Gangnam & Namsan Mountain

Yesterday I had a late start to the day but once I finally got up and going I realized I had a lot that I wanted to do!

Earlier this week on the website 'Meetup' I signed up to do a walk in Namsan and yesterday was the day for that. I was a little bit nervous to find my way alone on the subway, but excited to do more sightseeing and meet new people.

But first on the agenda was going to Gangnam - I had been there briefly before with Megan and wanted to check out the shops. This was also an opportunity to test out my knowledge of the subway for the longer trip I'd have to make later in the day for Namsan. I got to Gangnam without any problems and did some shopping then did a quick walk outside. Shopping there can be a little dangerous - cute clothes at great prices! I would have liked to spend more time there walking around but was a little strapped for time since I had plans for the evening. Gangnam is one place so far that reminds me most of Vancouver. Here is a video and a few shots of the station with the shops and outside on the streets.

 

 

From Gangnam, I stopped at EMart since it's located at the subway station I get off at. So far I prefer EMart over Lotte Mart and wish EMart was in walking distance! The prices seem to be a little bit better there and they also seem to have a better selection. I felt like I was walking around Costco because at every corner you had someone offering you a sample of food. I tried a few meat samples and ended up buying what seem to be mini sausages (I'm sure those aren't great for you) as well as pork cutlets among other things. I also picked up cheap shampoo and conditioner (the same brand that I liked from the hotel). I normally use Tres Semme but that is $14 a small bottle here!

 

I also sent a small package yesterday and it was only $10 to send! I was impressed.

 

Finally it was time to go on my adventure to Namsan. I was originally given directions to the meet up spot by another person off the website who suggested I take the 9001 bus - but I had no idea where to find that. Instead I wrote out the subway directions which included 4 transfers. I gave myself some extra time in case I got lost (which I sort of did - I ended up going the wrong way on one of the subway lines then took a bit to figure out how to get going the other way). The meetup time was 7:30 and I knew I was going to be late because of this. I had written the organizer's phone number down so I sent a text and got the reply "You can make it. Hurry up" - So I hurried because I really wanted to go! I ended up only being 5 minutes late.

 

I think there were about 20 people total who met up to walk in Namsan. We followed Harry (the organizer) who is an older (maybe middle aged) Korean man who plans events because he likes to travel and make international friends. The group was diverse in age, occupations and countries. Many are teachers but some are here working in hospitals and others got sent here to work through their job back home. There were people from the US, Ireland, Germany, India, Egypt and even some local Koreans. I think it was funny that on the event page this was 'advertised' as a walk, but it was more like doing the first half of the Grouse Grind! I felt pretty ridiculous that I had a skirt on - but then again, I was expecting a casual walk! It was super nice though and we got to see a gorgeous view of Seoul. At the top of Namsan there is the N Seoul Tower that had a short 'light show' we got to watch. And by 'light show' I mean they projected images on the tower. Here are some pictures (half of which Harry took and I saved off the website :)

 

 

 

Group shot minus Harry

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

N Seoul Tower and below is Seoul by night

 

 

I got eaten alive and am very itchy right now but enjoyed the night!

 

<3



 

Gyeongbokgung Palace

Today was another adventure day, and I had such a wonderful day. I was so happy to finally see part of the culture, heritage and tradition of Korea. This is what I've been wanting to see, not shopping centers! I find these types of places fascinating to see first hand, and so interesting to read about.

As all of the other teachers are off in different areas for vacation (Tokyo, Cambodia, Malaysia, Busan), Jess and I took off today to see the Gyeongbokgung Palace. Pictures were taken immediately upon arrival, and my day will be told mostly through pictures now :)

This here is a terrible picture (due to being on a moving subway) of the Han River. You can really notice the smog in this one!

 

These are two stone artworks that were inside the Gyeongbokgung Subway Station - through Exit 5, you walked through here to reach the Palace directly.

