Posts Tagged Seoul
Ping-pong
It’s been two months since my last post – two very hectic months. Now, on what feels like the longest flight ever, I do have plenty of time. So what has the past months been like?
NYC
In the end of September we traveled over the pond with tickets to Springsteen and E-Street band’s final concerts at Giant Stadium. That my birthday fell in the same week didn’t hurt either… :)
I love New York. Every time I visit I wish I could stay longer. Had a great birthday dinner in Brooklyn with friends, strolled the streets of Manhattan and smiled at the sun up on High Line Park. Enjoyed Central Park as ever, and a rainy day at the Met. Ate very well and a few tall drinks. Had the usual stop, well two, at B&H, but managed to stay away from the big purchases. That said, all in all, we did our best to help the US economy with a healthy shopping spree. It was so great to take full week off in the autumn. Not done that since the late eighties. Scary.
The two concerts were great. Amazing atmosphere. It was nice to experience Bruce in his backyard before the old stadium was torn down. I wouldn’t call myself a hardcore fan, liked his music before the shows, but now I catch myself humming his songs more often than not. Curious that.
Seoul
Arrived home from NYC on a Monday evening, had a quick meeting at the office on Tuesday morning before heading back to the airport and the flight to Seoul with my boss. Three continents in two days, not advisable, not surprisingly it turned into a jet lag rollercoaster. Had a great time though. Met with our Korean partners for a few days. Very busy schedule. Didn’t even find the time to take a single picture before we continued on to Beijing.
Beijing
It had been almost six months since I’d visited our team in Beijing. It was great to be back and to spend some time with them. It was the first time in the office not being directly in charge. A bit weird, but I still think of the studio as one of my babies.
It still amazes me how fast the city develops. Even when I visited more frequently I saw changes. With a half-year break it was just amazing. The area around our studio is completely transformed. Only three years ago I drove over an empty, bumpy field (the taxi made a wrong turn and decided to take a short cut over the grass – which turned out to be more rocks and potholes than anything). Now, at least ten skyscrapers were in construction on the same lot. Luckily, the little green oasis we have around our studios is still there, just surrounded by concrete.
The only bummer with this visit was that I didn’t find the time to visit 798. It was my boss’ first visit to the Far East, so we opted for the usual suspects instead. Unfortunately, we arrived at the Forbidden City ten minutes too late. It closed earlier due to the 60-year celebration. Tiananmen Square was packed with, I would guess, at least 200.000 people. Its on days like that you get an idea of the share number of the Chinese. We did get to see the “Egg”, the music hall, which was a first for me as well and I was very happy that we managed to stop by my favorite café in Houhai for a Tsing Tao. The planned trip to the Great Wall went down the drain too, but we did visit the “bird’s nest” and “water cube” at night.
San Francisco
I spent ten days at home, before flying out again. This time I traveled to the West Coast and San Francisco, another favorite city. The weather was perfect, warm, and sunny. Waking up to a cup of tea at Samovar in Yerba Buena Gardens, having a great Sunday brunch at Mama’s and strolling along the Embarcadero was a great way to start ten busy days. I did of course burn my nose…
Los Angeles
After a few days in the Bay Area we turned south to Los Angeles, to more meetings, dinners and more fun. Good drinks and company at Philippe and Roger Room. Gazing out over the Pacific in spare moments in Santa Monica. A pre-Halloween bash at the Hollywood cemetery was OK, didn’t bring any costumes on our trip which made us stand out quite a bit. So when we the following day were invited to Heidi and Seal’s Halloween party at Voyeur, we had to find something good. I ended up as an undead renaissance something…
Seattle and London
The day after we continued up to Seattle. Stayed at the 1000. Brilliant hotel, you should try next time you visit. I’ll book it again for sure. It was a quick stop in the Pacific Northwest before we headed back east the following day, across the Atlantic to London. I must like cities, because this is another favorite.
Home
Coming back to Oslo was nice, even though November is the saddest month of the year. A joyous time of cold, dark, and wet, occasionally white, quickly turning into wet, cold sleet. After two weeks without much sunlight I found myself back on an airplane, and my first visit to Busan in Korea.
Busan
Speaking at ICON/G-Star, meetings, dinners and walking the show floor. A five-day visit. I managed to squeeze in a free day, on Saturday, taking a taxi to unknown destinations. I like it that way. Stepping out of a cab, not knowing what I’ll see or experience. My trusted friend, Nikon and I on yet another adventure.
