Day 238 - Seoul of Asia

We left Bangkok in nighttime temperatures of over 30C. We arrived in South Korea to a daytime temperature of -7C. South indeed. I could gripe, but to be honest, I have missed the seasons. It was sort of exhilarating to step off the plane and to feel the cold radiating through the glass of the arrival tunnel. Also because of the cold, despite being a major city with all the attendant traffic, the air is remarkably crisp and fresh-smelling.

After checking into our hostel, our first order of business was to find some lunch. Being Lunar New Year, the restaurant we had planned to visit was closed (along with everything else on its block). We opted instead to go down a promising alley with many signs, selecting a place that claimed on its door 'English Menu". I may need to have some words with Korean restauranteurs on honesty in advertising. There was no English menu. There was no menu. There was no English. Period. Somehow through hand gestures and the collective help of half the other patrons, we found ourselves with bowls of Bibimpap, which we thought only came with beef. Apparently not. This was a salad and tuna sushi affair atop a bed of rice with about 5 different sides. The owners were apparently tickled with our complete ineptitude, and saw to it that we mixed our condiments properly, and even brought us a big bowl of house specialty soup - on the house. We couldn't understand a word of what each other was saying, but it was an entirely enjoyable experience. We will study up the Korean phrasebook section of our Lonely Planet and actually try to order something tomorrow. As we were leaving I saw two young men recieving grilled herring with an entourage of mysterious small bowls. A goal for tomorrow...

In Thailand, Seoul is currently running an ad campaign that goes "Visit Seoul, Soul of Asia". Indeed, it is a neat city. The people here are all phenominally well-dressed. Everyone seems to be slim and beautiful, even bundled up in winter layers. No parkas here - only designer coats and hugely expensive shoes. And everyone wears black or grey. It's really not that far removed from the more posh neighborhoods of NY.

One of the city's best features is the abundance of public art. Every high-rise built after a certain date (I believe late-seventies, but I could be mistaken) is required to have a sculpture in front. The results are sometimes interesting, often easily missed, and occasionally quite charming. This giant traditional ink brush in the summer actually has a flow of water running from its bristles through the 'brushstroke'. Now it is dry, though I think it would make a splendid mini ice rink.

We had planned on visiting the Prison Museum today, as it only has English-speaking guides on Wednesdays and Thursdays. Unfortunately, it was closed for Lunar New Year. As we eventually devised most of the museums in town would be. So we revised our plan.

We instead headed for the Coex Aquarium, only one part of a massive (as in over a kilometer long) underground mall. And we were in luck - not only was the aquarium open, but they were offering a hefty discount on the tickets. We wiled away the afternoon in warm indoor comfort admiring the fishes and oddities.

One room was dedicated entirely to 'Liberating fish from the bowl'. Epspecially clever was the computer whose tropical reef screensaver served as the backround for a school of real tropical fish. There was also a washing machine full of mollies, a refrigerator whose crispers were swimming with goldfish, televisions with screens full of fish, and a traffic signal with a siamese fighting fish in each light.

In a much larger (and more naturalistic) display, huge morey eels gaped, while sharks and rays glided by. Several of the rays seemed quite sociable coming right up to the glass and seeming to smile and wave.

And no aquarium would be complete without the sideshow oddity. In this case, a two-headed turtle, living in apparent comfort in his own private wing of a pond filled with his more conventionally-domed brethren.

After the aquarium, we were reluctant to face the cold. Since all the museums we had intended to visit were closed anyway, we opted instead to rot our brains at the local arcade. There were games for all ages and tastes, from simple match 'em games for the younger set to complex sniper shooting games for the big kids. We joined the throngs of Korean kids zapping zombies, shooting bad guys, playing table hockey, and putting out fires in the White House until our designated game money ran out.

With some reluctance, we left the arcade in the hopes of catching the English Language screening of Charlie Wilson's War (we still weren't ready to face the cold). Unfortunately, it was sold out, so face the cold we did.

We made it home without a hitch. The Korean subway system is far more orderly than the NYC, but the lack of English signs adds the necessary element of adventure. Once back at the hostel, we thawed out with bowls of noodle soup, and the underfloor hearting system, one of the features for which we chose this place.

Most of the museums will probably be closed tomorrow too, though I heard rumors that one of the palaces was open. If not, there is a highrise shopping center downtown with yet another aquarium, an Imax theatre, and a 62nd floor observation deck. These just might be the two days we that we indulge in [observing] conspicuous consumption.