I took this picture after just coming out of the subway station. I find it interesting to see the contrast between the traditional and modern so close to each other.

The Gwanghwamun Gate (left) and the Heungnyemun Gate (right) are two of four gates that allow entrance to the palace, everywhere else is surrounded by 5m high walls.

 

My ticket - 3,000 won to enter.

 

 

 

This was inside the palace walls - there were many of these buildings that we looked at and walked around. It took us probably two hours just to tour the palace on our own - then we went to two museums as well. It was a long day! 

 

 

 

 

I absolutely fell in love with the colours and designs used to decorate all of the buildings. It was so intricate - especially the roof!

 

 

 Me sitting by a cool green door.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

You were allowed to go into many of the buildings and see replicas of what the furniture would have looked like - long as you took off your shoes. Below, again, how pretty!

 

 

Here I am in the Queen's main residence. Below is Jess and I in the terraced garden called Amisan that has chimneys which you can see from the Queen's main residence's windows. Thank you to the kind lady who offered to take our picture.

 

 

 

 

This is a shot of King Gojong's palace within a palace. The pavilion is named Hyangwonjeong. So beautiful!

 

We also came across these statues - here is what looks like a soldier monkey. I'm not really sure what they actually represent, but I have a feeling that they have to do with the New Year and your birth year being represented by an animal.

 

 

 

Here is a picture of the Palace in its glory. Only the King could walk down the centre.

 

 

We also got approached and asked to have a picture taken.

 

 

 

We also went to both The National Folk Museum of Korea and the National Palace Museum of Korea - both with had free admission. There are many interesting things to see in both of these museums. But, by the time we got to the second one, I was a little bit tired of Museums - probably best to only do one a day.

 

There are also five other palaces around the same area that I would like to check out eventually. I don't know if it was because of everything that I saw today, but I was really in the mood for some good non-Western food - that or maybe it's because I'm getting a bit more accustomed to being here. I really do want to expand my tastes and try new dishes (maybe not so much meat though). We could not find a restaurant nearby the palaces, so we headed home though. But I was still determined to have something more authentic, so after Jess and I parted ways, I decided to try Pho Bay (Vietnamese Food) that is close to my apartment. I almost didn't due to the fact that I was alone but went anyways and now can officially say I've ate in a restaurant alone - how sad! :P I am so thankful that I went out with Tom and Joel for Pho in the past, otherwise I would probably never had considered this place and it was amazing! Such a good dinner to end the day. 

 

 

I do have more pictures from today, but that would make this blog post huge - so I only included a few. I will be posting the rest on Facebook (probably, unless I come across something better) in the next day for you to see :)

<3

Itaewon

Since I have removed the cardboard from my sliding doors I tend to wake up around 7am every morning but manage to be able to get back asleep, so it's not too bad. Though uninterrupted sleep would be nice. It would be awesome to find some sort of curtains for that part of my room, but it's not as easy as walking in a fabric store and Home Depot. For now, it's okay.

After laying in bed for awhile I started to read the book "The Grapes of Wrath" for the book club that I'm hoping to take part in. I'm only a few chapters in, but so far it's not bad. Afterwards, I decided it was time to cook my first meal in my apartment. I was quickly reminded of how bad I am at cooking eggs (unless scrambled). Tom was always the one who did breakfast and is 100% better than me at cooking eggs. Needless to say, it will be a year of me perfecting eggs. I also didn't want them scrambled since I do not have cheese or salsa, or anything for that matter to top them with. I also only have a plastic spoon to work with (all of the other utensils are metal). In the end, I think I came out with one overcooked egg and one slightly undercooked egg. It was also interesting getting the gas stove to turn on - took a couple times! I also cut up one of the pineapples I bought yesterday with the only knife that I own (see below) - but it was delicious.

 

 

 Jess eventually arrived at my place and I decided I wanted to go check out Itaewon today (which she had only been there once briefly) so we headed out.

