urbanomania-kr

016_spaghetti incident

2009-05-03T00:22:00.000-07:00

Exposed A/C pipes on building façade are common in Korea. Convenience and necessity take over aesthetics when it comes to connecting an A/C unit to its condenser. Pipes are twisted, turned and tangled as much as needed. Some apartments on the top floor even put condensers up on the rooftop. See more pictures of A/C spaghetti at http://acfacade.blogspot.com.

015_love locks

2009-04-04T06:44:00.000-07:00

Panoramic view of the city is not the only interesting sight offered for tourists at the N Seoul Tower on Mount Namsan. There is also something cool right on the viewing deck itself. Thousand of couples have come here to leave their locks together as a sign of everlasting love. Keys are often thrown away to (superstitiously) ensure that nothing will make them apart. I wonder if any of those lovebirds called a locksmith after they broke up…

014_underworld

2008-06-01T06:01:00.000-07:00

The whole city of Seoul is like a mega shopping mall comprising of several major shopping areas packed with tons of shop, but what makes it most interesting is the city’s network of underground shopping. Coexisting with subway system, these tunnels lining up with retails connecting from one station to other stations offer perfect subterranean shopping experience.

013_courtesy lane

2007-06-24T00:48:00.001-07:00

Try taking subway ride in Seoul and you will be surprised by the number of senior citizens traveling on their own. They are really in good shape walking up and down the stairs like it’s nothing. There are some courtesy seats designated for them at each end of the car. They know exactly where to wait by this blue sign on the platform.

012_seoul subway

2007-06-24T00:33:00.001-07:00

Taking subway in Seoul is quite convenient. The network is dense enough to bring you close to anywhere you want to go. It is less complicated than Tokyo subway but I think the fares are more expensive. The experience is also very much different. In Tokyo, commuters are like robots; they know exactly what car number and door to take and which exit brings they closer to their destination and they all move through narrow passageways without touching each other. In Seoul, it is pretty much like trying to get a piece of Prada when they have 50% discount. You get push from every direction and, of course, they don’t say sorry. The most polite way is to tap you first before they shove you out of their way. It is fantastic that they won’t get angry when you push them back. It is just a customary manner in Seoul subway culture.

011_windy cap

2007-06-24T00:06:00.000-07:00

I once heard from somewhere that people who live in regions where climate changes a lot in a year would invent more things than people who live in places with same weather throughout the year. Does this make one more intelligent than the other? That I don’t know but I do know that changing of temperature encourages people to think and plan in advance. What they can use in winter will be useless in summer and vice versa. This picture was taken from a restaurant in Korea in winter. To protect a fan from dust when not in use, they invent something like a shower cap to cover it. Very cute, isn’t it?

010_blue dots

2007-04-05T22:24:00.000-07:00

[Busan] Busan is a city situated on hilly topography. Pumping water up to store in water tanks then feeding down by gravity makes much economic sense. There are blue (or green or sometimes gray) water tanks installed on rooftop of every building. They all collectively create an interesting urban landscape.

009_double landing

2007-04-05T22:11:00.000-07:00

[Busan] This picture was taken from the hotel I stayed in Busan. (Sorry guys, not enough money to stay in a 5-star hotel) It’s a way to save space, by combining lift lobby and staircase landing together, but hell difficult to walk up with a luggage. I’ve seen a similar technique in Tokyo but the lift lobby was on the upper landing so there was no struggle!

008_al fresco dining

2007-04-05T21:35:00.000-07:00

There is one compulsory scene all Korean dramas must have that is the characters, be it happy at work or heart broken, having roadside food drinking Soju (Korean potato wine). Getting food from vendors is a part of Seoul’s metropolitan lifestyle, a very nice Asian culture indeed. These vendors can be found almost everywhere as long as there are enough potential customers walking by that street. It is quite normal to see people stop by to get some bites from these roadside stalls after shopping at some international-branded boutique shops.

007_public toilet

2007-02-11T05:53:00.000-08:00

One very good thing about Korea is that public toilets are abundant and easy to locate. If you’ve been to Hong Kong you’ll know how hard to find a public toilet. Even in department stores, if you are lucky enough to find one it’ll be locked, you need to get a key from a sale assistant. Is it possible that Korean people eat a lot of kimchi so they need to poo often?

006_seal protection

2007-01-04T22:08:00.000-08:00

[Busan] The same principle can also be applied to the exterior of the house. In the picture, this house was situated in a fish market in Busan. There were a few more houses with the same coating detail within the area. Take a closer look, they painted everything including the wires attached to the house. Lucky enough that the air-con condenser was left intact.

005_wallpaper**

2007-01-04T22:05:00.000-08:00

This is the typical interior of Korean traditional houses. Since they are made of wood, pieces of paper are used to protect the inside from cold weather, insects and whatever other things.

004_silversticks

2007-01-04T22:04:00.000-08:00

Chopsticks in Korea are made of stainless steel. They are rather heavy, cold when placed in air-con room and hot when you leave them in noodles bowl. Legend has it that in the past chopsticks used in palaces are made of silver in order to prevent the royal family from being poisoned. This has been passed on to later generations as a norm or culture but silver is too expensive to use for ordinary people. The cool thing is even Korean restaurants overseas also use the same material, except for the ones in food court or hawker center which, of course, even stainless steel is too costly for them.

003_excursion on density 02

2006-11-11T04:28:00.000-08:00

This is Noryangjin seafood market, the main seafood supplier to the whole city of Seoul and its vicinity. If you are a hard-core fan of Tokyo’s Tsukiji fish market who love waking up damn early in the morning to catch the auction there, here is a place not to be missed. (read more about Noryangjin seafood market at http://english.dongjak.go.kr) Even though the picture was taken by the time it was closed, we could still see the traces of busy daily transactions taking place here.

002_excursion on density 01

2006-11-11T03:43:00.000-08:00

There are about 10 million people living in Seoul. Sure the city is crowded everywhere you go. This is Myeong-dong, one of the most popular stops for shoppers. The urban landscape flooded with neon signs is similar to the one in Tokyo. (see 001_empire of signs and 002_signtecture at http://urbanomania-jp.blogspot.com) They all share some similarities to the ones found in Tokyo, vertically longish shape with lively colours, and very dense, a lot of signs all over the place. The only difference is of course the Korean text.

001_drama mama

2006-11-11T01:53:00.000-08:00

We all know that the US has got movies from Hollywood as one of their most valuable exports. The same applies to Bollywood in the case of India. But Korea is probably the only country that makes a lot of cash out of its drama series. It is a real phenomenon. Even in Singapore, one fine day out of the blue, all VCD shops have at least a whole corner dedicated to Korean dramas. All travel agencies provide tour packages to Korea to see some of famous shooting spots or film sets. (they call those theme parks, yeah right…) Kids start to learn Korean language and cooking. Bae Yong Jun is more well known than Kofi Annan and Rain’s tickets are far more expensive than Madonna’s or Michael Jackson’s. It seems whatever related to Korea is now so cool. (this rule applies only to S. Korean products, so Kim Jong Il is out of the picture even though the dude has got cool hair cut) Anyway, no explanation better than seeing for yourself, if you have a chance to travel to South Korea, please spare some time to shop at this duty free shop at the airport. This is so unbelievable…