The Lotte World Ice Rink (롯데월드 아이스링크)

After taking off a weekend to allow the director of Saturdays in Korea to move into his new apartment, we met back up last Saturday in Jamsil (잠실). The temperatures have cooled a bit with the recent rain, but we weren't quite ready to enjoy the great outdoors just yet. Instead, we decided to go ice skating in one of Seoul's indoor ice skating rinks.

From The Lotte World Ice Rink (롯데월드 아이스링크)

View The Lotte World Ice Rink (롯데월드 아이스링크) in a larger map
For this trip, we met up at the eastern entrance of the commercial district in Jamsil known as Lotte World (롯데월드). Inside this area is one of Asia's largest amusement parks along with a department store, food court and many other shops. At the bottom of all of this in the center is the ice rink that was our destination.

We ended up meeting at the underground entrance of Lotte World which is connected to the western edge of Jamsil Station (잠실역). At this entrance is a facsimile of the Trevi Fountain which was our meeting location. While waiting, we gathered up our 10 Won pieces ($0.0089 USD), the Korean equivalent of a penny, and took turns trying to throw them into the pot next to one of the statues in the fountain. For those of you familiar with Rome and its many sights, this statue with the pot isn't in the original Trevi Fountain.

From The Lotte World Ice Rink (롯데월드 아이스링크)

From The Lotte World Ice Rink (롯데월드 아이스링크)

From The Lotte World Ice Rink (롯데월드 아이스링크)

From The Lotte World Ice Rink (롯데월드 아이스링크)

After (almost) everybody arrived, we spent about 30 minutes wandering the maze like halls of the Lotte complex looking for a reasonably priced restaurant that could sit eight of us. Even though we saw at least 5 Lotteria (롯데리아) restaurants - east Asia's and Lotte's answer to McDonald's - we decided to go to a small Japanese restaurant instead. All of the late comers were able to meet us here at the end of our meal.

When lunch was over, we headed downstairs to the ice rink to buy our tickets and get our skate rentals. For this ice rink, the entrance fee and skate rental cost 13,000 Won. We found out that if you pay with a Shinhan Bank (신한은행) card, the price is only 10,300 Won. Luckily, a couple of our group members bank at Shinhan, so we were able to get the discount.

These types of discounts seemed to be offered at many major franchises throughout Korea. For instance, whenever you get the check at an Outback Steakhouse in Korea, the bill is also presented with a giant list of which specialty cards offer what discount and which ones offer points. It can become a bit annoying when settling the bill in a restaurant in Korea when the group ahead of you is going through an entire purse full of specialty cards trying to figure out which one will get them the best discount or the most points.

On the day that we went, we found that the rink is only opened for one hour intervals followed by a 30 minute break. At first, we thought that the Lotte World Ice Rink must have a great union, but then we figured out that the 30 minute breaks were for the Zamboni to resurface the ice rink.

From The Lotte World Ice Rink (롯데월드 아이스링크)

For our hour on the ice, we had a most enjoyable time. After a few moments, we all got acclimated to ice skating and spent the rest of the time doing laps around the rink at a decent pace. We found out that inner part of the ice rink was safer since the more experience skaters skated there. The novice - and more crash prone - skaters tended to skate near the wall, which they were quite dependent on for support. All of us were quite awed by the middle aged Korean woman who nonchalantly and effortless weaved in and out of all of the skaters on speed skates.

From The Lotte World Ice Rink (롯데월드 아이스링크)

One thing that was a bit of a culture shock to many of the ex-pats was seeing young Korean elementary school aged kids in the center of the rink practicing speed skating. Whereas speed skating isn't the most common sport that western children partake in, that wasn't the part that was odd. The surprising part is to see all of these young children in full body spandex suits wearing top of the line speed skates. While physical sports are great activities for any person of any age, the fact that these parents were spending so much money on their children's sporting equipment is baffling, especially when they will out grow it so quickly.

As our hour of skating wore on, our ankles and calves started to become sore. Along with that, the ice rink was slowly starting to turn into a lake. Only one of our members fell during the skating, but, unfortunately, due to the melted ice, the back of his pants were soaked with water.

We finished off the day with some ice cream at one of the many Lotteria restaurants visible from the ice rink. It was an enjoyable day for us and a good way to avoid the muggy weather. This will probably be a place that we will come back to in the future when the weather isn't agreeable with an outdoor activity.

From The Lotte World Ice Rink (롯데월드 아이스링크)

The Trick Eye Museum (트릭아이미술관)

It's August and the weather still hasn't changed. The average high every day has been about 35°C (95°F) though not excessively humid. Additionally, after three weeks in a row in the Konkuk University (건국대학교) area, we were ready for a change of scenery that still offered indoor activities. Last week, we headed over to Hongdae area (홍대앞) to check out the Trick Eye Museum (트릭아이미술관).

