Seoul-searching with my sister

It feels really good to have family around. You can be yourself around them and you get a chance to pamper the ones you love.

My sis was down for the weekend. She got here on Thursday evening and left yesterday morning. I couldn't show her around South Korea much but I hope she had as much fun as I did.

The evening she arrived, we went to Outback Steakhouse. Over dinner, we laughed and talked... We didn't notice the time fly by and got out only around 9 pm. It was still too early to go back to the GH, so we thought we'd go see '10,000 BC' at the theater nearby. BTW, the movie isn't good unless you count the special effects. Everything else about it is pretty much a cliche. We got back at 11:30 and I fell asleep while we watched Scrubs.

Next day, my sis and I decided to meet for lunch at a complex near my office. Knowing her sense of direction (which is even worse than mine), I had drawn her a map and even showed her the route to get there. Unfortunately, even with those directions, my sis took a wrong turn while I waited at 12:30 that afternoon. So began our game of Miss-The-Other as we took turns waiting at the complex as the other went crazy with worry and waited at the GH (that would be me) or waited at the office security gate (that would be my sis). Eventually, we found each other online after I went back to the office and she got back to our room. Anyway, we obviously skipped the idea of having lunch.

Here's a special mention to Rag because... well, he knows why. :)

I left office early that day. My sis and I decided to go mall-shopping. After having a dinner of burger & fries, we went to HomePlus and then to Kim's Club. As it was still early (for a Friday night, people!), we decided to watch a movie again. We took a chance with 'Amazing Grace' and while we waited to be ushered in, we shopped at a 1000 won store and picked up many frivolous trinkets. :D

The movie was OK. It was sorta touching but I think I would have absorbed it much better on the small-screen.

After the movie, I could tell my sis was wide awake and the last thing on her mind was sleep. Unfortunately, I was bone-tired and could barely muster the strength to reach the GH. But now I wish we could at least have gone for a walk. :(

Moving on, our Saturday plan was to see Seoul. First stop was Changgyeonggung Palace which is near Hyehwa. I have to admit, I had my reservations about it. The palace had gotten good reviews from the Internet but I thought 'it's just grounds. It would be boring to visit'. But let me tell you, the palace was the highlight of the day.

I'm really not sure if I can describe my experience in words. The moment you step through the gates, you feel as though you've travelled back in time. I was awestruck looking at the palatial buildings and the gardens surrounding them. The palace buildings by themselves are not very grand but they have a quiet elegance about them. The tranquility and peace I felt there was amazing. I was very content in walking around or even sitting down, taking in my fill of these ancient grounds and admiring the architecture.

It's spring in Korea. Trees are growing back their leaves. Flowers are blooming. I've always considered myself as a winter person... but that's only because I haven't seen flowers bloom. To say its magical is a very big understatement. Spring looks beautiful. As did those bountiful gardens on those grounds. My sis has taken pics of the palace and the gardens. I'll upload them but I don't think anything apart from being there and actually experiencing it will help describe the ambiance I felt at the time. :)

After the palace, we took the time out to go visit what we thought was a museum dedicated to art and architecture. It was, in fact, a kid's science museum. But it was fun looking at excited Korean kids trying out gizmos and gadgets.

We got back to Seoul and I took my sis to Namdemun market. I thought she would have a ball of a time, shopping for trinkets and all. But she didn't find anything that suited her taste. So after that disappointment for both of us, we thought of going back to Suwon. But on the way to Seoul station, we stopped at a very quaint Italian restaurant. We weren't hungry so we only ordered a small pizza. American music of maybe the 40s was playing in the background. The food was really good and once again, we both sat in comfortable silence. :)

After boarding KTX, we reached Suwon station around 8pm. By then, it had started raining. We got caught in the rain as we waited for a taxi to take us back to the GH. I was growing miserable by the minute since I had still not bought anything for my sister. After around 20 minutes of waiting, we were able to hail a cab and get back. Dinner was good though, and I felt happy after my sis complimented the food.

We thought of going back to HomePlus to try our luck again. And yay, Lady Luck was there to help us out. My sis bought a dress and coupla shoes. So yay, I was happy again. :)

That day, settling in at the GH took some time as my sis had to pack her things.

We got up at 5:30 am the next day. Finally left for the Limosuine bus-stop around 7am. We reached the Airport in around 1 hour. I didn't know this but in Incheon Airport, the passengers and their friends are allowed together even at check-in time. We had breakfast together but I must say I was jittery with pre-flight issues... Yeah, I know, I wasn't the one who was travelling but I consider myself as a protective sister. :D After making sure my sister got through International Boarding without any issues, I headed to the airport bus stand to get back to Suwon and my GH.

Exhausted by the time I got home, I stayed in my room the entire Sunday, alternating between sleeping and watching TV.

It was an eventful and satisfying weekend. :)