Day 5, N Seoul Tower.

Mom and I journeyed to N Seoul Tower (Namsan Tower) today. 

This time, we ran into transportation difficulties! 

You could take an express bus or a cable car to the tower after getting off the subway. 

Well, we made it to the correct subway exit...but we could not find the bus stop! Then, once we found the bus stop (15 minutes later), we never saw any busses that said "express" or had the right number on them! We finally gave up and ended up walking to the cable car station. It was much more expensive to take the cable car, but we were too frustrated and tired to care. Plus, we had already lost a lot of time! 

Views from the cable car. 

The cable car took us to the base of the tower. This area was pretty neat in and of itself. Look at this beautiful gazebo-like structure!

This tower is famous for its "locks of love." Tens of thousands of people have bought padlocks, engraved/written on them, and locked them at different places around the base of the tower. These locks symbolize "forever love" and people take the keys home with them. Mom made one for Dad, and I made one for my Turning Pointe dance students and friends!

Unfortunately, I did not think to take pictures of the locks before the sun went down. Oh well. 

I seriously thought these were Christmas trees at first. Nope! "Padlock trees," I suppose.

People can also leave "love tiles" inside of the tower. 

The panoramic view of Seoul from the top of the tower was amazing! Even better, we got to see the cityscape change from daytime to nighttime. 

In addition, this tower features Seoul's highest post office... (We mailed postcards from here. So fun!)

...and Seoul's highest restroom!

Hey, I was born here!

Day 4, Insadong.

Day 4. I think our bodies are adjusting better to the time difference as far as sleeping goes.

We met up with Kayla and went shopping in Insadong this afternoon. They have a "traditional street" full of souvenirs and gifts.

Waiting for the subway and having fun with reflections!

Prior to Insadong, Mom and I left the hotel a little early to "look" for a place to have lunch. BAD IDEA! The closest thing we could find to restaurants were coffee shops, and then, once we finally got steered in the right direction, we encountered more problems!

We went to one restaurant where they could not understand what we were saying at ALL. The waitress even threw her hands up in exasperation at one point and walked away. It was ironic because this restaurant was in an alley specifically geared toward tourists (according to a sign) who want to try Korean food! Anyway, we ended up leaving because they did not know what we were asking AND their plates were about $25.00 each.

We then went to another restaurant, but they would not let us share an entree. This meant that the meal would have been close to $40.00! No thanks again. That is way too much to spend on lunch. 

We finally settled for a deli located in a bookstore in the subway station. We tried a sausage rice omelet. It was weird to eat an omelet stuffed with rice! 

I got a great start on buying souvenirs in Insadong. Items are so colorful and unique here! Mom told one of the shopkeepers that I was her daughter, and I think she was a little surprised! However, once I open my mouth to speak, it does not take people long to figure out that I am a foreigner. 

One thing I noticed about the shopkeepers is that they are PUSHY! They literally hover over your shoulder while you are looking at items and try to convince you to buy them (i.e. "Very pretty!"). Also, when you are paying, they rush you even if it is obvious that you are looking for your money. They keep repeating the amount to you as if you did not understand them the first time! I realize that this is a cultural thing, but it really goes against my beliefs of being patient with people and respecting their personal space. I honestly find it all a little off-putting and try to buy from vendors that are less pushy with me. 

Starbucks Coffee...in Korean!

After shopping, we went to dinner at a hole in the wall restaurant that served mandu (dumplings). We shared a combination plate that included fried and steamed dumplings filled with pork, kimchi, or japchae. They were very good and inexpensive!

I really enjoyed getting to shop today! I still have several more things to buy though. Tomorrow, I think we are going to N Seoul Tower (Namsan Tower).

Day 3, Sweet Reunions.

Tonight, we reunited with the two exchange students, Aimee (Jeong) and Yuna (Jiwon), we met at Angelo State University last year! It was SO good to see them.

On the way to the subway station, Mom and I ran into Garfield! He was advertising a cat cafe. 

Notice our two fingers! This gesture is very common in Korea when taking pictures, but I am not really sure what it means. 

UPDATE: It is like a victory sign!

Walking around town. Look at the lights!

We all went out to dinner (Kayla came too!) and had samgyupsal (pork). A chef prepared it at our table and then we wrapped it in lettuce or this other green vegetable. The other vegetable reminded me of kelp or spinach, and it was actually really good! I tried one bite of the red sauce, but I did not care for it. 

Dinner was a blast! We had so much fun together and made some lasting memories. 

Mom and I brought Aimee and Yuna some Texas tote bags full of snacks. They loved them, and it was fun to see their reactions to our gifts! 

After dinner, we went to a dessert cafe. Yum! We tried snowflake sherbet topped with sweet red beans, snowflake sherbet topped with cheesecake, and injeolmi honey bread. The snowflake sherbet was literally like eating snow! Softer than American snow cones even. 