From The Trick Eye Museum (트릭아이미술관)

View The Trick Eye Museum (트릭아이미술관) in a larger map


Originally, our plans for last Saturday included a trip to the outdoor Hongdae Free Market (홍대 프리마켓) just around the corner from the Trick Eye Museum. However, seeing how it was still extremely hot when we met up at 4:30 in the afternoon, we unanimously decided to pass on the Market.

Even though Exit #9 of the Hongik University Station (홍대입구역), which was our meeting place, was in the shade, it was still too hot outside for most people to stand around outside for half an hour. While waiting for everyone to show up, most people got a soda at Burger King and waited inside while cooling off in the air conditioning. Around 5 o'clock, when almost everyone had showed up, we walked over to the Trick Eye Museum, which was only about a five minute walk away.

When we arrived at the museum, we saw that admission was 13,000 Won a person, but only 10,000 Won for a group of twenty or more. After a quick head count, we discovered that we only had 17 people. Luckily, there was three out of town English teachers who were waiting in line also. We invited them to join our 'group' for a few minutes and all of us were able to get into the museum at the discounted price.

Inside the museum, there were a large selection humorous pictures, statues and other pieces of art with which visitors 'interact.' Even though you are not really apart of the art, a picture from your camera gives the faint impression that you are. Most of the art was based off of classical European painting, modern situations and Korean themes. With a group of goofy friends who aren't afraid to strike an embarrassing pose, this museum can be lots of fun.

At the end of the main exhibition halls is a small mirror maze. It was quite an experience for those of us who had never gone through a mirror maze before. It was designed quite well since you could clearly see the entrance and the exit reflected in the mirrors all throughout the maze. Unfortunately, it was a pretty short maze, and we were able to solve pretty quickly.

Overall, even with the discount, 10,000 Won seemed a bit pricey for the hour we spent there. It was a nice change of pace from our other activities, and it did provide a nice escape from the hot weather. Despite this, it is quite doubtful that we would go back anytime in the foreseeable future.

Wii Olympics (위 올림픽)

Last week, the 2012 Summer Olympics in London started. Seeing that virtually all of us in the Saturdays in Korea group don't have the time nor the money to travel to England for this event, we needed an alternative to experiencing the Olympics in person. Though it lacked the true excitement of the Games, we did have fun in our Wii Olympics.

From Wii Olympics (위 올림픽)

View Wii Olympics (위 올림픽) in a larger map


The beginning of the 2012 Olympics wasn't the only reason why we chose to have a Wii Olympics. Since this time of the year in Korea is the hot season, the average high recently seems to be about 33°C (91°F). Additionally, high humidity is not unheard of this time of year. So to escape the heat, we looked for an indoor activity.

On this trip, we went back to the Konkuk University (건국대학교) area again. (Don't worry, we are not coming back here next week.) Located on the east side of Seoul, this district isn't affluent as Gangnam (강남) nor Jongno (종료). Because of this, we have found that prices here are more affordable compared to other parts of the capital.

While not so much in American, there is a market in Korea for those people who are not hardcore gamers and want to play video game consoles with their friends once in awhile. Places called "Multi Rooms" (멀티방) offer a private room with the console of your choice along with powerful speakers and a big screen TV. For a modest price, you can rent this room by the hour. For five of us, we ended up paying 6,000 Won a person for two hours total.

The first few moments of our time at the Multi Room was spent navigating the start up menu of their entertainment system. After button pushing and a couple of questions to the staff, we were finally in business. The selections of games here was quite extensive, and we ended up choosing Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games, Beijing 2008 Edition. This game contained lots of Olympic events that were adapted to the Wii Console. Additionally, many of us grew up with Mario and Sonic the Hedgehog, so the characters in the game were a plus for us.

Overall, the larger variety of games that we played didn't really require any skills needed in the real event. For the most part, we were waving the controls and pushing buttons in a certain pattern at the right time. Part the time we didn't really understand what we were suppose to do for the event and ended up just laughing while the video game characters thoroughly defeated us. Despite the limited input needed, it was more active than sitting down on a couch and only pushing buttons with your thumbs. We ended up enjoying the tennis and table tennis events the most since the body movements required were closet to the body movements needed in real life.

One bit of culture shock to the American participants was the fact the head villain in the Super Mario Bros. World, Bowser, is actually named Koo-puh (쿠퍼) in Korea.

In the end, the small group of us had a great time. Even though none of us had any real experience with the Wii Console, we enjoyed the goofy and lighthearted digital Olympic Events. If we can't get tickets to the 2014 Asian Games in Incheon (인천), Wii Asian Games is definitely an option.