I found myself in what I believe is a national coastal park area. All signs are in Korean only and all around me were locals. I saw a group of people walking over to a booth buying tickets. I followed their example, and before I knew it I’m on the kiddy-train. Driving 5km/h along the footpath… It was fun for 300 meters, where I jumped off and walked down to a pebble beach. And to my surprise I see someone I’d wanted to meet since I read an article in National Geographic Magazine years ago; the pearl diving grandmothers. Amazing women.
Stumbling along on the large pebbles I was almost blinded by the brilliant, incredible flat, white sunlight. Enjoying the gentle sound of waves until it was suddenly drowned by the weirdest, kitschy, Korean electro pop music I ever heard. As a perfect score in a Wes Anderson flick it blasted out from a tourist boat on the other side of the beach. What happened next is hard to describe. Standing there listening to that music, shielding my eyes I saw silhouettes of a crowd of old, small, Korean seniors rushing – on slow motion – down a hill to catch the boat. Such a surreal experience, and I loved it.
The walk around the peninsula was quite pleasant. After three hours I continued my journey into the unknown city. Stopped at different markets before heading back to the hotel to pack my bags, and an early night sleep before the long flight home the morning after. Or so I thought. Damn you, jet lag. In bed, wide-awake I counted down the hours till I had to get up. At 5:00 I finally submerged into dreamless sleep, giving me a full hour…
In transit
I’m arriving in Frankfurt in a few hours, just one more flight left before I’m home. The journey will take me 23 hours door to door. Knowing that I don’t sleep on airplanes I figured that by the time I’m diving into bed I will have slept only one out of past 47 hours. I’m so looking forward to get to my bed.
Between spaces
Posted by NN in Photography, Travels on 090314
When traveling you find yourself in transit – At the airport, on the plane, on trains, buses, taxis, hotel elevators, corridors. Well, you get it. I try to enjoy the cities and places I visit as much as I can and take my camera and record the moments in time spent in and between these spaces.
A few weeks ago I visited London for the second time in less then two weeks. Two short trips, too short, after being away from the island for over two and half years. My mother is an anglophile and I share a large part of it. Looking out the train window on my way to Paddington I always look for two structures. A rusty water tank and concrete building block. Neither part of what I find beautiful about London, yet still, quite appealing and part of my ritual entering the city.
I flew into Incheon airport last week. Meeting with our Korean business partner. I always enjoy visiting Seoul, but a few things do puzzle me. One being the idea of erecting the phallic statue outside the airport – you should see it lit in the dark. I’ve been too late with my camera driving past three, four times but on this visit I remembered to have my little compact G10 ready.
PS! I just read that Incheon Airport was voted the best airport in the world. I would have to agree.
Back in Asia
Posted by NN in Photography, Travels, Work on 081127
I traveled to Seoul to meet with a new business partner, to toast the end of a negotiation and the beginning of our collaboration. I also attended the yearly Korean game industry event, G*Star held at Kintex just a few miles south of the DMC. Through the bits and bytes, glitter and loud noise I was amazed about hundreds of young guys walking around with heavy-duty camera equipment, serious lenses and small ladders to stand out of the crowd. I was told organizers had stepped down the abundance of “booth babes” in years past, but what I saw was only shy of what the Chinese drape their booths with at China Joy. It was quite fascinating and somewhat disturbing to see this school of paparazzi at play.
A few days later I looked out of the airplane window, and through the clear blue sky, down on a city I’ve wanted to visit for a very long time, Hong Kong. Almost thirty degrees Celsius and bright sunlight was a very pleasant change from the grey cold skies clouds of Seoul. I know I would be back to even grayer skies in Mainland China three days later so I soaked in as much as I could.
Hong Kong is a great city, even better than I thought it would be. I’d planned a day off after working the previous weekend and made the most of it. The tram up to the Peak to look over Hong Kong Island and Kowloon as the sun set. Dangling in a gondola through the peaks of Lantau Island to get to the Great Buddha and Pon Li Monastery. Strolled the streets of Kowloon through Tsim Sha Tsui down to Victoria harbor and watched the evening skyline light show. Finished the tour sailing across the sound on the Star Ferry. A true 24-hour tourist, I enjoyed every minute of and leaving me wanting more. There is so much to see. Not only the know markets, buildings and sites, but the small details of every day life that make a city like this so very interesting.
