Today was the most exciting day in Seoul so far. We went to a couple of different markets, villages, and areas of Seoul. The first one was the Hanock village. This village was full of old houses that stood the test of time. While they are big tourist attractions, residents still live in these houses. Then we made our way to Insadong, which is a market full of stores and food vendors. I had lunch at a Korean fried chicken place while we were here. The restaurant was one lady working, serving, and cooking. There wasn’t really a kitchen; it was just two fryers. The menu was only two items, fried chicken and chicken gizzards. It was all really good. I especially loved the chicken gizzards. They were fried so well, I even got another order to go.

Dr. Yun then took some of us on a walk along a river. It was a nice way to get away from city life for a little while. When we were just about finished on the trail, a market caught Dr. Yun’s eye. This was the Nangdaemun market. He said it was the most famous market in Seoul. The place was jam-packed with food vendors. Dr. Yun told the group that there were some things we needed to try. He sat us down at one of the vendors and ordered a bowl of chicken feet and skin. It looked weird and not many people liked it, but I thought it was good. The spicy sauce they put on it had good flavor, and once you get past the look of it, I believe most people would like it. This wasn’t even the craziest thing we tried. Next up, we had a live octopus. The food vendor picked up the octopus, put it on the cutting board, and chopped it up. It was then plated with a little cucumber, sesame oil, and gochugang sauce. The octopus was still moving, and I had to be brave enough to try a piece. It kept squirming on my chopstick, making it hard to eat, but I eventually took a bite. To my surprise, it was delicious. It was so fresh, and I loved the soft texture. This was the most unique thing I have ever had.

We had free time for a bit before curfew, so some of the guys went on a hike around one of the fortresses. It was a long hike, but worth it for the view at the end. It also got our appetite going again. Dr. Yun recommended an Italian place for us since we were craving some pasta. I got a tasty seafood pasta and then called it a night. I loved every part of this day and am so glad to have tried so many new things. It was a great day 7 in Seoul.