When I used to think about Seoul, I imagined a bustling metropolis with many high rise buildings, people packed together like sardines and tons of traffic. In some areas, I wouldn't have been far from the truth. It certainly is busy with many sites and sounds and lots of interesting people. Many of them are willing to share their stories. Nonetheless, not much unlike London, this picture fails to acknowledge the large amount of open space that is contained within the city area. Although much of London's open space is flat parkland, most of Korea's parks are raised on contours, which tower high above the city. It's not uncommon to wonder around a popular area, and see a large hill looming right in front of you, begging to be climbed. For this reason, Seoul attracts a large climbing community, where crags have been bolted to be scaled by those adventurous enough to bring a rope, harness and some chalk.
Another aspect which characterizes Seoul is it's history. Sadly, many celebrated sites were burned down during various Japanese occupations. The main palace of Gyeongbokgung is a notable example. Still, the stories remain and much work has been put into restoring ancient buildings. Seoul is particularly famous for being the home of many venerable palaces: they are certainly a pleasure to explore.
During my time in Korea, I've had the opportunity to explore Seoul on a couple of occasions. Through these trips, I've had a good mix of encounters. I have explored the magnificent palaces, strolled amongst Shaminist people and relics, and experienced hustle and bustle of the crowded city itself. I certainly wasn't disappointed about what Seoul had to offer.
My first trip was within a month of living in Daejeon. I remember having had a heavy night the previous evening. It began with a friend and I finding a bar, and ordering a chicken based dish. Although the waitress warned us that this was extremely hot, we reassured her that we could manage. We couldn't have been more wrong. We ended up being served with perhaps the spiciest dish I'd ever tasted. Each mouthful made me feel as if I was breathing fire through my mouth, nostrils and ears. We found the beer that we'd bought insufficient to wash away the taste and unfortunately there was no milk on the menu. Instead a couple of litres of pineapple juice offered a little relief. Later we drunk more beers to numb our burning tongues. We soon found ourselves daring each other to snack on the boiled silkworm pupae which had been left as a side dish. Crunching into a few of them, I found them to have a sweet, sickly taste that one may expect of cocooned bugs.My head was groggy when I woke up the next morning. I had little time to pack, but managed to get off in time to meet my friends at a nearby subway station. We jumped into a taxi to the bus station and bought three cheap tickets to Seoul. The price was about 8,400 won, which equates to around four British pounds for a two hour journey. Not bad, I thought. I don't remember too much about the journey and I am likely to have slept for the majority of it. I do recall, however, spending a little time reading through my travel guide, deciding what I wanted to see in Seoul. I chose a sizeable palace called Changyeonggung as a good starting point. It didn't seem too touristy, boasted beautiful views and linked onto a UNESCO certified shrine.
The journey took us from the bus onto the Seoul subway. Although this was clean, the ride was long and we found ourselves standing most of the way. The train emerged from underground to cross a bridge over the river Han, treating us to some early views of the city. We eventually arrived in Anguk station. Finding accommodation was now our top priority. We hadn't booked a place to stay but had instead been informed of a nearby motel. This we couldn't find and so we wondered towards the local market where there were some motels marked on my map. No recommendation had been given for these motels in the travel guide. We were soon to find out why...
The first one we came across was called 'Tomgi' hotel. It was small and walled in by a surrounding car-park. You had to walk through the car-park gate before you could get to the entrance. We entered the foyer and spoke to the receptionist. She was young and pretty, adorned with a red blazer and a short skirt. We inquired first to the cost and she told us one night would cost 50,000 won. 'A reasonable price', we thought. We looked at a picture of the room and saw something we weren't expecting. In the centre of the room was a four poster bed, covered in what looked like red velvet bedding, surrounded by candlelight. We immediately realized that we had discovered a 'love motel.' These are accommodations which are rumoured to be places where men would take lovers or prostitutes after a night out. Our further questioning backed up these rumours. We were told that we would be unable to check in until 10pm.
