June 14, 2007-- Nathan and I flew with Korean Air to Thailand, but we had about 14 hours waiting for our connecting flight in Seoul, so we made a plan to visit my friend, Lee. Lee and I met in the US. We were in the same ESL classes at SBCC in 2006.
We landed in Seoul in the early morning. As a Thai citizen, I don't need a visa to enter the country, and I can stay up to three months. As an American, Nathan doesn't need a visa either, but he can stay up to only one month. What a difference!
As soon as we got through immigration, Nathan and I cleaned ourselves in a restroom in the Incheon International Airport. Then we took a bus to town where Lee had told us to get off.
I wanted to call Lee as soon as I got off the bus, but I didn't have any change for the public phone, so I went into a little convenience store next to the subway to get some change.
It wasn't too difficult to learn how to dial the phone in Korea. Lee came to pick us up almost right away.
His family is very warm and welcoming. I fell in love with his nephew right away, and he seemed to like me a lot since he kept clinging around me and said that he wanted to take me home. :-)
After a welcoming breakfast that Lee's sister made for us, Lee took us to a palace. I don't really remember the name of the palace, but I guess it is Gyeongbokgung Palace.
Gyeongbokgung Palace is pretty big. There weren't many tourists in the early morning, so we had the best chance to see a lot of things. Koreans seemed to live a pretty simple life in the past. There is only one room in a building to sit, sleep, eat and work. It really reminded me of my favorite Korean series Dae Jang Geum, which shows how the royal family lived in the past.
Lee took us to see the Gyeonghoeru Pavilion, a beautiful building that is represented on the 10,000 won Korean banknotes.
Our portraits right in front of the Gyeonghoeru Pavilion.
After touring the palace, Lee took us to a famous shopping mall. I don't remember the name of the area, but it's a perfect place to get some food and souvenirs. I bought some Korean traditional rice snacks for my family in Thailand.
After a long walk, Lee took us to get some lunch at a traditional Korean restaurant. This is the best Korean food I have ever had in my life. Nathan and I always think about it whenever we are craving for Korean food. Lee ordered many dishes, and I was surprised that there actually are many kinds of kimchi. I knew only the spicy kind from the Korean series I watched.
Before heading back to the airport, Lee's family took us to Seoul World Cup Stadium to chill out at the park. We had such a great time wandering around for about 10 hours in the city. Nathan was so fond of Lee's nephew and ran around the park with him.
It was a great stop-over. I'm so glad to have visited Lee in his home town. I wish to take him around in Thailand as well if he ever visits Thailand again. Apparently he and his family have visited Thailand more than 40 times!
Nathan and I will definitely visit South Korea again, and we will stay for at least a week to do more traveling around the country.