Janggi in Olympic Park

7/15/2013 - Seoul, South Korea

On my way to the Peace Gate in Seoul's Olympic Park, I saw two old men playing Janggi (Korean chess), with three other old men watching. I know most of the rules, so I stopped to watch for a bit.

Despite Janggi being a war game, it was one of the most peaceful scenes I'd experienced in Seoul. It was an especially impressive contrast with yesterday: instead of Olympic Park's Peace Gate, yesterday showed me weaponry at the War Memorial & Museum. Maybe there's something to be said for that article I read yesterday about slow "traveling" vs fast "tourism." 

Pictured: Janggi in Seoul's Olympic Park.

Bookquest: Seoul, South Korea

7/14/2013 - Kyobo Bookshop

I Have the Right to Destroy Myself by Young-Ha Kim

That's a pretty provocative title. Reading the cover jacket, I Have the Right to Destroy Myself sounds like it will be a shorter, more Korean version of a Haruki Murakami novel: Le Monde described it as a "novel about Love and Death in Seoul," and Der Tagesspiegel described it as "slick, and heavily under American influence." I don't know anything about Korean literature, so I bought the most recent critically acclaimed book about Seoul that I could find.

Overall, they had a good selection of English-language books. I saw recent critically acclaimed books in fiction and nonfiction, including some of my favorites. 

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."

Nerds After Dark

7/11/2013 - San Francisco, CA

I spent my last night in San Francisco at a club owned by an internet millionaire. The show was everything I expected: a Skrillex-looking DJ, Super Mario Brothers cartoons, offensively loud club music, a chant of "Nerds! Nerds! Nerds!" that mimicked "Shots! Shots! Shots!," singers that sounded like Daft Punk robots, and a purple-haired Japanese dream girl. The show ended with 8-bit chiptunes: ComputeHer and 8 Bit Weapon. 

The 8-bit music was the crowd's favorite. A friend with me described it as "pure" and "it has that fantasy aspect to it." The whole experience had that Silicon Valley optimism to it: nerds make the world a better place with their weirdo technology.

Pictured: ComputeHer plays at the DNA Lounge. Her instrument is a modified Commodore (Amiga?) computer that controlled the bass line.

Crisis

7/10/2013 - San Francisco, CA

I had planned to visit Yosemite this day, but my tour bus failed to pick me up. I suddenly had a whole day with no plans. I considered this a crisis. I'm clearly not on vacation mode yet.

I skipped to my plan for the next day: San Francisco's hippie Mecca, Haight-Ashbury. My first instinct was to find a bus schedule, but thankfully I had enough good sense to walk. I walked through the Palace of Fine Arts, the Presidio, San Francisco University, and finally Haight-Ashbury. It was all very lovely. 

In the afternoon, I watched sea lions diving and surfacing in San Francisco Bay. I read under a tree. I even read Longfellow's poetry; I can't remember the last time I read poetry. Crisis averted.

Pictured: View of San Francisco homes through the woods in the Presidio

Twain Roosevelt Sequoyah

7/9 - Mill Valley, CA

At Muir Woods, I was surprised to hear three familiar names from my office back home. In my office, I have portraits hanging to inspire me: Mark Twain, Theodore Roosevelt, Sequoyah, and Descartes. Three of the four made an appearance on my trip to Muir Woods. 

First, the bus driver joked about the fog on the way to the park with a quote from Mark Twain, "The coldest winter I ever spent was a summer in San Francisco." At the park, I learned that Theodore Roosevelt made the woods a national park. Last, we saw that the great trees' scientific name was sequoia sempervirens, after Sequoyah. I looked, but couldn't find any evidence of Descartes.

It may have been a bad idea to visit some of the most beautiful places in America before going overseas. What woods can possibly be more majestic than Muir Woods? I'm reminded of another Mark Twain quote from The Innocents Abroad, when Mark Twain saw Lake Como in Italy:  "It certainly is clearer than a great many lakes, but how dull its waters are compared with the wonderful transparence of Lake Tahoe!" I'm afraid I could be an American snob abroad.

Pictured: Walking through Muir Woods

Underdog Millionaires

7/8/2013 - Napa, CA

I toured four wineries in Napa. Each winery was beautiful, but I felt the tour guides all told the same two stories: First, making wine in Napa is really expensive. Second, Napa wine tastes the best. 

As one example, the smallest winery we visited was Andretti, owned by the race car driver. He spent a fortune buying land and growing wine. Then, their Syrah won a "best in show" award. They told it like it was an underdog story! They came from behind, with only $50 million, and finally got some recognition for their efforts. I thought about my friends in Milwaukee who brew beer in their homes. It's usually pretty good, and it doesn't cost $50 million.

Pictured: The Robert Mondavi Winery in Napa, CA