track our trek

we landed in seoul and were met at the train station by our friend judy, who is an administrator at the korea international school there. judy was gracious enough to let us crash at her place for a long weekend to relax, do a little sightseeing, and save a little on expenses. we felt so special when we arrived and were greeted by a little rooftop party…wine and snacks with judy g, judy f , karen & jenny (judy f’s dog)! thanks so much everybody!
we headed into the heart of the city saturday to meet my cousin evan, who’s stationed at osan army base. we walked all over, had lunch, took in the market at dongdaemun and the palace at gyeongbokgung…we got there too late to go inside, but enjoyed the lights on the grounds… then a vegetarian dinner at a buddhist temple w/ traditional korean dancing with judy, judy & karen. we went to check out the nightlife in itaewan after dinner (a section of town where lots of westerners hang out.) dp decided it was a little like being chinese and visiting chinatown…jokes! then came a hairy ride home in a taxi…5 of us crammed in while the pubescent-looking driver made what should have been a 45 minute trip in just under 18 minutes! 182 km/hr w/ dr. dre and m&m blaring on the stereo & a ridiculous pokemon horn…picture yourself in a video game!
the highlight of our last day in seoul was dinner (2 dinners really) first at lala and fransisco’s home, then at judy, jonathan & jorma’s place. both were delicious & we went home feeling well loved and well fed! we so enjoyed making some new friends, and felt relaxed and ready to tackle the next leg of the trip…next stop, hong kong!