Rather than stay in Hongdae, I decided to get out for the day on a walking tour suggested by a hostel copy of a Lonely Planet. I still had some hours in the morning to chill out while waiting out the rush hour, though the subway was still very crowded at 11 am.
I started at City Hall, which as far as I am concerned is just the name of a subway stop. The library next door is a far more impressive building. I set out west going around the outside of the Deoksugung Palace, stumbling upon the Seoul Museum of Art (SeMA) within a few hundred meters. Since it was free admission, dropped my bag in a locker and took a leisurely stroll through the three floors of galleries. One and half floors were dedicated to the art scene of New York’s East Village, an interesting choice to be sure, but I was more engaged by the local artists in the more permanent exhibitions.
Since it was well past noon at that point, I continued on my way but with an eye peeled for a lunch spot. The whole area is quite historic, having been home to foreign legations in the 19th century and still hosting some modern embassies and churches. There were a few side detours before I found a suitable restaurant serving a traditional set meal consisting of soup, rice, and several little dishes.
Continuing on, I skipped the Seoul Police Museum (which, if anything like the Beijing Police Museum, would be quite interesting), and went to a park which is also the site of another palace–Gyeonghuigung. The palace was pretty basic, which explains why it is free to enter and not even on Seoul’s top 10 palaces list, but it was nicely framed in front of a mountain.
Next to the park/palace is the Seoul History Museum which covers a lot of the same ground as the National Museum or the Museum of Contemporary History. But, it was free and worth a visit for the panoramic map of Seoul.
I had carried my laptop around all day expecting to end up in a cafe at some point, but I was getting tired, so I headed back to Hongdae afterwards. Between the subway and the hostel, I stopped at a cell phone shop to buy a prepaid SIM card. I’m not sure it is actually necessary because I had been getting along fine with Wi-Fi, but it is probably better to be on the safe side. If I actually use all 1.5 GB, I’ll be paying a tenth of what China Telecom would charge me for roaming.
Towards dinner time, I was feeling quite hungry, so I took the time to do a little internet research before heading out again. I picked a well-rated chain specializing in a white beef soup. I’m starting to understand why so many dishes in Korea are served in boiling cauldrons. It makes the winter that much easier to get through.
| Lunch (baekban) | 5,000 W |
| SIM Card | 20,000 W |
| Oxbone soup | 15,000 W |
| Soju and snack | 3,700 W |
| Total: | 43,700 W (264 RMB) (USD 39) |
Running Total: 3390 RMB (USD 502)
Daily Average: 282.5 RMB (USD 41.88)