Dear readers, the intention of this post is to give you a small update concerning our recent trip to Seoul, which involved 5 days, 5 people and a lot of pleasant memories.
Since Taipei is such a wonderful base for exploring Asia, going to South Korea quickly turned from a notion into a plan this November (and not a bad one as such). Actually, the only annoying feature about South Korea was the cold. As a matter of fact, flying little over 2 hours to the North can have a tremendous effect on the climate! While Taiwan still enjoys 20-30 degrees, South Korea was greeting us with 0-10 degrees and a mean wind, making it feel like proper autumn (or even winter). I'm pretty sure that, should we have come to South Korea from Europe, it would have felt like a warm summer evening, but for us spoiled Taiwan residents, the temperatures were not nice at all! I have certainly gotten weaker concerning the cold, but I still don't know how I ever survived a European winter. What's more, I'm not looking forward to the January temperatures in China either. Good thing I'm recovering in the Philippines for one week in February.
Back to the actual topic of the post: Seoul itself quickly got me hooked and had no problems convincing me of its many different faces. I would go as far as to say that it became my most favourite city in Asia in those couple of days. The opportunities (be it sightseeing, shopping, dining or going out) seem endless and never render you bored. Another pleasant side effect was the price level. From what I experienced in Japan, I thought of South Korea as being much more expensive than it actually was. Just as I overestimated Korea, I underestimated Taiwan. In both countries, the things I bought cost roughly the same. Who would have thought that?
Public transport, of course, is excellent. I suppose it can't be anything else, for a huge crowd has to be brought to work and back every single day. The metro system is clean, cheap (going to anywhere in the city won't cost you more than a Euro) and efficient. Glass walls in every station keep people from falling (or deliberately jumping) on the tracks and make the incoming train hardly audible.
In particular, I enjoyed the contrasts of this metropolis. Looking down from the old city wall and the TV tower (both viewtiful sights), you could see a lot of green between the skyscrapers. Not as impressive, but certainly reminiscent of Rio de Janeiro. Many temples, shrines and palaces are just across the street of modern office buildings. The mountain on which the tower stands and the main shopping district are not separated more than a 10 minutes' walk. Keyword shopping: Koreans, just like the Taiwanese and the Japanese, are crazy about it! While the wide selection of international brands is slowly starting to flock to Taipei (the opening of the first Zara in Taiwan last month was a huge event), Korea already has it all - sometimes even twice. To my luck, I saw the first H&M since months and stocked up on pants. Interesting enough, the selection of 24/7 convenience stores like 7-Eleven or Family Mart is at times quite different. While I haven't found a single Peach Ice Tea in Taiwan (only Lemon and Honey-Pear), I encountered nothing but Peach flavour in Korea. Which was pleasant for me again, because that's my most favourite one.
After those more than useless last few lines, let's get back to something more meaningful: naturally, we've met a lot of interesting people again. Not only old acquaintances like Sae-Hee (who I first met in Toronto way back in 2009), but also new people from our hostel. This time, however, I somehow felt that the meetings had more like a "been there, done that" touch to them. Instead of being thrilled about international encounters, it seemed that I have gotten used to them. I don't approve of this development at all, and I will try to appreciate and treasure them like I did before. The beginning will be made by quoting an Irish girl from our hostel, who, as a reaction to our international group, joyfully uttered: "This is actually amazing!" It really was, and I will do my best to hold on to the elation I normally take from internationality.
For the conclusion of this entry, I want to share a little anecdote about travel coincidences. I know that I write a lot about those lately, but there are just too many of them who have to be told. This one involves a Saturday evening, one of the many bar/club venues in Seoul's Hongdae district and a beer. Not just some beer, mind you, but the local Austrian brew "Zipfer". I couldn't believe my eyes when I saw a commercial for said beer brand on the club's wall! I instantly headed over to the bar to check if they sold it as well, but unfortunately they didn't. Still, I was proud of such a small beer going a long way. The world should not be deprived of Austrian brews.
Yours,
Martin
-back from South Korea
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