The Tokyo Chapter: Weekend in Seoul, South Korea

Waking up in a new city, with nothing to do but explore and have fun, is such a wonderful way to wake up. From the get go there’s a certain charge that one doesn’t tend to feel at home when you’re lost in the drudgery of routine. Although we took our time getting ready this morning, we were excited to get into the city and see some new things.

My husband still had to work (we chose to fly in Thursday because it was considerably cheaper), so my son and I were left to our own devices. We started our day with a search for breakfast. We didn’t want or need the $45USD hotel buffet breakfast, so we thought we’d stumble across something fun. Well, it turns out that Korea has about the same amount of enthusiasm for breakfast as Japan does - little to none. After wandering around for almost an hour (and passing by a couple coffee shops with sandwiches and a Starbucks), we found a juice bar. I picked a cup filled with veggies with something white in the bottom. I figured it was a creamy dressing for a salad shaker, minus the lettuce. It turns out it was Greek yogurt. They also handed me a small container with balsamic vinegar in it. I tossed it all together and it was delicious! So much so that I hope to replicate it back home! My son loved the super crunchy veggies like celery and cucumbers. I loved that there was a lot of protein between the yogurt and chickpeas. What a great way to start the day!

After breakfast, we walked to the Gangnam COEX Aquarium that we saw on a map the night before. I wasn’t expecting too much from an aquarium inside a mall, but it was air conditioned and that was enough of a draw for me. Inside we discovered a fantastic array of fish and interesting homes. There’s an entire section dedicated to interesting tanks, like a tank inside a working vending machine! There were fish in sinks and fish in telephone booths. There was even a “harp tank” that played notes each time the fish swam past a “string“ etched into the side of the glass. I loved the manatees and my son loved the sharks. The crowning jewel is their underwater show. We watched their Octonauts show (based on a popular cartoon for kids). Although neither of us have ever seen the show or understood a word of the dialogue, we loved it! The clownfish (that use mermaid tails for their costumes) were especially impressive and fun. There’s also a mermaid show, but not until 2:30 on weekdays and I didn’t want to hang out for another 2 hours to catch that show. The clownfish were awesome and satisfied the need to see mermaids.

Just a block away is Bongeunsa Temple, a huge temple right in the middle of the city. We braved the heat to see some of the differences between Japanese Buddhist Temples and Korean Buddhist Temples. From the onset, they were vastly different ascetically. I can’t comment on philosophically because I didn’t learn anything about the beliefs of the temple. My son and I wandered around, gazing at the beautiful buildings, artwork, and scenery of the temple. Everything was painted with beautiful scenes depicting Buddhist stories and intrigue designs. I could have spent hours looking at all the buildings. My son wasn’t nearly as interested in the art. He thought we were on a fun sort of hike, winding ourselves around buildings and up and down stairs. Up one of the many staircases we found yet another building. But this one was covered with little satin bags tied to strings. Luckily there was a sign explaining the bags contained wishes for relationships. Make a wish for a family member or friend, put it in the bag, and tie it to the string wrapped around the building. A little bit further we found the huge statue that many are looking for when visiting this temple. The 28 meter (91 foot) stone statue of Maitreya, the Future Buddha, is reportedly one of the tallest stone statues in the country (according to my research). As we wandered back down, we enjoyed all the paper lanterns that I’m guessing were up for a festival or celebration of sorts. I was sad to see they were in the process of taking the lanterns down because I really enjoyed them.

The day had passed quickly and it was time to meet my husband and head off to our Airbnb. Since we’re so used to traveling by subway, we found it very easy to get from Bongeunsa Station to Seoul Station, even with a transfer. It didn’t take us long to drop off our bags and head to dinner. My husband had read a blog that recommended a restaurant named Doma for excellent Korean BBQ. Over the years, I’ve had my fair share of Korean BBQ. My love for it started in Japan 15 years ago with their version, called yakiniku (translated as grilled meat). As soon as I moved back to the US, I discovered the original Korean style. Both styles feature a grill in the middle of the table where you cook your own meat. Korean BBQ comes with tons of sides, like kim chee, and pickled vegetables. Sometimes lettuce is served to wrap the grilled meat with, other times it isn’t. Nonetheless, the meal is always satisfying to me.

Truth be told, before we arrived I was a bit nervous about what my son would eat. As far as picky eaters go, my kid is not the norm. He tries almost everything and is usually up for a gastronomic adventure. But he doesn’t like spicy food. And when I think of Korean food, I think spicy. Well, I shouldn’t have worried. My son is loving everything here. He was practically dancing with joy at the dinner table. He eagerly tried everything and asked for seconds and thirds of several items. The food was amazing. I’d happily go back several times to this restaurant if we were here longer. When they brought the sides to the table, I thought they’d be too spicy for all of us based on the vibrant shades of red. But it wasn’t. Everything was simply flavorful. Not spicy! Every item, with the exception of the crab (which I didn’t care for the taste or texture of), disappeared. We even asked for more kim chee!

After dinner we stopped by the grocery store, Lotte Mart, to pick up some breakfast items. I love going to grocery stores whenever I’m in a new country. For me, there’s nothing like getting to peek inside people’s fridges to get to know them a bit better. The grocery store is like a big fridge. Lotte Mart was abuzz. The volume was turned up as sample ladies hawked their treats. Costco samples are nothing compared to this store on a Friday evening. I don’t know if it’s normally like this, but I actually felt a rush of excitement with everything going on. There was lots of fun products to see. The store is similar to a Fred Meyers in the fact that it had everything from groceries, to deli, to bakery, to housewares, to cleaning, and so much more. In Japan everything is in different stores or on different floors. It takes forever to get the shopping done. But Lotte Mart... it was glorious. I think I just revealed my super nerdy side. I am a grocery geek.