Yangjae Stream

Sometimes living in a city the size of Seoul, I just want to get away from the hustle and bustle and see some nature.  That's not always easy to do without a car.  Luckily for me, I live very close to Yangjae Stream, or in Korean 양재천 (양재 = Yangjae, 천 = cheon {stream}).

Almost looks like the Pecatonica River

Most people come to the stream for a leisurely walk.  Others come to jog or ride their bike.  And some come to drive their remote control cars.

Vroom vroom!

Whatever you choose to do along the stream, don't forget to stretch.  You forgot how to stretch you say! No worries there is signage along the path to remind you.

6 simple stretches to prepare yourself

There are a couple of ways to cross the stream.  Both are safe, though one is safer than the other.
Though I wrote that both passages are safe, just today while walking down the first couple of stone steps I slipped.  I managed to turn my stumble into an "I'm sitting down to take a picture" move.  I don't think anyone could tell it wasn't on purpose.  Next time maybe I'll stick to the bridge.

Stone path for the sure footed, or the bridge to be safe

The stream is very shallow at many points, so you could probably hike up your pant legs and trek across if you dared.  At other points it may even be deep enough for a shallow swim.  However, even if it is possible, it's not allowed...unless you're a duck.

Quack quack!

I wouldn't recommend swimming in these waters anyway.  Not with waterfalls like this bad boy.

Got artistic with the second shot

I admire how Koreans take pride in areas such as here.  Even though there are not many public trash cans in Korea (that's a whole other story), you will be hard pressed to find litter near the stream.  I did find this flag floating in the stream though.  Perhaps it was thrown after Yuna Kim got silver at the Olympics.  That caused a national outrage here.

Float away Pepsi flag

Perhaps nobody litters because there is a police station nearby.  And as you can see, with these intimidating images, who would dare break the law.

I would guess you get assigned to this station is you piss off your superiors

Besides the police station, the city keeps the walking path lit up at night as well for safety.  This is done in an environmentally friendly way.  The city chose to jazz up these solar panels a bit.

Those sunflowers weren't the only sign of the changing season.  I found actual proof that spring is around the corner.

Besides the walking path, there are other nice facilities around the stream.  There is exercise equipment, mostly used by the elderly.  Numerous foot-volleyball courts, which are usually busy on the weekends. And even though you may not be able to read 화장실 (bathroom), the pink woman and blue man are universal.  If you're curious of the pronunciation 화 = hwa 장 = jang 실 = shil.

You probably haven't heard about foot-volleyball; I hadn't until I came here.  The rules are fairly similar to regular volleyball, except you can't use your hands.  It's like soccer and volleyball had a sports baby. You can use your feet (obviously), your head, and your knees.  It sounds strange, but is quite fun.  I've played a few times.  Here's a short video of some guys playing today.

Bump, set, spike!

It was great weather today, and I enjoyed my little getaway from the city.  But as the sun set, a chill crept back in and the feeling of spring faded away.  Makes me glad the stream is so close to my apartment.

Another advantage of being so close to home, I was also able to head to one of the many neighboring cafes to warm up.  Today I chose BrownHaus Coffee and enjoyed an espresso and a waffle.

Yangjae Stream is a nice place to spend a Sunday, or any other day of the week for that matter.  As the weather continues to warm up, I plan to spend more time near the stream.  Maybe I'll even try to get in on some of those foot-volleyball games.

Lunar New Year

Korea was founded upon Confucianism and Buddhist cultures.  Traditionally they used the Lunar calendar.  The Lunar New Year, also referred to as Chinese New Year, lands on a different date each year.  It's one of the two biggest holidays in the country, and per Buddhist traditions you honor your deceased elders by bowing and visiting grave sites.  Koreans will also usually wear their traditional clothing, hanbok, and prepare lots of food. This includes some of the favorite foods of the deceased as an offering.  However, Christianity is becoming a more common religion in modern day Korea, thus these traditions aren't as strong as they once were.

Seoul is usually bustling with people, but during this holiday it seems like a ghost town.  Most businesses close down, and many citizens visit family in their hometowns outside of Seoul.  I was fortunate enough to be invited to Seongeun's parents home in Incheon to have a home cooked traditional dinner.

Having tea and fruit with Seongeun's mom & dad

Don't get mad Seongeun, but I don't really remember the names of all the food I ate, and since I don't have a picture of the food it's not important at this time.  But I can tell you it was very good.  After dinner we had some red-ginseng tea and various fruits.  You can also see Seongeun's mom wore a traditional hanbok dress in honor of my visit.  Just call me Buddha.

Since this holiday doesn't mean much for me, I didn't partake in too many other holiday activities.  I enjoyed the four day weekend and caught up on some sleep.  I did meet Seongeun for a little shopping, and while at the mall there was a cool display of Legos to promote the new Lego movie.

It was also fun seeing this display because I just finished reading Brick by Brick, which is a book about the Lego company.  All-in-all it was a pretty quiet weekend for me, and just like that the four day weekend is over.