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December 1997

Seoul - The Land of the Morning Calm

Jeremy Koh
2005-11-03 12:11:08

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twice because of the cold . In the end a part chipped off but luckily it wasn't so bad and i got it fixed when i returned home . As it was quite windy , we all felt the effects of the cold , especially Shirley who wore only a sweater . In the end , we ended up entering shops just to enjoy their heaters . The most funny part was when Shirley ended up squatting on the floor trying to escape the cold . Bargaining is a must in Itaewon as the prices initially offered were exorbitant . Even after bargaining , the prices were sometimes much higher than i was willing to pay .

Day 02 - Namdaemum

Besides Itaewon , i also visited the Namdaemun market but in the middle of the night at around 4am . However at this time in the morning , it is already bustling with activity and there are many people around . However the goods there are mostly sold wholesale so i didn't get to buy anything and they sell mostly winter stuff . But i don't think it's a wasted trip because the whole experience of being up and about on a cold wintry morning in a busy market is not something which i get to experience very often . By the way the food sold there is really quite nice like boiled silkworms (i think , i'm not really sure what kinda worms) which is cooked in a reddish substance and sushi . Unfortunately i had to be back at the hotel for a meeting or else i would have gone on the Lotte World or something .

About Airport Security

And i gotta add on something about the airport security at Seoul Kimpo International Airport. Heavily armed Policemen could be seen patrolling the airport with dogs . Makes us feel a little uneasy . And when i was checking in , the customs had a problem with the amount of batteries i was carrying but fortunately i was allowed through .I guess all this is due to the forthcoming elections as well as the distrust of North Korea . Also i noticed that the people i passed by on the streets have a tendency to push around . Nonetheless , my trip in Seoul has been fun because of the various new experiences it offered though my stay here has been brief .