Korea - Seoul - Saturday
Well, today I had a much better trip to Seoul National University due to having actual directions to get there. The electricity to that whole area of the campus was shut down due to construction though so I ended up going with the professor I was meeting to a nearby place to have bibimbap salad (well, that seemed to be what it was). We hashed out my research and made plans for my travelling to various museums next week, complete with directions (I am very glad for that since Korea is surprisingly hard to navigate). I'm travelling all the way to the south of Korea and the east. Might throw the southwest in if I find the time. I'm a little worried because atm I have conflicting directions to where I'm going to be on Monday but hopefully it will sort itself out.
After that, I went back on the subway and went to Gangnam where the Kyobo bookstore, largest bookstore in Seoul is (though it is mysteriously hidden in the basement of the Kyobo tower). I had a written list of all the Korean archaeology books I was looking for, so I just handed them over to a clerk who printed out their exact location, then sensing my despair, she picked them all off the shelves for me as well. *L* I also bought my Korean textbooks for the next year since they're about half the price they were in the US. I'll keep the ones for the next semester with me so I can do my homework before I get back to Madison. Then I did a little stationary shopping since I'm a sucker for East Asian stationary stores (zippered plastic folders and plastic sleeves are <3). I then had a choice - I could go back to the hotel even though it was awfully early or I could go two subway stations down to Samseong and visit the aquarium at the bottom of the COEX mall. I'm a sucker for aquariums and knew I would regret it if I didn't go so I headed out. I'm a bit ambivalent about whether this was a good choice or not. See, I like aquariums because they're peaceful and relaxing, and I love staring at jellyfish and octopuses. This aquarium has those jellyfish (more variety than you often see actually) and one giant octopus, but was also noisy and crowded. There were so many people and lines to just stare in a tank for a second, it was not relaxing at all. It's a shame because they had some beautiful tanks (possibly overloaded with fish) and manatees which I haven't seen in a aquarium for awhile, plus a surprisingly excellent Amazon area (even if it did lack tree frogs). It took longer to get through than I would have liked so I head back to the hotel, feet and back hurting from carrying so many books. I then dropped off my books and tried to call the person I'm meeting on Monday to get a time when I should arrive but I got no answer. I will try again tomorrow.
After a few tries at the phone call, I gave up and headed out the door, kindle and sauronchan in hand. My feet were killing me, but not enough to stop me from walking the few blocks to Namdaemun market. There, I had one of the specialities of the market - knife cut noodles, which are exactly what they sound like. They're unevenly shaped and pretty tasty though I'm not enough of a connoisseur of noodles to really no the difference between good and great noodles. I was ushered into this tiny little shop to sit at a table where they served kimchee in the pot it was fermented in. They stick scissors in with tongs so you can cut out pieces of cabbage. I have eaten so much kimchee since I got here (it's basically an appetizer served with everything) though what amazes me is how different it tastes at each and every place. I love the other random, fermented appetizers that often get served with it as well. Today though, I got a small bowl of buckwheat noodles in a tangy red sauce with a whole boiled egg and pickled cucumbers and radish (daikon). It was really good though it could have been a meal in and of itself if it were a bit larger. The other appetizer was rehydrated seaweed mixed with puffed barley. I figured that just like rice in Korea, I should dip it in the broth of my soup though it was pretty good on its own. The soup itself had some spice mixed in and some fermented tofu (an ingredient which I love) so it was nice. All of this cost $5 btw. Afterwards, I bought a big slice of honeydew melon on a stick off a vendor for a dollar and ate that on my walk home as desert. It might have been one of my best meals in Korea.
I'm off to see the National Museum tomorrow. Ja ne!
After that, I went back on the subway and went to Gangnam where the Kyobo bookstore, largest bookstore in Seoul is (though it is mysteriously hidden in the basement of the Kyobo tower). I had a written list of all the Korean archaeology books I was looking for, so I just handed them over to a clerk who printed out their exact location, then sensing my despair, she picked them all off the shelves for me as well. *L* I also bought my Korean textbooks for the next year since they're about half the price they were in the US. I'll keep the ones for the next semester with me so I can do my homework before I get back to Madison. Then I did a little stationary shopping since I'm a sucker for East Asian stationary stores (zippered plastic folders and plastic sleeves are <3). I then had a choice - I could go back to the hotel even though it was awfully early or I could go two subway stations down to Samseong and visit the aquarium at the bottom of the COEX mall. I'm a sucker for aquariums and knew I would regret it if I didn't go so I headed out. I'm a bit ambivalent about whether this was a good choice or not. See, I like aquariums because they're peaceful and relaxing, and I love staring at jellyfish and octopuses. This aquarium has those jellyfish (more variety than you often see actually) and one giant octopus, but was also noisy and crowded. There were so many people and lines to just stare in a tank for a second, it was not relaxing at all. It's a shame because they had some beautiful tanks (possibly overloaded with fish) and manatees which I haven't seen in a aquarium for awhile, plus a surprisingly excellent Amazon area (even if it did lack tree frogs). It took longer to get through than I would have liked so I head back to the hotel, feet and back hurting from carrying so many books. I then dropped off my books and tried to call the person I'm meeting on Monday to get a time when I should arrive but I got no answer. I will try again tomorrow.
After a few tries at the phone call, I gave up and headed out the door, kindle and sauronchan in hand. My feet were killing me, but not enough to stop me from walking the few blocks to Namdaemun market. There, I had one of the specialities of the market - knife cut noodles, which are exactly what they sound like. They're unevenly shaped and pretty tasty though I'm not enough of a connoisseur of noodles to really no the difference between good and great noodles. I was ushered into this tiny little shop to sit at a table where they served kimchee in the pot it was fermented in. They stick scissors in with tongs so you can cut out pieces of cabbage. I have eaten so much kimchee since I got here (it's basically an appetizer served with everything) though what amazes me is how different it tastes at each and every place. I love the other random, fermented appetizers that often get served with it as well. Today though, I got a small bowl of buckwheat noodles in a tangy red sauce with a whole boiled egg and pickled cucumbers and radish (daikon). It was really good though it could have been a meal in and of itself if it were a bit larger. The other appetizer was rehydrated seaweed mixed with puffed barley. I figured that just like rice in Korea, I should dip it in the broth of my soup though it was pretty good on its own. The soup itself had some spice mixed in and some fermented tofu (an ingredient which I love) so it was nice. All of this cost $5 btw. Afterwards, I bought a big slice of honeydew melon on a stick off a vendor for a dollar and ate that on my walk home as desert. It might have been one of my best meals in Korea.
I'm off to see the National Museum tomorrow. Ja ne!