Michelle and I picked up some mundu (dumplings) and took the train to Gangnam. Yup, that's the Gangnam you may have heard in 2012 on the radio -Gangnam Style. It also a trendy suburb of Seoul, hence why it would have some mentionable style.
This was my ninth tour and I was rewarded beautifully. The Seoulmates presented me with a gift back containing a little statue of a Korean horn player (he is sitting on my bookshelf). I love these sort of things.
We checked out a nearby tomb, yet another of Seoul's UNESCO World Heritage sites. This one was wonderfully restored and maintained, but actually housed no bodies. During the Japanese occupation all the tombs were dug up and ruined. What has been restored speaks more to the resilance of the Korean people to maintain their own distinct culture.
We took a cab from there to a Buddhist temple. It houses Korea's largest Buddha statue. We walked around the temple and the Seoulmates filled us in on the history and significance.
If you're thinking that, remember, Buddhism had it first and the Nazi's is different.
Afterwards we went for a meal at the shopping centre across the road. I ordered my favourite soup with some help from a Seoulmate. The English translation was something like "uncurded bean curd soup" even though the Korea called it tofu -it was tofu.
It was getting dark but Michelle was keen to do an overnight at the jjimjilbang -so that's what we did.
We hopped on a train and headed for Dragon Hill. The admission fee covers 12 hours so if you're doing an overnight your checkin time should be the time you are willing to leave. We were too early for 8pm so we went to get some drinks across the road.
The bathhouse itself was quite full. The absense of decent hot water, or water pressure at all, in my apartment makes the baths even more special. Since I had been there last, the construction on the outdoor pools had finished. It kind of reminded me of our old hot tub back in North Van. The hot water, cold air, and stars above.
Michelle was a natural pro when we went to the sauna -Swedes.
Michelle was not a natural pro at the crowded snore filled sleeping room. Sigh.
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