Stealing the Seoul of South Korea! Part 9

Day 9

Last full day in Seoul.

Started off the day with a standard American breakfast.  I almost cried tears of joy once I got my hands on the hotel's crisp smoked bacon (which was really good) and sausages.  Let's just say bacon and Western-style sausages in China are disappointing, and I had a good time eating what will probably be my last American breakfast for the next half a year.

I spoke to some friends via Skype before heading to my next destination: the War Memorial Museum of Korea.  It was pretty cold outside (later, I was told it was the coldest February 2nd in Seoul in years). I walked around the front part of the building which featured military vehicles, aircraft and monuments of the Korean War.

The Statue of Brothers: A South Korean officer meets his North Korean brother on the battlefield.  Hopes of reunification run high around this area of town...

The War Memorial Museum of Korea

Going inside, I started with the most obvious section of the displays.  The Korean War section was well laid out in a clean environment filled with English.  SK patriotism was unmissable. The museum focused on NK aggression and "Red" Chinese intervention. It mentioned the American war effort in Korea, although mainly focused on South Korean on North Korean/Chinese fighting.

Exhibit on the Intervention of the PRC during the Korean War

"Stand or Die."

Taken from the 38th Parallel

Aside from the Korean War area, there was an extensive ancient war history section.  Interestingly enough, Korea has been divided before, but they managed to get it together to create some long lasting dynasties...


That evening I had one last visit with Sue.  Whenever one of us is about to leave a place, we have the tendency of eating delicious food, followed by going up some sort of tower.  Last time we did this, we had good ol' Chinese American food in NYC's Chinatown followed by a view from the Rockefeller Center. This time, we had pizza at a Korean chain store followed with going up the N'Seoul Tower. 

Sue and I had a four-flavored pizza for dinner.

After dinner, we scaled the N'Seoul Tower.

There are so many relationship locks around N'Seoul,
they make trees out of them.

Seoul has become my favorite city in all Asia.

Writing to family on N'Seoul (notice new jacket from Lotte)

T minus 17 weeks...

Sue and I sharing our common interest of staring at cityscape at night.

Thanks Sue for being such an awesome friend!  When are you and Kwangseok coming to China!?

That pretty much concludes the second leg of my 2012 long holiday.  Seoul is such a great city to explore.  Practicing Korean martial arts, relaxing in coffee shops, and sitting in jjimjibang...my kind of place.  The only drawback I see is that it can sometimes become very lonely for single travelers, since the most interesting things in Seoul are done with groups of friends.  But Sue and Kwangseok were great friends and company...I just hope they feel the same way about me as I do them. 

I can see myself living in Seoul for a few years...maybe sometime in the far future?  Also, I should probably come back to explore the rest of South Korea.  I've merely scratched the surface of this interesting country.


Seoul, South Korea, 사랑해. I'll be back for sure.


Up Next...Thailand with Cathy!!!

Stealing the Seoul of South Korea! Part 8

My home stay "Mama" and me

 Today was my last day at Mama's home stay.  Needless to say, it was a sad moment.  I grew so accustomed to life around Myeong Dong, I told her that I would return one day for sure...hopefully with my girlfriend if possible.

After breakfast, I packed up and was ready to go, but Mama gave me and the other home stay guests coupons for the local jjimjibang downstairs.  I figured why not?  I went down before checking out of Mama's. I had a few hours before my new hotel, the Grand Ambassador, would allow me to check in anyways.

The place was split into two parts: a segregated hot tub area and a co-ed sauna. Like in a Japanese onsen, I had to go naked.  There were cold, a medium and a hot temperature pools.  I went in in that order.  After that, I went into the co-ed saunas.  There were 19, 40 and 80 degree Celsius rooms. The 40 degree room was covered in heated pebbles.  I found a spot, buried my  feet, laid down, and fell asleep for who knows how long.  I ended with another dip into the hot tubs.  I went in there after breakfast, but by the time I came out it was about 2 or 3 PM.

Jjimjibang are made for 1 thing only: relaxation. Apparently, I could have stayed for as long as I wanted.  People even sleep, eat, or drink on mats in the coed common area.  Jjimjibang are great. I totally should have gone to more of them while in Seoul.

Before leaving Mama's, she gave me something interesting: packaged chocolate cakes.  I was confused.  Maybe she thought I couldn't get such things in China (where there is a plethora of this sort of food).  But then I remembered something Sue told me about those cakes while walking around a supermarket at the World Cup stadium.  Parents usually give their sons chocolate cakes before they depart for mandatory military service.  I was honored.  I suppose Mama and her family saw me as a son-type figure.

Choco-cakes. Apparently, I was like family.

The Ambassador Hotel was pretty expensive...I'm not gonna lie.  One of my solo traveling "traditions" is to splurge on a nice hotel before I leave a country.  However, they upgraded me to a bigger bed for free (which is typical of off-season), gave me breakfast for 2 days at their expensive-ass restaurant, and 2 drink tickets at the bar.  Maybe they were desperate for guests.  I went up to my hotel room and melted in the soft pillows.

My awesome hotel room. As you can see from the sheets, I was quite
tired after relaxing in a jjimjibang. I fell asleep in broad daylight.

A few hours later, I decided to go get some Thai baht for my upcoming leg to Thailand.  After that, I chose the Namdaemun Market to explore (unfortunately, I have no pictures, but let's just say I got some "drinks" to bring back to China).  I also made my way back to Insadong, where I picked up some cheap things for my students and no so cheap things for my apartment.

In the evening, I went back down to Gangnam to go visit with Sue and Kwangseok.  Kwangseok works to the south just past Seoul. Unfortunately, the city is not accessible to him on weekdays, but he made the bus ride out nonetheless.  Having dinner with them again was great.  But thinking about this moment in retrospect makes me more determined to find travel partners for Cathy and myself...so we all can go hang out in cool places around Asia and eat out at delicious restaurants like the one in the pics below.  You reading this, Sue?

Funny-looking appetizer crisps

A popular SK dine-out: garlic fried chicken with beer

My awesome friends from Seoul: Sue and Kwangseok

Alas, I as a privileged Westerner, who gets ridiculous amounts of time off work (especially as an expat teacher), will probably have to do most of my traveling from now on either solo or with other foreigners. Cathy has expressed that she doesn't have the time or money to come with me on my epic journeys.  Likewise, my friend Joyce in Japan claimed the Japanese work long and hard with few vacations.  Sue told me Koreans just don't have the time to travel that much.  Must be an Asian thing.

After eating, we went back to the subway where we all parted ways: Sue going north, Kwangseok going south, and me going into the downtown core. That would be the last time I saw Kwangseok on my trip to Seoul. But I will see him again for sure.

Once back to the Ambassador, I headed to the bar where I fulfilled yet another one of my "traveling traditions" - a nice pint of Guinness. Well, okay, I fulfilled it twice.

A night view from my hotel room, overlooking N'Seoul Tower.