To Taiwan and Back

RCP and Larry returned home safely from Taipai, Taiwan this afternoon. Exhausted from managing to take in an entire city in another country in just two days and staying out until 5:00 am the first night, I will of course report on the adventure for him, in picture form, since I didn't go and have nothing to actually write about. Larry and Rich attended business school together at U. of Chicago. Larry's been living in Seoul for the past three years and has been an invaluable resource for information, knowledge and fun. From the pictures I'd say they had a pretty great time in Taipei.

 Travel buddies.

 The National Concert Hall on the grounds of the National Chiang Kai-shek Memorial.

A famous monument, landmark and tourist attraction, the memorial was erected in memory 

of Generalissimo Chiang Kai-shek, former President of the Republic of China. 

(Taiwan is technically it's own independent nation, but China would say otherwise.)

 Subtropical and 75 degrees.

 Drills on the grounds of the memorial.

 Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall, completed in 1980.

The octagonal shape is symbolic of the number 8, 

a number traditionally associated in Asia with abundance and good fortune.

The blue and white colors of the building and the red color of the flowerbeds 

echo the colours in the flag of the Republic of China.

The National Concert Hall is on the right and the National Theater is on the left.

 

Questionable dumplings.

As usual, they make friends wherever they go.

These two girls wanted to practice their English, so the boys kindly obliged.

As the sign says....

but it's now been surpassed by the Burj Khalifa in Dhubi, 

which stands at 829.84 m or 2,723 ft.

Into the clouds it disappears.

At the top and  in the clouds.

Taipei from above.

A beer float. Yes, with beer and not of the root kind.

The verdict? "Not that great."

RCP in the clouds.

Taken just for me. Awe.

And the boys undeniable charm attracts yet another....this one was Korean and when

she heard them speaking a little Korean, she jumped at

the opportunity to makes friends. They all partied 'til 5:00 am.

Leave it to Koreans to keep you up and out all night.

Boiled vegetables for dinner?? I thought boys prefer places

like steak houses when out with each other.

 Healthy and less questionable than those dumplings though, that's for sure.

Review of Taiwanese Beer?

 "Awful. Tastes like watered down Budweiser."

Oh yes, that actually says "The Seahorn: The Original Taste of Texas."

I wonder if by 'sea horn' they actally meant 'saddle horn'. 

That would make much more sense.

I love how Texas things makes their way into the most obscure places.

The night market. 

I think every sub-tropical, Southeast Asian country has night markets.

Looks like something right out of an Indiana Jones movie.

A little bit mystic.

Fishing for shrimp with tiny tiny poles.

An odd activity like this doesn't surprise me at all anymore.

Meats of all kinds.

Night market mystery.

Night markets don't always have lots to offer
except usually some crazy local food specialties
but they're always fun because they're usually very festive....
...and they're at night which let alone makes them cool.
 

Oh dear...where are they and what is about to happen??

Natural hot springs, about 40 minutes outside of Taipai.

(You guys left the city to go find a hot tub?)

Oh yes they did. 

The quest for a hot tub is never taken lightly
and always falls high on the travel itinerary.

The Architect's Handkerchief

While RCP gallivants around foreign lands this weekend I enjoyed the pleasant 50 degree weather and braved the crowds at Myeong-dong and the Folk Flea Market on Saturday. I didn't discover anything out of the ordinary except this beautiful sculpture outside of the Shinsegae department store. I need to start posting more of the various sculptures I encounter throughout Seoul as I tend to come across pretty large, rather stunning ones quite often. This one has been my favorite so far.

One to the Ballet, One to Taipei

RCP left for Taipei this morning and I went to the ballet. I'll be sure to give a full pictorial report of Taiwan's capital city upon his return but I have to say, the ballet was absolutely fantastic.....even better than going to another country.

This year marks the 50th Anniversary of the Korean National Ballet and they began this anniversary season with "Giselle" probably the second most-loved ballet to "Swan Lake". I haven't been to a ballet since high school when I saw the world premier of "Dracula", so needless to say I have been dying to see a ballet of any sort but truth be told, I was more curious as to how well the Koreans would pas de deux, pirouette and arabesque. The company performs at the Seoul Arts Center, where we were just two weeks ago taking in some Bach, but in a different theater called the Opera House. Very red, lots of gold and all-in-all just very 'operatic', the Opera House was a gorgeous venue, much different from the modern, solid wood, perfect-for-sound-resonation interior of the Music Hall.

