Yeehar Tamworth Country Music Festival

 

Nundle Woollen Mill

Last day: minus 7 degrees celsius

 

Day 10: Ansan hike + Nanta Theatre Show

 

We hiked to the top of  mountain (Seoul is surrounded by them) to see a fantastic view of the city. So much high rise with 25 million (the population of Australia) living in one city. 

We went with a local guide who had a very lazy dog that refused to walk. 

Day 9: K-pop dance class + Gwangjang Market

The K-Pop class was taught by a ballet dancer. We basically had a private lesson with him and there is video evidence of mum dancing. 

Then mum took me to Gwangjang Market which is like a Paddy's Market but with lots of street food stalls and old ladies crash tackling the crowds while running food deliveries. They make some mean pancakes. 

 

Day 8: more skiing

 

Day 7: Poop Cafe and K-Beauty makeover

Seoul can be a bit eccentric as you can see from its famous Poop-themed Cafe. 

Then we went to a street full of shipping containers that were turned into shops. It was called Understand Avenue (?!). 

After that, we signed up to a K-beauty 101 class with a makeup artist who showed us Korean beauty tips which is all about skincare first and foremost, and having Michael Jackson-style pale, smooth skin. Makeup itself is very subtle and natural, but universally used by women and a good proportion of men.

Day 6: DMZ

The DeMilitarized Zone (DMZ) is one weird place. 

It's weird that it is apparently the only DMZ in the world, but the barbed wire, tanks, soldiers and landmines suggest that it is actually really militarized.

It's weird that what was one country is split into two by a river, a Southern Line Limit (SLL) and a DMZ, closer than the north and south sides of Sydney Harbour. Imagine if people were shot or jailed for trying to get to Circular Quay from Kirribilli. 

It's weird that families were separated indefinitely and had no means of contacting each other, yet the north built underground infiltration tunnels with the intention of invading the south, like when you crossed the line dividing your half of the bedroom from your siblings half.

It's weird that this area which is so contested and has numerous war memorials, also has an amusement park and has been turned into a major tourist attraction with the aim of unifying both sides. 

And talking of cold war, it REALLY snowed today. 

Day 5: skiing at Jisan Forest Park

 Just an hour from the centre of Seoul...

...is a magic carpet....

...in a forest...

...and flying chairs that take you high in the sky. 

Day 4: Gangnam Style

Now we know what Gangnam style actually means: lots of high end designer fashion. We walked the length of K Star Road where each design house had a flagship store the size of a car showroom: Dior, Prada, Burberry, Chanel, Gucci, Louis Vuitton and so on. 

It's supposed to be like the equivalent of LA's Rodeo Drive and also like the Hollywood Walk of Fame. Except instead of stars on the pavement, they have K-Pop bands.  One of them is PSY, the performer of Gangnam Style. 

This Gangnam Style sculpture is a tribute, right outside Coex Shopping Mall which has an amazing integrated library. You just walk seamlessly from the shopping centre into the library if you need a place to sit quietly and read, or have a drink while you grab a book .

Day 3 wet weather options

Seoul Plaza ice skating for less than AUD $1.50  

It only started to rain toward the end of the session, so we took shelter in Lotte Department Store before subwaying to...

Dongdaenum Design Plaza (DDP) where they happened to have a K-Pop exhibition

Check this out: me standing in the stream that runs through the middle of Seoul in 2024 and my brother standing by the same stream in 2006 (wearing the same pair of gloves)!