Tourist Seoul

7/14/2013 - Seoul, South Korea

This was a big tourist day. I saw the palace, bought a book at a bookstore, got lost, saw an e-sports event in Gangnam, visited the War Memorial & Museum, and had dinner in a trendy part of town. Along the way I took the subway and walked through some of Seoul's most distinct parts of town.

After spending all day as a tourist, I read an article advising people to be "travelers," not "tourists." "Tourists" are on a schedule, with lists of things to do. Slower "travelers" connect better with the landscape and the people.

It's too much to say that the "traveler" is the "higher" form of the two. Regardless, I'm going to be both a "tourist" and a "traveler" on this trip, but it will mostly be tourism until I get to Europe. I just haven't invested the time to learn the language to connect with people.

Pictured: Phoenix statue in Gyeongbokgung, the "Palace of Shining Happiness."