many the miles: festivities and explorations (photos from may)

this is a reposting of my second facebook album of korea for those not on that site.

namdaemun:

this transvestite was talking to everyone who walked by...if only we understood what he was saying

this is where the namdaemun gate (one of the main national treasures of south korea) used to be. a man who was angry at the government for taking his land set it on fire

a tiny piece of namdaemun market

spices in the market

hi seoul fest, gyeongbokgung:

we missed the ceremony, but we got to see all the participants go back to their buses

haha some of them wanted to take photos with us

the palace as the sun was beginning to set

hi seoul fest, world dj festival:

waiting for the subway and hoping we're not going to have to take a taxi all the way across seoul

this is where we're headed

for this!

people and lights everywhere

during the dj that was playing when we finally got there around 1:30

that is a gross pig's head, which sadly somehow kept finding me

fire dancer

brandon, ellie and i around 3ish, plus a random man who jumped into our photo

glow sticks that created a short-lived mosh pit

we danced till the sun came up!

and felt really bad for the festival staff on trash duty

dirty feet after a long night of dancing

way too many stairs before six a.m.

olympic park, children's day:

people evvverywhere

somehow we avoided getting hit or clotheslined by all the many kites

i miss playing with bubbles

so many things flying through the air

first potluck in seoul:

ellie whipping up some veggie stir-fry

our yummy meal

haha nick and jimmy got couples' t-shirts

olympic park, buddha's birthday:

this is sara, an inquisitive and persistent little girl who came up and wanted to talk to us, throw frisbee, and borrow my camera to take photos of herself...

...her little sister and ellie...

...she and i...

...and her family, haha

mini-excursion to mok-dong:

tyler up in a pagoda on a hill that gave us a 360-degree view of endless city lights

cute little girl that giggled every time we waved at her or said "annyong haseyo" :)

teachers day:

check out all the gifts i got...two hankerchief sets, an umbrella set, a mascara set, a rose, sunblock, and a carnation in the gaudiest flower holder i've ever seen

ellie being silly with the flower scepters

all of our flowers hanging up to dry

insadong market:

london has come to south korea

army bride photo op, anyone?

decorations in one of the areas of the market

we found these excellent new treats at a street vendor along the way...this is a deep-fried donut pancake thing, and it is probably the most unhealthy food you'll find in korea