Korea
The Republic of South Korea
Sub-locations
268 photos
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On our first morning in Seoul, Monica and I were up...
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Monica, outside a spice store on the main pedestrian...
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Breakfast! Finally, around 9am we found a place serving...
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Our $5 breakfast: omelet, soup with seafood, green...
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Calligraphy brushes for sale in a store in Insadong, Seoul.
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Our swank hotel room for the first night.
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Jacuzzi bathtub with a TV!
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Our toilet. I have no idea how it works.
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Automatic toothpaste dispenser! This place had every...
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After a brief nap to fight jet lag, Monica and I headed...
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A rock that is supposed to look like a seated Buddha. ...
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Another view of the N'Seoul Tower, through the tree branches.
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These welded metal "backpacks" were very popular, often...
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I don't know who this fellow was, but his picture was...
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Another shot of hazy Seoul from the temple.
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An old wall used to protect the temple from invaders. ...
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View of the Buddha rock from further away.
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Gate to the temple. Not really all that impressive.
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Your guess is as good as mine. This was an...
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Monica in front of Jongno Tower, one of the more...
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Ok, this is going to need a back-story to explain. ...
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The Grand Prix. A pizza. Which contains all of the...
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The story needs further elaboration that the Mr. Pizza...
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Oh, I forgot, it also came with pickles and a garlic...
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After our pizza, we walked at least 100 feet before...
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This is what 7 USD of froyo looks like. It was actually...
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A close up view: red bean, kiwi, banana, green tea,...
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Korean shave ice, post-mixing, ready for eating.
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That's about the best we could do after 25 minutes of...
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Nighttime lights in Insadong. This neighborhood...
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Once again, your guess is as good as mine.
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Probably not exactly what they meant.
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A lot of construction in downtown Seoul. Everywhere you...
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Their construction techniques look a bit more advanced...
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Again, nothing seemed to be open for breakfast in the...
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Wow, I would love to be invited to their after-party.
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Some $500 decorative tchotchke in the Lotte Department...
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A chef making hand pulled noodles in a Chinese...
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Nice work, Mr. Hand-pulled Noodle Chef Guy!
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A fully automated Korean walnut cake machine! I learned...
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Next stop: lunch, again in Insadong at a restaurant that...
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Here's our simple monk's lunch: at least 21 distinct...
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Tempura mushroom. Also pictured, tempura lotus root.
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Victory! This would unfortunately become a theme on this trip.
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Puffed rice cake for dessert.
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I have no idea what they were up to or where they were going.
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In Korea, the supermarket comes to you. In Insadong, Seoul.
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Dried cuttlefish and other dried fish for sale.
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Apparently the last time Monica was in Korea this was...
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Koreans seemed to be into this bizarre English world...
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Monica in front of the Catholic cathedral in Seoul.
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Statue in front of the Catholic cathedral in Seoul.
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Young women hauling dismembered manekins down a street...
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If only I needed some duct tape!!
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Namdaemun market in Seoul. The biggest, busiest market...
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Food on a stick vendor.
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Woman selling spices and specialty grains on the sidewalk.
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Close up of her wares.
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In case you need a Davy Crockett coonskin cap.
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Yep, that´s a bra on his head. The rest of the outfit...
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Chickens and veggies for sale.
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Motobikes in this city were outrageous. To say they...
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I totally forget what this is, but it looks cool. Must...
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The next day, Monica and I woke up, had dinner with her...
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The KTX (Korea Train Express) employees had funny hats.
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A typical view out the window while crossing the "rural"...
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Monica, waiting for her step mom to pick us up at the...
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About half way to Monica´s dad´s condo, there was an air...
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View from the Diamond Bridge (lower deck) in Haeundae,...
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Plastic food to choose from at the Chinese restaurant we...
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Kind of like a cow drinking a milkshake or eating a...
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On our first afternoon in Busan, Monica´s dad and step...
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Monica´s step mom insisted in taking dozens of pictures...
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The view from the promenade outside the APEC pavillion.
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I had no idea you could see Japan from Korea!
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Fishing boat taking tourists out to catch the big one.
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Fisherman on the coast of Busan.
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My bad camera´s attempt to photograph Ji-Young, Monica´s...
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Pretty awesome self-portrait.
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Monica´s relatives chastise her for having freckles.
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Hard to see, but they made this harbor buoy look like a...
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The beach in Haeundae, Busan. Apparently they have set...
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We arrived in Busan coincident with the finally of the...
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Sand scuptures in connection with the film festival.
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Cute sand sculpture. I think in Korean it just says...
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A tall building with windows that open! If only the...
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Sunset over Haeundae beach in Busan. Time to head back...
