A Journey for my Seoul: Back in Seoul

Yesterday Saturday 9/29

We had planned on going to Nampodong (an area in Pusan) for shopping, some sightseeing stuff and cloud mandu soup, but when we started thinking about timing, it would be rushing so we decided to stay at Haeundae Beach and just relax. Amanda and I took a walk along the beach, but we did go over our time limit a bit. We said goodbye to Ginger and hopped on the subway. We started counting subway stops and realized we would miss our train if we stayed on the subway. We got off at the next station and grabbed a taxi there. As it was, we made it to the station, collected our tickets, found the train and sat down 9 minutes to departure time. *Whew*

The train ride was not too exciting. The best part was when there was a 2 year old sitting in front of us and she stood up on the seat and made faces back and forth with us. We 'played' with her for a good 10 minutes before she told us "bye bye!" and got off the train. After she left, a young man turned towards us and said, "I think she really liked you two!" Then Amanda and I had a conversation with him-it was really neat because I have not really encountered overly friendly-conversation starting Koreans before. Turns out he had interned in Poland, so I think he understood what it felt like to be the foreigner in another country and how meaningful it is to have someone say some kind words and make you feel welcomed.

We made it back safely to the guesthouse and I was so exhausted I passed out almost right away. (All those days-er nights- of not sleeping must have caught up with me!!)

Toes in the sand at Haeundae Beach

Amanda trying out the "sand blaster" thing

*WHEW* We made the train!!

TODAY
I finally really slept! I still woke up quite early, but I got a good 8 hours I think-pretty much uninterrupted too. Amanda and I went out for breakfast, but it was about 8am on a holiday on a Sunday. We did not find much open. In the end, we decided on McDonalds. We came back to the guesthouse and got ready for the day. First stop was Gyeongbok Palace. We got lucky! It was free admission because of Chuseok (the Korean holiday that started Saturday and goes til Monday; it follows the lunar calendar and is about family, ancestors, food, harvest stuff...). We walked around the palace grounds a bit and then heard music so started walking that direction. Turns out in front of the Folk Museum (on the grounds) there were booths set up to celebrate/have events for the holiday. We dressed up in hanboks (traditional Korean dress) and got our pictures taken and then decorated a paper frame for it. We went through part of the Folk Museum, but got hungry so left for lunch.We went to a nice sandwich place and both got a "Bulgogi Hogie" hehe. We walked back towards the palace and realized that the changing of the guards was about to begin so we were in time to catch that! Then we went to the Palace Museum on our way out of the palace grounds. Next off to Sarangchae-a modern overview of the history and culture of Korea/Seoul/presidents; it has a lot of interactive exhibits. After that "museum" we decided to do a little bit more walking around; it was 3pm and we were starting to hit that wall of tiredness. However, as we were walking towards Gwanghwamun Plaza, we saw more tents and heard more music and caught the beginning of another cultural event to celebrate chuseok. It was pretty neat. We decided to also duck into the performing arts buildings to see if we could find a schedule/information about any shows, but they told us there weren't any in English. We were stopped randomly by an elderly gentleman who told us "my wife had baby today". It was kind of random and surprising, but we think maybe he just wanted to practice his English with us.

We headed towards Cheongyecheon to find somewhere to get a drink and sit, but saw Baskin Robins and decided ice cream sounded good. Again, by Cheongyecheon there were booths set up and a stage with performers practicing music. It was very cool. We walked along Cheongyecheon and then decided it was time to head back and get dinner. We were on the subway and missed our stop because we were chatting, but the next stop isn't that far, so we walked (which our plan was to go walk to find a particular restaurant anyway) back, but did not see the restaurant. So we went to the guesthouse to get an address/more information on the location. Turns out the name is on the inside part of the building, so you can only see the sign if you are coming from the opposite direction....We ate at Mad for Garlic-a very Amanda and Amy kind of restaurant. It was very good, but they do not give to-go boxes so we ended up sitting a bit longer til we could finish eating. We stopped at a muffin shop to get breakfast and a little treat for Mr. Lee (he gave us each a peach earlier in the day).