awan coca-cola |
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grey was never the color of hope. yet, this is the color that is closest to silver. the one next from gold. so, come my friend... come slide with me. we are going to see the trophy of our journey just across the hill.
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big milk carton buildings
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I went passing Han River. It was something, although I was a little nonchalance. I yearned to be there, but I had too many dust storms in my head. It supposed to be special.
I drove through the haze, somewhat like streaming the island above the cloud. There were many bridges, those of beautiful colors and plenty in silver. I was glad I had big windows, my private Cinerama. The old ladies walking, the stores opened. Everyone has their own business in such early time. Stripes, blocks, rounds. Letters I don’t understand. I was dizzy for the whole day, and I thought it was only the smell. So I hit my way to an average hotel in a grubby neighborhood, the kind that has their in-house exotic movie channel.
I made it to SEOUL. Seoul to me is cluster of hills; elevations. It’s like opening a present each every downhill, for I can see the splendor behind each road. On the roadside, people kept coming in and out from such narrow street. Inside, there are plenty of surprises called Life. Houses, with windows that you can see through, little garden hanging flowers up the wall. For me, that is the sign of people’s generosity. To put it half full. Here, there are more colors to the city than just gray and ivory. There are tea leaf, light coffee, shimmering purple, shy red, and the reluctant blue from the sky.
So, close to not remember, I had some taste of the Seoul Spirit. With a cherry cola up the café in the corner of Itaewon, watching the old lady selling munchies down below; I smoked Seasons with its natural Ginseng flavor. Jay, our waiter was the God of direction; he showed us where to go in this city filled with Diamond Dust. My Seoul.
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| Favourite spots: |
1) the bus with its big window, with the whole city as your view
2) little shops everywhere blinding with their rainbow color neon.
3) Itaewon: another khao-san road of the world. yet, despite the mass product bargain, cheap souvenir, and off course pizza hut and burger king chain-store, you can always go to the little hilly alley and find many surprises there. little foodstall with their cold noodle in the summer, kimchi, and everything in between.
4) the road by han river.
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| What's really great: |
- the whole lost in translation thing. there's nothing more profound in travel than being an alien. the letters, the shape, the smell of ginseng in the air, ohhhwwhhh... the smell is something that you take forever with this city. yet, i'm a traveller passing by. i am supposed to feel different.
- i like the little feet of the old ladies of seoul, their almost uniform short permed hair, the samsung intervention as it's their only name of technology, the skinny students... awhhhh.... the whole motion of human being in this place.
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| Sights: |
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bridges-bridges all the way, i can see my way with such articulate construction. the cloudy swamp on the way to the airport in the morning.
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| Accommodations: |
-- new boolim hotel: just off the last bus station of the city. it's in the shopping distric (although, i wonder whether there's any place in the city not classified as shopping district)... you are only ten walks away from mall where you can find calvin klein (real or fake), fancy or cheapy korean dresses (they are beautiful), or any transportation you want (bus, taxi, subway). a little additional service, they have an erotic in house movie channel (if you find that suitable). yet, the place is quite decent.
-- royal seoul hotel: i stayed here on transit. so i see the whole area pretty much at night, and very quick after the sun rise. it's just in the center of meong-dong area (i hope i got this right)... because korean don't say 'royal seoul'... they have a korean name for the hotel.
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| Nightlife: |
-- there are plenty near royal seoul hotel... they have coffee shops with life music going on.
-- Itaewon has plenty going on... and off course with plenty of international touch. just like any backpackers street everywhere, this is about to be the place in the city where you can get direction quite easily.
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| Restaurants: |
-- little traditional food stall in little alley of Itaewon. you can find sea food, always again -kimchi-, and if everything failed... there's always burger king.
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| Other recommendations: |
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if it's summer, try the cold noodle... it was a shock at first to have ice cubes in your noodle soup.
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Published on Wednesday February 9th, 2005 by delfster
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