Street snapping in Sinchon and Hongdae

We were blessed with a Saturday drenched in sunshine and this weekend I intended not to venture too far from the circle line number 2.

I began my pottering at the Ehwa Womans University Campus in Sinchon. The  campus centre accommodates around 20 000 students and was designed by Dominique Perrault Architecture (2008) who I expect hail  from France. The scale is phenomenal and the cavernous building contains 3 types of facility. For the academic programs there are learning and sport-term project spaces, libraries and a range of cafeteria. The building also has the colleges administration department and commercial areas which contain a cinema, theatre and shops as well as external sporting spaces and car parks (20 000 m²).

Above and below the land previously occupied by Ewha Square and the athletic field the new “Campus Valley” provides both Ewhaians and prospective female leaders with much-needed extra space for continuing education and student services. The campus has become a tourist attraction in itself because of the landmark building that the architects bestowed. On Saturday I exchanged banter with Indonesians, Malaysians and a group from Frankfurt.

“A truly great book should be read in youth, again in maturity and once more in old age, as a fine building should be seen by morning light, at noon and by moonlight.” (Robertson Davies)

“Bad architecture is in the end as much a failure of psychology as of design. It is an example expressed through materials of the same tendencies which in other domains will lead us to marry the wrong people, choose inappropriate jobs and book unsuccessful holidays: the tendency not to understand who we are and what will satisfy us.” (Alain de Botton, The Architecture of Happiness)

Good architecture is like a strong marriage its merits are often undefinable but it makes us feel good, it inspires and changes our mood, this building succeeds in all this; it’s certainly the finest modern academic building I have ever come across.

Leaving the campus the contrast is immense, the litany of architectural carbuncles that represent over zealous catalytic development are there for all to see. This whole area deserves better but the positive aspect of the mucky streets and expanse of cables straddling the poorly constructed topography just highlights what an exceptional building the campus is. I continued past the monstrous half derelict Sinchon Station and Megabox and planted myself outside the foot tunnel that links the area to Yonsei University. There is a continual refreshing of the street art; as one mural disintegrates it is replaced by another sometimes political statement made through the medium of graffitti.

Graffiti is often a beautiful thing, a splash of the soul in unlikely places, displaying to us character and development, engendering ideas of hardship and victory. Then in an instance it is no more, often of its time and that time is fleeting, before its renewed and replenished by a more relevant piece of art. The spray can pirates in South Korea are much more palatable than those who strive to save the hillside slums by painting child-like populist murals that resemble Hallmark cards, I say keep up the good work soldiers of the working class!

I stopped and was salivated on by an over amorous Golden Retriever. I chatted to the two young brothers who owned him and were convinced he was just one month old. I suggested he must be at least a year plus but no, he is one month old :-). I suggested removing his manhood to calm him down but that was simply met with puzzled expressions and so I moved on for an injection of caffeine. A Saturday morning in Seoul fools you into thinking that the city may never wake up but around 11am folk stagger from their sojued slumber and take to the streets for their hangover cures. It is at this time I tend to find a peaceful park or simply wander through a new dong. Today was no exception, I would be staying in Hapjeong tonight but I had a bit of flaneuring to do before then.

Climbing up through Nogosan-dong I came to Wausan-ro and my eyes popped out as I stumbled upon another headphone dealer. I wanted the fix of euphoria that only confirming the “value” of my last weeks cans purchase would bring. I was successful they too were 40% more expensive than the price I actually paid. Wausan road provides the shortest route to Hongik University but it is the streets north of here leading down to Hongik University station that are most interesting for the street snapper.

This area contrasts wildly with the area opposite the university gates.  There are smaller crowds and affordable dining opportunities. I noticed an abundance of Vespa’s and a notable number of Mini Coopers. Bar names relate to New York and London Covent Garden as well as the usual titles that are difficult to decipher. The area is a neighborhood known for its youthful and Koreans say romantic ambiance, underground culture, and freedom of self-expression. Unique cafes, cozy galleries, accessory stores, fashion shops, live cafés and jazz clubs, art markets, and gourmet eateries make this a popular hang-out for locals in their 20s and 30s and a fascinating place to walk around. I mooched around for a couple of hours taking the occasional shot to boost my by now flagging constitution.

Later it took me 45 minutes, 5 Koreans, 3 phone calls and a stroke of luck to find my hostel for the night.  The unfortunately named Ho-hotel was around 300 metres from its location shown on booking.com. I was lucky as my kindly 5th Korean wanted to practice his English and so he took over the transport arrangements, calling the hotel and delivering me in person. The hotel itself was modern and clean though the wi-fi was unpredictable and the “clean” bedding had the usual mild stench of fag smoke. It’s a ritual of mine now to spray the bedding with 4711 Mandarin Orange cologne before I take to my pit.

