Chuseok in Seoul--Day 3

Friday, September 20^th

There was no determined plan set for our third day in Seoul, so we proceeded to come up with one when we all had managed to drag ourselves out of bed. We also found some breakfast at the convenience store next to the guest house, which is a popular spot to hang out and grab drinks for all the young people who visit the area. As I sat there at those dirty tables, still littered with the previous nights' cigarettes and red bull cans, I realized how much I missed a home cooked breakfast—eaten at home.

There were some conflicting interests amongst the 18 of us, so we broke up into even smaller groups so that we could all, more or less, do the things we wanted. I had no set idea of what I felt like doing, so I tagged along with three of my friends to go on a walk around the area we were staying in. One of the girls wanted to see a particular building that is the headquarters of one of her favorite companies, so we took a nice walk to a nearby neighborhood.

After seeing the building we decided to explore another famous part of Seoul known as Itaewon. As I stepped into the sunlight out of the subway tunnel, I felt a little like I had left Korea. Itaewon is famous for the incredibly diverse, international mix of dining, shopping and entertainment that all coexists in that city. I saw a large population of Middle-Eastern inhabitants in particular. If I had the time and money, I would have loved to try every single ethnic restaurant.

We decided to search for lunch, and although there were so many options it seemed we could not quite agree on what seemed best. Despite the many cultures represented in Itaewon, I found myself eating Taco Bell. Well, it tasted just about the same as it does in the states! Refreshing and familiar.

After lunch we decided to head back to the guest house where we rested a bit and caught up on what the other groups were doing. Then I went with another friend to meet up with one of our groups in an area known as Dongdaemun. This is yet another place known for its markets and shopping. As night descended we strolled around the area and took a look at all the interesting street vendors.

Once we were done we hopped on the subway and rode it back to Hongdae, our home base. It was getting later in the evening at that point which meant that the night life was creeping back to the surface of Seoul with all of the noises and smells that are similar, yet different, from those of the day time.

At that point I accompanied my friends to another peculiar attraction—the Hello Kitty Cafe. I am not sure I have ever seen that much pink in my life. I drank a sweet potato latte surrounded by an overwhelming atmosphere of cute, pink décor. It was a little bit strange to me but certainly fun.

After the Hello Kitty Cafe, we wandered the busy streets again with no particular goal other than just to see what there was to see. Then we met up with a friend from school and went out to get some patbingsu, which is Korean shaved ice. It is very fine ice, like snow, topped with various things like fruit or chocolate. Very tasty, and a fun time with friends to end the day.

Thanks for reading! Hoping to be done with Seoul and move onto other things very soon.

Chuseok Holiday Trip to Seoul--Day 2

Thursday, September 19^th

Our second day in Seoul dawned and found us preparing for another day of sight-seeing. The first item on our agenda was Gyeongbokgung Palace. This palace is famous as one of the largest and grandest, and although it was destroyed during the Japanese invasion it has been fully restored.

That morning we set out once more through the subway system, and just about missed our first train. We came so close to missing it, in fact, that the doors started to shut on me while I was trying to get on. That was a first! Though thankfully, even if we had not made it we would not have had to wait too long before the next one.

A couple transfers later we arrived at the palace site. Because of the holiday entrance was free, which also meant huge crowds. It was a stiflingly hot day with not a cloud in the pale blue sky. I was reminded of my home in Texas, though I can't say that the heat made me homesick.

At first I thought it would only take a short amount of time to see everything, but I soon realized that the palace grounds were much larger than I expected. Down every path there was a new building to see which led to another new building and so forth. As always, I loved the intricacy of the architecture.

In addition to the sights of the palace, they were also holding demonstrations of traditional Korean dancing and singing. There were booths set up for children to do various crafts and activities, and they were passing out some tteok (pronounced like “dukk”) which is a kind of rice cake especially common around the time of Chuseok.

We spent a couple hours wandering around Gyeongbokgung, but after a few hours of walking under the blazing sun on an empty stomach, we decided that it was time to move on. It took awhile to reform our group, but we reconvened and made a plan for the next step. It was on to Insadong next.