Sitting on the Maglev I sped towards Shanghai proper. It’s always a blast to hit the 431 km/h mark. After being upgraded to a junior suite for free (yay!) I stepped out into the cold, brisk air, camera in hand and walked the familiar streets. A few meeting days past and I walk into Zhouzhuang, an old, picturesque water town an hour drive west of Shanghai. I’ve wanted to see this place for quite some time (yes, there are many places I want to see) and I left the town with mixed feelings. It is a beautiful place, but the small stalls and booths crammed into every available space ruin the one time serenity. Back in the city I found a very interesting building, “1933”. An old, abandoned slaughterhouse being refurbished that eventually will host art galleries, retail space, restaurants et al. I’m glad I walked into this momentous Bauhaus building, a labyrinth of bare concrete. A photographers dream and the perfect set for any horror flick.
Beijing was the last leg of this Asia trip. It was good to be with our Chinese art team again, meeting old and new colleagues and friends. The farther I travel north, from Hong Kong the more I realize it’s less then a month to Xmas. The cold, dry wind flowing down from the Mongolia is a freezing reminder of that. I only spent a few days in Beijing. Sad in ways, I’ve always enjoyed the atmosphere and time spent with friends in this city, but it will be so good to come home.
Na-Juung-eh-bayo!
Every visit to Seoul makes me like the city and the people more. I must admit it’s a relief to arrive in a city bigger than Beijing, but with air you can actually breathe without having to chew.
One day I plan to visit Korea on vacation, to have all the time I want to walk around, take pictures and maybe even more importantly, travel out of the city and see more of the country. The little I’ve seen (in magazines, on telly etc) looks very nice. Looking forward to see it for myself. But for now I’m just count my blessings for having a job sending me to destinations like this and footing the bill.
I traveled this time with a colleague who never visited Korea. He, like me, enjoyed the visit. It was very hectic, very, but we did get the chance to see a bit outside work hours. Again I stayed at one of favorite hotels, Park Hyatt Seoul. I know I’ve mentioned it before, but it cannot be mentioned too often. If you want to have a great visit to Seoul, this is the place to stay.
As mentioned it was very busy, but we did have a very nice dinner at a nice Thai restaurant in Apgujeong-dong an upscale district within Gangnam-gu. It looked like this would be the only time out, as we had planned to fly down to Taipei, but as typhoon Fengshen left the shores of the Philippines in direct flight towards Taiwan we decided to delay our journey to the island and spent an extra day in Seoul. We we’re lucky to have very good guides taking us to places we probably wouldn’t have found ourselves.
It turned out that Frank (aka Fengshen) passed west of Taiwan and literally crashed into Mainland China instead. I’m believe we made the right decision and am glad that my colleague got the chance to see more of the city, feel a bit of the atmosphere and taste the local cuisine.
Filtered joy
Posted by NN in Music, Photography, Travels on 071017
This trip started a new tradition. I always bring music with me – everywhere. I’ve mentioned before my passion for music. I can’t think of a life without it. So, I sat on the flight from Oslo to Frankfurt last week and listened through a shuffle of favorites, old and new. Then as we broke through the clouds and we floated over the velvet beneath, Mozart’s “Ave Verum Corpus (k. 618)” came to my ears. It was unbelievable. It is the most perfect cloud watching music in the world. Try it. You’ll be amazed. Listening to this it’s hard to fathom Wolfgang having a bad bone in his body. It’s as pure as pure can be. It sadness me to know that he passed only a few months after writing this sheet of music.
Millions of Won later
A third of my Asia trip and one week in Korea has gone by and I’m sitting at Incheon airport waiting for my flight to China. I’m listening to music and fibbling with my laptop these 1.5 hours I have to spend by the gate but the time is still moving at the speed of the snail. With the traffic we’ve experienced the past week we planned some extra time to get to the airport plus some at the airport in case there were queues at the check-in and/or at the security point. Of course everything went super smooth and fast.
It’s been a very busy week. Lots of meetings, but my colleague and I also had a day off to walk around like the tourists we are. Palaces, side streets, temples, demonstrations, thousands of policemen looking just a day over eighteen and few fellow tourists were what we found on our way. I am amazed of the cameras everyone, and I’m not talking about the few tourists we walked passed, but the locals on their sunday stroll are carrying. We are talking some serious professional equipment, and man can they pose. At every corner you see someone posing against a wall, lightpost, poster, car or under a tree. Fascinating. Good to see that the Koreans are people who have found a good and fulfilling hobby =P
Koreans must love coffee. I wouldn’t be surprised if there are more Starbucks here than in Seattle. You find them everywhere. In fact the selection of American fast food chains in Seoul is (almost) scary. In every street you find McDonalds, Burger King, KFC, Dunkin Donuts, Krispy Kreme, Baskin Robbins, Pizza Hut, The Coffee Bean, and the list goes on. You have to really look to find a decent local restaurant. I am over exaggerating of course, but it just feels too much in some places. I like Korean food. I rather have that when I’m here. It can be very nice and spicy. Yum!
