Korea – July 2023
I’m slightly overwhelmed by the amount of people in the metro from the Expressway Bus Terminal to Sinae‘s house. During the 4 weeks I spent in the countryside on Geoje Island close to Busan, I only walked along the seaside and at most took local busses. But now I‘m on the way to drop off my luggage at my friend‘s house and then I plan to immediately head back out to the city center for today‘s Pride Parade. As soon as I get out of the metro in Myeong-Dong, I can see lots of people carrying various items with rainbow flags. I follow them to the main street. The atmosphere is quite different from the parade I went to in Valencia the year prior. There is only 1 float and of course, the music played is mostly K-Pop songs to which everyone seems to know the choreographies. There are not many people standing at the side of the street, cheering on the participants like they did in Spain.
Actually, the only people I remember seeing are a group of christians holding up signs with slogans like „You are sinners“ in Korean and English. I also notice that there are A LOT of foreigners participating. Since Sinae is still out on a work assignment, I decide to return to her house via a detour to Han River. I take a direct bus to Nodeul Island and walk around the small park for a while, savouring the more quiet evening hours. It‘s sunset time and the heat of the day finally gets a bit more bearable. As always in Korea, there are lots of couples everywhere. They are having coffee or dinner at one of the food outlets or watching the show streamed at the openair cinema. Since the movie is in Korean only, I take this as a sign to head over to the waterfront, where I enjoy the clear sky and sunset view. Later I walk along the Han River side under the full moon. It seems to be a popular activity among locals too. I pass lots of people in sports outfits or holding hands with a significant other, cycling, running or simply strolling along the water.
When I finally arrive at my friend‘s place, Sinae is home too and we update each other about the events of the past 2 months. As always, we end up laying in bed, showing each other funny videos until late at night. Luckily, the next day is a day off for me. So I only get up once Sinae lurs me out of bed with the anmouncement that breakfast is ready. Today we‘re having Gimbap with homemade Kimchi and coffee. It really doesn‘t get more Korean than this. I spend the afternoon planning my upcoming trip to Central Asia. Grateful that I can to use Sinae‘s large PC monitor, I attempt to decipher yet another unfamiliar script on the Uzbek Railway website. After researching a bit more I finally locate the right train for the experience I hope for and book my ticket. Sinae is also done with work for today and we spend the rest of the day hanging out at her apartment and playing with the neighbour‘s kids.
The next day I finish work early, so I can take a last tour to East Seoul to visit one of my favourite areas in the city. I take the train to Konkuk University Station and stroll through the small streets of Seongsu-Dong that are lined with hip cafés and restaurants for a bit. Since it‘s sunny but not too hot today, I decide to get some take out coffee and sip it at Han River. So I walk back to Ttukseom Hangang Park which is bustling with couples, groups of friends and families. Everyone is spread out on their picnic sheets and most people are munching on fried chicken or instant noodles bought from the pop up convenience store. Kids are running around, playing and there are lot of people excercising too. I first join the fishermen quietly sitting on their small chairs at the riverside, each one with a can of beer or two next to them. I take in the view of the stationary pirate ship turned wedding hall in front of me and the Lotte World Tower on the other side of the river. Looking for a bit more relaxation, I then venture up the small hill to set up my beach towel on the lawn under a big tree.
I spend some time there reading, before the sunset time makes me feel too lonely. Looking at all the people hanging out with their loved ones, I imagine what it would be like for me to live in Seoul. Just then, Sinae calls and asks me what I want to eat for dinner. We agree to cook at home and meet at a supermarket close to her house. There are lots of vegetables, sprouts, and mushrooms for sale, so we buy all the ingredients for a hearty hotpot dinner. And since according to Sinae a meal is incomplete without meat, this also includes generous slices of pork and beef. At first, I think it’s a bit excessive to make 2 different soups for only 2 people. But with the cleverly divided pot, it’s super simple and much more fun to eat 2 meals in one. And to top it all of, we end the evening with a quick visit to the nearby convenience store to buy some beer to fuel another late night deep discussion.
