Korea

I arrived in South Korea on Tuesday. Since then I've been staying at a small hostel in the university district in downtown Seoul. My first impression of Seoul was that it looks a lot like Tokyo. It was a big difference coming from China, where everything is anything but neat and orderly. The streets, gardens and landscapes of Korea are all very well kept as they are in Japan.

I saw quite a few sights in Seoul, including some of the old royal palaces and tombs. I saw a "drawing show" last night. It combined theater with live painting. It was very original and entertaining and further sparked my interest in art. It made me realize that artists are not always people working by themselves to produce an interesting picture for others to observe at a later time. The creation of drawings or paintings themselves can be a performance.

Tomorrow I will go hiking in Seoraksan National Park on the northeast coast. I expect the views to be beautiful, but there is currently a fierce wind blowing off of the ocean. I hope I have enough clothing to stay warm.