Asia Trip 2023 Day 11 - Until the Next One
Even though we are flying home today our flight isn’t until 7:15 PM so we had a few remaining hours to take in Seoul before we head home. Don’t tell Jenn that she didn’t want to get out of bed today but reluctantly did after I brought her Starbucks in bed and helped pack up the last few remaining items. We departed the hotel after 10 AM and made our way to Gwangjang Market on the subway. This was our first time on the subway in Seoul and after we figured out how to get the tickets the rest was relatively straightforward.
Thirty minutes later we arrived at Gwangjang Market a recommendation from Tiger a few days ago and on most of the top things to do list for Seoul. We made a few laps around the market taking in some beautiful smells and others that we could soon forget. There was a lot of food here that I am not sure even with the proper Korean to English translation I could eat. There were definitely a lot of feet, necks, and fish in tanks that were being enjoyed by hundreds in the market. The only thing we were brave enough to get was a cinnamon donut that was delicious.
We left the market and made the short walk to the Cheonggyecheon stream a beautiful small stream that cuts its way through central Seoul. It sort of reminds me of the Highline in NYC, a small area where people can walk, gather, and get away from the rest of the city. Today is over 90 degrees so it wasn’t the most ideal place to be in the heat but it was a nice area to walk around and see people enjoying their Monday.
We grabbed an Uber back to the JW Marriott where we grabbed our bags, checked out of our room, and left our bags with the concierge as we walked to lunch. Per the front desk's recommendation, we went to a nearby Korean barbecue restaurant. After walking aimlessly for ten minutes we eventually found Samgeori Butcher and got a table for two. It was a late lunch so we were some of the only people there. We ordered their lunch special which came with a ton of sides and pork ribs and steak along with a delicious soup. Our waitress spoke very little English but cooked our meat in front of us and we enjoyed a delicious lunch.
We left Korean BBQ and walked around the nearby mall that houses the first few floors of the JW Marriott before meeting our driver at 3:30 PM to take us to Incheon airport. It was an hour's drive to the airport and after making us through security we sat in the Asiana lounge for two hours waiting for our Air Canada flight to Toronto. Our flight was a little delayed but we boarded and had two beautiful business-class seats next to each other that we enjoyed for the 13-hour flight. Jenn watched Once Upon a Time in Hollywood and I watched The Fabelman’s both great movies.
When we landed in Toronto it was 7:14 PM the exact same time as when we took off from Seoul. Not sure what the odds are of that happening but I was blown away. We went through US Customs and went to the Air Canada lounge where we waited for our flight the Newark. After a number of delays and seven gate changes our flight was cancelled. We waited for our bags that never came and were given an 11 AM flight the next day and a room at the Sheraton Toronto Airport hotel. Not the end of the trip we were hoping for.
We had McDonald’s delivered close to midnight and were able to fall asleep for a few hours to get us closer to our flight home. We had Starbucks delivered for breakfast and made our way back to the Toronto airport a few hours later. We boarded our plane on time in Toronto and made our way back to Newark. Because of our very delayed flight, we had to rent a car from Newark to drive the two hours to Chatham to pick up Frasier. Not an ideal end to the trip but then again nothing about travel is ever easy. It’s the challenge that makes it such an adventure and what makes both Jenn and I excited for whatever comes next. Until the next one!
