Adventures in Seoul

Probably to the delight of most y'all reading, I'm going to spend this post highlighting some great things about life in Seoul. The past few weeks have taken me on a few adventures, so I thought I might just share them and save y’all from my personal musings for a week. Although Seoul doesn’t have as many tourist attractions as other major cities, there are still a number of places to visit and things to try that cannot be found anywhere else. Here goes.

Climbing Bukhansan

Gearing up for the hike

Two weekends ago I went out hiking with some roommates and friends. And boy oh boy, was it nice to get out of the city for a minute. Seoul, at times, lives under a fog of pollution and overcast weather. The winter only exacerbates this problem, killing any semblance of greenery or liveliness.  I was in desperate need of a tree or a mountain.

We decided to hike Seoul’s tallest mountain, Bukhansan, which is still easily climbable in a day. It took us about an hour and a half to get to the mountain proper by subway and bus and then another 2 and half to get to the summit. The pictures will probably serve as better descriptors of the actual hike, so I’ll leave that to them. A few notes, though.

A man we met on the mountain

First, the people. Our fellow hikers consisted of a swarm of identically dressed ajummas and ajashis, each equipped with a brightly colored windbreaker, an unnecessarily large visor, and professional-grade walking sticks. However, these older Korean folks were much more pleasant than the average subway-goer you meet in Seoul. Keeping with the time-honored traditions of hiking, they were quick to say hello or mention the the beauty of the view. There’s something about being outdoors in great weather that brings out the best in people.

Second, the cats. Feral cats can be spotted everywhere on the mountain. Here’s a picture of one of the many felines at the peak. They were clearly comfortable with human interaction, purring near hikers eating lunch in the hopes of being throwna scrap of tuna. I assume they live there, but I have no idea how they survive the winter.

Third, the view. The last stretch of the hike had us on a steep incline with metal lines as our guides upward. The peak brought with it an unparalleled view of Seoul. Korea really is quite beautiful once you get above the literal and metaphorical haze of Seoul; the juxtaposition of the mountains and the city was something to behold.

View from Bukhansan

Fourth, the way down. Our descent was a little more perilous than the way up. We had decided to go down the other side of the mountain – the side where the sun don’t shine. It was again steep, and the ice had yet to melt, so a few of us (I won’t name any names) spent a good portion on their backsides sliding down. I, for one, was having a great time!

Yeoiudo

The next weekend brought us to Yeoiudo, the financial capital of Seoul and designated day trip spot for Seoulites. The main attraction of the island – it’s technically surrounded by water – is an esplanade along the Han River. Spring has yet to come in Seoul, so the normally green esplanade was marred by the hay-colored grass that plagues the city during winter. Still, it was a great place to spend a Sunday afternoon with the locals. In Yeoiudo, you’ll find a good mix of skateboarders, musicians, and other misguided youths as well as families and couples perched up in tents for the day. 

The tall boy himself

We spent the day moseying around, taking pictures and eating ice cream. As usual, the locals were fascinated with us. Whether it's groups of high-schoolers waving emphatically or grown men asking to take pictures with Andre (he's 6ft/185cm), Koreans are always amazed by groups of Westerners. If I'm honest, it's nice to feel like a celebrity every once in a while. 

San-nakji

Finally, I wanted to share a food experience from earlier this week. I went to the Noryangjin fish market with one of my roommates and her brother and cousin. The expressed purpose of the trip was San-nakji, a seafood dish where baby octopi are cut into small pieces and eaten raw. Being raw, the tentacles still move as you eat them. Going in, I was eager but slightly nervous to try the delicacy. It’s a well-known fact in Korea that many people die every year eating San-nakji because they neglect to chew it thoroughly. I was determined to avoid death by octopus.

The fish market at night

The market is comprised of an older open market and a new indoor market. The newer side also has restaurants on the second floor, where customers can choose to bring their own fish from downstairs or have them brought up by the restaurant staff. To avoid any catastrophic mistakes, we chose the latter. 

The restaurant we selected had the typical trappings of a traditional Korean eatery: wooden tables on the floor, empty bottles of soju lying around, and passive aggressive waitresses. We ordered one plate of san-nakji and two plates of fried mystery fish. Ordering in Korea can often be tricky because most plates are meant to be shared. Our octopus arrive at the table squirming ever so slightly. I dived right in, but was disappointed by the result. It was rather tough and flavorless for a dish so famous. They did provide us with a salted oil to dip the san-nakji to give it more flavor, but the oil also had a Frankenstein effect: bringing the octopus back to life. Certainly a unique meal.   

The million plates of Korean food (san-nakji in the middle)

My scores:

8/10 for squirms

3/10 for flavor

2/10 for texture
10/10 for an experience everyone should try

So there's a quick glance at some of the more interesting things I've been up to. To quote Andre, "Korea never ceases to amaze me." 

-JCP


P.S. Sorry if the formatting is a bit funky, Blogger is stubborn when it comes to pictures