I started the day with free breakfast at my hotel residency the Somerset. It wasn't too bad and it's by far the best cup of coffee on the whole trip. Ah, civilization. I then set out to explore Seoul. I must admit that Seoul feels very overwhelming. It's super expensive and really spread out - like New York meets Los Angeles. You don't walk. Cabs are expensive and you'll likely sit in traffic. There are no bicycles. Apparently it's all about the subway. I took one look at the subway map and decided I'd tackle that tomorrow. Today I'd see whatever was walkable from the Somerset. Turns out I'm right between the two must see Palaces. I turned left and found Gyeongbokgung. I took a lovely stroll through the palace and it's grounds.

At the far end I found the Korean Cultural Museum and took a long look in there. I loved all the dioramas depicting centuries of Korean life. They went into excruciating detail. There were elaborate depictions of every ceremony and life stage, it was wild - really trippy. Check out the above image of the process of making kimchi. There were about five dioramas showing every stage in the process including the special seasonal variations. That's some seriously important cabbage.

I spent the afternoon and evening wandering through Insadong. This is a wonderful walking only street with endless vendors and beautiful shops. There are tons of windows with people making a wide variety of treats from spicy meat on a stick to honey noodle candy and various frosty beverages. There are tons of restaurants, tea houses and other eateries, many located on the second or third floor overlooking Insadongs many wanderers. Korean stores are adorable and they take great pride in the way they display their wares. I am so impressed with all the fun shopping. The stores stay open very late. Some malls are even 24 hours. Koreans get drunk and go night shopping, its the latest sport —I kid you not. Koreans do not speak English. They don't want to try and could care less about you and your communication issues. I suppose that's fair since I'm here. It's not as though vendors or street signs in America are in multiple languages. If you want to talk with a Korean you have to learn how. So far only I've only slightly mastered thank you "Kam-sa-ham-nida". Doubt I'll get much more before I head home. I had an amazingly delicious dinner of kimchi soup, green onion with squid pancake and marinated spicy pork, I loved every bite and washed it down with a Cass beer "the sound of vitality." Ahhhh.

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