The husband shared that I slept so quickly and soundly the night before - my response was that I was truly knackered and this sleep in felt so good for my body and soul.
This morning, we decided to go for a run. We figured out where the Kyungbukgong palace was - not too far from where we were - and set off. I thought that we were going to go for a jog then head back to the hotel... so I did not bring anything with me (no phone). It turned out that we were out for 4 hours! Not only did we run to the palace, we made it there just at 9am when it was open to public; so we purchased tickets and went in.
We spent the next 2 hours strolling and walking about the expansive palace grounds, looking at the old buildings and talking about random stuff like "how did they move from one spot to another?" / "no wonder they had horses" / "oooo this is not really real. they revamped it before in 19xx" / "the house for the father is bigger than the house for the mother" / ... you get the gist.
In total, we clocked 10km and though we did not run the whole time, it still felt nice to be out sweating a little plus doing something touristy. The husband and I lounge like lazy tourists a lot and it's nice that we found something to do besides, lounging. We passed their museum of sorts and there was an exhibition on the grass patch about their path to freedom... it was mildly depressing to see the pictures and read the bits of English copy that was available, and I love that it was totally a random activity!
It was near lunch by the time we were done and we re-traced our way back to the hotel and settled for lunch on a Korean restaurant at City Hall. He had a beef stew, I had a bimbimbap along with beer/coffee and the usual buffet of picked vegetables - so yum! We beat the lunch crowd and it was interesting to observe how the locals eat their pickled vegetables. I know I devour kimchi pretty much on its own; but I think the locals eat it more as an accompaniment #greedymuch And by the way, we had lunch in our sweaty running gear amidst the locals who were in their work clothes. I love how ghetto we are - I love holidays with no rules!
After the satisfying meal, we slowly strolled back to the hotel and sat down on a bench - just because. The sun was out, our seat was in the shade and it felt... really nice not rushing anywhere or doing anything.
We made it back to the hotel and washed up. I felt a bit sad that we had no pictures from this morning, but it's fine because the fact is that holidays at meant to be for whims, and to be flexible is key to not caring too much.
After washing up, we decided to head to the malls to shop. We headed for Shinshegae, a mall that was a short stroll away.
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| But first, a wefie in the hotel lift. |
Funnily, we bumped into a couple and their kids in our hotel lobby. School holiday period sees us many Singaporeans travelling to popular spots! The afternoon was spent strolling about... we replenished necessities like socks; and did a tour around the supermarkets. We stopped for another small meal (shared) of fried pork with rice set; before continuing to shop.
The husband decided to head back to rest and I then ventured about the malls alone. Myeongdong is the strip of shopping fiesta and I knew I'd have no problems entertaining myself/passing time. I specifically went to hunt for this StyleNanda Hotel, because it's something new and quite novel.
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| Our between-lunch-and-dinner-snack (because share ok) |
The husband decided to head back to rest and I then ventured about the malls alone. Myeongdong is the strip of shopping fiesta and I knew I'd have no problems entertaining myself/passing time. I specifically went to hunt for this StyleNanda Hotel, because it's something new and quite novel.
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| Laundry level |
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| Hotel lobby leading to rooms |
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| Bed |
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| Mandatory colour tasting - yup, that's a bathtub in the background |
The whole block was pink on the outside, and each level had a different theme that served to be like a real hotel (it's not). I thought it quite adorable and the concept quite interesting. When I got tired, I headed back to the hotel to meet the husband. We decided to head to a new area he's never been - Itaewon. We took a train there.
With no specific destination in mind, we strolled along and decided on this restaurant.
With no specific destination in mind, we strolled along and decided on this restaurant.
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| Busan Galbi - Korean BBQ |
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| My personal chef |
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| Stone coals and fresh meat - best combo! |
We had a super filling meal of meats and veg and picked veg and beer.... it was amazing. I was so stuffed that I had instant food coma. No, for real. I sat there in a daze... enjoying the buzz in the restaurant, enveloped in food smells and just soaking in the holiday. It felt so great.
After we managed to roll off our chairs, the husband and I walked about the streets of Itaweon. A lot of shops were closed due to it being a weekday night, and while we saw signs of 'Itaewon market', we didn't see anything much at all. We ended the night with dessert - the husband had cake, and I had ice-cream. Then, we took a cab back to the hotel.
For the second night in a row, I concussed into deep sleep. Oh, such bliss!
After we managed to roll off our chairs, the husband and I walked about the streets of Itaweon. A lot of shops were closed due to it being a weekday night, and while we saw signs of 'Itaewon market', we didn't see anything much at all. We ended the night with dessert - the husband had cake, and I had ice-cream. Then, we took a cab back to the hotel.
For the second night in a row, I concussed into deep sleep. Oh, such bliss!
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