At the border there are ribbons of several kind. With messages of various hues. One message catches my eye. “One Korea. One dream”. Sabre rattling by launching rockets or rambling from global podiums seem to do little to fervent hopes and fledgling dreams.
Of a different future and a longing for peace and harmony. Thankfully so.
(at Imjingak)
The Lotte Tower in Seoul will hog your vision. One way or the other. In it’s urgent leap to the sky or in its bulbous middle or in the illumination that catches the night sky.
Either way, it is there. Inaugurated in April 2017 and housing 123 floors, 555 feet tall to claim the worlds 5 tallest building in the world.
When you stand underneath it and look up, the skies look within reach!
Dance, music and colour. You are running between places and suddenly, at the end of the street, a street performance.
You just stop. And look. And then see more than what’s on. In flowing flawless white with a whip of a red and blue, the artists move with elan.
The drizzle threatens. But people are on a song and dance. The twirl of the ribbon and the music from the instrument colour the grey sky.
(at Seoul, South Korea)
To be at home in a foreign land, learning their language and soaking in a new culture is a priceless experience. The warmth and hospitality evoke more than mere love. And then to step back and notice how similar our differences are. And how different our similarities!
Happy Independence Day to you too Korea! May we all move forward!
(at Gyeongbokgung Palace, Seoul South Korea)
The story goes that the gentleman who got this tower built had a blind mother,whose name was Rajabai. He needed to find a way to help her keep time. Up came the clock tower modelled on the Big Ben and it’s chimes!
I mean, a full clock tower to tell the time is something. Isn’t it!!! Must have been some man. And of course, she must have been SOME mom!
When the Sun is just going down and the street lights are just warming up and there is a strange sense of change!
Change that will wring in another change. The night creatures come out and the day ones go in. But for now, you see both.
Transitions for that reason are magical. You see what was. And what will soon be. And the inbetween too.
(at Dunearn Road College Green)
