Visited Seoul Tower
Sang in a noraebang
It's hard to explain exactly what makes a noraebang so much fun to someone who has never experienced it. A tiny dark room with only a karaoke machine, a microphone, a tambourine and some Korean beers for company, it's the most enticing place in the world at 1am after a night of boozing. It's influential qualities cannot be underestimated; prim Korean women are transformed into gyrating divas, businessmen belt out rock classics as if they are in Wembley Arena. The first time we visited one, Paul, who had planned to get through his lifetime never singing in public once, elbowed everyone out of the way to give his own rendition of Journey's "Don't Stop Beliving." Personally, I love the trip to the toilet, walking past all the other noraebang rooms hearing the different Korean renditions of classic songs.
Left to right: The international symbol of Noraebang, my rendition of My Humps in a Hongdae noraebang, Paul and Willem do Piano Man
Good Noraebanging is as much about the tambourine work as it is about the singing.
Visited Hwaseong Fortress
The city of Suwon, just ten minutes from where we live, is home to the pretty Hwaseong Fortress. We took a walk to the top and admired the view
Enjoyed the Hongdae social scene
We've only been in Korea for seven weeks so we haven't had time to experience every district of the mammoth metropolis that is Seoul. However, our favourite area to go out in so far is, hands own, Hongdae. The university area, it is filled with laid back bars, quirky side streets and trendy boutiques but complete devoid of the irritating "wacky students" you find in Glasgow's West End. Itaewon is the other area in Seoul popular with ex pats but Paul and I are not too keen. It's close proximity to the US Army Base means it is regularly filled with drunk soldiers looking for fights.
Had the dead skin on our feet eaten by fish
Dr Fish, based in Gangnam, Seoul, is a cafe which offers a pedicure with a difference. Little beady eyed fish who munch on the dead skin on your feet, leaving them, if not silky smooth, a little softer than before. The most ticklish thing ever for the first few minutes, it soon becomes quite a relaxing experience. A fifteen minute session is only 2000 won but you must buy an overpriced coffee or smoothie from the cafe and wait your turn, which may take a while at the weekend. Finding Dr Fish can be a little tricky and from what we gather, the Hongdae branch is no more. The simplest directions are to head out at exit six at Gangnam Station and look down the busy street until you see the huge CGV sign which will be on the opposite side of the road. Dr Fish is directly across from here in a building which was, when we visited at least, going under a major rennovation. Head inside and take the lift up to the second floor.
Perched at the the top of a mountain overlooking the city, Seoul Tower can be seen from many different districts. Often when you least expect it. Go round a corner, look there is it. Gap inbetween two tall buildings, there it is. On our first weekend here, Paul and I decided to clamber up to admire the view. Most amusing sight was the Korean women trekking up the steep hill in their stilettos. It was then we learned out first important piece of knowledge about the local culture; Korean women don't take their high heels off for anything.
It's hard to explain exactly what makes a noraebang so much fun to someone who has never experienced it. A tiny dark room with only a karaoke machine, a microphone, a tambourine and some Korean beers for company, it's the most enticing place in the world at 1am after a night of boozing. It's influential qualities cannot be underestimated; prim Korean women are transformed into gyrating divas, businessmen belt out rock classics as if they are in Wembley Arena. The first time we visited one, Paul, who had planned to get through his lifetime never singing in public once, elbowed everyone out of the way to give his own rendition of Journey's "Don't Stop Beliving." Personally, I love the trip to the toilet, walking past all the other noraebang rooms hearing the different Korean renditions of classic songs.
Left to right: The international symbol of Noraebang, my rendition of My Humps in a Hongdae noraebang, Paul and Willem do Piano Man
Good Noraebanging is as much about the tambourine work as it is about the singing.
Visited Hwaseong Fortress
The city of Suwon, just ten minutes from where we live, is home to the pretty Hwaseong Fortress. We took a walk to the top and admired the view
Enjoyed the Hongdae social scene
We've only been in Korea for seven weeks so we haven't had time to experience every district of the mammoth metropolis that is Seoul. However, our favourite area to go out in so far is, hands own, Hongdae. The university area, it is filled with laid back bars, quirky side streets and trendy boutiques but complete devoid of the irritating "wacky students" you find in Glasgow's West End. Itaewon is the other area in Seoul popular with ex pats but Paul and I are not too keen. It's close proximity to the US Army Base means it is regularly filled with drunk soldiers looking for fights.
