The first weekend in May turned out to be a 4-day weekend, thanks to the lunar calendar. Monday the 5th was Children's Day and the 6th was Buddha's Birthday. I really wasn't sure what I wanted to do for it and finally decided on heading to Seoul. I've also been thinking about my travels after I finish my contract in November, and thought going on a 4-day solo trip might be a good chance to get used to travelling alone. This wasn't your typical Seoul trip. It was nice.
I started by finding a guest house that was in "Edae" This is short for Ehwa Women's University. The word for university in Korean is 대학교 (dae-hak-gyo). Hence "Edae". I've been wanting to visit the university for a while because it's so unique for Korea. I was really excited to be able to explore the campus and surrounding area.
On Saturday the 3rd, I took the KTX to Seoul and arrived at around 1pm. The DDP (Dongdaemun Design Plaza) had just been completed and opened to the public. I had been waiting for over a year to see it so naturally it was my first stop. The building looks like nothing else you see in Korea or anywhere. It's really cool. Inside there are museums and exhibits that change constantly. At that time there was a sport exhibit that I really wanted to see and it turned out to be my favourite in the building. There are also a ton of shops and restaurants/cafes. I spent a while here, but finally got a little overwhelmed with the crowd, so I moved on to my next destination. I went to a temple I hadn't been to yet. Every time I go to Seoul I always go to Gyeongbukgung because I love it so much, but I was determined to see new things this time so I visited Changdeokgung instead. This temple was really nice and had some unique buildings, but unfortunately the viewing of the Secret Garden was sold out at that point, so I wasn't able to see what is described as the best part of the temple. I still enjoyed it. At this point, it was getting a little late and I was eager to get rid of my backpack full of my weekend supplies. I checked in at the guesthouse and I had my own room. It was small but even had a washing machine inside of my unit. It had everything I would need. I am always so surprised at how well they speak English at the guesthouses. Its a nice relief. After checking in and taking a short rest, I was starving. The last time I was in Seoul, I went to this Mexican restaurant called "On The Border" and it was fabulous.
I decided to track one down, somewhat close to my accommodations. This turned out to be trickier than anticipated as I sent myself to the wrong subway station and was on the compete wrong side of town. I managed to correct myself though and without hopping into a cab. It was quite the accomplishment haha. I made it to the restaurant and it definitely delivered. Oh how I miss the availability of any kind of food from around the world back home. I had some delicious enchiladas with a side of guacamole. Heaven. I ended the day with finding a Payless Shoes so I could see about getting some summer shoes for my giant feet. I found a pair of sandals, but I'm beginning to think I just bought them because I could and not because I overly liked them. They're not bad. They'll do. I ended the evening by going back to my guesthouse to shower and rest up.
I had booked a day trip through the USO (US Army Base) in Seoul to see Nami Island and the Garden of Morning Calm, but a few days before I was told that I was the only one to book the trip so it would have to be cancelled. I was, however given the option for an alternate trip on the same day to Danyang. I knew nothing about that area, but I did want to try out a tour so I went for it. This was on the Sunday. I think it's because I live out in the boonies in a not-so-well-known city of Ulsan, but I am always so overwhelmed when I see a group of foreigners. This was the case when I entered the USO office Sunday morning. I think I get so comfortable living life and not being able to really communicate with the public, that I become really awkward when I can actually talk to people.
Anyways, the area we were going to was east of Seoul and would take a couple hours to get there by bus. Our schedule had to change due to heavy traffic, but it was a really interesting day. Once we arrived in Danyang, we went to a Korean restaurant for lunch. It was really delicious and it entertained me to see people who are not used to eating Korean food in the Korean way (sharing everything). It brought be back to my first few weeks of being here. After lunch, people started to warm up a bit and we all started talking and introducing ourselves. We then went to a resort in Cheongpung and were given a short time to walk around and see some pretty flowers and sculptures. They also had bungee jumping going on, but I didn't have enough time to even contemplate doing it.
We then took a ferry ride on the Cheongpung River. The view was really wonderful. There was tons of unique rock and greenery to see. This place was special in that there are no tall buildings. There is one block of apartment buildings, but that's it for high-rises. That is really rare in South Korea. We also got to see how low the water level is right now. We didn't really get our rainy season last year and you can tell by the water level. Once our boat ride was finished, we arrived at a cave. This cave was spectacular. It took over an hour to go through the whole thing because A) it's huge, and B) there were a ton of people walking through it. We were continually having to duck our heads, squat-walk, and go up and down a bunch of stairs. It's hard to capture with a camera the stunning formations in the cave, but it was really interesting to see. Not like anything I've ever seen before.Our last stop of the day, was to the location of the "Three Weird Rocks". I kid you not, that is the actual English name for the rocks. It is said that they resemble a family of a husband, wife, and child. The husband is off to the side because he did something unfavourable according to his wife. Basically it resembles every family at one point in time haha. It was a cool sight and we also got to do a bit of hiking here. All in all, it was a fun day and I got to see yet another place I wouldn't have seen otherwise.
The USO has all kinds of tours available if you're in Korea. They all depart from Seoul. their website is here.
Monday was my last day in Seoul and I had planned to wake up early and head to Nami Island myself, but when my alarm went off at 6am, my body was not having it. I ended up sleeping in until about 9 and took it easy that day. I had explored the Women's University a little on my first day, but I was able to check it out a little more thoroughly on this day. The sky was clear and it was a really beautiful day. I loved wandering about that place. It reminded me a little of the University of Guelph campus. At lunch time, I went on a hunt for this supposedly really good sandwich place. Every month I get a magazine delivered called Groove Korea that is all about Korea and things that are going on, but in English. I look forward to it every month. There was a huge article about finding a really good legitimate sandwich in Korea. It's really difficult to do, actually. There was a place listed near where I was staying, called Lord Sandwich. I was able to find it and had my lunch there. It was fabulous. It was also a little expensive, but extremely worth it in my opinion. I then explored the area of Ehwa a bit and went into the local shops. There's this makeup shop called "Too Cool for School" and it's pretty much only in Seoul. I've seen one in Busan recently though. I really like their stuff, so I treated myself to some things. After that, I casually made my way to Seoul Station to get a train ticket back to Ulsan. I arrived late afternoon and it was nice to be back after a busy few days. My roommate was still away on her own trip, so I had the place to myself. Bliss.
Tuesday was Buddha's Birthday and I chose to go to Busan to a famous temple called Samgwangsa. It is known for its huge lantern displays. The place was hopping with people wandering and wanting to go inside the temple to pay their respects to Buddha. I snapped some shots and then somehow started walking on this path and got totally lost. I eventually found my way and went to a market before heading back home at the end of the day.
I had a really good time travelling alone. It's a different experience than travelling with a buddy. Obviously it has some drawbacks, but it's also nice to be so free to do whatever you want and see whatever you want. I'm still not used to eating at restaurants alone though. It feels awkward. I'll get over it though.
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