South Korea: a learning adventure.

2014 Apr 14-26

Nota: publicado en Inglés: vamos a editar e incluir versión en español pronto. 

We had the opportunity to visit South Korea (The Republic of Korea) and spent a week exploring the country (or as much as is reasonably possible in a week) and then a week on business in Seoul. This country was in a category which might be described as “we had no idea how much there was to learn and enjoy”. Although obviously being aware of the country and its technology and food, at least at a superficial level, we were to learn a great deal about its amazing history and culture in our visit. 

 

We arrived in Incheon Airport after a long two days of travel from home, remembered to pick up a local SIM (since the phones in South Korea operate on a system different from everywhere else it seems) and made our way into Seoul, to Gyeongbukgung, where we would stay for 3 nights. This district is centred around one of the old city gates, and now includes one of the many markets in the city. We ate at one of these: Stall 18, Kwangjung market. During the day we visited the National Folk Museum, and walked around Bukchon. During the next two days we visited Changdeokgung, Insadong, Deogsugung, the Namdaemun gate and market, and Namsan Village, also taking in a performance at Korea House. 

 

 

 

 

The road system in South Korea is efficient and extensive, and the following day we picked up a rental car (with GPS in English – absolutely essential in our view) and headed off to explore some of the country.

 

Our GPS was entertaining, and among other aspects of its particularity, had scenic dsiplays rather than the usual ones with which we are familiar elsewhere:

 

Initially south to Hahoe village, where Mr Ryu Saehu welcomed us to stay at his 217 year old Bukchondaek home. Our welcome was warm and we were shown around the home, with its evidence of occupation by 5 generations of his family. Dinner was early, with multiple plates of delicious food, all of which was new to us. After dinner, we retired to bed early, having first explored the many evening opportunities in this traditional village. 

 

Hahoe Village, a UNESCO World Heritage site, is home to descendants of the Ryu clan of Pungsan and is known for its traditional houses. 

 

Next day we wandered around the village, down to the river, and up to the clifftop, appreciating the scenery in this tranquil rural setting.

We then headed further south to Gyeongju (not to be confused with Jeonju), where we visited the Bulguksu Temple before dining at Twosome Place and retiring to the Gyeongju Tourist Hotel.

“Gyeongju holds more tombs, temples, rock carvings, pagodas, Buddhist statuary and palace ruins than any other place in South Korea” (Lonely Planet Guide). It was truly amazing to learn about so many important sites in this city, previously unknown to us, which was the capital of the Shilla Kingdom for a thousand years.

So in the morning we explored the Tomb Park, Observatory, and walked to the Buddha Grotto above Bulguksu, among crowds of Koreans in multi-coloured hiking clothing. Then we visited the National Museum before heading west to Jeongju. 

 

Jeonju is one of UNESCO’s “Creative Cities for Gastronomy” (you can probably appreciate our motives in visiting), and also has interesting historic architecture and scenery.

That evening we wandered the old streets and found a small welcoming restaurant, where we were welcomed by the friendly owner, and also by the other diners, one group of whom, enjoying a particular dish which is not easily found, shared it with us, to our surprise and appreciation. 

 

In the morning, after exploring the old town we headed north, back towards Seoul, and on the way planned to visit the Suwon Hwaseong Fortress. At first it seemed that our GPS was letting us down since it was having trouble giving us clear directions to the fortress, however it soon became clear that this was because the fortress was in fact immense, and so we parked below the walls and embarked on a walk around the battlements. 

 

We then headed back to Seoul, to drop off the car, returning to Seoul via the amazing Metro to book into the hotel where we would be staying for the next week.

During this week we worked during the day and then continued to take advantage of the culinary and other opportunities in the city: Gangnam market, Seollung/Jeongnung with its tombs, Sanwon Garden (with steak which is certainly in the top three in the world, in our experience, if not at the very top of the list), and an amazing variety of excellent street food. One evening we went to see “Nanta”, a non-verbal comedy cooking show (!), the longest-running show in Korean history. We had not laughed so much in years! We also attended Verdi’s Requiem at the National Music Hall, which was stunningly well-performed by the Korean Symphony Orchestra and Chorus.

