I was in Seoul last June 18 to 20, 2008 for the ICAS.
On our first night in Seoul, Sir Jessie and I got lost looking for the conference venue (good thing we thought of checking out the place the night before). We took a wrong turn and walked farther and farther away from the Grand Intercontinental Hotel. The programme said Casaville–where we were staying–was just a good 10-minute walk from the conference venue, but we’ve been walking for 30 minutes already and still saw no sign of it. We decided to go back to square 1 (quite literally) and realized that the Hotel was just across the block.
That area in Seoul where we stayed (Gangnam-gu) was like a busines district, with its high-rise buildings and chaebol names, the men clad in suits and women all dolled-up. It was like Makati, but the weather was of Baguio and the smell was of… HapChang. Or was it kimchi?!? Or maybe it was the Korean restaurant beside Casaville.
It was a full 2 days and we didn’t get to go around much. Most of the conference topics were also interesting and worth listening to. I also enjoyed the bottomless coffee and the fruit shakes. 
Occasionally, we’d play truant and go to the nearby COEX mall. The place is big (but nothing compared MOA). We were able to go to the Kimchi Museum, but not the Aquarium (where Samsoon and Samshik brought little Mijoo).
The only Korean drama-esque experience I got was the Dang Dae Mun market, which I think was where amnesic Ji Soo and Tae Hwa sold their merchandise. But I wasn’t too keen on relieving a Tae Hwa experience and the place is like Divisoria a hundred times more!!!! I wasn’t able to do a Sassy Girl in the subway, climb Yoo Rin’s 63 Building or the steps to NamSan ala Samsoon, run around N’Seoul Tower’s circumference like Yoon Soo and Sung Jae(?) or go to Lotte World. We missed the tour of the palaces coz we left a day earlier and we only realized that there was a Buddhist temple near the mall on our way to the airport. My only taste of Korean culture was the food which they served during lunch sympo, and the Nanta performance during the gala dinner.
So I had a lot of things planned but didn’t get to do, and I could allow myself to get disappointed. But I WON’T!! You see, one of the best things that happened during my sojourn in Seoul was unplanned and unexpected: My poster was among 21 recipients of the “Outstanding Poster Presentation” Award and I even got a handsome prince, ah este, prize for that. God is so good and gracious even if I have been ungrateful these past few days. ^_^;
Anyway, there’ll be lots of other opportunities to return. There’s the AOCCN next year and the 7th World Stroke Congress in 2010. So until then…
