things to do in seoul?
polycount lvl 666
so yeah me and the family are off to seoul for 2 weeks soon. anyone recommend stuff to do
how many polycounters in seoul anyway:)
man, i hate flying and we are having to fly for 13.5 hours aggh
I might buy a tablet and do some zbrush if I get time
how many polycounters in seoul anyway:)
man, i hate flying and we are having to fly for 13.5 hours aggh
I might buy a tablet and do some zbrush if I get time
Replies
Okay there's two major things:
Food
and
Shopping (for clothes)
FOOD
Expect: Street Food from side street carts, soju, smaller portion sizes for meals, seafood of a different variety, noodles!
I don't have super specific places besides go to Busan for the seafood, but if it looks delicious, EAT IT.
Weird stuff to Westerners but still good:
- stuff with red beans in it
- jeon (deep fried EVERYTHING)
- Kimchi (That stuff is LIFEBLOOD. Screw you salad)
- Soondubu (Who knew tofu could taste THAT FRIKKING GOOD!?)
- Fishcake (This isn't like a fish? BUT IT TASTES PRETTY GOOD!)
- Kimbap (we made sushi into an efficient, healthy lunch thing)
- Korean Pizza (We made Pizza taste AWESOME! Mr. Pizza is a chain, but a good indication of what we did to pizza.)
- Korean Chicken (This ain't KFC, it tastes WAY different. Find it and EAT IT)
- Samgyetang (Chicken soup dish with a whole chicken. A WHOLE CHICKEN. Come on, that stuff is DANK and DELICIOUS and AHGAHAKJDHKJAHWDJKHDJH!!!!)
Also, the bakeries you see there like Tour les Jours or Paris Baguette are VERY numerous and have the same quality as a Starbucks. Don't expect them to be special. If you want good bread and pastries, endeavor to find good mom and pop shops
Same for the coffee: Chain shops SUCK! But if you need to, feel free to grab a cup from there
SHOPPING
Clothes freaking everywhere! Big department stores or street boutiques. Maybe be prepared to haggle, but there's a huge clothes culture in Seoul, it is RIDICULOUS.
Downside, if you're a big dude or woman, gonna be difficult to find things in your size. Sorry man.
SUBWAY/PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION
Subways are AMAZING! Super simple, 99% of the time in English. Get a map, feel empowered, because you can almost get to ANYWHERE in Seoul on just a subway car.
Download the iPhone/Android apps. Firs that comes to mind is https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/subway-korea/id325924444?mt=8
Respect the elderly and pregnant seats. Those aren't just recommendations, it's a cultural mandate.
Buses are a tiny bit trickier. Figure out the different colors but try your best to plan out your bus routes before you need to take them.
Taxis, dirt easy and dirt cheap for the service. Wave em down, give em a location. Base prices start at 3 bucks, really ain't that bad. But seriously, you can subway and bus it to most locations.
Canadian immigrants on their experience in South Korea, and valuable information for visitors regarding food, cool places, culture, products, etc.
https://www.youtube.com/user/simonandmartina
Crap ton of videos meant for non-Korean people, kind of like me since I am SUPER American, not even funny,
INTERNET: HOW DO I GET IT?
Get a wi-fi hotspot if you're always on the move. Forget which companies had them off the top of my head, but they sell hotspots.
Wifi is usually free at coffee shops, etc. Just got to ask the front what the password is.
OTHER THINGS TO DO BESIDES FOOD AND SHOPPING
This is the hard bit. You're looking at mostly museums and shtuff as far as I could tell.
Big ones will be listed on the tourist maps, and those are fine. Just think first floor tours of the White House, nothing crazy, just mildly cool.
Folk Villages: How my grandparents probably lived BEFORE WWII happened:
https://english.visitkorea.or.kr/enu/SI/SI_EN_3_1_1_1.jsp?cid=264121
Think American Colonial Williamsburg, except Korean. Usually some decent live performances happen there. Walk around, look at stuff, take pictures.
Yanghwajin Foreign Missionary Cemetary
- This place is contemplative and has cool art there. Made me thank God that a whole bunch of Americans and Europeans decided Korea was worth saving for the Kingdom of God.
Art museums: There's a BUNCH. Quality will vary. Seek as wanted.
Cool ones include:
Dongdaemun Design Plaza .
-They had a Transformers exihibit when I was last there. IT WAS SAD because there was barely anything useful there. It was more like "Please watch Transformers Extinction" than "Check out EVERYTHING Transformers." That was back in October 2014.
