Farewell to Seoul--Hello to Hong Kong!

Lotus Pond and Tea Pavilion in the Royal Secret Garden

Our last days in Seoul included two activities in some of the historic palaces (dating back centuries, with some repairs).   We took a tour of the “Secret Garden” in one palace, where the royal families spent time resting, talking, writing poetry, drinking, and studying.  
The secret garden was huge and had many different plants, trees, and birds- some being  familiar to us, but some not. 
One corner of the vast gardens even hd a small plot of rice growing in a shallow pond. This was to perhaps remind to ruler of the crop which made life in the area possible, or strengthened their tie to the farmers of this small kingdom.

Performer in traditional Handbook

We also enjoyed a performance of traditional music and dance, guests of one of our hosts.  This included amusing skits and songs between a woman and man that was beautifully sung and quite dramatic. It was all in Korean, so we could only guess the actual meaning, but the audience clearly enjoyed it.  At one point, to my surprise, some of the women came down from the stage and invited several audience members (children, and me!) to attempt throwing a tiny ball through a slightly larger wood frame.  I failed, in part complicated by the outsized sleeves I was given to wear. The rules of the game were that, if I was unable to get the ball through the frame, my face would be painted (just a little bit). This provided some comic moments and a great photo opportunity for Barbara.

Bruce playing the Ball Throwing Game with Help from the Performers

We also visit the large Southl Central Mosque in Seoul, discussed earlier by Barbara.  I’m adding an additional photo of the neighborhood, which was filled with many cafés offering halal food (ritually allowed to observant Muslims, similar to kosher food for Jews).  As usual when we visit any mosque, since both men and women are expected to dress modestly, Barbara covered her hair.  When a young women wearing hijab greet us she and Barbara a nice conversation; the woman had just graduated from her university training in health and medical studies, and was going back to Malaysia. Her three sisters and a brother were there too, as the family had celebrated her graduation (we later saw them taking pictures on the steps of the mosque).  The woman asked Barbara if she was Muslim, and she said no, she’s was Jewish but has good Muslim friends back in America (and, I thought later, they are both considered daughters of Abraham according to both the Koran and the Torah).     

Halal restaurants near the Mosque

The mosque itself was built in 1975, which surprised me.  It perhaps shouldn't have, as I've become more aware of the range and types of Islam and practice over the years.  But I had previously thought of Korea, similar to Japan, was relatively homogenous (unlike China with its dozens of languages and ethnic groups).  A nice surprise!

Seoul is surrounded by small mountains and on our last full day in Seoul, we hiked up Namsam Peak, one of the mountain located within city limits. (We actually took a cable car up to the top, since it was definitely steep and we were hot and tired.)  We surprised to arrive up the top by a series of traditional performers- including music played by a group of musicians on percussion instruments, as well a leather disc balancing game played by one of the men and a demonstration of defensive exercises, which involved bamboo and sheathes of hay with various swords and sabers, from the time of the Joseon Dynasty (1392-1897).  We enjoyed the performances and a great view of Seoul!  It was a goodplace to say farewell to Seoul. 

View of Seoul and the Han River from Namsam Peak