STYLETHREAD -- LET'S TALK SHOP!

i just saw this cricket!

have you found a hotel yet? i don't know much about them, since i've always stayed with relatives. have you been before? what kind of things are you interested in? how do you plan on getting around the city? iirc, you have two girls... are they visiting, too?

how cool! we used to go to osan to compete against the high school teams there!

the flight may or may not be brutal. i think it's 11 hours to and 13 hours from LAX (or the other way around). i'm pretty sure my parents wanted to tranquilize me and my brother when we were kids. the airline does its best to try and occupy your time with movies and tv shows. if it's any consolation, though, september isn't very busy travel-wise, so hopefully the plane won't be full, and you guys can stretch out across a few seats. there are express buses that can take you to most hotels, but i'm guessing DH is coming to pick you up.

in school, they were trying to take us to do the DMZ tour. they had us dress up to the nines, but when we got there, they wouldn't take us! i'm jealous! we went through some tunnels and did the rest of the tour, though. apparently, the north korean military assigns their, um, finest specimens to patrol the DMZ. that's probably not saying much, though.

today's culture is largely about growth, technology and modernization. you'll see a very globalized city with fading hints of the old korea. seoul is divided by the han river, and very generally speaking, kang buk (literally 'river north') has a more historical, older feel, while kang nam (river south) is considered 'younger'/modern and more globalized. this isn't necessarily true anymore, but i've heard some people liken the northern half to the east coast of the US, and the south to the west coast.

i can't speak for the hiking experiences, but i can recommend some historical places. i'd try to visit gyeong bok palace (may also be called gyungbok, gyongbok etc... there isn't a very strictly monitored anglicization policy re: the korean language, so you'll see all sorts of inconsistencies in the traffic signs. lovely, eh? gung/goong means palace, so if it says gyung bok gung, it's the same thing). the architecture of the palace is amazing, and there are a few museums within it. i'm betting there are going to be a whole lot of brides and grooms getting their wedding photos done, too. most remaining palaces within seoul are very similar architecturally speaking (all built in the same dynasty, all frantically restored recently by the same administration/government), so honestly, once you've seen one, you've seen them all. am i horrible or what? a visit there will probably take up half a day, if not more.

another place is bong won sa, which is a famous buddhist temple. i haven't been, but i've been meaning to.

one of my mom's favorite places is insa dong (in sa village, i think it's also called). there are lots of art galleries and shops, and it's a great place to wander and get souvenirs etc. i've gotten some really cool necklaces that i really ought to wear more often. it might be a bit pricey, and you're probably better off visiting during the weekend, when they block off traffic for the pedestrians.

depending on how old your girls are, you can also check out COEX, which is the korean version of an indoor mall. a lot of teens/20 somethings hang out there, but it's PACKED on weekends. like, sardines packed. that's actually true for most of the city, so be warned! there's a food court, which is a cheap and fun way to try out new foods, and there are a ton of places to waste money :) it's also home to the most profitable movie theater in the world, apparently. other similar hangouts include kangnam, myungdong, apkujung dong, and the general area surrounding ehwa women's university.

you can also visit itaewon, which is right by the yongsan military base. there are a lot of non-koreans/tourists/expats in that area, and there's also a very large (ahem knockoff) market place. people will haggle you to check out their merchandise, though. i recommend that you just smile and punch them (i keed).

i haven't been to these places in a LONG time, but dongdaemun and namdaemun (east and south gates, respectively) have great, affordable markets. during the wee hours of the morning, it's bustling with wholesalers doing business, and activity generally dies down by mid/late afternoon, but you can get all sorts of cool things for very cheap prices.

general rules of thumb (thumbs?):

1. -yuk = station (generally references a subway station), -gu = so-and-so county, -dong = so-and-so subcounty

2. don't take public/city buses unless you absolutely know what you're doing. they don't stop at every stop, and it's hard to keep track of where you're at. subways are much more convenient/faster. they're very clean (especially lines 5-8), timely and the stops/stations are well announced in english on the train.

3. the air pollution is pretty bad. as is the traffic. rush hour is every hour.

4. koreans generally don't have much regard for private space. actually, more accurately, koreans expect much less private space than what we're used to. try not to be put off by it, even when you get elbowed in the gut. the country's just too small and there are too many people :)

5. avoid miari and cheongyangni if you can (red light districts).

6. people will often approach you to test their english (or, actually, engrish).

7. most of the parks in seoul aren't much to write home about. since you're only in town for a few days, i'd skip 'em.

8. like parks, the amusement parks are muy lame. they pale in comparison to any US theme park. they might've been spiffied up in the past 5 or so years, but... yawn.

the wikitravel entry for seoul is a good starting point, as is lifeinkorea.com. i'm sure DH has some places he has in mind. if you have any questions, just let me know!

eta:  oops!  i just noticed that you said your daughters aren't coming along!  COEX etc. are still fun places to visit, though.  and i'm sure the flight will be MUCH more palatable!

-- Edited by squishy at 01:52, 2007-05-09

WOW! Thanks, squishy, for all that information. I'm going to print it out and save it!  I definitely want to check out the palace and the Buddhist temple.  The art gallery/shopping area sounds fun too.  My husband warned me about the driving over there.  He said it was pretty crazy at times.  A friend of mine got rear ended (tapped) THREE times by the same man at a stoplight in one of the cities!  We drove in major European cities where we didn't know the language, and although this will probably be a lot different, I think I'll hang in there!  My husband has a 1995 Daewoo Prince.  I hear it's quite the hot rod! 

It's funny that you're warning me about people stopping me to test their English.  I heard that I will be quite the attraction because of my blonde hair.  I was told that fair haired children are especially fascinating.  Speaking of kids, I'm sure mine would have fun, but with the trip only being a week, I'm worried about their jet lag ruining the first part and I'm also worried about my sanity on the trip over.  When we lived in Italy, I did Venice-LAX TWICE by MYSELF.  Once when my eldest was 9 months old, and once at 18 months.  Horrible experience.  I vowed to not travel alone with a small child unless it was an emergency.  They're older now, but that's still a long trip.  I'm sure they'll have another chance to go to Korea.

Thanks, too, Lilykind.  I heard that Thai and Singapore Airways were wonderful.  I used Delta miles for my ticket, so Korean it is.  My hubby said his plane was a new 747 and every seat had their own TV.  Of course, his didn't work and he had to lean over and watch the one next to him.  Luckilly that seat was empty.  My husband is coming back in October.  He used miles for this trip, but the next one is all on us, so I'll definitly sign up for a fare watch on Thai. 

I didn't take your post as negative, squishy, just truthful.  I'm still just as excited!  I love travel and I've never been to Asia, so I can't wait! 

One hotel I've heard a lot of my friends talk about is Dragon Hill.  Know anything about that?

ETA:  Just realized it's an Armed Forces Rec Lodge. 

-- Edited by Cricket at 16:04, 2007-05-09