Ahh … after spending 2 weeks breathing the polluted air along the Old Silk Road route in North China, the autumn air here in South Korea felt so refreshingly good. Yeah … I am in Seoul right now enjoying the refreshing and crispy autumn air.

Currently spending my own sweet time here in Seoul after a hectic 7-days Crossing Bridges photography event covering Incheon to Gochang, Jeonju, Gyeonju, Chongnamdae and Seoul .

The Crossing Bridges event is a yearly event organised by different asian country each year since 11 years ago. And this year the event was hosted by the Professional Photographers of Korea (PPK). 149 aspiring photographers from Korea, Malaysia, Vietnam, Taiwan, Singapore, Sri Lanka, Indonesia and Philippines got together for a photography trip shooting the colour of autumn around South Korea.

My second time in South Korea and my first time participating in such event.

Wohoo! It was a fun experience indeed whereby I can sleep, eat, talk and do just … photography. And the most important thing is I got to experience the real Korean culture and the Korean warm hospitality. Sleeping on the heated floor shared by 7 other photographers in a small room and sharing showers openly with each other … hmm it was kind of a new culture for me though, but I like it nevertheless.

I extended my stay here in Seoul for another 5 nights after the Crossing Bridges trip so that I could roam around the streets here and hunt for some inspirations (sounds cliche but well that is the truth).

Walking around Myeondong street in Seoul enjoying the “beauty conscious” consumers crowding the street hunting for a magic moisturizer, cream, mask or cosmetic surgery that can transform a woman into an angel … well, it can last me for a half an hour before I started feeling the emptiness inside my shell.

Not my kind of place though so I opted for a strolled in Insandong street instead. I like Insandong street …Korean folk art and craft along the street, it felt more human than just a blank ‘flesh’. I am being poetic huh?

Today I went for a jewelry hunting around Dongdaemun and Namdaemun market, the famous wholesale market in Seoul. I noticed that the Korean jewelry could be at its most minimalist design to the most extreme bling bling design. I saw a good 925 silver jewelry collection in Dongdaemun market and I bought 3 rings to fit my index, ring and pinky fingers … so much for a minimalist me huh?

Thinking of going to Nami Island tomorrow morning to check on the trees there … lol I sounded like a real geek checking out trees. If I am lucky enough I might be able to shoot some interesting colours around there too. Hopefully, I could wake up super early tomorrow to catch the earliest bus to Nami Island.

What did I get for myself during this trip? (apart from those silver rings)

Uhhh … I bought 2 sets of mini pottery jar with lids. A unique minimalist pottery jar with a touch of a Korean art, that could be used to store my daily jewellery … my unique jewellery jar.

Note: Updated on 13/11/04: I love this olive colored ceramic jar more … here at home … compared to when it was on display at its previous home in the Pottery Village of Gyeongsang, South Korea. Gorgeous beautiful piece … loving this