Something has changed, I noticed it early yesterday afternoon. By all accounts I should have been in a foul mood. My friend, Mickayla, and I had unintentionally pulled an all-nighter on Monday. I say "unintentionally" because we tried to get a cab back from the bar at a somewhat reasonable hour. Instead, the vaunted Seoul Public Transit System let us down, and left us standing in a snowstorm for a half-an-hour before we came to the realization, "Hey, that bar over there is still open!" And so it was that we managed only a few, unfulfilling hours of sleep on Monday night or Tuesday morning, whichever you prefer. The following afternoon we made our way to Itaewon for some Indian curry, a well-known cure for hangovers. Mickayla, perhaps still a little drunk, asked our Indian waiter what makes curry so great for hangovers. His answer, "Very many spices!" Good enough for me.
Maybe it was the curry, maybe it was the diminished hangover, or maybe it was the sun poking its head through the clouds for the first time, but right then I felt a weight lift off of my shoulders. What was this feeling? Freedom, perhaps? This was my second day off, and I was already without a care in the world. Mickayla was off to shop, so I popped back into the subway to make my way to Changdeokgung Palace, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, which would no doubt be a sight to behold after last night's snow.
Despite missing out on an opportunity to see the "Secret Garden" tour, I was able to wander aimlessly around the Palace grounds and admire its elegance and quiet beauty. I've been to many of these palaces, and while Changdeokgung lacks the grandeur of the Forbidden City or Imperial Palace, in Beijing and Kyoto respectively, it has its own charm.
Most palaces are strictly built on a north-south axis, in an attempt to replicate Heaven on Earth (which is apparently on a north-south axis). However, this palace conforms to no axis of any kind, mostly due to its history. It was never supposed to be the seat of power for the royal family, but when the Japanese burned their main palace to the ground in 1592, Changdeokgung was tapped as a makeshift, and then, a permanent, home. Changdeokgung remained the main palace almost continuously until 1910 when Korea was "annexed" by the aforementioned Japanese. Under occupation, Korea's last emperor, Emperor Sunjong died here in 1926.
I had visited t
he palace about a month ago, but it didn't hold a candle to this trip. The combination of the low winter's sun, still wind, and fresh snowfall made the palace come alive. I took pictures, best I could, while continually being reminded of my photographic inadequacies by the amateur Korean photographers with very professional gear.The one drawback to this palace, as opposed to ones I had seen in other Asian countries, was the lack of a truly immersive experience. There were very few vistas within the palace that didn't include skyscrapers and high-rise apartments rising in the background. Seoul is an amazing city, but it could certainly tone it down a notch at times.
I haven't the foggiest idea of how I'm going to spend the rest of this break. I might go down to Busan for New Year's, I might not. I'm due to host my first couchsurfer since arriving in Korea this weekend, so that will be nice. As for job prospects, I'm keeping my eyes open for the next great job, and my mind open to the benefits to my current less-than-great job. And for those concerned about Sydney, we got her tests back and the girl is doing fine: no tumor, no infection.
This will probably be my last post for the year, to bring my total to an even 50 since I started posting at the end of July. Not bad, not bad. So, by the Royal Decree of King Zach I, We hereby wish everyone in the Kingdom the happiest of New Years! Thank you all for your love and support over what was a turbulent, but ultimately successful 2010.
No comments:
Post a Comment