STINKY SMILE

Imagine smells of the sewerage wafting past me at the very moment this picture was taken. Couldn't tell right? God knows how I managed to put on that smile.

That's what you get when you spent most of your savings in Korea even before getting to the UK. But Daewon Inn was in prime location. In the heart of the Seoul CBD . And the owner sure displayed personalised service. He rode his cranky bicycle out to meet me in front of the Koreana Hotel and walked me to the backpacker's. He could have gotten the extra thumbs up if only he had offered to lug my backpak on his bike though.

I had extended my trip in Seoul for one more week. And I was pushing my luck with the finances. It was a tiny little room, all set in cubicles raised about 50 cm from the ground. My room came with a TV and clean bed linen. At least there weren't cobwebs and cockroaches in the room. (Look out for post on 2 night stay in backpacker's near Hongik University.) And of course, there were heated floors or best known in Korea as Ondol. I was pleasantly surprised that the shared bathroom and toilet were conveniently located just one step away from my room. Of course, all good thoughts flew out the window when the ammonia stench jolted me up from my sleep on my very first night.

Breakfast was included as do most backpackers around the world now. And the breakfast table was set in the middle of the Inn among lots of potted plants, giving you the feeling of a tropical resort. This was where you chat up new travellers and friends. I met some very cute bunch of Japanese guys, 2 Frenchmen, another young bunch of Korean students and a Brazillian Jazz musician. Funnily, they were all male.

This room was the most interesting of the lot in Daewon Inn. It was IN the wall of the kitchen. It belonged to the Brazillian musician and he had been there for 2 months already!

Actually I didn't manage to get a picture of the room while I was there. This picture's copied from http://berclo.net, a man who stayed at Daewon Inn in 1994 and this was his room.

I lasted 3 nights there before plonking myself onto a Heavenly Series bed at the Westin Chosun. All thanks to my sister of course. Oh for the price of fresh air! Haaaaa....