Seoul Arts Center
- Really nice location. Double check what they be presenting. When I was there, they had a cool Edvard Munch art exihibit. I was thoroughly impressed how he was painting sad stuff BEFORE WWI, and then got all sensual and colorful AFTER WWI. That stuff is cray unexpected!
More in this list:http://theculturetrip.com/asia/south-korea/articles/museums-in-seoul-ten-ways-to-discover-the-past-present-and-future/
PARTYING: GET YOUR DRANK AND CLUBBING ON
I can't really help you there.
Maybe read this? It'll be definitely different though, man
http://seoulnightlife.net/
THE DMZ: HEARD YOU CAN TAKE A TOUR OF IT!
You can! The actual DMZ where the military is you have to go through government agencies to organize a tour of that location. There ARE public locations to visit though.
I visited with my father's younger brother when I was in Korea at one of those public sites, and it was ok. I mean, literally it's like visiting a national park, because there's no significant military presence there besides the actual DMZ line. Your call. It's an interesting place to visit, but if you're someone who places value on interacting with actual Koreans, not a necessary place. Just think wildlife preserve and "oh, I can see North Korea from here!" where in reality, it's about the same as South Korea in the same area.
HOMELESS PEOPLE: WHERE ARE THEY!?
Honestly, they were hard to find I was there. I do implore you help them out if you can. Maybe a small donation or food, pray for em, etc. It's hard living in South Korea, especially if you don't have family.
POSSIBLE COMMUNITY SERVICE THING TO DO: GIVE OUT LOVE ORPHANAGE
I bring this up since my friends keep bringing up the Drop Box documentary on my Facebook feed like it's Daniel Henney taking off his shirt. If you feel cmofortable with this, maybe visiting the orphanage and helping out for a day, playing with the kids, might be a thing you want to do as part of your visit.
The unique thing about this orphanage is that they have a "Baby Box" where parents can place their young baby children in, no questions asked. Some are single mothers who have decided they can't reasonably raise the child, etc. Regardless, these children are brought into the oprhanage for care and nurturing.
Documentary trailer about the Give Out Love Orphanage2
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Their Facebook page
That's all I can think of off the top of my head.
And bow and thank people left and right. That stuff is super respectful and cool!
^__^
I am Soondoobu Jiggae's bitch.
Korean BBQ is amazing there too.
Although.. they just call it "BBQ".
I just gotta know, what'd you guys do to pizza hahahaha
get outta here
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Jacque, we should eat together at some point and film the shenanigans. But you're in Canada T_T and I don't have the post-grad funds yet to go visit
skankerzero - shame I will be ther a bit later mate:/
I wonder if I can but cheaper software there hmm
A word of warning about the subway: you better like stairs! There's lots of 'em. Keeps Koreans healthy, I guess. Also get one of those subway passes for everyone - I think we picked them up at the airport.
Make sure you have addresses in Korean for everywhere you need to go to when taking a taxi. Nobody speaks English. Or take the subway, if possible.
Check out the palaces while you're there. At the first glance they look quite Chinese, but actually they are quite unique with their patterns and designs. Very beautiful. Also they are staffed with guards in pretty decent period costume - great for taking armor reference.
There's also an awesome change of guards at the palace next to the Seoul plaza, with two dozen of guards in period costume, performing some sort of ceremony. Also great for reference - and you can wait outside in the cafe next to it and have breakfast. see here: https://lifetoreset.wordpress.com/2014/05/16/changing-of-the-royal-guards-at-deoksugung-palace-seoul-south-korea/
Also, Koreans are waffle crazy. Dunno why, but I've never seen so many waffle places in any Asian city.
Make sure to try some Soju. Grab a small bottle of Jinro Fresh - that's a good one and doesn't cost a lot. It's more popular than beer. It's pretty obvious why
Overall I found it quite relaxed. Not sure where they're hiding all the people, but it felt more calm thank Tokyo and definitely much less busy than Shanghai. Department stores can get a bit crowded though. Didn't really buy much except some artworks at Insadong. I didn't get the feel it's that much of an awesome shopping place unless you're into fashion, cosmetics and mobile phones.
some pictures from my trip (3 days). https://www.flickr.com/photos/29075182@N08/sets/72157630010810398/ But after 4 to 5 days you've probably seen it all and then should consider exploring outside of town. I heard Korea is great for hiking and I know the landscape is really beautiful.
Namdaemun Market, Gyeongdong Market- you will experience how everyday Korean people live and eat there. unpretentious atmosphere unlike other fancy places for tourism.
or if you are looking for something NC17? That ...you find out that for yourself.
I could provide that if you need that.