An Encounter with Korea

This weekend and the last weekend we have a real encounter with Korea , I am saying this because I believe that a nation is nothing but just a representation of its people and korean people just strived to make this encounter a really memorable one for me

THE LOVING AND ROMANTIC SEOUL TOWER

I am a very adventure loving person and the greatest adventure one can think of out here is to roam korea without anybody's help. That is because, the only thing you can understand here is the NUMBERS and that too you can't just speak to any natives as they speak it differently. So me and some of my like-minded friends came out right on the street and started thinking and calculating every milestone to reach our destination which was the awesome "Seoul Tower".

(http://picasaweb.google.com/shashankdass/RecentlyUpdated#)

We took a itinerary in our hand and started a tussle with seemingly earthworms type script.(Actually we couldn't get a english one). We gathered some basic information as to how to reach the place and started our journey.

We reached the nearest metro station (called Subway) and tried our hands for the first time on korean subway ticketing system.

Well it was fully automatic system no need of any human to guarantee the correct issue of tickets.

But it gave us a real tough time in the start as we didn't know how to convert the language to English .So came the people to rescue and they can meekly understand the station name as that was not properly accented by us .But still they just dont say "NO, I DON'T KNOW", I was just impressed . Then someone came to help and converted the system to English . After that it was pretty straight forward.

One thing I found very interesting with there entry system of subway...worth comparing with india.....

In India when one enters a metro he has to show a token to the machine embedded to the ground and then the door opens

But here the doors are always open and if you dare cross the door without showing ur card the door gets closed....

This reflects it all .... In india everyone is a scoundrel and one who proves that he is not let him go...here nobody is a scoundrel but if he tries being one than hold him by the collar.....

NATIONALITY AND PERSONALITY

It is rightly said sometimes "IGNORANCE IS A BLISS". We knew a well defined path but just to confirm we asked many people of varying nationalities.

Various responses

KOREAN :- POP out their PDA's and try to make us understand those earthworms..But "NEVER SAY NO ".....If they are unable to help they say sorry as if they have committed a crime.... Oh relax dude.. its ok...

Indonesian :- Atleast understand English a bit and could say "I don't know...."

Amercan :- The Inglorioius Ba***** made us go back 5 stations resulting in loss of our one hour.

Pakistani:-"OH u guys will understand our language dear",and we emphatically nodded and finally they showed us the right way in our own language. They showed us that after all we all are "HINDUSTANI"--that is if these regional political parties get the real meaning and origin of this word.

"PRATIGYA"

Any ways we reached finally to our destination and it was really really worth the pain which we have taken..

but unfortunately it became too late and we have to return back that day without reaching the top of the tower.... we did a "charan sparsh" of Seoul tower and took a "PRATIGYA" (promise) it that we would come again here ....but whatever we saw was a chimerical play of lights covering whole of the tower so blissfully that the vista was not worth the blink of eye lashes....

SEOUL TOWER RELOADED

Again as promised to that immortal beauty we started our tour next weekend but this time we knew much more of Korean subway so reaching there was no more a quagmire for us...so we reached this time with a ample amount of time as well as hell lot of shopping in our hands....

When we reached up the Seoul tower the scene was speechless..it was feeling like whole Seoul city with that tinkling bridge was taking bath in the empyrean pond of queens. It was shining... as if  a child was given a hand full of "chamkili" (dont know what to call it in English) and he spread over the whole city in a not very thoughtful but scintillating pattern.

in one word

"FANTABULOUS"(Sorry one word is just not enough)

And the good part was we tried our hand on technical photography and did some settings in camera and it started capturing those scenes perfectly helping us to capture and make the vista immortal..

WOMEN RULES THE ROOST

Came to know of a very strange system of this matriarchal society in due coarse of talks.....

While boarding a bus I just noticed and asked one of my colleagues that in this bus the sex ratio is 80:20 (female:male) and I have noticed this ratio at many places....he enlightened me with a strange korean system( or say mayhem for korean boys ). He said that in korea when a man marries a woman his bank account and bank balance everything is transferred to wifes account...I was like dumbstruck....then I asked what happens in case of divorce...he riposted the women gives alumni to men....again a lightning...

My god then I thought of the whole system from this point of view.....this gives the whole sole thinking power and decision making power to women ... this makes husbands just a puppet in the hands of wife....my male ego was hurting me like hot piercing needles....but then suddenly someone inside me (perhaps the educated part of me) corrected me and I began to dig again ...and thought again in respect to Indian patriarchal society.... what difference does it make ...its the same thing...the roles obviously can not be interchanged but can be shared.....rather this is what can be called WOMEN EMPOWERMENT... THAT IS IT ...if women can think better why not give them a chance to do so...and that is why girls are very much preferred here...no female foeticide no problem in girl education...and this makes boys struggle more to strive for the Lion's Share in the economical space overall resulting into the building of a educated society and a prosperous nation....wow what a concept....

