Jenn & I had an amazing day today in spite of being 40+ minutes late to meet our friends in Hongdae.
Nicole & her boyfriend Pat have (pretty much) lived here in Seoul for five years. I knew Nic in Cayman during one of her previous lives and when she made the jump to Asia I was thoroughly impressed. Not because I didn’t think she could handle it, just because I admired the chutzpah it took for a single gal to go through an ESL teaching course and travel halfway around the world to live and work. That was awesome. As I said a half dozen times to her, if it wasn’t for her input, the whole thing here in Korea would have been a whole lot more challenging. And today was amazing proof of that.
The orientation group had skipped Namdaemun Market due to time constraints and we at least wanted to see what all the fuss was about. So we set a date to have a quick bite in their dong, Hongdae, and then take the subway to the market where more food would be had. it being Sunday (read: Cheat Day), I was super excited to let loose, especially with my new The Sports BigTen by E-Mart Nikes.
New Nikes
So we missed the first 5500 bus headed into Seoul, which gave me an excuse to get started on my Cheat Day via one of Paris Baguette’s conch shell pies.
Paris Baguette conch shell pie
We finally arrived in Hondae and after quickly checking out their pad, we made our way to Istanbul Kebab, a little no-frills joint down the street. After finishing up and stopping at my (rather expensive) cookie place, we headed over to the market.
Ben’s Cookies in Hongdae, Korean girls not included.
Pat alluded to the fact, and I finally coughed it up, that Namdaemun is kinda the bottom of the tourist ladder. But the sights and smells were unique and I’m glad we went. Jenn got her fan and iPhone5 flipcase/wallet.
Jenn in Namdaemun
We smartly decided to head over to Myeondong Shopping Street, the same place I’d visited early last Tuesday morning. It was even better with the throngs that flocked there…
Myeondong Shopping Street
There was some great streetmeat on display…
Myeondong streetmeat
Pat had a previous engagement, so he split and after a fruitless search for quality ice cream and the beginnings of foot cramping setting in, it was time for a refuel in a Starbucks. Then it was time to part ways with the lovely Nicole.
After a lengthy trip back home to Suji-gu which involved three different subway lines, Crunky bar, a stop in Pizza School, and a cab ride because we were just too pooped to deal with the public bus situation, it’s time to call it a night.
The Nikes held up awesomely… But they were definitely put through their paces.
There will be more pictures on the facebook when I wake up tomorrow morning…
