Seoul, Days 1 and 2

We arrived in Seoul on Monday night and it is now Wednesday. It has been really fun! Definitely hot and humid but bearable. We just really look forward to a/c wherever we can get it.

• Jetlag has not been bad. I woke up this morning at 2am but was able to read and fall back asleep at 4am. Kids have been waking up around 5:30am.
• Coffee shops and bakeries are not open until around 9am.
• Our airbnb location is smack dab in the center of all these restaurants and small streets and shops. Like 10 restaurants within about a 30 foot walking distance.  I believe it's in Gangnam but actually Abgujeong/Garosugil(?)
• I always find the latest trends interesting. I have noticed lots of bangs on girls, and their make-up is very much pale skin, thin liquid eyeliner on upper lid, subtle pinkish highlighter/eyeshadow, pink blush, and a brightish lip stain - orange or pink. It seems like every single girl has this make-up type. For guys: lots of bowl cuts (for a certain age group - like teens and twenties and maybe early thirties). hahahaha! It is hilarious. 
• Subway costs around $3.50 for our family to ride one way
• Cabs are cheap too
• Food is cheap. 
• Exchange rate is pretty good right now. Around 1150 won to $1

Our Airbnb building. 7th floor. 3 bedrooms. It's a good one!

Our local subway stop - Sinsa but pronounced Shin-sa

Flags

First morning, we were all hungry and we went to Namdaemun market. This little stall sold Kim-bap (little seaweed rolls) and bowls of soup noodles that were so good.

Streets of Namdaemun Market before it gets busy

The hallway of our airbnb. It looks so Asian (or non-American) to me!

Our neighborhood, before it gets busy

Day 1 - Lotte World amusement park. Indoor amusement park. There were no lines since kids are still in school. It was a pretty good amusement park and the kids were excited to go.

Part of our admission was admission to their Folk Museum which was actually pretty cool. Kids traced these drawings.

Subway stops. The trains are all protected by these glass doors so you can't go on to the tracks.

More folk museum. This is how they used to beat their fabrics

Subway.

A nice place to rest at Bukchon Hanok village

Bukchon Hanok village. It was a preserved village from the old times.

Jumpin'

Gyeongbokgung Palace. We were really hot at this point. Lots of walking in heat. Olin could not muster a smile. We told him we were taking a (air-conditioned) cab ride to a cable car and that if he didn't take a picture we would instead walk in the heat more. hahaha.

Cable car to NamSan (south mountain)

The top of N Seoul Tower. We sent Mal and Didi a postcard from here.

This morning's 7am breakfast. Basically just like a dinner. My stomach is used to American breakfast (sweet treats) so it feels weird to me to eat dinner items at breakfast.

Hand-held fans that lots of people carry around. We bought some. 

Our nice airbnb host (Hojin) asked to take a photo on the first night when we arrived, at midnight. 

Dinner on Night 1. Very delicious.

I had this huge revelation on the plane and told Dae "we need to shop for sunglasses in Korea! All the sunglasses are going to be catered toward Asian faces - flat, low nose bridge, wide face". And I was right! We happened upon this sunglasses sale at Lotte Department Store on our way to the amusement park and every single pair of sunglasses I tried on was catered to Asian faces. I didn't have my sunglasses-riding-up-my-cheeks-when-I-smile problem.