At this point we'd spent over an hour looking for accommodation and wanted to explore Seoul. Despite the strangeness of the situation, we decided to take one of these love motels, if only they'd let us check in earlier. I was of course happy to sleep on the floor. We wondered towards the next motel, which little to our surprise was named 'Hotel Cutee.' Again we stepped inside, ready to book a room and dump our luggage. A lady was again behind the counter in similar attire to the previous one. As we approached, her face registered an expression of shock."Do you wante a roome?" She said.
"Yes please."
Looking over to my friends and back to me, she asked me "girl-priends?"
At this I didn't know what to say. Clearly our impressions of these hotels had been correct, hence their name. However, my instinct and quirky sense of humour caused me to wind her up a little.
"No, " I said, "sisters.."
It was a strange thing to say, and I'm unsure why I said it. The three of us, couldn't have looked less alike. It was certainly unlikely that a Brit, and American and a South African would be brothers and sisters. The receptionist's face changed from surprise to absolute revulsion.
"Three?" she asked in alarm.
"Yes, three." we said
"erm welle..." she said in broken English, "checke-in; ... ten o'clocke."
We thanked her politely and left the building. At that point we decided to put off the accommodation hunt for now and try to find some food. It was well past lunch time, and I could feel my stomach rumbling. It wasn't long until we were on the main Jogno road, in down-town Seoul. The crowded streets had been replaced by a large, congested road and the stores were becoming more and more Americanised. We even saw a Subway sandwich shop. Since we were feeling a little repressed on the western food front we decided this would be our lunch-stop. I ordered a steak-and-cheese, foot-long baguette, feeling reminiscent of my favourite takeaway sandwich back home. Although I felt a little guilty about breaking my pledge not to eat western fast food, I found myself gorging on the sandwich. It was very similar to the Subway sandwiches I remember from England. We left feeling satisfied and resumed our search for accommodation.
We decided to jump in a taxi, to the Seoul backpackers hostel which was apparently nearby. The taxi driver didn't know the location and dropped us off outside a historic building. It was only a ten minute walk down a couple of back alleys to find the hostel. It was quite easy to find, even though the hostel had changed its name. It was now called 'Banana Backpackers.' We were happy to have finally found a place which wasn't a love motel. Furthermore, the hostel looked inviting and cosy. Alas, to our regret, there were no rooms. Instead we were directed next door, where there stood a guest-house. Contrary to the hostel, the guest-house felt a little deserted, looking derelict from the outside. However, the owner seemed friendly and offered us a whole six person dorm to ourselves. We viewed the room, which although plain, seemed decent enough. Allowing my friends to go and do some shopping, I lay down on the bed, happy to have an afternoon nap.
I woke late in the afternoon, and decided to get up for a little evening exploring before the palaces closed. It was only about a fifteen minute walk to Changyeonggung: the palace that I had earlier decided to explore. Whilst getting there, I walked past another large palace called Changdeokgung (the names are confusing I know). After a little investigation, I realised that they were offering guided tours around this palace. However, I decided against it, since the queues were large. I was harbouring for a little peace.
Onwards I walked to Changyeonggung. Noticing there were much fewer people around, I paid the entrance fee. I found the entrance to be quite spooky. There was a large courtyard, with a paved stone ground. There were few people around, and you could really feel the open space around you. I stopped to appreciate the sight before moving on. After getting past the initial courtyard, I came across the palace grounds themselves where all the historic residences had been re-erected. Further exploration took me up a hill where I found an interesting monument called a 'Taesil.' This is a statue built for a baby born into royalty. In times long gone, the placenta and the umbilical cords were deemed sacred, and so were encased inside these monuments. Magpies followed me as I explored the palace grounds. I was most impressed by a large pond, and the ample fish it contained. I found some benches where I stopped to have a cup of coffee. An old man greeted me, asked where I was from and welcomed me to Korea. I looked around and noticed him and his friends had formed a retirement gathering. They'd seemingly come to reminisce on past times aside the tourist coffee machines. I couldn't help but wonder if they had free entry passes. After I was contented by the palace, I ambled towards the exit. Dusk was upon me and night would soon be approaching.
