Home » South Korea » I've Got Seoul....

Quite possibly the most overrused title for visitors to Seoul, yet I feel this title perfectly describes my experience in Korea. My 'soul' was rejuvenated a) because I got a break from the monotony of my job (all July and August I sit at my desk and do NOTHING- good way to spend my time...thank god for sudoku!) and b) I met up with some old friends from Berkeley, which was a nice slice of home. Given the short time I was alloted for summer vacation, it was a quick trip into Seoul and the DMZ, then back to Japan.

I've Got Seoul....

Casey Lary
2007-03-08 20:52:10

Displayed times (last time: )

Quite possibly the most overrused title for visitors to Seoul, yet I feel this title perfectly describes my experience in Korea. My 'soul' was rejuvenated a) because I got a break from the monotony of my job (all July and August I sit at my desk and do NOTHING- good way to spend my time...thank god for sudoku!) and b) I met up with some old friends from Berkeley, which was a nice slice of home. Given the short time I was alloted for summer vacation, it was a quick trip into Seoul and the DMZ, then back to Japan.

The organization of the trip itself is noteworthy. My friend Naomi , a fellow Cal alum, is living in Tokyo and her and I were planning an escape from Japan. A month earlier than our estimated date of departure, another fellow Cal alum and best friend Taz, emails me and says he wants to come to Japan. I wrote back saying "Wanna come to South Korea?" Before he knew it he was booking his flight to Japan AND Korea. The 4th of our crew was fellow Hiroshima JET Jen, who indeed added to the fun of our adventure.

Taz
The largest of the temples in Seoul and I met at Incheon Int'l Airport and headed to Seoul. We easily found our hostel, Seoul Backpackers (highly rated in the lonely planet, yet found it adequate) where their dog was also named "Keishii" or the equivalent in Korean. It took me a day to figure out they were calling on the dog, and were not making passes at me :-). We dropped our stuff off in our respective dorms and headed out to explore our little neighborhood, Insadong. It is famous for its numerous tea houses and Bohemian atmosphere. We wandered the main road and cobblestone streets checking out the tiny shops. Both famished, we were more than ready to indulge in the Korean BBQ. I am quite the fan of Korean food in Japan, so I was soooo ready to taste it straight from the motherland. One restaurant had these incredible dumplings in the window and a fair amount of people inside, so we decided this was the lucky ...