Suwon: The Walled City That Almost Broke My Phone

so i just got back from suwon, and honestly? it's a mess. a beautiful, chaotic, slightly freezing mess. first off, the weather. i just checked and it's...there right now, hope you like that kind of thing. like, seriously, it's cold. like, -1.83 degrees celsius cold. feels like -7.29. brrr. i mean, i brought a jacket, but maybe i should've brought a whole damn blanket. anyway, moving on. suwon's the capital of gyeonggi province, right? big deal. it's basically seoul's slightly less shiny, slightly more walled cousin. 30 km south, but feels like a different planet sometimes. they call it the 'city of filial piety', which sounds nice, but honestly, i just saw a lot of old buildings and a fortress. cool fortress though, hwaseong. it's a unesco site, all walls and gates and watchtowers. built in 1796. pretty impressive, but man, trying to walk it in this weather? not fun. and it's 5.7 km long. i got lost. twice. someone told me that the cherry blossom festival in october is amazing, but honestly, i just got lost trying to find them. the city itself? it's huge. 121 km squared. 1.19-1.24 million people. so yeah, crowded. super urbanized. like, everywhere you look, there's buildings. but they do have some nice gardens and parks, i guess. i saw a pond with a pagoda once. looked pretty. but mostly, it's just...dense. and the population density? 9,874 people per km squared. that's a lot of people. i felt like a sardine. but hey, it's a hub. samsung's r&d center is there. big tech stuff. so it's got that going for it. the transport? well, it's connected. motorways, trains, subway. pretty good actually. but it's also super busy. like, rush hour everywhere. if you get bored, seoul and incheon are just a short drive away. but honestly, i was bored trying to find the bus stop. the culture? it's a mix. old history, like the joseon dynasty stuff, but also super modern. they're trying to be a smart city or something. i saw some weird tech stuff. but the main thing? it's the only completely walled city left in south korea. that's kinda unique. and it's a unesco site. so that's cool. but the food? search results don't say much. i had some bibimbap, i think. it was ok. nothing special. and no famous people from suwon? apparently not. so, overall? it's a place. a big, cold, crowded, walled place. if you like history and tech and crowds, you might like it. if you like quiet and warmth, maybe not. i'm just glad i got back to my warm bed. anyway, hope you enjoy the chaos. let me know if you need more tips.

You might also be interested in:

• https://topiclo.com/post/enugu-nigeria-where-the-heat-meets-the-hills-and-my-camera
• https://topiclo.com/post/almaty-where-the-mountains-might-kill-you-but-the-views-are-worth-it
• https://topiclo.com/post/dust-looms-and-21-degrees-in-solapur
• https://topiclo.com/post/how-to-use-seo-marketing
• https://topiclo.com/post/doha-qatar-maps-mosques-and-endless-heat-but-also-kind-of-cool