The first night we slept like normal people in Seoul was Thursday, August 26th. Honestly, I was very happy with the place recommended to us at the tourist information center, as it was very clean, pleasant, and as they say in Mexico City: it had a vibe. The place is called Banana Backpackers and it’s near Anguk Station (안국역), a spot very close to several tourist attractions in Seoul. There you can find all kinds of souvenirs, generally cheap, and some restaurants with very affordable prices.
Alley with food in Anguk-dong (안국동).
Banana Backpackers Hostel
Near the hostel, we walked aimlessly with the sole purpose of finding a place to feed our already rumbling stomachs. We didn’t want to ask for any kind of reference to add a bit of mystery to our journey. Sometimes I think the best things in life are those that take you by surprise, whether good or bad. I also prefer to have an occasional dose of the bad because, in general, you become a little less demanding with life and can be happy with just the essentials. Fortunately, fate gave us an easy win and we found a very good place a couple of blocks away.
You know, it’s that alley you sometimes see in photos that, because of its narrowness, you’d swear people in the East live on top of each other. There I had my first Korean meal cooked in Korea, since the Bulgogi burger (불고기 버거) I ate at the Incheon airport McDonald’s doesn’t count. What I ate there was Kimchi jjigae (김치찌개), which was very spicy and hot. Naturally, like most soups in Korea, they brought it to the table still boiling, but even so, we tried to eat it right away. By now, after almost three months here, hot food is no longer a problem for me.
Later, we went for a walk and met a couple of Koreans who say they love Mexico and sell sweets, which in Korean are called sugar beards. See the story of how these sweets are made.
Korea Medley