South Korea Trip, August 6

Annyeonghaseyo!  Hello Gangnam!  It will be a hot and humid 33°C (92°F) with cloudy skies.

Today's Agenda

I'm starting late this morning because I have been preparing for tomorrow too.  No spoilers on that.  Today will be rather simple, but I think that it will be a good day.

• Buy a water bottle.
• Walk the 7-mile Cheonggyecheon Stream.
• Eat dinner at VENEZ. (inspiration)

Today's Experiences

I wore myself out today and developed blisters from walking too much.  My plans for tomorrow in Gwangju are going to be very difficult after today.  Maybe I should postpone that trip and have a relaxing day.  I'm not sure what I would do on a relaxing day.  All I know is that my body hurts right now.

Cheonggyecheon Stream

The Cheonggyecheon Stream is a restored stream that was once ruined by industrialization.  Paths beside the spring and urban artwork can be enjoyed next to the water.  The stream is seven miles long.

When I arrived this morning, the stream was closed due to the rainfall.  Rainfall can cause the water to suddenly rise.  That's okay.  Instead of walking in the bed of the stream, I walked along the sidewalk next to the road and peered over the guardrails at the urban artwork.

After I had walked along the road for a while, I found the silver lining to the stream being closed.  Check out these sights that I otherwise would not have encountered:

The most interesting sights were the little shops everywhere.  Very thin storefronts lined the road.  And in the pedestrian underpass, even more small shops were to be found.

The stream was reopened just as I got to the end.  I went down to the river and took some more pictures:

I'm not sure where the river ended.  I got lost.  Instead of walking seven miles, I walked at least ten.  At one point, the path forked: to the right, I could go to the metro; to the left, I could continue being lost.  I went left.

It was getting close to 6pm, so I decided to take my next opportunity to get out of the park that I had found myself in.  I found a bus and took it home.

Going Shopping

Next door to my home is a Seven-Eleven.  On my way back from my adventure at who-knows-where, I went inside and bought a few groceries.  I didn't see a water bottle, but I think that an empty Powerade bottle will do.  *chug chug chug*  Yea, now I have a water bottle.

VENEZ

I cleaned myself up and put on some nice clothes.  I hailed a Black Taxi because I was too exhausted to walk to the bus station.  After a relaxing ride in a luxury car, I arrived at VENEZ.

When I went inside, they noticed quickly that I was not good at the language, so they gave me an English menu.  It is good that they have an English option, but I needed the Korean menu.  Hyelin of EXID reviewed VENEZ on her food Instagram @yamyamlini, and she wrote the names of everything in Korean, of course.  Just as quickly as they accommodated my English, they accommodated my suggestion being in Korean.

I got what I think translates to a Mackerel Truffle Pasta.

It was really great food.

I kept trying to think that Hyelin had been here before.  (She's related to my tattoo.)  I kept trying to find meaning in that idea, but my emotions just weren't aligned with what I wanted.  I was too focused on the delicious food.

After I ate, I hailed another Black Taxi home.  I really don't need to get into the habit of doing this, but I was exhausted, and the Kakao Black Taxi is the easiest way to get around if you have the money for it.