Well thats it for now... hope you guys enjoy this one ....and enjoy the photos.... :)

MY FIRST SNOWFALL OF LIFE

GO GO GO
Let The Beauty Flow
ordered the heaven
and here comes the snow

ice ice everywhere
not a sliver to waste
look at the earth smling
after having its wonderful taste

The feel of the snow was so pure
so virgin
no chance of any impurity
any margin

Fallin directly from the heaven's heaven
blowing the tempest of all the desires that are craven
giving a tough time to all philosophical mavens
thinking how can sthing be so calm and so even

the vista was so light so poise so ascetic
that has surely made all the evils feel pathetic

it felt like these featherweight cotton balls asking newton ,with all the fire on
"where the heck is gravity you idiot you moron ?
what if the the whole world is believing you and going into gloom
i will remove every ounce of it with a white and light broom"

the feel in the hand was so soft so fluffy
even the cutest of the teddy of ur girlfriend feel scruffy

falling snow snowballing the blanket snow
making the vista so enthralling to enlarge any falling brow
so that the tight bow of the sight arrow
craves for more and more flow

My first experience with snow
It was just like a fairy tale
in which a fairy holding a holy grail
descends on earth wearing a pure white bridal gown
to bring a smile on every frown....:)

JET.......SET.......VROOM.......

VROOM vroom vroom ...........these guys with small red caps really take me to the world of MOTOCROSS MADNESS

JAMES BOND OF KOREA

Well in korea there is only one class of people which can break the traffic rules, these are delivery boys and that is why they are called JAMES BOND of KOREA. Their small two-wheelers are so much loaded with goods that even donkeys will beg for mercy. And after that their speed can easily give schumi (Micheal Schumacher) a thought on these guys' threat to his carrer.
There bikes are specially designed to get the goods fitted.And to save the drivers from having a snow bite driving in such dipping temperatures these bikes are fitted permanently with gargantuan gloves on the handles (Todays temperature -9 degree celcius).

So about these guys the most peculiar thing is they are typical "DILLIWALAS" where you have to watch for them and take utmost care to not to be within their reach.
Traffic rules...HA...HA...HA what a joke they are all ..."COLOR BLIND", it seems.
Moreover I being very much familiar with " Dilli Wala Mentality"think that these guys must be thinking that "if everyone else is thinking why should "I" ? KOREAN GAME THEORY GUYS "

A DEVELOPED CAR OF A DEVELOPED COUNTRY

Cars are less expensive, more sturdy and laced with all modern machinery available in the market. GPS is a must out here as there is such a labyrinthine of roads that even a local korean can get lost(well a "bit" exaggerated but only "BIT").

NEWSPAPER
Newspaper mostly contains news about measures and ways to adopt as to how to ease tensions between north and south korea. In India we see such news only when 26/11 happens, and that too turns out to be a political melodrama. no concrete results.
The crux of the point which I want to make is even if they fail these guys keep trying, trying to make peace with neighbours, thinking about ways as to what aids can be given, as what measures can make the northern counterpart back on track.

Let me illustrate this "NEVER SAY DIE"attitude by a very interesting thing which I noticed out here.
POLLUTION CONTROL....A REALITY
To control pollution and to manage parking and traffic these guys have devised a fantabulous way. They have made a rule that you can not park your vehicle on the day of the week with which your car number ends and + or -5 days after it.
IMAGINE JUST LEAVING YOUR CAR FOR TWO DAYS IN A WEEK What benefit it can offer
1) Pollution control
2) Parking Control
3) Health control as those two days you have to come walking or by cycle.

so not just talks like the COPENHAGEN SUMMIT but some actions need to be taken.

These guys have taken utmost care in building their city. And keep in mind guys, this is that country which is still on war officially and had seen tough times till 60's.
All roads are 8 lane. All buildings are so well planned and they are designed with utmost finickiness. Each and every minute details are taken care of, to illustrate :

1) The lights on the floor of a building are opened only when someone steps on the floor(example of Technology saving Resources)

2) Sirens are installed on the outside of a underground parking so that pedestrians get warning of incoming cars

3) CARS (Except JAMES BOND's) are told to respect PEDESTRIANS.

4) Free fitness instruments installed in the parks living perfectly upto the adage "Sit mens sana in corpore sano "

5)Despite of being a earthquake prone area this country houses some of the highest skyscrapers and not only the skyscrapers all the buildings are compulsorily made earthquake proof.


and the list goes on .....

There are many things that could be learnt from here......


Sorry guys I couldn't upload photo because, as commented by some experienced guys(;)),  I didnt get the weekend and have to work both days.

soon they will be coming .....I am expecting snow soon here till then .........keep enjoying....