Kalbi, anyone? Shaboo Shaboo?

Amazingly, I've already been on this trip for a week. I'm now on my third night in Seoul and have finally been able to opt for a night in. I can't wait for room service, a hot bath (yes, I'm a blog update away from my favorite tub in the whole world), a movie, and an early night.

We arrived in Seoul on Sunday afternoon after Stephen's International Travel Rookie Mistake No.1: no cash in Japan. Boastfully using his PASSMO card in the cab -- and unknowingly draining the balance -- left him without the 400 Yen to get into the subway to get to the airport. Being a seasoned traveler with the SuperPower of Resourcefulness, however, I rescued the day with an ingenious solution, though not after watching Stephen race around Shinagawa Station looking for a ticket vendor who accepted VISA/MAST/AMEX (nope!) or an ATM that accepted International cards (sorry, French!). And if me giving him a hard time later is your next question, then you are following the exact train of thought you should be! WOO HOO!

The adventure didn't stop there, however, as we were joined here in Korea by colleagues from Hong Kong and enjoyed awesome Korean BBQ at Samwon Garden that boasts of its kalbi and its famous guests, including the likes of Hines Ward & Paris Hilton (if I had only known, I would have gone oh so much sooner!). Arthur, Stephen, Doug and I closed SG down that night -- not a lot of late Sunday evening diners. *sorry Samwon*. As advertised, the ribs were incredible; we had to order two more servings.

Last night, the DRIVE Korea team treated us to Shaboo Shaboo. Honestly, Avid Reader, I'm unsure if that was the name of the restaurant or the type of cooking we enjoyed. Short story, we were each given a personal vat of seasoned boiling soup in which to boil dinner... from various types of greens to mushrooms to noodles to beef. Delicious and efficient, we ended the evening fat and happy. Though that could just have been me as the American in the party, to be fair. (And leveraging my SuperPower of Resourcefulness, check out this site; from the photos, it looks to be the name of the restaurant, though I can't read a single thing! But enjoy all the same!)

I think it'll be a low-key rest-of-week here in Seoul, then off to Hong Kong on Friday. I'm excited about what's to come!