After a nap I planned my night-time activities which included 2 World Cup games before the boys played Italy at 7 am. For those regular readers you’ll probably know that watching football on Korean TV is a trial but I had a genius solution. I would turn the sound down on the TV and use my iPad supported by VPN to listen to Radio 5 Live as the games began.

I couldn’t resist my usual Fish & Chips treat at Beegers washed down by the immaculate, and strong, IPA. The owner also kindly let me sample their new Porter from Daejon which was much more of a palatable experience that that endured when I have to work with my Daejon co-teacher. Whilst sat on the outdoor terrace seduced by the none-smoking atmosphere I came across a lovely quote from Jamie Ayres:

“You say (the British public) that the BBC are winning the soccer punditry wars, but surely ITV never stood a chance as having Adrian Chiles, up front and centre, is akin to starting the season with a 12 point deduction.” Fantastic!

I then became a victim of a US invasion on the next table. Of course they were expert pundits themselves. It’s great to know that Yanks who never watch and know sweet FA about football suddenly become expert pundits during the World Cup, I’d endured this for the past 40 years since Germany 1974; the worst occasions being when I worked in New York during the 1994 tournament. Apparently Spain lost because the manager is too old! I suppose if the USA lose it will because they have a German manager. In saying this they love German rocket scientists at NASA so perhaps he’ll be OK? I was getting excited only 10 hours to go to England vs Italy and listening to Radio 5 without a “mida” or strangled “shooting” I’d hoped would bring joy to my ears. What this numpty had not realised was that because of the weak w-fi I would have to endure a two-minute time delay between the pictures in South Korea and the commentary from the UK, aghhhhhhh!

I left Beegers and found another outdoor terrace on which to imbibe a few more craft beers. Opposite me a very loud Korean girl flounced in with blue hair and a tangerine top, loud and with skin the quality of the Sea of Tranquility she was fueled by an extremely large bottle of Makgeolli which she was demolishing through a  straw. She was accompanied by an extremely camp Englishman who sported golden curly hair, a string vest and he too sucked on his Makgeolli through a straw. Sorry if these persona insults are irritating teh reader but this self depreciating mid 50s, overweight, glutton for punishment writer was nervous and only an England win would serve to extinguish my fire of mickey-taking. At this juncture a positive thought entered my cerebral cortex, because of Sean’s leg I only had two classes on Monday, I would enjoy Monday if England win, if! My dream-scape became reality when the string vest fellow started to used his chopsticks as tooth picks, at this moment I thought its heaven help me go back to your hotel room and take a nap before footie. As I left Mr. string vest was all flailing arms and twisted tongue and I reflected that he’d be quite possibly be the spawn of Tory party sperm. One this for sure is he’d go down well with the Eaton Rifles in public school.

On the way back I noticed that the over-priced no atmosphere Irish bar had closed (during a World Cup!). How sad, they should have employed some Irish folk and not charged 10k won for a pint of Guinness.

Now the England game, Sterling was selected and Roy’s currency was at an all-time high. When in the opening exchanges he burst forward and drove a shot goal-ward, I rose from my seat believing we’d taken the lead and so did half the stadium. Unfortunately it skirted the outside of the post ruffling the side netting just at it would if it had been 6 inches to the left and a goal.  This was what we’d been waiting for young English guns to run the legs off the ageing Pirlo, how wrong we were to be.

Despite more passing and enterprise from an English team than we had seen since 1998 Italy took the lead. A corner pulled back and then a dummy by the imperial Pirlo led to a low driven shot by Claudio Marchisio which seemed to pass though someones legs, while un-sighting Hart and nestled in the bottom corner. 1-0 to the Azurri. England did not capitulate, we have a new breed of hungry players who believe in their ability, it is promising and Daniel Sturridge equalises after a fine assist from Wayne Rooney, I am in heaven! Half-time arrives with the writer convinced that the young guns would out-fire the ageing Italian canons in the second half but it was not to be. They of course have SuperMario and we have a suspect defence, Mario Balotelli’s header made it 2-1 to Italy early on in the second half. The imperious Pirlo gave a masterclass in possession football and with Rooney’s missed “sitter”, England’s hopes were dashed. This will be a great England team once the defensive deficiency is addressed and there is much to admire now in an offensive sense, we can still qualify if we beat Uruguay and Costa RIca. Do not repent Roy,  keep the faith and eventually these young boys will deliver.

Disappointed but far from despondent I boarded the line 2 train to Mullae-dong to snap some hanging shutters painted in street art. From here I walked through the dong to Sindorim and the D-Cube complex. Seoul FC were planning a promotional event and as the complex hadn’t yet opened folk snoozed in the Skate-board park style entrance area. After taking more snaps I took a coffee and bagel before heading for an early departure back to Dullju, snaps attached.

