Day 2: Intro to Seoul from Scott + Joyce

DID: Struggled to find an ATM that would give us money but eventually had luck with credit card.  Made our way to the Westin hotel without really knowing where we were going, woke Scott & Joyce up at 11am (oops!). Wandered around Insadong in the rain, the boys played/slid on a giant sculpture of a calligraphy brush. Bought a ‘chop’ for Gavin so he can sign his name in Korean. Gavin + Jason swam in the pool(s) at the Westin (3 pools, 3 temps –Gavin liked the medium one best, Jason liked it hot, they both also thoroughly enjoyed the Japanese toilet seats) while the rest of us napped. Dinner and a very brief wander through Myeong-dong while running through the rain.

ATE: Breakfast pastries @ Paris Croissant in Anguk train station. Lunch @ restaurant in Insadong. Highlights were chicken ginseng soup (whole chicken in a clay pot of broth with rice to add) sliced pork rolled in lettuce with hot sauce, dumplings and a potato pancake. Beer/coffee at coffee shop in Insadong. Came with puffed rice that resembled popcorn (but sweet, not buttery) Huge chocolate muffin for the boys. Dinner in Myeong-gong at traditional bulgogi restaurant. Gavin gave it ‘infinity thumbs up’. Lots of interesting side dishes plus beef and pork on the bbq. Raspberry wine + beer made for great accompaniments.

SLEPT: Night 2 on the placemat/floor. I folded the top third over so that it was double-thick to about mid-torso and single ply to nothing for the lower half of my body. Slightly more comfortable but not great! Also used my airplane pillow, much better.

Bakery @ Anguk Station

Interactive mapping in Seoul subway stations

Rhys devouring chocolate croissant

Lunch in Insadong

Dumplings + chicken ginseng soup + pork on the way

Post-lunch happiness (for most)

Chop-ping

Shopping street in Insadong

Calligraphy brush playground

Calligraphy brush playground

Showing the girls how it's done

Rhys making friends with Scott and Joyce

Waiting for bulgogi

Day 1: Depart for Seoul, Republic of Korea

DID: Travel day. Flew Asiana Airlines from SYD to Seoul. Thoroughly appreciated priority check-in via the 'Happy Moms' queue. Hiccup at customs because Gavin's Australia visa hadn't been carried over to his new passport. Flight was uneventful. Plane exceptionally clean, flight attendants very polite, seats very roomy. Choice of in-seat movies but all with same start time (similar to United). Trouble with ATM card at the airport, luckily airport shuttle bus accepted credit card. Got drenched during the 5-minute walk from bus stop to hotel.

ATE: McDonald's for breakfast. Rhys took down 2 hashbrowns and 2 pancakes. (He was also pointing at McD's as we approached and shouting 'fries! fries!' How does he know this already?) Gavin/Jason had egg mcmuffins, I had a hashbrown and o.j.

Plane food: Meal 1 (breakfast) - steamed perched wtih blackbean sauce. Gavin LOVED this. (me too). Rhys ate the croissant and rice on the side. I had a spicy chicken/vegetable concoction. Also very good. Chicken was actually properly cooked - not the rubbery stuff I'm used to on planes. Meal 2 (snack) - sandwich assortment. Not great. Soggy. Meal 3 - (lunch) - Bibimbap with beef. Jason loved this one. It came with a full tube of hot sauce (bigger than a travel size tube of toothpaste) - and Jason put in the whole thing. Gavin and I thought it was ok but a bit weird because the beef was cold. Tasty though. Sesame oil as a condiment = yum.

Arrived too late into Seoul to find an open restaurant. Foraging in my purse resulted in a couple of yogurts and a few granola bars for dinner.

SLEPT: Yoo's Home Guesthouse near Anguk Station (North Seoul).

http://yoos-home.blogspot.com/

This is pretty much camping as far as this family is concerned. We took one look at the room and knew we would not be comfortable here. It's pretty much a room with a wood floor and two people-sized placemats. Two shared bathrooms (one shower) for the whole guesthouse (but the main one was actually very nice aside from the heavy smell of urinal cake).

Day 1 Photos

Happy Moms queue @ Asiana Airlines check-in desk

 

Last chance for McDonald's

Suitcase slide for bag check at the gate. That's our stroller at the bottom. Wish we could board this way too!

Frequent flyers

Flight footwear

Breakfast option 1: Steamed perch with blackbean sauce

Breakfast option 2: spicy chicken

Hotel room + 'beds' in Seoul

Hotel courtyard

Hotel Courtyard