Day 3 - Seoul

 It is hot today…you can feel the difference over yesterday. There isn’t as much cloud cover but the humidity levels is still very high. Dave and I make the Starbucks run this morning and then we take our time getting ready. We had such a full day yesterday, we don’t have much left on our must do list other than getting to the Gangnam Neighbourhoods. 

We head out and take the train to what we think is a nearby station to the Gangnam statue which is famous of course for the song “Gangnam Style” by PSY.  We never do end up finding this…the heat makes my will to persevere wither up. The pictures online will have to do! 

It’s about an hour by train and most of this is above ground this time which is nice as it gives us a chance to see more of the City. 

The heat is so bad and the jet lag seems worse today so we aren’t fairing well. We stop in a massive Samsung store (think Apple) and grab a cold drink and rest. The girls are getting cranky! Lol. We aren’t far from the Coex Mall and so we make it the last kilometre or so and head inside. It is a massive mall and its the weekend so its super busy. We grab some lunch at a Pho place and then wonder around. The library is breathtaking. I’ve never seen anything like it. 

We decide that we will visit the Aquarium in the mall next to stay indoors as long as possible. It’s definitely good, but the reality is that the Vancouver Aquarium is just so superior to most aquariums, that it kind of spoils us for most other places. The shark tank is pretty cool and they have a lot of neat species….including a beaver which we stop to say hello to for awhile…it is Canada Day after all. 

After grabbing a popsicle from a vending machine (so cool!)…we head home as Brian and Robert are flying in and we plan to meet them and then head out for dinner. We get back and have a quick shower and some rest and once they arrive we head back to Saugus for dinner at a Korean BBQ place that we found online.

It is called Taemu and they bring out wood boxes with charcoal and you order beef and veggies and scallops and grill them yourself at your table. The meat is amazing and it’s great feast. 

By the time we finish eating, the streets of Sangsu are bustling with nightlife. We find the main pedestrian street and walk back to the station this way instead. 

There are street performers and nightclubs and shops. We wander down the road and grab some ice cream which we managed to successfully order by screen in Korean! The scene here is amazing and I’m really taken by the incredible night life. Again…in another lifetime our evening would have been a bit different I think! Haha. 

We get back and it’s time to pack up and get organized for our very early departure tomorrow. 

I’ve really enjoyed our time in Seoul. The City is incredibly neat and tidy and I love the mix of the old traditional elements alongside the modern. For whatever reason it seems to work cohesively and doesn’t feel jarring at all. The subway system while massive and daunting was again organized and clean and overall our experience was fantastic. I’m really glad we tacked on the extra days here. 

Day 2 - Seoul

***photos to follow…internet is too slow***
The arrival time in Seoul was great actually. By the time we landed at around 4:30 and got through immigration and made our way to our accommodation, it was already evening. We  had grabbed some snacks but I only made it until about 8:30pm and then went to bed.  This arrival time means not such a difficult fight against the jet lag. 

Looking at the forecast for the following days while we are in Seoul, today is the cooler of the two so we are hoping to make the most of it. Despite being wide awake between 2-3:30am, most of us manage to sleep until 6:30am or so and Bruce manages to find a Starbucks close by to fuel us. 

I packed some granola bars and trail mix just in case I couldn’t fin anything to eat while I’m here. This is my first time on a big travel since being diagnosed as a celiac and it has had me a little worried honestly. I did some research ahead of time and think I’ll be ok, but with language barriers it’s hard to know what might be hidden in things, so I figured I should have some snacks just in case. 

I have a long list of places to visit so we get an early start. It takes us a little while to figure out how to buy the train tickets, but we quickly become very proficient. It’s about $1.80 for a single ride to anywhere in the City. You just have to make sure you don’t go outside the turnstiles or you are paying again! 

First stop is the Gyeongbokgung Palace where we watch the changing of the guard ceremony at 10am, we then spend time wondering around the palace grounds. People are dressed in beautiful Korean dresses which we gather you can rent to wear around. The girls didn’t want to…I asked! Wouldn’t they look beautiful though. Haha. 

While the temperature is milder today, do not be fooled, it’s pushing 30 and the humidity level is off the charts. That’s the kicker. Thankfully the metro trains are air conditioned, so we get a break when we finally head back down underground. 

We then take the train to the Insa-Dong Neighbourhood and stop at a tea house for a drink and a snack and then wander the streets for a while popping in and out of shops and buying little odds and ends from street vendors. There is a wide array of stores selling traditional tea sets to modern clothing and jewelry. Fiona gets some K-pop stuff. She is a huge fan of the music and style of the younger people. 

We then head to the Cheonggyecheon Stream which is a beautiful ….. we go down below the street level and walk along the water. 

We realize it’s well past lunch and head to a Korean BBQ place to eat. They don’t speak English, but they start to place food in front of us and we manage to order some pork and steak and they grill it right in front of us. It’s delicious. First meal out and so far it’s clean and gluten free!

Next stop is the N Seoul Tower and Nam Mountain. The girls are starting to get tired but we are pushing on as we need to stay away today and beat the jetlag. We take the train to Myeongdong Station and then start the hike up to the base of the gondola. It’s a short ride up and at the top we are amazed by the lovers locks attached absolutely everywhere. It reminds us of the bridge in Prague. We rest at the top in the shade. The vantage over the city is pretty amazing, unfortunately it’s not super clear, but you still get a sense of the magnitude of the city. 

We head back down and then take the train to “Saugsu” station where we have promised Fiona that we will take her to the Meerkat Cafe. It’s definitely animals in small cages and that isn’t lost on us, however they appear to be all well cared for and well fed and the space is clean and tidy. We get to spend time with the Fox and their pups as well as Racoons (no way I was touching those crazy things - glorifying these ruthless Trash pandas was a sight to see), Meerkats of course and various other creatures. It was a good experience overall. 

We then head to a nearby pub and have a cold drink and some snacks. As we are leaving, and as the sun starts to set, we realize that we are in what must be a nightclub district. The bars are all starting to open up and we are getting a sense for a night scene which must be pretty amazing here. In a different time we would have definitely had a great time out in this area. 

We head back to our Airbnb. We grabbed some nice salads and snacks on the way home from Paris Baguette as our meals hadn’t all gone through on the iPads at the restaurant. That is the way that most restaurants seem to work here. They all have screens at the tables and you can order what you want from them and then it is brought to you. It’s great when they have an English optiion, but that isn’t always the case!

We walked nearly 20,000 steps today and the feet are definitely barking! Poor Dave is developing a blister from his new shoes, a good reminder to not buy new shoes two days before you leave on a heavy walking trip. I also did the same thing but so far I’m lucky and they are holding out…fingers crossed