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Pretty great MINI ad. As far as I can tell, that´s a...
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Sunset on the Diamond Bridge in Busan.
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Construction is booming, about a block from Monica´s dad´s place.
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Some overpriced (around $3,000 US per month) store...
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Apparently the largest department store in the world. ...
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A toll booth with flair: on our second afternoon in...
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I loved these engraved river rocks that were used as...
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At the entrance gate to Bulguksa temple. The Chinese...
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Guards of the temple.
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Close up of one of the guards.
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I miss leaves that change color.
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A lot of the temples we saw had natural springs where...
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Pretty leaves. I think they might have been a Japanese...
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Pretty sweet looking fish, or as they say in Korea, sang-sen.
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I liked this door handle too. It´s like a lion with...
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Monica at Bulguksa temple.
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Monica pointing out some detail in the ornately carved...
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Detail of the carved and painted pine tree roofs. Pines...
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Ajashi checking out a rather serious drum being carried...
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Detail of a dragon painted on the drum in the last...
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A corner of the roof.
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The clay tiles that cover the wooden roof.
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Detail of the clay tiles that cover the wooden roof.
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Another temple building. The swastika is a Buddhist...
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Sorry to include so many shots of the Bulguksa temple, I...
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Bulguksa Temple with the mountains in the background. ...
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Monica, wandering the northern part of the temple...
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Fly on the Caution Of Stairs stairs.
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A shot of the roofs from above.
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This picture should be rotated but I like it like this.
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One of the pagodas. The other was being restored.
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Some history, in case you are interested. It should be...
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Tbe temple complext at the top of the mountain. The...
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Some history for you.
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View from the mountain temple complex back down into a...
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The sand walkways and squares were very carefully...
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Inspecting the wares at the Jagalchi Fish Market in Busan.
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Monica and I wandered this market for several hours...
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Lines of vendors selling everything from wriggling sea...
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Octopi for sale. Nakji in Korean. Big ones. Not the...
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Some sort of fish, pre-gutted, and held open like a kite...
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Rays for sale. I think this is what is eaten in a...
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Hardware store, in the middle of the Jagalchi Fish Market.
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Making fish pancakes or pajeon at the Jagalchi fish market.
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Whale sale! Yeah, that is not really legal and...
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Hagfish swimming around in a bloody mess.
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Snail sale!
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That´s a lot of dried sardines.
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Hello says Mr. Shark. Head at left, other parts at...
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Spices and such. At far right are cinnamon sticks,...
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Enormous cinnamon sticks for sale.
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Another busy street filled with stalls.
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This squash ended up in our breakfast soups a lot of...
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A lot of something for sale. I should really really do...
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Some sort of bivalve for sale.
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Monica and I were pretty sure this was blowfish, i.e....
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Chili peppers drying in the sun.
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Lots of chili peppers drying in the sun at the Jagalchi...
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Busan Harbor viewed from the Jagalchi Fish Market.
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Long-line fish hooks. These ocean "drag nets" are the...
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Fishing ships docked in Busan Harbor.
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Eating lunch on dry land.
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A squid-catching boat. The large incandescent bulbs are...
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Black garlic. This has become a craze in SF restaurants...
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Pears the size of my head for sale.
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It´s like an ice cream truck that sells bananas.
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A pet kennel called "I Love Dog" which carries an...
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Yep, the Shinsegae department store, self-proclaimed...
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Monica outside Shinsegae: HAPPY SALE. Whatever,...
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As promised, an ice ring, complete with mascot in a...
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If I had Lightroom with me, I´d touch this up. No one...
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As close as you´ll get to an Apple Store in Korea (I...
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Diesel jeans for a 5 year old. Don´t bother with a...
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Street vendor at the fireworks celebration. Apparently...
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Weird picture but I sort of like it. Waiting for the...
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I need to crop this picture. Watching fireworks in Busan.
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Time exposure at night. Waiting for the Busan fireworks...
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Monica´s dad´s wife, Ji-Young at the fireworks display.
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Ji-Young, Monica and John watching the fireworks. I...
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The firework display included remote control planes with...
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Fireworks over the Diamond Bridge in Busan.
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They also launched synchronized fireworks from the upper...
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Another type of firework I had never seen before: series...
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More fireworks during the finale, I think.
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After the fireworks were over, we started to walk back...
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And about 5 seconds later, this was our view of the...
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Hey, look at my shoes! Ji-Young is one of those little...
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Back up at the top again. I like Monica´s new haircut. ...
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Which way shall we go? Perhaps you´d like to ride the...
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My favorite ride of the evening: the Ferris wheel that...
