By Chris
December 20, 2019 • 6 min read
Seoul December 13-20, 2019
The week before Christmas, Brandon and I had the opportunity to visit friends in Seoul. We had so much fun catching up with Wonsub, KJ, Jungwoo, JaeAh, and Sangwon. I knew them from my time in Houston around 10 years ago when I did Teach for America. We went to the same church at that time.
The night after our arrival they took us out to eat at the Korean restaurant pictured above. It was so tasty! They told me it's the same restaurant we came to about 10 years ago when I visited them last time, along with Mary and other friends. It filled my heart right up with joy to see them all again.
After dinner, they graciously took us to a really cute coffee shop in a trendy area. We talked for hours over warm lattes and mochas, a stark contrast from the freezing cold weather outside. Did I mention Korea was freezing? It was around 1 degree celcius the week we were there. I jokingly called myself "the creampuff" in my puffy white jacket that I picked up from Uniqlo in Japan, just for this week in Korea. Thank you, Marina and Hiromi for convincing me to get it! You guys were lifesavers!
We met up with Sangwon on two other nights and he introduced us to an amazing Italian restaurant called Maremma Trattoria in the Itaewon area. Their bruschetta was actually one of the stars of the night and happened to be huge and shareable. Their steak was also delicious.
After dinner, Sangwon took us to a huge and tasty bakery called Passion Five, also in the Itaewon area. We were overwhelmed and giddy at the many colorful and sugar filled confections. However my favorite ended up being Sangwon's recommendation: the pudding. It was light and creamy, with a caramel bottom. We enjoyed it so much we returned a few days later.
South Korea felt more Western than Japan. Numerous highways bisected streets and it was clear that more people drive cars regularly than in Japan. We noted it was not as pedestrian friendly. Most restaurants and cafes accepted credit cards, whereas in Japan a lot of places still only accept cash. In addition, most peoples' English was really good at almost all of the shops we went to. People talked more on the subway, in contrast to the quiet that was pervasive on Japanese trains. However, we overall thought the Japanese subway was a bit nicer with their velvet seats and mega subway stations.
One thing I really enjoyed was our T-cards, which we customized to be a "couple" set of cute animals. They even have a station where you can print your T-card with your own photos!
We also tried out the Tempur Cinema in Apgujeong, another trendy area. It was a splurge but we enjoyed the plush experience. The Apgujeong cinema is a multi-story affair that has a coffee cafe on the ground level. You go to one of the basement levels and staff in suits usher you in and allow you to choose a soft drink or juice. I really wanted a latte too so I scooted back upstairs to grab one. Once inside, large Tempurpedic reclining and adjustable beds await. Blankets are also provided since the theatre is a bit chilly. Gourmet popcorn sits on the side tables awaiting your hunger cravings.
Overall the Tempur Cinema was a fun experience but a bit pricey. We would probably only do it once a year if we lived here. However, sitting/lying on the Tempur mattresses did convince us we might need to buy one for our bed eventually. This cracked us up since their marketing scheme totally worked!
The other activity we spent our time on was going to the local jimjilbang which is a community spa of sorts. They tend to have communal baths that are gender-separated and in which you get in naked. Then you put on these garish orange or tan shorts/t-shirt combos and pad upstairs to the many saunas which range in temperature and effect. They had the ice cold room, the charcoal room, the UV room, and a hot one with salt floor. I'm a wimp when it comes to saunas so I dart in and out just to "experience them" whereas most people sit and relax for much longer. I have discovered I'm a seventy degree kind of girl.
My favorite part of the jimjilbang were the massage chairs. You insert coins and they rev up, encasing your limbs in alternating pressure to massage them. I also enjoyed the Sikhye, a cold and refreshing rice drink that is common at the jimjilbang. We also cracked open a couple boiled eggs to eat for good measure.
Our week in South Korea flew by. We didn't do a lot of sightseeing, mostly due to the freezing temperatures and how cozy our airbnb was, but we thoroughly enjoyed eating good food and catching up with friends. And really what more can we ask for? We're very grateful for that opportunity.
January 25th to February 20th After our brief stay in Singapore, we more or less spent the next month (from January 25th to February 20th) on various Thai islands. It was a blast and a really unique experience. Looking back on it I'm probably struck the most by how different the experience was on each of the islands. We also had some interesting experiences getting to and from the different…