Posts tagged “Seoul”

Jogyesa Temple

Posted on March 22nd, 2008

Jogyesa is a small but important temple in the Jogye order of Korean Buddhism – located in the heart of Seoul it seems strangely out of place surrounded by high-rise offices but offers a quiet haven in the mist of the bustling city. On a rather overcast Thursday morning I paid it a short visit… Built in 1910 it is famous for its colorful paintings of the Buddha’s life and teachings as well as the 500 year-old white pine tree which stands proudly outside (purportedly brought over from China). The temple is in active use and at the time I visited gentle chanting could be heard eminating from the main hall with many followers coming and going through the large lattice doors making for…

Jjimjilbang (찜질방)

Posted on March 20th, 2008

Slowly roasting yourself alive has never really appealed to me but having heard good things about the highly popular family saunas (Jjimjilbang) in South Korea I decided to give it a try on the Wednesday evening. N.b. All the photos in this post were found on Google Upon arrival you are given light cloth uniforms (blue for boys, pink for girls) which you get changed into then head for the general relaxation area where you’ll see both young and old lounging around on the wooden floor watching TV, playing games and some just having a nap. Off the main area there are various hot and cold rooms of varying temperatures, from the mild to the extreme, as I was soon to be made painfully…

Han River & 63 City

Posted on March 19th, 2008

After a pretty intense beginning to my travels Wednesday was a little more relaxed – I ventured south again to the Seoul’s main tributary, the majestic Han River. As rivers go the Han is very broad at over 1km wide but only 514km long and was historically used as a trade route to China before the country was divided. Today river traffic is mostly limited to tour boats and to that end I took a 1 hour ferry round-trip which was pleasant but rather unremarkable for what could be seen along the river banks (mostly high rise apartments). It probably would have been better to go at night when you can see Seoul on in all its neon glory. Along the rivers northern edge…

Lotte World

Posted on March 18th, 2008

Lotte World, opened in 1989, is South Korea’s home grown answer to Disney Land and shares with it many of the same iconic themes to the degree that you have to wonder how they get away with it. The one big difference is that most of the theme park is housed indoors in an enormous enclosure making it the largest of its type in the world (ranked 7th overall worldwide for attendance). Whilst I can’t admit to being a huge fan of theme parks I do like some of the more extreme rides so on my first full day in Seoul I hopped on the subway and headed over to Jamsil to see what all the fuss was about. First impressions: This place is…

Namdaemun Destroyed

Posted on February 11th, 2008

On Sunday night a devastating fire destroyed the 610 year-old Namdaemun “Great South Gate” in Seoul, South Korea [video]. Luckily no one was hurt but it’s sad to hear that the blaze may be have been started on purpose. The loss is even more painful as gate was the countries no. 1 national treasure and one of the few to survive foreign invasions. The Cultural Heritage Administration has said that it will take at least three years to restore at an estimated cost of $21 million. I feel somewhat lucky to have visited Namdaemun last September when I was in South Korea and took a number of photos of the magnificent structure with its colourful paintings on the underside. What struck me was its…

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