South Korea

This morning we meet at 10 to start off on our first day of Korean adventures. We decided that Gangnam would be our destination of the day and went in search of the nearest subway station with a detour to purchase T-money cards that allow for easy payment on the subway. We made our way to Gangnam and soon split up to explore the many stores up and down a stretch at least a mile long. Once at the end of the stores we began looking for food instead of deals. Somehow we managed to find the only burger place nearby and decided to order since we were really hungry. A good grilled chicken and french fries tasted great and we quickly moved on to continue our shopping. We made our way back down the street and stopped at a store with a pharmacy inside. It was strange in the way that the pharmacy was set up. All drugs were kept behind the counter and have to be asked for from the pharmacist. Our next stop was the famous Gangnam sign for a picture opportunity and a little dancing and then on to the Co-ex mall. A shopping center with 250 stores, an aquarium, and a movie theater but everything was really expensive even with the supposedly great deals that were going on. One shop we entered had huge markdowns-up to 90% off but the reduced prices were still above $50. We finished off our shopping for the day and headed to find some food. We found this great place that served huge plates and ordered 3 different plates for the nine of us to enjoy. This was the first time I had had mussels which were a little fishy tasting but still good plus a huge shrimp pancake, chicken heart teriyaki, and deep fried onions and stuffed peppers. The crew headed back to Hanyang with a short detour to emart-Korea's walmart equivalent for an early night so that we can get back out for some more shopping tomorrow in another section of Seoul.

Good night!