Canasta (카나스타)

While the rainy season in Korea is starting to die down, the Dog Days of Summer are here. To stay cool, we headed back to the Konkuk University (건국대학교) area to find a board game cafe to play Canasta in.

From Canasta (카나스타)

View Canasta (카나스타) in a larger map


Last Saturday, the temperature in Seoul was a sweltering 33°C (91°F). Since the annual hot spell in Korea comes right after the rainy season, this heat is mixed with a very humid atmosphere. Because of this combination, Sauna Season might be another apt name for this weather pattern. To Koreans, this time of the year is called Sam-bok-deo-wi (삼복더위).

Members of Saturdays in Korea suggested going to one of the public pools in Korea to help escape the heat. Last Saturday, the pool at the Han River Park next to Ttukseom Resort Station (뚝섬유원지역) was overrun with hundreds (if not thousands) of little kids and their respective parental units. While cooling off in the water does sound like a good idea, the ambiance would probably have been ruined by a cacophony of high pitch screaming.

For this Saturday, we ended up going to a board game cafe (보드게임카페) by the name of Lime (라임). Starting at 4,500 Won, you can buy a (non-alcoholic) beverage and enjoy three hours at the cafe. In addition, there is a large selection of board and card games. This place is a good deal since other board game cafes are known to charge both by the drink and by the hour.

The original plan was to share a piece of American college culture and have a Poker Night (but during the daytime) that didn't involve gambling. After being advised by a number of Koreans, it was discovered that poker, even without the gambling component, has a severely negative perception due to the tumultuous history of gambling in Korea. Also, for the most part, gambling in Korea is illegal.

To avoid any trouble with the Korean Law, and to avoid getting dirty looks from any passersby, we decided to forgo poker. Instead, we ended up playing Canasta at the board game cafe. To be on the safe side, we posted the following sign on the tables we played at:

From Canasta (카나스타)

Roughly translated, the sign says, "This card game, Canasta, is a traditional card game from Uruguay. We are not gambling. Therefore, do not contact the police." Our Korean members found the signs humorous but unnecessary. It seems that since we weren't using poker chips, there really wasn't a problem.

Since this was a new game for most people, it took a little while to get the game rolling. After about 30 minutes of play, everyone seemed to have a handle on the game. While no pair of players were able to get to the 5,000 points to win at either of the tables, we did have a couple of groups that were in the lead after three hours.

All in all, we were able to experience something new while staying cool indoors out of the hot weather. Maybe next time we will try the game of Go-Stop (고스톱), but it will probably take much, much longer for people, especially for the non-native Koreans, to learn the complicated rules.

Bowling (볼링)

Since the rainy season in Korea hasn't abated, we ended up scheduling another indoor activity for this previous weekend. Bowling seemed like a good idea especially since we heard about a 'Happy Hour' at a bowling alley in the eastern part of Seoul. It turned out to be quite a popular choice, for about eighteen people from our group showed up for this activity.




View Bowling (볼링) in a larger map
In the eastern part of Seoul on the north side of the Han River is Konkuk University (건국대학교). On the southwest corner of the campus is a subway station named after the university, Konkuk University Station (건대입구역). To the northwest of the station is a commercial district that, like all commercial districts outside of a major university, caters to the local student population.

Just like any area next to a college, at 10:30am in the morning on Saturday, one can find a handful of young people stumbling back home after a long night of 'fun'. Despite the plethora of restaurants, drinking establishments and singing rooms usually found in a commercial district in Korea, there are a few other places outside of Konkuk University to have fun without all of the alcohol. For us, we went to the Hanareum Bowling Alley (한아름 볼링장)

From Bowling (볼링)

Every Saturday morning, from 10:00am to 2:00pm, Hanareum Bowling Alley offers one game of bowling for 2,200 Won. However, just as principals of economics state, a decrease of price will bring about an increase in demand. When we arrived at 11:00am, it ended up being about a 2 hour wait to get a lane.

Luckily, all around this area are many different types of restaurants. After walking around for about five minutes, we were able to find restaurant nearby to have lunch. This place served a bowl of Naengmyeon (냉면) - cold buckwheat noodles - and small serving of bulgogi (불고기) - Korean barbecued beef - for 5,500 Won. The food was quite good for the price we paid.

From Bowling (볼링)

From Bowling (볼링)

When we got back to the bowling alley, only one of our three lanes that we had reserved was open. While one group got started, the rest of us went off and played pool and ping pong, both of which were located in the same building as the bowling alley.

