Itchy Feet Wanderings: B006: Korean Whereabouts

IFWanderer Jerico sends an open letter to his travel friends. Read on!

Dear IFW,

Hi! I’m nearing my contract’s end, and guess what? It will be renewed (as if you don’t know that already). So, for at least a year, I will continue living in Korea. Now before I see all of you on my coming vacation, let me give a recap of my whereabouts for the past 11 months.

The first impression I got when I stepped foot on Koreansoil was, hmm, this reminds me of Japan. The people look similar, there is a language barrier, life looks fast-paced and hi-tech and the transportation system is efficient. Because of the similarities, I adjusted easily to life here. As days went by, I didn’t just see more similarities but differences as well. I like Korea, but when people ask me which country I prefer, I don’t hesitate to say, Japan. (Again, I like Korea. :))

Moving on, let me start by talking about the food. Food here is great! But be ready to taste something spicy – they love that flavor here! If you cannot tolerate spicy food, it will limit your gastronomic experience.

Here are my top picks:

Jampong and Jajangmyeon: these are Koreanized Chinese noodles. They can only be found in Chinese restaurants, but are evidently influenced by Korean taste. Jampong is this super hot seafood noodles in soup. Most servings have generous amount of seafood (octopus, squid, mussels and/or shrimp), the flavor of which combines perfectly with chili soup – delicious! Jajangmyeon is wheat noodles with dark soybean paste sauce added with vegetables and meat or seafood. The sauce is salty and sweet at the same time. It’s like “pancit canton” with sauce tailored for Korean taste. I like ordering the seafood version: Samseon Jajangmyeon. For both noodles, I noticed that they put a lot of onions.

Chili Jampong! The color is enough warning.

Kamjatang: Spicy pork-bone (spine) soup with vegetables, served boiling hot. This reminds me of bulalo, but some would even say it reminds them of kaldereta and sinigang.

What does this remind you of?

Korean barbecue: This usually comes to mind first whenever I think of Korean food. Korean barbecue varies with type of meat and preparation, of course, but you will most likely eat them with the same set-up: cooking by yourself using a grill or stove built on the table. Perhaps the most popular is samgyeopsal, pork belly cut with 3 layers (fat, meat, fat or meat, fat, meat). My favorite would definitely be hanu (Korean beef) – delicious and uh, expensive. It’s interesting to note that they like eating barbecue with greens, i.e. lettuce and perilla leaf. They dip the meat in soybean paste (or other sauce), wrap it with leaf and then eat.

At Choice 21 - an eat all you can barbecue restaurant with an assortment of meat

It’s a shame though that I don’t like one of their staple foods: kimchi. I just don’t like fermented vegetables in general, so sorry for me. And whenever a dish has a strong kimchi flavor to it, I spare it if I can. Another one I avoid is Sundae, or “blood sausage” – enough said.

I should also mention that many people here love to drink. You will be surprised about how even the ladies drink a lot!

Now on to places...

It’s actually a shame that for the length of my stay here, I haven’t explored a lot. I rarelywent outside Seoul. Hmm, I’m not really the type who enjoys traveling alone. I tried it during one long holiday: Chuseok and I didn’t feel all happy about it. Nonetheless, here are the places I’ve been to during that time. I went with friends for the first and last items, for those in between, I went alone:

Caribbean Bay: this is a water amusement park which is part of the Everland Resort. This isn’t really our type of travel, is it? At least I enjoyed the Aqua Loop, the most extreme slide I tried by far.

Seoul N Tower: many famous cities have that “it” place, where you go and get a bird’s eye view of the city. In Seoul, this is it.

Gyeongbokgung Palace: Korea is also known for its palaces. This one’s the biggest of them all.

The palace was crowded during last year's Chuseok (holiday).
During that day, admission was free.

Banpo Bridge: Installed along the length of this bridge are water nozzles and lights which is the world's longest bridge fountain - the Rainbow Fountain. During summer, they run a musical light and fountain show, which is a spectacle to see. It is a must-see for any tourist visiting Seoul in summer.

Did I say Rainbow Fountain?

Seoul Grand Park: Within this is Seoul Zoo which is good for families, and an amusement park - Seoul Land. One thing I would remember is trying the Sky X… it’s almost like bungee jumping

Marine mammals show at the Seoul Zoo

A picture before the three of us went to take the plunge via the Sky X

One place I went to which is outside of Seoul is Naminara Republic, or simply, Nami Island. You may know about this big Korean drama, Winter Sonata. Parts of it were shot in this tiny island in the river. After the drama’s success, Nami became a sensation and is now a top tourist destination. I went there in autumn, and I would recommend choosing this season to anyone who hasn’t experienced living in a country with 4 seasons. The change in the foliage’s colors that occur during autumn is a thing of beauty. And seeing this phenomenon in Nami Island will mesmerize people from the tropics!

That gorgeous aisle...

Future Prospect

Halfway during my stay, I started attending the Seoul Toastmasters Club and eventually became a member. It led me to meeting new acquaintances and possibly, friends. And I’m happy to have met sporty and adventurous people. Lately, I’ve been playing tennis again, and am getting hooked to wakeboarding! Remember how I sucked at it in CWC? I have been avenging myself from that experience, hahaha! And this coming weekend, I will go to Busan and try surfing! (Whatever happened to our Baler trip?)

The recent happenings give me visions of a more active second year in Korea. Who knows, I may just find a travel group here. Rest assured you will always be my favorite travel friends! :)

I look forward to seeing you all (albeit separately) on my vacation! We all have a lot to talk about! :D