seoul tower

Ok, my last day in Korea! What better way to start the day than some baseball practice.



Today the main thing to do is go to Namsan tower, a observation place where you can see all of seoul. More walking!



Here I was walking for some way before I realised I was going in the wrong direction. Good start! It was nice enough though, very lush and green, and there is a trickling stream running down each side of the walkway.



Ooo stairs! I like stairs...



Quick break. Such a good day for this.



More climbing stairs.



You start to see some glimpses of the view from some lookouts along the way.



You start to see some little bits of the seoul fortress wall, very cool.



My bag was getting heavy at about this point - I guess it was about 8kg. I worried my laptop was being shaken around, but it was fine.



I like the peepholes in the walls!



Finally getting to the top, I was greeted with a 9000 won fee for going inside the observation tower. It was very crowded and very annoying, I wondered if it was worth it. The views were nice though.



You can see the cable car I didn't catch, because I'm too cheap to pay the 7000 won or so. The walk was great anyway! I saw one go past as I was walking, it was packed like sardines!



Coming down from the tower, there was a small festival assembling. I enjoyed watching some guys with swords and staffs put on a show beating each other up. There was one moment I liked where one guy was dramatically stabbed  in the stomach with a sword, and having it pulled out quickly he spat a spray of water into the air. It was good!



Later they made mincemeat of some straw bundles and bamboo. Pretty entertaining.



The walk down was much faster and easier.



Back to Insadong to see what its like on a Saturday - much more busy!



Some nice surprises in the back streets. Actually I believe this was near a tea museum.



Ending with some beef soup. I tried to eat as much as I could, since I would be sleeping on a plane to Singapore. Seoul was good! Korea was good! I'd love to come back some day.

suwon fortress

Yay! Finally a nice day!  Today I go to Hwaseong, aka Suwon Fortress.

(view from hotel room)



Arriving in Suwon, I tried catching a cab to the fortress, but the driver became very (very) upset when I didn't speak korean. So instead I caught a bus, and as usual, jumped the gun and got off too early. The remaining walk would set the theme for the rest of the day! First stop is Haenggung palace.



Some interesting historical sets.



Starting the climb, there are some watchtowers perched on the hill.



Climbing time. Good thing my foot is all better!



Higher we get the better the view!



Occasionally there is an off-shooting path that offers lush natural scenery.



The fortress wall. At least I won't get lost.



Hooray! Less climbing. It's quite rewarding with the views and the breeze.



There was a large bell I could gong for 1000 won, but I wasn't feeling it. Still the view is good!



The wall changes from old to new in places.



More wall - it snakes around for about 6km or so. Here I walked along the outside for a change.



Some weeds in the roof of the watchtowers.



The main front gates - its hard to get a good angle! It also feels strange because behind me is a bustling city district with traffic and fast food.

Inside, it is a little confusing to me. There was a wooden platform where you can stand and not hit your head on the ceiling. 

Continuing on I pass a prestigious looking high school, more walls, and the stream.

I thought I should end the day with some archery! It was quite appealing, and I was feeling all excited - until my purchasing a ticket somehow triggered a bus load of american tourists to immediately appear and also buy tickets. I felt less like a tourist. It was still fun.



Solo dinner! I pushed past all the awkwardness of not knowing exactly how to eat this or whether drinking a whole bottle of soju was entirely appropriate. My city guide book told me this was a good restaurant, and it was pretty awesome.



Day was ending, time to go back to seoul! I was a little drunk and had to work out how to get back to the train station.



On the way back, it was quite nice and busy in one of the main streets. Suwon is very nice.



I thought I'd finish by doing a quick run around Hyehwa, which I was told was a nice place to walk about. It seems like mostly restaurant area.



It was kind of strange but a giant Gandalf was there (it was a cinema). Maybe to finish my fortress / walking theme for the day.

shopping, streams, & temples

I decided to check out Insadong, which is the main touristy markety place for buying touristy things.



It wasn't really the time for it I realised (about midday on a weekday) but I was mostly walking around getting my bearings. It's nice to see the streets when they're off duty.



Nice to see the Cheonggyecheon, the artificial stream during the day.



It's leafy, pleasant, the running water is relaxing.



Wait a minute... is that a video game arcade?! Final fight break!



There's plenty of nice back streets that I like to walk down.



Quick trip to Gyeongbokgung palace, which like many major temples in korea has been torn down once or twice by the Japanese. You can see people still working on restorations.



More nice roofing.



You can walk around the (usually) quiet towny areas behind the temple.



Nice walls! Still chalky and new looking though.



The backyard. Quite nice courtyard areas.



The nearby museum.



Stone duck!



I wandered over to the city area, looking for some activity. For a friday afternoon I found everything to be eerily quiet. It often feels like Seoul is bigger than it needs to be. It's just weird when the streets are empty.



I thought I'd take a break by the fountain, kill some time, take photos with some random Japanese tourists.



Wandering around again, there was more activity now, but honestly I didn't feel like shopping... I felt like starcraft! After this I headed back over to the GSL to watch a few games to end the day.