South Korea Day 2.2

Day 2 Con't.
November 27, 2018
Gangnam District Tour Con’t. and
Dongdaemun Design Plaza

After our visit to the Bongeunsa Temple, our tour guides drove us to COEX Mall, which was just across the street. COEX has COnvention and EXhibition halls, among other things and is the largest underground shopping mall in Asia. We didn’t do any shopping there, however. After a deliciously spicy filling of Jajangmyeon and Jjampong for lunch at the food court, we went to the mall’s aquarium (It was part of the full day tour). I was really only interested in creatures I’ve never really seen in person before and those that were weird-looking (See video)but on hindsight, I think I could've done without the aquarium part of the tour.  There are other good things to see in and around the complex. Driving out of the COEX parking garage, on the other side of the building, we saw the giant monument of the “(Oppa) Gangnam Style” hand sign in reference to the song and dance made popular by Korean singer, Psy. Definitely made us sing, “Op, Op Op, Op!” 😁

South Korea Day 2.1

Day 2.1 Tuesday

November 27, 2018

Gangnam District Tour

We had a scheduled full day tour of Gangnam District, known to be “Seoul’s upscale, modern center, home to gleaming skyscrapers, designer brands and stylish nightclubs.” Our tour guide, Paul was supposed to pick us up at 9:10 in the morning but had called the hotel front desk to let us know that he was running late due to other guests being late to their meeting points. 

The drive from Myeongdong took about 45 minutes. There was some sort of a rush in Gangnam; traffic was heavy at some points but moving. Our first stop was the royal tombs of King Seongjong, the 9th King of the Joseon era and his wife, Jeonghyeon. Right in the middle of busy Gangnam sits this well-preserved major piece of history. We loved the peacefulness of the place, as one can hear mostly nothing but the chirping of the birds.