Myeongdong, Seoul Subway & K-Star Road
The flight from KLIA to Incheon was harrowing due to my fear of flying. It didn’t help that I was flying solo. My friend went first, she arrived in Seoul the week before due to her work obligations. I had planned to go last week as well but my cousin got married that weekend so I decided to go after the wedding. I thought going on a night flight would allow me to sleep and have a fresh start the next day. Unfortunately, I couldn’t sleep a wink. I kept getting nervous each time there was a slight turbulence. The flight was smooth overall but I just couldn’t fall asleep.
I arrived in Incheon in the morning and the weather was predictably cool. After checking in to the hotel, meeting my friend for a bit and freshening up, I decided to walk around Myeongdong street which was more or less behind the hotel. The row of restaurants, cafes, cosmetics shops and other shops greeted me as I walked down the quiet street. It was late morning, the street would only be full to the brim with street food stalls and people in the evening. I grabbed a quick lunch at one of the smaller restaurants which wasn't crowded. My Korean is very basic and I didn't want to embarrass myself in front of a crowd. A middle aged lady greeted me and I greeted her back. When I seemed at a loss as to what to order, she handed me a menu which I gratefully accepted. I was hoping they would have jajangmyeon but they didn't. So I ordered vegetable bibimbap (mixed rice). In addition to the huge portion, the bibimbap came with seaweed soup and kimchi. I really tried to finish the delicious bibimbap but it was too much. I managed to finish three quarters of it.
After lunch, I decided to do a portion of my planned itinerary of the day. I was supposed to go to K-Star Road, Dongdaemun Design Plaza, Deoksugung Palace Wall and Cheonggyecheon Stream, which upon hindsight, sounds overambitious. I decided to go to K-Star Road in Gangnam. From Myeongdong subway station which was right outside Sejong Hotel, I needed to go to the Apgujeong Rodeo Station. I managed to get a subway map from the Seoul Global Culture & Tourism Center at M-Plaza in Myeongdong earlier so I knew which stations I needed to transfer. So I bought a T-Money card (it's like our Touch n Go card) from the convenience store and began my Seoul subway exploration. I figured it would also be good for me to get a feel of how to navigate the subway so that we won't waste time tomorrow when my friend and I start our official Seoul sightseeing.
Taking the subway was not too bad but some of the transfer points were a little confusing. Some transfer points allowed to me to change immediately while at others, I had to walk round and round to find the right transfer point. The last train before Apgujeong Rodeo Station was a train that was above the ground and it looked different from the other trains. It made me think that the train would take me to somewhere outside of Seoul. I was even worried I wouldn't be able to use my T-Money card so I asked a passenger next to me, luckily she said I could still use it.
When I finally reached Apgujeong Rodeo Station, I was amazed by the station. The architecture looked too beautiful to be that of a normal subway station. Later on, I found out it was probably due to the fact that it was next to an art gallery.
The sun was slowly setting and the temperature was getting cooler so I figured I should head back soon. I was just amazed at how wide the roads were. Perhaps because it was an upscale area? Anyways, it was nice walking down the street with the cool wind whipping against your cheeks. As I got back to Apgujeong Rodeo Station, I was careful to retrace my steps. I felt real accomplished when I reached Myeongdong station :P
It was almost dinner time. My friend said she had a dinner engagement with her colleagues so I decided to scout the food stalls at Myeongdong. What a transformation! Many stalls lined the street and it was slowly getting filled with people. The sights and sounds were marvellous. There was a real festive atmosphere in the air. After walking past several stalls, I was at a loss as to what to buy. I passed by a fish bread (taiyaki) croissant stall and the smell just drew me in. I bought one with red bean filling and the bread was glazed with honey. It was piping hot and eating it in the cold was pure bliss. I kept going back and forth on whether I should get another one, but I decided I should get something heavier for my main dinner. Fortunately I saw a stall that sells halal yakitori. I bought one and wondered how I would eat it while walking but eat it while walking I did. I was pretty full after that so I didn't get a second taiyaki.
It was almost dinner time. My friend said she had a dinner engagement with her colleagues so I decided to scout the food stalls at Myeongdong. What a transformation! Many stalls lined the street and it was slowly getting filled with people. The sights and sounds were marvellous. There was a real festive atmosphere in the air. After walking past several stalls, I was at a loss as to what to buy. I passed by a fish bread (taiyaki) croissant stall and the smell just drew me in. I bought one with red bean filling and the bread was glazed with honey. It was piping hot and eating it in the cold was pure bliss. I kept going back and forth on whether I should get another one, but I decided I should get something heavier for my main dinner. Fortunately I saw a stall that sells halal yakitori. I bought one and wondered how I would eat it while walking but eat it while walking I did. I was pretty full after that so I didn't get a second taiyaki.
No comments:
Post a Comment