So I went up to Seoul over the weekend. It was the birthday of the Buddha on Friday, so everyone takes a day off. I decided to test the capital cities' waters, as it were.
The coach trip is a tortuous five+ hours, (traffic dependent) so I took some marking to tide me over. On the way up it was dark, so I couldn't see anything. On the way back though, wow. The middle of the country is entirely mountainous and seemingly devoid of human life. The hillsides are covered in trees or fields, and for large swathes there are no houses, save for the occasional hermitage. It's incredible how they've managed to slide a road through the hills, but they've managed it, and it's a testament to the ingenuity on display, that I ended up putting my book down and simply stared at the hills as they rolled past. The road generally followed the contours of the land, so we didn't end up going through many tunnels. One of the gauges of development (at least in my world) is the length and number of tunnels a country has. The Alps in Europe, for example, have huge numbers of tunnels, and some that are extremely long. Ergo, the countries through which these tunnels pass are rich, if not entirely developed (see: Italy). The road I was on had a sufficient number to suggest they have the ability to build big, but for some reason I didn't get the same sense of endeavour that you feel when passing through the Alps. Maybe their mountains just aren't tall enough.
Another great thing about the road is that it's pretty high, so you can see the fog and clouds rolling down the mountainsides. It rained for most of the trip back, but far from being detrimental, it allowed me to watch these rolling clouds.
The actual visitation was bitter sweet. The tower was awesome, and a lot of the time was extremely fun; just a few moments spoiled the occasion (entirely my own doing). Plus the fact that I have no money was a bummer. Luckily, thanks to internet banking, all parties have been reimbursed, and I thank them for their generosity. For the most part, it was extremely good fun, and I definitely want to go back there again. To the same place or otherwise, I don't mind; as long as it's with the same people.
Check out the pictures from the previous post to see pictures of Seoul from the tower. Ironically I think the city is a little soulless, despite being tagged as 'the Seoul of Asia,' by the city planners. It's a big, sprawling city too, which makes using public transport less fun. The tube stations are four or five minutes apart, which equates to fifteen+ minutes of walking - just to give you a sense of scale.
The underground trains are easily the longest I've ever seen; just as a side-note.
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