Our 8 Weeks in Korea – a Travel Essay with Photos (all my own)
Apple – Awesome!
We had just visited the MMCA in Bukchon and were passing three young women at a park bench. They were holding high a red apple, taking pictures of it. In Korean, I loudly commented “Apple – Awesome!”. They laughed and on we went. 30 seconds later we heard someone running behind us shouting “excuse me”….. one of the young ladies caught up with us and gave me the apple. I will never forget her gesture!
Pedestrians Beware!
Life as a pedestrian in Seoul has its perils. The delivery riders in particular ride their scooters through red lights, on walkways, against one-way streets, at breathtaking speeds. A friend of ours called them “organ donors”. Once my wife was almost run over by one of them – I pulled her back at the last second. Their reality is quite sinister: They are under enormous time pressure to do their deliveries, on which their (low) income depend. We’ve see some with three smart phones on their handle bar, displaying the next closest delivery missions.
Unfortunately, cars also have little respect for pedestrians, and some drivers are quite rude.
Public Transport surpasses even German Perfection (if that is possible 🙂
The Seoul subway system is incredible: Clean, no smell, no graffiti. Very safe. Punctual, convenient with a train every four minutes. Very affordable at C$1.25 a ride including transfer. The Seoul Metro App is second to none. There are a few seniors’ seats in every car, and we participated in the raging competition to secure them….only getting the odd disapproving glimpse a la “are you really seniors” (we do look young :-), or “those foreigners take our seats”. I’d say that many older Koreans view foreigners with friendly scepticism. On the aprons, there are screens showing how far the next train is away (see next photo). Unfortunately, young Koreans will mostly not look up from their smart phones and offer their seats to people in more need. Globalization I guess. During our 54 days, we climbed 13 floors on average every day – many due to subway stations without an escalator.
For the red buses that cover the longer suburban distances, waiting times and the number of vacant seats are displayed at every station, and on the Naver navigation app (an English version exists, Google Maps isn’t working so well in Korea).
Korea’s train network (KORAIL) is highly developed, the high speed trains are called KTX. On our 3-hour train journey to Yeosu, the conductor told us to basically shut up – our voices were already hushed. Indeed, we found that none of our fellow passengers were talking at all, for the whole ride. And yes, it was 8:00 am and some were sleeping, but no conversation at all – wow!
Hongdae is for young People…and us
HongDae stands for Hongik University – one of several universities nearby. Hongdae is the entertainment, restaurant and café district for young people. It’s also a hub for record studios and live venues. One of them is Unplugged Café, where I often attended their weekly open mike with promising young indie musicians. Especially on weekends, thousands of young people descend on Hongdae, many for a date along Railway Park (the trains now run underground). The choice of affordable restaurants and cafés is amazing. Our apartment was a two-minute walk from Hongik University Station, a major subway hub. When I told Koreans where we stayed, some rolled their eyes – translating into “aren’t you a bit too old for Hongdae”?! Nope!
Swing Dancing we went – now it’s called Lindy Hop
My wife and I are good ballroom dancers. So we were looking for venues to dance, which are non-existent where we live. While ChaCha, Fox and Rumba appeared to be unavailable close by, we found a swing dance academy and a dance hall in Hapjeong – both within walking distance. Needless to say we were the only non-Koreans, and the next youngest were half our age. Yet we were included with this special Korean Kindness (Jeong or 정), and we put on a respectable performance. It was interesting and heart-warming to see how the collective nature of Koreans can unfold: Everybody danced with everybody at the academy, and at the other venue both of us were asked for dances by our much younger peers. The music was exquisite – true swing with an irresistible groove. Thank you!
Our Time in Korea was as much about the wonderful People we encountered as it was about the Attractions we visited. Special Thanks to:
* our most caring and generous barista, who made our regular visits so special at The Coffee Bean.
* my former Korean teacher at EWHA Women’s University, not only because she’s one of the best teachers I’ve ever had, but also because of her big heart and generous hospitality. Koreans don’t invite friends to their home that often, mostly due to time and space constraints. She did!
* our young friend who owns a food processing business and generously invited us to two top Korean BBQ restaurants we wouldn’t have found ourselves, and a tour of the Secret Palace Gardens.
* our exchange student from 2016 years ago who is so good at making tasteful presents. We saw her four times.
* the staff at the Venezia Hotel in Yeosu who made us feel special all the way. We enjoyed the ocean sunrise from our fantastic room every morning.
* our favourite startup entrepreneur who stayed in touch since my co-space days at Honghap Valley.
* our landlords in Hongdae who have become friends, for renting us their former apartment at favourable conditions, and inviting us for a very generous beef BBQ.
* my favourite drummer, who accepted my friendship.
To be released soon:
Part 4: Korean Markets and culinary Immersion
My World Café - insights & experiences from my travels, café visits and daily life. 