After watching more than half a dozen of korean dramas, I finally made it to S Korea! boarded the mid night flight from AA X, the ride was easy and nice, since it is a mid night flight, and I was able to sleep throughout almost the whole journey.
Upon arrival, with the notes that I wrote down in my notebook, I have no problem getting to the right bus stop for the right bus to down town Seoul city.
Korean transport system is known to be very good, but often I heard about the huge language barrier and people getting lost in direction. I get to experience this quite immediately upon my arrival... it all started with me leaving my camera bag in the bus that I boarded from the airport, yes I left my bag which has all my belongings! chasing after the bus the moment I realize it, in the middle of Seoul city - what a drama! I should have taken a shot right there! Well, I was so exhausted from the chasing, howe would I care to take a picture.. I wonder if the Korean friend at bus stop did...
Story continues, it was drizzling that morning, I was having a great deal finding the hostel exact location, I was so wrong to wirte down 'Family Mart' as the landmark to the hostel. There are just too many 'Family Mart' in Hapjeong/Hongik University area. But one thing no doubt with Korean, they are really friendly and would try their best to help you, there was this young student whom I met at one of the family mart while asking for direction from a shop keeper, she was spending more than 5 min trying to navigate the hostel location for me using her smart phone. Although it doesn't help, but I do appreciate her try. After about an hour of navigating roads after roads, I finally arrives at the hostel, then only realize it was still too early, people are all still asleep. Hostel keeper were still sleeping, think from a drunken night before (he likes to drink soju).
I then get to know this elderly long term traveller (Keith) in the hostel, he kindly offered to show me around the hostel surrounding after I told him about my 'adventures'. Since I can't check into my room, I then agreen to follow Keith out for a walk to the Yonsei University, think the walk took us more than an hour, I was quite hungry at the time as I have not eaten my breakfast and it is close to lunch time. I could have join Keith for lunch but was a little worried about getting too close with him as I don't feel safe when he ask for my contact details so in the end I told him that I would find my own way back to the hostel to find food. That was how I ended up in this with my first meal in Seoul - Bimbimbap!
I paid KW5,000 for this bimbimbap. Living standard in S Korea is definitely higher than KL, average cost of a meal would be around KW5,000 (RM15). Keith walks 20 mins from the hostel to Hongik University most of the day to eat his lunch, he pays KW3,000 which explains why he don't mind walking 20 mins for it.
Views I got from the walk to and from Yonsei University to Backpackers hostel.
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| the park in Yonsei University |
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| Autumn leafs |
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| Some deco at the Bimbimbap restaurant |
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| The debris left over after a party night, this street is right across Backpackers hostel, MRT station is right at the end of this street |
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| a very nice cafe |
After getting back to the hostel, I went to bed early and that night I had a very good sleep, the next day got up early and was ready for my 2nd adventure! My mission that morning was to get to Gangnam finding Seoul Sarang Community church! The same, I drew a brief map in my diary and it brought me a great deal! serious morning walk for more than 1.5 hours. Gangnam is an area filled with high rise buildings, roads are huge and buidling are all very tall!
The walk was like no end, my leg were aching, I was alerady sweating like a pig, just right at the time when I wanted to give up, and already say a quick prayer, God show me the way to the church, unbelievable! why didn't I spot the direction when I arrive at the MRT station earlier... it was a map at the entrance of the MRT station, direction on that map is way better than the one I doddle in my notebook.
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| Finally! Sarang Community Church, Seoul |
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| This building can be a landmark to the Church |
Next agenda of day 2 in Seoul, meeting up with my dear friend Sangyoon and Cheryl for lunch. I knew Sangyoon through an island hopping trip at Krabi, Thailand few years back. After a quick lunch together, we went to Insadong - largest market for antiques and artworks in Korea.
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| Grafitti at Ssmaize Market |
There after Insadong, we walked to nearby area and we ended up at the Gwanghwamun square, where Sangyoon was explaining some Korean history to me - only that day I realize Sangyoon actually read alot.
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| Admiral Yi Sun-Shin - a Korean hero standing tall at the square |
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| King Sejong - an important scholar in Korea |
It was really awesome to have meet up with Sangyoon and Cheryl, things were finally more calm and I can now have the rest of my trip flow in freely, at the end of day 2 in Seoul, I was left without plan what I was going to do the next day.
It was a let's see....
