A Good Friday...

Today is Good Friday. Yesterday was Maundy Thursday. And in most predominantly Catholic countries, both days are holidays. But in Korea, both holidays are not observed.

So, today, even though I was too busy at work, I, as a Catholic, made sure I was able to observe Lent.

So, with my umbrella, I walked under the April showers through Myeong-dong to visit the Myeongdong Cathedral and joined a few Catholics who showed a semblance of their observance of the Holy Week. Some sitting quietly in prayer; some doing their Via Crucis (Way of The Cross).

After moments of prayer and I left the Cathedral, with the skies clearing up.

And on my way down, dropped a couple of paper bills to help out a man sitting under the cold weather, wet and waiting for passers-by to fill his box. And on the other side, I spotted a few tourists taking souvenir photos of the Cathedral. 

A few wet steps to church. A few quiet moments inside. And a prayer.

It was a Good Friday...

The Cherry Blossoms of Nam-san!

I am lucky I live nearby. 

Hannam-dong, my neighborhood in Yonsan-gu, sits at the foot of Nam-san (Mt. Nam), which happens to be the geographical center of Seoul. 

I have lazily strolled on several occasions from the main Hannam-dong lane to the peak of Nam-san (where the N-Seoul Tower stands). On cool days, my stroll would usually take less than an hour which includes stopping to take photos, and looking at both directions when crossing the pedestrian lanes to avoid getting run over by Korean drivers who think that traffic lights are mere suggestions, and that the red, green or yellow lights always mean to.... speed up! Ha-ha-ha!

Going back to Nam-san.


In spring, when the foliage covering the mountain comes back to life, Seoulites and tourists would converge at the mountain not just to enjoy the weather, but to also enjoy the cherry blossom trees of the mountain.

The number of cherry blossom trees at Nam-san may not be as much as those in Yeouido. Neither are they lit with colored lights at night, but just the same, people flock to see the blooms.

The view of the tower from the Nam-san Park (photo below) is also postcard-perfect, especially if the sun is your side and the skies are clear. This park is a few meters up the Yongsan Library, and has a fountain and a variety of colorful flowers planted around it.

The best route to enjoy the cherry blossoms of Nam-san is from the Yongsan Library, on that side where the Blue Buses 402 and 405A pass through. 

That path is lined with cherry blossoms and leads up to the peak. The same path is the same road taken by the buses coming down the mountain.

The Blue Bus 402 comes from the Gangnam area (from the other side of the Han River), through Hannam-dong and then up the mountain. On the other side of Nam-san, this bus turns around at Gwanghwamun and then through Namdaemun, then continues its route through the mountain.

The Blue Bus 405 comes from Itaewon, through Hangangjin Station, then up the mountain.

But in case you see those Yellow Buses around Nam-san, these not only bring you to the foot, these buses ferry passengers up to the peak, at the N-Seoul Tower. The Yellow Bus 03 also passes through Itaewon.

I will be strolling from Hannam-dong to Nam-san one of these cool days not to only see the cherry blossoms and the rest of the spring flowers, but give myself some cardio exercises (if ever it will be one. Ha-ha-ha!). 

And just as in Yeouido, parking during this time of the cherry blossoms will be a headache. So I suggest you just take a bus or walk up the mountain. And if you do, I may just bump into you.  

And let's not forget our cameras!

Filipina Painters' Exhibit at Insa-dong, Seoul

Three Filipinas living in Seoul are having an exhibit of their paintings at Insa-dong, a center for galleries, antiques and souvenir shops in Seoul.

Fay, Joy and Loren are students of Sun Im Koh, an artist and art teacher who regularly holds exhibitions for her students and their paintings.

 Titled Expressions, the exhibit is being held at the Kyung-In Museum of Fine Arts (in Insa-dong) and will run until April 12, 2011.

Fay Balderas-Ejercito's three paintings depict her enchantment of the Korean crafts and music, while Joy Canlas-Sabado expresses her love of the colors of the Korean seasons in her two paintings.

Loren Sison-Dyas, on the other hand, has captured the beauty of her diverse moods and emotions while living in Seoul in two of her paintings of nature.

While living in Seoul, these three Filipinas are able to share, through their art, their joys (no pun intended, Joy!), emotions and experiences as Pinoys away from home.   

Aside from these Filipinas, Sun Im-Koh's 18 other students are exhibiting their paintings as well.

Do drop by Kyung-In Museum to catch their exhibit.

A Seoul Spring: The Cherry Blossoms of Yeouido!

They're very nice to look at and pretty to take pictures of, especially if you're walking the road with your special someone. It's like a very romantic stroll along a very flowery lane, while white cherry blossom petals are showered upon you two like Cupid's non-archery version of his attempt to put you together to live happily ever after.

But while you are walking hand in hand, so enamored with each other and with the blossoms surrounding you, whispering your devotion to each other on this cool spring day, you may just forget the reality:  Thousands of other people are walking alongside you, across you and against you, jostling for space and creating such noise that you two won't even be able to hear each other! Ha-ha-ha!

That's the cherry blossom festival at Yeouido!

Thousands of friends, lovers, parents, kids, vendors, blind-daters, photographers, tourists (or maybe a million after it's all gone) may have walked through the Yeouido Park and Yeouiseo Road (or Yunjung-ro) to enjoy, take photos, spend a weekend at, or just simply to experience this once a year festival before millions of white cherry blossom petals from about 1,400 trees turn the lane into a white carpet of fallen blooms.

And in moments that you find yourself holding the hand of the love of your life, you are suddenly jerked into reality by somebody bumping into you, making you realize that perhaps dreaming of happily-ever-after will take more than just the cherry blossoms showering you with everlasting love, romantic dinners with red wine, or perhaps breakfasts in bed with your inamorata lying beside you on those velvet sheets, wearing nothing but her overnight breath. Ha-ha-ha! 

 You both realize that life is also about making the ridiculously high apartment rental payments, paying in time your car amortization and electric bills, or simply being able to actually afford to send your kids to good schools. 😂

 Yes, walking under the cherry blossoms at the back of the National Assembly compound will momentarily make you forget reality....for a good five kilometers! Ha-ha-ha!

And so, I urge you both to go! The cherry blossom petals will be blown away in about a week after blooming. And this may just be the only time of the year when the cool breezes will allow you to welcome spring without having to fill your lungs with the poisonous metals in the yellow dust from the Gobi Desert. 

I urge you to go if only to have the chance to whisper your love and devotion to your first husband or first wife...or to your current girlfriend or current boyfriend in a romantic setting without having to pay for an entrance fee! 

Just go and forget my sarcastic mumblings about the reality of life. I just needed to write something to accompany these photos. (I just have this irritating habit of trying to always unmask the superficial. Ha-ha-ha!).😁

A few years ago, Philippine actors Angel Locsin and Diether Ocampo were there at Yeouido  Park to shoot their TV drama. I'm not sure which celebrity you're going to bump into this time. 

But I'm sure there will still be millions of petals to shower on you, thousands of other people to jostle with and hundreds of photos to capture your romantic moments under the cherry blossoms of Yeouido!

Enjoy! 


P.S. You can also visit the park at night, and the most convenient way going there is by subway or by bus. Get off at Yeouinaru Station (Line 5), Exits 1 or 2, and the National Assembly Station (Line 9) Exit 1. Parking is a problem and traffic will be horrible.