From Bowling (볼링)

After a little while, a couple of lanes opened up and the rest of us were able to start bowling. Since we started late, our group of twelve on two lanes were able to play one game before the Happy Hour price was over. After 2:00pm, the price of game went up to 4,200 Won.

One thing to note, most of the customers at the bowling alley were Koreans in their late 30s. Most of the people seemed to people who were on bowling teams and taking advantage of the cheap prices to practice. Even after we left at the end of the Happy Hour, many of them stayed on to play some more.

One thing that was still a bit of a culture shock to the ex-pats in our group that day was the amount equipment that all of the serious bowlers had. The majority of these people were all wearing the exact same type of large, plastic bowling wrist braces. In addition to that, it seemed that everyone had a carry-on suitcase filled with three bowling balls. None of this equipment seemed cheap at all.

This habit of buying a lot of (what one can guess) expensive sporting equipment is not isolated to the bowling community. The people in Korea who bike, ski or hike are also known to buy top of the line gear for their hobby. Despite anyone's objections to the amount of money people tend spend when buying sports equipment, it is good to see people getting out on the weekend and enjoying some physical activities.

Hanareum Bowling Alley would definitely be a good place for Saturdays in Korea to go to again in the future, especially if it is a rainy day. The next time though, we're going to arrive earlier to make sure that we get a bowling lane before the place fills up.

Table Tennis Tournament (탁구대회)

While last Saturday wasn't the worst day to be outside in a Korean summer, it can get much worse. Usually during this time of the year, Korea is plagued by the monsoon season (장마철) that brings lots of rain, heat and humidity to the peninsula. Because of this adverse weather pattern, a lot of our summer activities have been planned for inside. Last Saturday, we ended up heading over to the Songpa District (송파구) to have a table tennis tournament.




View Table Tennis Tournament (탁구대회) in a larger map
We were able to find a nice Tennis Table Center (탁구장) called the Songpa Table Tennis Club (송파영탁구클럽) in the Songpa District, just a short walk west from both Seokchon Station (석촌역) and Songpa Station (송파역). The actual place to play table tennis was located in the basement of one of the many four storied buildings along the road.

Before entering the table tennis center, a few of us who were wearing sandals had to buy a cheap pair of socks at one of the small stores along the street. At this place, people must wear appropriate shoes in order to play on the wooden floors. For those who don't have the correct shoes, there were plenty of shoes that one could borrow for free. My rule of thumb for any pair of communal shoes: always have on a clean pair of socks before putting on the shoes.

When we first got to the establishment, there were only a few middle-aged regulars playing table tennis. It seems that at this time in Korean history, it is mostly the older folks who are out and about doing physical activities and exercise. I'm sure that once the Olympic Generation (those Koreans born in or around the 1988 Seoul Olympics) start hitting their 30s, they too will become more physically active.

For our group of 11 people, we were able to rent three ping pong tables for 10,000 Won an hour. After a bit over 2 hours of playing table tennis, it cost each person about 5,000 Won. Not bad considering what it costs to go to the movies or to go to a bar with your friends.

After a warm up, we organized everybody into two groups. For each group, a miniature round-robin tournament was held. The top two people from each group went on to the semifinals to determine the winner overall. On the opposite end of the spectrum, one person from each group played for the "ultimate underdog" position.

When the finals were concluded, we asked a gentleman who seemed to be a regular to play the champion of our group. We didn't want the winner from our group to get a big head, so a bit of humility was in store for him. After three lightning quick games, our champion was left perplexed, trying to figure out how he could have countered the large amount of spin that the veteran table tennis player was able to put on the ball.

Overall, we had a great time, worked up a bit of sweat and burned some calories. Even though there was a "tournament", the greatest part of the day was just hanging out with friends and having a good time.


P.S.
Some of you may have noticed that my style of writing for the blog has changed. My original goal for this blog was to write a bit of a travel guide for ex-pats living in Korea. Instead, I've switched to more of a journal style of writing. With my very full work schedule this summer, trying to teach and write a travel guide blog every week was a bit overwhelming. While I did enjoy the challenge, I found that at this time a travel guide wasn't my favorite style of writing and the overall process just didn't feel right.

For those of you who are regular readers of this blog, I would love to hear your feedback on the direction that the blog is taking. If anyone does need more details on how to run one of the trips that we have done here in Saturdays in Korea, I am more than happy to share. Please contact me at anytime.

Olympic Park (올림픽공원)

Our original plan for this weekend was to go out to Namiseom Island (남이섬) to the east of Seoul. Luckily, I found out early that week that there was a giant three day music festival being held on Namiseom Island over the weekend. It's always good to have a plan B and for this weekend, we ended up meeting at the Seoul Olympic Park.