Alcohol is an integral part to surviving the rainy first part of the Korean summer, it seems. On a particularly gloomy day, Sinae texts me sometime in the afternoon with directions to a metro station in central Seoul. She’s doing some shopping in the area and will be meeting friends for drinks there later. So in the early evening, I head out into the warm summer shower and take a train across Han River. I meet Sinae at the station before heading over to the tent bar area, where her friends are already sitting at a table completely covered with barbecue meat, side dishes and several bottles of soju and beer. That night, I learn from Chae Bin how to mix the Korean liquor with beer like a professional. We take turns in pouring each other’s glasses, joke and eat for a while. Then, just when I’m getting really full, Chae Bin’s boyfriend suggests that we head over to another tent bar where they have really delicious jeon (kind of salty Korean pancakes).
In standard Asian manner, Jong-He already paid the bill and we promptly head back out into the rain, leaving behind the leftovers. Walking through the streets of the financial district, I realize that I’m quite drunk. And what’s better to soak up alcohol than delicious fried food? We stroll through the small alley lined with displays filled with all kinds of jeon. Pointing at the different pancakes, we order a huge plate to share between the four of us. Now innocent me thought that we are done with the drinking. But unsupervised, Chae Bin made sure to also order Makgeolli and another bottle of beer for everyone. I honestly don’t know how Korean people’s livers are keeping up. Finally I realize, that the only way for me to make it through the night without alcohol poisoning is to drink more slowly. After all, the glass is only refilled when empty. The strategy luckily works quite well and since we started early, we catch the last train back home and are still in bed by 1:30am.
The next day, Sinae’s friend arrives from Busan. She’s also staying with us for a long weekend, and I move my stuff from the master bedroom to the guestroom. After that many consecutive nights of social drinking, I figure that it’s safer to give them some space to catch up and escape to the Han River after work. I get some Tteokbokki and fried chicken at a street food stall and watch the sunset from the river bank one last time. With a little detour to one of my favourite coffee places in Sinae’s neighbourhood, I return to an empty home at around 9pm. Just when I think my plan worked out, Sinae calls. “Where are you? Come join us at the Izakaya on the main street. It’s close from home!”. So how could I say no? 10 minutes later, I’m sitting at the counter of the Japanese style pub, drink plum wine and eat Takoyaki with the girls.
The following day is my last full day in Korea. It’s a Friday and I have to finish up work before packing for my flight the next day. (Mind you, between all the drinking, I have been working full-time!). However, another traveller whom Sinae met during her recent stay in Vietnam arrives at her house at around noon. Everyone is in a playful mood and I end up signing off and closing my laptop early. With the small apartment already quite crowded, the Belgian guy chooses to stay at a cheap guesthouse in Hongdae where we are planning to spend the evening. We catch the metro and drop of Remy at his accommodation. While he checks in and freshens up, us girls go on a stroll through the neighbourhood, looking for a nice Korean BBQ restaurant for my farewell and Remy’s welcome dinner. For once, we manage to finish all the food (even the kimchi refill, rice, and soup. But of course, this wasn’t all.
We then head over to the main party street, where we find an empty table at a chain pub. The place is popular for its Rabokki, a combination of Ramyeon and Tteokbokki. And along with the hearty second course of the night, we naturally have to order more drinks. Once again, it’s a long night filled with laughter and many travel stories are being shared. Only at around 2am, we finally leave the pub. While contemplating our next step, Remy notices a photobooth shop on the other side of the street. It’s open 24/7, so we quickly head inside to take some commemorative pictures. The fun part about this typical Korean experience is the hats, glasses, and costumes available. 4 pictures later, we head back out on the street, say farewell to Remy and then grab a Kakao Taxi to return to Sinae’s apartment. Once we get home, I finish packing, so I don’t have to do it the next morning. Just when I close my large backpack for good, Sinae hands me about 15 packages of dried seaweed to bring as a gift for my friends in Central Asia. Can a person be more hospitable?
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