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khiemtranSo... why didn't someone tell me? It seems that Seoul is hot, and all of Asia knows it. If only I had a bit more time there, and a bit more preparation. As it was it took me two or three days to really get my Hangungmal tuned up, and it was time to leave before I knew it. I managed some basic expressions, but I never quite cut through to that third level. The last day was certainly the best, and I had the tantalising feeling that maybe just one more day would have led to some interesting places.
As it was, I had a great time in Seoul. This is a seriously elegant city filled with some intriguing people. Everything I saw hinted at something else underneath. The food was great, and often surprisingly delicate (I guess we only get to see a limited palette outside Korea itself). The people were friendly, especially if you're prepared to speak Korean, and there was a great mix of things to do and see; everything from mountain-climbing (there are literally mountains encroaching on the city proper) to fine art to street markets. Most of the tourists I saw seemed intent on the shopping though. I saw Japanese, Indonesians, Chinese, all gleefully snapping up expensive designer goods and my hotel lobby was filled with enormous suitcases, of the kind meant for taking a lot more home than you came with.
Walking around Myeong-dong also brought up another intriguing question. Where the heck are all the men? It seemed like three quarters of the crowd that thronged the streets was young and female and at least half the shops sold either shoes or skin products. We speculated that the might have been all getting drunk somewhere, which is not that implausible. Koreans also seem to be completely crazy when it comes to acceptable amounts of soju for a single person to consume in a night.
The skin products were yet another mystery. Almost everyone I saw (or at least every woman) had remarkably good complexion, yet skin care shops were everywhere. Either the stuff works, or the clear skin comes naturally and the shops just make money from people trying to keep up with the pack. The first person I noticed with a less than perfect complexion (and she actually stood out in the crowd because of this), turned out to be speaking Cantonese.
It was interesting just arriving in Incheon on a flight from Hong Kong. As we marched through the airport, all I could hear were Cantonese voices, with just the occasional smattering of Korean. The Koreans were there - they just weren't making all that much noise. Bit by bit, the Cantonese dispersed, and the noise level dropped, even though the place was just as crowded. And, funnily enough, exactly the opposite happened on my flight back to Hong Kong. The crowd got noisier and noisier (and more and more Chinese-speaking), the closer I got to the gate.
As it was, I had a great time in Seoul. This is a seriously elegant city filled with some intriguing people. Everything I saw hinted at something else underneath. The food was great, and often surprisingly delicate (I guess we only get to see a limited palette outside Korea itself). The people were friendly, especially if you're prepared to speak Korean, and there was a great mix of things to do and see; everything from mountain-climbing (there are literally mountains encroaching on the city proper) to fine art to street markets. Most of the tourists I saw seemed intent on the shopping though. I saw Japanese, Indonesians, Chinese, all gleefully snapping up expensive designer goods and my hotel lobby was filled with enormous suitcases, of the kind meant for taking a lot more home than you came with.
Walking around Myeong-dong also brought up another intriguing question. Where the heck are all the men? It seemed like three quarters of the crowd that thronged the streets was young and female and at least half the shops sold either shoes or skin products. We speculated that the might have been all getting drunk somewhere, which is not that implausible. Koreans also seem to be completely crazy when it comes to acceptable amounts of soju for a single person to consume in a night.
The skin products were yet another mystery. Almost everyone I saw (or at least every woman) had remarkably good complexion, yet skin care shops were everywhere. Either the stuff works, or the clear skin comes naturally and the shops just make money from people trying to keep up with the pack. The first person I noticed with a less than perfect complexion (and she actually stood out in the crowd because of this), turned out to be speaking Cantonese.
It was interesting just arriving in Incheon on a flight from Hong Kong. As we marched through the airport, all I could hear were Cantonese voices, with just the occasional smattering of Korean. The Koreans were there - they just weren't making all that much noise. Bit by bit, the Cantonese dispersed, and the noise level dropped, even though the place was just as crowded. And, funnily enough, exactly the opposite happened on my flight back to Hong Kong. The crowd got noisier and noisier (and more and more Chinese-speaking), the closer I got to the gate.
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Date: 2010-11-20 11:49 am (UTC)