Makgeolli 막걸리 and Kimchee 김치 in Seoul, South Korea
Hey everyone!
How is everyone back home? Can you believe it’s been over a month already since we left Michigan? Wow, time flies…
We had an awesome time this past weekend! Monday was a national holiday here in Taipei, so we made the most of our long weekend and bounced over to Seoul, South Korea! Freaking amazing. 2.5 hour flight and we were downtown Seoul.
Seoul has been in my top 2 places to visit for quite awhile and it definitely did not disappoint. I don’t know what it is for me, but Asian cities just fascinate me. I love getting lost, trying the crazy foods, people watching, and experiencing life in a completely foreign way. Once again, Seoul did not disappoint.
We stayed in the heart of Seoul in Myeongdong. It was a little touristy, but it was a great, central place to crash for a few nights. The main street and the alleyways are all blocked off for pedestrians, so at night the place is just packed full of people. We were able to sample lots of tasty snacks here and soak up the neon lights of an Asian city.
One of our favorite things to do when we visit a different place is to try and meet up with someone we know who lives there. There is literally no better way to see a new place than seeing it with a local. Back in high school, we went to school with Amy Rhee, Jisoo Kim, and Gavin Na, three Koreans who live in Seoul. Once we booked this trip, I immediately messaged them saying we needed to meet up! Our first night, Amy and Jisoo treated us to a mouthwatering Korean meal. We tried the local drink, Makgeolli, and sampled kimchee, tofu, pork, and squid pancakes. Delicious! We ended the night with a typical hostel night… hanging out with people around the globe, more specifically, Ohio! These two guys have been living in Korea for over a year and we had a lot in common with them. They treated us to a fun night out in Seoul.
The last 2 days were spent sightseeing the local markets, finding our new favorite candy (thanks Adema!), pulling Gangnam style moves, and getting the ultimate tour of Seoul with Gavin in his car.
Even though Seoul is the second largest city in the world, we made it a priority to look for a good hike, Sarah’s pick. We hiked to the top of Namsan Mountain and were blessed with a spectacular panorama of Seoul. Oh yea, randomly, Sarah was wearing her Michigan shirt on the hike(thanks Mom!) and a guy stopped and asked about it. He asked which part of Michigan we were from…
“Grand Rapids!” We said. “Me too! Which part?” He replied. Turns out this guy was from Rockford. How crazy is that?!
Lastly, a highlight of our time in Seoul was roaming the Gyeongbokgung Palace on Thanksgiving Day in Korea. It’s a beautiful royal palace built during the Joseon dynasty situated in Northern Seoul. Breathtaking gardens and traditional Korean palaces filled the grounds. Such an outstanding place to visit and observe a wonderful representation of Korean history and culture.
Fantastic weekend.
Take care!
Kyle and Sarah
Opening Doors to Asia 
Seoul Korea looks like a very exciting place to visit! I am so amazed how you seem to know someone every place you go to around the world!! Oh, and the t-shirt choices fit you guys to the T. 🙂 love ya ❤
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Great photos of your weekend in Seoul. I agree that it is fun to connect with someone who lives in the places you visit. You get a personal tour. The “inside track”, so to speak. Does the fun ever end ???? Take care & be safe.
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Sarah,
Such a wild life you lead !!! What fun !!! Just letting you know we are waiting to depart for Taiwan ! Our flight was delayed due to mechanical issues! Ugh. Look at your Mon. the 15 th for dinner if you can. Looking forward to seeing you .
Christine and Victoria
Sent from my Verizon Wireless 4G LTE DROID
Opening Doors to Asia wrote:
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Goodness Gracious you Guys! You certainly are seeing the sights!! Seeing you wear that shirt Sarah, made me feel really lonesome for you. (We picked those out in Rockford, remember?! ) I saw a sight the other night too…dreamed you were right in our bedroom. Guess this is a little harder than I thought. Miss you guys (So Happy to see your pictures and thankful for you being able to connect with some familiar faces.) XO (x a billion)
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Kyle and Sarah! It was great seeing you two in Korea! It was definitely weird that we were not in Grand Rapids area but at the center of Seoul.! As I read your posts, I wondered how much of mouthful of things you guys might have but just can’t describe them all. It totally reminded me of the days I was in the United States, posting journals and pictures of my American life for family and friends in Korea. I will be looking forward to your upcoming posts! 🙂 Share us more stuff please 😀
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It was so different to see you two in Korea, not in Grand Rapids, yet happy to see dearly-missed faces 🙂 I am so glad that you had great time here. Your posts did remind me of the days I was in the United States, writing stories and posting pictures of my American life for my family and friends. I will be looking forward to upcoming posts!
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ops,i wrote the same thing twice LOL whatever you chose to read lol
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