Continuing in Seoul

Tuesday, Aug. 23 (Continued)

This trip to Seoul was on the itinerary for Arne and me last year. He would have been comfortable here because of the many clean and free public toilets.

I've walked tothe for5mer site of Seoul National University. It's now a park with public entertainment, art galleries, theaters, etc. I'm sitting under a tall glass pavilion listening to a man sing and play a guitar. He's quite good. About 60 other people are sitting around and visiting while listening to the music. An elderly woman approached me twice begging. She finally left when I showed her I have no coins in my pocket (but not before flashing a bill in hopes I would give her one of those)!!
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I didn't eat lunch. My late breakfast combined with being on the palace tour until 1:15 made me decide to wait until tonight to eat. I was feeling hungry by 5:30, so I checked a street that was recommended by my guide as having lots of inexpensive restaurants. Most places were empty, but one was 2/3 full of diners at that hour. Nothing was written in English, but I could tell it was a cheap place from the prices on the Korean menu posted outside. When the waitress didn't speak English, I pointed to a statement written in my guidebook in Korean that meant, "What do you recomment?" When she started talking back, I used body motions to imply she should decide. I'm not sure of the name of what I got, but I have seen plastic versions of it in windows at other restaurants. I got a bowl of clear broth with green onions and herbs. There was a plate with a fried, battered filet of meat (much like wienersnitzel), rice, and shredded raw cabbage with sauce. On the side were three small dishes--mild, pickled eggplant; spicy, pickled cabbage leaves; and round yellow disks of some vegetable. It was good enough that I ate all of it except for two of the yellow disks. It was the first Korean meal I have ever eaten.

I was tired from the time change, so I wandered back toward the hotel through narrow back streets and through the huge Seoul National University Medical School complex. I stopped at a park to read, but I was back in the room by 7:00.

Hotel (4 Nights) 108,000 won
Changdeokgong Palace 3,000
Dinner 3,000

Total: 114,000 won = $112.30

Wednesday, Aug. 24, Seoul

The air here is comfortable at night, so I left off the air conditioner and went to bed with the window open. Sometime during the night, however, I could hear people visiting on the patio below. I had to shut the window and turn on the a/c to get back to sleep.

The local radar shows a big round storm southeast of us. It is off the coast of southern Japan. I hope it isn't coming this way. At the least, it is a topical storm, and it couold be worse (although there was no evident eye). I just hope it isn't causing problems on Saturday when I am to fly to Bangkok.

Today is cloudy. I don't think rain is forecast. I've only seen one person carrying an umbrella. I'll pack my aluminun shorty in my shoulder bag just in case I need it, however.

I'm feeling lazy, but I'm going to push myself to get out. With rain possibly coming for afew days, I need to see some sites.