Day 415: A Full Day

Ryan and Christine got up at 5:30am today and were out the door by around 6. They were heading into the city to meet up with a tour bus for a half-day tour of the DMZ. I slept in and the extra sleep was delicious. I wandered into Seoul to meet up with them for 2pm. I grabbed a caramel frappuccino first and then had some time to kill while waiting for them at City Hall. It was a beautiful, warm sunny day and it was nice just to hang out for a bit in the very centre of this megacity, feeling its energy revolve around me and that plaza.

When Ryan and Christine arrived we made a b-line for Changbok Palace to join the 3:30pm tour. This was my fourth time touring this palace, but it's so calm and peaceful and beautiful I really do enjoy it every time. After the palace tour we took a cab over to Itaewon to go and check out What The Book? Apparently Kaohsiung is lacking in used bookstores and both Ryan and Christine were excited to have the chance to wander through one. After they had their fill of used English literature we cabbed to Insadong for dinner. We went to a traditional Korean restaurant and had quite the feast! More ice cream was needed again after that so we went back to the same BR as last night.

After dinner we (or maybe just I?) were feeling a little adventurous so we decided to hike it up Namsan to Seoul Tower. The view from the top at night is breathtaking and something not to be missed by any visitors for sure. There is a gondola that goes up the mountain, but I think it's way cooler to hike it up yourself. We got about three quarters of the way up and found a viewing platform that looked out over the downtown area of Seoul. It was a magnificent view with all the lights down below, the cars swirling below, the towers stretching out for infinity, the dark sillouettes of mountains just beyond the city's grasp. It was beautiful. Seoul Tower loomed above us but appeared to be dark and closed for the night. We decided that this was high enough and walked back down to catch a bus home.

Talk about a full day for those two kids! The DMZ, Changbokgung, Itaewon, Insadong, and Namsan! Phew! All of that, *and* me as their charming and uber-informative tour guide! What more could any visitors to Korea possibly ask for? ;-)