walking on the stone cobbled pathways of seoul, i appreciate the birds in the sky, the trees on the pavements, the wind in the air, the traffic in the streets, and most importantly, my very own company.
and i start the day on floors of prayer.
i decided today that i would take time to appreciate the surroundings adjacent to my guesthouse. one of the things i enjoy doing when i travel is to take time walking as much as i can on my own, till my feet get sore, and appreciate every little thing i stumble across.
to me, its one of the simpler pleasures of life.
and so the first place i happen to serendipitously come across, happens to be a Buddhist temple. the temple itself was modestly impressive to the eye, as expected from the design of houses of worship dedicated to this religion.
unadorned, uncomplicated, unassuming.
and a celestial guardian at the door. so beautifully zen.
and as i venture into its dark and silent halls, just outside i come across a magnificent trinity of standing deities in gold, frozen in tranquility. immediately i felt humbled by their colossal presence and inexplicably i felt the need to kneel in respect, and assumed a "senza" position, sitting like a monk, in complete awe of what lay before me,and effortlessly, i drifted into a state of meditation. my mind was quiet and i was at a peace.
after spending an hour or so in unbroken quietude, i decided to move on. i left the temple feeling that my spiritual account had somehow received a substantial deposit, and walked to this huge palace complex.
the first thing on the agenda was the Gyeongbok Palace.
the last i was here, was just about a week before, when i came to seoul earlier and left for shanghai after, so at that time, i had seen it only from the outside, under the cover of night, unable to enter its premises. so now in broad daylight, no hindrances was in my way, and i walked through the gateway and saw a grand edifice in front of me. this was the Keunjeong-jeon, the royal throne hall that greeted me. dotted by statues of animals at its elevated entrance, i felt i had walked into the past, admiring the details within and the spaciousness of its interior layout, decorated and glorified.
i had continued walking on its vast premises, admiring the many large graceful pavilions and halls that i saw, particularly this one resting on a still lotus lake, called the Kyeonghoe-ru.
its slender supporting stone columns, its timber skeletal structure and walls and its tenuous but prominently curvaceous roof line created a light and elegant eastern composition and i loved looking at it.
and the lake and the strips of swaying trees that border the pond looked like a chinese painting that came to life, forming the perfect additon to this floating hall.
i suppose i'm bias, but i gotta admit, i do love the east, especially its artistic and cultural collection of design legacies. i find these elegant pieces of architecture wonderfully refined, always sitting so well in its natural landscapes, mirroring the sense of horizontallity of the earth beneath them, connecting seamlessly to everything in its vicinity, adjacent and beyond.
i walk on and i cant help but feel the same way everywhere i go.
and everywhere i look.
and beyond the man-made, i see nature's imposing presence. undulating carpets of green, adorning the surface of the earth.
nature continued to be in my presence of course, and the seamless relationship of buildings in the past in connecting itself with the natural world is something that we as a modern society to have lost and trying to reclaim.
wouldn't it be wonderful to reclaim that traditional notion into our modern urban settings and feel nature's rejuvenating warmth at our fingertips in the cities we inhabit?
i certainly think so.
walking on, i come across another royal gem, behind enclosed fortification walls, and as soon as i enter, the first thing i notice is the light colour of timber enveloping this hall. i loved the colour of the timber adorning its walls and its light - shaded veneer was undeniably appealing to my eyes.
i walked in.
and i observe before me, world of intricate details shone in the sunlight, unraveling its complex collection of rich lines and delicate curves. and the timber is still gorgeous.
and i see another charming double storey pavilion in a scenic setting, the Hyangwon-jeong, a resting house of sorts, by the edge of the lake.
i continued exploring for a while and proceed to a towering edifice just next to the palace grounds and as soon as i pass its boundaries, a curious sight welcomed me.
a concentric arrangement of a collection of a dozen anthropomorphic representations of animals looking dignified, strong and intellectual, appearing deep in thought and casting a watchful and protective gaze across the landscape.
of course, i could easily identify this to be the statues of the 12 animals shown in the chinese zodiac, handpicked by the Buddha himself in a fanciful tale rooted in mythology, delightfully materialized here in light stone.
and i enjoy a moment on the ground. stone floors extending to the infinite behind me.
getting up, i walk ... and the towering edifice next to the grounds of the palace that i had earlier mentioned? well, that's the central tower of the korean national folk museum, housing national cultural treasures from every corner in the country. i wasn't allowed to climb the steps up, but the halls downstairs were accessible, of course. i did enter, but no shots allowed, unfortunately.
lovely. incomparably so.
as i left the museum, another elegant pavilion caught my eye, but what really was interesting was what was behind the structure. i take a peek.
an enigmatic man, frozen in stone and in time itself for eternity, with a slight glint in his eye and the impression of a mischievous smile soon to emerge. every curve and line conveying a sense of inner happiness, tempered with a raw texture, characteristic of the effect of the passing of generations long gone into oblivion.
