FUJIFILM X-Pro3 (14mm, f/3.2, 1/3000 sec, ISO160)

Part II of my first walk outside after Covid-19. I was still coughing, it was hot and humid and it was hard for me to breathe underneath my mask. But I was free!

Late August in Seoul, Korea. The day before I finally left my quarantine hotel and checked in in a regular hotel again. A very nice room with a big, room high window, laundry and room service. I felt like I was in heaven. After a real breakfast in a real breakfast room I moved out to visit a temple and a palace that I haven’t visited on my previous trips.

It was Saturday but there were hardly any people around not at the temple that I just visited nor in this palace, the Changgyeonggung Palace. This palace is less popular than the bigger Gyeongbokgung Palace (that I have covered here already before) but it’s also an impressive location.

FUJIFILM X-Pro3 (23mm, f/8, 1/140 sec, ISO160)
FUJIFILM X-Pro3 (14mm, f/5.6, 1/600 sec, ISO160)
FUJIFILM X-Pro3 (14mm, f/10, 1/125 sec, ISO250)
FUJIFILM X-Pro3 (14mm, f/5.6, 1/500 sec, ISO160)
FUJIFILM X-Pro3 (23mm, f/8, 1/280 sec, ISO160)

Maybe the reason why there were no people around was the heat and the humidity. I spent seven days in my air conditions prison cell (I mean my windowless quarantine hotel) and went out only to purchase food in the convent store across the street. I was still recovering from Covid and I was not ready for this climate. I took some images and I walked very slowly but I got tired soon.

Tired and dehydrated. I stopped at a small cafe for a bottle of water and a bottle of coke. I drank both within a minute and watched the sweat on my arms. I was tired, it was hot and humid and the sound of thousands of cicadas hurt my ears but I can still remember how happy I was at that moment. I was happy to finally be out among people again and happy that I would fly back home soon.

FUJIFILM X-Pro3 (23mm, f/4, 1/60 sec, ISO1250)
FUJIFILM X-Pro3 (14mm, f/8, 1/100 sec, ISO160)

I traveled a lot for business and leisure but luckily this was only the second time that I got sick. It’s not good to get sick far away from home and even though I knew after the first two nights that I would not need to go to a hospital it was still a tough experience. But I got real great support from one of my distribution partners. That helped me a lot to get through quarantine.

Now almost one year later I truly hope that we have left this behind and that we won’t experience another pandemic anytime soon.

FUJIFILM X-Pro3 (14mm, f/8, 1/210 sec, ISO160)