Day Three

Today was a day of mindless wandering.  I was on my own as Hyun Ji had an emergency she needed to attend to.  It worked out well as one should always have a day without an agenda and to explore.  I was curious about the little alleys between the streets. They were like these hidden little gems that winded through the blocks.  I found the large signs that took up most of the airspace above my head to be mesmerizing.  I've never really seen anything like this. I've found the Korean lettering to be quite beautiful to look at.  The alleys were full of small shops and cafes.  I thought they would be full of residences but I was wrong.  If I lived here, I think I'd do all my shopping in little alleys. There are hardly any people there and a welcome respite from the busy roads and intersections.  I didn't see English very often, but when I did, I enjoyed seeing how the words were used.

I was not tempted to buy anything.  It was mostly things that seemed to fall either in two categories. One, items designed for a younger audience with cartoonish like illustrations.  I wasn't sure that children would use what looked like adult things, such as sophisticated pens with little anime cats (no not Hello Kitty...).  And two, western items that I can easily get in the US but more expensive than the US.  So, that pretty much solved most desire to acquire.  I did enjoy looking though. I have been utterly fascinated by the women here.  Most of them wear heavy makeup and long manicured hair.  I was somehow reminded of pictures of geisha girls that I saw in National Geographic as a child.  I didn't take any pictures because I didn't want to be rude.  

I took a long walk by the canal that runs in front of my apartment building. I was delighted to see all the tall poles with both solar panels and a wind mill.  If it weren't 5 degrees out with a wind I would've like to have wandered to see where the canal would take me.  

 Below are more pictures of shops in the alleys.  

I loved looking at the produce.  They looked so fresh and different from what we get in the US. I was talking to Hyun Ji about agriculture in Korea. From what I gather, most produce is still farmed within the country.  So different from the US whereas most produce is shipped from California, Mexico and other countries.  The long transit time makes for some tired looking produce once it hits the shelves.  Everything here looks so robust, firm and crisp.  

Purple Kohlrabi 

The last part of my afternoon jaunt was a walk down the open air food market, another alley.  The smells in the air were of garlic, some other unnamed spices and fish.  So different from India, whereas there you can smell curries, incense and jasmine.

That pretty much concluded day three.  I'm still not quite used to the city but it hasn't been that long yet.  I passed out at 8pm.  Jet lag is so much fun.  See you tomorrow.  

Much love, 

Anne