There are some absolutely wonderful colors in Seoul these days. The mountains surrounding the city is covered with trees dressed with all the splendor of autumn. I wish I had more time to hike up there, under the leaves. I will return so I hope I get the chance next time. I also would love to see more of this country. I’m told it’s very different from Seoul, which would be a pleasant getaway.
Boarding soon. I’ll be back with more, in a few days – from Beijing.
Travel log – Seoul
Korea is a beautiful country. Seoul is not necessarily beautiful, but very interesting.
Seoul is different from the last time I visited back in 2001. Then, it felt like a messy, cold city. It was hard to get in contact with people, yet interesting and a place I wanted to re-visit to get to know better. Today the city is very different. People are very friendly and after a few days understanding the streets and districts it opens up and presents itself as a very exciting place. Like a not so sober Englishman uttered in the hotel elevator one evening; “Seoul is the hidden gem of Asia, it is definitely not a dull place.” I did not see much of the proposed active nightlife, but I can imagine it is good.
Like any metropolitan Asian city, traffic is a huge problem. Driving in from Incheon airport, far outside the city we did not encounter much traffic. But then, passing over the city limit *BAM!* Bumper to bumper all the way. You should bring a good portion of patience traveling around the city. There were surprisingly few mopeds, and scooters in the street (quite common in Asia). I was told it’s too dangerous.
I’m going to talk a bit more about the traffic in Seoul. Not because I’m a motor freak or anything – I don’t own a car for crying out loud – but there’s a couple of things that’s good to know if you plan to visit one day. And some stories are a bit fun as well. Public transportation is very good in Seoul. Subway and buses take you more or less everywhere, easy to use as well. The buses have different colors depending on how far they go (i.e. local, district, out of town). Sadly I can’t remember which colors go where, but you’ll figure it out. Taxis also have color codes. The black taxies are the luxurious ones – and that’s about it, just a bigger car. So unless you want to cough up the extra 50% for a fare it’s not worth it. Back, four years ago you had to take the black ones to even have a chance to get to the right destination as the drivers knew a little bit of English and were the only cars with free interpreter service (over a cell phone in the car). Today all taxies have this service. And you’ll need it, unless you’re a ace in the Korean language (more on language later).
I saw something I’ve never seen before the other day. An ambulance moped. I guess it makes sense to have a small vehicle to maneuver through the frantic traffic in when someone needs your help – but as I wrote before. It must be pretty dangerous. Luckily the driver has a first aid kit handy.
I’m almost finished writing about traffic, but I have to mention the singing taxi driver who suddenly blasted out in song – When he saw my mildly surprised face in the rear view mirror he broke out in laughter, smiled and wanted me to join in. We had a good time. Another fun observation is that most drivers have a tendency to put on their blinkers for an eventual left or right, usually a good minute before the actual turn. I’m sure it makes sense if everyone does it.
An interesting fact in Seoul is that an address is usually not enough to find a location. Ideally you should have a map or a landmark that can explain better where you want to go. You see, street numbers are not organized the same way at least I’m used to. Numbers are given in the order buildings are built, which can make it pretty confusing to find your way around. And if you only have an address, please make sure you have it in Korean. English wont help a bit, not even the Korean name written in western letters.
Most Koreans I’ve met outside the meeting rooms and hotel lobby have surprisingly poor English skills. I say surprisingly because it as a very modern country. The Korean language is related to Japanese, but the culture is influenced by China. The country’s 4000-year history is very fascinating, but I’m not going to get into that here now or this log will never finish.
For a tourist there is a lot of palaces and temples to see and visit. Changdeokgung and the adjacent Biwon (secret garden) is a must. NB! You cannot walk around the area alone, you have to part of a guided tour (they have several different language tours). Not what I would prefer, but it’s worth it. You get a nice introduction to Korean history as well. The tour takes approx. 90 minutes. Of course you should also make the trip up to the DMZ, the border between North and South Korea. It’s only an hour drive north of the city. Most hotels offer guided tours through tour companies. You should try to get a tour, which includes a visit to Panmunjeom the village on the border, the only place in the demilitarized zone where visitors are admitted. On the ceasefire line soldiers from the north and south stand only centimeters apart.
I could go on forever. Write about my walks around the city. The different districts, the teahouses, telephone/radio karaoke (amazing) etc.
I’m looking forward to my next visit. I hope it will happen soon. Maybe I can get the time to visit the country outside Seoul. As the Koreans say; there is Korea and then there is Seoul.