Days 2 - 5 in Seoul

Day 2

The day began with a delicious bagel and ended with a good night sleep on a leather couch.

In the morning, I woke up in Byung's parents' temporary condo where they are currently living while they move their furniture. After eating a bagel with philadelphia deliciousness, we packed up our stuff for the day and headed to the Hwajeong subway station conveniently located right outside the condo.

After a 30 minute ride on the subway we arrived at Anguk station in Insadong (a very popular shopping area with antique stores and boutiques, similar to Osborne Village but much, much better). After walking around for an hour we stopped at a little Korean noodle restaurant for lunch. Afterward we shopped a bit more. Byung bought some things for friends back home and I mostly window shopped. I bought a traditional Korean placemat set with chop sticks and an original painting by a local artist in the area for 15 bucks! I put it in Byung’s folder to prevent it from getting damaged but unfortunately I forgot to take it out. I think he packed it away with him so it's probably on its way to Winnipeg right now. Oh well, at least I know where it is.

After wandering the streets of Insadong we headed over to Myeongdong to look for a music store. While looking for the store we randomly found a Catholic Church. Apparently it’s among the largest in Korea. Inside there were flat screen TVs mounted on all of the walls of the church. They weren't on so we didn't know what purpose they served. Probably for the hearing impaired or maybe to see sports highlights, who knows. Outside the church people were offering free hugs. I couldn't resist getting the chance to appear on a youtube free hugs video so I went up and hugged them.

We eventually found the Dahai music book store a few blocks away. Byung bought a music score, Cosi fan tutte. I almost bought a piano book but my indecision got the best of me and I made up some lame excuse to convince myself not to buy it. Seoul is really expensive anyway, I'll probably find something cheaper in Busan when I get back. Afterward we went to a mall then caught a taxi home. When we got in the taxi, the driver told us that it would cost 30,000 won to get home so we decided to get out at the next subway station. From there we walked around a while in search of a PC Bang (Internet room). Oddly enough we couldn't find one so we walked around for two hours and got lost in the process. We eventually gave up and headed home around 10pm.

When we arrived around 11pm, Byung's parents made a delicious meal with pergogi and samgyopsa (Korean BBQ pork and beef). It was great having a home cooked meal after a big day of wandering around.

Day 3 - Sunday

We woke up around 8:30am still full from last night’s dinner. I quickly jumped in the shower and we were on our way to Byung's church. The church service was interesting but at times very uncomfortable. The first half of the service was your typical church service with hymns and prayers, etc... In the second half, the pastor gave the sermon. Her preaching style was very fire and brimstone like, and it made me feel very uncomfortable. Afterward it sounded like everyone was speaking in tongues. Byung's mom told me that they have daily prayer meetings where they invite handicapped people to come and be healed. Sounds almost like an extreme evangelical church to me. Has anyone seen "There will be blood?" (Shudders)

After an unsettling church service, Byung's parents dropped us off at Costco where I bought a few foreign things. I bought a big jar of pickles (Mmmmmmmmmmm), some Crown Royal for my principal and some more Nutella for myself. Later we made our way home and had an afternoon nap. An interesting day to say the least.

Day 4 - Byung goes back to Canada

Today Byung packed up his things and headed home to Winnipeg. It was hard saying buy to him. I can't imagine how hard it must have been for his parents. I'll miss you Byung. Hope you come back for a visit soon. Good luck with Nuova!

After Byung left, I got some more sleep. In the afternoon I made my way to Gyeongbok Palace. According to the guide the Palace was built by King Taejo. It was destroyed during the Japanese invasion in the late 16th century but was rebuilt 300 years later. After its reconstruction in the 19th century the Japanese plotted an assassination against the Queen and murdered her in her chambers while she was sleeping. The King fled the palace and was smuggled out by his chamber maids. This was one of many attempts committed by the Japanese. Relations between Korea and Japan are not great right now.

After wandering the main grounds of the palace, I took a tour of the Folk Museum then headed to Insadong.

Day 5 - Today

Today I'm taking a break from touring around so I can catch up on my sleep. It's also very cold outside and it is sleeting. Hopefully tomorrow it will clear up. I am planning on going to Seoul tower and then I might meet up with some friends in Itaewon.