I wore an undershirt, t-shirt, long sleeve collared shirt, a sweater and two jackets (six layers). My upper body was perfectly warm, even hot at times. At E-Mart, I bought a pair of jeans that has a fleece lining. VERY comfortable and warm. I wore those AND a pair of long underwear. My legs were fine. I wore two scarves, two pairs of gloves, and three pairs of socks. My feet were still cold.
On the 31st, I had my check-up at the hospital in Ilsan. It had been two weeks since my original appointment, where I got all the medication and all that. Nothing eventful happened, the doctor just said he expects the foot to heal in 6 weeks. We'll see. After finishing at the doctor, I got on the 1000 bus and headed for Seoul Station.
The Hospital I went to in Ilsan--
The Hospital's name--
The doctor's office, complete with magazine rack (all magazines in Korean)--
A shot of Seoul Tower, in the distance, on my way to Seoul--
Now in Seoul, a closer shot of Seoul Tower--
That's Seoul Tower--
Old Seoul Station--
Old Seoul Station--
Outside, benches in front of the Old Seoul Station--
New Seoul Station, almost like a mall inside a train station--
Inside the New Seoul Station--
Apparently, every year for the new year, there is a bell ringing ceremony at this large bell pavilion in Seoul. The pavilion is not unlike the Korean Friendship Bell in San Pedro, California. The one in Korea is just a lot larger. We arrived at the spot by 11:00 p.m., just to insure that we'd have a spot.The Korean Friendship Bell, San Pedro, CA--
The Main spot for Ringing in the New Year--
From the pictures you can see that there was not only a multitude of people in the streets, but the setup was quite elaborate. In front of the bell, there was a small stage area. TV cameras were near the street, and two giant TV screens on either side of the pavilion showed the action. There were tons of lights set up and a stage in front of the pavilion. The side of the building diagonally across from the pavilion had the time projected onto it.A laser projection showing the time 23:32--
Our spot for the Ringing in of the New Year--
A close up view (the bell is in the background, to the left of the big screen)--
There were huge amounts of people in the crowd, and many people had purchased Roman candles and were shooting them off even before anything started.Large crowd #1 (to my left)--
Large crowd #2 (to my right)--
At about 11:40 p.m., the stuff started. I had no idea what was going to happen, nor did I have any clue as to what anyone was saying. That was part of the fun. Two news-type people stood in front of the big screen closest to us and began talking. People cheered and said things. Then, on the big screen, I could see what appeared to be news coverage and some sweeping boom camera shots of the crowd. More cheering and screaming and waving.The buildings I stood in front of for the New Year--
Now we're live, they're introducing the people who will ring the bell--
I saw a line of people come to the stage at the foot of the pavilion. They were shown on the camera and introduced to more cheers and screams. Those people then walked up the steps to the bell. I gathered that these were the people who would be ringing the bell. I was told that the mayor, along with several recognized "People of the Year" get to ring the bell. They take a massive wood log and ram it into the bell to make the sound.As we still had about 10 minutes to go, some singer/dancer acts were introduced. A group known as "Super Junior" was introduced to much applause and screaming. This is a boy band...with about 10 members. Very strange and completely uninteresting to me. A kids choir followed them, and they sang "Auld Lang Syne". As they finished, the countdown began, both projected on the building and on the big screens. The numbers were in English, like 10, 9, 8, etc., but most of the people around me counted in Korean. I don't know the numbers yet.
When it was midnight, it was pandemonium. Screaming, jumping, shouting, and more screaming. I'm now deaf in my left ear due to the screams of the person who had been camped out on my left shoulder for the previous 20 minutes. At this point, sparklers were going off and more Roman candles were lit and fired. I'm sure I ingested some gunpowder and various pieces of shrapnel from the explosions. Quite good. UGH. I even got some in my left eye.
Roman candles going off BEFORE midnight (behind me)--
Roman candles going off AFTER midnight--
After the celebration, me eating my used Roman Candle--
Throughout the evening, there were literally hundreds and hundreds of police officers, all in matching uniforms. Honestly, they looked like kids, and I saw no weapons. They all had those pointy flashlights that I remember using at Disneyland to direct pedestrian traffic.Police marching through--
The police marching away--reflective gear and all--
I don't believe I've ever mentioned this, but this should go along with the other "backwards" things in Korea. The emergency telephone number is 119. Not 911; 119. It's printed on their cars and on other emergency vehicles, and it cracks me up.I didn't want to regret NOT going to Seoul for New Year's Eve. As I have never before spent this holiday in some distant place, far from home, I thought this year provided an excellent opportunity to do just that. I am thankful I got to experience it, and come out the other side alive. However, I will never again spend New Year's Eve in Seoul, South Korea...downtown...in the middle of the street...sharing the space with a trillion other people. I have never had my personal space invaded in such a way. True, the closeness did allow for much more warmth...but I would gladly have taken the cold wind to the face rather than the elbow to my back. I swear, I was ready to throw down if I felt one more shove. Perhaps if I was a contestant on "American Gladiators" or a Klingon warrior, I wouldn't have minded, but as I'm neither of those things...it was quite annoying.
One guy celebrating--
These are the reasons I can safely call this blog "The Korean Adventure".
No comments:
Post a Comment