https://seoul199798.travel.blog/2019/06/20/seoul-in-1997-part-2/https://seoul199798.travel.blog/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/screenshot_20260418_183451_chrome.jpgScreenshot_20260418_183451_ChromeThe scenery from one of the mountains in Northern Seoul (Suraksan) where people can get a view of the city from above. I didn't go to the mountains in the North. There wasn't much info available in the late 1990's about anything in Korea, especially info in English, or info about climbing mountains...(Photo:AllTrails.com)https://seoul199798.travel.blog/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/screenshot_20260413_122532_photos.jpgScreenshot_20260413_122532_PhotosSmall temple on Cheonggyesan Mountain in October 1997. (Photo:JCorvec)https://seoul199798.travel.blog/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/screenshot_20260207_105844_chrome.jpgScreenshot_20260207_105844_ChromeA modern picture showing that you can climb the mountains of Northern Seoul and look down at the city. The granite on the mountains of Korea is amazing. In the late 90's, transportation and trails were less advanced than they are now, so I didn't explore these places. (Photo:VisitKorea)https://seoul199798.travel.blog/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/1000001503-3.jpg1000001503https://seoul199798.travel.blog/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/fbcbf038-7eb7-4d61-8752-9a0b25027964-1_all_901-1.jpgfbcbf038-7eb7-4d61-8752-9a0b25027964-1_all_901-1My husband is talking to my LG student who brought us here. You can see that the columns are very high. (Photo:JCorvec)2026-04-19T13:38:20+00:00monthlyhttps://seoul199798.travel.blog/2025/04/28/everyday-adventures-navigating-markets-and-neighborhoods/https://seoul199798.travel.blog/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/screenshot_20260208_173737_chrome.jpgScreenshot_20260208_173737_ChromeA mìni minivan, or microvan. (ko.wikipedia.org/DaewooDamas)https://seoul199798.travel.blog/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/screenshot_20260208_172130_gallery.jpgScreenshot_20260208_172130_GallerySeoul Tower at sunset. I often looked up at the sky when I was in Korea. It always seemed to be so vast and colourful. (Photo:HoonDKr/Facebook)https://seoul199798.travel.blog/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/screenshot_20260118_223542_chrome.jpgScreenshot_20260118_223542_Chromehttps://seoul199798.travel.blog/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/screenshot_20260205_233754_chrome.jpgScreenshot_20260205_233754_ChromeA few times, the Korean lady who cooked for us fried some sliced lotus root and added it to our meal. I thought it was exciting, because we haven't got lotuses in Canada. They had a nice, mild taste. (Photo:AdobeStock)https://seoul199798.travel.blog/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/screenshot_20260206_001945_chrome.jpgScreenshot_20260206_001945_ChromeThis is the symbol for "sauna" now, but it used to be the symbol on "bath house" signs, which were everywhere when I was in Korea. Most of the "bath house" signs from the late 1990's didn't light up.https://seoul199798.travel.blog/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/screenshot_20260118_221800_chrome.jpgScreenshot_20260118_221800_ChromeThe soup I had looked like this. (Photo:Wikipedia:Bosintang)https://seoul199798.travel.blog/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/screenshot_20260203_005001_chrome.jpgScreenshot_20260203_005001_ChromeFried garlic stems. I've tried Korean garlic stems that are pickled with hot pepper powder, but I don't like them nearly as much as these plainer, fried stems.https://seoul199798.travel.blog/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/screenshot_20260129_214557_chrome.jpgScreenshot_20260129_214557_Chromehttps://seoul199798.travel.blog/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/screenshot_20260205_223547_chrome.jpgScreenshot_20260205_223547_ChromeI think blood sausage in Korea is made with some rice, glass noodles and vegetables stuffed inside pigs' intestines. I find it looks like there are worms in the sausage, unfortunately... (StockPhoto:Dreamstime)https://seoul199798.travel.blog/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/screenshot_20260129_215929_chrome.jpgScreenshot_20260129_215929_Chrome2026-04-13T15:07:22+00:00monthlyhttps://seoul199798.travel.blog/2025/04/28/exploring-korean-landmarks-temples-palaces-and-mountains/https://seoul199798.travel.blog/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/screenshot_20260413_112256_photos.jpgScreenshot_20260413_112256_PhotosAn army bunker we saw on our hike. (Photo:JCorvec)https://seoul199798.travel.blog/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/screenshot_20260413_112316_photos.jpgScreenshot_20260413_112316_PhotosInside the small building shown above.https://seoul199798.travel.blog/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/screenshot_20260413_112411_photos.jpgScreenshot_20260413_112411_PhotosStatues of creatures were common at the palace. This might be a horse? (Photo:JCorvec)https://seoul199798.travel.blog/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/screenshot_20260413_112548_photos.jpgScreenshot_20260413_112548_PhotosThe street behind my institute in what was called Karak-dong. Late 1997 (Photo:JCorvec)https://seoul199798.travel.blog/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/1000005441.jpg1000005441https://seoul199798.travel.blog/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/screenshot_20250808_154533_chrome.jpgScreenshot_20250808_154533_ChromeHere is the graveyard. (Photo:JCorvec)https://seoul199798.travel.blog/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/screenshot_20250808_154514_chrome.jpgScreenshot_20250808_154514_ChromeThe army shelter on GuRyongSan https://seoul199798.travel.blog/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/screenshot_20250808_154452_chrome.jpgScreenshot_20250808_154452_ChromeInside the small shed-like structure were paintings, candles and lotus flowers that represented wishes and offerings.https://seoul199798.travel.blog/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/screenshot_20250808_154426_chrome.jpgScreenshot_20250808_154426_ChromeLittle building where I took a picture of the inside.https://seoul199798.travel.blog/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/1000004577.jpg1000004577This is a Eurasian red squirrel like the one I saw that day. It's called "red" but squirrels can have different colour variations, like brown, red, black or other. 2026-04-13T14:59:39+00:00monthlyhttps://seoul199798.travel.blog/2019/07/22/seoul-in-1997-98-part-8/2026-04-06T22:21:34+00:00monthlyhttps://seoul199798.travel.blog/2026/02/03/__trashed/https://seoul199798.travel.blog/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/screenshot_20260406_131024_chrome.jpgScreenshot_20260406_131024_Chromehttps://seoul199798.travel.blog/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/screenshot_20260103_214228_chrome.jpgScreenshot_20260103_214228_ChromeThe skates were big, around 3 feet wide. I can't find any photos of fermented ones now. Actually, the skates had been "pickled" with chili powder, like kimchi is made. Korean food is called "fermented" when it's pickled in this way. (Photo:r/KoreanFood/reddit.com)https://seoul199798.travel.blog/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/screenshot_20260118_222204_chrome.jpgScreenshot_20260118_222204_ChromeDongdongju (Photo:Namu.Wiki)https://seoul199798.travel.blog/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/screenshot_20260119_220107_pinterest.jpgScreenshot_20260119_220107_PinterestRecent photo from a market in Korea. It seems to show fish tanks where you pick your fish to eat in the restaurants behind them. (JejuMarket/Pinterest/Emma)https://seoul199798.travel.blog/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/screenshot_20260209_103647_chrome.jpgScreenshot_20260209_103647_ChromeCans like this were on store shelves. We saw them in all of the stores that sold food. (Photo:OurTastyTravels.com)https://seoul199798.travel.blog/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/screenshot_20260209_102733_gallery.jpgScreenshot_20260209_102733_GalleryNowadays, cooked silkworm snacks are put into paper cups and sold as street food, but I don't think that was done in the 1990's. (Photo:LivingNomads.com)2026-04-06T16:16:21+00:00monthlyhttps://seoul199798.travel.blog/2019/07/28/korea-in-the-late-1990s-part-9/2026-04-06T15:25:31+00:00monthlyhttps://seoul199798.travel.blog/2026/02/02/arriving-in-seoul-first-impressions-in-the-late-1990s/https://seoul199798.travel.blog/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/screenshot_20260129_191518_naver-maps.jpgScreenshot_20260129_191518_NAVER MapsIn a lot of places, I'd see what seemed to be swastikas. There are 3 reversed swastikas on this building. It could be a Buddhist place of worship, a small monastery, a Zen Center or another Buddhist establishment. (Photo:NaverMaps)https://seoul199798.travel.blog/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/1000005692.jpg1000005692In Canada there are no quails so I had only ever eaten eggs from chickens. For me, everything was different in Korea; I sometimes felt like I was on another planet.https://seoul199798.travel.blog/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/1000005690.jpg1000005690The "flats" of eggs I often saw. Eggs were usually unrefrigerated. In Canada, eggs were sold in cartons of 12.2026-03-22T19:32:25+00:00monthlyhttps://seoul199798.travel.blog/teaching-english-in-seoul-in-the-late-1990s/https://seoul199798.travel.blog/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/20200815_135007.jpg20200815_135007https://seoul199798.travel.blog/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/20190805_182549.jpg20190805_182549https://seoul199798.travel.blog/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/20200815_122912.jpg20200815_122912https://seoul199798.travel.blog/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/20191030_092348.jpg20191030_092348At Beomosa in Oct. 1999. (Photo:JCorvec)https://seoul199798.travel.blog/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/20190722_0835252.jpg20190722_083525~2At Changdeokgung Palace in October 1999. (Photo:JCorvec)https://seoul199798.travel.blog/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/20190921_065551.jpg20190921_065551https://seoul199798.travel.blog/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/20191019_135140.jpg20191019_135140https://seoul199798.travel.blog/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/20190726_185747.jpg20190726_185747https://seoul199798.travel.blog/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/20200116_104030.jpg20200116_104030https://seoul199798.travel.blog/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/20200116_104201.jpg20200116_104201The