Not too much to say today as I’ve been enjoying my trip and don’t always have something interesting to talk about. So I apologize to anyone who looks forward to these. Towards the end of my trip I do plan to make a final summary of everything that went on as well as a guide with some tips regarding my experiences and suggestions. I will include addresses, pictures, and you will also see some of my explanations in my vlog(s) once I upload them.
So far the best part about this trip is being able to see people every day. I enjoy a busy life style. More specifically I enjoy people who are out and walking about on a daily basis. Living in Missouri for almost 6 years has been the biggest challenge of my life. Now I feel like I’m back living in a comfortable environment made for me. Like I’m almost at home again.
I also need to briefly clarify that I’m from Albany, New York. I was not born in New York City and a lot of people think I was because any mention of New York = the city to most people. While Albany is still a big place, it does not compare to the city. I talk about the city a lot because I would drive down there an abundance of times by myself and explore as a teenager. But I digress. I think Seoul is a bit more cozy compared to NYC. Maybe it’s the fact that it feels safer to walk around. You can’t just go down any random street or alleyway in New York City for the most part. Every time I’ve been dropped off near a mall or popular location here in Seoul, I just walk. I go anywhere I want. And I don’t feel scared, I don’t feel followed or watched like I normally would at home, and I don’t think I’m going to die when nobody is around me. I’m a bit crazy so obviously take that with a grain of salt but this is really nice and I’m extremely lucky to be experiencing the culture here.
I’ve been looking for a moment to learn more Korean but I’ve been a bit all over the place with my days here. If I’m not out and exploring, I’m in our hotel room cleaning up, making sure Tyler has what he needs, or I’m laying in bed depressed all day. Everything in my life right now is great for the most part BUT unfortunately I just got my time of the month soooo that is what’s making me feel like shit. For the last 2 days I’ve gone out a little bit but then I just come back home and lay in bed because I get tired really fast and my head hurts. It is a beautiful thing being a woman sometimes!
The other day even though I felt like ass, I forced myself to go visit some animals at the “Eden Meerkat Friends” cafe. You are able to sit with the Meerkats, feed some Kangaroos, and look at some foxes in cages. I feel bad in a sense because it is a pretty small place up on the highest floor of the building but it isn’t my place to judge and I don’t know the situation as to why they are all in that place to begin with. I look at the experience in a more positive manner as I would’ve never thought I’d be able to pet a Kangaroo and see a Kangaroo with a baby in its pouch. That was fucking amazing and the Korean owner kept smiling and giggling at how in awe I was of the situation. The Meerkats were not as cute as I imagined in person but that was still really neat to experience. They didn’t play with me too much because the owner told me it was almost their dinner time and they were waiting to be fed. Still a great time and I highly recommend you check this place out if you ever stay in Seoul.
While in my taxi prior to getting to the Meerkat Cafe, I noticed a huge mountain with a beautiful view of the Seoul Tour near the Cafe location about 5 minutes away. I decided to walk back towards it once I was dropped off. I think I ended up walking on a path called Theme Street. Lots of drawings and murals and cute little shops. I walked all the way up the hill and came across a Women’s College called Soongeui. They were just getting out of school at that time so I was able to see the gates open with police nearby and I could hear all of the kids walking home while laughing and talking out loud. It actually made me miss being in school for a moment. But that was literally a brief moment because fuck school LOL.
After checking my phone on my walk, I presumed the mountain I saw earlier in the taxi ride was called the Namsan Mountain. If you look at Kakao Map or probably any map of South Korea, I took the path from the school facilities all the way down to the Memorial Hall and another park but it doesn’t show a name. That park has a path that leads to Namsan-gol Park. It was extremely beautiful to look at. Lots of big trees and greenery when you get to the Pagoda Memorial Stone. There are also flowers on the side that make it look really pretty. The Meerkat Cafe was going to close within the next hour so I wasn’t able to explore any of the trails in that area but I do plan to go back because I love nature and greenery a lot. If you know anything about me you know I love exploring.
Yeah that’s basically it not too much to talk about. I’m really loving Korea so far. I think this weekend once I’m near being of my “time of the month” I’m going to explore either Seoul Tower or finish exploring the Namsan Mountain Park. I will post my list of places to go below and if you have any more recommendations please let me know. Thanks for reading and have a great Friday y’all!
-M
List of places I’d like to visit: Namsan Mountain Park, National Museum of Korea, Gyeongdong Market, Nami Island Seoul Center, Naeyeonsan, Geojedo, Namdaemun, Gyeongbokgung Palace, Busan, Jeju Island.
Places I’ve been so far (that I can remember): Myeong-dong, Yongsan I’Park Mall, Meerkat Friends Cafe, Cats’ Playground, Kakao Friends Store, Gangnam Station Underground Shopping, Knotted Donuts
Leave a reply to Nico Cancel reply