Amanda Takes Off...

Busan, South Korea

In early August, Sister and I went to Busan together. I finally put together an album of our trip. The complete album is at the link, but here are a few of my favorite photos.

At the Beach

Sister Tries Fennel

Making Wandang

Hard at Work

Sign Failure

On July 30th, Sister and I went to Olympic Park to see an exhibit about Joseph Beuys, a German artist who used images of rabbits (and rabbit's blood) in his artwork.

After we viewed the exhibit, we saw rabbits everywhere. It became a rabbit sort of day.

It had been raining a lot in the days before our visit, which was pretty obvious in some areas.

After the Rain

Rabbit

Fruit

There was a vegetable garden in one area, complete with a trellis covered in squash. I love this idea!

Hanging

Growing

Big Pumpkins

Marching Ants

Sculptures in the Pond

무궁화 (Hibiscus)

Spider!

He Is Our Hero!

Don't Grab the Rabbit by the Ears

Ant Village Seoul

On August 11th, Mother and I went to 개미 마을 (literally "Ant Village") in Seoul. Ant Village is one of the old "moon towns," build high in the hills in Seoul.

The area is poor and underdeveloped compared to other areas of Seoul, even compared to the immediate surrounding area. Development in the area has been restricted, and several years ago, art students painted murals in the area.

Mother didn't know about the area, nor did any of her friends. I was a bit uncomfortable walking around, taking photos, for reasons I can't quite put into words. But I really was interested in documenting what I saw.

Art Imitating Life

Grandfather

Sunflowers

Shortly after my arrival in Korea, Mother and I went to Bukchon Hanok Village together so I could go to an embroidery museum (specifically Han Sangsu Embroidery Museum).

I don't know why I'd never made it out to Bukchon before. It's easy to get to, right off of Anguk Station on the orange line.

The hanok village is an area of Seoul where hanoks were protected. I adore hanoks and really want to live in one, so I enjoyed wandering around.

At the museum, I was able to buy a kit to do some embroidery. The instructor only spoke Korean, but I was able to keep up with what she was saying. She thought Mother was there to interpret but quickly realized she wasn't.

Practicing Embroidery

Mother and the instructor rattled on and on about where they were from (the instructor was from Jejudo if I remember correctly), their kids, why Good Man and I don't have kids...

I practiced listening, only interjecting occasionally. Finally, the instructor said, "Mother? Why do you keep calling her mother?"

"Oh, I'm her mother-in-law."

"Ahhhhh, wow! You must be so happy to have a daughter-in-law who studies Korean."

"No, no," I said, "I don't speak it well." If there's one thing I can do in Korean, it's put myself down like a good Korean.

A Kimono

French Knots!

Dragon Motif

The museum had a no photography sign (which I only saw as we were leaving), but I asked for permission, and like always, it was granted. The museum was small but full of really beautiful embroidery samples.

The flower made up entirely of French knots was gorgeous! My French knots are terrible, so I won't be making that any time soon...

Embroidery in Progress

There was also a room in the back area where a woman was working in an embroidery project, and several other projects could be seen in progress. Mother wanted me to pose and pretend I was do it, but I said, "It's not my work!" The instructor merely chuckled, but I couldn't take credit for this perfection!

Old and New

Are those skylights in this photo? Interesting...

Hanoks

Lotus Flowers

Pinecone in a Hole in the Wall

President Lee Myung-Bak's Childhood Home

After I'd gotten the gist of the embroidery (but not finished my hankie), we explored the area some more. At one point, a Japanese-speaking tour guide and an English-speaking tour guide walked past us. (I saw some more later when Sister and I went shopping. Who are these wandering tour guides? Did they exist when I lived in Seoul?)

Mother rapidly said something, and the English-speaking tour guide grabbed my map and said, "Ohhhh, maybe you need an English one." I didn't correct her, and she said, "So she says you want to visit Lee Myung-Bak's old home?"

I looked at Mother, then back at the guide. "I guess I do..."

The whole time we were walking to the home, Mother thought I was going in the wrong direction. "Mother, I speak English. She spoke English, I know where I am going."

When we got there, it was actually two homes right next to each other that he'd lived in. Mother whistled low and said, "Our president grew up rich."

Teddy's Hung Out to Dry

맑은하늘길
(Clear/Bright Sky Drive)

We were walking along 맑은하늘길 which sort of runs along the side of a mountain. We needed to get back down and I headed down these stairs. They are far steeper than they look (darn the cloudy day with no shadows) and Mother balked. "Amanda! It is so steep!"

(I didn't see the traffic cone on the roof when I took the photo.)

Doorway

We made it down to a patjuk (red bean paste porridge) restaurant and on the way, I saw this mask hanging on a wall, and these tiles built into a building. The bright colors of the mask, and the lines of the tiles really caught my eye.

Mask

Tiles

Mother and I went to Herb Park one day while it was raining. We were the only ones at the park for a few minutes, before a couple showed up, walking slowly and carrying an umbrella.

"Amanda," Mother said, pulling up a word on the dictionary on her hand phone, "불륜." She held her phone out.

Illicit love affair, I read. I laughed, "How do you know?"

Mother nodded, "I know. I can tell. They are too old to be unmarried, and married people do not act like that."

"Maybe they were both in medical school and that took too much time, so now they are dating."

Mother looked at me and shook her head, "This is not a TV show, Amanda."

I wrote several times about going to Herb Park (which I also called Herb Garden). It became an important place on my trip to Korea, so of course I took photos. For the record, the official name is Mt. Iljasan Herb Astronomy Park.

Field Behind the Middle School and High School

This field is where Good Man used to catch frogs and go ice skating. Now it's farm land.

Marines

For a period of time, this building had a giant, flowered truck in front of it. It was awesome, but I never got a picture of it.

The slogan across the top reads "Once a Marine, Always a Marine." At this "station," former Marines volunteer to police the area and "catch students" (according to Good Man). We mostly just saw them cooking food over a fire in the back.

Discarded Baduk Tiles

Water Tank

Mural on the Water Tank

The park is built on top of a water tank. I wish the water tanks near my home were as interesting as this one!

Women Friendly Seoul

Women Friendly Seoul is a movement to make Seoul more woman-friendly, which means helping women find jobs (cool), making more bathrooms for women (I can see how that's useful), making sidewalks high-heel friendly (hmm?), and painting parking spots pink (seriously?). It also involves making female-friendly public spaces, and apparently this park was one of them.

When I asked Mother why it was "women friendly," she said because it smelled good.

Goat

Herb Park

The sculpture welcomes you to the park. which features ~120 herbs and a ~220 meter track. There is an alternate way into the water tank, off to the left of the frame.

Face-Sized Flowers

Buds

These flowers were as large as my face.

Green Roof

There is a path from the park down to campgrounds and an exercise area with exercise machines. The campground buildings feature a green roof.

Mother and I spent a lot of time at Herb Garden, enjoying the breeze.