My soul is in Seoul. Part 1. Feb. 2023

Reminisces of the past pasted to the present. Food flavored.

PART 2 IS HERE

It is official. My favorite food is Korean food. Fermented, often smelly, a lot of vegetables, banchan culture (side dishes like kimchi etc. are replaced free of charge if you wish so), VARIETY!. Later on that.

Korea has been closed to international visitors due to so called COVID, so I have been missing it for 3 years or so. Long river walks, vibes of Itaewon, Myongdong, Insadong and Cheongdam - my usual stay bases, plus a non-challant Garosu-gil… I have been longing to step my foot on these places a lot. We go back to 2005, so it is a CONNECTION.

Upon arrival to Seoul this Sunday of Feb. 26, 2023, I have checked my earlier e-mail diaries. Below is the extract from the post in 2016, just 7 years ago, not much have changed. Maybe I have lost a few kilos and North Korean leaders gained a few… Sharing it being on nostalgic note.

2016.

Seoul. 42% of labor force in Korea is here, 10 mln. people, give and take, population. Permanent base of US 2^nd infantry division – 10,000. You must serve in the army – 2 years, how Russian it is.

Progressive electronics industries mix up with old men delivering goods on the bikes, great subway system, cars parking and driving as close to each other as your fingers, beautiful Han river and colorful spicy foods, rough 50+ years old over population and young gentle human pieces, brought up without harsh lessons of life, sipping lattes at 5+ dollars and hunting for every possible new brand , mountain hikes everywhere (NOW POWER SCOOTERS)… Nice meal you can have at 10$ and very full. I love Seoul.

Flight to Seoul is really short from Japan, just a couple of hours (NOW FOUR hours - guess we need to avoid certain air spaces).

Normally I stay in Pacific Hotel in the famous shopping Myongdong district. Not because of shopping, but because this hotel has excellent jimbilban (Korean bath house) with sauna, cold and hot baths, hot clay rest room (60 D), massage showers, Jacuzzi. All for around $9. Many cafes to visit after the hot bath…

In Seoul I also recommend visiting area called Garosu-gil (Sinsa staion). There are many fancy shops and cafes there. If not for shopping, but just for vibrant, youngish atmosphere (no much cheap simple food here though).

If you walk north from Garosu-gil, you will get into Han River Park, it is just a very long walking and cycling path. Nice for outdoor exercise.

This time I am staying in Cheongdam area (Gangnam). I like Riviera Hotel here (guess stayed 30 times here or more), they give me top floor when I ask for, relatively quiet, gym (now 7K KRW, before free) and sauna (still 11,000 KRW). During these few days in Seoul I had a few time-off breaks between business meetings and managed to check some of the areas I have frequented before. Just diarizing my impressions in this post.

The area around Riviera hotel has changed to more “brand is important”, high earth- high rise feeling. Gone are the shops where I used to buy fruits or popular with taxi drivers kimchi stew joint. But back streets are still alive and preserve original Korean flavors and take it or leave it atmosphere.

First of all, my favorite cheonggukjang (fermented soy beans stew) place is in place.

Today I have ordered what I call checnggukjang galore -a fermented beans stew, but with added leaves, a bit of meat, fermented octopus and many banchan. Woo!!! All only 20,000 KRW.

Going through my “old routes” now.

Hang river walks are still pleasant.

I used to walk hours here, regardless of the season (although I tend to avoid Korea during the winters, it is just COLD).

Was so happy to find “my” gym still in place (facing Namsan Park), spent a while here bench pressing and doing push-ups.

From here 40 or so minutes along the river to Garosu-gil area-the Mecca of youngsters. I like it here for the bald food ideas, cozy streets (see the trees with scarfs - it is winter, mate), and nobody frowning upon me when I ask my decaf long black with four espresso shots - “little water please”.

Garosu humor - see the sign.

As I mentioned, interesting food ideas continue. Look at this menu. I love shakshuka and used to cook it myself in Sydney, but this fusion looks interesting.

But where I ate was a non-pretentious place to where I was lured by the sign of kimchi-fried rice with cheese. James, as he called himself, the owner, allowed me to order just one portion - instead of minimum order of two (he spent some time in Australian Gold Coast - means we are friends enough to break the rules).

SO NICE.

The place name is simple - Japanese kanji for 813 (did not take me long to figure out - his birthday - nod from James).

My another base in Seoul used to be Pacific Hotel in Myongdong area of Seoul. As I mentioned above. Still very busy district. I wondered through the area, checked Nike and Adidas giant shops (somehow in Korea they have many things other countries do not, so usually I buy my sport gear here), another decaf, and then I see a newcomer - craft beer pub Artmonster.

“How long have you been opened” -” Just one year and a half”.

OK, means I don’t know you. Let’s drive it to the know. Hazy IPA is perfect and chicken with rice cakes (tteobokki) equally good and spicy to my taste!

On the way back I see the same picture as everywhere in the world: people eyes magnetized by their iPhones. This industry took over us: we no longer dare to look straight or up to the skies.

But not her. Got some fruits and we exchanged smiles: world is changing, but we are not.

I like Korea, want to explore more. After living 5 years in Japan, I can spot only a few negative things:

• public toilets are rare (wonder how do they cope), but way out is to enter any public building with open entrance, funny enough many have toilets open to the public (may be this is their system, need to ask )

• people on the public transport are noisy (are not they same everywhere except for Japan, probably)

So, I want to walk around Korea a month or two, out of Seoul, may need a crush course on the language, but I welcomed this desire inside me.

Rephrasing one blogger, travel is a bridge between the dream and reality…

Yours in travel

IZ