Day 2 in Seoul

October 11, Tuesday – Day 2 in Seoul
At 10.30am, we had lunch at the same shop recommended by Joo yesterday. The chicken balls there were really delicious. At around 11.20am, we took the subway to Itaewon. At 12.30pm, we reached Itaewon. Itaewon is an area with many visitors. Most of the hawkers there know how to speak English, though not fluent. We managed to get some souvenirs at a cheap price there.

At 1.40om, we visited the War Memorial Museum. The admission fee is 3,000 won each but we can visit the outside area for free. There were many old aeroplanes, missiles and warring equipments exhibited there. The guys were excited on some of the stuff there.

At around 2.20pm, I entered the museum. Ryan and Yushu did not enter as they were out-of-budget and not interested in it. There are 3 levels in the museum. I visited the second floor first as it is on the same level as the entrance.

Exhibitions on the second floor include Korean defense equipments and Memorial Hall. For Korean defense equipments, there are displays and some details on its specifications and performance, such as the ship types, engines, land transportations, mask types, remote firing devices, night vision equipments etc. There is a section especially for the Marine Corps. There is a short history about them, displays of their uniforms (both past and present). The Memorial Hall is on the second floor as well. Names of the famous army officers and their contributions during the war are marked there.

On the first floor, there are some exhibitions related to the war history. They have statues of the commanders/warriors who fought during the Japanese Invasion. There are 3 main dynasties in the olden Korea. They are known as the 3 Kingdoms – Koryo Dynasty, Joseon Dynasty and Choson Dynasty. The traditional clothes are different for different dynasties, though we can see some similarities in them. They even have some moving models on war for displays. It is really interesting. They have a detail description about live during wartime in Korea as well, such as their cultural activities, economy and education. Reporters and entertainers played an important on informing the people on the latest news and helped them to get over their anxiety. The economy during war time was terrible. People trade with whatever they have to get what they want. It was possible for food prices to increase up to a few thousand times in a day. People were not having enough food. They mainly relied on the food supply from the UN (United Nation).Even during war time, parents believed that education can make a change in their children’s life. They tried all they could to assure that their children receive food education. Children studied under a tent and sat on the straws on the floor. There are models on it as well. It is really upset. I felt like as if I was experiencing war itself.

On the third floor, they have more exhibitions on the war history of Korea, but not much. They have exhibitions on all the countries in the UN - their uniforms and badges etc.

At around 4.30pm, we departed to Nandemum Market by bus. Even though it is not that far from the museum, we were exhausted from all the walking just now. Nandemum area is a very crowded place with many hawker stalls and people. Things there are not really cheap, but a lot of choices. You can find a variety of “kim”(zhi3 cai4), winter clothings, papers for wrapping, pillow case etc there. We visited Nandemum (one of the main gates during wartime) before sunsets. There is really nothing to see there but a gate.

Then, we went around hunting for food. There are rows of stalls selling the same thing. However, the prices are not cheap. The aunties like to pull people as we walked pass their stalls. We tasted some of the hawker food. Ryan was the one complaining the most of the price. Yushu gave me “a burn in my money pocket” type of look.

At around 7pm, we headed back to Guil station by subway.

I watched the drama series with Jun and Jane again at 1am.