Even though it was just for a day, we were so excited to have our first visitors in Korea recently when our friends Leah and Angel spent a day in Seoul while on a layover on their way to Taiwan! Even though we haven’t been here that long, it’s always nice to see familiar faces.
Together with our trusty tour guide Andrew, we met up with Leah and Angel in a neighborhood near the Gyeonbokgung Palace. True to form, we found them in a Starbucks! Then we all went to a cool area in Seoul called Myeongdong, which is full of shopping–everything from cheap booths and tables in the streets to high-end name brand stores. Angel tried to barter for a watch on the street, but the vendor wasn’t having any of it, and she ended up paying full price. It was worth a try though!
We tried some different types of street food, including these little balls that are made of strings of honey that unfortunately have a texture that is way to similar to fur. Right after Leah popped one into her mouth (already hesitant), Andrew casually commented that it tasted as though he was “chewing on a hamster.” We all laughed so hard, and Leah spit out her sweet little hamster. I think we may have ruined them for her forever!
Myeongdong
After shopping we headed over to a fun university area and went to dinner at a shabu shabu restauarant, which is hot pot soup. The meat comes out raw, and you get plates of veggies and a boiling pot of broth in the middle of your table, and you make your own soup. I think everyone enjoyed it and we all left very satisfied!
Sadly, we had to part ways soon after dinner. Leah and Angel were really jet-lagged, and to them it was 4 am. So we said our goodbyes, which was a little more sad than I expected, and sent them off on their adventure to Taiwan. Overall, it was short, but sweet!
Angel shopping
Leah
Street food (fried potatoes)
Angel and Matt
Angel, Leah and Andrew at dinner
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[...] weekend I went shopping in Myeongdong, a hugely popular district in Seoul (which I’ve mentioned before) that’s full of shops and restaurants , and I snapped some photos that really highlight [...]
[...] stores are abundant. If you think $3 is too much for a shirt, you’re also in luck–street shopping and subway shops are literally all around you. For me, these little booths and shops (plus a ton of cheap boutiques) [...]
[...] and Seoul have to offer. We’ve already had two sets of visitors in Korea–some of our friends had a layover here in November for one day, and my sister and her then boyfriend, now fiance, came for five [...]