Mom and Sissy, Part Two!

Wow, I cannot believe it is December! The time is flying by. And the feeling of the holidays is simply not here without my family. My mom and sister's visit was amazing, despite the extreme stress that seems to come with every family trip, we had a plethora of fun and were able to spend time together again. I am so happy I got to share some of my Korean life with them.

Our adventures into Seoul spanned from Friday through Monday... each day left us completely mentally and physically exhausted!

Pictures, HERE!
http://picasaweb.google.com/nyxnightingale/MomAndSissyComeToKorea02#

Friday We left for Seoul in the morning. Sissy and I enjoyed a feast of Pringles and Hite from the snack train. The first order of business was replacing my lost passport.. we struggled a bit with the metro system but eventually made our way. Dealing with the consulate was very bureaucratic, as one might imagine. Anyway, once THAT was over we stayed at Lee and No's hostel in Hongdae. We shared the house with traveler's from China, Hong Kong, Massachusetts and Ohio. Erica and I went out dancing in Hongdae, and got matching ice cream lemonade floats from a frilly pink cafe!
Cafe in Hongdae

Saturday Packed up our bags and began another tedious journey through the metro station. We only had one suitcase, but it got heavier each day as we crammed new parcels within. The Grand Hyatt at Itaewon was our second hotel, one of those places that is beautiful but so fancy that it was offputting to someone of my middle-class upbringing. We gallivanted about Itaewon, and Erica and I saw the National Museum of Korea! That night we had dinner at Gecko's with a Ben from back home!
Christmas tree at Grand Hyatt


Sunday The tour day! Jogyesa Buddhist temple, the beautiful Gyeongbok palace, the National Folk Museum, Changedok palace, Insadong shopping, Namdaemun market, and finally back to the hotel. Honestly, it was sensory overload, and there are so many stories to tell that I may choose to add them later, or they may be incorporated into anecdotes that I tell to my grandchildren. By the end of the night we were pooped.
At Gyeongbok Palace


Final destination was the LOTTE Hotel in Jamsil. Towards the end of our night, we were walking up from the underground shopping and passed a set of clear doors that opened to the parking area of the hotel. It was snowing! I dropped the box of Krispy Kremes I was carrying and ran outside. SNOW! SNOW! SNOW! SNOW FREAK OUT

SundayWe went to Lotte World, the world's largest indoor theme park. It's such a blatant rip off of Disney world that Mom, Erica and I couldn't help but laugh! We rode rides, ate yummy park junk food (Erica looooved the roasted squid), and were generally merry.. but we didn't mind leaving early!

Then it was back to Jochiwon.. joggity jog. Parting was such sweet sorrow.