I had never planned to visit Seoul, as it never, shall we say, "called out to me", but since I had to connect to China through the city, I figured I might as well spend an afternoon there. I got up at 5:30 a.m. to be out the door by 6:30 for my 2 hour train ride to the airport. On grabbing my coat, I realized that my flight was at 9:30 and not 10:30. (*heart attack!*) Arriving breathless in the departure area, I was relieved to find no one in line ahead of me. (Apparently, they had all already checked in!) The flight was uneventful and I arrived around noon. After taking a break for a cigarette, I boarded a bus for the city, and though it was supposed to take an hour, the traffic was so bad (midday on a Monday, go figure!) that it took an extra half hour. I then spent another half hour walking up and down the same stree, asking extremely unfriendly Koreans with no English ability if they knew where the hostel was. Finally I went into the Raemian Gallery and thank goodness for the nice man who called them up and got directions for me. I walked the 3 minutes to the hostel, dropped my stuff off, and by 3:30 was out the door for an afternoon of sightseeing.
I began with the original palace called Gyeongbokgung since Changdeokgung was closed (it being Monday and all). I was unimpressed with the exterior and almost decided not to fork over the $3 entrance fee. What a tragedy that would have been! I had no idea how beautiful the vast expanse of buildings could be! One after another, and just when you thought you'd seen it all, there was another passage to a whole 'nother area. Just amazing and I couldn't stop taking pictures. It was originally built in 1395, but after the Japanese destroyed it in the late 1500s, the Koreans decided to build a new one, now the famous Changdeokgung. It wasn't until 1868 that renovations began on this palace, and they're still working on it. The colors at the palace are incredible and the pictures, though cool, don't do any of it justice!
After spending an hour winding in and out of passages, I decided to embrace the nice, if windy, weather, and walk across the city, rather than take the subway. That way, I could see the city hall and the rest of modern Seoul on the way to my next destination. How fantastic - I really was not expecting it! I found myself snapping photos of hotels and restaurants as if I'd never seen a building before. The city hall was very East Coast USA, and the sunset was providing for some terrific reflections. Having come to Namsan Park on the other side of town, I climbed the hill and indulged in an ice cream. I had one more thing on my list: to go up the N Seoul Tower (a TV tower) and get a view of the city from above.
I began the walk over to the cable car, but as the signs were not as clear as I would have liked, I happened instead on a walking path. Giving a shrug and a "Why not?", I began to wind around a lovely wooded area. If only I'd known what I was getting myself into! The clues were there, and yet, having nothing else to do and surprisingly good weather, I failed to read them correctly: the people in their running clothes, the ups and downs of the well-lit path, the distance markers painted on the road, or even the fact that Namsan Park is named for Mt. Namsan... Before I knew it, I'd huffed and puffed my way 2 miles around and up what I now know to be Seoul's only mountain! Not being in the mood to turn around and walk back the 2 miles to the cable car, I decided to continue on foot to the TV tower. The next two miles were only uphill. I stopped twice to stretch my aching muscles and reheat my ears with my sweaty hands before finally reaching the top. Oh my GOD, what a view! Of course, I'd seen glimpses on the way up through breaks in the trees, but I was SO not prepared for the lights. During the day, I must admit, Seoul isn't much to look at through the grime and air pollution, but I was stunned by its beauty at night. Taking the elevator up the tower to the observation deck (360 degree view), I took pictures from almost every angle. I have to say, it ranks better than Chicago in my book! If I'd taken the cable car, yes, I would have been a lot less sore for the next 4 days, but I don't know that I would have appreciated Seoul as much. Utterly amazing.
Deciding to save my money and take the stairs (which, by the way, took only 20 min. instead of 2+ hours), I managed to get down to the city in record time. Famished, when I saw the sign for The Outback Steakhouse, I knew that no amount of traditional Korean food would make me feel human again. I know what you're saying... "Sharron, how COULD you??? You are in Seoul for 1 day and you don't even eat Korean food???" Trust me, I said the same thing to myself, but not having eaten anything besides that ice cream cone since the plane ride and having walked who knows how far, when I saw the sign, I knew that only a proper steak and potato dinner was going to be able to chisel away at the hunger that was defining my entire existence at that point.
Arriving back at the hostel, fully sated, completely exhausted, and in the middle of my first major asthma attack in years (and, honestly, I was seriously scared I wasn't gonna make it back to my medicine!), I was looking forward to getting a good night's sleep before my morning flight to Shanghai. Unfortunately, I got talking to two college students until a quarter to 1, and though it was interesting, boy did I pay for it the next day. No worries - I made it to the airport in plenty of time - but what a way to start my Shanghai experience! Thus begins Part II...
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