Seoul Station

Thursday May 7 Day 9

Another early morning, breakfast is at 6:30 am. We then catch a shuttle to the station for our 8:30 am train. We are in the home stretch now and headed to our last destination, Seoul, South Korea.

We arrive around 11 am and walk through the station toward the nearest exit to our hotel. I notice that there are what look to be emergency kit centres throughout the station that contain things like face masks, flashlights, and other gear of that nature. Coupled with the email I received from the consulate, I deduce that this place might not be as safe as most that I’ve been. I spend much of the day wondering what would happen to a city like Toronto that is not this prepared. Also how big does a threat have to be for a city to implement publicly accessible emergency gear? Translate to: Am I in danger right now?

Bestie says what I am thinking, it sure smells like pee, as we walk up the stairs exiting closest to our hotel. The nicest hotel yet, it feels good to enjoy on the last night of the trip. Our room is equipped with emergency gear as well, there are instructions with pictures on the box. We’re only three floors up so I’ll just jump if any thing crazy goes down.

Today is another shopping day, so after dropping our bags off we head out to see what this town has to offer. At minimum I need a suitcase and the first hood we stop in has exactly what I’m looking for. A Paris themed hard top catches my eye, so Bestie haggles the price down low and we have a deal. With my only must-have off the list we are free to roam at leisure, well sort of.

I still have some gifts to get so we explore a few other neighborhoods before going to Gangnum to eat. Disappointed with the selection so far, we make our last stop at Seoul Station. This turns out to be a good idea and I finish off getting gifts for everyone left on my list, and also pick up a gadget for myself. It is called an energy bank and is smaller than my phone, holding enough juice to keep my devices fully charged for almost a workweek. Where has this been all my life.

Bestie’s flight is at 1 am, so we kill time until she has to leave for the airport. I walk with her through the train station as far as I can, and we say our good byes at the elevator. I am not sure at what time, but at some point Seoul Station turns certain hallways into homeless shelters and I pass one on my way back alone.

Seoul Station turns into a shelter

I smile to myself, that explains the piss smell, but I move a little faster up the stairs and out the exit. Walking down the street to the hotel I think how good of an idea it is to give those in need a place to stay for the night. I also wonder if it came to a vote what I would choose for my own city? Not knowing the answer makes me uncomfortable, it’s hard to imagine how you would feel about a situation until you see it with your own two eyes.

I get back to the room unharmed. Tomorrow is our last day of the trip and I am meeting up with an old friend at 10:30 am. Relieved that I get to sleep in just a little, the alarm is set for 8 am and I’m asleep before midnight.

Day 4: Part 1

Saturday May 2 Day 4

Day 4: Part 1

We get into our room just after 5 am, I wake Bestie up and we each pack our overnight bags. Today we are going to Kyoto via Bullet Train, and I skip a great view of Mt. Fuji to catch up on some sleep. Arrival time is right around lunch so we head straight for food after leaving the station, which by the way almost never happened.

When we get off the train I’m groggy from sleep and get lazy with my outfit selection, forgetting I’m wearing a long dress and kicks. Considering that I buy long dresses with the intent to rock a 6-inch heel, there is a lot more dress to manage in flats. Back in the train station, I’m heading down the escalator, and at the half way point Bestie and I both notice that I’m caught. We frantically begin yanking at the dress to free it and me because I am 3 seconds away from being eaten whole. In 0.5 seconds that dress was coming off, it was hiked up to my waist when Bestie finally broke me lose. We shared a laugh over how “Workplace Safety Video” it felt. The moral of this story is, when wearing a long dress and kicks, take the elevator.

Right, lunch! We dash across the street and I grab some curry Udon that tastes just like something my mom would make, a welcomed reminder of home. Little did I know that this would be the last enjoyable meal of the day, maybe I’d have taken a To Go bag.

After our meal, we head on a coach to Suntory Brewery for a tour. Might I note, at this point it has become apparent that the majority of students on our trip have been on a beer tour since we landed. The Suntory Brewery seemed like a perfect compliment to our already intoxicated team. To add to the laughs, the MC of our tour is a tiny woman closer to the floor than not, that spoke in a very high-pitched Japanese. Only Japanese. We had an English-speaking guide with us but she was not allowed to translate during the tour. At the end everyone got to sample the stock. I cheersed with my alcohol free and watched the show.

Being a somewhat chill day in comparison to our pace thus far, Bestie decides it would be nice to experience a traditional Japanese meal. Since Kyoto is not a town known necessarily for its nightlife, Roomie and I agree. Our guide gives us a recommendation and reservations are set for 7 pm sharp.

Yep, another Two Part day.