Had the dead skin on our feet eaten by fish
Dr Fish, based in Gangnam, Seoul, is a cafe which offers a pedicure with a difference. Little beady eyed fish who munch on the dead skin on your feet, leaving them, if not silky smooth, a little softer than before. The most ticklish thing ever for the first few minutes, it soon becomes quite a relaxing experience. A fifteen minute session is only 2000 won but you must buy an overpriced coffee or smoothie from the cafe and wait your turn, which may take a while at the weekend. Finding Dr Fish can be a little tricky and from what we gather, the Hongdae branch is no more. The simplest directions are to head out at exit six at Gangnam Station and look down the busy street until you see the huge CGV sign which will be on the opposite side of the road. Dr Fish is directly across from here in a building which was, when we visited at least, going under a major rennovation. Head inside and take the lift up to the second floor.
Hiking in Seoul
Hiking is the favourite past-time of many South Koreans and while our own opportunities have been limited so far, we did manage a fantastic little walk in the north of Seoul. Again, without local knowledge it's a little tricky to find (we only knew of it thanks to our friend Brian who'd been taken before). From memory, you should take a train to Gyeongbokgung on line three and head out at exit two. You then head towards the overpass on the main road (leading to a small park with a few statues) and turn up a small side street. After this, it's pretty much trial and error but chances are whichever way you choose you will still end up with a fantastic view of the city. It took us around an hour to reach the summit, which is peppered with elaborate, climmable rocks. It's also a popular place for meditation so perhaps not a trail to equip yourself with a crate of Hite for, although we did encounter an extremely drunk Korean Del Boy on our climb. The view from the top is stunning and, for us, even better than the Seoul Tower.
Paul at the summit.
Seoul Lantern Festival
This spectacular festival takes place in and around Insadong and celebrates the birth of Buddha. Paul went in the morning and early afternoon during which time Jongno Street was packed with little stalls, live music stages and street performers. It was the first time we'd really seen tourists in Seoul (most of the foreigners tend to be soldiers and teachers) and thankfully the weather was absolutely perfect. Later that night, as Paul headed off to South Korea Vs Ecuador, I returned from my shopping trip for the memorable parade. A cross section of Korean society - from Ajummas (old ladies), school children to robe-clad monks - illuminating the street with their intricate lanterns. Truly a feast for the eyes.
Deokjeokdo Island
Long weekends are a big deal for ESL teachers in South Korea. It gives us pretty much the only opportunity to see more of the country we now call home. Many National Holidays fall at the weekend this year so Paul and I knew we had to make the most of our day off for Buddha's birthday on Friday. We left it too late to head anywhere south, as all the trains were fully booked, so we decided to join some of our friends on a trip to an island called Deokjeokdo on the Yellow Sea, west of Seoul. I'm really glad we did. It was the first time we saw how beautiful a country South Korea is. We managed to get an entire beach to ourselves as we didn't stay at Sapori, the biggest and most popular beach. Even our crappy 14,000 won (£8) tent collapsing on us in the middle of the night didn't spoil our fun. To get to Deokjeokdo, you get the ferry from Yeonan Terminal in Incheon. A taxi from Incheon metro station only costs 6000 won. The helpful man in Tourist Information, right beside the station, told the taxi driver in Korean where to drop us off. Be warned: we had to get the first ferry back on Saturday morning because all the others were fully booked so make sure you book in advance. There are no ATMs on the island.
Paul at the summit.
Seoul Lantern Festival
This spectacular festival takes place in and around Insadong and celebrates the birth of Buddha. Paul went in the morning and early afternoon during which time Jongno Street was packed with little stalls, live music stages and street performers. It was the first time we'd really seen tourists in Seoul (most of the foreigners tend to be soldiers and teachers) and thankfully the weather was absolutely perfect. Later that night, as Paul headed off to South Korea Vs Ecuador, I returned from my shopping trip for the memorable parade. A cross section of Korean society - from Ajummas (old ladies), school children to robe-clad monks - illuminating the street with their intricate lanterns. Truly a feast for the eyes.
Deokjeokdo Island
Long weekends are a big deal for ESL teachers in South Korea. It gives us pretty much the only opportunity to see more of the country we now call home. Many National Holidays fall at the weekend this year so Paul and I knew we had to make the most of our day off for Buddha's birthday on Friday. We left it too late to head anywhere south, as all the trains were fully booked, so we decided to join some of our friends on a trip to an island called Deokjeokdo on the Yellow Sea, west of Seoul. I'm really glad we did. It was the first time we saw how beautiful a country South Korea is. We managed to get an entire beach to ourselves as we didn't stay at Sapori, the biggest and most popular beach. Even our crappy 14,000 won (£8) tent collapsing on us in the middle of the night didn't spoil our fun. To get to Deokjeokdo, you get the ferry from Yeonan Terminal in Incheon. A taxi from Incheon metro station only costs 6000 won. The helpful man in Tourist Information, right beside the station, told the taxi driver in Korean where to drop us off. Be warned: we had to get the first ferry back on Saturday morning because all the others were fully booked so make sure you book in advance. There are no ATMs on the island.
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