First and foremost, we began our second day in South Korea with a big, hearty meal consisting of soondubu jigae, which is a delicious spicy tofu soup. I especially love eating this in the winter. It warms you right up! I don't remember who but one of us ordered a spicy pork dish. And as it when one goes traveling, obligatory photographic documentation of the things we noshed on shall consume this post in its entirety.
After our morning feast, we ventured to Gyeongbokgung Palace. I admit I had to search it up on google. And in all honesty, we flew to South Korea with hardly any plans for what we wanted to do. It was a go-with-the-flow kind of feeling. I still had a lot fun, but I do regret that we hadn't planned better. Anyhow, the walk to the palace was awe-inspiring. We passed through Gwanghwamun Square, which featured two impressive monumental statues. You cannot miss it.
The palace was enormous. It felt like a maze wandering through the corridors and different chambers. However long we spent there was clearly not enough to explore all the corners of the palace. It was beautiful and elaborately decorated in colorful designs. It amazed me that this place was once home to people. What was it like to live here normally? I can only read about it in historical books, but I will never truly experience it myself.
After the palace, we met up with one of our friend's friend, who served as a guide for us. She took us to eat at a cute cafe that specialized in matcha desserts. Everything was delicious. I love matcha more for its taste than its touted health benefits.
Of course, we were adamant about eating Korean BBQ in its native country. We were taken to a restaurant highly recommended by our guide. It was very different from the ones I have eaten at back in So Cal. If I remember correctly, we took off our shoes at sat down around our designated table. I thought that was really interesting. Also, instead of a vent situated directly above us, we had pipe vent that we could move whenever, wherever we wanted when it got too smoky. Pretty neat, I'd say. It was not the all-you-can-eat type of restaurant I was used to. However, the food was very tasty. The meats had nice marbling and they served us rice with vegetable sides inside a tin. As simple as it was, the rice was amazing. I'd say the rice was my favorite part of the meal. My friend and I often reflect back on this and find ourselves lamenting over the great distance separating us from our beloved.
Once night fell, we roamed over to Banpo Bridge, which is famous for its rainbow display of lights. Unfortunately, the night we went the display was cancelled. I don't remember why either. Instead of dwelling on a lost chance, we sat by the river, relaxing and enjoying some ice cream. The view itself was worth seeing.
0 comments:
Post a Comment