting an eyelid, we began on that spurt of the hike. These huge Zen-rocks are said to resemble a mother cradling her baby (we looked at it from different angles but did not find it). However, the site has become a shrine and the rocks a fertility symbol for couples looking to conceive. The site is indeed very isolated—so I could see why it would develop into a shrine. Still higher, one could climb towards a rock face that was supposedly carved with the face of the Buddha. But by then, we were really winded and we decided to start the trek downhill.
The downhill trek turned out to be even more challenging because the hill was so steep that there was a chance we could slip down completely. Still, in about half an hour, we were down and ready to get to the subway station again—from where we found our way back to the hotel. It had been one of the most bizarre excursions we have ever made and we laughed at ourselves for succumbing to the temptation of going out in search of the road not taken.
Box Lunch at the Conference:
Llew decided to go to the hotel to relax and freshen up while I returned to the Lotte Hotel for lunch. It was announced as a Box Lunch in the Program and I could see that most delegates expected to get a small cardboard box filled with a few sandwiches. Imagine our shock when we discovered that it was probably the most sophisticated Bento Box we had ever seen. Each of us was seated at well-covered tables and presented with an exquisite lacquered box with a lid. When we opened it up, we found it divided into multiple compartments, each of which held a tantalizingly tasty morsel. I sat down besides a Buddhist monk to eat—he could barely speak any English, which made the meal an exercise in trying to communicate. Anyway, the food was great. There was salmon and shellfish (shrimp and scallops), a portion of beef steak (very tasty), what looked to me like a bit of couscous and all sorts of tasty tidbits that ended with sponge cake in chocolate sauce. I was so stuffed by the end of it and had to hurry through my meal as I had left myself only about twenty minutes to eat it. Still, all said, it was a culinary experience and I enjoyed it.
A Sightseeing Tour of Seoul:
A few minutes later, I met Llew together with all the other assembled delegates who were off for an afternoon of sightseeing. This tour was included in the registration fee for our conference but I did pay $50 separately for Llew to join us as well. The lot of us were asked to choose between three possible tours and we had chosen to see Historic Seoul. Three or four coaches were devoted to people interested in this tour. We were then introduced to the female guide who would lead us to the places that were included on this tour and that we had not seen on our own.
Sadly, weather-wise, it was a dreadful afternoon. Typhoon Solick had passed the Korean Peninsula by, but it was dumping a lot of rain on the city of Seoul. It was possibly the worst kind of weather to take on a walking tour. But, we were pleased that they had not cancelled the tour—which had looked like a distinct possibility.
Exploring Gyeongbokgung Palce:
We started at the Gyeongbokgung Palace which is in the midst of the city, surrounded by low walls. It is the biggest and best-known of the many royal temples that are sprinkled around the city of Seoul. We toured each of the courtyards that led to Halls including the Hall devoted to the royal Thrones—what one might call the Throne Room. These beautiful grounds are landscaped magically to create a space that showcased the unique architecture of South Korea. There were wooden structures with pagoda-like roof lines that were painted in bright and vivid colors and included the Buddhist iconography that has special significance to Koreans. In another corner, we saw the grand Banqueting Hall used by the royal family to entertain their guests. This was placed besides a reflecting pool.
The National Folk Museum of Korea:
Adjoining the Palace is the National Museum of Korea—so it makes a handy spot to shelter in, if one is caught in a rainstorm—as we were. That said, the National Museum of Korea which tells the history of the country from prehistoric to contemporary times, is a much better place to enter if one wants an initiation into Korea history and culture. The Museum to which we were taken told the story of the common people—their customs, traditions and cultural practices. The guide gave us 45 minutes to wander about on our own, if we chose to do so or to follow her on her own tour which included commentary on the items.