The girls taught us how to pose for pictures Korean style (see top picture). It is supposed to signify "I am so cute" as well as draw attention away from the face. Koreans do not want their faces to appear round, so these gestures are supposed to make the face appear more V shaped.

Day 3, Transferring Hotels.

I slept in this morning which was much needed. While I was sleeping, Mom was chatting it up with a lady from the Philippines (who spoke English) in the breakfast nook. 

Lindsey: Sleeping

Brenda: Socializing

Sounds about right!

We transferred to our new hotel today, so we took our time getting ready this morning. We did not want to drag our heavy luggage all over town! 

After checking out, we walked (or more precisely, waddled, if you take our luggage into account) to a nearby Italian restaurant for lunch. We had salmon cream spaghetti and garlic bread. Everything was spiced a little bit differently compared to home (i.e. the garlic bread had a sweet taste to it), so it had some Korean flair! The whole meal was delicious though!

One thing that is interesting about Seoul is that their businesses/restaurants are stacked. As in, you have to look up when you are walking down the street to see everything that is available. For instance, that Italian restaurant was located on the second floor. However, I really only found it because they had a billboard advertisement on the sidewalk. I guess I need to get better about looking up! 

We took a taxi to our new hotel. The ride was bumpy, hot, and pretty terrible honestly. The traffic is horrible here and drivers have to constantly slam on their brakes. After an hour of stop, go, stop, go, stop, go...I was definitely a little motion sick! We made it though, and it only cost us 20,000 KRW (about $20.00)! 

Our new hotel is SO nice. It is set up like an extended stay hotel and has an air filter system, a heated floor, a washing machine, and...a bidet toilet! 

Mom and I played around with the buttons on the bidet toilet. We discovered that some of the buttons only work if you actually sit on the toilet, so I volunteered. I did not get up fast enough after pushing the "feminine wash" button though! Oops. Nothing like getting sprayed by a bidet nozzle!

So far, we have deciphered the "wash," "feminine wash," "air dry," and "air freshener" buttons, but we have not been brave enough to try any of them! Sadly, it actually took us a few minutes to figure out how to flush the toilet. 

Speaking of toilets, I found a squatty potty in the subway station! No, I did not use it. 

I think I will leave the bidet toilet and squatty potty here. I would gladly take the heated floor home though! 

Some cultural notes:

1) People are always in a hurry here, and they will bump into you/push you to get wherever they are going. At first, I thought that I was just not paying attention to where I was walking, but then I realized that people are going to barrel through me no matter where I am at! I have constantly said "sorry" and "excuse me" out of habit, but that is not something that is said here. In fact, no one seems to notice when they run into you. It is like you are invisible! At the lantern festival, Mom and I were coming around a corner, and we literally got slammed into a railing. It was like a herd of cattle! I would NOT want to go Black Friday shopping here (if they had it). I would probably be trampled! 

2) I have learned how to say "hello" and "thank you" in Korean, so I have been working on using those words first before speaking in English. Of course, I usually follow it with an English "hello" or "thank you" - just in case I butchered the words in Korean! 

3) People bow here a lot. At first, it caught me off guard (even though I knew to expect it), but it is feeling more natural for me to return the gesture now. It is like a non-verbal way of greeting or thanking someone. 

4) Kayla taught me how to say "chogiyo," which is how you call a waiter/waitress to your table when you are ready to order or need something. They do not come to you; rather, you call them over!

5) We have definitely encountered some very kind Koreans. One guy off the street offered to carry Mom's suitcase up the stairs for her, our waitress gave us a free dessert at lunch today, and a guy at the lantern festival last night asked where we were from and kept saying, "Enjoy, enjoy (your stay in a Korea)!" when he found out that we were from America.

Day 2, Seoul Lantern Festival, Part 2.

The festival also included lanterns from other countries. This was one of my absolute favorites.

Hmm... I wonder what country this one is from! 

Day 2, Seoul Lantern Festival, Part 1.

We met my friend Kayla for dinner tonight. She took us out for bulgogi bibimbap (sliced beef, rice, and vegetables mixed together). Yum! Korean food always tastes so healthy! 

After that, we headed to the 2014 Seoul Lantern Festival. It was very crowded, and we had to wait in line, but it was well worth it! These giant lanterns were set on the Cheonggyecheon Stream. The stream runs right through town, and it reminded me a lot of the San Antonio River Walk.

Day 2, Our First Adventures.

Halfway through Day 2. 

The first challenge? Navigating the subway system! I was smart this time (compared to yesterday when my directions would not load) and took screenshots of which lines to take before leaving the hotel. Thank goodness for color coding and English translations on signs!

On the way to the subway station, we ran across an aquarium full of eel. It was outside a restaurant. I am assuming that it is kind of like Red Lobster where you can choose your food while it is still alive. 

