After school on Friday Jason and I immediatly grabbed a cap and headed to the Express Bus Terminal. Arriving at 4:50pm were were just able to snag a spot on the 5:00pm bus to Seoul. The goal was to get there by 7pm to meet a group of people from the magazine I wrote the article for. The magazine (Work n Play) came out this week and my article is in it! It takes up two whole pages and is featured on the cover! (See "A World in Flux: Korean Avant-Garde Art") I'm now a published author! Friday night was a dinner to commemorate the launch of the magazine. I'd only been communicating with one of the editors via email so it was also a chance to meet everyone in person.
Unfortunately half way through the journey it didn't look as if we would be making it to Seoul by 7pm. We were horribly stuck in traffic and I had no idea where or how far away we were from Seoul. At about 6:45 I texted to say I probably won't make dinner. But then what do you know, we arrived in Seoul at 7pm! I had no idea we were so close. Jason and I were able to meet up with the group for dinner after all, although we were a little late.
Everyone involved with the magazine were really nice and for the most part pretty young. Everyone also lives in Seoul and were shocked that we had come all the way from Wonju! They acted as if Gangwon Province was this backwards place, as if they couldn't understand why you would live there or how you could have any fun doing so. It was pretty amusing! A two hour bus trip doesn't seem like much time to me, especially when you are staying over night. Jason and I also kept bowing and being super traditionally polite to all the Koreans we met at the dinner and they would just laugh at us, they were very modern in their traditions and spoke English fluently, most having lived abroad for some time.
After the excellent dinner the group become much smaller and only a handful of us decided to go out for the night. Jason and I had never been to Hongdae, one of the most happening college town areas of Seoul. We took the subway for about 45 minutes to get there. We emerged to a sprawling landscape of bars, shops, resturants, fast food and night clubs. The streets went on and on for over a mile it seemed. There were so many people and so much happening! There was also so much food variety! I realized at that point that I hadn't seen a Starbucks in two months, so when I saw one, then two, then three, it was very strange.
Some people were hungry so we stopped for Thai Food. The cute resturant was down a side street off of one of the main Hongdae drags. They had Dr. Pepper on the menu! Another delicacy! We ordered some. The table talk turned very philosophical and I think we all felt like we were in college again. A somewhat good feeling, and a somewhat not good feeling.
After the late night snack, it was about midnight, we headed downstairs from the resturant to a very laid back bar/club. The place was super unique! Inside it was decorated like a cave, even the walls and the ceiling were molded to look like a cave. There was a small dance floor in the middle and huge steps around it, each leading to suspended sitting areas where you could chill on matts with your friends, surrounded by candle light. There was a DJ and strobe lights but the clientel was all hippy. People in faded, loose fitting pants, beanies, slightly ungroomed. They were "dancing" and swaying on the floor to techno reggae. People were playing with hoola hoops and exercise balls. It was a little trippy. I had the sourest midori sour of my life and we relaxed with some mango hooka. A little after 1:30 we decided it was time to call it a night and head out to find the jimjilbang we would be staying at. One of the Korean girls we were with recommended one and gave us directions via her iphone. It was close by and only cost 9000 won each. Like I've said before, jimjilbangs are cheap, safe and 24 hours, much more affordable than a hotel. One of our new friends who works for the magazine walked back with us, towards the subway and helped us find the jimjilbang. On the way we met a very drunk man who kept asking us to go get more drinks with him, even offering to pay. (It seemed like everyone in Seoul spoke English!) Although by the looks of the area and the crowds it commanded the night was still very young, we declined.
We checked into the jimjimbang, changed into the sweat clothes provided and met up on the communal floor. While the jimjilbang in Wonju is still very nice, this one in Seoul was huge! There were tons of people laying around on mats, hundreds! There were rooms for men, rooms for women, and mixed use. There was also a video arcade, multiple TVs and a full blown resturant inside! Everything you need! Sleeping the night in the jimjilbang was an experience... it was very difficult for me to sleep. While laying next to a random person on the floor wasn't a big deal, it was hard to block out everyone's talking. People didn't fall asleep until almost 4am. Part of the reason why we didn't wake up until 11am and then it was dead quiet! The place was also ridiculously hot! I was sweating all night! The floors you sleep on are heated and while that is nice when it is cold out, it was too hot! Somehow I manged to get some sleep, although I did sleep with my ipod earphones in all night.
The next morning Jason and I were brave again and hit the communal baths to wash up. We weren't planning on it but the night was so hot it was necessary. Once again the changing area was crowded and before me I saw Korean girls transform from wet haired and naked to sleek and stylish.
Finally we emerged into the fresh air and headed towards... Starbucks. I wanted a Christmas latte to remind me of home. We walked around Hongdae some in the day time before taking the subway towards Itaewon and the Samsung Museum of Art. I was asked to do another review so I had to check out an exhibit on contemporary art. It was pretty small but had some really fun peices in it. The gift shop also had gorgeous jewelry and bags! I love museum gift shops.
We managed to figure out how to wander into Itaweon and ate at Kraze Burger. We got chili cheese fries. They were yummy.
Finally it was time to head to Myeongdong! The second most important reason I wanted to come to Seoul was to shop! After a quick coffee to boost my stamina we took to the insanely crowded streets of Seoul's most popular shopping, dining and entertainment area! Jason and I both managed to make it through Forever 21 and H&M but by then it was almost 7pm and we were exhasted! I found some good, warm clothes to buy though! We ended the night with some yummy Japanese ramen.
All in all a successful weekend. An exhasting 24 hours but definetly worth it! I think going to Seoul the night before and staying in a jimjimbang is a great way to see more of the city and have some fun.
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