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Picture of the Busan bridge from the top of the Ferris wheel.
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John riding the Ferris wheel.
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John and Monica on the Ferris wheel.
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After going to church (60,000 member Presbyterian) with...
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Monica´s dad´s apartment building on the far right. His...
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Apartment houses built by LG. Everything, even -...
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Heh, I just couldn´t resist, and apparently neither...
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Monica´s dad says he is suspicious of people who do not...
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At the beginning of this trip, this was one of my...
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More fun automated food making machines at a truck stop:...
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Monica eating one of the red bean popsicles her dad bought us.
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Monica (center) with her red bean popsicle. This is at...
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I guess the videos on Monica´s Flickr account will have...
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That night, we slept at Monica´s aunt´s house in...
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Persimmons growing on Monica´s uncle´s farm.
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Monica´s aunt peeling a persimmon.
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Monica in the persimmon orchard.
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Monica holding a persimmon and the husband of her aunt.
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Some flag on a bamboo pole in the persimmon orchard. I...
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Piling back into the family Samsung to head to another...
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On Monica´s aunt´s farm, they have many animals: cows,...
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Here´s a pretty looking rooster strutting its stuff on...
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Monica waves at some furry cows feeding from a trough.
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My new ride: it has 40 horsepower, goes 12 miles an hour...
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Next we decided to take a road trip to see the village...
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Stage 2 of sleeping in a car.
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Stage 3.
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Stage 4
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Stage 5
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Driving down the road to Monica´s dad´s home village.
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In Monica´s dad´s home village, something was being...
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Apparently in recent years bee keeping has become a...
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Ajashi wandering through the village.
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Old woman sitting outside the house where Monica´s dad...
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A really cool spider on the house that Monica´s dad grew up in.
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In Monica´s dad´s village, we were given bowls of honey...
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Beehives and persimmon trees in Monica´s dad´s village.
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Rice paddy near Monica´s dad´s village, back out on the...
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Next stop was the Wolchulsan National Park, with the...
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Fields of tea being grown near Wolchulsan National Park.
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More tea fields, in perfect rows. They were so perfect;...
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Guard to the next temple we went to see. I forget the name.
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Close up of guard to Buddhist temple near Gwangju and...
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Temple whose name I forget.
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Temple whose name I forget.
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Monica at the temple whose name I forget. From here we...
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A turtle/dragon thing holding up a monolith with Chinese...
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Close up of the writing on the monolith.
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Wandering around in the bamboo forest.
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Monica in the bamboo forest. Neither of us were really...
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Ground cover in the bamboo forest was very bright green....
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The Korean version of Smokey the Bear, with his...
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At this point we had put up with days of non-stop eating...
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That night, we went to a Korean barbecue restaurant. ...
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Hanging out at Monica´s aunt´s farm, watching the Korean...
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Eventually, we had to leave as Monica´s dad had to drive...
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View from the bedroom window where we slept at Monica´s...
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Sometimes the choices are just too hard to make!
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I still had a runny nose, so Monica bought me basically...
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Monica´s truck stop breakfast on the way to Seoul. Not...
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Also in the cute packaging department. Monica´s aunt...
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We are driving somewhere so Monica must be sleeping.
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Approaching Seoul from the south. N'Seoul Tower (short...
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On our last full day in Seoul, Monica and I debated...
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Baby hedgehogs for sale.
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Baby rabbits for sale.
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Frogs for sale that look like plastic toys but are real,...
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One of the 26 malls in the area, this one closed at the...
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Apparently you can get fast food "burgers" in Korea that...
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For our last night, we stayed in a neighborhood called...
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On our last morning, we took the subway to Gyeongbok...
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Note the awesome beards!
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The procession leaving the front of the palace.
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A lion or cat inside the main palace complex.
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A contrast between the 14th century Palace and modern Seoul.
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Another cool statue in the palace. Probably a dragon of...
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Monica about to be eaten by a gargoyle or something.
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Monica, posing as a 14th century Korean palace guard.
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Monica, while we were wandering the enormous palace...
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Moat/reflection pond surrounding one palace building.
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A view of the palace grounds. Perhaps we should have...
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Pretty tree changing to fall colors. This seems so...
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More buildings in the sprawling temple complex. By the...
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Monica posing in some gateway or another.
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Cool Korean wooden roof eaves, beautifully restored. ...
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Still wandering the complex. This place was really...
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A beautiful fall day in Seoul at the Gyeongbok Palace complex.
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Monica was born in the year of the rooster. I was born...
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Out of place fashion show in the Gyeongbok temple...
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Wooden poles carved in days of yore to ward off evil...
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Final parting shot of Seoul. After this, we got Chinese...