Seoul, South Korea

This year we were pumped to hit somewhere brand new! We always ask the boys their opinions and are usually met with ‘wherever you want to go’ type answers, but this time Wesley said he’d love to see the Great Wall of China. After a lot of research and discussion, we landed on taking a trip over to South Korea and China!

We took the boys out of school a day early before their Spring Break started and excitedly headed to the airport to get out of the cold rain to explore new warm region of the world this time of year. When we got to the airport, we all got some breakfast, and my coffee of course, then found our gate. We had about 45 mins before takeoff so we decided to swap some currency to spend on tips and trinkets on our trip. Unfortunately, the currency exchange ended up being at the other side of the airport and it took FOREVER—we literally had a Home Alone running down the airport corridor scene and were the last to board our flight. Yikes!
The flight itself was a solid 11-hour haul, and not one of us caught a single wink of sleep. We landed in Seoul at 6:30pm local (2:30am Seattle time). Jet lagged and ready to lie down flat, we went straight to the hotel and all face-planted into bed for a full night’s sleep.

The next morning was Easter! We celebrated our own low-key way. The Easter Bunny had set up a full egg hunt right there in the hotel room, using local South Korean candies and tucking bits of Korean currency into some eggs so the boys had their own spending money for the city. Sugar rush, surprise cash, and fully justifying the risk of missing a flight. Worked out perfect!

Once we checked out of the hotel, we Ubered to the next hotel in downtown Seoul (Fraser Place Central Seoul) and crushed the breakfast buffet: a hilarious mash-up of Korean and Western comfort food. Fried rice, noodles, dumplings, plus French fries, cereal, fruit, and pastries. One pastry in particular caught our eye—little yellow cake discs with cream inside that looked delicious. We each got one and bit in at once… and realized they were straight-up cut up Twinkies. Classic.
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Energized (and slightly sugared up), we walked over to Deoksugung Palace—by happenstance, we arrived just as the changing of the guards ceremony started. One of the boys asked how often it happens and Marshall had them going for a while thinking it was a once-in-a-century event and we were insanely lucky. We enjoyed watching the show and as we were leaving the boys figured out it happens three times a day. We had a good laugh as we walked to our next adventure.

From there we hit the cherry blossom festival. The trees were absolutely gorgeous, blanketed in soft pink and white blossoms. We did notice something odd though. Older trees had holes and gaps patched with cement—like someone tried to “fix” nature with a bad DIY job. Looked bizarre, but the blossoms looked perfectly happy and were blooming like champs.
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At one point, Wesley vanished for a minute—cue parent panic—until we spotted him with a random local who’d pulled him aside for a photo. Shelly immediately flashed back to her own childhood in Japan—blonde kids are apparently unicorn-level rare, so locals treat them like little celebrities and want “trophy photos” to show friends and family. Wesley said it felt a bit weird and scary at first, but he rolled with it like a tiny superstar.

At the end of the festival area they had some kid activities set up. Out of everything, Wesley locked onto this stationary bicycle that blew bubbles when you pedaled. Naturally, he hopped on and started pumping like his life depended on it. We all just stood there getting absolutely showered in bubbles for a solid chunk of time. Simple entertainment, massive giggles, unforgettable memories.

We wandered over to Hongdae shopping street next and scored a perfect window seat on the second floor of a café. The boys went wild for their Oreo shakes. From our front-row perch we had prime viewing of a poor guy on the street below desperately trying (and failing) to hand out flyers. Literally nobody would take one. We quickly solved the mystery: Seoul has no public trash cans. None. Zero. We spent the rest of the day asking each other, “Where does everyone put their trash?!” It became one of those ongoing trip mysteries we still laugh about.

While exploring the shops, Wesley pulled out some of his hard-earned Easter candy cash and scored a cartoonishly large bag of banana jelly candies for under a dollar. The boys did the math—and were blown away that each piece was basically a penny. They felt they unlocked an infinite candy cheat code.
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They also tried their luck at a local basketball carnival game. Working together, they nailed 3 of 5 shots and walked away with a giant stuffed bear. It was one of those moments of “Awesome! Future-us will love this at packing time.” We still have no clue how that bear fits in a tiny carry-on suitcase, but we’ll cross that bridge when we pack for our next hotel.

Later that afternoon we caught an incredible comedy martial arts show at Jump Theatre. It was mostly physical humor with just a sprinkle of Korean and English words, but you didn’t need language at all. The actors brought exaggerated movements, perfect slapstick timing, and ridiculous sound effects that had the whole family laughing non-stop. It was one of those shows where you walk out thinking, “Why don’t we have something this fun back home?” The boys both have their Taekwondo black belts… maybe one day they’ll start their own version. Haha!
 
After we got back to the hotel, Marshall and I even managed to sneak a quick date-night dinner down the street while the boys enjoyed some chill time in the room. Nothing beats a relaxed meal after a full day of sightseeing.
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We all wrapped up the evening at the Myeongdong night market. The energy was electric—bright lights, packed stalls, and endless food on sticks everywhere. Wesley fearlessly demolished a bunch of spicy octopus on a skewer like it was no big deal. We balanced it with banana Nutella crepe and banana mochi. By the end we were sticky, wiped out, and totally smitten with our experience in Seoul. A wonderful mix of chaos, sweetness, and wonderful surprises.

​Back to the hotel for a solid night’s rest before our next adventure… Beijing, CHINA!