The Barbie curtain place was booked for the
second night -- obviously the world has more Barbie fans than I
can imagine. So I booked a room at Hotel Tong.
Little did I know that Hotel Tong has several locations in
Seoul. All the Hotel Tong locations are on tiny streets --
think alleys -- and have tasteful signs.
Unfortunately, addresses of places in alleys, maybe the names of
alleys themselves, are unknown to anyone outside the
alleys. And tasteful signs are utterly invisible amidst
the cacophony of blaring, giant, multi-colored signage that
covers most alleys from ground floor to the top.
After a long search and many incorrect directions, Monica
spotted one of the Hotel Tongs down an alley that several locals
had assured us did not hold a Hotel Tong.
Happy that we had finally found the place, a charming fellow
promptly informed that we had the wrong Tong. But not
worry.
The general manager placed us in a cab and then jumped in
himself. The cab driver, despite having the general
manager directing him and GPS unit on the dash, drove all over
downtown looking for the correct Hotel Tong. We had a nice
tour of the city -- made more enjoyable because the general
manager was paying for the cab.
When we finally arrived, we discovered that this Hotel Tong was
just down the street from City Hall and within walking distance
of all the tourist sites.
It's not the largest room in the world . . . okay, if it were a
foot smaller the bed (and maybe the blinds) wouldn't fit in the
room. And it cost $20 more a night than Barbieville, but
it's new, clean, and doesn't glow pink in the morning.
