April 19th to April 22nd, 2018
Things I Did:
- Stayed at the Hongdae Lazy Fox Hostel…was really welcoming. My four friends and I had an entire room to ourselves.
- Explored Hongdae for a while. There are so many shops and restaurants that you could spend hours getting lost. We spent a lot of time in the “vintage clothing district,” where you will find tons and tons of unique authentic thrift shops, selling really cool vintage clothing. The style in Seoul is really noteworthy.
- We also toured a food market — got to see some “items” I had never seen before so was definitely worth the quick trip.
- Seoul was definitely a “food adventure.” We had several memorable meals…ranging from authentic KBBQ to classic Korean Fried Chicken to Japanese Lamb BBQ (I know, in Korea?!? but I have to say this was one of my favorite meals of my life). Seoul is not particularly cheap but the food is well worth it!
- The nightlife scene in Seoul is some of the best I have ever experienced (up there with Beijing and Barcelona). One night, my friends and I got a table at Octagon. We started the night drinking Soju and were out until 4am. Lots of awesome stories from that experience.
- We did a full body Virtual Reality Experience — similar to Sandbox VR — that was super awesome. Definitely the best VR I have ever experienced!
- Did a tour of the DMZ. Was cool to see North Korea, and learn a bit about the history between the two regions. I wonder how we will look back, say in 20 years, on the conflict in this area…
Thoughts:
- Seoul was one of my favorite cities I have ever been to…The mix of awesome food, beautiful city architecture, and nightlife was really incredible and welcoming to foreigners. While there was a lot going on, nothing was too overwhelming.
- Technology is everywhere in Korea. Not unlike the USA, everyone is addicted to their phones…one the subways…walking around the streets…buses…everyone is glued to their screens. Seoul seems to be a few years ahead of the USA in terms of technological infrastructure as well as social/cultural feelings towards the immersion of tech into daily life.
- I could see myself spending a lot more time in Seoul — definitely tons to do…clearly not as touristy as other cities I have been to (Beijing, London), but still plenty of sights to see. Also not as overwhelming at cities like Tokyo…Seoul felt very livable. There is also a strong community of nomads and teachers who spend time in Seoul…all makes sense after visiting!
Also published on Medium.