Fresh eel anyone?

I have discovered that Koreans have no qualms about packing into busses, subways, and elevators like sardines. It is a good thing I am not claustrophobic! I have been squished up against walls several times. 

Mom and I went in search of a local E-Mart, which is basically Korea's version of a Walmart. We needed to buy a flat iron as ours does not get hot enough when using our plug converters. Our journey took us to a giant shopping mall called Times Square. It had eight floors including E-Mart, designer brand stores, casual restaurants, upscale restaurants, a movie theater, a walk-up pharmacy counter, a vet clinic, and more! 

We ate lunch at the food court there and just had a regular cheeseburger. However, we did try kimchi beef French fries. They were actually pretty good, and that says a lot since I hate kimchi! 

I have definitely started running into more language barriers today. At lunch, the cashier thought that I ordered a fish burger instead of a beef burger, so I had to fix that. Then, it took us awhile to find someone that understood what "ice" was. I have decided that communicating in Korea resembles playing a huge game of charades. So far, Mom has acted out "sack," "curling iron," and "ice," and I have acted out "flat iron." Mom is a pretty good actress and can usually get her point across better than I can! 

I continue to be astounded by how much I resemble everyone else. I know that is shallow, but after being in the minority for so long, it is strange to "blend in." Conversely, Mom is the only Caucasian person I have seen today, but she does not notice that she stands out (of course).

New things I have seen:

- Snail Solution and Bee Venom beauty products

- McDelivery carts

- A slanted moving walkway which allows you to take shopping carts upstairs/downstairs 

I have also seen some familiar places sprinkled in here and there:

- Outback Steakhouse

- On The Border

- Baskin-Robbins

- 7-11 Convenience Stores

I actually found a Korean Dr. Pepper, but it tasted slightly different than those at home. 

Apparently, Diet Coke is called Coke Light over here, and it is reportedly very difficult to find. Everyone drinks Coke or Coke Zero for the most part. I am tolerating Coke Zero okay, but I do miss Diet Coke!

There is surprisingly a lot more English around (as far as signs and printed materials go) than I was expecting. Still, it is minimal. For instance, you can read the names of dishes on a menu, but the descriptions of the dishes are printed in Korean. 

I have only had one person speak to me in Korean so far. I smiled and said, "Sorry, English." Thankfully, she was understanding and gracious about it. At least I know that I "look the part!"

Tonight, we are meeting up with my friend Kayla. We went to graduate school together, and she is currently teaching English in Korea. We are having dinner and then going to Seoul's annual lantern festival. It is set along the Cheonggyecheon Stream. I look forward to sharing several photos from that event in my next post!

Day 1, Flying To Korea.

Several people have asked why I am taking this trip.

Since I was a young girl, I have always been interested in my birth country. The people, the culture, the sights. It is fascinating to think that my life story began almost 7,000 miles away in a land so foreign from what I know. 

This trip is not about adoption or finding my birth family. Rather, it is about connecting and developing a greater appreciation for where I started. 

I am attempting to embark on this journey with few questions or expectations. I simply want to experience.

Mom and I got up around 5:00am to get ready to go to the airport. Our flight connected in Dallas, and we departed from there around 10:00am. I was definitely dreading the 14 hour flight! Thankfully, between movies, games, sleeping, and eating three different times, we made it with little discomfort. Of course, Mom managed to connect with a Chinese lady sitting behind us on the airplane. The lady did not speak English, but Mom offered her snacks for her daughter, and they became friends.

I kept looking out the window to try to see the Pacific Ocean, but I could only see a field of clouds. Maybe that is for the best though. Flying over that much water is kind of nerve wracking!

I was so excited (and ready) to see this sign. 

The first things I noticed upon entering the airport were:

1) There are a lot of people that physically look like me. 

2) I definitely do not speak the language.

Most of the airport signs and announcements were also presented in English. Still, as I was perusing the soft drink section of a store (I only recognized Coca-Cola, Pepsi, and Fanta) and mentally converting 16,800 KRW to USD, I realized that navigating things in Korea will be challenging at times! 

From there, Mom and I managed to buy bus tickets, board the correct bus, AND find our hotel. I was pretty tired by this point, so I did not take in much of the scenery coming into town. However, Seoul is full of colorful lights and hopping with people! Oh, and the drivers are pretty aggressive. There is a lot of honking over here!

Jet lag has not been too bad so far. We went to bed around 10:00pm and woke up at 3:00am! We decided to go ahead and get up. After all, it was noon at home!

Our hotel is tinyyy, but it is quiet and comfortable. You literally walk in and see two twin beds straight in front of you and a bathroom to the left. We will be staying somewhere else in a few days though. This is just our first stop!

Off to sightseeing... Well, once it is a little more daytime over here!