Content

• Meeting Location
• Biking in Olympic Park
• Flower Garden
• Places to Eat

Meeting Location

South Korea hosted the 1988 Summer Olympics in Seoul. For this event, the Korean government constructed many stadiums and a large Olympic Park in the Songpa District (송파구) in southwestern part of Seoul. The biggest reason that this park is so amazing is the fact that the majority of it consists of rolling hills, grassy meadows, trees and flower gardens all within an urban environment. Compared to other Olympic Parks that are mostly paved plazas, the Seoul Olympic Park is a wonderful place to visit.

There are two subway stations that are connected to Olympic Park: Mongchontoseong Station (몽촌토성역) and Olympic Park Station (올림픽공원역). Of the two, Mongchontoseong Station will probably be easier for most people to get to, though not easier to pronounce for most people whose first language isn't Korean. Mongchontoseong Station is on Line #8 and is only one stop away from Jamsil Station (잠실역) which is a transfer station for Line #2. From Jamsil, Line #2 runs through Gangnam, southern Seoul, parts of eastern Seoul and even goes through downtown Seoul. Additionally, Line #8 connects to the Bundang Line (분당선) to the southern suburb of Bundang.


View Olympic Park Picnic (올림픽공원) in a larger map
When you arrive at Mongchontoseong Station, go out Exit #1 and you will be in the western corner of Olympic Park. You will know you are in the correct spot when you see the distinctive Peace Gate (평화문) directly in front of you as you come out of the subways station.

From Olympic Park (올림픽공원)

Biking in Olympic Park

Olympic Park is full of plazas, avenues and hiking paths for people to enjoy a stroll. For those who enjoy biking, Olympic Park does have a few paths and areas that are biker friendly. Not all areas permit biking, but for the most part the paths that circumnavigate the entire park are biker friendly. You will know when you've gone down the wrong path on your bike when an elderly Korean man in a blue park uniform will start chasing you and tell you to turn around.

For those of you who have their own bike, you can bring it to Olympic Park. One method is to transport it there by subway. Technically, bikes are only allowed on the subway on Sundays, but they are pretty lax about the rule on Saturdays. I will keep my opinions about this rule to myself. If you are going to bring your bike on the subway, the end cars are for those with bicycles, but beware if you try to get on a car that is next to a major transfer point.

Another way to bring your bike to Olympic Park is to bike there. The Han River and almost all of its tributaries have bike paths along the banks. In the northwestern corner of the park is the Seongnae Stream (성내천) which connects directly to the Han River. If you live near the Han River or a stream that connects to the Han River, biking there is definitely an option.


View Places of Olympic Park in a larger map
If you don't have a bike or it is too burdensome to bring, you can rent a bike at the park. Near Mongchongtoseong Station, there is a bike rental store right next to the northern part of Peace Gate (평화문). Here, you can rent bikes that have 2 or 4 wheels and seat 2 to 6 people.

From Olympic Park (올림픽공원)

One thing to note is that bikes which seat 3 and 6 people are better suited for 2 and 4 people respectively. While you can fit the full amount in there, the extra weight and lack of leg room for pedaling may cause more difficulties going up hill. The 4 wheeled might not handle the best, but they do add a flare of fun and excitement in the communal experience.

From Olympic Park (올림픽공원)

The cost to rent the bikes depend on three variables: Time, Day and Size. You can refer to the chart below to see how much it would cost your group to go biking in Olympic Park. This same chart can also be found at the Bicycle Rental Kiosk.

자전거 이용요금 안내 Bicycle Rental Information
구분 Type		주말 - 공휴일 Weekend & Holiday	평일 Weekday
4륜 자전거 4 Wheeled Bicycle	3인승 3 Seater	30분 - 10,000원 30 Minutes - 10,000 Won	30분 - 7,000원 30 Minutes - 7,000 Won
		60분 - 15,000원 60 Minutes - 15,000 Won	60분 - 10,000원 60 Minutes - 10,000 Won
	6인승 6 Seater	30분 - 15,000원 30 Minutes - 15,000 Won	30분 - 10,000원 30 Minutes - 10,000 Won
		60분 - 25,000원 60 Minutes - 25,000 Won	60분 - 15,000원 60 Minutes - 15,000 Won
2륜 자전거(2인승) 2 Wheeled Bicycle (2 Seater)		30분 - 4,000원 30 Minutes - 4,000 Won	30분 - 3,000원 30 Minutes - 3,000 Won
		60분 - 8,000원 60 Minutes - 8,000 Won	60분 - 5,000원 60 Minutes - 5,000 Won

If you are quite familiar with the layout of Olympic Park and can easily navigate through its winding paths, a quick 30 minute trip would suffice. If you aren't that familiar with Olympic Park, the 60 minute trip will probably be better so you can enjoy yourselves and not worry about feeling rushed to get back on time. If you do get turned around, you can always ask someone for directions back to Peace Gate. 평화문이 어디예요? (Where is Peace Gate?)


