The dirty, smelly hostel, the pollution, and the solitude have been starting to affect my mood, which doesn’t exactly have a high baseline. I’m planning maneuvers to get out of Seoul, but that hasn’t stopped me from aggressively reaching out through social networking apps to find interesting people to hang out with or share a meal. At one point, I had two “dates” arranged for the weekend, but both fell through.
Saturday morning was still fairly polluted, but I couldn’t spend another day just hiding out. So, I walked to the nearby Namsan Park, and hiked up to the Seoul N Tower. There were some spectacular views of the city to the south and north, and I did feel the need to shell out 10 bucks to go up to the observation deck. I walked down the other side of the mountain, and having skipped breakfast, was feeling right hungry as I transitioned by park to city. Myeondong, a popular shopping/dining/fashion area, was not too far away, but I stumbled into the Namdaemun market before I even got that far. By chance I found a narrow passageway through one block of market stalls that specialized in some kind of fish (cutlassfish). I squeezed into one crowded restaurant and feasted on the cutlassfish stew, assorted kimchi, salted fish, rice, and steamed egg.
I took a bus back to Itaewon, swung by the hostel, and then spent the afternoon in a coffee shop. It started to get crowded around 6, and I realized I needed to do something for dinner. I showered and dressed despite not having any particular plans, and looked on Trip Advisor for somewhere to eat.
I went over to a local craft beer place, had a pint and read more Pride and Prejudice than I have all month. You’d think I’d have more time to just read. It was nice to be relaxing with a beer in a popular craft brewery, and though I was reading, I figured if I hung out for a while, I’d eventually strike up a conversation with someone. I finished my first glass and ran to the bathroom, only to find that my seat had been stolen, so I guess one beer was enough and I had no choice but to adjust my expectations. It was nearly 8 and my stomach was complaining, so I headed up the hill to try a Nashville Hot Chicken joint I’d passed by the other day. I’d never even heard of Nashville Hot Chicken until it popped up in my YouTube a couple months ago. I had four pieces, no drink no sides, at medium (habanero-level) spiciness. It was alright.
The next morning, the AQI dropped below 90, so I laced up my running shoes and did a loop around Yongsan. I decided to have a “brunch” at a place called Uncle Sam’s Pancakes. It was a tiny little place, and I spent a leisurely two hours studying Korean. I impressed the waitress with my studiousness and we chatted briefly on my way out. I guess the trick is to have the textbook out – working on a computer is too impersonal, but books are more inviting of curiosity.
I had a longish WeChat call back at the hostel before I could grab my swimming suit and take the subway directly over to the World Cup stadium. Sauna, nap, swimming (1500 m!), and sauna, all with a bit of texting peeps on my way in and out of the locker room. I had my computer with me to write and study, but I was pretty wiped out after all that.
I had made new plans to meet someone for coffee at 8, so by 6ish I decided to leave the sauna to get a salad at the HomePlus. It was closed again! So, I just took the subway over to the neighborhood where we were going to meet and took a loop, soaking in the bustling street life and food carts. I grabbed a “protein” salad from a convenience store and scarfed it down to stave off starvation and had a grape soda to kill some time.
Ikseondong is an interesting cluster of old buildings that have all been converted into super trendy restaurants and cafes. It reminded me of something you’d find in Japan. Seoul would be a lot of fun if I had some income and a network of friends to hang out with. I can’t believe how expensive the coffee and strawberry cake (chiffon? Fromage? something fancy like that).
| Cutlassfish stew | 9000 |
| Double Espresso | 4000 |
| Pale Ale | 6000 |
| Nashville Hot Chicken | 9900 |
| Breakfast set | 10000 |
| Sauna + Swimming | 10000 |
| GS25 Salad | 4100 |
| Soda | 1000 |
| Coffee + Cake (half) | 21500 |
| Total: | 75500 (456.7 RMB) (USD 68) |
Running Total:
7156.8 RMB
(USD 1066)
Daily Average:
255.6 RMB
(USD 38)