Seoul, South Korea
November 2011Seoul
The capital of South Korea and 2 hours by plane from Tokyo, I spent a few days here in early November. Why? My tourist visa for Japan was about to expire and if I wanted to continue my stay in Tokyo I had to leave Japan in order to be able to re-enter the country and get another 90 day visa. Usually the authorities turn a blind eye to such things as long as you don't seem to be abusing the system. I decided to take advantage of the trip to visit my friend Lee Yong Dae an exceptional badminton player (Olympic gold medalist and my favorite athlete).
Korea
A small country stuck between the 2 Asian giants Japan and China, much too often in the hot seat due to its brother to the north. Mind you over the past 50 years South Korea has managed to keep its head above water. After the 2nd world war, with an economy behind that of the rest of the industrialised world (being almost at the same level as Africa), South Korea doubled down and completely turned things around with its economy being one to watch at the turn of the century. Quality of life and a certain level of wealth is now a part of life for the people of the south peninsula.
Food
I won't hide the fact that before this trip my knowledge of South Korea was lacking, something I tried to remedy before my departure. One thing I did know was the reputation they had for their local food. All of my Japanese friends had been raving about many popular dishes: bibimbap, bulgogi, seolleongtang and galbitang. I must say that the food here has definitely lived up to its expectations. Nothing too complicated, but full of flavour that our palettes are not accustomed too, mind you I stayed far away from anything too spicy which is the pride and joy of the locals in Seoul. I did however come to love kimchi, something you must have heard of before. While walking in the streets of Seoul, you will often see many small carts that offer all sorts of delicious dishes at very affordable prices.
Jump
I was told to check out one of the interactve comedies inspired by the martial arts culture. I went to see Jump, a permanent show with good reviews. The show told the story of a simple family who practiced kung fu, this lead to many funny scenes. It was in the second part of the show that things became interesting : one of the actors, the one playing the grandfather, walked around the audience to find an adversary for his grandson. I was very difficult for me, one of the only caucasians in the room to go unnoticed. I found myself on stage romping around and apparently conquering the meakest of my two opponents, two brothers. The crowd, Go
MyeongDong, downtown and very modern, skyscrapers designed to inspire, little cafes everywhere, with men in suits walking in every which way. North of Cheonggyecheon, a small river separating this part of town, the tall towers gradually disappearing leaving room for parks and some rustic houses, some with a very particular sense of style, similar to the Japanese style or rather, Asian style. You could easily walk the streets for hours without getting bored. I alternated my walks between the palace and a few charming streets full of shops that my mother would have spent a fortune. I was also quite impressed by park Tapgol where, coffee in hand, old men solve the problems of the world between games of Chinese checkers under a beautiful autumn sun. In the southern part of the city, in the Namdaemun market, it was a little more chaotic, much different then what you would find in Tokyo. The streets were cramped, lots of movement everywhere, everything was a bit more precarious. I was fascinated by the differences, being used to the meticulous order of the land of rising sun.
In short, this was a very interesting trip, Seoul was fascinating, inspiring and I hope I have the chance to go back one day. Although I did not stay very long, I found the Korean people to be relaxed and seemed to take advantage of their lives. A lesson best not forgotten.
thanks Emily for the translation
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