Today was our last day in Seoul. We got up early and caught a bus to Everland Amusement Park so Paul could ride a few more roller coasters, including T-Express, which is considered one of the best wooden roller coasters in the world. The bus left from Gangnam, an upscale neighborhood south of the Han river. It looks a lot like Midtown Manhattan.
It was an interesting bus ride to the park, out in the far Seoul suburbs. Unlike American suburbs, everyone here seems to live in high-rise buildings that parallel the major public transportation routes. No sea of single-family houses and asphalt-laden strip malls.
There were a billion kids at Everland. Apparently, kids in Korea get field trips to Everland for fun. Lucky! David said hello to one girl in a line and she freaked out, shouted something in Korean about an English speaking man and ran back to her friends and hid. Boys were a bit more inquisitive, which gave David a chance to work on his Korean. While at Everland, we also sampled the local theme park cuisine. I wouldn't recommend octopus on a stick or bulgogi in a bun. Maybe some peanut butter squid, though?
It was an interesting bus ride to the park, out in the far Seoul suburbs. Unlike American suburbs, everyone here seems to live in high-rise buildings that parallel the major public transportation routes. No sea of single-family houses and asphalt-laden strip malls.
There were a billion kids at Everland. Apparently, kids in Korea get field trips to Everland for fun. Lucky! David said hello to one girl in a line and she freaked out, shouted something in Korean about an English speaking man and ran back to her friends and hid. Boys were a bit more inquisitive, which gave David a chance to work on his Korean. While at Everland, we also sampled the local theme park cuisine. I wouldn't recommend octopus on a stick or bulgogi in a bun. Maybe some peanut butter squid, though?
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| T-Express at Everland |
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| Merry Christmas (or the Korean equivalent) |
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| Hmm... |
After the 45 minute bus ride back to Seoul, we packed up our stuff and took a taxi to the East Seoul Bus Station to start the next leg of our trip. After buying our tickets for Sokcho, and looking like confused white people in a sea of Koreans, someone that worked for the station walked up and asked us where we were going. We showed him our tickets and he bolted off with them waving for us to follow. We obliged and made it to our bus, right as it was pulling out of the station. Phew!
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| Delicious food options at the rest stop on the way to Sokcho |
After arriving in Sokcho, in the northeast corner of South Korea, we met our hostel owner and he gave us a helpful rundown of the area. There is far less English here than in Seoul, so David's rudimentary Korean will be put to the test, while Paul obliviously enjoys the Hanguel dancing circles and squares. Tomorrow we're planning to head out to Seoraksan National Park for a day of hiking. We're looking forward to a more relaxed pace for a few days.
P.S. - There are a lot of mosquitoes in Korea, even in autumn. Who knew? *scratch* *scratch*
P.S. - There are a lot of mosquitoes in Korea, even in autumn. Who knew? *scratch* *scratch*
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