;
;
;
;
;
Houston-Hull, TX
Wed
5
May '10
I’ve lived near Seoul for almost 10 years and I go back every summer to visit my family.
There already is a post for South Korea, but I though I would go in to more depth about the capital city.
For people who live in the heart of Seoul, it is fair to assume that that person is pretty rich. There are so many different things you can do if you just walk around or if you research beforehand.
Dr. Fish getting rid of bad skin
There is a café, for example, called Dr. Fish. This is where you can go for a nice cup of tea, coffee, or a smoothie and dunk your feet in a small pool of fish that will eat away at your dead skin. It doesn’t necessarily hurt, but it does take a little time to get used to because it feels like someone is tickling your feet really hard.
The night life is something that should be mentioned. There are clubs that you can get into for about $15 and on club night, which is usually the last Friday of the month, you can pay $20 and get into all clubs within the area.
Because of bad experiences in the past, the clubs do not allow foreigners in the military to enter.
However, this doesn’t mean that foreigners cannot get into any clubs. In a place called ’hongdae’ it is the heart of partying life. Almost everyone speaks English, there are thousands of bars and clubs, there are usually concerts or events going on that are hosted students. The art students in this area are usually attending the number one arts school. Their events are usually filled with things that can keep you occupied till dawn.
Some views of the streets, cafes, and clubs
Then there are clubs for the high rollers. In order to get into this club, men need to go with a couple of friends to split the expensive prices. For guys, it is necessary to grab a room which costs a minimum of $300. With this room comes a lot of alcohol. In Korea, hard liquor (whiskey, vodka, rum, etc) costs almost 10 times more expensive than it does in the US.
Usually, the clubs will allow girls to enter for free, cheap, or only if they are attractive. There have been cases where bouncers have rejected a group of girls because he thought one of them was ugly.
The one thing that some may think is bad about clubs like these are that waiters force girls into random rooms that are occupied by the guys. It’s not necessarily prostitution or anything but since the guys are paying so much money, the waiters are providing them with opportunities to meet women.
Sometimes, men from the ages for 30-40 can be found or even college students. The girls are free to leave the room anytime but if a waiter grabs her, she really has no choice but to at least enter the room and have a short conversation with the people in the room.
This process, in Korea, is called “booking.”
Another thing to note is that it really doesn’t cost a lot to drink and have fun!
The legal age is 19 (the age system is very different. After your 19th birthday has passed, you need to wait for the new years in order to drink!)and a bottle of Korea’s most beloved alcohol costs about $4 in a restaurant and about $2 in a convenient store.
EVERYONE drinks this. A common trait I heard from foreigners when describing SOJU ( pronounced “so-jyoo”) is that while drinking, it doesn’t seem like you are getting drunk but once you stand up, you realize you’re completely drunk.
Drunk people can be seen almost any time of the day and anywhere on the streets. Usually these people will be doing something amusing so it doesn’t really come off as a drunk hobo.
its only about 20% proof which makes it easier to drink and it tastes like watered-down vodka.
- Soju
Korea has also food that is made for everything. The food is all generally healthy but it does not look healthy!
This may explain why there aren’t many overweight people in Asia because the way the food is cooked and what it is mixed with, it is usually very good for your health!
Korean food, but not all!
Korea also has a lot of museums that are worth visiting. They have folk villages so if you are curious as to how life was back in the day, there is actually a village that can allow you to actually put yourself in that experience.
On another note, Korean are known to be quite racist. However, the presence of foreigners in Korea has been so long that many have grown accustomed to it. Most foreigners will get one of these three responses.
1. Excited people who want to learn English so they try to talk to you.
2. Anti-foreigners, so they’ll yell at you in Korean.
3. People who are afraid of you so they’ll avoid you and not talk to you.
Subways and buses are completely PACKED during certain times of the day and is a very common source of transportation.
I would say Korea is definitely worth visiting especially if you have a friend who knows where to take you.
i definitely felt #2 and 3 there
seoul~~~~~~~~ xD
nice blog!
Dr. Fish looks scary! The food looks yummy =)You should do a cooking blog
I want some jjajangmyun- YUM (:
i really want to try out that dr. fish thing!!!!! yumyum dead skin hahahahaha xp
take me clubbing in korea!!!!! xD
Nice blog! I wish I was going there this summer. Oh well, maybe the next.
So Ive tried that korean wheat beer before, in Mongolia…. i don’t know why i had it there, but it was there, and it was good.
that is all.
Dr. Fish looks freaky weird..but interesting! i wanna try..while drinking some 참이슬…heheheh…and jjajangmyun..cant go wrong there
Hey Jess!
Nice blog!! I remember when I first met you in Korea in 2002. You were still attending SIS going into highschool grade? Haha.. It is funny amusing for you to write about what I have learned to do while I was there for 6 months. Amazing how you didn’t miss a spot. This is why Korean Americans like to hang around with each other in Korea because we all have the same similarities. More reason to bring peace at least with each other who can understand each other better! I use to work for a company called Dr. Fish in Dallas for 3 years. Had so many phone calls inquiring about this fish. I can’t wait until I try this Turkish method!
This Blog post was fantastic!! I plan on taking a trip to Seoul here in the near future so this blog really helped out with what I am going to expect when I arrive there here in a few months.
The fish place looks pretty cool! It’s like a pedicure.. but you don’t have to tip! Haha.
Huh, the information about korean clubs is enlightening…
Out of the 6 years I’ve lived in Korea I’ve never been to a club (I mean, I live with pretty conservative parents, and a mother who thinks that men have 120597038502 times the sex drive they actually do). But I’ve heard of this “booking” business and didn’t really know what that was all about until now.
And I mean, it’s kind of a fact that Koreans in Korea are pretty racist so it’s not that big of a surprise to me that foreigners aren’t allowed in certain clubs. It reminds me of apartheid South Africa. It kinda frustrates me because it reminds me that my country of citizenship is so backwards socially, and the government doesn’t really think of doing anything about this. Most energy is channeled into keeping the country as the most advanced in cellphone technology. What a capitalist society.
I don’t mean to hate. I love Korea to death but I see it as America #2, just with less fat people and flagrant racism.
Really cool Jess! I wanna hang w/ the Dr. FISH!! lol. Your website is great! love the layout! have a good summer
i am TERRIFIED of that dr.fish thing when i heard about it i was like WAHH ppl actually do that?! haha. but im scared of like everything..
last summer while studying abroad at yonsei, i def learned about the club life in seoul and i agree with all you said, its a fun time
and SOJU! is cheap hehe esp in a grocery store.
korean food is loveeeeee, i lost weight while i was there even though i ate loads of food bc i walked so much ^_^
Def will put Korea as one of my future destination.
Everything about it sounds great..
I lived in Korea for almost 18 years or more. Even so, I still haven’t seen it all. Korea is a counry rich in culture and history. Lots of places to hang out. (Love the cheap transportation. Allows me to stay out till late.) Definitely a place I want to go back to.