Traveling Solo: Seoul
Monday, October 07, 2019
I returned last week from my first trip to South Korea. Visiting Seoul has been on my bucket list, so when a close friend said she'd be passing through on her way home from Japan and could meet me there for a few days, I grabbed the opportunity.
I'd been a bit anxious about getting around on my own, but mostly about not knowing any Korean. Despite having several Korean friends growing up, my knowledge of the language was limited to names of foods I liked and "anyong haseyo," "ani," "yobo sayo."
The first two-and-a-half days were spent alone, and boy, was it glorious.
I left JFK Airport late Thursday night (okay, okay, early Friday morning - 1:25am to be exact), landed early in Taipei at 4:45am Taipei time (4:45pm the day before in NYC), had a three hour layover, and landed in Seoul at 11am Seoul time (10pm the day before in NYC). I didn't stay well-hydrated during the nearly 15 hour flight between New York and Taipei, and by the time I landed in Seoul, I was suffering.
I'd been a bit anxious about getting around on my own, but mostly about not knowing any Korean. Despite having several Korean friends growing up, my knowledge of the language was limited to names of foods I liked and "anyong haseyo," "ani," "yobo sayo."
The first two-and-a-half days were spent alone, and boy, was it glorious.
I left JFK Airport late Thursday night (okay, okay, early Friday morning - 1:25am to be exact), landed early in Taipei at 4:45am Taipei time (4:45pm the day before in NYC), had a three hour layover, and landed in Seoul at 11am Seoul time (10pm the day before in NYC). I didn't stay well-hydrated during the nearly 15 hour flight between New York and Taipei, and by the time I landed in Seoul, I was suffering.
I did what I had to: picked up my KT pocket wifi, got a T-Money card, and took the lengthy subway ride to Myeong-dong, where I'd booked a bunk bed hostel room. (And let me tell you, the Incheon International Airport was probably one of the most confusing "touristy" spots I came across during my trip. The signs, in my opinion, were not clear and it took me about 30 minutes to figure out where the subway was.)
I wasn't allowed to check in for another 40 minutes, so I dropped off my luggage and trudged to the Myeongdong Tourist Center, then immediately over to the 7-11 across the street for the largest bottle of water I could carry. I sat and people-watched for 20 minutes before heading back to check in at 3pm.
... and then I slept on and off until the next morning.
My first official (conscious) day in South Korea was a Sunday, and I set out early to make up for lost time. I wanted to hit up all the spots my friend wouldn't have any interest in seeing before she arrived the next afternoon.
Gyeongbukgong Palace was up first.
I'd read in one of the guide books I'd gotten from the Tourist Center about the Samcheongdong area, where modern architecture was interspersed with the old, and I was intrigued, despite it seeming like a hike from the palace.
When I arrived to the area, it was one literal street, the same one that had been featured in the guide book. However, the walk from the palace to Samcheongdong was one of my favorites during my trip -- it was early on Sunday morning and the streets were quiet, and there were dozens of interesting (closed) boutiques, galleries and cafés that lined the streets. I wished that New York City were more like Samcheongdong.
After a long, sweaty and hilly hike, I walked back down to the Bukchon Hanok Village area, where even dental clinics resided in architecture harking back to olden times (or perhaps they really were that old?).
And then I came upon (or sought out) the Jogyesa Temple. The first photo was taken of a park across the street from the actual temple, which was a little set back from the road. Because somehow I was led to the back entrance.
... then it was onto the Hannam-dong neighborhood for some art at the Leeum Samsung Museum of Art.
From there, I wandered around Hannam-dong for a bit and visited Space Shinseon, which I had seen on a blog about artsy spaces in Seoul. I was surprised by how small and low-key it was. I had planned on eating at Space Shinseon's café, but I learned quickly that many cafés in Seoul don't actually serve food.
After Space Shinseon, I got a little lost in Hannam-dong and wound up walking along a highway for a good half-hour before making a loop back and finding myself in Itaewon. I thought about exploring the neighborhood a bit, but I was exhausted and decided to head back to the hostel.
After a short rest, I headed out in the late afternoon to attack Olive Young for Korean skincare favorites, and then explored the Myeongdong market. I was delighted to find that there was street food to be had.
I couldn't pass up a street version of my fave, jajangmyeon. At 4,000 won it wasn't exactly a steal and it didn't taste like the real deal either, but I regret nothing.
Hotteok, a hot, filled, possibly (probably) fried "pancake." I got the "sugar" flavor, which is brown sugar, honey, nuts and cinnamon.
And then I popped into a convenience store and bought a bowl of instant ramen (believe it or not, before arriving, I'd set out to try as many instant ramen flavors as I could) and returned to my hostel, knowing my feet would not hold out for another dinner excursion later that night.
That was just my first full day in Seoul. More to come!
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