Hi!
Wow, I'm surprised I am able to use an exclamation mark after today... I'm exhausted!
I met Jake last night at 10:00 when he was done working and we walked to a little market a few blocks away to get milk and red peppers. We wandered back to Jake's apartment and Jake made dinner: chicken, rice, sauteed veggies. While he was cooking, he said, "Man, it would be nice to have some beer right now." I then responded, "Well, I could make that happen..." He sent me on a journey two blocks from his place to a little corner store to buy two cans of beer for 3,200 won. It was breezy and cool last night but at least it wasn't raining! We enjoyed dinner and called it a night.
Today, we woke up around 9:00 and Jake had to finish grading exams from yesterday. I looked through a Seoul travel book and my city map and Jake suggested that I spend the day going to Seoul Tower. But of course! He left for work around 12:00 and I proceeded to shower and get ready for the day's adventures. I wore a t-shirt and jeans but put a jacket and long-sleeved shirt in my bag in case I got cold. It was totally bright and sunny today, but not as warm as a few days ago.
I hopped the subway at Gangnam Station, transferred at Seoul National University of Education, and hopped off at Chungmuro (just a few stops shy of where I was yesterday at Insadong). Once I was above ground, I wandered a block and found Namsangol (The Village of Traditional Houses). I took a lot of pictures, but I had a hard time reading the signs as they were mostly in Korean. I'll have to do a little reading on this place when I have some energy. There were many school children there as well as some tourists. The flowers were in bloom and they smelled delightful. There was a stream wandering from one end of the village to the other as well. On loud speakers in the village was some ancient traditional Korean music. It was a very serene place and (to be honest) I wish I would have been out and about earlier in the day so I could have spent more time there!
Jake mentioned that there should be some trails leading from the village to Seoul Tower (which is in Namsan Park). I looked but could not find any...so I wandered back outside the village and tried to follow street signs for Namsan Park... What a mess! The sidewalks/crosswalks did not allow for pedestrians to go the same way as cars, so I had to go down to a subway station in order to "cross the street" and find an alley to walk up which, 45 minutes later, got me to the Cable Car at Namsan Park. I was hot, relieved, and excited to sit down. I paid 5,500 won for a one-way ticket in the Cable Car. It was a short (3 minute) ride and I was glad I decided to take this little journey.
I reached the top and was amazed to find a small park-like atmosphere at the top of the peak. There were vendors selling ice cream and refreshments, trees with benches beneath them, and even a restaurant for those who wished to spend a few hours up there. The views of Seoul were beautiful...with the exception of all the smog. Jake told me that on a clear day like today, I would probably be able to see the ocean. Well, I looked...and again, couldn't find it. Off in the distance I was able to see mountains outside of Seoul but still relatively close to the city. The booming metropolis below was silent from Seoul Tower. The wind was a bit cold, but the sunshine and the "fresh air" from the top of Namsan Park were definitely worth it. One thing I noticed was that on the fences at the lookout points, people had placed padlocks with Korean writing on them. A lot of them were sets of two, so I imagine it was a "couples" activity to go to Seoul Tower and mark that you had been there. I took pictures and wanted to relax, but I figured that if I wanted to get to Namdaemun Market, I'd better get going.
I walked down a road that I thought was leading me right to the market, but upon reaching the bottom, I realized I had accidentally taken the path that led the opposite direction. I had walked to the National Theater, oops! Confused and staring at a map of the park, a young Korean man (probably in his mid-20s) approached me and asked if he could help me. I told him where I wanted to go, and he looked at me and told me that I should hike up to Seoul Tower and take the cable car down the other side. I laughed and told him I had just come from there and was not about to hike a mile and a half back up the hill just to take the cable car back down. Ha! He walked with me for a few minutes and we talked a bit. He works for Hyundai in the export division. He asked why I was in Seoul and I told him: visiting a friend who teaches English at Pagoda Tower in Gangnam. He replied by saying that he lives in Gangnam, too. Small world. :o) Anyway, he was very polite and pointed me in a direction that would lead me to a subway station at Dongguk University (near the original subway I took to Chungmuro). I thanked him (very much!!) and continued on my way.
I reached Dongguk University and hopped the subway to Chungmuro again (one stop away) and transferred to the Blue Line (4) to Hoehyeon, the stop at which Namdaemun Market is located. Upon arrival, I found myself lost in another crazy market filled with food, clothes, and gifts. I wandered in the market for a little over an hour and only bought one thing besides a slice of pineapple for 1000 won. Around 6:15, all the clothing/gift vendors started closing up shop and the food vendors set up tables with umbrellas. The aroma was awesome. I took a few pictures at the market but my camera battery was about dead so I couldn't take as many as I would have liked to. Around 6:30 I was getting cold so I decided to head back to Gangnam... I didn't feel like putting on my long sleeves because I knew I'd take them off again as soon as I reached "home".
After a few transfers on the subway and unbelievable crowds at 7:00 on a Thursday night, I arrived back at Jake's place around 7:30. I'm starving and my feet are tired of walking so I am going to lay low for another hour and a half before meeting Jake at 10:00 at his hagwon (school). The plan is to eat street food for dinner and enjoy the city lights and hoards of people as best we can.
This was another long one, sorry...but imagine how I feel after having done all of this in just one afternoon! Not to mention the language barrier and the fact that I was totally unfamiliar with where I was. :o) One more day of "alone-time" tomorrow. I wonder what kind of mischief I'll get into...hmm!! Since I didn't go to Jake's school today, I'll probably get to see it tomorrow at some point. I imagine that tomorrow night will be a blast since it's the weekend! As for Saturday, not sure of the day-time plans, but at night we're going to see James Blunt at Olympic Park.
I hope this finds you well, and I'll keep you up to date as much as I can!
All the best from Seoul,
Elizabeth
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