a hui hou kakou

I was first in South Korea on the way to Japan in Sept. 2001. While there I had a melona bar. Those are the best. I came to Korea again in July 2006 during my summer travels, then I stayed about a week and a half. Korea reminds me very much of Japan, but it has a more relaxed atmosphere. From November 2006 until May 2007 Seoul was home. South Korea and especially Seoul is a wonderful place to live. It is very developed. There are good opportunities for cultural activities, night life, food, etc. Wages are high and cost of living is low for Western ex pats. I could see living there again for a time although I wouldn't want to spend years in the country.

Arms of South Korea

Arms of South Korea

Map of South Korea This is what post boxes look like in South Korea, taken in 2001. This lighthouse near Busan was magic to see. The winding stair and the sun coming up. July 2006. The Busan metro. July 2006. The Busan metro. July 2006. This is a very cool luggage locker, it requires your fingerprint. July 2006. I hung out with these two for some time in Busan, I met Peter on the ferry and Marie was my host for a few days. July 2006. Near Busan tower. July 2006. Dragon statue near Busan tower. July 2006. View from Busan tower. July 2006. Statue near the Sajik Baseball Stadium. July 2006. Staue near the the Sajik Baseball Stadium. July 2006. The Lotte Giants playing at the Sajik Baseball Stadium. July 2006. Interesting fish art, very industrial. July 2006. The only time I've seen Japanese plates outside of Japan, they had a Northwest Territories plate in the front but I missed taking a picture of it! August 2006. Beomeosa Temple near Busan. August 2006. Beomeosa Temple. August 2006. More of Beomeosa Temple. August 2006. More of Beomeosa Temple. August 2006. More of Beomeosa Temple. August 2006. I met Soh-Hyun in Busan. August 2006. Part of the Busan metro above ground. August 2006. Wonderful seat on a Korean bus, probably the best bus seats I've ever seen. August 2006. I met Nick in Busan and we went to see the Bulguksa Temple together. He is an English teacher in Busan. August 2006. Statue at the Bulguksa Temple. August 2006. Me at the Bulguksa Temple. August 2006. Cheap motel where I stayed my first night in Seoul. August 2006. Seoul metro. August 2006. Some cute birds at the DMZ. August 2006. Here I am standing in North Korea in the U.N. meeting room. The South Korean soldier is there to make sure I don't try and escape to North Korea. Or the North Koreans try to kidnap me. August 2006. Sign for the Seoul metro. August 2006. Seoul. August 2006. Temple in Seoul. August 2006. I met Ryan in Seoul, he's another English teacher. August 2006. Cabin I found the one night I slept on the mountain in Seoul. August 2006. Another picture of the cabin. August 2006. View of Seoul in the morning. August 2006. Another view of Seoul. August 2006. Wall of the palace in Seoul. August 2006. Cute Octopusses for sale. Sadly to be eaten. August 2006. Ferry I took from South Korea to China. August 2006. The moon and the Yellow Sea at night. August 2006. Islands near Incheon. November 2006. Boat near Incheon. November 2006. Autumn view from my flat in Seoul. November 2006. My street and the nearest metro. November 2006. My street in Seoul. November 2006. Watching a small band perform in Seoul. December 2006. A little stream in the city. December 2006. Clouds on a flight back from China. January 2007. Me in my flat. January 2007. A scupture. January 2007. My first couchsurfing guest Ian. February 2007. When I lived in Seoul I was a kindergarten teacher. This is John, one of my students. February 2007. My youngest class, Panda class, about to go on stage. February 2007. Two more couchsufers I took in, Liz and Angus. February 2007. My students, working hard. February 2007. Playtime. February 2007. Playtime. February 2007. Playtime. February 2007. Playtime. February 2007. Playtime. All the kids loved to go to the roof of the building where the school was because of the playground. February 2007. Michael is cute, but a little demon. February 2007. Another guest Pete. March 2007. View of Seoul from a hill. March 2007. A couple of my older students. March 2007. My best Korean friend Yerang, on a road trip we took with some other Koreans to the south. March 2007. Road and breakwall in the early morning. March 2007. Park near the west coast of the ROK (South Korea). March 2007. Town on the west coast. March 2007. The west coast. March 2007. Rocks on the west coast. March 2007. People fishing. March 2007. View from my friend Jade's flat. March 2007. One of my best friends in Korea, Jade. March 2007. Suburb south of Seoul. March 2007. Seoul. March 2007. Yerang on the metro. March 2007. Another good Seoul friend Elena. March 2007. Another couchsurfing guest Brooke. March 2007. Band playing at a party. April 2007. My friend Tamara. April 2007. My friends Irina and Monica. April 2007. My students hard at work. April 2007. More of my students. April 2007. Another couchsurfing guest Tung-Wei. April 2007. One of my students. April 2007. What a cute smile. April 2007. Mural from the Seoul metro. April 2007. In Seoul, near the Chinese Embassy. April 2007. Pit where they are building another metro line. April 2007. My couchsurfing guest Cyrus. April 2007. Creapy art. April 2007. Me having a conversation. April 2007. Magda, another cs guest. April 2007. An octopus in a tank. April 2007. Alley in Seoul. April 2007. The park was full of old men drinking, playing games, and dancing. April 2007. Pond at a park in Seoul. April 2007. Loren at a park. April 2007. A pond. April 2007. A flower, spring was coming. April 2007. Gate at a monastery. April 2007. At a monastery. April 2007. Ring at a monastery. April 2007. A monastery. April 2007. Buddhist temple in Seoul. April 2007. Beautiful golden Buddha statue. April 2007. Detail of the Buddha statue. April 2007. Seoul train station. April 2007. A gondola up to Seoul tower. April 2007. Me on a hill in Seoul. April 2007. Listening to music. April 2007. A Korean friend Tara. April 2007. Another flower of spring. April 2007. Along my daily walk to work. April 2007. It was nice in spring to be able to watch the plants change as I walked to work each morning. April 2007. More flowers in bloom. April 2007. Seoul metro during rush hour. April 2007. I think a lot of Korean churches are funny. Somehow they appear commercial. At night the cross is lit up with red neon. April 2007. Koreans love chillies. It goes in almost everything. April 2007. Things for sale at a outdoor market. April 2007. Park on my way to work. April 2007. Grocery store next door to where I lived. April 2007. Tree in spring. April 2007. Empty metro. April 2007. Me moving out of my flat. April 2007. Saying goodbye to Yerang. April 2007. Listening to a good band. April 2007. A friends band. Kurt on the right. April 2007. Waiting for a train on the metro. May 2007. Me about to set off for four and a half months of backpacking. May 2007. Birds in the metro. May 2007. Waiting for a train in the metro. May 2007. Fishing gear in Incheon. May 2007. Incheon ferry terminal, one of two! May 2007. In the Incheon airport near the new metro line to the city. September 2007. Platform for the metro. September 2007. In the airport express train. September 2007. Gimpo metro station. September 2007. The comparison of the map of the Seoul and Pyongyang metros is amazing. Here is the Seoul metro. In Pyongyang there are only two lines. September 2007. My friend Anne has an amazingly cozy flat. It is small but with a tree taller than I am, and birds! Inspiring! I plan to get a plant as big as that and some birds next time I live somewhere for a long time. I always think to get something like a parrot when I settle down for good. But even finches for a year would be comforting, and I could always give them away in the end. September 2007. Gyeongju. The DMZ. Seoul. The west coast. Temple on the west coast. Seoul. Near the ferry port in Incheon. Passport Stamps |back to travels |