“When you go anywhere, know you’ll morph slightly and profoundly on arrival.” – Old Sean
Splendid Evac
Despite missing my original flight out of China, I managed to bolster my enthusiasm for visiting Seoul by taking sporadic naps while flying to South Korea.
I’m in South Korea mostly by accident. My previous boss in China threatened to deport me, so I chose Seoul as the nearest and cheapest egress destination. I had a friend in the city who could help me out for a time.
It turned out my contingency plan was unwarranted. The situation at my company resolved itself. My ex-boss was shuffled out and I was granted a new position within my company. I was also granted a paid vacation to Seoul, since my ticket was already purchased.
After sweeping across the Yellow Sea, the capital city peppered into view. Tight clusters of low mountains compress Seoul and its surrounding sister communities. The urban centers are bustling hubs connected by clear, gleaming public transportation lines.
As I flew in, the pale, clean, rectangular structures of the city reminded me sharply of endless pillars of teeth, jagged maws snacking on low air.
It looked like an enormous Tatooine Sarlacc from Star Wars, but with much better dentures.
Into Town
Seoul is a cool place. Westerners are commonplace and all express quite a bit of comfort in the area. I’ve found the locals to be exceptionally polite and respectful of my personal space bubble. After living in a crowded Chinese city, the difference was tangible.
Be free, expansive hand gestures. No more inadvertently becoming acquainted with the texture of someone’s mouth-interior.
I met my high-school friend Ali at the airport and we took a metro into the city. Ali kept me silent on the metro, softly explaining that it was polite to ride quietly. The public transit infrastructure was being streamlined when I arrived, expecting a big influx of people for the 2018 Winter Olympics.
Oncoming Olympics
Winter and preparations for the 2018 Olympics give a certain trembling energy to the air. Though the actual events will take place in Pyeongchang-gun to the east, Seoul is where most people will arrive.
The tourism industry has been reinforced for the expected swell of visitors, making transportation through the city insanely simple. There are now updated free apps like Subway Korea and VisitKorea. The pair made navigation quite easy.
Within the Sprawl
Wandering while visiting Seoul gives a very strange impression. The architecture, downtown areas and even transport systems are Western to the point of comforting. But decidedly Korean pools of art, sculptures and temples dot the city frequently.
There are houses of optical illusions, temples restored in the midst of downtown bustles, carefully arranged kimchi fermentation jars and sweeping forays into modern art.
I arranged my time to bother my friend Ali during her off hours. She was kind enough to grant me a patch of floor to sleep on while regaling me with everything I needed to know about K-pop culture. During her off days, we wandered around large parks and underground shopping centers.
Additionally, another friend of mine from China flew out to see me. My roommate from Beijing, Kat, came into Seoul for a short visit to help me explore.
Things do Do
When exploring Seoul, I highly recommend the Trick Eye Museum. The museum is a photographic sensation. The flat murals are designed in a way that a single-point camera lens makes them look real. Visitors appear “in” various artworks and optical illusions. The venue also makes a horrible-tasting cappuccino with a person’s photo printed on the foam. there’s also a sub-zero room where slides and artworks are carved from glowing ice.
We also visited the war monuments out near Incheon. Additionally, visiting Seoul Chinatown is a spectacular historical keystone to see. The monuments in the area have several references to American comradery during the Korean War.
Food and Soul
Kat and I also wandered to the Changjeon-Dong area near the Hingik University for all sorts of strange edible experiences. And of course, the food deserves an honorable mention.
I was once told by a friend, “Sean, when I travel it’s ten percent to meet amazing people. It’s twenty percent to see stunning wonders. But seventy percent is to eat all the food.”
I’ve taken that mantra to heart. I’ve not been properly hungry in over a week, eating four huge meals a day. Often, I walk for miles at a time through brisk winds and oncoming chills to sink my teeth into every culinary surprise South Korea has to offer.
Korean-Mexican fusions, cheese and whiskey plates, Korea Barbecue, gummy salad mixers, Waffle-Fish honeycombs, belts of cinnamon cookies, cartons of bubble tea, dense rice-cakes, artistic toast, face-profile lattes (cleverly called mugshots), and tteokbokki.
The list goes on. I finished my trip by going out drinking with Ali. As a team, we spent all my remaining won (local currency) on a claw machine in a futile attempt to free stuffed Pokémon from their glass prison at two in the morning.
It was a poorly conceived and enjoyable vacation.
Upon Departure
Overall, my time visiting Seoul was unique. Upon landing, I spent a lot of time with my friends, going out at night after work to various bars and manga cafés of interest. We visited several Korean Arcades, which are tiny, unattended shops with claw games to get plushies.
Kat and I tried a lot of different Korean novelty foods, but the events that were truly memorable were spent walking through the traditional Bukchon Hanok neighborhoods or drinking coffee in the manga and cat cafes, which proliferate the city.
Sadly, I only had two weeks for visiting Seoul. I probably needed much more time to immerse myself in the country (especially since I was doing a considerable amount of work during my brief stay). There are many other major cities I hope to see next time I’m in the country (such as Busan, more of Incheon, Gwangju and Jeju Island).
Until next time, Korea.
Best regards and excellent trails,
Old Sean
Written November 26th, 2017
Visiting South Korea? Be sure to review Leftfade Trails recommendations for Seoul
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