Thoughts on Seoul, South Korea

Yesterday I returned from spending a week in Seoul. It was my first time visiting an Asian Country. I will say it was an experience … an experience I will never forget.

Why Seoul?

My husband is an IT professional and works with different companies to review computer hardware. He was attending the Global SSD Summit hosted by Samsung. He has been attending the summit for the past several years but this time had the opportunity to bring me long and for us to spend an extra couple days in Korea after the summit.

Things that surprised me about Seoul…

Steps and hills. Lots and lots of them. This should not have surprised me since the city was built on and around hills and mountains. However, there was more than I was expecting. The hills were very steeps and the steps were narrow and many were uneven, which made walking a little challenging at times. I often found myself watching my footing carefully.

Steps and walking path in the park at Namsan Mountain

The Korean people are very friendly. Many of them do not speak English but understand it; they were very welcoming and are willing to help you out. When we were trying to find a shopping area, one of my husband’s colleagues stopped and asked an older lady, if we were in the right area; she had us follower her to shopping district and then taken us to the English information counter; however in all honesty it ended up being a different shopping area that what we were looking for, but none the less it was so nice for her to help us.

This us following the nice lady who helped us find shopping.

The subway is extremely clean and easy to navigate. I think this is first subway system (worldwide) I have used that is clean, doesn’t have an odor and is not overtaken by vagrants. I felt completely safe using it and had no trouble navigating it.

Above: the Seoul subway map

Below: inside a typical subway car

There are gas mask in various locations through out the city. There was a set in our hotel room. In the subway there are stations throughout which contained gas mask. This was something I was just not expecting.

Cabinet of gas mask and other emergency supplies in the subway tunnel

Humidity. Humid is the best way to descried the weather in Seoul. I checked the weather before we left and temperatures were listed as similar to those in our area. However what I didn’t pay attention was the percent of humidity. The one that saved me was that I brought my vapor water bottle, meaning I had to water with me everywhere I went.

The new and the old … together. Historic sites in Seoul date back to the 14^th century. Yet Seoul also boast wonderful examples of modern architecture. It is not uncommon to see a structure from the 14^th century next to one from 21^st century. At first I found this kind of oxymoronic but as thought about it made complete sense and made the city even more interesting to explore.

A modern skyscrapers next to a original Korean building

The population density for area. When I left for Seoul I knew that it was a highly populated area but I don’t expect for everything to be on top of each other, in terms of buildings. Most people live in high rise housing and houses that free standing have no yards. Even when we went out to the more suburban areas, it was the same way. The subway system was 3 to 5 floors deep and free space in the subway tunnels doubled as shopping space. Crowds were everywhere but they very controlled; people were use to waiting and were courteous to others.

Streets in the Inso-dong shopping district filled with people on Saturday afternoon

There are “American-ism” throughout the city. Walking through the streets you see influences of the American culture throughout. I don’t mean by restaurants such as McDonalds, Starbucks, Burger King and Pizza Hut but I mean by the names of restaurants, bars, clubs, stores and by how the people dress. The Korean people embrace American sports such MLB and NBA. People wear sports jerseys and hats freely. I even passed one building with a basketball on its roof. Restaurants and entertainment spots borrow “American” terms freely. While we were in Itaewon, we passed a bar/music lounge called “Soul Train” (referencing Soul Train, the 1970s variety TV show).

Entrance to Soul Train

Seoul is a City that opens late and stay open late. Because of the time difference I often found myself up early. However there were few places open before 9:30 am, this includes coffee shops, donut shops and general stores. Major department store don’t open until 11:30 am. Yet it should be noted that historic sites open early, most of them by 9 am if not by 8 am. On the other hand many places stay open until 10pm or midnight.

My Reflections on Seoul …

I was surprised at how comfortable I felt there. I didn’t feel unsafe or on edge at all. The people were very welcoming and very friendly; I would even say it was one of the friendliest international cities I have visited. The food was amazing. Overall it was a very affordable city to visit. You can see most of the city in a week. I am not sure if it would be high on list of cities to revisit but I would defiantly good back.

View of Seoul from the top of the Nansam Mountain

The most memorable experience I had while there was simply walking around the city … from hiking up the Namsan Mountain to walking through the neighborhoods and streets, I just loved seeing the city and landscape.

One of the streets in the downtown business and shopping district

Out of all the places I visited, I think the War Memorial was my favorite. It was a memorial park and museum that commemorated “war” in South Korea. The museum was probably one of the nicest and most detailed museum I have visited world wide.

Entrance to the War Memorial of Korea

In terms of food … I have say all of the food was amazing, but the food that stood out the most the Korean Barbeque. The meat was just so flavorful and the process of cooking at your table was an amazing experience.