This is what Insadong is:

“Insa-dong Street is one of the most memorable attractions in Seoul and represents the focal point of Korean traditional culture and crafts. Stores in Insa-dong specialize in a wide variety of goods that can only be purchased or appreciated in Korea: hanbok (traditional clothing), hanji (traditional paper), traditional teas, pottery, and folk crafts.” (http://www.visitkorea.or.kr/enu/SH/SH_EN_7_2_2_1.jsp)

Lunch time had already come and gone, but we needed a place to eat before we walked through Insadong. It was incredibly crowded which made it difficult to find a restaurant with room for us. The growling in our stomachs spurred us onward, and we ended up finding a very nice little place down a side street. It was a small place with all the usual Korean dishes, and decorated in a very pleasant and old fashioned manner. I ordered Bulgogi in a stone pot. I have to say, it was incredibly delicious.

Refreshed by the food, we braved the crowded street once more. We mostly stuck to window shopping which was fine with me. We also got to see a lot of street food, including this very unique way of eating ice cream:

They break off those long cones and fill them with ice cream, so you it's like you have a tube of ice cream. The cone is corn based, and really very good. The people selling them must have made a killing, because it seemed like everyone was enjoying one.

In addition to shopping, there were also street musicians. I admit to having a deep fondness for street musicians. There was a violinist who was particularly good. I was very sad when he put up his instrument and left.

Before leaving Insadong, I found myself a cozy coffee shop and ordered a chocolate espresso. Small, but a very tasty and refreshing drink. It was also good to sit down in a quiet place for a bit.

While waiting for the entire group to make it back to the appointed meeting place, we got to watch more street musicians and a man making giant bubbles for the delight of the children gathered.

We decided to head to Han river next, and as the sun set we hopped onto another subway. It was night when we arrived at the riverside, and all of the lights were aglow amid the rippling water. The park beside the water was really lovely. There were fountains, benches, grass, and families all enjoying the cool night breeze together or watching street magicians. It was really a peaceful place, with the moon high above us and the lapping of the water beside us. A snack of squid only added to the atmosphere.

I was a little sorry to leave the riverside, but also so exhausted that I was grateful to return to our home base. Once more I found myself eating a late dinner from a convenience store and then sleeping deeply.

It was a long, hot day but once more productive. My favorite parts were the street musicians and the river. I find places like Gyeongbokgung and Insadong very interesting and enjoyable because of the way they are steeped in culture (both old and new), but at the end of the day I like nothing better than to sit in some grass and enjoy a peaceful scene.

Thanks for reading! More to come. Sorry if the posts are slow--I am still a college student, even here in Korea, with homework to keep up on. Thanks!

Chuseok Holiday Trip to Seoul--Day 1

Tuesday September 17^th was a long day for me seeing as I was in class from 10 a.m. to 5:15 p.m. But there was no resting after my last class let out, because I had just about an hour to finish packing a suitcase and then find the bus that would take dozens of Handong students to Seoul for the Chuseok holiday.

Chuseok is the Korean equivalent to Thanksgiving where family members gather together to eat and celebrate the harvest. Well, for me Chuseok meant a five day vacation from school. The university was almost completely shut down during this time so it was the most convenient opportunity to go to the capital of South Korea—the concrete jungle of Seoul.

At 6:30 the buses were rolling out of Handong and I settled down for the five hour trip. There is not much to be said about the journey because the darkness of night hid the scenery. We arrived in Seoul fairly late in the evening, but the trip was not yet over. There were about eighteen of us internationals who were all going to be staying in the same guest house. So with the help of two Korean friends we navigated the subway system. It was tiring having to transfer trains several times and haul luggage up and down long flights of stairs, but eventually we made it to our guest house in the area of Seoul known as Hongdae.

It was past midnight when we arrived at “Mr. Kim's Friends” guest house. I discovered that I would be staying in the basement portion of the establishment and sharing a room with seven other people. Also, our room was painted neon green.