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Winter Vacation: Return to Seoul, Womens Academia and Hongdae

Returning to Seoul, I had a 2 hour metro ride from Cheonan and decided I wasn’t ready for “the Chungju” yet so I booked myself 3 more nights in Seoul at the Shin Chon Hostel, Daehyeon-Dong, Seodaemun-Gu. The place had double rooms with bathroom on offer for 35,000 won.

I arrived in Edae at around 4pm, it had been a long day with over 6 hours travelling so I just took a shower and a short walk nearby Ewha Women’s University before having my, by now, regular afternoon nap.

Monday evening saw a trek downhill into Sinchon and the first Fish & Chips I’d had since leaving the UK.  After reading an article in Groove magazine and other online boasts about the foods quality, I arrived with great anticipation looking forward the feast I was about to consume. Two Londoners as proprietors of Battered Seoul, memories of the great Toff’s and George’s of Muswell Hill and Islington.  It is true to say while you do not always get what you want in life the disappointment was major. The food was no less than burnt, both the fish and the chips, the teaspoonful of peas rather an insult. It was obvious to me that the cooking oil was burnt, as they close on a Sunday and this was Monday evening I found this appalling.

I noticed tonight whilst writing the blog that they have a Facebook page and it looks like the owners could have been on holiday but for me that’s no excuse.  If you can’t quality control don’t do business.

Tuesday morning I was up early for the toast and eggs at Shin Chon and then headed towards the gates Ewha Women’s University. Before arriving I took in Edae, this vibrant, funky grid of narrow, car-free alleyways was stacked with cheap restaurants, clothing boutiques and other businesses. These include cafés, cosmetics stores, and beauty salons. At this time of the morning there was a long cohort of women striding the 500 m from Ewha subway station towards campus, most of the shops (except those managed by barrista’s) were firmly closed.  It has to be said they stay open very late.

Methodist missionaries founded the university around 120 years ago and Ewha is the world’s largest university for women. “Ewha” translates to “pear blossom, it’s considered by many to be Seoul’s most beautiful university campus. The campus underwent a remodel in 2008; the architect Dominique Perrault and the result is truly outstanding. It’s a complete triumph in the blending landscaping and architecture. It is described by the architect as a “spatial blending of landscape and architecture.

The building functions as a learning environment for 20,000 students and integrates facilities for teaching, sports, leisure and business. Simply it’s form is a vegetation-covered hill, split by a deep, wide cleft that cuts into the ground like a geological fault. The scale of the fault allows movement across the building and functions as the buildings main circulation space.

At the northern end, the ramp turns into large stone steps, which can be used as an outdoor amphitheatre. Along these, ten entrances to the complex are positioned on different levels. The curtain walls allow daylight and a respectable amount of natural ventilation to pour deep into the building.

I could envisage how the space can be used in summer but it does, I have to say, feel very alien in winter, the scale though is awesome!

I left through the back gate and followed the signs north towards Bongwonsa Temple. The climb is relatively demanding and the sign indicating only 200 more metres is a travesty of accuracy. Apparently in summer this area is most beautiful as it becomes clad in lotus blossoms, I could only imagine that in a “sweet dream.

Bongwonsa has existed since 889 AD as the centre of the Taego order of Korean Buddhism. Originally it was named the Banyasa temple, it was destroyed in the 1500s and rebuilt in 1748 with its current name. An important cultural ritual known as “Yeongsanjae,” dating from the Goryeo Dynasty takes place annually in June. It is intended to be a symbolic reenactment of the Buddha Sakyamuni’s historic delivery of the Lotus Sutra on Mt. Grdhrakuta. By way of the mediums of art and dance, participants interpret enlightenment, world peace and the reunification of Korea. A lotus flower festival also occurs every summer, highlighting the lotus flower as an important religious symbol of Buddhism. In 2009, the temple received the designation of Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity by UNESCO.

During my visit he temple was actively in use, mainly by women.  Most of the gentlemen I met with were passing through the complex taking walks om Mt. Ansan on which the temple sits. As worshippers were praying and the doors closed, out of respect, I didn’t get to look inside. I admired the carved statues, the etched glass doors and some of the well-worn carved dragons adoring the buildings.  I will definitely return during lotus seson but may take the bus as when exiting I discovered there is a terminus at the edge of the car park. 🙂

From here I walked down the hill passing many restaurants no doubt the past haunts of famous alumni from Ewha. Further along is Yongsei University Teaching Hospital and opposite this graffiti artists have left their mark. Passing under the railway bridge to the right is Sinchon where I would take the one stop ride to Hongik university station and the youth/Indie oriented Hongdae quarter. The area is home to a bohemian artistic spirit with original designer shops, unique restaurants and individually styled cafes and galleries. It’s also a haven for clubbers, all hail the past!

