60 days and counting.

Oh dang.

In bleaker times, some Koreans couldn't afford breakfast. This fact is evident in today's culture, as many people make inquiries regarding the contents of each other's breakfast and/or whether or not it was consumed. The typical Korean breakfast consists of kimchi, rice, and soup; sometimes with some sort of meat. Though bakeries have become many, and close between; the bakeries don't usually have doughnuts or sweets out before 9 or 10 AM. Since Korean people don't designate a specific food for breakfast, it's not surprising to see Odaeng (오뎅) boiling in it's juices at 8:15 in the morning.

61 days and counting.

Morning commute

Monday evening brought the first significant snowfall to Seoul. My shoes left fresh tracks on the Tuesday morning walk to and from the subway. By noon, most of the sidewalks had shoveled paths, cleared by business owners, Good Samaritans, or soldiers. In the days following a snowfall, the process of managing the snow and ice begins. Salt melts the snow on the roads, turning it into grimy slush. Snow piles grow as more moves around, turning to large mounds of ice. People slip and slide as they try to make their way around their daily routine. I find it tough to manage in tennis shoes, I can only wonder how the girls manage in their fancy high heels.

62 days and counting.

King of knots.

Power lines go every which way in some neighborhoods of Seoul. Small multiple family dwellings have various lines leading in from more than one pole. The cables often resemble spider webs, which span the width of alleys. Upstream from the alleys, power poles find themselves covered in a tangle of cables leading every which way. It's amazing to think the utility services know where each line leads. What's even more amazing is how this can seem normal over time.

63 days and counting.

Heaven is a place.

In the parts of Seoul where three to five story buildings still dominate the skyline, crosses advertise brightly above the rooftops from dusk to dawn. From some perspectives; three, four, even five can be counted within one line of sight. Many of these small churches are located in those same three to five story buildings which sit below the crosses. However, new churches with modern architecture and intriguing facades are springing up around the city.

64 days and counting.

Dinner's on the way.

Motorcycles and scooters are used for a many purposes in Seoul. From personal transportation, to food delivery, to package handling. Most restaurants use fearless young males on scooters to extend their dining rooms into their customer's homes. In this high paced business, hot food and hungry customers are on the line. Therefore, these fast moving scooters treat traffic control devices as mere suggestions to yield. Snow seems to be the only thing hazardous enough to slow these boys down; only sometimes.

65 days and counting.

Ivy trousers.

The Han River Park is a great place for people to enjoy the outdoors within the city. All along the river, from East to West Seoul, bike rental corals thrive off the high demand in spring, summer, and fall. In the winter season, with temperatures averaging below freezing, a hired rental bike is almost a sight unseen. Only the most dedicated trail users brave the cold weather. Such is the example of this family, which never lets the harsh winter weather stop it from taking a leisurely cruise.

66 days and counting.

McChristmas combo.

The forecasted white Christmas turned out only to be a cold Christmas. After a relaxing Christmas day spent calling home and enjoying mimosas, a short walk verified the truth; -7 Celsius is cold. What better way to finish off a cold Christmas indoors than to try out the McDonald's delivery service?