Seoul Travel Diary #5 - Aussies like to walk apparently

There's been a lot happening since the last travel update. My certification actually happened a day earlier than I had expected, so there was more time for me then to play the tourist.

I decided to head out on my own and see what I could find. I ended up at the centre of Seoul - City Hall, a palace nearby, and then at the top of Seoul Tower. I looked on the map and thought that things weren't far away, especially the cable car stattion which takes you up Namsan Mountain to the base of Seoul Tower. After walking for 45mins through central Seoul I thought maybe I should have taken a taxi! The view from the tower however was well worth the effort - 360 degree views of pretty much nothing but city ... and more city ... and buildings. This is a freakin' huge place and it's all built up - hardly any natural surrounds left like parks or anything. I wisely chose to get the subway home from the nearest station, as my feet and back were ready to leave me there.

So after my long distance adventures, last night James, John and I went out into Itewon to find some place to have a quiet drink. After much walking, discovering hidden mosques in back alleys, and avoiding many Nike-rip-off stalls, we found a quiet little Japanese place where John was able to shine with his Japanese language skills. We had some interesting discussions on Flash Lite, the current lack of Flash-enabled handsets, and maybe some possible ways forward in the short term. Great having a chance to talk directly with the guys who are right there on the front line with Flash Lite, and to make them aware of our own issues and questions from the developer's perspective. A very fruitful evening.

Today was then the organised tour which I ended up going on with this other New Zealand guy from another hotel. Nice enough guy, but if he told one more joke about how Australians were the kiwi's poorer cousins, I was going to start a diplomatic incident! We toured the main Gyeongbokgung Palace (much larger than the one I saw yesterday), the National Folk Museum (got some pics for James of the Kim Chi exhibit!), as well as the Namdaemun and Insadong markets. I got some cool stuff for my family back home, as they would have sent me back if I got off the plane without presents :) There's just so many people in this city - doesn't matter where go.

The tour guide though was extremely impressed when I told her where I had walked yesterday. I could even remember names of streets and landmarks, so I knoew where I was today. She said that when she had visited Australia, she remembers asking for directions and people told her how to get places by walking, not by which bus or train to catch. "You Austraians just love walking don't you!".

Tonight I'm laying low and resting up as it's an early start to the DMZ. I'm sure to get some cool shots there - photos that is, I don't want any other kind of shots to or from the North Koreans thanks very much. I fly home tomorrow night then after what has been a great time in my first foreign land. Wonder what'll be next?