Flower Garden

One of the most peaceful and scenic places inside of Olympic Park would have to be the Wild Flower Area (야생화단지). This garden is located near the center of Olympic Park off of the southern main path. This part of the park is marked by the yellow thumbtack on the map in the section above.

In this area, gardeners have cultivated flower beds with different types of flora that bloom throughout the year. This quaint part of the park is a good place to get away from some of the more crowded parts of the park and enjoy the tranquil ambiance.

From Olympic Park (올림픽공원)

From Olympic Park (올림픽공원)

From Olympic Park (올림픽공원)

From Olympic Park (올림픽공원)

Places to Eat

There isn't really a place to eat that stands out in Olympic Park. Despite that, there are quite a few options for food here.

If you are looking for a sit down meal, there are a few restaurants and coffee shops near both subway entrances, but their prices are a little bit steep. If you are willing to walk a bit farther, you can find quite a few restaurants in the side streets to the southeast of Mongchontoseong Station (몽촌토성역).

Another option is to have a picnic in the many open grassy areas in Olympic Park. There are convenience stores all throughout the park that have a selection of snacks and beverages. Again, due to their prime real estate, the prices are going to be higher. You are of course welcome to bring food and beverages inside the park. Before entering the park, you can find nearby convenience stores, grocery stores and restaurants. We were able to find a nice Kimbab (김밥) restaurant and stocked up on food before going into the park.


If you are ever looking for a place to go that offers the (relative) great outdoors that still easy to get to, Olympic Park is always a great choice. It's one of the best places to have a picnic in Seoul and has plenty of open spaces for outdoor activities. For those of you who need a last minute meeting place on a fair day, you can't go wrong with Olympic Park.

The Lotus Lantern Festival (연등축제)

Once a year comes the Lotus Lantern Festival (연등축제) which celebrates the Buddhist Holiday of Buddha’s Birthday. This year, one week before the actual holiday, the streets of Seoul were closed off for the parade and celebrations.

Conent

• A (Very) Brief History of Korean Buddhism
• Meeting Location
• Jogyesa Temple & The Parade

A (Very) Brief History of Korean Buddhism

Buddhism was founded between 6th and 4th Century BCE in the Indian subcontinent. Overtime, Buddhism spread throughout Asia and reached the Korean Peninsula after passing through China.

Buddhism was first introduced to Korea during the Three Kingdoms of Korea and later became the state religion during the Goryeo Dynasty. During this time, Buddhism became a prominent force in Korean society and gained much affluence and power.

After the fall of the Goryeo Dynasty, the Joseon Dynasty followed. Buddhism was suppressed – but not exterminated – in order to combat its influence that competed with King’s authority. Because of this, Buddhism and its temples moved out of the city and into mountains. Even today, most Buddhist temples are located in the mountains around the urban areas. The sizable Jogyesa Temple (조계사) is an exception to this rule, being one of the few temples located in downtown Seoul.


Meeting Location

The Jogyesa Temple, which is the central location for the Lotus Lantern Festival, is located in the heart of downtown Seoul. The best subway station to meet at would be Jonggak Station (종각역) since it is not only the closet subway station to the Jogyesa Temple, but it is along the main parade route.


View The Jogyesa Temple Lostus Lantern Festival Meeting Location in a larger map
When coming to Jonggak Station, it will be probably better to travel through the downtown Seoul area by subway, especially the closer you get to the start of the parade. Many roads will start to get congested as the participants in the parade get ready. Right before the parade starts, major roads will be closed leading to heavy traffic. Also, buses that normally run in this area will be detoured to other parts of the city. If you are taking a bus into Seoul, you might want to think about getting off before the downtown region and take the subway the rest of the way in.

Since the parade starts at 7pm, you might consider meeting an hour or two earlier for dinner. There are a few restaurants near the exit but there are plenty more in the surrounding areas, especially east and south of Jonggak Station.


Jogyesa Temple & The Parade

This year was the first Lotus Lantern Festival that I participated during my time here in Korea. Some of my Korean friends were shocked to see how large this festival has become compared to the ones they have seen in the years before. With the increase of popularity of this festival, timing becomes an important issue. Some of my friends talked about how extremely crowded the Jogyesa Temple grounds became after the end of the parade. Luckily, with some foresight and a bit of luck, we were able to have an enjoyable evening without having to fight the crowds.

