Howdy, it’s another morning in Seoul, and it looks like rain and fog outside today. Yesterday was another exhausting day. We started out walking around one of the underground shopping districts near our hotel until a little café opened at 8 a.m.; since most business operations don’t open until 9 to 10 a.m., the only stores or restaurants open before 8 a.m. are 7-11’s! We had a warm, hearty traditional Korean breakfast of pumpkin soup and chicken-ginseng soup with coffee and green tea (pic with Larissa's Flat Stanley). We exchanged some more money, drank more coffee, did some shopping, and hit the subway to go see Maya at 11 a.m. We met the director, who had just returned from the US the night before, and then watched a doctor do a quick preflight medical check-up. Maya did NOT like that experience! Accompanied by her nurse, I (Jason) carried Maya back to the orphanage for a short visit before Maya fell asleep on a caretaker’s shoulder. Maya was not very receptive to us yet….

We returned to the hotel for a short rest before walking to the north end of Insa-dong to meet Pam’s friend, Erin, who accompanied (and helped!) us through Insa-dong in the search for goodies. We ate dinner at our “mom+pop” restaurant from Sunday morning, but Erin laughed because this restaurant is part of a chain in the Seoul area! The meals were nevertheless good and inexpensive. Pam had bibimbop, I had kimchi chigae (stew), and we shared some kimchi bop (nori roll with rice). Through the drizzle, we found a very traditional (a.k.a. rustic) tea house upstairs in a side alley. Zebra finches, canaries, and some other birds were flitting about us as we drank our ginseng and “double harmony” teas. These were some STRONG teas, yet I passed out as soon as my fully clothed body hit the bed!

Today (Wednesday), we’re off to Itaewon (shopping district) and then to the orphanage in the afternoon for Maya’s early-birthday and departure party. And then Maya comes back to the hotel with us to prepare for our flight tomorrow (Thursday)!!!