Day three started late and my first stop was the massive
Gyeongbokgung Palace where the entrance fee is $3,000KRW. I managed to arrive just in time for the changing of the guards. I spent three hours wandering the compound and that was skipping parts of it here and there. It was unfortunate that there weren’t any blue skies for the occasion.
Starving, exhausted and well after the lunch hour, I passed a Quiznos and found myself turning back as I wasn’t sure what else would be around. I had a tasty bacon, turkey and guacamole half sub with a masala chai latte for $12,350KRW which cost more than the Indian food I had had the night before. The a/c and comfortable sofa chair made it well worth the expense.
After a long rest, I walked over to a traditional Korean village called
Bukchon Hanok Village. There were plenty of old style houses that appeared to have been restored over the years. The houses spread over a hilly expanse of land and contained many small lanes that twisted and turned every which way. It was easy to get lost in the maze and absolutely worth the visit.
The day was still young so I decided to hop the train over to the
N Seoul Tower. I thought I could hike up to the tower but upon arrival I realized I was way too tired and wasn’t totally sure of how to get up there. I did come across a bus stop that showed three buses heading in the direction I wanted to go so I opted to wait.
The bus ride up was fantastic and gave me a sneak peek into the small mountains that exist around Seoul. Once off the bus, I headed up the mountain on foot in search of the
Namsan cable car . The ticket cost me $7,500KRW/return and it wasn’t overly exciting. It did grant me a great view of the city but perhaps two ways wasn’t necessary. I knew I wanted to spend some more time on the mountain and that's why I chose to go back up.
Going to the top of the tower would have run me another $12,000KRW so I neglected to go. I spent some time looking through the loads of locks around the tower. It had been a long day and I could feel myself low on energy. I found a bus that took me back down to one of the train stations and found my way home from there.
It was late in the day and starting to rain. My tummy was grumbling so I made my way out to find some food. Since it was my last night in Korea I thought it would be suitable to find myself some Korean food. Most of the Korean places seemed to be all-you-can BBQ and I found myself drawn into a place playing funky jazz with walls that were painted bright yellow accompanied with cool art. Korean food it was not, but great Italian it was. I had a big glass of red wine and a thin crust pizza with tomatoes, onions and jalapenos costing me $16,000KRW. So, so tasty!
I wandered back to the hostel in the rain on my last night in Korea. I had an early morning flight. Next stop was Canada and it was hard to contain my excitement. All in all, I really enjoyed Korea. It’s never really been on my list of places to see but I am glad I was able to check it out. I wouldn’t be opposed to going there again if things work out that way.
