seoul-12-07-17

Woke up and spent an hour uploading and editing the 12-06-17 web site.   What a night!

Cleaned up and asked the front desk for a recommendation for a Seoul breakfast - something not "american style".   They suggested a small Korean restaurant about 2 blocks down the road.      They told me to 

"look for the steam".

Took a short walk and quickly found the one shop with a lot of steam coming from a steamer right outside on the sidewalk area.    Went inside through a "cloud" of white steam and mimed that I was looking for a single spot at a table.

They seated me and then I and the waitress went back outside so that I could point at what I wanted to order (they had a plastic images of their various dishes setup in their window).   So back out through the steam cloud, some pointing,

and back through the cloud to my seat to wait for breakfast.

Shortly after that a plate of the random meal treats appeared.    Kimchee, some type of pickled salad (probably seaweed), some mushroom or burdock roots, some daikon, some Korean pancake bits.

Then my order of steamed pork and scallion Mandoo, similar to a steamed pot-sticker (the pot portion, this dumpling is just steamed).    Yum!

These were hand made in the front - check out the video:

Then along came my order of Sundubu Jjiage which is a boiling hot pot of spicy broth with soft tofu and mixed seafood and veggies.  Wow!

Check out the video too!

The seafood included crab claws, crab meat and clams that I could see (there may have been other sea goodness items

in this)

I couldn't finish the entire bowl, but I ate a fair potion (It came with a bowl of white rice, which I spooned the contents of the hot pot onto and ate with the rice

to cool it off a bit.

The bill came to about $7.50 usd... wow!

I decided to take a walk to burn some of breakfast off but got 'pulled' into a Paris Baguette bakery for some chocolate bread sticks...  They were so good that

later on during the walk I found another one of these (they are chain) and bought more!

Headed out for lunch at the wholesale fish market near Noryangjin Station to get some live octopus, a local dish.

Made my way to the train station and headed four stations down.   As usual when exiting the train station I went entirely in the wrong direction and

spent about 10 minutes before I finally figured out both where to go and how to get there (as I had to 'cross the train tracks').   Turns out I had to up

above the level I'd existed at over an overhead people sky-bridge to get across to the other side.   Eh -- finally made it.

There are actually two fish markets now -- the "old (original) fish market" and the "new fish market".   I started with the old one and took a photo or two

from the level above it (garage level) looking down and then walked around and took some more photos and a video.   Then I went into the new market 

at the ground level and walked around, found and purchased some octopus and shrimp, then went up one level to where the restaurants are and found one to 

prepare these items for me.    They chopped up the octopus and served it with some very light soy and sesame on it.   They grilled the shrimp.    I should have

skipped on the shrimp as by the time they grilled them they were somewhat dry and not very flavorful.    The "live" (or 'was live a minute or two') octopus was

raw and had a very nice sweet taste to it.    I enjoyed the experience -- even if the octopus didn't.

The vat from which I got a small live octopus (or bought one - the vendor extracted one from the vat for me)

I could have bought this larger one from her, but I would never have finished it - and it might have finished me!

Here I am eating the octopus -- still moving!

After lunch headed back to the hotel.   Did some random sightseeing (in other words got a bit lost going the wrong way when I left the train station 

back near the hotel).    Finally made it back (yeah!  Google Maps!!! and the moving little dot that tells me where I am!)

Rested up with a much needed nap until dinner time "plus".   I had thought there was a NIGHT market near the hotel but it turns out it is a day market.  Oh well.

Walked around a found place with a soup noodle dish for about $8 for dinner.    It was okay, not very flavorful but filling.   I will upload a picture tomorrow.

Stopped by a local coffee shop (a few doors down from a starbucks) and got a hot chocolate to go.   I've been sipping it as I have been working on this web site back at the hotel.

Going to goto sleep soon - its 10pm.    Tomorrow is my last "full day" in Seoul.