Today was the second to last day that we had activities. It was also a special holiday in Korea, May 15th is Buddhas birthday. As such it was quite crowded in the subways and on the streets. Our first stop of the day was the Bukchon Hanok village. We got there and walked around, it was a small little development with traditional hanok houses. It was a really neat area with some shops to get souvenirs and gifts, so I got a few things to bring back to my friends. I also used a little fortune machine that drops a ball with a piece of paper with a ton of information on it. It tells you about your future involving things like money, love life, family, health, etc.

After the village we stopped by the Jogyessa temple where the large majority of the celebration of Buddhas birthday was being held. We have been to the temple before earlier in the trip but this time it was packed with people, shops, food, and even more lanterns put up than before. It was a great environment and you could really get a feel for the culture there.

Once we wrapped up at the temple we went to the Starfiekd Coex mall for lunch. Dr. Yun was nice enough to treat a couple of my group members and Kay to a really fancy cold noodle and beef restaurant that has even been awarded a Michelin star! I’ve never eaten at a Michelin star restaurant and this one did not disappoint. The noodles were very cold and it was for sure a new experience for me, but I got used to it and the dish was great. My group also had some time to walk around and explore the mall so we wandered around for a bit and checked out the stores.

Today was a relatively short day so after food and the mall we all headed back to the hotel. My group worked to finish up our presentation for tomorrow and I’m taking some time tonight to reflect on our trip as a whole since it’s coming to an end so soon.