Itaewon :)

This morning, Beth and I went running. Beth showed me the trail that she runs every day. It's a total of 11km, so obviously my out-of-shape-self didn't run NEARLY that long!! I've been wanting to find somewhere to run in the area, but haven't been able to find anywhere decent. She showed me today that she runs to a Reservoir/Park in the area, runs around the lake twice, and then runs back home.

The reservoir is absolutely beautiful!! There's a large lake in the middle (man-made), with trees surrounding it. There's a trail that runs all the way around it. Surrounding the reservoir are rice fields. I wish I brought my camera because the view was amazing!! When I looked past the rice fields, I could see the whole city. One day when I'm not out there running the trail, I'm going to bring my camera and a book and just spend some time relaxing and taking in all the beauty. I'm really glad I finally have a great place to run! While I can't run 11km right now, it will give me something to build up to :)

After we ran, Beth and I walked to Dunkin' Donuts for smoothies. So delicious. Beth got Strawberry Kiwi, and I got Peach Pitanga. It was the perfect (healthy!) end to our run. We went back home, showered, and relaxed for awhile.

At 3pm, we met downstairs and took the subway to Itaewon. Itaewon is near the Air Force Base, so there are tons of foreigners walking around. There are American restaurants and shops, and lots of people speaking English!! It sounds awful, but it was really refreshing hearing people speak English all around me. I saw all different races of people, too, which is not typical for where we live in Suwon. Hearing all the English made me miss home a little bit, but I'm still glad to be here :)

Beth wanted to get a massage, so I walked to a coffee shop while I waited. I sat inside for awhile and then wandered down the street to see some more shops. Itaewon had a completely different feel than the other places I've visited in Korea. It was so "Westernized" that it almost didn't feel like I was in Korea at all. A sad fact: The most crime that happens in Korea happens in Itaewon. Why? Because that's where the majority of foreigners are located...so unfortunate.

After her massage, Beth and I went to a small restaurant for dinner. Beth claimed that it served "the best sandwich in the world!" I just HAD to see for myself :) It was this small restaurant that could easily be overlooked if someone wasn't searching for it. You walk downstairs, almost underground, to get to the restaurant. Once inside, there are couches and tables everywhere, and fresh flowers. There are decorations all over the walls and soft music playing in the background. It was a hole-in-the-wall restaurant, but so cozy and comfortable. We ordered the sandwiches that Beth was raving about: Chicken and Avocado. Ok, this is an understatement when I say, Beth was right!! So good!! The sandwich was toasted (which is something that Koreans don't do), there was fresh chicken with creamy sauce (which Koreans don't normally have), lettuce, avocado, peppers, fresh fruit, spinach leaves-DELICIOUS!! And you get a small salad on the side with a vinegar dressing (which Koreans don't normally use). Salads are just really hard to come by in Korea, so it was a treat!

After dinner, we went to the Foreign Food Market. This is the only one in all of South Korea. At this market, they sell food that foreigners may be looking for. They have different sections: Indian food, Spanish-y food, and then.....AMERICAN FOOD!! They had Cheetohs, Clasico Alfredo Sauce (my favorite!!), Skippy peanut butter (no Jif...), Fritos, Ranch dressing, salsa, Oreos, and REAL CHEESE!! Koreans hate cheese, so if any food ever comes with cheese, it's gross, fake cheese that doesn't taste good anyway. Beth and I were having the time of our lives. We went down each aisle saying, "oh my gosh!! look what they have!! I love that!!" :) We refrained from buying the whole store, but couldn't resist purchasing a few things...I settled for a bag of Pepperidge Farm Soft Baked cookies, dark chocolate of course, and Nature Valley granola bars. Mmmmmm!!

After that, we stumbled upon Coldstone and just couldn't resist. We just HAD to have ice cream to wash down those delicious sandwiches :) I ordered Chocolate Devotion: chocolate ice cream, chocolate chips, fudge, crumbled brownies, and chocolate syrup. So yummy!!

It was 8pm at that point, so we decided to head back to the subway station. In total, with all three subway changes, it takes about 45 minutes to get back home. All in all, this was a very successful weekend :) I can't believe I have to go back to work tomorrow-I feel like the weekend just began!