Getting Lost in Seoul

My first several days in Seoul (capital of South Korea) have mostly consisted of four things: drinking coffee, drinking soju (which I will explain later), eating kimchi (spicy cabbage), and getting lost. The reason for me getting lost is mostly because of there being a lack of English. I am fine in the metro stations but buses and taxis are a different story. The buses don't really have English and the taxi drivers don't understand English, which makes it really difficult to get to an apartment in the middle of no where. But, despite getting lost and wasting my time, I am still going to many places during the day.

I visited the Gyeongbok Palace in Seoul. It is a huge palace with many historical government buildings. These soldiers may look like statues but they are most definitely not. And the only way you can be sure is by seeing the sweat dripping down their faces. 

 There is a lot great shopping locations in Seoul. The one I am at in the picture above is known as a traditional street and has both traditional shops along with more modern clothing and cosmetic stores.

The picture below is of a typical Korean barbeque. The meat is cooked on a grill in the middle of the table. All of the bowls on the table contain ingredients that you can eat with your meat. Kimchi, probably the most famous Korean food, is in the bowl in the right upper hand corner. Kimchi is a spicy cabbage that is served at almost every Korean meal. It is way better when it is authentic and not from Walmart, but if you are curious the kimchi in Walmart will do. The green bottle on the right side of the photo is a type of alcohol called soju. I have also had this everyday. It is similar to vodka in taste. Koreans like to drink alcohol while eating supper, and every time they drink they like to have an appetizer to snack on, like the omelet in the next picture (F.Y.I. the omelet is filled with kimchi).

I visited the area of Seoul called Hongdae. This is a very hip area filled with all sorts of artists from musicians to handymen selling their work. I really enjoyed this area because not only is it a great atmosphere but also its a great place to meet up with friends or make new ones.

 Today I visited a traditional village in Seoul called Bukchon Village. All of the homes are preserved to be shown as a historic village. People actually live in the homes and there is signs informing the public to keep quiet while wandering in this area. This village is also very close to the Korean president's home. If you unaware, the current Korean president is very famous because she is the first female president Korea has ever had.  I didn't actually get to go to the "Korean White House" because it is heavily guarded. 

Seoul is an unbelievably large city, and even has a larger population than NYC! I am very much enjoying my stay here and next on my agenda is to meet more friends, see more sites in Seoul, and travel around to some other near cities in Korea. I'm grateful for everyday for my trip is already over half way done!

Til next time!

Alix