A Taste of Seoul

Wow, what a whirlwind three-day weekend! My school’s foundation day was last Friday, so it was closed; allowing me a lovely long weekend spent exploring Seoul! This visit just gave me a taste of what the city has to offer, and really, I don’t think we could have fit more in one full day than the events that took place on Saturday. To start off, I took the KTX with a friend on Friday out of the new 신경주역 (Shingyeongju Station), got in to Seoul late and crashed at a love motel to escape the bitter wind and rain. Honestly, it wasn’t as trashy (or frightening) as some people might imagine. The place was clean, albeit very small, but it had everything we needed and was fairly cheap for a major city ($25 apiece).  

The next day we had breakfast (delicious sandwiches and coffee) at a tiny café in 남대문 (Namdaemun). We headed to 인사동 (Insadong) to meet another friend, and I am still amazed at the cab fare (around $3) for a 10-15min ride. At first I thought the driver said 32,000 won (which would be about $30) only to discover he actually said 3,200. Wow. It really is incredible how cheap things are even in the biggest city in the country.

So, Insadong. The streets were loaded with all kinds of interesting looking shops. Many were selling traditional Korean wares (i.e. wooden masks, pottery, fabric, etc.). The weirdest part though was seeing all the foreign faces. I felt like I wasn’t in Korea for a second. The feeling was brief however, because I was too busy ogling each packed stall of treasures. Really it was difficult to decide where to look there was so much stuff. After meeting up with our friend, we stopped at an incredible music store. I really wish I played an instrument, because this place was literally a mall (several floors) jam-packed with every musician’s dream equipment. Every stall was filled with beautiful guitars, drum sets, violins, you name it. In the middle of each row were people hand-crafting or repairing instruments. The smell of polish and wood reminded me of temple incense wafting sweetly down each corridor.

Next, we saw the royal palace of 경복궁 (Gyeongbokgung) located across the street from the famous 광화문 (Gwanghwamun) gate (featured in many Korean dramas). The area was so huge it would take several hours to really explore, but we managed to poke around and get some great photos. There is also a museum that will warrant a visit next time. After working up an appetite, we stopped at a fantastic Korean Italian restaurant called 8 Steps located just a few blocks away from the palace. I had their squid salad which was cooked to absolute perfection. It was the most tender, fresh squid I have ever eaten; not an ounce chewy. The bread was house-made and the wine was divine. We finished the meal in heaven with a slice of light and airy blueberry cake. The experience was well worth the money. It’s nice to splurge on something extravagant every now and then.

With full and happy bellies, we took the subway to 홍대 (Hongdae), an artsy area with a lot of nooks and crannies to check out. There are just so many shops offering anything and everything you can think of, it’s too bad there was no time to see it all. However, I was able to pick up my long-desired nerd glasses that EVERYONE wears in Korea. The Steve Urkel trend is in full force over here.
Later in the evening, we stopped at an awesome Japanese-style ramen shop. Again, another hole-in-the-wall joint, but sooooo good! I was able to speak a little Japanese to the waitress and some university students on holiday which felt great. It’s hard not being able to communicate like that in Korean yet, but I’m working on it!

After sitting in on a jam session my friends had with their new babies (and by that I mean guitars, but it’s the same thing right?), we dropped by a cool (once again tiny) “bar” called Vinyl. The guy mixed and served drinks in what looked like an IV bag with a straw sticking out. I ordered the “Woo Woo” which barely contained any booze but was delicious nonetheless. Once we finished sucking down our (almost) non-alcoholic beverages it was time to hit the streets and check out what kind of clubs Hongdae has to offer.
Some of the places I wouldn’t recommend solely for the fact that there were too many foreigners with terrible dance-floor etiquette. Next time, I’d like to go to an all-Korean club just to see if everyone’s manners are any better. Still, we got to see a unique performance by a rockabilly indie Korean punk band called The Rock Tigers. Apparently they have a huge underground following and are known for their 50’s greaser/T-Bird style which I thought they totally pulled off.

More club-hopping was followed by a brief respite at a Hookah bar where we indulged in a mixed fruit hookah and cheese platter assortment. Adele is still very popular here so we heard half her album while relaxing at our table. It was a chill atmosphere which prepared us for a bit more partying. We finally rolled into our hostel at around 5am, crashed on bunk beds until 11am, and headed out afterwards to catch the bus back home. Of course, we had to try some real deal Korean street food before heading back. I sampled chewy rice cakes in five-alarm hot sauce, peppery rice and noodles wrapped in intestine, and boiled pork with a huge strip of fat attached to the side. All good. All filling. All cheap. Yum.

Once we finished eating enough to be set for life, we were ready to board. Even though it takes about five hours to get back I am so glad we took the bus. The scenic mountains were impressively beautiful and very close. Every time I woke up from a doze I was greeted with yet another gorgeous view. Once I got back to my apartment, I unpacked everything, took a shower, and realized that Pohang is finally starting to feel like home. I guess the saying “absence makes the heart grow fonder” works for places too. Seoul was amazing and definitely demands more time to be seen, but it was comforting to come back to a place I know fairly well now. I’m becoming a Pohangite after all!