Saturday with Terry

On Saturday, we met up with Terry (brother of Christine). First, we took the subway to Changdeokgung Palace, which was built in the 1405. The place was in amazing condition. We had a tour guide who didn't care if we heard her or not, but that was OK.

We had lunch at a great Japanese restaurant, and then headed to N Seoul Tower, which is located on top of a hill/mountain. Tons of people were hiking up the hill to the tower, and I swear to you, we saw a gal hiking in high heels on the route. Korean women, we have noticed, are all about dressing up, whatever the occasion. High heels are a must, and it is unusual to see women without them. Over the weekend, it seems like the thing to do is to dress your children up and take them out. There were children everywhere, dressed to the nines, each one cuter than the last, and all of them behaving well. Wild stuff! Anyway, the view from the top of the tower was amazing. You can't really appreciate how big Seoul is until you go up there. While on the observation deck, a man sat next to David, put his arm around him, and had his wife take a picture. That was interesting.

After the tower, we went to Insadong, an open market. Terry bought a dragon, David bought some stainless steel Korean chop sticks and spoons (which is all they use in restaurants), and Chrissy bought scarves. We went to a traditional tea house and discovered that we both actually like chrysanthemum tea. We bought some street food on the way home, and it turns out, that when they ask you if you want it spicy, they mean it. Christine couldn't eat it, and David needed something to drink immediately after finishing it. The Koreans can bring the heat.

Speaking of food, the Jim Cho laws are apparently in effect in certain parts of Seoul (that's a reference to the old Jim Crow laws of the South, if you didn't get it). For the first time ever, we were denied service on the basis of our race. The gal would not seat us, and told us to leave, after we answered that we did not speak Korean. David tried to arrange an old school sit in, but we couldn't find enough white people to take part. As Terry said, some Koreans really like Americans, and some really don't. Now, to be fair, everyone else has been exceptionally nice, but I thought this was an interesting story to post.

So, we found a place that would feed us, but they specialized in live octopus. Everything on the menu had octopus on it. Christine would have none of it. Somehow it offended the owner, but we ended up with a beef dish that was quite good.

The adventure continued. Terry came back to our room to chat for awhile. He was leaving a little after ten, but the doors were locked with a chain and lock, and the watchman was nowhere to be found. On top of it, the whole lobby was pitch black and we couldn't find the light switch. Long story short, we finally found a nurse who called the watchman, who was sleeping soundly in the basement (and none too happy - he will be supporting the Jim Cho laws from here on out).