Wanderlust: June 2012

Warning: This post is going to be a hodgepodge of (mostly) unrelated events and might suffer from lack of continuity.

I ate lunch in Myeongdong, for once going to a restaurant above street level. It was one of those restaurants that serves only one kind of dish, in this case jjampong. This is a kind of noodle soup with various kinds of seafood and veggies mixed in. While I was waiting for my food to come, I was able to enjoy the view over Myeongdong's usually crowded streets. I attributed the lack of traffic to the rain and early Sunday morning.

Nice street view

Delicious noodles and clams

And more food... Dos Tacos is a Mexican restaurant that I stumbled across. It was quite overpriced: 7,000 Won for my meal of a super greasy chicken quesadilla and refried beans.

There was a couple sitting in the booth next to mine

This is all 7,000 won got me :(

It didn't taste all that bad though

I attended the Gay Pride Parade in Seoul. Korea is not as open to homosexuality as many western countries are. For example, in the early 2000s, one entertainer publicly announced that he was gay, and was immediately fired from his job (Hong Seok-cheon). Since then, the gay scene in Korea has improved, but being gay is still somewhat of an anathema. At some points in the parade, we were even told not to take pictures of the participants. Evidently, many have not come out and are afraid that they might be identified on the internet, causing problems for them at home and at work. But enough of the drudgery. Everyone there seemed excited and enthusiastic. There were many performances including an all female rock band and many kpop dance covers. Once it was time for the parade, hundreds of people joined in with the marching, generally having a good time. There weren't all that many floats, but the throngs of people made up for it. I joined them for part of the mile long loop, and then headed on my way.

I think this walk was completely unrelated

This year marked the 13th anniversary of the parade

Masked performers. They later symbolically ripped their masks off.

Yep...

This was an impromptu dance troupe;
I watched them learn the dance just before the parade.

The girls got to have fun too

Hundreds of people marching

Memorial day was on June 6th. I decided that it would be the perfect opportunity to visit the Seoul National Cemetery. I went super early to beat the crowds I had been told would be present. At the entrance, peddlers were selling flowers and food, and even at 8 in the morning, there was a crush of people going inside the gates. It reminded me a bit of the Arlington National Cemetery, just with differently shaped gravestones, which all had flowers and Korean flags next to them (presumably just for this occasion). Interestingly, many people brought tarps, umbrellas, or tents and plenty of food. They would then have a picnic right next to the gravestone of their deceased soldier. There were some performances going on as well, but the stage was in the center of a massive barricade manned by soldiers. I saw some school girls being let in, but I doubt they would have allowed me go watch. As I was leaving, I had a hard time leaving since so many people were heading in. I'm just glad I decided to go as early as I did.

Flowers for sale

Picnickers

There were current soldiers paying their respects as well

As far as the eye can see, or at least until the hill gets in the way.

A stream through the middle of the cemetery

Tiers of graves

This fountain stood at the entrance

I also went to the Coex mall, a huge underground shopping mall complete with a food court. I didn't buy anything except lunch and Toffifee, which I found in the supermarket in the basement. I could have spent all day there eating samples and browsing the foreign food section.