South Korea Trip, August 12

 Good morning Gangnam!  Ah, it's already so beautiful outside!

The weather today will be partly cloudy with a high of 32°C (88°F).

I hope that the weather stays nice, because tomorrow might be the best day of my trip.

Today's Agenda

Today's morning will be easy.  I'm just killing time until my tutor is available.  Our lesson today will be closer to noon due to some scheduling conflicts.  So, in the morning, I will take the opportunity to do a few errands.

• Buy some needed supplies, attempt #4.
• Exchange money at Myeongdong.
• Meet with my Korean tutor.

I think that today will be great.

Today's Experiences

I feel like today was another full and good day.

With every passing day, I love this place even more.  There is always something to do here, and there are always pretty sights to admire.  Everywhere seems safe, so one can just walk around aimlessly exploring and enjoying the city.  The people are also very polite and sometimes kind.  In some areas, their clothing is extremely fashionable, and I just want to sit and pretend that I'm watching a fashion show!  It's really great!

Of course, I've been here long enough to also notice a couple of things that I don't like.  First, everyone is in the biggest hurry like their life depends on catching that bus.  Second, the traffic here sucks!  If I lived in Seoul, I would not want to own a car.  I suppose this place isn't heaven, but considering that I only have two complaints, I think it's pretty close.

I've been really enjoying every day here.  Today was no exception.

Buying Supplies, Attempt #4

This morning, I attempted and failed (again) to buy a backpack and a battery backup.  I tried to order the goods online at the suggestion of my Airbnb host.  Korea has a really great online store <coupang.com> that is similar to Amazon back home but with an even faster delivery service.

I ordered what I wanted online, but then I got stuck on the checkout page for several hours.  Every payment option that I tried ultimately requires a Korean ID.  Because I am on a tourist visa, I do not have such an ID.

I eventually had to cancel the order and give up again.  Don't worry!  My luck turns around later.  :)

Korean Tutoring

I met with 희서 for the last time today.  I have enjoyed our tutoring sessions and have learned a lot from her.

I arrived early as I always do and ordered myself a dessert from Starbucks for lunch.  We were doing tutoring a little late today because 희서 had to register for classes in the morning.

희서 arrived at 12:30 as planned, and we decided to review the past few days.  We reviewed common phrases, restaurant phrases, social phrases, and names.  I really focused hard on pronouncing 혜린 -- yes, it shames me to admit that I still cannot pronounce my idol's name correctly even after four years.  After much practice, I got closer to pronouncing it correctly.

When the session ended, we said our goodbyes.  희서 said that I can text her, and we parted ways.

I will continue to practice on my own and hopefully impress my friends tomorrow.

Exchange Money at Myeongdong

After tutoring, I prepared to go to Myeongdong.  I took out $1,000 to exchange for Korean money.  I stashed it in a hidden place, and I took the metro towards downtown Seoul nearby where Myeongdong is.

After taking an express train twice, I have realized that taking an express train is a very bad idea.  Remember how I complained that everybody is in a hurry?  Well, the express trains travel to important areas directly, so of course everybody in a hurry piles into those.  The less efficient "all-stop" trains are much more relaxed.  I didn't think about this today and found myself crammed into an express train car like a sardine in a can.

When exiting, I took a wrong turn and suddenly the station was empty.

It's interesting to me that there are such vacant areas so close to very crowded areas.  I wonder if this phenomenon can be taken advantage of to avoid crowds during travel if one is more familiar with the city.

I eventually get to Myeongdong and exit the station.  There is a very fun music event just ending as I exit.  I'm sad that I caught it at the end and did not have the chance to snap a good picture of it.

I walk across the street and find a back alley to explore.  In Seoul, the city blocks are massive, and little alleyways twist and turn inside of them.  Those alleyways are where the good places are!  I knew that I would find a good exchange store down one of them.

I quickly found a money exchange store and exchanged my $1,000 for 1,300,000원.

Buying Supplies, Attempt #5

After exchanging my money and starting my walk back to the train station, I wonder if maybe I shouldn't go home yet.  It takes around half an hour to travel between here and home, so maybe I should make this trip more worthwhile.

I remember that 희서 taught me the word for "Department Store".  I typed it into Naver Maps -- a must-have app for Korean exploration!  The top result was Lotte Department Store one block away.  I've seen this name everywhere, so it must be good.  I start my walk.

The Lotte Department Store is really impossible to miss.  It is contained in building after building after building, connected by skybridges, with floors after floors after floors of products for sale, organized by category and luxury level.  I think this is the biggest department store that I've ever been in.

The first two floors of the store are all luxury brands.  There are shoes that cost more than my first car.  I make good money, but I felt very very poor while walking past those products.

I finally found the floor that fit my budget and item needs: floor 7.  I bought myself a very nice backpack and a backup battery for my phone.

Now I am ready to explore a distant city again or climb a mountain!