Seoul: Many Firsts

Travelling brings a lot of new and different experiences. R had a lot a "first time" in Seoul.

1st time seeing sakura BLOOMS. Simply lovely. After a tiring red-eye flight, R's day brightened with views of sakura. It was pretty unexpected coz it was already end of Apr. So blessed to be in time for this. On top of sakura, the tulips festival at Everland was pretty stunning too. Spring was in the air!

1st time staying at Hanok. To be specific, it was Seoul Guesthouse which was situated at Anguk. It really felt like we were living in someone's house. Their room was within the main living room area. R liked a shot (by RY) of the owner and friend chatting outside the living area. That moment reminded R of the bench outside her grandma's hse. So homely. On the point of homeliness... there wasn't lock for the room and really no fear of things missing... Hah, glad it was safe to lay down her guard.

1st time trying to turn from a freethinker to a devout Buddhist. Went for a 2D/1N stay at Myogaksa Temple to experience korean Buddhism. It was a small temple in a suburb. Nun Yoyo, who guided us thru the 2days, was a very friendly person. And, I must say, she had a glowing aura. The most excruciating activity of this experience was doing the 108 prostration and meditation. Standing, kneeling, bending repeatedly while stringing the prayer beads. This really helped to train leg muscle. At times like these, I wished I had not led a sedentary lifestyle. Meditation was not a hard task (unless I could do the lotus sitting position) but I couldn't achieve the concentration required. Mind's either running a lot of thoughts or couldn't wait to switch off. Lights out at 10pm and expected to wake at 4am. The next day didn't start too well due to the rain. Routine of the day started with sounding the huge bell on the roof. Subsequently, morning chant and prayers. We eagerly awaited for the rain to stop so that we could a trek on the hill nearby (as planned). The rain disappointed us. The time indoors was spent on learning more on the Buddha and its teachings. My understanding was that I am what I think/do. Thus, situations will improve if I reflect and do what is required. This will also reconciliate the differences. Till I could do these, I wouldn't have that kind of radiance of the nun Yoyo. Lastly, the temple stay was made more memorable by the vegetarian meals served. These simple yet tasty dishes were prepared by thoughtful ahjuma who took pride in presenting the best culinary skills for the nuns, monks and visitors.

1st time experiencing war tension. The Joint Security Area was peaceful and quiet except for the 2 bus loads of tourists who were brought in by USO. Security’s really tight and a lot of constraints, such as having to change to a designated JSA bus, no bags allowed in JSA and photo-taking only at designated spots. And, tourists got to see a bit of North Korea. 

1st time watching a Baseball match. This was novel as Singapore didn't have a baseball league and baseball was never popular. The match was between the Kia Tigers and LG Twins. The cheapest ticket was less than S$10 and one could be entertained for more than 2hrs. No wonder such a league can sustain. R didn't fully understand the game, there were times when R couldn't even follow where the ball was. It was enjoyable nonetheless.

1st time marvelling the effort of rebuilding a historical monument from scratch. It was the Geongbokgung. This was a palace eons ago. Its fate was pretty tragic coz it was destroyed several times. In modern times, it’s rather remarkable that such a monument is rebuilt as it was first built. And, the availability of suitable materials, as were used in old times, posed a challenge to this massive restoration effort.

1st time experiencing lantern festival in May instead of Sep. Lantern usually reminds me of Mid-Autumn Festival. Hence, it was kinda unusual to be enjoying the delightful lanterns so early in the year. In korea, lanterns are displayed in celebration of Vesak Day. Lanterns of the shape of lotus flowers were hung at Temples (or roads leading to them). The Cheonggyecheon (a stream within the city), which was a pretty nice strolling ground for city dwellers, was also decorated with lantern floats.