On my three month anniversary of being in Korea, I spent the weekend exactly where it all started: Seoul! Although this time I actually got to see more than just the hotel courtyard:) With a population of 9.7 million people, Seoul is huge and even that feels like an understatement. Our very short weekend trip was not enough to see all the sights and we’ll definitely have to make several trips back to see it all.
Our trip began on Friday night. I met up with some friends at the bus station after school and from there we took a four hour bus to Seoul. We ran into some traffic, so the bus ride turned out to be longer than expected, which was okay since we didn’t have anything planned for that night. We got to Seoul a little after 11 pm, caught a taxi to another bus station, and then walked to our Airbnb from there. Our walk to the Airbnb was cool because it seemed as if we were part of two worlds: on our right, there were skyscrapers and modern looking buildings, but when we looked left there were little alleyways, brick buildings and a more traditional feel. This mix of modern and traditional seems to be evident throughout all of Korea and always fascinates me.
Our Airbnb was really nice! It could fit ten people, but since there were only six of us, we had plenty of space and each had our bed. It was in a quiet neighborhood and was perfect for our short time there.
The next morning, we got up early and headed to Itaewon to get some breakfast. Itaewon is known as the foreigner district as it has a lot of restaurants with food from around
the world. Since we went pretty early in the morning, not much was open, but it was still fun to walk around there. Breakfast was really good too! I got a waffle with avocados and mushrooms; it sounds like a weird combo, but it was actually delicious. I think breakfast food has been what I’ve missed most about the U.S. We might borrow all of our other food from different cultures, but I’m pretty sure we are the best at breakfast and I’m missing it a lot here.
After breakfast, we went to Namsan Park which is the biggest park in Seoul. We got really lucky with the timing of our visit because the leaves were at their peak and were beautiful to look at. From the park, we also had a great view of Namsan Tower, the famous observation/communication tower in Seoul. I’d first seen Namsan Tower in a kdrama called, “Boys Over Flowers,” so it was one of those moments that felt a bit surreal for me to be seeing it in real life.
From Namsan Park, we headed to HYBE to see the Kpop exhibit that was going on. HYBE is the entertainment company that has signed groups like BTS, Tomorrow X Together, Seventeen, and many more. The exhibit was very cool. I wasn’t really sure what to expect, but I was impressed by what they did. Basically, the goal of the exhibit was to show the
artists’ process of making music while also displaying how music affects all of your senses. We only had two hours in the exhibit and the exhibit attendants allowed us a certain amount of time in each room before ushering us along to the next. The first room was the largest. It consisted of displays about the songwriting process with audio from the artists, props from their concerts, music mixing stations, and videos of their dance choreography. Then we entered a room where we saw the trophies won by all the groups, followed by a room covered in sound proofing materials where no sound could reflect. That was one of my favorite parts just because it was such an eerie feeling to talk yet feel as if everything was muffled. The second floor contained an art gallery showcasing works featuring BTS. Then there was the section that focused on the five senses. Those rooms were fun because they contained many interactive games for visitors such as a VR game like Pokeman Go, a Guitar Hero type game, and a dancing game. It was pretty fun! All in all, I thought the exhibit was very well done and while I am a fan of Kpop, I think I realized just how important Kpop is to Korea by going to this exhibit.
We were all hungry after the exhibit so we got food right away. And surprisingly, the restaurant we ate at was Shake Shack! I didn’t realize they had Shake Shack in Korea, but it was delicious and it was nice to have something familiar again.
After dinner we walked to the Han River since we were so close to it and no one had seen it before. Like the Namsan Tower, it was one of those things that felt strange to see in person after hearing about it for so long.
We regrouped at home for a bit before heading out again for the night. We went to Hongdae, which is a neighborhood in Seoul known for its busy nightlife. It was fun to walk
around and see all the people out. We even saw a dance performance going on that we watched for a while. There were so many shops, restaurants, bars, food stalls, everything! We stopped at a selfie studio to commemorate our Seoul adventure and then continued along with our night. We wanted to go to a bar, but after standing in lines for a long time we ended up going to a 노래방, or singing room, and sung our hearts out for the rest of the night. Much more fun!
Sunday, we started the day early and headed to Insadong. Insadong is a famous neighborhood in Seoul that’s known for its traditional market, tea houses, and restaurants. We first stopped to get some breakfast and I was so happy when we found a place that had pancakes! So good! We walked around the market for the rest of our time there and we found one building that housed all sorts of little art shops that sold a different product from local artists. We browsed through those shops until we had to leave to catch our bus back to Gwangju.
Our trip to Seoul was jam-packed with activities and even then we only saw a fraction of what we could see in Seoul. I’m already thinking of when I can go back to see the rest. However, while Seoul was amazing in its glamorous, high-speed, cosmopolitan way, I was relieved to be back home in Gwangju.
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