The Road to 40 Day 170/365: Palace Day and Boys’ Night

Going hard on the first day meant there weren’t going to be plenty of morning activities for the whole group.

Che woke me up at around 8am to start getting ready, because we only had one toilet for seven people in our room. It was a daunting challenge to start the day, but we managed to move around 12:30pm.

It was raining while it was about 13 degrees celsius, so the cold was another challenge.

I suggested that we eat at a nearby restaurant that offered soup. We had pork soup, hangover soup, and ginseng chicken, all for recovery.

There was a store I frequented in Vietnam that had this food, so I wanted to experience it while I’m here. It’s usually bland, and it’s up to you how to want to season it.

After lunch, we had to go our separate ways for a bit because of errands, so the kids went back to the hotel while Che and I went to look for the tourist information center where we could get transport cards.

We got a bit lost, because it was not easy to find even if we had our maps open. It was a nice opportunity to stroll and talk, kind of like a short date amidst all the chaos of this huge group vacation.

The kids walked to the palace, where we planned to meet them. Gyeongbokgung Palace was the closest to our place, which we could reach with a bit of a walk.

We thought about renting hanboks while we walked but ultimately decided against it. We had plenty of pictures taken around the palace, but it took a long time for us to get around because we went in separate groups and had to wait on each other.

Seasoned chicken with vegetables were cooked on a pan on your table. After you finish eating the chicken, you can order rice, which will be cooked on the same pan.

We wondered how it’s not a thing in the Philipppines yet, and we’re guessing costing is a huge part of it. Ultimately, we weren’t able to finish everything and move on to the rice part.

We walked around Hongdae just to explore the vibe of the place. There were some performers and lots of people. Once in a while, we’d see people holding small signs that said “free hugs” and they literally just give out hugs – guys, girls, it didn’t matter, walk up to them and get a hug.

After going from end to end of the busy street, we ended up at a bar that was apparently used for filming a part of Squid Games 2. I know this because they kept playing that short clip on their display TV.

There weren’t a lot of expectations, since it was a Sunday night. There weren’t a lot of people, but we had a good time with the music despite all the smoke from the smoke machine.

Ironically, there are plenty of signs that say there’s no smoking allowed in the bar.

We went home around 1am, and I went to the other room because Lia was there. We talked a bit more, but my eyes couldn’t stay open. So far, we’re 1-1 in this trip on who sleeps first.

The tour continues tomorrow, with a visit to Namsan Tower on the list of things to do.