Rollin' on the River

Seoul is divided into half by the Hangang River. I live and work south of the river, but a lot of what I've done outside of my neighborhood has been north. Yesterday I thought it might be fun to go check it out. There are lots of recreational parks along the river, where you can go waterskiing, fish and do other things. I wanted something a little more relaxed; I was hoping to just chill by the water, take in the scenery and read for a while. So I went to Yeoudio Park, to the west of my neighborhood.

This was the first disappointing thing I've seen since I've been in Seoul. Partly it was the weather--not only was it hot and muggy, but there was a thick haze in the air so the views across the river weren't very clear. It's actually quite hazy much of the time, and I don't know if it's the climate or the big-city pollution or a combination of the two, maybe more of the latter. There were lots of people biking or rollerblading along river, and almsot all of them wore bandanas over their mouths to keep from breathing in the bad air. The park itself was a letdown. There's a path along the river, but it's not particularly well-kept. The grass is sparse and there's garbage strewn about. Every few yards there's a little snack/souvenir stand selling drinks or childrens' toys. There are floating restaurants and ferries down on the water, but they seemed kind of chintzy, sort of like a more run-down version of the South Street Seaport in New York.

I walked along the river for about an hour until I came to the 63 building, which is the tallest building in Seoul. I couldn't get many good pictures of it because of the haze, but you can check the best one out below. It's very striking because of its gold color, and I like the sleek shape.

So the day, unfortunately, was kind of a bust. The night, however, more than made up for it. More to come...