 

 

 Itaewon is known for being the foreigner area in Seoul and to be completely honest, I was a little bit underwhelmed. I am not sure what I was expecting, but it wasn't whatever that was. However we did spend our entire day there. I think I expected it to be busier, and to see more foreigners and for it to have a different atmosphere. But after getting out of the subway station, we saw few foreigners (granted more than you see around where I live) and the atmosphere was generally the same. There were lots of shops, from Korean branded stores to Aldo and Converse. Shopping is HUGE in Korea. Which for me doesn't do too much, but it was cool to walk around and spot different places to go back to for gifts when Christmas arrives. Elliot mentioned to me as well that there is a Canadian Pub there, so I was determined to find it without knowing where to look, or what it was called. One part of Itaewon that I really liked was this back alley strip that had TONS of restaurants dedicated to different countries around the world. This really reminded me of being in Vancouver and being able to walk down the street and get any type of food you could possibly want. I did take a video of this, but don't think it would be that interesting to watch - but if I get bugged enough, I can post it :)

 

 

At this point we were starting to get hungry and had not found the Canadian pub, so we were going to try one of the Italian places - but I really wanted to find either gnocchi or risotto, but none of the menus had what I wanted. Most had mushroom risotto, but we know how I feel about mushrooms. With nothing else jumping out at me, I became even more determined to find the Canadian pub - which we did. I am not shy when it comes to asking strangers for things and have no problem stopping people on the street, asking if they speak English and then proceeding to ask my questions. So this is what I did - I was trying to ask one person who spoke back to me in Korean, when another guy overhead us and offered to help. Turns out he is from Toronto and was waiting on that corner to meet his cousin. He also spoke both Korean and English fluently. Although he had no idea where the pub was, we waited with him for his cousin who knew the area better and she was able to give us directions! Turns out it was only a few blocks away, but I don't think we would have gone down that road otherwise, so I am very thankful for them. Alas, it was closed when we got there and wouldn't be opening for another 1.5 hours. So we took some pictures, then went and had ice cream until 5:30 rolled around. The pub is called Rocky Mountain Tavern, and is decorated with hockey jerseys and Canadian license plates.

 

 

I also had heard from Elliot that they made Caesars (which I don't usually like), but figured since it is a Canadian drink, that I should have one. I'm still not crazy about them but drank it anyways. My Korean Caesar (it came with a lemon wedge):

 

 

It was wing night, but of course I did not have those. I'm not sure what typical Canadian food would be, but it all seemed to be pretty standard Western food - burgers, salads, wraps. I would say that only truly Canadian thing on the menu was poutine. I enjoyed a chicken wrap with fries. The servers are Korean so some things got lost in translation. The chicken was supposed to come tossed in a "cool creamy sauce" but I wanted it tossed in hot sauce with a side of "cool creamy sauce". She said this was not possible, so I asked for a side of hot sauce instead. When my food finally came out (not sure what was happening in the kitchen, cause it did take a long time), the chicken was tossed in hot sauce and I got hot sauce on the side! Oh well. The chicken was still a bit weird and looked very pink to me, but I ate it anyways. 

That was basically my day today. We were going to stop in Gangnam, but I was so tired by that point and didn't really want to look around another shopping city, so I'll save that for another day. But I am starting to learn the subway a bit better, it would be more helpful to have internet on my phone to be able to use the subway app to route where I am going, but I do not (thankfully Jess does). At this point all I have access to is the map online at my apartment and a physical map of the subway in Korean, so not very useful.

I am dying to see more than storefronts and hope to see more of the traditional side of Korea in the next few days.

Here are some random pictures of the subway, there are glass doors surrounding the tracks so no one can "fall down" in the tracks like at home. Also screens show each stop and a little bus moves as it moves through the stops so you can see where the train is in comparison to your stop.

Also, I have sent out my address to a few people today - please send me a message if you would also like to have it!

<3