She led us first to the gallery that showcased marriage rituals and practices as well as death and mortuary customs. It started off with a look at a traditional Korea marriage that is placed on the floor. Modernity has also brought Westernization to the country but, in this Museum, we saw how people would have lived a century ago. There was a colorful marriage bed and mattress, there were vignettes of cute Korean children at play. We saw an entire traditional Korean wedding ceremony (marriages used to be arranged—and still occasionally are). This was created using life size wax models. Individuals dressed in traditional robes made a very colorful tableau.
From there, we moved on to a look at death palanquins, graveyard customs (Koreans bury their dead), royal customs and pageantry—all beautifully laid out and curated. It was quite an interesting look at a culture that was unique and that was deeply influenced y many years under Japanese occupation.
Wearing Hanbok:
What was interesting was that we saw a lot of Korean girls and young couples wearing the traditional robes of the country called Hanbok. Visitors to Korea could rent these garments for an hour or two and then walk around the city with them. Most of these rental places are located close to historical monuments so that the wearers can pose for pictures besides these architectural monuments—they bring, I would imagine, an authentic historic era look to the pictures. Llew said that had it not been raining, he would have been glad to fall in line with the tradition and have us walk around the city wearing those roles. Me? I was not so sure...
After we had spent a while admiring the paintings, the landscaped gardens with their statuary, stone work, lined pathways, pagoda-tiered temples, etc. we left the Palace to move on to the next spot—Insa-dong.
Venturing Into Insa-Dong:
Insa-Dong is a good place to go to if one has a lot of time. We did not. The guide gave us about 45 minutes tot walk down a street that was lined with shops selling all sorts of Korean trinkets to take home as souvenirs as well as upmarket arts and crafts in the form of ceramics, oil paintings, etc. We looked for a magnet of Seoul and a postcard for our collections and for a few small gifts to take for family members. Deeper into the market, the better shops would be found; but we stuck to the initial reaches of the outdoor market and really found nothing much to write home about.
Namsangol Hanock Village:
The third place we were taken to was called the Namsangol Hanock Village and was basically a replicated ancient Korean Village at the foot of the mountain (Namsan) on which Seoul Tower is located. The rain continued in intermittent spurts. When the drizzle was light, we managed to traverse the area and to peek into the traditional wooden houses that reminded us very much of the ones we had seen repeatedly in Japan. They are basically wooden houses (Hanock) with mats and thin walls and lanterns hanging from the door posts. We walked through gravel-filled gardens and then made our way into the main garden that was thickly planted with local species of plants and trees. It was in this area that the Koreans celebrated the 600th anniversary of the founding of their country by burying a time capsule at the base of a hill in a rounded sculptural structure. Various sister cities have contributed items that were part of the capsule. This capsule will be opened in 400 years when Korea celebrates the millennial anniversary of its founding. Llew took some pictures of the capsule by climbing a short hill where a pagoda was placed.
There was no time for us to go to the fourth item on our agenda—Seoul Tower. But since the day was rainy and the weather so wretched, visibility would have been nil and the guide suggested that we get there the following day. Llew and I decided to spend tomorrow morning at this venue.
A Cocktail Party Hosted by the University of Hawai’i:
The coach then took us back to our hotel where we were invited to a reception hosted by the President of the University of Hawai’I of which I am an alumnus having completed an NEH Summer Course on Modern India there about 15 years ago. This too was fun—it included a cash bar from where we purchased drinks and then we tucked into the very generous buffet that offered a vast variety of finger foods. A large number of people had turned up and I had the chance to say hello to Peter Hershock who had lectured to us when I had taken the course at the University of Hawai’i at Manoa. We visited for a few minutes. I also met Jessica Sheetz-Nyugen who is one of the volunteers slated to receive a special award tomorrow.
Then, when we had eaten our fill and socialized some more, we decided to return to our hotel so that we could relax completely and enjoy some English television.
It had been a lovely day in Seoul and we had enjoyed it completely. The city was so civilized and so orderly that I truly felt as if I could easily live there.
Until tomorrow...
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