Today turned out spectacular weather wise. I did the hike up Namsan to the Seoul tower and it was fantastic. The cherry blossoms are not in bloom yet, but they have buds, so maybe next week. The magnolia trees are in blossom and so is the gae-na-lee (yellow flower bushes) and gin-da-ley (purple flowers). I spelled those names phonetically, at least as best I can tell. Some great vistas, pine scented air, and a very exhilarating walk. I took some great photos too. Then I dropped my camera, the batteries fell out, and apparently everything in memory disappeared. I’m not real happy about that obviously, but I do plan on going back once the cherry tree blossoms appear, so I will take more then. If you want to get some idea, you can check out the photos taken by Kevin of Big Hominid when hiked up there last week (keep scrolling down from the food section to get to the Namsan pics).

For the first time I really got some perspective on just how big Seoul really is. Namsan (meaning Nam Mountain) is surrounded on all sides by the urban sprawl of this city of 13 million. It had rained all day yesterday, so today was about as clear as I have ever seen the air here. Seoul is surrounded by mountains, and it was all quite beautiful from my lofty perch above the city. And to be in this natural wooded area surround by the massive city was quite the juxtaposition. It was probably my best day in Korea. It just felt good to be out amongst the people soaking up the sunshine and fresh air.

I was disappointed to find the Seoul Tower closed for renovations (it won’t reopen to the public until October), but the view from the top of Namsan was well worth the hike. I think it will be a regular thing for me to do on nice days.

Once I got back to Itaewon I treated myself to dinner at Pancho’s Mexican restaurant. I had low expectations, but it turned out to be quite good. Chicken enchiladas (of course), a bit pricey at 10,000 WON but it was nice to have a taste of “home”.

As I was walking back to my villa I saw a street vendor selling DVDs. And he had Team America: World Police! And for another 10,000 WON it is mine. Just finished watching it and it was almost as funny as it was last summer in the theatre.

So, all in all a great day. And other than the beer I drank at Pancho’s with dinner, I was “bar free” today. I am sorry about the pictures, but they would not have done justice to the natural beauty I experienced on my hike.