South Korea: Day 1

 Arrival 

We arrived in Incheon airport around 4 in the morning. Everyone had reported to have slept and was pretty tired but it was time to start the day. Starting off, the airport was easy to navigate despite the long line to get our passports checked. All of the signs I've noticed tend to have iconography along with them, making it simple to understand if there is no English translation provided. In addition, when me and Sam were blocked off from coming back inside the gate to get or stuff by a security guard, none of the guards understood what we were saying, so we used a translator app and quit trying. In the airport however, when everyone was reunited, we visited a small coffee shop and popular cafe. I had gotten a egg sandwich for 6000 won and was pleasantly surprised how they heat up the food for me. My sandwich did not last long enough for me to get pictures of it, though I was very happy with the price as it was very cheap in comparison to meals in America. If I were to buy the same thing in America it probably would have been 6.99 or higher; plus tax. 

Incheon International Airport was located on an island, so to get to Seoul for our first day we had to take a long bus ride. Along the way, I got to see many of the mountains in the distance as well as how the buildings of the area are built around them. I'd never seen mountains before, so it was new and nerve-racking to me seeing buildings right on the edge of them. However, I love how preserved it is here. In America, there are trees cut down to make way for new structures just about every day, but here there is nature almost everywhere along the streets. It was beyond impressive and beautiful to see it so well-taken care of.

 

Mountain Sculpture found in Incheon International Airport 

 

 

View of Incheon International Airport from the bus 

 

Walking the streets of Korea
 

 

The Sights

 

Our first destination was Changgyeonggung Palace, the secondary palace to the king even though it was the one that was most preferred. In order to get to the king, one must pass through 3 different gates of which we went through each. From our guide Andrew, we were informed on many stories regarding the history of each area of the palace including the second palace meant for the women of the king's family and the concubines. The palace itself contains much symbolism in it's structure because as opposed to China, they use green for the palaces because of Korea's status as the green dragon of Asia. This applies also to much of the design in the architecture, such as the lotus flowers that adorn the extravagant roofing. These represent rising again through hardship as lotus flowers grow and bloom through the muck and mud. I was impressed with the meaning behind these, so I bought a pin that has the same lotus flower design. My favorite area was probably where the king's bedroom would be because of the story Andrew told of the secret get-away passage. Assassins or inside spies would likely have never found out about that small door, but Andrew just opened it up for us to see. I didn't think the tour would be that interactive at all!

 

Our second destination of the day was rather close by because it was basically the king's backyard! Behind Changgyeonggung Palace, we discovered was the king's secret garden. A garden in this period, we'd find out, is not the typical flower garden. According to our tour guide, in Korea, a buildings strategically placed in nature made the surrounding area the garden. I know for this reason, many of the people in my group were disappointed because of the lack of flora, but I enjoyed seeing how the architecture fit in with the overgrowth. It was especially beautiful. This is also where our group had our first vending machine experience here. Again, I was pleasantly surprised with the prices as not a single drink was over 3000 won. I had gotten a royal milk tea, which was perfect considering this was the garden of the king.

 

Where the king would reside

 

The secret pond of the garden

 

Gazebo and structure overlooking the Secret Garden

 

 

Our final destination of the day was a large Buddhist temple. The sky was covered in colorful wishes of which hung above the temple like a blanket of light representing all the humanity of the world, good and bad. Further into the temple, we entered the building or the Beopdang after taking off our shoes and leaving them at the door. Inside there were many who were praying in worship to the large golden Buddha statue. After getting to a certain point, I clapped my hands together and bowed three times, to the request of one of the shrine ladies. We also were asked by our tour guide to not take pictures of the outside because it was considered disrespectful, so I only have one picture of the entrance or near the Iljumun (The first gate to the temple). I value respecting culture, so I wished to be as un-touristy as possible when it came to a sight like this, where many people were trying to worship in peace.

 

Gate to the Buddhist Temple