Saying goodbye in Seoul

Ok.  So this was ages ago.  I realize that.  But I have a little time, and I wanted to get caught up a little bit.  I have so much to tell you all that its crazy.  I also have pictures that I need to post.  That will ideally happen tomorrow.

Anyway.  So, Friday, our tour of Japan was over, and we flew back to Seoul where we departed from our tour group.  By the last day, the folks in the group were completely at ease with us, and many asked to take their photos with us.  I spoke for a long time with a young university student from Seoul who was a philosophy major.  She secretly knew English all week!  hahaa...  Then the group of three girls who I previously mentioned made me a bracelet out of cloves, (which I later pressed and saved, because it was too cute), and asked to take their photo with me.  Did I already write about that?  I should have checked.

I'm sure none of us will forget our adventure in Korea and Japan together

Moving on to Seoul.  So!  We were going to go to Kyeongju, but I didn't really plan this leg of our trip very well.  To say the least.  So, I got on the phone and I was trying to call hotels in Kyeongju to find a place to stay for the night.  I began getting frustrated, then I became progressively more frustrated.  And then a little more.  Finally, by the time we realized that we had the wrong tickets, I was just about finished.  So, we decided to stay in Seoul.

So then, I had a frustrating time finding a hotel in Seoul over the phone.  We should have just gone to Itaewon and gotten a love hotel, but we didn't do that.  Finally, Dad went out to have a puff on his pipe, and he met someone who pointed us in the direction of the Palace hotel. He even called for Dad and asked if there was a vacancy for three people.  Sure enough there was.  What a relief!  And it was so close to the bus terminal!  IT couldn't have been any more ideal.  It ended up being a pretty nice meal though.

For me, this was a stressful few hours.  It was the only time when I really hit a breaking point.  For me, this was worse than Hakkoido.  But it all worked out well in the end.

We picked up some literature on things to do in Seoul, and decided that one thing was for certain... we didn't want to be sitting on a bus!  So, the next day we headed off for Gyeongbuk (I think) palace.  It was alright, but honestly, it wasn't my favourite thing I saw.  We did have some fun with some stone statues though.  I'll post pics of those.  Perhaps tomorrow.  Don't get me wrong, I found some things there very interesting, but the palace itself... meh... Of course, after the week that we just had, that wasn't so surprising.

Afterward, we headed off to Dongdemun market, where we truly didn't have enough time.  Mom and I both bought some cute fabric.  I like it a lot.  Then, we headed to the bus terminal to meet up with my boss and his family for dinner.  However, it didn't work out, because my boss's father in law was ill.  So just Megan and sophie came for dinner.  It was nice, but poor Megs was afraid of my Dad! haha...

The next day, we got up at a reasonable hour, and headed off to spend the day in Itaewon.  In the bus terminal, we randomly ran into a Sushi buffet restaurant that looked pretty great, so dad decided to make us a reservation for a special dinner for our last night.  Then, it was off to Itaewon, for an essential part of every vacation: SHOPPING!

Mom was a little upset that she hadn't had more time in Dongdemun, but we totally made up for it in Itaewon.  We found so many great things, and bought so many presents for our family and friends.  We even bought bootleg DVDs on the street corner, which tickled Dad a little.  Even Dad found things he was excited about to buy, which was great for him.  I think mom and Dad were especially happy to be back among English speaking people.  It is a bit of a relief to go to Itaewon.  I always like it there.

That night, it was off to dinner at the fancy sushi buffet.  We arrived right at our reservation time to find a line.  But it was worth it.  The food was great, and we were all very happy.  I have learned that I love shashami!  There was a lot of very good food, but I think mom's highlight was the chocolate truffle balls.  Haha... IT was a really wonderful day, and I was really happy that we'd decided to stay in Seoul.

We stayed up that night and played cards, as had become our routine.  We drank a little, and laughed and had fun.  The next morning, I got up early (for me) and said goodbye to my parents.  I held it together much better than I did when Ryan came, I must say.  I guess I was getting more seasoned at it.  Or perhaps, there was a factor of relief at no longer having to be in constant tour guide mode.  Now, I could go and be a lost tourist again.

I must say, it was a great experience travelling with my parents in this manner.  It was strange to kind of be the one in charge...  I've never had to play that role with my parents.  The cool thing, is that it made them feel more like my friends than my mom and dad.  Of course, they paid for more things than friends would...  haha...  Kidding aside, I'm sure none of us will ever forget our adventure in Japan and Korea together.  My adventure in Korea is just a little longer.  Time to go my friends!  Pictures will follow!

Much love,

Ash