Trip Report: Fifteen Hours In Seoul

Fifteen hours are not sufficient for a traveler to appreciate a travel destination, but when you have an international travel planned for every month for the remaining of the year, you will have to make do with that little time you have to appreciate a city that you have yet visited. In my case, this city was Seoul, Korea .

Hour 1 (5:00am): Arrived in Seoul from Hong Kong . Only slept for a couple of hours since it was a red-eye flight. Accessed the Airline lounge for some coffee and breakfast.

Hour 2: Asked tourist information counter at airport the best/most economical way to travel to Seoul . Also asked which areas I should hit mainly. Girl at counter (Miss Kim) spoke fluent Mandarin (the Beijing kind; not surprising given the Chinese Capital’s proximity to Seoul ) and provided some clear directions. Took bus 605 to Dongdaemun Market.

Hour 3: Slept through the entire bus ride

Hour 4: Arrived at Dongdaemun Market. This is the shopping area famous among tourist, according to Miss Kim at the tourist information counter. Was unimpressed with Dongdaemun (The Eastern Gate). It needed a pain job badly. Most shops were closed since it was still early in the morning. Walked around to experience the morning calmness of Seoul .

Hour 5: There were more shops that were open and there were more people on the streets (mainly those rushing to work). Went to Pyeonghwa Fashion Market and Dongdaemun Shoes Market – both places were clothes and shoes bazaar offering affordable merchandise. Not my cup of tea though.

Hour 6: Had breakfast from streetside vendor. Sign language came in handy. Had a piece of egg toast with ham (Korean version of croque madame I guess). Also checked out a few shopping malls in the area.

Hour 7: Took the subway to the Cheongdam area to meet up with Sang for lunch. The subway system in Seoul was extensive. The subway car seemed clean and the travel from Dongdaemun to Cheongdam took almost an hour ( Seoul is apparently a pretty big city).

Hour 8: According to Sang, the Cheongdam area was the hippest area in Seoul , offering a vast array of luxury shopping malls and hip restaurants. Drove around the area in Sang’s vehicle made by Samsung (first time riding the car manufactured by a company known for its mobile phones, at least in the US )

Hour 9: Had lunch at this hole-in-the-wall restaurant located near Itaewon that was popular among locals. They served thinly cut meat that you cook yourself at the table then dip it in a very tasty soy sauce. They also served this very yummy miso based soup with tofu. Of course Sang did all the ordering and I didn’t even bother asking him what the name of the restaurant was. He also paid for lunch. I felt blessed.

Hour 10: Hung out at the Itaewon area. According to Sang, this is an area famous among foreign expats and tourists alike. This area is filled with restaurants, bars, traditional Korean bathhouses and hotels. Had coffee at a French restaurant.

Hour 11: Insisted that Sang should go back to work and not hang out with me. Walked around by myself and came across a traditional Korean bathhouse. Since the admission was only $4, it was worth checking out. It looked highly in need of a renovation. Spent 30 minutes dipping in super hot then super cold water with four other 60+ year old men. The bath really helped invigorate someone with a serious lack of sleep from the night before.

Hour 12: Took the bus from Itaewon back to the airport. Had a great conversation with this Kiwi next to me who now lives in Fiji (I was truly envious of him). Also dozed of for half an hour during the ride.

Hour 13-15: Did some work at the airline lounge. Cleared many emails from my inbox before getting back to work once I arrived home.

Seoul seemed to be a very nice city to visit but its pace was a tad slow for my liking, especially when I had spent the last four-five days in a place like Hong Kong before going to Seoul.