Day 1 Seoul, South Korea

ONE DAY IN SEOUL

-------Pictures to come though I'll primarily be posting my photos on facebook------

So I've arrived in South Korea, the second stop on this trip.  I'm sitting in a kitchen on a rooftop overlooking Hongdae, a college district in Seoul.  After several delayed flights I finally arrived at the Incheon airport before attempting to make contact with my couchsurfing host for the night.  Well I called the guy and he had neglected to inform me that his couch would actually be full for the weekend and Iwould need to find anotherr place to stay.   Oh well.  So I found a wi-fi spot and booked a night at Seoul Base Camp Hostel in Hongdae district.  I recall my knee-bouncing anxiety as the bus driver neared my destination for I feared unless I pushed the stop button, he would surely drive by my stop since I had no idea of its whereabouts.  Fortunately, the lights came on and an announcement was made overhead as we neared the station.  Unfortunately, I had lost wi-fi and thus, the directions to my hostel.  Plus I had no sim card for my phone yet so once again, I was clueless of my heading.  I wandered the streets for a bit until I was fortunate enough to find an open wi-fi and review the directions.

View from the roof of my hotel

Upon arrival, I learned the attendant/owner was a Korean-Canadian who had moved back to start a business here for whatever reason.  He showed me around the place a bit and after a quick chat, I was out for the night.  

Next morning, I decided to take care of a few chores and run around the city for a bit.  I needed a languuage book, a tablet keyboard case, a sim card, and to register with the embassy.  Spoiler alert! I completed virtually none of these tasks.  Instead I got lost on the subway all day and ran into dead ends with nearly all of my objectives.  All the book stores had only Korean books (naturally).  I cannot get a sim card until I have been in Korea for a certain number of days.  I can register with the embassy online (because of the North Korea missile threat) and none of the 30+ electronics stores I checked had a keyboard case for a Samsung Tab 2 7.0 tablet.  KOREA IS THE HOME OF SAMSUNG AND I COULD FIND ONE NOWHERE.  So I capitulated and simply purchased a mini bluetooth keyboard for about $40.(I'm still getting used to the small keys and thus this entry may contain many typos.)

Left by other travelers in the hostel

By the end of the day I was utterly exhausted from the lack of proper nutrition, running up stairs all day, and jet-lag.  I had started at 5:30 A.M. that day and it was now 7 pm (AKA 4 AM on my body clock).  I had found difficulty in finding a proper resturant as I was being timid with the language barrier.  You see, when i lived here before, my Korean language skills were moderate but fine enough to get around and converse with people.  I also used to always carry a phrasebook.  Now however, with a diction that doesn't extend much farther than comsahamnida (thank you) and ahnyeonghaseyo (hello), I found myself struggling quite a bit.  Nevertheless, I mustered up the courage to muster up the courage and energy to roam the streets in search of food and perhaps a beer.  Another wild hungry wegugin (foreigner) on the prowl.

I eventually settled for some fast food rameyon (ramen) as it was the least intimidating of the many establishments in the area around my hostel.  Fortunately I am still able to read the language with very little difficulty so I decided this was my strongest craving on the menu, albeit a quite familiar option.  Let me just say however, I am not one of those people who finds thrill and excitement from eating strange and novel cuisine.  So that night when I decided to once again wander the streets in another district in search of the Namdaemun Market, I declined the offer to partake in stir fried and raw octopus as well as the pig's feet.  (In my defense, I've had cooked octopus before and I'm not a fan- too chewy).  There was also an array of other strange foods but this is the on that stood out the most on these street stands.  Fortunately, amid the strange and less palletable fodder, I did find a fruit stand with amazingly fresh watermelon, strawberries, grapes, and others.  So I allowed myself the delight of a slice of watermelon.  Much more delectable than any you might find in a grocery store.

A couple of observations from the day:

-When I was in the market, I laughed as I heard a Hip-Hop song with a chorus -repeating "I'm black from the waist down."  Asian women do love their black men.

-I had quite a bit of difficulty catching eye contact with anyone, whether it be young attractive ladies, old men, or middle aged women.  It seemed I could only garner attention from children.  Strange because Koreans have a reputation for staring at foreigners and continuing to stare even when you've made eye contact.  That only happened a couple of times.  Perhaps this is primarily in the regions where foreigners are more of a rarity.

-People act as though no one else exits outside there bubble so they are constantly running into each other and shoving elbows to get through crowds (especially the adjumas- old women).

-Getting on and off the subway is a free-for-all.  There is no waiting for people to get off the subway then politely moving in.  Everyone rushes the door- perhaps to grab a seat before they are all taken.

-In the U.S. most people have smaller phones such as iphones and Droids.  They supplement their tiny screens by owning tablets.  Here in Korea, no one has tablets in public.  They all have gigantic phones such as galaxy notes and others of the sort.  Seeing an iphone was rare.  Also, just like Japan, EVERYONE is on their phones at all times while on the subway as if the world around them does not exist.  I wonder if anyone in the last 3 years has ever made a friend on a subway.  Probably not.

-There is wi-fi everywhere here.  Much of it requires a pre-paid access card purchased at local convenience stores.  Even the subways and trains have wi-fi.  Not sure about the buses. Probably not since there's so many.

Double Barber Poles aren't necessarily a barber shop

-And one more. When I lived here before, I had heard rumor that many of the barber poles around the city are actually not barber shops only, but rather barbershop/brothel hybrids or just brothels disguised as barbershops outright.  Well thanks to a quick wikipedia search (not what you though I was going to say) I have discovered that this is indeed true.  I kept wondering when I saw barber poles (sometimes double barber poles which is a sure sign) in some of the allies, many pointing to spas and almost always with stairs leading underground. And oh btw, if you are concerned for my safety, in my experience, Korea is a pretty safe place so long as you keep your wits about you and don't do anything you wouldn't do in any other city.

Well today I plan to figure out how to make my way toward Seoraksan National Park on the other side of the country.  I was never able to make it out there last time I lived here because it was so far away but it is supposed to be one of the most beautiful places in Korea.  So I'm excited to try out my new trekking poles there and take in the scenery.  I'll take plenty of pix.  First though, if I have time, I'm going to head to Gangnam district just to see what all the hype from Si's Gangnam Style song is all about.  Probably nothing in the day time since its a party district, but it would still be cool to check it out.

So! Breakfast and blogging now complete, it's time to begin the day!

Gangnam District

Thank Goodness they warned me