Right now, a SUPER rough conversion estimate is about $1 to 100 yen to 1250 won. A 10 min cab ride costs about $4. AND you don’t tip in South Korea. When we went out for shopping we could barter w/the shopkeepers. The streets of Seoul (in the Hongik University area where we stayed) were lined with small family-run boutiques, each holding their own style and identity. There was also a street market called Namdaemum market which boasted blocks and blocks of street vendors selling everything from socks, to fruits, to fake LV goods. (It reminded me of Thailand’s night market.) We also shopped in the Myongdong district, which was full of American shops like H&M, Forever 21, Puma, and Gap. In Busan, the city had a more New York Times Square feel, with tall buildings, bright lights, and a younger crowd walking the streets well into the night. Stores were still open pass 10pm. An amazing energy filled the streets wherever we went.
Shinkansen vs KTX
The shinkansen is Japan’s pride and joy. The equivalent in Korea is called the KTX (Korean Train Express). It is very similar to the shinkansen in that the Koreans take much pride in it. There are even stores that sell KTX merchandise. We took the KTX from Busan to Seoul, an approximately 3 hour ride costing us a little under $50 one-way. Although a bit narrower and having more seats per car, the KTX was a good way to see the Korean countryside. If I had to pick one, however, I would choose the shinkansen. Why? Because nothing can beat the awesomeness that is the Nozomi 700 :)
On our ride to Seoul, the “Yoshida curse” (as my family refers to it as) was upon our traveling group. Whether it be at a movie theatre or on a bus, a commotion always ends up sitting behind one of us Yoshidas. And that’s exactly what happened. During our 3-hour ride, a lady and her son apparently snuck on board (yeah, you read that right...they don’t always check your tickets) and thus the Yoshida curse was upon us. Her son would sporadically burst into whining and crying, bang what sounded like coins against the fold-down table, and kick my chair. I’m not sure how others managed to sleep, but it was the longest 3 hours of my life. At one point I stood up and stared at the mother, waiting for her disciplining mode to kick into effect. A rider w/the correct ticket thankfully replaced them a bit later. May I just say, that would NEVER happen in Japan...
kimchee, Bibimbap, and Korean BBQ
Oh the food! What an amazing difference there is between Korean and Japanese food. Throughout my 5 days in Korea, I found myself sweating and gulping down gallons of water to combat the spiciness that is Korean food. Unfortunately for us, the Korean speaking abilities of our travel group were minimal. The two words I did manage to pick up while there were “pap” meaning rice and “mul” meaning water. Our first night in Busan, we chose to eat at a Korean BBQ restaurant. Unbenounced to us there were no menus. The waiter handed us a paper listing the various foods (in KOREAN) and their prices. We ended up pointing to random foods and waited to see what we ordered. Moments later, our tiny table was filled with plates of meat and small side dishes full of vegetables, noodles, and soups. The idea seemed self-explanatory: grill the food until they look ready to eat. Apparently we were doing something wrong because often times our waiter would take the tongs out of our hands and flip/cut the meat in his own professional way. We watched him grill everything in amazement. The food was incredible. I have never had such juicy and tender beef in my life. (Well, Hy’s is QUITE good...hmm...)
Look at all those tiny dishes. It must suck being a dishwasher in Korea!
My favorite Korean food is kimchee-chige (kimchee stew) and I was SO EXCITED to have authentic kimchee-chige while there. It was HOT. Very hot, but so good. Another dish I wanted to try (but never got a chance to) was the bibimbop. My friends ordered it for brunch once, however, and it looked amazing.Not the most tourist-friendly place, but an unforgettable experience nonetheless.
North & South: A Push for Peace
We booked a tour from 8am-2:30pm which took us to major areas of the demilitarized zone separating North and South Korea.The 3rd Tunnel was found in 1978, just 52 km away from Seoul. The North Koreans are said to have dug 20 tunnels in total, all for the invasion of South Korea. To date, only 4 have been discovered. The 3rd Tunnel is 1,635 m in length, allog an army of 30,000 North Korean soldiers to pass through in 1 hour.
Yeah, it was kinda weird taking pictures at a DEMILITARIZED zone...but when in Rome, do as the tourists do!
We had to wait in line for a hardhat to wear when walking through the 3rd tunnel. Finally it came our turn and Rachel (my 5’7” friend) got a hardhat first. I was just about to receive one when the lady in charge pointed at me and said “pass.” I thought she meant she was passing me...because I was Japanese? I don’t know...but I was like, “Wha...? How come? Aww man.” She pointed at my head and said “PASS!” Apparently I was so short that I didn’t need a hardhat and could proceed without one. Bleh :P And it was true. I didn’t have to bend down once throughout that tour. We traveled through the tunnel and got to the end blocked off by barbed wire.
We also went to the northernmost observatory in South Korea, where you can see into North Korea. Unfortunately (fortunately?) for us, it was really cloudy that day, so nothing could be seen from the lookout. They were super strict about pictures being taken too. Just before the lookout was a painted yellow line where cameras could not be taken past. They even had a Korean soldier standing guard enforcing the rule. Well, that didn’t mean we couldn’t take pictures with him!
Our friend, the Korean soldier. (Notice how cloudy it was!)
Our last stop was the Dorasan Train Station. It is the northernmost international station. The Koreans hope that once North and South Korea reunite, trains leaving this station in South Korea will be able to continue their journey to Pyeongyang station in North Korea.