Entrance to our temporary abode. Kind of cave-like

To our consternation, we discovered that the price that had been agreed upon before we came was now higher. Well, I knew I could not pay the higher price and the rest of us were in the same boat. One of the members of our group who happens to be Korean American ended up having a conversation with the guest house owner in which he managed to talk the price down. I was very grateful. It ended up being a very late night, and I had to shower without hot water, but I did sleep deeply when at last my head hit the pillow.

Wednesday, September 18^th

9 a.m. rolled around and found me reluctant to climb out of bed, but we had a full day ahead of us to get started on. Our group of eighteen split into two groups during the day, and my group was heading out to meet up with a Korean friend from school. It was time to see Seoul!

We set out for the subway station and with the help of a couple maps we made it onto all of the right subways. At 11a.m. we joined our Korean friend who led us into the insanity that is known as Myeong-dong. Myeong-dong is a famous shopping district of Seoul. With all of the department stores towering above me and the massive crowds pushing in on all sides, I was reminded a bit of Tokyo. There were more stores, restaurants and cafes than I could comprehend. I couldn't help but wonder how one could possibly need that much shopping, but by the sheer number of people engaged in that activity I concluded that other people probably think differently.

After pushing our way through the overflowing streets of Myeong-dong for awhile we found a nice, out of the way Korean place to have lunch at. It was a good meal and welcome quiet.

Once our stomachs were full we decided to split up and rejoin at an appointed time. Our small group decided to do a bit of sight-seeing instead of shopping, which was perfectly fine with me. We stopped to buy a Korean sugar cookie from a street vendor. This is what it looks like:

If you manage to punch out the shape of the little man without breaking the rest of the cookie, you get another cookie for free. We broke ours, so no free cookie. It was tasty though.

We made our way to Sungnyemun Gate, a traditional Korean structure that sits proudly amongst the skyscrapers of modern Seoul.

It was a sunny day, so after seeing the gate we stopped to get a drink. I discovered coffee soda, and had to try it. It was actually very good—just like root beer, but with coffee.

Next we got to take a look at the outside of Deoksugung Palace. It cost money to venture inside so we contended ourselves with watching a parade and taking pictures beside the unmoving, statue-like guards.

On our way back to meet up with the others we encountered something I found a bit strange, but fun—trampolines set up on the lawn in front of Myeong-dong city hall that were open for anyone to use. Little children and businessmen alike were enjoying some bouncing.

By the time we made it back to the main shopping street of Myeong-dong to reconvene, I was feeling the effects of the stifling heat. To combat the discomfort, I tried some delicious green tea ice cream. Our group reformed itself and we headed to the bus station for our next destination—Namsun Tower, otherwise known as Seoul Tower.

One crowded bus trip and a steep uphill walk later, we arrived. The view of Seoul was breathtaking from such a height, and it was refreshing to be amongst trees and in view of mountains again.

I was educated on one of the traditions of the tower—lock and key. Apparently it is tradition for couples to buy a lock and key, attach it to somewhere on the observation area, and then throw away the key. There must have been thousands of locks all piled on top of each other!

We decided to ascend the tower at night so that we could see the neon glow of Seoul. After waiting awhile and then eating dinner, we bought our tickets and took the elevator to the top. It was a worthwhile view. From so far away Seoul looked beautiful, like a million fireflies all trapped in a sea of velvet. Much more peaceful than being down in the streets!

After we got our fill of the view, we headed back to our guest house. It was late by the time we made it back, and we were all very tired. But it had been a productive day, and a good introduction to Seoul. I did no shopping, but was fine with getting to see the sights and take pictures of it all. Although the city can be overwhelming to this small town girl, I had fun experiencing something new. Namsun tower was my favorite part of our first day.

This concludes day one of my Chuseok holiday blog series. Look out for the next one soon! And if you want more of the pictures I will have them all up on Facebook in an album specifically for the Chuseok holiday.

Thank you for reading!