street behind where I lived in SongPa District in 1997/98.2026-02-14T20:59:18+00:00weekly0.6https://seoul199798.travel.blog/home/2026-02-14T18:42:06+00:00weekly0.6https://seoul199798.travel.blog/blog/2026-02-13T23:47:07+00:00weekly0.6https://seoul199798.travel.blog/2020/08/26/korean-coffee-and-tea-in-the-90s/https://seoul199798.travel.blog/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/screenshot_20260213_095902_chrome.jpgScreenshot_20260213_095902_ChromeYuja tea from vending machines helped me with the sinus trouble I had while I lived in Seoul. I bought little cups of it for W350 many, many times. You could buy large jars of this lemon tea that had rinds of lemons in a sweet, thick jelly. I see it in Canadian grocery stores sometimes, now. (Photo:Wikipedia.org/yujacha)https://seoul199798.travel.blog/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/1000003527.jpg1000003527They usually served instant coffee everywhere. No wonder Starbucks has become so popular!https://seoul199798.travel.blog/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/1000000639.jpg1000000639The coffee was instant coffee everywhere I went!2026-02-13T16:16:35+00:00monthlyhttps://seoul199798.travel.blog/2019/06/30/korea-in-1997-part-4/https://seoul199798.travel.blog/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/screenshot_20260207_123136_chrome-1.jpgScreenshot_20260207_123136_ChromeRecent photo taken from inside the tower, as you can see reflections in some glass. Now, people can view Seoul for free by standing on a wide, outdoor platform, but in the late 1990s, visitors had to go up inside the tower to see the city. Actually, both times I went there, I chose to buy a W5000 instant coffee in the expensive, rotating restaurant in order sit down while I enjoyed the scenery. Many buildings have changed since I was there, but it still looks the same to me. (Photo:TheSeoulGuide.com)https://seoul199798.travel.blog/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/screenshot_20260207_123136_chrome.jpgScreenshot_20260207_123136_ChromeView of the Northern part of Seoul from up inside the Tower. In the late 90's, there were some different buildings but to me, the view is the same now as it was then. (Photo:TheSeoulGuide)2026-02-12T13:25:20+00:00monthlyhttps://seoul199798.travel.blog/2026/02/03/things-that-stood-out-to-me/https://seoul199798.travel.blog/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/screenshot_20260206_021425_chrome.jpgScreenshot_20260206_021425_ChromePeople bowed to eachother a lot. I wasn't expected to bow. I saw that there were degrees of bows, like slight bows or deep ones and in between. Your profession or standing in society was taken into consideration when you were greeted and received bows. (StockPhoto:Shuttershock)2026-02-10T10:12:21+00:00monthlyhttps://seoul199798.travel.blog/2026/02/03/teaching-english-in-seoul-lessons-beyond-the-classroom/https://seoul199798.travel.blog/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/screenshot_20260128_013302_gallery-1.jpgScreenshot_20260128_013302_GalleryThe jewellery box is open. It's around 14cm long and 10cm high.https://seoul199798.travel.blog/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/screenshot_20260116_204212_photos.jpgScreenshot_20260116_204212_PhotosFamilies playing a Traditional game in Korea. Winter of 1997/98 (Photo:JCorvec)https://seoul199798.travel.blog/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/screenshot_20260118_220450_chrome.jpgScreenshot_20260118_220450_ChromeThe good luck beads in cars were often wooden ones.2026-02-09T16:10:38+00:00monthlyhttps://seoul199798.travel.blog/2019/06/27/seoul-in-1997-part-3/2026-02-03T03:35:59+00:00monthlyhttps://seoul199798.travel.blog/2019/09/12/korea-in-1999-part-12/2026-01-29T21:52:05+00:00monthlyhttps://seoul199798.travel.blog/2019/12/17/busan-in-oct-1999-part-14/2026-01-29T21:45:11+00:00monthlyhttps://seoul199798.travel.blog/2019/07/10/seoul-in-1997-part-6/https://seoul199798.travel.blog/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/screenshot_20260129_020735_chrome.jpgScreenshot_20260129_020735_ChromeIt was like this every night all over Seoul. (Photo:ChaYong-zoo)2026-01-29T07:30:47+00:00monthlyhttps://seoul199798.travel.blog/2019/06/16/at-first/https://seoul199798.travel.blog/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/screenshot_20220118-065815.jpgscreenshot_20220118-0658152026-01-29T05:47:28+00:00monthlyhttps://seoul199798.travel.blog/2019/07/15/seoul-in-1997-part-7/2026-01-20T00:06:37+00:00monthlyhttps://seoul199798.travel.blog/2019/10/31/busan-in-1999-part-13/https://seoul199798.travel.blog/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/screenshot_20260119_205742_pinterest.jpghot_20260119_205742_PinterestSometimes, I'd see pigs' faces on tables for sale. Just the faces! Can you see the pig's head on the left of this photo? I also saw pigs' knuckles and feet for sale in places. This is at a market in Daegu nowadays. (Photo:GRRRLTraveler)2026-01-16T15:59:56+00:00monthlyhttps://seoul199798.travel.blog/2019/07/05/seoul-in-1997-part-5/2026-01-03T22:46:14+00:00monthlyhttps://seoul199798.travel.blog/2019/08/26/korea-in-1999-part-11/2026-01-01T22:50:33+00:00monthlyhttps://seoul199798.travel.blog/2019/08/04/seoul-in-october1999-part-10/2025-06-23T13:22:55+00:00monthlyhttps://seoul199798.travel.blogdaily1.02026-04-19T13:38:20+00:00