6:45pm

At about this time, hopefully you are finished with dinner and heading towards the Jogyesa Temple. Along the way, you will find quite a few stores near the entrance of the temple grounds selling various Buddhism related items. For this holiday, these stores were caring different types of Lotus Lanterns of all shapes and sizes. I was able to pick up a medium sized plastic lotus flower shaped lantern for about 10,000 Won that came with an LED light and battery. By the end of the night, most of my friends had been given a more angular paper lantern that came with a real candle for free. I did see a few paper lanterns that had been singed or burnt near the end of the evening.

At 7:00pm, the sun will not have gone down yet, so you can get a good look at the temple grounds in the daylight. It will be quite a bit of shock when you first see the thousands upon thousands of lotus lanterns hanging all around. In addition to the lanterns, you will be able to see different statutes, paintings, pagodas and other pieces of Buddhist art. Inside the main temple, you can take a picture of the large Buddhist statues, but be careful since there will be people there who will be bowing and praying.

From The Lotus Latern Festival

7:30pm

Around 7:00pm at Dongdaemun (동대문), the Lotus Lantern Festival Parade will have started. Since Jonggak Station and Jogyesa Temple are at the very end of parade route, you don’t need to be waiting on the side of the streets when the parade starts. 7:30pm would be a good time to leave the temple grounds and start heading south on the road outside of the temple towards Jonggak Station. At this time the roads should be blocked off so you can enjoy a nice stroll down the middle of a street that is usually full of cars. Sooner or later you will come across the parade. At that time, you can simply stand off to the side and enjoy the parade as it passes by.


View The Lotus Lantern Festival Parade in a larger map
Around this time, the sun will be going down and the illuminated lanterns and floats in the parade will create a wonderful ambiance. I should note that camera phones are not apt at taking pictures of moving objects in the dark. Because of this, I am unable to share any pictures that I took from the parade.

During the parade, you will see a wide variety of people carrying glowing lanterns. You will be able to Buddhist monks in their simple grey robes, along with people dressed in traditional Korean clothing called Hanbok (한복) and many other people from all walks of life associated with the Buddhist community. Also, there will be illuminated floats depicting different aspects of Buddhism along with more contemporary subject matters.

8:20pm

While the Lotus Lantern Festival Parade is a wonderful sight, it starts to get a bit repetitive. Around 8:20pm would be a good time to head back to the Jogyesa Temple grounds. If you wait until the end of the parade, you may find it extremely hard to move around at the temple grounds since there many parade viewers will all be arriving at the same time.

Since the sun will have gone down by this time, the entire temple will be lit up by the thousands of glowing lotus lanterns. Behind the main gate, in the first section of the temple grounds, the yellow overhead cover of lanterns will spell out in blue and green Korean letters, “We too are with Buddha” (우리도 부처님 같이).

From The Lotus Latern Festival

While the entire grounds is lit up in a colorful display, I found that my favorite part was in the very back of the temple grounds, west of the temple itself. Here a corridor of softly lit lanterns slowly changed colors overtime. Not only were the visual display of this corridor stunning, I found this area quite peaceful since it was tucked around from the main part of the temple grounds.

From The Lotus Latern Festival

All throughout the temple grounds, there was a festive atmosphere of people enjoying the celebration. Even with all of this going on, people will still be inside of the temple participating in religious ceremonies. Outside on the street in front of the temple, you will probably be able to hear people from the parade still playing music on their traditional Korean instrument. With the glowing lanterns, the numerous people strolling around and the music from the streets, Jogyesa Temple is a marvelous place to be during the Lotus Lantern Festival.


I got a bit lucky on my first time going to the Lotus Lantern Festival in downtown Seoul. With the right planning, we were able to enjoy the festival without being bogged down in the crowds. I look forward to coming back to Jogyesa Temple next year when the 2013 Lotus Lantern Festival takes place. I will definitely be reviewing this blog post next year before the festival.

The Han River Bike Ride - Ttukseom Resort Station (뚝섬유원지역)

Along the banks of the Han River and its many tributaries are a plethora of biking and walking paths.  There are many places to meet up with friends for a bike ride, but Ttukseom Resort Station (뚝섬유원지역) provides a convenient place to meet, especially for those who don't own a bicycle.

Content

• Meeting Location & Bicycle Rentals
• Scavenger Hunt
• Picnic / Restaurants

Meeting Location & Bicycle Rentals

Located on the north side of the river in eastern Seoul, Ttukseom Resort Station (뚝섬유원지역) offers a relatively easy to reach meeting location for those in downtown Seoul, eastern Seoul and the Gangnam area.