The location I exited was different to where I had entered. It was the entrance to Jongmyo shrine: a Confucian site dedicated to the ancient kings and queens of the Joseon dynasty. It was connected to the palace by a footbridge, about 50m in length. The bridge spanned across two high fortress walls which enclosed the two palaces and the shrine respectively. The bridge was raised above the main road, and I was glad not to be stuck in the congested traffic below. A row of naked trees lined each side of the road, which faded into a backdrop of the cityscape on the horizon.
I crossed the bridge and entered the shrine. I was greeted not by restored palaces and pagodas, but by a small woodland with a path leading around. In the centre of the wood, I could make out the silhouette of a couple of dog-sized creatures, shadowed by the branch of a tall tree. I edged closer, trying to be stealthy. At first I thought these to be foxes. After all they had faces which reminded me of foxes. Nevertheless they're bodies were more stout, perhaps the build of a badger. They were rather strange in appearance. I'd never seen anything like them before. I pondered a little on their identity, perhaps they were raccoons, or some Korean version of the badger. They watched me with caution as I withdrew my telephoto lens to get some close-up photos. Unfortunately I was hindered by a barrier which wouldn't let me enter the woodland. They didn't move from their position. I snapped them several times, joyful to have spotted some interesting wildlife in Korea. I later learned these animals to be called 'raccoon dogs.' They have been hunted over recent years due to the luxury value of their fur.I descended down the path, around the wooded area. On the way down, I was passed by a man who told me it was a beautiful day. I tried to ask him what the animals were, but he didn't seem to have noticed them. We parted and I headed towards the shrine. Emerging from the tree-lined path, I spotted several buildings. Each one looked very similar to those at the palace. I took some time to peek inside a few of them, appreciating their sense of spaciousness. The setting sun was adding a soft light to the scene. Several men dressed in khaki dungarees were starting to follow me in a flanked formation. I turned to one of them and, he pointed to his watch to indicate closing time. Soon I was passing under the shrine gates. Around ten park-keepers were following in close suit behind me. I felt that I'd had a rather constructive afternoon. Evening had emerged, but the night was young.
I next found myself amidst a large war memorial statue, with elder men gathered around. Flowers were being placed and I could tell that this was a rather emotional time. I spotted in the vicinity a large concrete square where many males were gathered around concrete benches. On these were a pair of men playing a game which I assumed was chess. On closer inspection I realized that they were not playing chess, but Padduk - the Korean version of the Japanese game of Go. Each board was placed on the centre of the bench. The players were seated cross-legged on each side. I watched the scene with curiosity. A stocky Korean man with a peculiar German-like accent approached. He spoke to me in broken English, very interested in where I was from and what I was doing in this park. He somehow came to the assumption that I was German. I wondered from his obsession if he had travelled to Germany.
After talking for a little while, the man invited me to watch a game of Padduk. We both moved to a crowd, where an argument was starting. Although the man tried to introduce me, they seemed much more interested in the inter-workings of the game. It wasn't long until I found myself in midst of an altercation. I could hear masculine Korean voices all around me. This lasted a short while, until the man on the right was declared the winner. He rose up with a gleeful look of victory on his face and put his hand up in the air to declare his championship. They then packed the game counters away in plastic boxes.
After the game had finished, I said goodbye to my new friend and wondered onwards. Finding my way back to the Jongno main road, I looked across the road to see an interesting sight. Underneath a tall building, there lay a park. Just before that were rows and rows of pictures. On closer inspection I discovered that they were in fact a memorial of the Korean war. Many solemn Korean faces were wondering around, viewing the pictures. I presumed they were accompanied with poignant memories. I walked a few rows, but found the information too much to take in. I knew soon I had to reunite with my friends and so I headed back towards the Jogno main strip to meet them.