Korean Massage Day
In Thailand, my friend Rachel and I opted to get an authentic Thai massage for half a day. We thought it be cool to make it a tradition and try the different types of massages throughout the world thereafter. We decided on a small spa in a hotel in Seoul. We were taken into a locker room by an old Korean lady who didn’t speak English (or read numbers as it was hard for her to match up our locker keys with their corresponding lockers). After observing other customers there, we realized it was the same procedure as onsens in Japan. After a shower and a 20 min wait in the “Korean onsen” (which was so hot I almost got a heat stroke) we then proceeded to the massage section of the spa. This is when things took a weird turn...
We were instructed to lie on a padded table. Totally normal right? Wrong. Out came our masseuses; I had a middle-aged lady and Rachel had the lady that led us into the spa earlier. Only thing was, they were in their underwear...I think one of them may have been completely naked but I’m not completely sure. She proceeded to scrubbing me down with some rough mittens she was wearing on her hands. And she scrubbed her little heart out...and she scrubbed everywhere...EVERYWHERE. Even in places I never knew I had :P Once that was done, she doused me with warm water and went on to rub lotion on me. Everywhere. EVERYWHERE. At one point, I almost fell off the table because it was so slippery. Then came the massage. They cup their hands and hit the different parts of your body, producing a popping sort of sound. She would also lay hot towels on me and then pop-slap me. It was a very interesting experience. Would I recommend it? Well, if it were up to me, I would opt for the Thai massage...but that’s just me ;)
Hostel Fun
We stayed at 2 hostels, one in Busan and one in Seoul. In Busan we stayed at Blue Backpackers, a family-owned hostel located very close to the heart of Busan. It was quite tricky to find but we eventually found it. Unfortunately, the hostel is set right next to some train tracks, but I guess it doesn’t really matter when you crash from a long days trip. The facilities are a bit on the older side, but the rooms were all full and the customer service is great. They booked us our KTX tickets, wrote down instructions to take us to the train station in Korean, and let us use their phone. It is also located pretty darn close to the crazy Busan nightlife (True! It does exist!)
Mr. Park rocks. Period.
The hostel we stayed at in Seoul, Guys and Dolls Guesthouse, was an amazing hostel located in the heart of the Hongik University district. The people were young, the atmosphere creative, and an energy unlike any I’d ever felt before pulsed through the lights and chatter of the evening. The owner, Mr. Park, was an avid Broadway musical lover, and so rightly named the hostel after his favorite production. He was my favorite memory of the trip. A simple and entertaining character, Mr. Park was the key to our fun in Seoul. He arranged our tour of the DMZ, took time to educate us on Korean culture and practices, and made sure his hostel was always cozy and presentable.
I’ll never forget the day when we were trying to figure out which day to take the DMZ tour. Mashing it out in the guestroom, I recall being in deep conversation with my friends when all of a sudden I see Mr. Park sweeping up dust past our door. He peeked in, duster in hand, and asked, “DMZ? Tuesday ok?” and continued on his way. I broke out laughing. Maybe you just had to be there...Another day, we were decompressing after a day of shopping and had decided to go to one of the nearby coffee shops.I turned to Mr. Park and asked him if he wanted coffee (thinking that I would bring him back some if he said yes). Mr. Park did say yes, however, threw me off guard when he proceeded to grab his jacket from the nearby coat hanger :) We all ended up going out for coffee with Mr. Park and he taught us all about life in Korea: from education to mandatory military service, his own personal background and his future plans for the hostel. I had a great time :)
Unfortunately, Mr. Park decided to close down the hostel and move to a quieter neighborhood. Guys and Dolls Guesthouse had been opened for 10 months and was closing the following Monday from when we stayed there. “Too much work” was what Mr. Park said about the hostel business. All the best to you Mr. Park! Thank you for making our stay in Seoul an amazing and memorable one!
Nighlife
The nightlife in Korea was very refreshing, especially when you live on Oshima in Yamaguchi. There were tons of little bars and clubs in the Hongik Univ area where we stayed in Seoul. The clubbing reminded me of Happy Cock in Fukuoka, tons of people squished into a small area with loud music playing. It was so hard to get around! At one point, I had to go outside and get some air because it was so hot! It was definitely a lot more fun than clubbing in Thailand. The crowd seemed a lot more energetic for some reason?
On our last night in Seoul we set out to find the infamous Subzero Icebar, a bar where everything (and I mean EVERYTHING, from the counters to the drinking glasses) are made of ice. For $15 you would receive a rental jacket, mittens, scarf, and one cocktail. They even had a challenge for the person who could stay in the bar the longest without leaving. If you had to go to the bathroom, you needed to pee in empty bottles in the bar. If you surpass the record holder, they would take the bottles of your pee and showcase it in its frozen state. Unfortunately for us, the bar had closed down :( When we were outside looking for it, a cute little asian lady was walking down the street, guidebook in hand, wearing a thick jacket and a scarf. You can guess where she was looking for ;)
Goodbye Korea...till we meet again!
Korea was an amazing place that I would love to visit again before I leave Japan for good. I would definitely recommend Seoul to anyone going to Korea. God has been so awesome in providing me with the resources to do these trips. There are so many other places around the world that I want to visit (which includes Australia, New Zealand, the Philippines again, and of course...all of Europe), and can’t wait to see where I end up next!
