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It rains a lot in Vancouver but I don’t mind. It isn’t great for taking photos (hence all the washed out grey skies) but I enjoy the ambience just the same. Here are a bunch of photos from my wanderings around Mount Pleasant and the False Creek area of Vancouver in the fall of 2012. It may not seem as if this is a beautiful city but it truly is; I just happen to be drawn to the more run-down things I see in my travels.

This post collects my final thoughts about my trip to Seoul, South Korea, in April 2012. To write these posts I have been working from a series of letters I sent home to family and friends as well as some notes I jotted down while still in Seoul. Not everything fit into previous posts but there are a few things I still wish to share. Expect to read an assortment of anecdotes and fleeting impressions from the remainder of my stay in the South Korean capital.

I spent a great deal of my time in Seoul wandering around after dark. Here are some of the images I captured in that time, invariably a mix of glowing neon lights and empty alleyways.

I enjoyed a sublime stroll through Bukchon Hanok Village one afternoon while visiting Seoul. Hanok is the word used to describe the traditional style of Korean homes visible in many of the photos below. I have also included some shots from Gyeongbokgung and nearby Unhyeongung, a 19th century royal residence.

Last time I wrote about my experiences with the dark side of Seoul. This time I will pick up where I left off to share some my more inspirational experiences in South Korea’s capital, especially within the scenic Bukchon Hanok Village 북촌한옥마을 (Hanja: 北村韓屋마을).

Today the weather changed. Rain has given way to light snow, strong winds, and subarctic temperatures. Gusts of up to 60 km/h have rattled windows and knocked over street furniture. After drying my shoes from the previous night’s misadventures I left my hostel for Insadong, intent on grabbing a hearty breakfast, but as the minutes began to drag I only allowed myself time to grab one of those delicious mung bean pancakes and a coffee. I didn’t know it at the time but I was bound for one of the darker parts of Seoul.

These images were captured in the Jongno-gu of Seoul, mainly in Insadong, an upscale, artsy neighbourhood, and along Cheonggyecheon Stream.

Monday, my third day in Seoul, was a series of accidental misadventures and surprise insights. Despite the intensive scheduling of the previous day, much of what transpired was entirely unplanned. I woke up late and went to cash a bunch of traveller’s cheques that I had originally purchased for emergency use in India. It seemed like a simple enough task but it was anything but. I visited nearby Woori Bank where I was told to wait for a teller in the business section. I languished in a chair for a half hour with only a single person in front of me, a woman. The customers already being served by the tellers were taking their sweet time for no reason that I could discern. I waited patiently, not knowing what to make of it.

My time in Seoul has been far more hospitable thanks to the assistance of a family friend, Ellen, who teaches English here. I am extremely grateful that we met in this distant land. It is one thing to have a local guide to show you around and another thing entirely to have someone from your own culture who really understands your motivations for travel. It isn’t simply that we communicate well, though we do—she also gets my travelling style in a way that most people wouldn’t, not without a great deal of explanation.

Here is a collection of various photos I shot in and around Seoul. Most of these images were captured in the Seoul underground or Jongno-gu alleyways.