 

Our final visit in Seoul before heading to the airport to return home was the amazing Fish Market, huge and full of fish with which we were completely unfamiliar.      

      

This country is fascinating: friendly people, delicious food, a rich history (largely unknown to us), and a distinctive culture. Our stay was full of new experiences and enjoyment, long to be remembered with pleasure. 

 

Photos may be used for non-commercial purposes with credit to alanymarce@gmail.com

Singapore and Peninsular Malaysia - a taste of South East Asia.

2013 Nov 25 - Dec 22

Alan had some business in Penang for a week and we decided that it would open up a space to explore some of South East Asia if we were to base ourselves in the region for a month. Singapore was the logical choice in terms of access to the region, access without the need for a visa, and availability of accommodation. So we flew to Singapore and made it our base. Alan had lived in Singapore from 1968 to 1969 and although he had visited many times since then these trips had always been on business, with little chance to explore his memories so this was an opportunity for him to regain familiarity with old haunts, and for both of us to relax and wander around together. 

Singapore has changed either a great deal or very little, depending upon whether one looks for change or not. Although the streets, buildings, airport, and so on have changed to the point that much of the islands as it was in the late sixties is unrecognizable, the people and their approach have not changed at all. It is still a place in which people of all cultures, religions, languages, and backgrounds live together in tolerance and cooperation.

Our time in the region was restricted to Singapore and Malaysia, however we found far more to do than we had time for; in Singapore alone we found that we needed to return for much longer, contrary to many opinions that in Singapore there’s nothing to do.

This post will look at a few aspects rather than being a chronology of our time.

1)     Singapore communities: it’s fascinating that Singapore, although in a sense a melting pot, has areas which retain their distinctive cultural environment. Chinatown has Chinese temples, markets, food stalls, stores, and a clear Chinese identity. Little India and its environs have Hindu, Buddhist, and Sikh temples, markets, food stalls, and a South Asian identity, principally linked with South India. The Arab area of the city, centred around Arab Street has it’s mosques, food stalls, and stores with an Arab influence.

2)     A focus on nature: Singapore’s Botanical Gardens are an outstanding treasure of flora of the region and indeed elsewhere. The Jurong Bird Park offers an amazing opportunity to see birdlife in a space far larger than anything previously available (although many other places in the world have followed this lead in building similar parks). Singapore Zoo, even for those who are uncomfortable with enclosing animals, offers an excellent opportunity to see a huge range of wildlife, in conditions which are probably as good as can be provided in a zoological setting, with day and night “safaris” as well as the “river safari”. The Singapore Aquarium is excellent as well.

3)     Penang’s Georgetown: the old town remains a treasure, to be explored on foot, enjoying street food and colonial architecture, as well as temples, including the “Reclining Buddha” and Burmese temples

4)     Kuala Lumpur: although “KL” has its modern architecture and technology capability, Merdeka Square, the Central Market, and Then Hou Temple, retain evidence of the “old KL”.

5)     Melaka: with its history including Arab, South Asian, Dutch, and British influences Melaka is a distinctive town with much to enjoy, whether simply walking in Jonker Street, visiting the Chen Hoog Teng temple (& many others), stopping at the old port, or climbing the hill for a view over the town.

6)     Music: we enjoyed an amazing opportunity to appreciate music during our time in the region. Including concerts by the Singapore Symphony Orchestra with Lang Lang, the Singapore Chinese Orchestra at Tanjong Pagar, the Malaysia Young Philharmonic Orchestra at the Petronas Twin Towers, the Little Giant Chamber Orchestra from Taiwan and a performance from Macau, as well as a Masterclass, at the Ding Yi Festival in Singapore.

7)     Netball (netball?): this sport, familiar from schooldays held its Nations Cup matches in Singapore while we were there. We attended the Singapore vs PNG match (a home win) at Toa Payoh Sports Centre.

8)     Museums: too many to list, however some are indeed listed below

a.     Chinese Heritage Museum in Singapore’s Chinatown,

b.     Singapore Art Museum

c.     Singapore Asian Civilisations Museum (outstanding!)

d.     Penang Museum

e.     Cheong Fat Tze Mansion in Penang

f.      Georgetown Peranakan Museum

g.     Kuala Lumpur Muslim Arts Museum (also outstanding)

h.     Singapore National Museum

So, with only a month between Singapore and Peninsular Malaysia we ran out of time to see more than an introduction to these two countries. We were able to return to both later, and hope to do so again. 

