Though we had a couple relatively warm days in a row (8 degrees C as the high being considered temperate), a cold front blew in from Siberia giving us lows in the negative teens. Despite this, I took “baby steps” to get away from being too sedentary by venturing further afield in search of my lunch and dinner.
The Hongdae area is quite strange. The subway line runs under the main boulevard with the university to the east. The streets and alleys between the boulevard and the university are full of shops, restaurants, and pubs. The Han river is not too far to the south, splitting Seoul in two north and south parts, while train tracks just to the north make up a northern boundary. The modern tracks are elevated and only form a metaphorical dividing line, while the old tracks have been converted into a park that is extremely popular among dog owners. The park, at least on the end closest to the boulevard is also host to a cluster fashionable eateries, as are the first street or two west of the boulevard. However, beyond the first line of conveniences, the neighborhood quickly and dramatically becomes fully residential, apartment buildings and driveways.
Anyways, in the early afternoon, I took my third consecutive run, accompanied this time with Alexis. After showering, I decamped to a nearby cafe for an Americano.
In the evening, I braced myself against the cold looking for some street food, or something light, as I wasn’t too hungry. All I could find was a woman selling those fish-shaped cakes (which I went back to later to buy), so I settled on a cheap little restaurant and a steaming bowl of kimchi stew.
Back in the hostel, as the temperature dropped outside, upstairs guests began complaining about the cold. I had also noticed a huge difference in temperatures between the floors. Whereas my room had a tendency to be stiflingly hot, it was now like a refrigerator. The hostel staff got on the phone with the boss to inquire about the heating situation and started pulling out extra blankets and space heaters. Upon retiring for the night, I discovered the the outer set (e.g. the insulated set) of windows in my room had been left wide open, possibly for two or more days, and no one had noticed because the inside set of windows were shut. I woke up the next day in a pool of sweat, so, problem solved.
| Lunch (Bulgogi & Udon Set) | 7000 W |
| Coffee | 3500 W |
| Dinner (Kimchi Stew) | 5000 W |
| Snacks (Fish x6 | 2000 W |
| Total: | 17500 W (105 RMB) (USD 15.7) |
Running Total: 3126 RMB (USD 463.5)
Daily Average: 284 RMB (USD 42)