Children's Day

Today was a big day: one of the very few weekdays that I don't have to work. I didn't really have anything big planned, except that I wanted to do something outside. May 5 actually really snuck up on me. I can't believe it's here and gone.

 I spent the morning skyping with my parents and Monica, which was much needed and wonderful. Then I got out the old Lonely Planet Seoul and looked up some walking tours. I chose the one called Shamanist Hillside Walk. Sounds nice, right? And I thought it would be a good place to go today because everyone was going to be out and about with their children, probably not looking at shrines. So I set out on my little walking tour. I felt a little like I was on the Amazing Race, because I just had the directions in the book which said "go up the alley" but you have to guess which little stairway or winding path counts as the alley. It was also really hot and I was sweaty and getting lost, but I started over a few times and finally found my way. All for nothing. The guidebook described all sorts of cool-sounding temples and said "you can sense the ancient atmosphere" in the area. Well, it was during this little walk that I came to the inevitable conclusion that I have been trying to put off since I arrived: Seoul is ugly. There, I said it. For those of you who've seen my pictures, you've probably already thought this to yourself. I am trying very hard to see the beauty here, but it was near impossible this afternoon. The temple was surrounded by trash and rubble and overrun with pigeons that kind of freaked me out. The walk provided a great view of the city, which means forests of highrises shrouded in smog. Ugh I know I'm being negative but there is just no way around this ugliness. The refrigerator was the kicker. It really gave me an "ancient" feeling. Maybe I should just be annoyed with Lonely Planet's description. Disappointing to say the least. But it wasn't without a few interesting sights. I did see a couple people chanting and doing some sort of bowing/kneeling/standing ritual in front of the "Zen Rock", and I watched an old woman throw an entire pot of soup (including a whole chicken) on the mountainside to feed the pigeons. No wonder they're crazy up there. 

This walk was right next to a small mountain, so I thought I would check it out, but after lots of walking around a few entrances, it appeared that the mountain was closed for the day. Disappointing once again, especially because I when I got to the bottom, I saw people at the top! I don't know how they got up there...

Don't worry, my day gets better from here. After some bibimbap, I brought out my new friend the ugly bike. I rode over to Olympic Park, managed not to hit anyone or anything on the way, and found an excellent bike path through the park and to the Han River. Although it's a stretch to call it beautiful, there are some very nice parts and everything is SO green, which makes my heart happy. I was also happy to see that the path had a bike lane and a pedestrian lane. Unfortunately, Koreans don't so much abide by it. They were walking all over that bike lane. But then I didn't feel bad when I was biking on the walking part. When in Rome...

So I biked for a couple hours in the beautiful evening and it was good for my seoul. =) And now, the best part is I only have a 3 day week ahead of me!