Day 111 -- Trapped in Seoul

**backdated, 11/2**

Saturday, I decided to go to Seoul for some shopping and Mexican food. I was relaxing at a Starbucks in Itaewon before looking for shoes when Hallie called me, asking if she could join me. I had two hours to kill while she bus'sed it up to Seoul, so I wandered from coffee shop to coffee shop, studying my Korean vocabulary to pass the time. Once she arrived, we went shopping--her for Christmas presents to bring back to the States, and me for cold-weather teaching tops and shoes. We got so wrapped up in what we were doing that we ended up running late to the Mexican restaurant.

After getting lost trying to find the place and having to backtrack for several reasons, we finally made it to On The Border... as the kitchen was closing. ANNOYING.
We get on the subway to head to the bus station and left the subway to transfer lines... as the subway was shutting down, leaving us stranded a good distance from the station. FRUSTRATING.
After a long (and expensive) taxi ride, we finally made it to the bus station... as the last bus was leaving. ASLDKFJASLDFKJSDF.

We really didn't have any other choice but to stay in Seoul for the night, but where? Actual hotels are too expensive for poor English teachers and love motels are really hit-and-miss--sometimes you get a surprisingly nice one, and sometimes you get a painfully sketchy one. That only left one option.

Jimjilbang--public bath.

We asked some random taxi drivres if there were any in the area and luckily for our heavy-shopping-bag-laden arms, there was one just 50m from the station. I will admit that, at this point, I was a VERY crabby, unhappy camper, but after a shower and a few rounds of hot-room/cold-room sauna, I felt much better.

Even though I didn't get much sleep on the hard, stone floor of the jimjilbang, when we woke up the next morning we were able to get bagels for breakfast and Mexican for lunch, so in the end everything worked out okay. Hurray!