Korea!

So, Dan and I have been in Seoul since last Friday, mainly to get our visas changed, but also to see the city and visit some friends. Seoul is an enormous sprawling city of 14 million people, almost a quarter of the Korean population, and it's incredibly Westernized and huge. It also makes Qingdao look like a one-horse town. When Dan and I first arrived, we were like peasants, gawking at the huge sky-scrapers and shops and malls etc. Also, it's amazing how wealthy and clean (and expensive) Seoul seems after China, and also how conformist all the people. Besides shopping and coffee shops, we've also been trying to see traditional Korean culture, including some Korean palaces, the really great National Museum, a hike in a park, some shamanist shrines and temple, and a traditional village. Like most places, the little details are the truly interesting part. It's been a long day, so we'll write about some of those details later.