Asian Adventure - Historic Namsangol Hanok Village and The Cat Cafe, 7 May 2019

Had a fantastic nights sleep for a change in our Seoul apartment last night.  This is the third time zone we have arrived in and the jet lack is continuing to take its toll. With all the site seeing and walking about I am feeling tired most days. Last night my head must hit the pillow and I went out like a light. This morning was the first day I have felt this good. After a quick shower, I made my way to the convenience Store at the bottom of the street where our hotel is situated, it was time to get a few provisions. I have a lot of washing to do while Darrell and my Aunt take a trip up to the Seoul Tower; obviously not my thing, so the perfect time to sort things out!

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It was great to spend a little bit of time on my own this morning, just pottering around the apartment, washing machine on, watching Korean television with subtitles, in between blogging and scanning through social media. This place really does feel like home! I know Darrell and I will never be able to afford to live in Korea, but everything about it, from the culture to the people that live and work here, really gives me a feeling of warmth and security. Seoul itself feels safe, unlike other large cities I have stayed in in the past; today is a good day to be alive!

We all have a lot planned for today. Despite spending the bulk of our journey in Korea, we still want to see a lot of sites, so need to fit as much in as we can each day. Our first stop this Tuesday is Namsangol Hanok Village, literally just around the corner from our hotel.

This ancient Korean settlement is like nothing I have seen before. Of course I have seen similar villages and towns on television, but never something so beautiful close up, preserved for all of us to experience and enjoy. There is so much to look at, so much to see, so little time. Namsangol is surrounded by Myeongdong district, there are tall buildings on every side, as if they are protecting this architectural gem from the ravages of city life. Namsangol is nothing like the area that grew up around it and is an oasis surrounded by perfectly manicured gardens and water features, statues and foliage, an escape from the heat of the afternoon sun.

As I walked around, chatting with Darrell and Trisha I remember thinking how lucky we were to be here. Not many people from my neck of the woods gets to see the things I have, not just here but all over the World. When I look at the turmoil my life is in, without a permanent home, I am at least brought back to reality and gently reminded how different my journey is!

We spent a good few hours walking around Namsangol, the first of many treasures we hope to discover in Seoul. Asian history is second to none. I remember as a child watching the television series 'Monkey,' thinking to myself, how I would like to journey to that part of the World one day. Well I'm not quite in China or Japan, but I am pretty close and as a first step into the far east, it's a great place to start. Korea shares many characteristics with its larger neighbours and this beautiful Honok Village has opened my eyes to the wider picture and the hope that one day I will be able to travel to other countries, with similar, imposing architecture and histories. This is a great place to start our adventure in Seoul and an even better path to enlightenment!

After a trip to Namsangol, we headed down the hill towards the centre of Myeondong, a busy shopping and business district in the heart of the City. The roads were full of traffic and there were crowds of people wherever we went. Most of the locals were wearing the obligatory face mask to keep pollution at bay, so we decided to pop into a local pharmacy to purchase some of our own and 'do as the locals do.' The high pollution levels are particularly noticeable in Seoul, far more than they seem to be back home in Portsmouth, at times the smell can be overpowering, as car exhausts and city living pierce the senses. Suitably attired we continued our walk through town.

The shops were very similar to what one might expect in a typical British High Street. The usual array of clothes, shoes and cosmetics shops filled every available space. Occasionally a convenience store, the odd gift shop and lots and lots of electrical stores, bars and restaurants serving a wonderful selection of exotic food. Fresh fish is of course a staple for Koreans and everywhere you walk, you see live fish waiting to be served to a hungry population. Not a great advertisement for a squeamish consumer like me, put a part of life here in Asia!

At the top of a rather tall building in one of the many side streets of Myeondong there was the Cat Cafe. Cat Cafe's are wide spread in Korea, just like Japan and China. They allow people access to cats who wouldn't usually be able to own one of their own. Most people live in High rises and do not have the space for any pets, so these are ideal places to relax and spend time with animals that you are particularly fond of. There were also dog and even Meerkat Cafe's too, something we didn't experience. It is ethically wrong to keep wild Meerkats in confined spaces and we couldn't be sure if any diseases were being carried by these wild creatures. That is of course true for cats as well, but I guess we felt more at ease with the cat cafe concept.'

As one entered the cafe, one was asked to remove outside shoes and put on slippers, in order to not bring in outside bugs and germs. I think we paid about eight pounds to come into the venue, which included a soft drink as well. Our outer garments were put into plastic bags and hidden away under seats where we sat. We were each given a blanket and waited for the cats to come to us.

There must have been twenty cats in the room, more coming in all the time, every breed, colour shape and size, all waiting to be petted and made a fuss of. We also purchased some cat food from the reception, feeding these pampered pets, encouraging them to sit and chill for a while. The afternoon was a delight, spending a few hours away from the hustle and bustle of Seoul, alone with our thoughts and a cat on our lap. My favourite was a Sphinx, curled up in a cover, who reminded me of our Lily who sadly died a few years ago. This was an encounter I would love to repeat again!

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In the evening, after freshening up at the apartment we walked further on down, past Myeondong and towards the night market, where we bought some souvenirs and presents for family and friends back home - fridge magnets, ornaments and niknaks. The usual display of produce was on sale, some less appealing than others and being Korea, there were so called designed goods on every market stall, real or fake I have no idea! 

Like everywhere we walked there were throngs of people, interestingly very few tourists. It did seem at times, that we were the only travellers there. Seoul wasn't the usual destination, but so far it was mine. I had fallen for this city and all it had to offer! I decided to taste some street food from what looked like a clean and reputable seller. Nothing over the top or even meat based, just a stick of grilled cheese, which tasted great. There were plenty of other choices on offer, just not what I wanted. Things with heads and legs, just wasn't on my remit today. Thinking about it now, I am aware that all of us in the West are rather sheltered from the realities of life and what we eat. In Asia, you see every stage of preparation for the food you consume....Is that really so wrong?

On the way home we stopped for dinner at an Indian restaurant just around the corner from the hotel. The dining area was situated in the basement of a tall building of what looked like offices; it was a rather strange experience sat in an area with no windows or doors to the outside, but we thought we'd give it a go and chose a rather traditional Indian affair, which was tasty enough. The standards were not quite as good as they would be back in the UK, but nevertheless we were surprised to find an Indian restaurant in the first place, which did make a pleasant change from all the oriental cuisine we had been eating up until now. The perfect end to a perfect day!

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