This is actually about Seoul! Finally!

Seoul. 09.09.21

Come walk with me. Backwards. She’s quite beautiful indeed. What a blessing. Listening to Honey by Raveena. After Skin by Joy. A blessing.

These were hot. Most tenderly, flowered-mask fed a chicken foot to an elderly lady with a pair of chopsticks. Delightfully shared with another dish, cheekily not pictured and probably devoured just as fast. Gwangjang Market. A beautiful river runs close by. Grab (food, silk…) and go walk:

The benches go on and on. As if you are invited to someone’s table. You eat fast, well. I wonder though how long the (often) women are on their feet for, cooking and calling you over. Serving. Counting:

The view from Namsan Tower. Watching the sun set. Little suns smushed into rooftops and footpaths. (I can remember my first, (and last?) facebook album. To mortified eyes, I captioned EVERYTHING. Here I go again…?!):

Annoyingly blurry. I did say backwards, in case you needed confirmation that this is lighter than the sunset just above, yo. We ran up this hill, and then, after the sunset, literally walked down the mountain in the pitch black. Strangely we encountered three people coming up. Only then did I trust that despite the carpeted floor and nice wooden steps, that I would not be headline news, head gnawed off by god knows what:

Deceptively easy. Wonderful. In love. (With the sport. Bouldering. Don’t twist my words):

Just pray for my glucose levels and self-control and ask your gods to direct me to funnel my funds into the wall above rather than these buns below. Sigh. And obviously, this picture just DOES NOT capture the quantity of cream (don’t be dirty) that spills out each bite of bun (top, chocolate chip) or the sheer size of these things. If we’re metaphor-ing and thinking of buns in the oven, these babies are basically like you’ve popped out an 8kg new-born. Each. Top bakery in Asia. I hope they ban foreigners soon. Jean Boulangerie. Naughty Jean. Jean Jean Jean…:

This is literally just the teeniest tiniest SLIVER of the Seoul National University campus. Inject imposter syndrome. Also where I literally committed all the faux pas’ possible by accident in the space of two visits: accidentally brought in a milkshake only to be confronted with a sign that I would be banned for 10 days for my drink revelry; then, the infamous lap-topping (I know no one is following this, but STILL, I WILL hyperlink myself yeah), and I also spoke on the phone briefly outside the designated phone booths I thought were for decoration. At least I didn’t think the laptop stares were flirty: IMAGINE if I’d accidentally fallen in love as well, and maybe that’s why I haven’t secured the Korean language bag yet because god just can’t take me humiliating myself in yet another language…:

YEAH. You ARE seeing private MULTIMEDIA VIEWING STATIONS. IMMENSE:

Literally as delightful as it all looked. God, I need to exercise. UGH I want it all in me again. Of course mine was not the light fruity one LOL who do you think I am. But like an absolute twat, when we did share, guess who managed to rip out the banana from that light and airy fruity slice that was not hers…yeah. me. a million bucks to you! Also especially scandalous because I have never come across such expensive fruit. The lil convenience store (not the best place to be evaluating prices, but hey) was selling 6 grapes I believe for something like 9.000 won. Painful delicious. But then, whole meals for something like 3.000. Thank you sweet, heavenly LaBap…This was at the Hope Café. Profits to social causes, I believe, too. Small penance for the sinning here committed…:

The chico in the background was recording an inspirational film about not DUI. I concur. Beautiful Han River:

One of the first articles I read about Seoul (weeks ago now, gosh) actually talked about these ornamental roof tiles. Quite beautiful:

Look at this tea house. Outside in. Earthy tastes. Gorgeousness:

Not the same tea house. This second one was in Ikeseon-dong. Also ate Italian which was fun as a part Italian studying in Switzerland. As if Seoul knew where I was coming at her from, pizzas were lightly flambéd on those iron things fondue pots sit on. Sadly not pictured. But look at this joy!:

Where I came to contemplate one day. Beautiful Han River. This fisherman allowed me to sit and chill and write whilst he positioned two rods to my right and left. But then once his snack was over, with a few shuffles and nods, I understood my time was up. Need to get my Korean in order. Quite sweet and I hope he enjoyed though I’m not sure I can wish him a catch? What does a good veggie say? Maybe I should stop trying to be a good veggie…As if I didn’t knowingly eat a fish cake the other day…goodness. Anyway:

I love this image a lot. Or what it gestures to. The framing of these friends could’ve been better. Maybe they’re not friends. Maybe they’re fighting. But bear with me yeah:

A delightful meal, before a wander round Hongdae. Kazoku. Though maybe I’ll immortalise (because its late, and I have no filter) my stupidity at not realising they were cold until too late. Still peng:

This was a fascinating evening. In a children’s park in Nakseongdae, near where I reside and where the toilet doth stink, this night the park was filled with the most wonderful trippiness. An elder practising (I have to admit to more gross stupidity at not knowing the precise martial art, maybe kenjutsu?) martial arts with a long sword, two men exercising on the children’s plastic and metal castle which was almost as big as them. Two girls swinging slightly too high despite the milkshakes they had just drunk. One felt quite ill all the way home. Guess who! But so much abundant tranquility as it transformed in this night time hour. The in-eloquence of “night time hour” will be immortalised too, my droopy eyelids have decided. Probably just another sugar headache if we’re being honest however…:

And with that, actually, so to bed…

Actually, not quite. This I want to read. And because its probably better to post things more potent than my drivel, and even without hierarchies, I believe that this should be posted and read, here. And especially as someone who is aware I am not sure how quite to travel…even if I am more fixed (when does travelling become living in, in any case…It does always seem slightly accumulative as a process…no?) in Seoul, for now. Anyway, here. Recommended and reviewed by the amazing The White Pube’s Gabrielle de la Puente. Places I’ve Taken My Body, by Molly McCully Brown. I can’t wait to read and be transported and stilled and humbled:

And I love these badminton players, from above. The image and the moment of this place and time as I’ve known it just a little. Masked, laughter, active into the deep night. The river glowing just over there…: