Ko-RoRo-rea Visit (Seoul Man)

Planes, trains and automobiles was not just a movie, it was the means by which RoRo (and I) moved into and around the city of Seoul. Taking a late bus into the city, I had to call the hotel to guarantee our reservations and to get directions from wherever the bus would drop us off. I was given the name, Mia-4-dong bus stop, and told that the hotel would be just a short walk from there. After confirming with a fellow passenger that we were approaching the right area for our disembarkment, we began looking for the Hotel Victoria. Our heads bobbed and weaved, scanning the cityscape for an English sign or stature of a building that would yield that "aha" moment. With a heavy hydraulic sigh, the bus came to our stop, belched open the doors and spit us onto the soggy sidewalk, supposedly somewhere in the vicinity of the "Victoria". With our suitcases slam-dancing behind us as we tried to dodge raindrops and other pedestrians, we quickly opted for the convenience of a taxi. Relieved to be out of the rain and ready to relax, I relayed the hotel address to the driver whose response was reluctant, if not resistent. In his rapid-fire Korean, he ranted at us while remaining stationary. So, in my own way of Korean communication, I waved a wad of won in front of him, and away we went! No sooner had we pulled out of the queue and into the heavy traffic did we come to a halt in the far lane of the divided street where the driver fired off more shots at communication while pointing to a tall building on the same side of the street where the bus had delivered us less than a half-hour before. Leaning low in the back seat to see what the driver was so riled about, we saw the light -- the lighted sign reading Hotel Victoria! That "aha" moment had finally arrived, but immediately and amusingly gave way to its less emotional mate, the "oh well" mindset. So, 1 U-turn, 20 minutes in rush hour traffic, 3 kilometers out of our way, and almost $5 later, we arrived two blocks from our original point of disembarkment at Mia-4-dong. At this point I felt like: mia-more-a-ding-dong :~/.





A rare day of sunshine illuminated our way through this city of contrast where one can stroll the sprawling grounds of an ancient royal palace, sit high atop a skyscraper sipping on cool drinks, promanade the regentrified river area, and steep in traditional arts & crafts in the cultural district. On our Seoul-full day we started with ancient history. Our visit to Gyeongbokgung Palace was perfectly timed with the changing of the guard ceremony and the weather afforded so many warm and bright photo ops. The grandest of the 5 royal palaces in Seoul, Gyeongbokgung was first constructed in 1394 by the Joseon Dynasty and contains several halls and pavilions. The name, Gyeongbokgung, translates in English to "Palace of Shining Happiness". Clearly, we picked an apt day for a visit there.

For me, the best way to be a sightseer is to "rise" to the occasion. So, rise we did -- all the way to the 33rd floor of Jongno Tower where we got out of the sun and into the Top Cloud restaurant for a birds-eye view of the ground we had yet to cover. I am a self-proclaimed "heightophile". That is, I do not have a fear of heights. Rather, I have a love of them. I guess you could say, I love to be high :>), and everything about this place was high. In this high-class, high-priced, high-rise establishment, where with an initial high-5 clap, and a total of 4 high-quality cocktails, my high spirits descended rapidly when I realized the check came to almost 80 U.S. dollars! Needless to say, we high-tailed it out of there right away.

Back down to earth, and wanting a taste of tradition, we trekked down Insadong-gil. Gil means "street" in Korean and this one street is one of Seoul's most famous and most visited. This narrow road with its line-up of Korean curios spilling from every doorway feels like a pedestrian mall of antique furniture and handicraft boutiques, calligraphy and mask studios, art galleries and traditional Korean restaurants and tearooms. Following in the footsteps of the crowd, we took a gander at a few goodies, but I only gave in to a gift for a friend back home and a bag of roasted chestnuts (which are sold by street vendors all over Korea). Needing a rest from the pedestrian mall and lifestyle, we took a rest in a second-floor tearoom where RoRo could put his feet up. Being a pedestrian in a big city takes a bit of adjustment for most Americans. While good shoes and thick socks usually pad a pedestrian's paws, for RoRo, they served to strangle and suffocate his dogs. So, he shed his shoes and scuffed along in his socks. God rest his soles!



As the sun was begining to set we were begining to starve, so we pounded the pavement looking for the perfect place for dinner. Crossing the bridge over the Cheonggye stream, which is an 8.4 km long modern public recreation space in downtown Seoul, we stumbled on a sensational sam gyap sal restaurant. In an open-air dining room overlooking the stream, we pigged out on this grilled pork dish, shared shots of soju (a Korean liquor) and vowed not to do so much "Seoul searching" tomorrow.