It feels like I've been in Seoul for weeks now, ... that's not a reflection on this great city, .... I'm just eager to reunite myself with the Tiger and carry on my journey towards Bonneville. It's August 3rd, .. or possibly the 4th, .. the 'day/date' on my watch has stopped working. Here in Seoul I feel a little awkward, almost like a trespasser, ..... I know it's a city that I should explore but concentrating the mind when so many variables remain outstanding is difficult.
The bike is now all 'Documented' and will be loading onto the Seattle bound boat on Monday or Tuesday, .... sailing on Wednesday. I hope to fly out on Thursday but only once I'm certain that the bike has left before me. There is I am sure nothing worse than arriving in your destination city only to discover that due to some minor administrative oversight, ..... the bike is still back in your city of departure, ... surely that could never happen?
Yesterday I took a chance, ...... my first trip on Seoul's Subway, but actually it was a breeze. Unlike London's underground network, here in Seoul it is clean, cheap, efficient and very easy to navigate. I speak and read no Korean but easily found my way to the Jongmyo Royal Ancestral Shrine.
The shrines were built in the 14th century following the Confucian traditions of honouring ancestors. Rebuilt over the years, and as a complex very beautiful, it seems to resemble a 'film set' more than an ancient monument of historical importance. Even with the many large groups of older Koreans gathering in the outer grounds to pass time, to talk animatedly and put the world to rights, ...... I felt little atmosphere and no great sense of history. The 'Subway Journey' had been a revelation, .... but perhaps the destination was simply the wrong choice.
On Monday I'll meet with Wendy Choi of Areo International and settle my account for shipping the bike to the USA. Once that's done, ..... and hopefully I'll be over the bout of tonsillitis that I picked up on Friday, ... I might find it easier to relax and concentrate on 'Where I am' and not simply 'Where I'm going'.
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