A week after Seoul trip... Still recuperating..

I wrote this Friday, October 5th... 

 Last Friday evening I headed out to Gumi like most Friday evenings. Once I arrived the normal festivities started by going to Waegook Cook for dinner and Corona Bar afterwards.

Unfortunately we had to catch a 7:17 AM train to Seoul. So I struggled to wake up after having very little sleep. The train ride lasted around 3 hours. We arrived in Seoul around 11:30, just in time to get an early lunch.

After getting our subway tickets we went to our hostel. It happened to be in Russia Town, a bit weird at first but we soon got over it because the hostel was very easy to get to from the subway.

Saturday afternoon the ones of us there already explored. We found this crazy carnival ride. It spun around and tilted and bounced all at the same time, and it did not have seat belts. You just had to hold on for dear life and pray not to lose your grip. The next day all of our arms were sore.

At this point I was exhausted from very little sleep the night before so a few of us decided to head back to the hostel and take a nap while other shopped. I ended up napping for around 5 hours. I woke up just in time to get ready for our first night out in Seoul with all 12 or so of us.

We took the subway to Hongdae, it is a big area for bars, pubs, clubs and restaurants. We went to a few different ones before we decided a better option for the night would be to go to a Norabang (karaoke). We found a super cool one that has actually been featured in celebrity shows in Korea. It has marble floors, great couches and lots of instruments to accompany our “amazing” voices.

Sunday we spent the day doing the tourist thing. We went to the Grand Palace and Namsan Tower, both of which I’d been to last year. But still super cool because I knew what it was. We went to the tower around sunset so it was a beautiful sight. (I’m at school now, I will upload pictures later of it.) Last summer it was raining the day we did these tours so it was a much better experience this time.

That evening after dinner we called it an early night, we all wanted to feel like a human being before going to the amusement park on Monday morning. Monday we got to Lotte World (this was my 3^rd time going, but best time I’ve had) around 10:30. We broke off into two groups to appease every ones taste in rides. Lotte World is the Disney world of Korea. Half is inside and half is outside. It is really cool. All of us 22-27 year olds could act like little kids and not be looked at like we were weird.

After a good nap we all got ready and headed to an American style restaurant. I had chicken wings and RANCH, yes RANCH dressing!!! They were amazing!!! After dinner we went back to the Norabang we’d went to Saturday night. After an hour of singing and drinks we headed out to a great club. The clubs all are at least two stories. So you can look down on the floor and see others while dancing in the balcony areas. It was a wonderful night for everyone.

Tuesday, our last day in Seoul. I woke up thinking it would be just a laid back day of touring. Little did I know the options were shopping or hiking. Shopping in Seoul mean battling crowds. So I chose hiking. Five of us (Daniel, Beth Ann, Courtney, Micah and I) set out for an exhausting adventure. It was a 3.4 kilometer hike to the top of Buhkansan Mountain. It took around 2.5 hours to get to the top, we lost track of time. It was very grueling. But once we got to the top it was totally worth it. We could see all over Seoul. It has to the highest peak in Seoul. Elevation was 800 meters.

Koreans are serious about their hiking, we laughed at how decked out they were in all of their gear, boots, backpacks and hiking sticks. Little did we know it was all for show. Beth Ann sprained her ankle on the way down. Two good Samaritans came along the way and helped us out giving us wrap and spraying her ankle with anti-swelling spray. No matter the language barrier, hurt looks the same and the kindness of a stranger can make your day all better.

After getting back to the hostel we barely had enough time to shower and get ready to meet everyone for Mexican. Yes, we found an amazing Mexican restaurant. After dinner we found a sports bar that had foosball and pool tables. It reminded me of Sports Break in Greenwood, kind of nice to have a slice of home.

It was cool to get to hang out in a more western style setting with all of my great friends. Some were ready to head back to the hostel while others wanted to go out with a bang in Seoul. So most of us headed out for yet another crazy good night of dancing.

Leaving Seoul we were all beat, dead tired, feeling horrible but leaving with amazing memories. I could not have asked for a better group of friends here. We are all so thankful to have met one another. And we tell each other often how grateful we are for each other. God really knew what he was doing when he placed us here in Korea together.

Tomorrow (Saturday) we are going to Andong for a big Mask Festival. It is a pretty big deal. So I will have great stories to tell from it. It is also Shirley’s Birthday, so I know we will have a lot of fun for that too!!

Love ya’ll