[HanCinema's Korea Diaries] "Epilogue"

So first of all, if you're looking for a list of everywhere I've been to on this trip, just scroll down to the bottom and you can find links to all the Korea Diaries I've written this year. I'm going to remain in South Korea until mid-October, but for the moment we feel this is enough writing about the more obscure parts of the country.

I do feel a little bad about not having had the chance to discuss Cheonan very much- the timing just wasn't right. Like so many obscure towns in South Korea, Cheonan has their own film festival. The sheer variety of film festivals in South Korea is hard to overestate, even outside of Seoul, but it's simply not realistic for me to cover all of them when so many of the movies spotlighted are so obscure. All the same, this really speaks to the strength of local film culture here.

Other silliness includes this line for taxis. Before coming to Cheonan I'd never see the demand for taxis outweigh the supply like this before. But then, downtown Cheonan is, for some inexplicable reason, located right in the middle of two relatively distant subway stations.

Later in Jeju, some odd performance art at a local festival. Really not much more to it than that.

Some time later, a traditional procession in Jeju's northern population center. I like the guy on the left, hurrying to get somewhere. I imagine he's a local used to seeing this stuff all the time.

A picturesque beach on the eastern coast of Jeju. One of the nice parts of Jeju is that, as an island, you will inevitably run into a beach as long as you keep going in a cardinal direction long enough.

A lovely day spent together Changgyeong Palace (창경궁), the lesser well-known counterpart to Changdeok Palace (창덕궁), located just slightly north of it. You know, I do gripe about Seoul maybe a tad too much. It's not the greatest place to live, for my tastes, but it really is uncanny how just so long as you start in the right location and have some idea where you're going, it's inevitable that you'll run into some other interesting location sooner or later just by happenstance.

But always so many mysteries! Here's yet another monument to a presumed freedom fighter, with no accompanying explanation. Even his name is written in Chinese, which makes trying to search for information about the guy an exceptionally difficult task. This pictures was taken at the Grand Park in Gwacheon (대공원), which has its own subway station, and is an obvious sightseeing destination. And yet...well, the mysteries are just that overwhelming, I suppose.

Again and again that's been the story for me here. So much to do, so much to see, almost all of it hidden in the margins, the best spots the ones found by accident while trying to get somewhere else.

I've personally never been a very big fan of photography, and it's little surprise I take very few pictures now compared to when I had to intentionally search strange places out. Even so, by the same token I'm rather amazed at how much really does seem worth photographing. It's that reminder that really sticks, how there are so many interesting things in the world. You just have to take a minute to look at them.

But that's all just abstract philosophy. Sometimes, it's just enough to get out every once in awhile and make a break from the usual milleu. Even if there have been times on this trip to Korea that I've been frustrated and angry, I'm still glad I tried it, for all the impracticalities. For anyone traveling here, just remember that you're looking for the unknown, and that by definition, you can't plan for that.

It's been fun.

- William Schwartz.

Post-script: I can be reached via william@hancinema.net if you're planning on visiting any of these locations and would like to know more about the layout. Because believe me, if anything is hard about traveling to a brand new place every few days, it's having only the vaguest idea where everything is. Peace out.

Previous [HanCinema's Korea Diaries] articles :

[HanCinema's Korea Diaries] Icheon August 17th-19th

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[HanCinema's Korea Diaries] Jecheon August 15th-16th

[HanCinema's Korea Diaries] Jecheon August 13th-14th

[HanCinema's Korea Diaries] Jecheon August 11th-12th

[HanCinema's Korea Diaries] Yeongwol August 8th-10th

[HanCinema's Korea Diaries] Jeongdongjin August 5th-7th

[HanCinema's Korea Diaries] Gangneung August 1st-4th

[HanCinema's Korea Diaries] Gangneung July 28th-31st

[HanCinema's Korea Diaries] Bucheon July 26th-27th

[HanCinema's Korea Diaries] Bucheon July 24th-25th

[HanCinema's Korea Diaries] Bucheon July 22nd-23rd

[HanCinema's Korea Diaries] Bucheon July 20th-21st

[HanCinema's Korea Diaries] Incheon July 15th-19th

[HanCinema's Korea Diaries] Seoul June 10th-14th

[HanCinema's Korea Diaries] Chuncheon July 7th-9th

[HanCinema's Korea Diaries] Chuncheon July 4th-6th

[HanCinema's Korea Diaries] Wonju July 1st-3rd

[HanCinema's Korea Diaries] Andong June 28th-30th

[HanCinema's Korea Diaries] Angang June 25th-27th

[HanCinema's Korea Diaries] Gyeongju June 21st-24th

[HanCinema's Korea Diaries] Gyeongju June 17th-20th

[HanCinema's Korea Diaries] Daegu June 13th-16th

[HanCinema's Korea Diaries] Daegu June 9th-12th

[HanCinema's Korea Diaries] Yeongdong June 6th-8th

[HanCinema's Korea Diaries] Muju June 1st-5th

[HanCinema's Korea Diaries] Geumsan May 29th-31st

[HanCinema's Korea Diaries] Nonsan May 26th-28th

[HanCinema's Korea Diaries] Gyeryong May 24th-25th

[HanCinema's Korea Diaries] Gongju May 22nd-23rd

[HanCinema's Korea Diaries] Gongju May 20th-21st

[HanCinema's Korea Diaries] Asan May 18th-19th

[HanCinema's Korea Diaries] Seoul May 13th-17th

[HanCinema's Korea Diaries] Seoul May 8th-12th

[HanCinema's Korea Diaries] Gamgok May 6th-7th

[HanCinema's Korea Diaries] Jincheon May 4th-5th

[HanCinema's Korea Diaries] Andeok May 1st-3rd

[HanCinema's Korea Diaries] Andeok April 28th-30th

[HanCinema's Korea Diaries] Gangjeong April 25th-27th

[HanCinema's Korea Diaries] Gangjeong April 22nd-24th

[HanCinema's Korea Diaries] Seogwipo April 19th-21st

[HanCinema's Korea Diaries] Seogwipo April 16th-18th

[HanCinema's Korea Diaries] Jeju City April 14th-15th

[HanCinema's Korea Diaries] Jeju City April 12th-13th

[HanCinema's Korea Diaries] Seoul April 5th-11th

[HanCinema's Korea Diaries] Suwon April 3rd-4th

[HanCinema's Korea Diaries] Suwon April 1st-April 2nd

[HanCinema's Korea Diaries] Seoul March 27th-March 31st