I was famished and I’d read, again in Groove, about a cool Taco place in Hongdae, it was called Gusto Taco. I’d already bookmarked the place in Google Maps which I have to say was becoming indispensible to me during this vacation, that and the awesome Jihachul, Seoul Metro App.

I approached with a little trepidation after my “Battered” fish experience the night before, I needn’t have feared. The home-made beef taco’s were mouth-watering, I cannot list the superlatives, so the next time you’re in the Hongdae area (5 minutes from Hongik station) take in Gusto Taco (www.gustotaco.com).

It said in Groove, “Each order is served on two soft, lightly fried corn tortillas with bare bones pico de gallo (tomatoes, onion, lime and fresh cilantro), full-fat sour cream, smooth avocado creama, a sprinkling of cheddar and hot sauce”. That sounds incredible and it is! Aaron the co-owner a head honcho is friendly and welcoming and an all round, as we Brits say, “good egg.” Whenever I return to Seoul on a weekend Gusto Taco will be my choice for lunchy.

My faith in Groove’s restaurant reviews is reinvigorated. Just up the hill from Aaron eatery there was a tattooed bulldog headed character and at the cusp of the hill a building was being re-worked and had a pretty eye-catching instantaneous artwork across its bows. “To The Next One”, indeed!

I crossed over to the Hongdae Street area stopping at Hongdae Playground to sample the graffiti. I ambled for a good forty minutes until I arrived at the KT&G Sangsang Madang labelled a “cultural arts territory” it opened in 2007. I simply loved it. The venue is a 7-story cultural complex building with 4-story basement, theres art studios, galleries, a design shop, music store and cinema plus an amazing (X factor speak) Sixth floor café. I looked around the design square with its leading original designs relatively affordable and later settled for yet another coffee and almond muffin in the beautiful café. I pondered my vacation, the walks, the galleries, the photographs, the diversity, quite possibly Seoul has overtaken London and NYC as my favourite city. London has better sport, NYC is easier to engage with locals but as a melting pot of indie, culture and diversity Seoul is catching and overtaking them.

I wandered South towards Seoul Design Museum which unfortunately was being remodelled. Up the NYC “Brown Stone” steps another fantastic cafe. Full of design classics from Jacobson, Eames, Corbusier, Gray, Knoll, Noguchi, Starck and Mies van der Rohe, incredible, my kind of heavely space and the coffee aint half bad. I was joined by a polite Airdale Terrier who took residence on an adjacent table.

On leaving I went further south towards the Sangsu-dong Cafe Street area taking in a poster exhibition by Do-hyung Kim at the Cafe 318-1 building. I doubled back heading for my last potter of the day “wall paintings Street.” The College of Fine Arts at Hongik University is famed in Korea, its also quite political. Though the area is becoming gentrified some remnants of political note still exist.

By this time it was late afternoon and I headed for Hongik Metro passing a woman straightening her tights, a proper dandy with aspirations of Korean Wave stardom and a film crew shooting for a Korean Soap. I returned to Shin Chon and then dinner.

 

Shame on Japan!

Nearing the end of my Winter vacation and my first year in SK, I am staying in Seoul this week.  I have a long list, which is not yet completely exhausted, of thing to see and do in Seoul.

I was carrying out some further research into an itinerary for tomorrow after spending the day in Sinchon, taking in Ewha Womans University, Bongwonsa Temple and Hongdae. Incidentally I had the great fortune to read Groove Magazine last night and was pointed in the direction of Gusto Taco for lunch, I was not disappointed. The home-made beef taco’s were mouth-watering, I cannot list the superlatives, so the next time you’re in the Hongdae area (5 minutes from Hongik station) take in Gusto Taco (www.gustotaco.com).

I will update the blog from Saturday on my return to Chungju but this post I had to be completed today. I think it was the visit to Ewha that got me thinking.  I have always been a great supporter of women’s equality in being given access to education but also general equal opportunities.

In relation to the Korean war I discovered that last December surviving halmeoni and 3,000 supporters reached a significant milestone. Despite the normal issues of old age, these elderly, former so-called “comfort women” held their 1,000th weekly protest against their sexual enslavement by the Japanese military during World War II. Of an estimated 200,000 girls and women, the majority of whom were Korean, just 63 of those who registered with the South Korean government are still living, with most in their 80s and 90s. Until they receive an official apology and reparations, the halmeoni pledge to continue their courageous Wednesday morning protests at the Japanese Embassy.

Please help spread the word and put pressure on the Japanese government to acknowledge the disgraceful actions of their servicemen.

http://www.causes.com/causes/810830-an-apology-for-the-korean-comfort-women-of-the-japanese-occupation

Japan you should be ashamed!