Around the World in Analogue: Feeling "Seoul" and South Korea

South Korea’s rich culture both in and out of the capital makes the country a must-visit. Known mostly as the southern part of the Korean Peninsula, the country is known for its harmonious environment with both nature and technology. Fisheries, beaches, and its lush countrysides are also easily reachable destinations from Seoul. Lomographer Erwin Ang Jaya a.k.a. @nilwlr shares a recent trip to South Korea and his pleasurable time in its capital, Seoul, with his images and words.

In February 2021, I took my first trip to South Korea. It was an exchange student program that I joined from my university, that allowed me to go to Korea for a six-month period to study at one of the universities there. The exchange program itself was a lifetime experience for me, where I got a lot of international friends and new cultural insights, especially their beautiful city, Seoul. I have a lot of memories there and all of it I captured in my film camera, Pentax 90 WR. This film camera was given to me by my grandpa. So, all of the photos that I took in South Korea with that camera will always be extra special to me.

All of the people are so humble, even though there’s a language barrier between me and the local people. Their drinking culture is a new culture for me. Drinking with friends and co-worker are common things to do in Korea. Luckily, I can see and feel all of that culture by myself through the pandemic situation. The pandemic situation in Korea is handled pretty well. There’s a rule for all people to observe social distancing, by allowing just four people to sit together in public places. That rule is very effective, so people can still go around the city safely by applying that rule.

I would suggest you bring a lot of analogue film. It is because most of the film prices are so expensive in South Korea. And also the prices of scanning and developing are a little bit expensive too. So, just bring film as much as you can before you regret it because there’s a lot of beautiful places and moments waiting for you to be captured in South Korea.

There’s one place that I found so interesting and unique. It was an abandoned amusement park in Seoul. The name of the park is Yongma Land. I have mixed feelings when I visited the place. The feeling of fear and pleasure of being mixed up! I feel excited because I can take a lot of unique pictures there, but also I feel a little bit fear because there are a lot of creepy, old, and retro statues at the park. Overall, it was an amazing experience for me to took pictures there!

Another awesome photo hotspot is the Olympic Park in Seoul. There, you will find a unique sculpture and also a lot of trees that will be so awesome for the spring and fall season. The reason for me to choose this spot is because I took a lot of pictures there, and each of the pictures that I took has really cool vibes and personal meaning.

I would recommend trying Jjimdak while you’re there — it was one of my favorite Korean dishes. It is a dish that originated in the city of Andong. The dish itself is made with steamed chicken, glass noodles, rice cake, and various vegetables that were marinated in a ganjang-based sauce. It was so delicious! And don’t forget to add cheese. It is a must.

I think having photography as a hobby allows you to go traveling not just around the world, but also around your city. Because of the pandemic, it’s really hard to go around freely to take pictures. Some of the famous places that I wanted to visit in my city were all closed because of the pandemic. But luckily, the pandemic situation in my country, which is Indonesia, is already safe. So nowadays, I travel around the city and try to find hidden and fascinating places to visit and take a picture.

My next destination I think, will be Japan. Japan is one of the countries that I really want to visit and take a lot of pictures there. So, hopefully, all would go well for all of us so we can visit, travel around the world, take pictures and make more memories.

For more of Erwin's travels, visit his LomoHome.

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written by cielsan on 2021-12-17 #culture #places #around-the-world #seoul #south-korea #travel-photography #around-the-world-in-analogue