gazing this image, i cant help but a feel a message is being delivered, but too faint is its voice, and i fail to decipher what i sense.
and his face wasn't the only one. a collection of silent watchers accompanied his presence, each with an anthology, but i sense nothing but secrets.
and his cousins were around the corner too. elongated figures made of old, weathered timber, each telling me something, but these messages were even more mysterious and abstract.
walking along, i see how wonderfully the tower sits on its base, within its verdant surroundings. it was the focus of everyone attention, as they walk towards or away from its imposing presence.
and next to me, hearing playful utterances, i look behind and realize that these children will never forget where they come from. history was being brought to life for these youngsters.
the soft green carpets on the palace complex tempt me to lie down and gaze at the sky above me. beneath a tree, shaded on a cool day, i laid down, resting my very soul in the quiet surrounding me.
i succumbed to the temptation.
but it was time to move on and another magnificent hall quickly called out to me to take a shot.
i cant be blamed, of course, and i realize soon that this was the first hall i saw when i arrived, which was the royal throne hall. it seemed a befitting way to end where i began, and soon after taking a moment to appreciate its majesty.
and before i left to explore the areas outside the palace, i take a moment to rest.
a lot more to explore is just around the corner, literally, but first, a momentary respite.
and it couldn't have been a better spot. i breathe.
then i plunge myself into a deep tunnel.
now, one of the nice things about hubs of intersecting axises of public transportation is that terminals, more often than not, become more than just what they have been designed for.
they become more than simply functionally driven stations of processing pedestrians to get them from one venue to another. they start taking on more creative roles as well, especially for the display of the arts, such as painting, sculptures, media and so forth.
like a cultural magnet, they pull in artists from all walks of life and invite them to display their blood, sweat and tears.
seoul's mass rapid transit system seems to be no exception, and as soon as i entered the underground station to actually cross to the other road, i was greeted by an eye-catching collection of graphics prepared by students, and i was thrilled to see they were architectural in nature. this is one of the things i absolutely adore about this city.
things are always happening.
i walk on enjoying what i see, unbridled design creativity from the country's youth, before emerging the opposite end at the base of the opera house.
and a contemplative man in solid bronze tacitly invites me for a deep discussion.
instinctively, i sat and attentively listen, cause it seemed he had much to share.
and a gazing, wicker giant sat above us.
elongated, colossal and eerie, in a tim-burton-the-nightmare-before-christmas kinda way.
and walking around, another slender metal behemoth, wielding a hammer, catches my eye. interesting urban sculptures, to say the least.
i walk around the vicinity of the complex and immediately i feel a sense of playfulness in the air. yes, everyone's busy and running up and down all over the place, but in the midst of the hustle and bustle of the urban stage and in particular, this prominent square, children find joy.
and i cant help but to partake in their delight.
right in the great admirals' towering presence, the drenched floors make for a wonderful playground, for both the young and old to enjoy.
as i walk around and spend a little bit of time, completely taking in a sense of relaxed nonchalance, i am once again pulled by the sound of gushing waters just around the corner. sounds that would be more comfortable to the ear in the middle of humid rainforest than in between two traffic heavy lanes in the heart of seoul.
and yet, here it was.
a aquatic slice of nature, falling down from street level to a subterranean urban crevice.
this was of course Cheonggyecheon Stream, which i had earlier visited at night about a week before, in dark romantic overtones, but now as i step down, i begin to appreciate its impact in broad daylight. of course the poet in me preferred witnessing this meandering channel of water at night, but it is during the day, i can truly appreciate its overall presence, its contemporary form, its fluidic structure and even its semi - coarse texture.
its almost surreal presence truly soothes the mind, body and soul. i can just imagine when people are stressed or in need of a breather, then all they had to do was walk down and saunter on its stone clad riverbanks, sitting for a moment or two with their feet in the water, listening to the flow of the stream, as they enjoy their coffee and kimchi laced dishes.
tranquil is the calming effect this place exudes, almost zen - like in nature, that i cant help but feel completely at peace with myself and my surroundings.
such an effect is almost impossible to mimic so well in a chaotic city's landscape through purposeful design, and yet here it somehow and successfully works, and i praise those people in power who made this happen, despite whatever doubts and oppositions they may have faced, which i have been told was initially ferocious and vehement.
and so i walk on, continuing to feel as care free as possible, appreciating all that passes my way.
verdant flora on each side.
an delicate timber and steel pedestrian bridge.
a pathway of stone slabs from one bank to another.
a collection of old tiles with historical warriors on horseback.
a treasure trove of public artworks for the world to see.
it was getting late. the sun was about to set on another beautiful day, and i felt it was time to get back. i look forward to the coming night simply because i had nothing planned.
and sometimes that's the best thing to look forward to.
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