I was able to coax Heather and Agata into going with me since both of their husbands were away on business trips, so we started the evening with a nice pre-performance dinner at Saigon Grill here in Hannam before making the traffic-ridden trip by cab to the arts center. Our tickets were waiting at 'Will Call' and I must note that our seats were a mere $10.00 a piece. $10.00 will barely get you anywhere in a cab in New York, much less seats at Lincoln Center. Despite the seats being in the 2nd balcony, they were PERFECTLY positioned, perched at a nice steep angle so that every formation and step of choreography could be appreciated.

The ballet is the story of a peasant girl named Giselle. Act 1 is set in a village and to noble Count Albrecht loves Giselle though she knows him only as a villager named Loys. Giselle's mother, Berthe, hopes that her daughter will marry Hilarion, a forester who is devoted to Giselle, and warns her against Loys. But Giselle disregards Hilarion, and joins with her beloved in the celebrations that mark the end of the grape harvest. When Albrecht's squire secretly warns his master of the approach of a hunting party, Hilarion observes them and manages to break into Loys's cottage, seeking to learn the secret of Loys's identity. The hunting party arrives, led by the Duke of Courland and his daughter Bathilde, Albrecht's future bride, who are staying at Albrecht's castle. They seek rest in Berthe's cottage and Bathilde, charmed by Giselle, gives her a necklace. The Duke orders a hunting horn to be left so that his courtiers may be summoned in due course, and this provides Hilarion with proof of Loys's identity as he compares the crests on the horn and on a sword he has found in Loys's cottage. Just as Giselle is crowned Queen of the Vintage, Hilarion reveals the truth about Loys. When Bathilde returns and claims Albrecht as her fiancé, the shock is too much for Giselle and she loses her reason. In her madness she re-lives her love for Loys and, seizing his sword, she kills herself.

Act II is set at Giselle's grave in the forest. As midnight sounds, Hilarion keeps vigil by Giselle's grave, which lies in unhallowed ground by a forest lake. This is the time when the Wilis materialize - ghosts of young girls who have been jilted and have died before their wedding day; now they avenge themselves by dancing to death any man whom they happen upon during the hours of darkness. Myrtha, their Queen, summons her Wilis; and next Giselle is called from her grave to be initiated into their rites. When Albrecht enters, bringing flowers for Giselle's tomb, Giselle appears to him. The Wilis pursue Hilarion, whom they drive to his death, and next fall vengefully upon Count Albrecht. Myrtha condemns him to dance until he dies, and though Giselle urges him to the safety of the cross on her grave, Myrtha commands Giselle to dance and lure Albrecht from the cross. Giselle tries to sustain him, but as the night wears on his dancing becomes more and more exhausted. Just as his death seems imminent, dawn breaks. Daylight destroys the Wilis' power and the ghostly dancers fade away; Giselle, whose love has transcended death, returns to her grave, her spirit free from the power of the Wilis, leaving Albrecht sorrowing alone.

Such a tragic story, but the Koreans danced it as beautifully and perfectly as anything I've ever seen. Bravo.

The next ballet they will perform in April is "Spartacus". I wonder if I can get RCP to that one before he tries to flee the country again, clearly trying to avoid watching a stage full of men in tights.

(At the end of this post is a YouTube video of a Korean news clip about the Korean National Ballet and their anniversary season that I thought might be interesting to watch. Enjoy! Hope it's viewable).

Intermission out in the rotunda.

Inside the Opera House.

It was almost sold out, but no one claimed the boxes...Season ticket holders, no doubt.

Guess they weren't interested in a tragic love story.

 

A peek inside the Korean National Ballet

Happy Independence Day, South Korea!

March 1st marks South Korea's Independence Day , also called Samiljeol. The national holiday commemorates the March 1st Independence Movement in 1919, when the Korean people rose up peacefully against the Japanese Imperial colonialism. Korea had maintained a flourishing culture and independent state for thousands of years, until it succumbed to Japan in 1910 in the backdrop of worldwide colonialism. The movement led to the establishment of the Provisional Government of the Republic of Korea in April 13, 1919, which was later continued to a fully empowered government after the end of World War II.

RCP has the day off from work today, but unlike in the U.S. where we love to extend the weekend as far as we can when a holiday falls on a Thursday or a Monday, here the holiday's really are just one day, with no Friday off from work. However, RCP continues to follow the American tradition for holiday weekends if he can get away with it and booked a last minute trip to Taipei, Taiwan, leaving tomorrow, after some week-long prodding from our friend Larry who was looking for a travel companion. Besides not really being invited on this impromptu "boys weekend", I can't join in anyway as I have tickets to the ballet. Taipei over the ballet?....I don't think so.

Many older South Korean's to this day, 

still speak ill of and really just detest the Japanese for the years of colonial rule.