SEOUL VACATION - GETTING THERE & FIRST NIGHT

SEOUL VACATION - GETTING THERE & FIRST NIGHT

I was lucky enough to have a 5 day (paid) vacation within my first month of working so I decided to head up to Seoul, seeing as I have never been before. I booked my hostel reservation online for Bebop Guesthouse in Hongdae. Hongdae is the part of town surrounding Hongik University and is a primo spot for all things nightlife and revelry related.

From Changwon I rode Gretta with a backpackers’s pack full of 5 days worth of traveling necessities and rode to the Changwon Bus Station listening Ray Charles on my iPod.

I buy my ticket to Seoul for 27,000 won and by 10:30 AM I am on the 4 hour bus ride to Seoul. You can get to Seoul by train for about 30-40,000 won, with it being a little faster, a little more roomy and having full access to a bathroom (buses don’t have bathrooms). There is also the speed train that will get you there in 2.5 hours, but that’s closer to 40-50,000 won. I was on a budget.

Headed to Seoul

I folded up Gretta and put the bike and the pack under the bus. The bus was comfortable offering us HD Olympic coverage to watch on TV.  I read Jack London’s Call of the Wild. There were nice views of the countryside to look at. 

Watching Olympic Fencing

Korean Countryside

Korean Countryside

We had one rest stop where I bought what I thought was some sort of hotdog, but was it  actually made of some sort of fishmeal. To drown out the taste I doused every bite in ketchup, but that coupled with the humid 85 degree heat just reminded me of hot barf. Needless to say it was a dissatisfying experience but I was hungry so I ate the whole thing.

I arrive in Seoul at the express bus terminal. It’s in the 90's and very humid.  I get down to the subway and cannot find a full route map. Not leading into the station, not in the station, not on the platform. The first time I saw a full route map was ON an actual subway car. Luckily I picked the right line and right direction (and quickly got a map and an app) and headed to the Hongdae area of Seoul.

Seoul Subway

Seoul Subway

 Also Gretta worked perfect on the Seoul subway. She folds down to about the size of a suitcase. By this time I was hot, agitated and lost, so I let my social graces down and went (sweatily) sleeveless.

Sweaty, hot, agitated

Bebop Guesthouse was super. I stayed there 4 nights. They had wifi, computers, towels, bikes to rent and free breakfast. I slept in a room with 4 bunk beds and people from France, Holland, Australia, Japan and Korea. All for 20,000 a night (less than $20).

Common Area at Bebop Guesthouse

MK is a young Korean aspiring filmmaker who owns and operates the hostel. He’s traveled the world and speaks perfect English.  On my first night he took me and some other hostel guests out around Hongdae. We got Korean BBQ and then strolled aroung Hongdae visiting some unique and quirky shops. I met this Dutch guy Brendan. His mom is a flight attendant so while on break from university he can fly standby for cheap.

MK, Brendan and hostel guests

Toy Cafe in Hongdae

Toy Cafe in Hongdae  

Brendon ended up buying a Groundskeeper Willy a la Vincent Van Gough portrait. "I'm Dutch," explained Brendan. "I have to have this." 

Toy Cafe in Hongdae

Strolling around Hongdae

Art work in Hongdae

Art work in Hongdae

Shop in Hongdae

More food, more hostel guests

 Brendan talked me into going clubbing in Hongdae that night. It was his last night in Seoul and it was an experience he had not yet had. I was reluctant at first, but ended up having a really great time. Cheap drinks and no last call. I must have gotten home around 4 or 5.

Brendan and MK strolling around Hongdae

Hongdae