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Published: November 25th 2013
Downtown Shopping Area
Lots of clothes and especially beauty productsThis week we went to Seoul, South Korea for 2 days, 3 nights. It was our first trip in Asia outside of Beijing. It's really interesting to think that by way of default (or lack of reflection) we took Beijing to be a representative of all of Asia. We figured life wouldn't be too different elsewhere. We had a hint that our assumptions were incorrect when some friends went to Hong Kong and raved about how different life was there. Hitting the pavement in Seoul unraveled our assumptions even further and got us excited to see the many and varied places around Asia. There was a different feeling in Seoul; one might describe it as freedom or openness. It felt like Seoul is being itself, while Beijing is wearing a corset, maybe some make up with something to show or prove. We'll see how they both compare when we travel further. Here are some things we encountered and enjoyed in Seoul. Let us know if you have any questions or comments about the place!
• Lots of coffee shops! In Beijing, the hot beverages of choice are hot water and tea. In Seoul, coffee shops abound. In fact we saw
Gate
A beautiful surprise in downtown Seoul several Dunkin' Donuts, Starbucks, Paris Croissants as well as local joints.
• Aveda salons. There are no Avedas in China so I was lucky to get my hair done in Seoul. I asked the desk person at our hotel to call for me and the first one we tried said they wouldn't do it because they couldn't speak English and didn't want to ruin my hair. The next one said no problem. was at a lovely place in a fantastic mall. I enjoyed the typical Aveda head massage as well as a complementary hand massage. We were also able to get Aveda products duty-free to take back.
• Snow. While I was getting my hair done, it snowed and continued throughout the afternoon. It was a really pretty and Kendall said he saw people dancing around excitedly when it began. Our first snow of the season.
• Unbelievably small hotel room. We ended up sleeping together on the bottom bunk because we had to put our suitcase on the top bunk - no where else to put it. Kendall could touch opposite walls with his arms outstretched.
• The Korean War Memorial. Because it was Monday (an administrative day in Seoul), we were only
able to see the outside exhibits though they were thoroughly interesting and powerful. These included monoliths of those killed in the war, war planes, tanks & other equipment that you could go inside and some sculptures like the one of North and South Korean brothers hugging. The literature throughout emphasizes the desire for peace and for the country to again be whole. Due to the Administrative day, we were unable to go to the DMZ, something we hope to do in the future.
• Delicious food. We had Bi Bim Bab, Leek & Scallion Pancakes and Kim Chi Pancakes. We also splurged on breakfast croissants at a chain called Paris Croissant. While there we saw Bennigans & The Outback Steakhouse, funny.
• Casino. There are two casinos in downtown Seoul. We went to one - very small and pretty typical: ugly carpets, bad lighting, etc. You have to show your passport and Korean citizens cannot enter, I gather that gambling is illegal for them.
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Megan Altshuler
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What an adventure! I love that you so openly talk about your assumptions and how they are evolving. Keep those photos coming!