Leaving Seoul

We check out a little neighbourhood we hadn't explored previously and find a place selling toasted sandwiches; coffee next door. Not very thrilled with Korean coffee so far. Served in very big cups, and strong and bitter. Today we leave Seoul but first we must pick up the rental car. After checking out we make our way to Dongdaemun and after several false starts finally succeed in locating the office. The first challenge is to get the car up the very narrow spiralling exit from seven floors down and then figure out which direction to head in. The car has Sat Nav and I am quickly able to punch in a general destination. The plan is to fine tune it once we get out of the city.

We whizz past the Dongdaemun Design Plaza which had been on my hope-to-see list, not least because it could well be the one and only Zaha Hadid project I will ever get to see. Well, I did, ever so briefly. And hit the motorway. I am disoriented, I feel like we are heading in the wrong direction and begin to doubt the navigation but eventually realise that all is good. I had ear-marked a possible place to stop along the way but as we get nearer it feels like it doesn't offer much so we keep going. We make a brief stop beside a river but there is no way to get down to it so after a bit we resume our journey.

We are headed for Chuncheon after I have read about its fame for being the origin of Chicken Dakgalbi. The Sat Nav takes us straight there. Chuncheon is more of a city than a town. This I was not expecting, but heading into the city centre and finding parking is painless enough. We find the street where the chicken is famous and choose a venue. We sit at a round table with a griller in the centre. A mix of marinated chicken and vegetables is thron onto the grill plate and we are brought a selection of side dishes including whole garlic cloves and lettuce leaves. We later discover that the seats are small bins with padded lids where you can both place your belongings and retrieve an apron. It was definitely worth the detour.

Our accommodation for tonight is only about half an hour further on but set up a hillside overlooking forest and a small river. It is called the Sicily Pension and with only four rooms and a coffee shop, is set among lovingly cared for gardens.

We are keeping an eye on the weather as there is a typhoon making its way up the west coast. We think we'll miss the worst of it heading east but we'll probably still encounter some wind and rain.Read more