I only have one more day in Korea, and realized that I hadn't really updated in a while. I guess, instead of trying to catch up on day-to-day updates, I'll just post a summary of the various places we've visited since last Tuesday:

Gyeongju:


View from Namsan, over Gyeongju.


Another view from Namsan. This kind of terrain is pretty representative of what I saw of Korea.

Jeju:


An incredibly blue pool we found at the top of Cheonjeyeon Waterfall.


Jisatgae Coast, with its hexagonal stone pillars (you can see our hotel in the background).


Seongsan Iichubong, the crater left over from a volcano on the eastern edge of Jeju. The sun is setting behind us, so only the far end of the crater is lit.


Baengnokdam, the crater at the top of Hallasan. This climb was absolutely grueling.


What we had to walk up for 5.5 miles (and down for 5, though the path down we chose had a bit more planks and stairs installed). The worst thing? Encountering 80 year old Korean men and women who were -not breathing hard-.

Back in Seoul:


A Confucian celebration honoring past kings.


Streams were run from City Hall to two stages in preparation for the Hi-Seoul festival.


Hi-Seoul Festival, located in front of City Hall.


Part of the wall of Hwaseong Fortress, in Suwon, South of Seoul.

A breach in the defenses of Hwaseong Fortress.

Panmunjeom, in the Demilitarized Zone between North and South Korea. Halfway in between the blue buildings is the border between the countries.

This man literally guards the door to North Korea (also, this picture was taken while I was standing in N. Korea! ZOMG!).


Northern Korean village of Gijeong-dong, known in the South as "Propaganda Village" because it loudly broadcasts propaganda several hours a day, telling the S. Koreans what wonderful lives the N. Koreans live.


I fly back tomorrow, so this probably the last of the photo updates. I may type up some stories while I'm flying, or further description, but, you could also just wait til I see you again in person. Anyway, it's been a fun trip, and I feel like I got a good overview of Korean culture. I also discovered that I have zero tolerance for spicy food (given that two things that Zane described as 'slightly spicy' were almost inedible to me, enough that I had to stop eating. It's not that they tasted -bad-, it's that they made my mouth burn).

Korea definitely was not what I expected. It's much more rural and naturally beautiful than I thought. The people are, for the most part, friendly (though I did run into some crazies). The food, aside from the spicy stuff, was delicious. I'm definitely going to try to find a Korean restaurant near DC. It was easy enough to get around, though not so much as Japan. It is a place I wouldn't mind coming back to.