What a day...and it's only 7:45!!! I woke up early so I could say goodbye to the doorman. Mr. Lee. I also wanted to get a picture with him. I thought "hmm...I can get a picture and go back to sleep!" Well, he had other plans. He asked me to come back downstairs in an hour to have breakfast. So, at 7:00 we went out. In broken English he asked if I liked Korean food and took me to a restaurant very close to the guesthouse. I thought he was going to eat with me, but he said he was going to eat at the staff cafeteria. He ordered 삼게 당-samgyetang- (a whole little chicken stuffed with rice and ginseng) for me and left! A little later, he came back so that they would wrap up some of the meat for me. I returned to the guesthouse and got a phone call shortly after from Mr. Lee saying he was leaving for home. I went to say a final goodbye and then a few minutes later he called me on my cell to say hello. I decided even though it looked overcast I would venture out into Seoul. I went to the Namsangol Traditional Houses. I went to this folk village last summer, but we had only spent the time there in one or two buildings doing different activities. After I walked around there, I realized it was a pretty small place; however the traditional houses were pretty and there was a nice park around the area too. I also was able to see a giant time capsule at the park that will be opened in a little less than 600 years! Then, I walked to Cheongycheon. On the way I ordered a tuna kimbap and just as I was getting to the stream, it started pouring!! (I didn't have an umbrella) I found a Tous les Jours and got a pastry and a hot drink. I sat there for awhile watching the people in the rain, got a few phone calls from friends, and thought about my whole experience in Korea. Finally I figured I should return to the guesthouse to finish up any last minute packing. When it was time to meet Min Kyung at the subway station, I left the guesthouse and the daytime shift doorman wanted to help me with my bags to there. It was nice of him, but he didn't understand I was meeting her above ground, so he took me to the exit with the elevator and made sure I went down to the station. Min Kyung and I went back up and walked one subway station away to Gangnam to find the bus to take us to Incheon and her home. Unfortunately, this particular bus line was under strike, so we had to decide what we were going to do instead. We called a taxi service running from Seoul to Incheon and took that to a restaurant where her family was having dinner. I got a little car sick because we were driving during rush hour and...the taxi drivers are just plain nuts. I met MK's mom, dad, and little brother. We all ordered soups which was really nice because it was pretty cool outside from the rain. I ordered a mandu soup with hand-cut noodles. It was delicious, but not the same as the restaurant in Gimhae! After dinner, we went to MK's home, got ready for bed, talked a little and finally fell asleep!
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| The doorman and me! |
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| My breakfast samgyetang |
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| Namsangol Hanok Village and Namsan Tower in the background |
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| At Namsangol Hanok Village |
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| Cool door handle |
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| Korean Grandpa's studying in the village |
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| Myeongdong Cathedral |
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| Last meal in Seoul! Kimbap and Tous les Jours |
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| Dinner in Incheon: Mandu and hand-cut noodle soup |
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