Our last day in Asan and finally Seoul (April 22)

Today was our last morning with our homestay famillies in Asan and time for another trade off to a new place and new faces. We meet at the Asan/Cheonan train station to meet our new friends from Cheonan and to head to Seoul for the day. We weren't sure if we would be able to make it to Seoul but it was on our list of must do's. Tony, our translator and friend from Asan, made this happen for us. So we bid farewell, greeted our new friends, and headed to take the express train to Seoul.

By train it only took about approx. 40 minutes versus the approx. 1.5 hours by car. As the train approached Seoul, we immediately begin to notice the contarasts to the rural areas and smaller cities which we have been in. Our friends planned a full day for us so as soon as we got off the train we jumped on a tour bus for our first destination. Our first stop was the National Museum of Korea. We cruised through the first 2 floors in our allotted hour taking in history. After many pali pali's (hurry hurry) from our friends we caught the bus and headed to the Namsangol Traditional Korean Village, where an empress lived. On our way here we passed the U.S. Army Yongsan Base and the War Memorial of Korea. Passing the War Memorial, I was able to view many statues, aircraft and tanks, which made me reflect on the hardships that Koreans have endured. The buildings in the village are original although they have been moved form their original location in Seoul. We had enough time here to view the time capsule, which includes approx. 600 items. It was dedicated in December of 1994, at the 400th anniversary of Seoul, and will be opened at the 1000th anniversary of Seoul. Many people from different countries, including the Mayor of San Francisco, attended the event.

The next stop was the N Seoul Tower which was my favorite. At the tower site, a Green Allure (fashion magazine) event was being set up. Many different green products, including Burt's Bees, attended the event. We headed up the tower, thankfully by elevator, for the most astonishing 360 degree views of Seoul. It was a perfect time to be on top of the tower because it had started to rain in some portions of Seoul and the sun was coming through. The panorama didn't appear real but more like a painting.

Next, was a stop in the largest and most popular shopping district in Seoul. I have to give our hosts alot of credit for keeping the group of 8 on schedule and together in this bustling city of 12 million. After some shopping and people watching, we headed back to the train station by subway. The subway station was extremely clean and efficient. It had walls with doors to protect people from the tracks and flat screen TVs. Soon we were back on the express train to head to dinner to meet our new host families. All of this in 7 hours!!! It was another great day!