Friday, Nov 16

I think I forgot to mention that Mt. Seorak National Park is located on the North Eastern side of South Korea. It is close to the East Sea--and many Koreans go there on New Year's Eve to watch the sunrise on the new year for good luck.

I woke up and was able to snap a few pictures of the sunrise--or the sun after it was partly up. We had a nice buffet breakfast at the hotel and then loaded the buses and went to an area called "Jeongdongjin" Beach. There was a nice overlook on a bluff. We also went to "Sun Cruise Hotel" which is a hotel shaped and decorated like a cruise ship. There, we were able to go to the 9th floor for an observation deck to have a nice view of the area.

We loaded the buses again and were off back to Seoul. We stopped for lunch. It was a tofu stew with little shrimpies in it--I just ate my rice and the side dishes. The highlight of the stop was not the lunch, but the 2 dogs chained up outside the restaurant. There was also a little puppy walking around too. :) It made me miss my Toby-baby though!

When we arrived back at Kyunghee University, it was drizzling. I walked back and tried to decide what to do for the evening. I picked going to downtown Seoul to find a cafe to have dinner. I wandered around and finally picked a chain, Holly's Coffee for a bulgogi sandwich and a white hot chocolate. It was funny because they were playing Christmas music--but my favorite style--Bing Crosby era. Anyway, after I ate and finished my drink, I wandered back to my dorm and headed to bed--what a long day!

Sunrise over the EAST Sea

Waves crashing

At the very edge!

The girls in my class

Boat Hotel

Best part of our lunch stop was these furry faces!

And then it got better cause this puppy showed up!!

Back in Seoul

Gyeongbok Palace lit up at night

The new City Hall in the background