View Han River Bike Ride Meeting Location in a larger map

For those of your bringing your own bike, Ttukseom Restort Station has been built to be biker friendly.  Instead of caring your bike down the stairs, many of the stairs have been equipped with narrow ramps along the side to help guild your bike up and down the stairs on a smooth incline.  While in some other subway stations these ramps may be black, the ones in Ttukseom are a maroon color as seen in the picture below.

From The Han River Scavenger Hunt

At the bottom stairs of Exit #2 under the station, there is a bicycle rental stand that offers rentals at an affordable price.  The first hour is 3,000 Won and it's only 2,000 Won per hour after that.  Behind the stand there are hundreds of bicycles, so getting one really shouldn't be a problem.

From The Han River Scavenger Hunt

From here, the biking path is located in front of the bicycle rental stand.  The two way path extends both east and west for a long distance.  If you hit the trails early in the morning, there won't be many cyclist and you can bike at a brisk pace.  Later in the day you will find the biking paths more congested.


Scavenger Hunt

For some, a peaceful bike ride along the Han River might not be the ideal way to spend the afternoon.  It is possible to turn the day into something more interesting and competitive.  The best way to do that is to turn the bike ride into a Scavenger Hunt.

The basic idea behind the Scavenger Hunt is to divide your friends into groups (of at least two team members) and using cameras or cellphones, each group tries to find and take pictures of items on a list given beforehand.  This list could be something basic or more complex, depending on how much time and effort you want to put into it.

For a basic Scavenger Hunt, you could brainstorm a list of possible items that are likely to somewhat likely to be seen while biking along the Han River.  Here are a few examples.

• A picture of your team members with a dog.
• A picture of someone near the top of rock climbing wall.
• A picture of a helicopter (it is not uncommon to see civilian or military aircraft in the area).

From The Han River Scavenger Hunt

For those of you interested in making something a bit more complex, another idea would be to scout out the area beforehand and make a list of distinct landmarks or items to take pictures.  Also, instructions for poses in front of each object could be included in the list.  One example from our list was:

• Locate a tall black pillar with three statues of rock climbers on it.  Have two team members pose in front of the pillar.  Make sure that all three rock climbers are visible in the picture.

Our trip took place along a 4 mile (6.2 km) long path originating at Ttukseom Resort Station.  Within this limited area, we were able to find 14 unique objects for our Scavenger Hunt.


View Scavenger Hunt Bike Path in a larger map

For those of you who are good at reading maps or savvy with Google Maps, you could create a map with the locations of the different objects on it.

Another benefit for a Scavenger Hunt is that it provides a chance for your friends that are ESL students to practice their English, especially reading skills in a real life, non-test format.


Picnic / Restaurant 

There are plenty of flat open grassy areas to have a picnic in the Han River Park around Ttukseom Resort Station.  With a picnic blanket, food and beverages from home, one can easily set up a wonderful outing.  While it is possible to get some low key games going, don't expect to be able to easily set up a game of wiffle ball due to the fact the park can get crowded at times.  Also, the planted trees can easily get in the way of a regulation sized wiffle ball field.

For those of you who need some refreshments during your outing, there are quite a few options.

Convenience Stores

All throughout the Han River Park next to Ttukseom Resort Station, there are a plethora of Ministop Convenience Stores.  These shops provided all the regular items commonly found in a convenience stores.  At little ways east of the subway station, one Ministop was advertising fried chicken.  The prices are not extremely expensive but are a bit above normal (see: Supply & Demand).

The J-Bug

Just off to the side of Exit #3 of Ttukseom Resort Exit, there is a peculiar / futuristic / advant-garde / SciFi looking building that is completely above ground.  If you are looking to escape the sun (or rain), the J-Bug is a good place to go in and relax.  Inside is a small art exhibit along with a (surprisingly) very reasonable priced coffee shop.

From The Han River Scavenger Hunt

Restaurants

North of the highway next to Exit #1 of Ttukseom Resort Station, there is a street that leads north that is lined with your typical restaurants, bakeries and coffee shops.  This is another good option if you want to get inside and cool off (or dry off, depending on the weather).

Delivery

Something that is still a bit of a culture shock to me is the fact that you don't need an address to get delivery.  If you have someone who is good at describing locations and directions in Korean, you can easily get food delivered to your picnic spot in the Han River Park.  It is at times like these when Smart Phones become a blessing to look up the phone number of local restaurants that deliver.



Ttukseom Resort Station provides a great location for people to meet up and go bicycling.  The easy to find and affordable bicycle rental stand really makes it as one of the best meeting spots for a bike ride.  Also, after a pleasant ride there are plenty of good locations to relax and have a picnic.

Note: As a decedent of Irish ancestry, bring suntan lotion.  This place is not known for shade.