Seoul Searching: A Tale in the Third Person

After three weeks in Hong Kong, the time had come for your humble authors to strike out into the maelstrom otherwise known as Asia.  Nicole and Jesse had come to Hong Kong with big travel plans, and first on the docket was a weekend trip north to the capital of South Korea, Seoul.

Seoul by night.  The streets are always busy and the shopping never stops!

To put things in perspective, whereas Hong Kong and its environs house some seven million people, Seoul proper holds more than ten million.  The city is massive!!  Seoul is also the high-tech capital of the world, home to both Samsung and LG.  These companies have provided the city with technologies that keep the city running smoothly, and are generally very cool.  The travelers took generous advantage of the interactive Google-maps based info-centres to navigate Seoul's massive and incredibly convenient subway system.

History buffs and political enthusiasts know that Korea had a rough ride through the 20th century.  Seoul is only a short drive away from the border with North Korea, so on their first full day in Korea, Nicole and Jesse took a day trip to the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ).  By way of brief explanation, part of the armistice pact ending the Korean war called for a line to be drawn across the Korean peninsula. Extending two kilometers north and south of this line is the DMZ, where entry is strictly limited, and armed guards from North and South Korea keep a close eye on each other.

South Korean families leave notes and prayers for their relatives trapped in the North.  The military presence is everywhere.

On their trip, Nicole and Jesse saw the train that was bombed by North Korea to ignite the Korean war, and they took a trip through a tunnel dug by North Koreans in the 1960s in an attempt to move troops into Seoul underground.  The tunnel was only 5'8" tall in most places, so Jesse was grateful that they supplied hard hats, although his back was in some pain after crawling through the kilometer long path.  Unfortunately, fog blocked most of the views into North Korea, so the travelers couldn't see much north of the border.

Later that day, Nicole and Jesse went for a stroll and happened upon an excellent food market in the Dongdaemun district, which is known for its massive fashion markets.  Korean food is extremely diverse, and this market seemed to favour kimchi (pickled and spiced cabbage) and various fresh and dried seafood.  While we did not try anything, it looked interesting and smelled more interesting.

Sights, sounds, and smells: Dongdaemun Night Market

Nicole and Jesse spent the evening with Jesse's friend Mark and his girlfriend Seulki in their neighborhood, Sinsa, catching up, and enjoying a few drinks on the bank of the Hangang River.  The path is lined with bike and pedestrian paths, and although Mark claimed that the paths were normally very safe, we nevertheless witnessed two awesome bike crashes in the span of ten minutes.  No one was badly hurt, but some egos were definitely bruised as a motor scooter plowed into a pedestrian, and then a biker managed to go over the handlebars after riding directly into a concrete pillar.  It made for an extremely entertaining, if slightly disconcerting night.

Buddhist Temple - Insadong

Seoul is also an extremely popular destination for young Canadians looking to make money teaching English overseas.  Nicole's friend Ashley and Jesse's friend Mark have been teaching kindergarten classes and doing some private tutoring on the side, and both were very happy to see some friends from home in their new cities.  Ashley took the travelers on a great tour of the city on their second day, starting in Insadong district to see traditional temples and cultural art before meandering down to the Cheonggyecheon river to cool off.  The river is man-made and is a fine example of Seoul's wonderful city planning that creates green space in the middle of a huge urban centre.  It was a beautiful day, and many families were out cooling off in the river and enjoying the pleasant stroll.  We also came across some traditional drummers performing in the street and stuck around to enjoy the lively show.

Cooling off at the Cheonggyecheon river, and some traditional drummers

 

Shopping in Myongdong

After a big night out in the Hongdae District at Gorilla Bar, Nicole and Jesse met up with Ashley for a day of shopping in Myongdong.  A note on this: Seoul may be the shopping capital of the world.  Fashion markets are open 24/7, and are still swarming with shoppers in the small hours of the morning.  Myongdong is more of a day-time shopping Mecca, and Nicole was truly on FIRE!!  So much so that we almost didn't notice that it rained the entire day!  Fortunately, the prices are very very good in Seoul, so Nicole found some great deals on shoes, shirts, etc. etc. etc.

To throw Jesse a bone and keep him from going bonkers during an otherwise lady-centric day, the crew also stumbled upon a couple other Asian treats (although upon reading this section, the 'treats' are also fairly girly - so what).  First, we found a small spa that offered fish foot massages.  For the uninitiated, this is a treatment where Gara Ruffa fish literally snack on the dead skin on your feet.  It doesn't hurt at all, but there are many fish, and the spectacle can be overwhelming.  Needless to say, these tiny fish do no often get to lay into a pair of size 15's, so Jesse's feet were the popular choice in the group.  After five minutes of incessant giggling, everyone agreed that it was a pleasant experience, and our feet felt very refreshed.

Next, they found a popular haunt of Korean teenagers, the photo-booth.  Unlike the 3-photo movie theatre jobs we get back in Canada, in Korea, the photo-booth has been elevated to an electrified art form.  There were no less than 10 machines to choose from, each boasting different themes and effects you could apply.  After settling on a particularly fruity booth, the travelers-cum-models then posed, edited, and printed a sheet of tiny memories.  The real fun came in the editing process, which is a race against the clock to fill your pictures with all manner of zany teen-aged crap before the time runs out and your photos print.

After a much needed respite, we united all of our friends for a traditional Korean BBQ dinner near the hostel Jesse and Nicole were staying at in the trendy area of Hyehwa.  Despite the rain, the restaurant was outside, and each table has its own grill.  The meat comes out seasoned, but raw, and you cook the food for yourself.  It's a lot of fun, and extremely delicious.  Saying goodbye to their friends,  Nicole and Jesse called it a night in order to catch an early flight to Hong Kong.

Ashley, Seulki, and Mark at the Korean BBQ

All in all, a great time was had, and Seoul is a highly recommended destination for travelers interested in Big City living.  Stay tuned for our next adventure: BORNEO!!

Dried fish at the Dongdaemun market

Guard tower behind barbed wire - DMZ