Sept 23, 2008 – Seoul

Seoul

The morning was spent catching up on documenting the trip and photos from the last few days. Our nights had been late so that we didn’t work on it. The work was done as we rode the train from Busan to Seoul. We took the KTX (Korea Train Express) – Korea’s high speed train. The trip took 2 hours and 45 minutes. The fastest speed that I noticed was 298 km/hr. The train ride wasn’t as smooth as I remember the bullet train in Japan but it is still really nice. Forty-four high speed trains run between Seoul and Busan every day.

We are back to Seoul a few days before we fly home to see things we didn’t see before and to let Darlene do some shopping!

Today for dinner we explored a new part of the city for us. We had learned that Jackie Chan has a restaurant in Seoul which is apparently only 2 subways stops from our hotel. We’ve read mediocre reviews of the restaurant but decided if there is one restaurant there are more.

We decided to walk and discovered that behind the hotel is a small river with biking trails, running trails, workout stations, archery field and a croquet court. We found ourselves in an area that is newer and more residential than we had been in before. Brand new giant apartments buildings, families milling about, kids riding bikes in courtyards, restaurants and small spots. Really probably everything you need to live was within walking distance. It was a long way from a tourist spot. We found a small pizza place (Kanana) that for about $6 you could get a large pizza. This is a lot cheaper than the $25 we paid for our last pizza at a more westernized restaurant. Food wise, any restaurant that is westernized seems more expensive.

We wandered around the area and passed a pet grooming store with two little doggies that has just had their fur done and were wearing matching outfits. It was just a picture that had to be taken!

We passed a small restaurant with a plastic chairs and tables in a courtyard so we sat down for a pint and watched the world go by. Amazed by the traffic and moving of patio tables so that cars could be parted. We saw one motorcycle pass and a cell phone was dropped. The bike quickly stopped while the passenger ran back to retrieve the phone.

One thing we noticed and heard is there is a fear of beef from the US, apparently due to false information about BSE, we did see one amusing poster about it.