Hey Everyone!
So Today we had many small adventures, we were walking near the Blue House (The Korean equivalent of the American White House) and were stopped by what appeared to be Korean Secret Service agents so that a small motorcade could pass without stopping. We also had a lot of fun wandering through Insadong. It is a market area in Seoul. We saw a lot of cool stuff, some expensive, some surprisingly cheap. I bought a really nice umbrella because it was raining that looked like it would be worth at least 20 dollars for only 5,000 Won (like 5 US dollars). We watched some guys making some really cool stuff out of honey and nuts called toksarae. It was really cool. They used honey and formed it into some 16,000 strands! It looked like hair when they were done! They used these strands to wrap up the nut mixtures. We didn’t get any because we were all full but we planned on trying some tomorrow if we have a chance.
-Nate
You would not believe how many Dunkin’ Donuts are in Seoul. I feel like we see one every other block. Actually, we saw a lot of seemingly random things today, including a 3D hologram in the Blue House museum. This was the most fabulous thing ever, and it made me feel like I was in a Star Trek episode. We also stumbled upon an interesting set of stone statues today. They were the astrological signs, standing in a circle, and dressed in armor. I got a picture with my sign (the snake) and I have to admit, for not knowing the statue existed until that moment, I have a really strong attachment to that little guy. I can’t wait to see what else is around here.
-Rachel
One of my favorite things that I saw today were the guards at the Gyeongbokgung Palace. There were quite a few of them standing around the gate. Most of them were standing completely still, like the guards at Buckingham palace, but some of them were not quite as formal, and were talking with the people that were touring the castle. We got our picture between some of the guards, When we took that picture I realized one of the guards had a sword, a pole arm, and a bow and arrow. After we left the guards, another group tried to take a picture but the guards wouldn’t let them. We soon realized it was because they were going to do a little demonstration. For that, the guards on both sides lined up. Then they marched around to the other side. It was really cool. I am looking forward to seeing other interesting things in the coming days.
-Caleb
As you already know, today, we went to Insadong Market. Well we went for a little while anyways. It started raining about an hour before we left for the market, but once it stopped, we took our chance to make our way there. Once we got there though, it started raining again, so we waited inside a sorbet and coffee shop for it to stop raining. When it stopped again, we went into the market and got through most of it before it started yet again. This is where we encountered the guys that Nate mentioned before. After this bout of rain, we went into a little boutique with about 5 different vendors. There were things from jewelry to clothing to kitchen supplies to an assortment of knick-knacks. Some of us got chopsticks for 2,000 Won, which equals $2.00. Let me tell you, when it rains here, it seriously rains. The rain today came in little spurts and these spurts were crazy downpours. And the best part is that people seem to know that it is coming. They are always ready with their umbrellas and everything. Hopefully the weather is in our favor for the rest of our trip and we won’t have to deal with rain too much more.
Goodnight, and until tomorrow,
Brooke
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