I have never been so thankful to get lost. My last two weeks were spent confined in quarantine, and it was refreshing to be outside, surrounded by people, wandering a new city that I will call home for the next 3 years.
And what is a better welcome to Seoul you ask, then to get lost for hours exploring... my first night in the hotel was low key. I had dinner at the on-site restaurant, walked around the hotel grounds and went to bed early. My first day was a different story.
My mission was to obtain a T-Card (to be used for the metro, bus and taxis). I had no idea where I was going, just that I needed find either a 7-Eleven or a CU Convenient store. Keep in mind, that I speak very little Korean. Luckily my translator app (Papago) came in handy.
After walking a few miles from my hotel I found a 7-Eleven, and the young clerk spoke fluent English. Sadly...they had no more T-Cards in stock. She gave me directions to the nearest CU. My Google Maps was no help in combination with her directions. The CU was hidden in the bottom of an apartment complex. Luckily the doorman caught on to the lost look on my face, and also helped. My first impression of the citizens of Seoul, super helpful (or they took pity on me...either way). I bought a T-Card, loaded it up and hopped on the metro.
I decided to continue my outdoor exploration at Namdaemun Market. This place had everything...shoes, clothes, produce, AND street food. I went with some very basic options for my first go round, marinated chicken on a skewer and shrimp tempura. They were both delicious AND cheap. I "window shopped" for the most part, and had a Korean man tell me he loved my hair. Thank you sir, me too.
I ended my 12,000+ steps adventure (according to my FitBit) with a stop at 7-Eleven to buy some local snacks. I got 바나나맛 우 (Banana Flavored Milk Snack), Haitai Honey Butter Chips and some candies. I highly recommend all of these things, five out of five.
Yorumlar