The night wasn't too eventful. We met outside an American chain called Redmango. This is renowned for serving frozen yoghurt as a healthy alternative to ice-cream. We vowed to return here and went on a quest for food. Being the main area of Seoul, this area was packed with food restaurants, of various nationalities. We settled for Vietnamese in the end, and had a delicious meal of what I recall being spring rolls. Following that, we returned to Redmango for some frozen yoghurt, which was again most satisfying. We finally got a drink and returned to the accommodation.
When we arrived we realized that the room was not heated. The duvets were rather thin and we were worried we would get a little cold. On my bed there was an electric bed mat. A spare duvet was nearby. I decided to let the girls have these, and took just a duvet for myself. The night however, proved rather cold. I woke up shivering late into the night. Reportedly, I was talking in my sleep until the early hours of morning. My bad sleep spell ended when I stuck my head under the duvet. This proved much warmer. However, I woke up with a nasty head cold.
After talking for a little while, the man invited me to watch a game of Padduk. We both moved to a crowd, where an argument was starting. Although the man tried to introduce me, they seemed much more interested in the inter-workings of the game. It wasn't long until I found myself in midst of an altercation. I could hear masculine Korean voices all around me. This lasted a short while, until the man on the right was declared the winner. He rose up with a gleeful look of victory on his face and put his hand up in the air to declare his championship. They then packed the game counters away in plastic boxes.
After the game had finished, I said goodbye to my new friend and wondered onwards. Finding my way back to the Jongno main road, I looked across the road to see an interesting sight. Underneath a tall building, there lay a park. Just before that were rows and rows of pictures. On closer inspection I discovered that they were in fact a memorial of the Korean war. Many solemn Korean faces were wondering around, viewing the pictures. I presumed they were accompanied with poignant memories. I walked a few rows, but found the information too much to take in. I knew soon I had to reunite with my friends and so I headed back towards the Jogno main strip to meet them.
The night wasn't too eventful. We met outside an American chain called Redmango. This is renowned for serving frozen yoghurt as a healthy alternative to ice-cream. We vowed to return here and went on a quest for food. Being the main area of Seoul, this area was packed with food restaurants, of various nationalities. We settled for Vietnamese in the end, and had a delicious meal of what I recall being spring rolls. Following that, we returned to Redmango for some frozen yoghurt, which was again most satisfying. We finally got a drink and returned to the accommodation.
When we arrived we realized that the room was not heated. The duvets were rather thin and we were worried we would get a little cold. On my bed there was an electric bed mat. A spare duvet was nearby. I decided to let the girls have these, and took just a duvet for myself. The night however, proved rather cold. I woke up shivering late into the night. Reportedly, I was talking in my sleep until the early hours of morning. My bad sleep spell ended when I stuck my head under the duvet. This proved much warmer. However, I woke up with a nasty head cold.
The next day we only spent the morning and the early afternoon in Seoul. Much of this was spent checking out and finding somewhere to have breakfast. We found a cafe which served bacon and eggs. We were happy to eat these after so many weeks of Korean food. After this, we walked towards Mt. Namsan which is the home of the Seoul Tower - Korea's equivalent of the Eiffel Tower. Unfortunately we didn't have time to climb it. Instead we stumbled upon Seoul Cathedral. It was Palm Sunday and many Christians had gathered inside and around the Cathedral to go to mass.That was the conclusion to our trip to Seoul. The cold which I developed lasted for several days. As soon as my co-teachers realized I was sick, they took me to a doctors to get a prescription for some medicine. This was followed by a trip to the pharmacy to pick up the drugs. I was given some pills in clear plastic packages and a 200 ml bottle of some pinky red liquid. I was to take a dose of these each day and had no idea to what any of them were. After a little research I learnt one of these was penicillin. Medicine works different over here than the UK. You pick up what you need as soon as you develop any symptoms of illness. Makes a little more sense this way, I guess.
That concludes my first trip to Seoul. I have in fact been to Seoul a couple of times, and I will write about the fascinating Shamanist walk another day. In the next blog, I will write about my trip to Busan which involved a stay with Tibetan Buddhist monks. Links to photos have been posted below. Thanks for reading and I will post again soon.
Seoul Part I
