Entry for April 27th

First night's sleep in Korea was pretty normal. Oddly, I was not jet lagged at all and slept like a baby, waking up at around 8am. After I dragged my myself to the bathroom sink and washed-up, I took a seat in the adjacent porcelain throne and was greeted by a surprising warmth. Looking down, lo and behold, it was one of those buttock cleaning gadgets that originated in the Land of the Rising Sun. Those Japanese won't be remembered for their originality or innovation, but what they did contribute to mankind amounted to a quantum leap in toilet technology.

The model I was sitting on was clearly not the first generation of this technology. It had options to not only spray water, but to spray in preprogramed patterns, massage and heat and dry. I think my model was the Toto 2600 and from the sparce funcions and buttons on the device, it didn't seem like it was a top of the line. I've heard of more complex and expensive ones out there. I heard from friends that these things typically run you $300 for a run of the mill, midgrade models to as much as $800 for deluxe ones. Naturally, I couldn't help but try the sucker out. How was it? Well, from me at least- mixed reviews. First of all, it's going to take some getting use to in order to feel comfortable when you have slightly pressurized water sprayed up your ass. I'll stick to more traditional and tried and true toliet sanitary techniques for the time being thank you very much!

Today was sightseeing day. The first place on the list is Gyeongbokgung Palace, home of Korea's last ruling family, the Joseon Dynasty. It was first built in 1395 and was almost totally destroyed during the Japanese invasion of 1592. In 1868 it was almost completely rebuilt, but then two thirds of it was destoryed again during the Japanese occupation of 1905-1945. From 1990 on, the South Korean government set about on another restoration program and almost the whole of the palace has been reconstructed. They plan to get the full restoration done by 2009.

I took the following pictures:

This is a pond and garden behind the palace. Notice the mountain in the background. The palace was built behind a scenic mountain in accordance with the principles of fung shui, which stated that the positive energy of the mountain would provide the seat of government, and hence the nation, strength.

Along the way, I saw lots of groups of elementry school kids all dressed in matching clothes and backpacks it was absolutely adorable.

However, it seemed like there were thousands of them. These "addorable" kids were everwhere. Kinda like ants at a picnic!

Some army soliders from the 2nd infantry divison. Despite the threat from North Korea, I gotta bet that these guys are a lot happier to be in South Korea rather then Iraq.

The changing of the guard at the entrance of Gyeongbokgung Palace. This was pretty neat, but would have been better if you were there in person.

Immediately out of the palace was a street that had the Admiral Yi Soon Shin statue. Yi Soon Shin is a recurring figure for anyone who looks at Korean history. He defeated the Japanese fleet in the late 16th century always outnumbered. I had to kinda sneak my way past traffic to get these shots.

Tired. I must have walked five miles. The palace complex and surrounding museums must have been the size of Disneyland. I was going to go out tonight, but I think I'll pospone till tomorrow and get some rest. The cable here is pretty good. The hotel has basic cable but there are a lot of American movies being played (with Korean subtitles). Korean cable has a fair share of American, Korean, Japanese and Chinese programing. I guess you can say in Southern California, there is a lot of Spanish language broadcasting. Most TV series can be seen on Armed Forces Network.