temporary resident

Since December 2010, I've been staying in hotels. Not that it's a personal choice but Company told us they are still looking for our permanent accommodation; thus, for the time being, we stay in hotels -- at their expense. As what I've heard from others, the planned permanent residence will be at Gimpo. And according to Wikipedia,

"It (Gimpo) also looks across the Han River at N.Korea".

They can defer (if not cancel) those plans because I am in no hurry to move.



When our batch (of 7) arrived in Seoul, 2 went to another accommodation while 5 (including me) were booked at Imperial Palace. I didn't take the name seriously then because I was expecting a business type hotel that is Japanese-owned (the word 'Imperial'). Well, to my surprise, when our driver pulled tha van in front of IP, I was beyond awed. IP Seoul looked so grand before me (in my Converse). Everything looks ornate, as expected from most luxurious hotels. The only downside: no free breakfast.

After 5 days, we checked-out at IP and checked-in at Ramada. I was expecting the latter to be less grand and probably located in the outskirts of Seoul.  Though not as grand as IP, Ramada looks condo type, service is awesome, main lobby is filled with art exhibits, and of course, it's a walking distance to/from Seoul Station.

What I love about staying in this hotel is that buffet breakfast is free (the food is good); the room is perfect and there's no need to worry about utility cost for it comes free. Laundry is not a problem either since the suite already includes valuable appliances such as washer, microwave oven, electric iron and cable TV. And best of all, someone comes in daily to clean my suite. Now, who would want to leave?

Anyway, Lunar Holiday is over. We had 6 days (including weekend) of no work. I spent it mostly on ice.