South Korea Pt.5 "Seoul"

  We were all leaving within the same day or two but after almost of week of spending each waking moment with each other, the couples were hoping to get some time to enjoy the company of just each other. Before breaking up in factions though, we all attended and thoroughly enjoyed chicken and beer at Doosan Bears Baseball game at Jamsil Stadium. It really is as spectacular as people let you believe. The crazy part is, cheap tickets are 10$ (CAD) and the most expensive being 30$ (CAD). You cannot buy the tickets online and if you are buying for a larger group of people who want to sit together, I recommend getting there earlier, getting some food outside and bringing some beers inside by tucking them in a waist belt or jacket.    The beer is cheap everywhere in Korea but obviously a tad bit more expensive in sanctioned sporting events (as everywhere else in the world). The seats are worth the money as you also have a table in front of you to put your food and drinks on during the game, it can be a pain to be trying to hold a box of chicken to share along with beer. The stadium is cheapest and easiest to get to by taking the metro, however if time is of the essence, taxi is your best bet. Tickets are sold throughout the game so being late for ticket sales is not a concern unless you have expectations.

  The next few days in Seoul was spent with the couples doing their own things and solo travelers getting up to random shenanigans as well as café lounging. My partner and I made it up to the North Seoul Tower for dinner and drinks with friends. Thinking as long as we walk towards the tower we would get there, but we were terribly mistaken. What we didn’t anticipate was being half of an hour late due to climbing in city slicker clothes while carrying items bought from Myeong-Dong Shopping area. A long day of walking through Shopping districts and Gyeongbokgung Palace led to the longest part of the night when after dinner we needed to walk down Namsan mountain and find a bus that would take us back to our guesthouse.

  One of the most memorable moments in Seoul was when my partner and I decided to grab dinner relatively late one night in Sinchon near the place I had picked up some shoes for myself. We were not in the mood to go out and do anything to extravagant. We made our way to the duty free that day so my partner could pick up some South Korean goods; ate a nice lunch at a random little restaurant in a corner of a hidden alleyway in Sinchon. After which we were fortunate enough to have an opportunity to wander around the city’s central business areas and see the different foods and cafes that Seoul has to offer. We found ourselves in Sinchon wandering around when we began to realize we were a little hungry and needed food that was not fried or dried. We found ourselves at a Seafood restaurant; there were no English menus or staff there. All the patrons seemed to be younger folks celebrating and having fun. The menu wasn’t very big on the wall and actually looked the same. After my partner requested some stewed fish that she had seen on another table, the little old woman working got to work in the kitchen. The meal was roughly 40 dollars and came with beer as well as copious amounts and varieties of Kimchi. It was seafood or fried chicken and honestly, I felt like we needed some sort of vegetables or not so oily of foods in our day. The fish came in a matter of minutes, the woman was willing to show us the fish so we wouldn’t be charged for too much (because he price is sometimes more expensive if the fish weighs more).The woman took the netted fish into the kitchen when in minutes after sitting down, the fish made its way to our table.

  The table was beautifully coloured by the different Kimichee dishes and drawing no attention away from the fish. He head and tail were still on the dish as it came out and the meat (sashimi) was layered between both as though it was a clever artistry displaying exactly where each piece had came from of the fish. The fish however unappetizing it looked, it was extremely fresh and very tasty. In fact, the meat was so fresh that after about the first couple nibbles peeled away from the dish, the fish started to gasp. The tail wasn’t flailing or moving off the dish, but the head was certainly very much gasping. Until that point I had only heard about the “Last breath Fish” dish. I didn’t feel like I would really ever want it again as it is a little disturbing to watch your food watching you. The meal was quite pleasant and the topping of the meal was finally what my partner had asked for, the fish stew which was actually the head, tail and bones from the dish stewed and put into a stone pot along with vegetables and a very tasty tomato base. It was an experience that needed to be had as well as great end to a couple’s day.

  The next day was spent relaxing and finding a café to just use some WIFI inside of as it was a bit rainy outside. We were again later walking around shopping while our other friends had a remarkable experience at the North and South Korean Borderlands. We met up with our friends later that evening with tasty flavoured Soju of every kind. After some drinks and experience sharing, we decided to go out to a bumping club called M2. I actually loved leaving the bar for the pizza around the corner more than I liked the bar. It was noisy, smoky, crowded and full of pigs. Regardless of where you are in the world I guess guys will always have yearning to act out and grab out women. Those of us travelling together ended up going elsewhere for a couple drinks which turned out to be for a lot longer a time than it had felt. Close friends; empty dance floor; wheel of results that was awkwardly weighted to always land on “kiss the bartender”; this was turning out to be a hilarious night. We ended the evening in a bar that we actually cannot remember the name of, but it in our defense it was 6am. We got through one beer, I passed out with  shot in my hand waiting to take it when it was decided earlier afternoon flights are easiest made by not going to bed too late.

   Flying back with China Eastern Airlines was not horrible (contrary to popular beliefs) but it was only about an hour flight from our location so it really did not matter at all who our flight was with. It was not a huge disappointment that the vacation had ended. A w eek in Korea was exactly what was needed. Beach lounging; lax public drinking laws; and amazing food to experience with close friends were all things that one could easily be in need of and have found in Korea.