10 April 2019
Palpable Shininess
The amazing modern architecture of Gangnam
The rain stopped, the clouds were still dark, the sun was under the clouds, great light, time to take some photos of shiny buildings. In these conditions everything looks closer than it really is, until you take a photo of it with a wide angle lense, then it seem too far away. Of course I am too cheap / lazy to travel with more than one lense, so its 28mm all the time. No one knows what I am going on about.
For my last night in Korea I stayed around the Gangnam area. Despite being here for 3 nights, I have barely scratched the surface. If I come here again I think I will stay over this side again, I have stayed over the other side 3 times now and have seen a lot more of 'Old Seoul' and not enough of the new side. Over on this side, everyone works in a bank or similar, and I think everyone has a secretary, and almost everyone, businessman or businessman's secretary, looks exactly the same. The Rush to leave actually seems to be 5pm too, shattering stereotypes of staying all night, perhaps once you have made it to a job in Gangnam you only need to work until 5? I feel bad for the secretaries, all of whom have had plastic surgery and walk in shoes they cant walk in, they surely have to borrow money to go to work, just to pay for their outfits and cosmetics? Unless their job comes with some kind of allowance for that?
I should add that the men all look the same as well, same suits, same glasses, same hair transplant.
Just how many more stereotypes of Korean business life can I fit into one single update?
Tonights first photo is tonights best photo. Great light here.
Nearby Gangnam is a big apartment development, and I was surprised to find this path running along a walled off highway. The map suggests it goes for miles. It was very very quiet despite having a major highway just the other side of that wall.
An overpass made for another photo of a random road.
Now its time for taking some photos of buildings. This one I found to be quite impressive.
Here are reflections of buildings of reflections of buildings. The buildings had no logos but judging by the tents out the front protesting Samsung and corruption involving the former dodgy president, I would guess they belong to Samsung.
The last street crossing photo was so successful I decided to do another. This one is not as good.
All the streets one street back from the main roads are where the action is as far as restaurants and people go.
One last shot of Korean neon, tomorrow, Hong Kong neon. I think in parts of Hong Kong they still have actual real neon signs too.
For dinner I got a meal box that required mashing buttons on a Korean language only machine until it asked for money and printed a ticket. I had no idea what I might have ordered! There were about 9 screens of options without pictures. I think its pork, possibly involving ear meat, along with some blood worms, which might be noodles, a salad that includes something fishy tasting, a giant rolled up cabbage leaf....and rice. It was quite nice. Only the rice was warm.