Abrazos 

Alan & Marce

Photos may be used for non-commercial purposes with credit to alanymarce@gmail.com

Art and Music in Texas and Arkansas - Marfa & the Ozarks

2013 Oct 23-Nov 9 We were going to be in Houston for a week and New Orleans for a week. In addition to the enjoyment of food and drink in these two, we had a couple of weekends available to find something to do. We spent one of these with friends in Arkansas, given that it would be easy to drop in on them in Batesville, Arkansas on the way from Houston to New Orleans (!). We decided to use the other one to visit Marfa, Texas, having seen that it had an art museum to which people would make “pilgrimages” from New York, among other places.    Weekend 1 – Marfa Marfa is more or less at the western end of Texas, which makes it about 1000 Km from our arrival airport in Houston. We headed west and stopped overnight at Boerne, to the north west of San Antonio, then continued in the morning via Fort Stockton, arriving in Marfa in the late afternoon, too late to think of visiting the Chinati Foundation, which was out principal objective.     Marfa (“ Tough to get to, tougher to explain. But once you get here, you get it”) is a small town (population 1968 according to the sign entering town) with good restaurants, and more (and more interesting) hotels than one might expect, as a result of its being home to the Chinati Foundation, established in 1986 by Donald Judd, who had moved to Marfa in 1977 since New York couldn’t accommodate the large scale works he wanted to display. In addition to the Foundation, there are numerous other art exhibitions and galleries in the town.      Having decided to visit at short notice, none of the hotels in town had rooms available so we dined and then went to Alpine, about half an hour away to stay overnight. On arrival, bearing in mind that in much of the USA, at least outside the cities, nothing happens after 2000h, and it’s often difficult even to find a place to eat, we were stunned to be asked whether we were going to the rodeo. We duly headed for the Rodeo Arena and spent some time watching contestants there.    The following day we returned to the Chinati Foundation, were we enjoyed the amazing exhibition, with works by Donald Judd himself, John Chamberlain, Dan Flavin, and others including more memorable (to us) art by Ingólfur Arnarsson and Claes Oldenburg. At the end of the afternoon we made a circuit to visit Fort Davis, a classic “old west” town, and then back via the deserted roads to the west.    The following day we headed southwards to the Rio Grande, through vast open Texas country, on our way to Big Bend National Park, lunching at the “High Sierra Bar”. The course of the Rio Grande is wild and Big Bend is a beautiful desert environment; perhaps because it was late October it was free of other visitors, allowing us to appreciate the flora, fauna, and silence.            We returned to Houston via Highway 90, stopping for dinner at the Gage Hotel in Marathon, where we were surprised to be asked “Do you have a reservation?” following which we ate hamburgers in the garden from the bar menu.  After a night in Del Rio we continued to Houston via Gruene in the Texas Hill Country, which Alan remembered as a small village with an German immigrant history, in the Texas countryside, but which is now essentially a suburb of New Braunfels.    Weekend 2 – Batesville Following a week in Houston we flew to Little Rock, were we were met by our friends Troy and Pat, who took us to their home in Batesville for a relaxing and very enjoyable weekend, catching up on our lives, and (among other things) helping with the monthly cleaning of the guns. On the Saturday we made a circuit through the beautiful Ozarks, stopping at Mountain View, where musicians and music stores were evident  on all sides. We lunched at a local restaurant which, I am sure, was not yet aware of the loss of Elvis, and where the burgers were excellent. Returning to Batesville we made a loop via Greer’s Ferry, with wonderful views of the forest, which at the time was a sea of red, green, brown, and golden foliage.

After another day simply relaxing we left late in the afternoon to return to Little Rock airport, to fly back to Houston and then connect to our flight to New Orleans, for a week of po-boys, other cajun cuisine, a concert by Topsy Chapman & Solid Harmony, and a visit to the Ogden Art Museum, before heading home.

 

abrazos

Alan y Marce

Photos may be used for non-commercial purposes with credit to alanymarce@gmail.com