bnrockin
Joined: 27 Feb 2006
|
 Posted: Sun Nov 30, 2008 4:11 am Post subject: Guide to Seoul |
 |
|
I have a Thai friend who is moving to Seoul soon for work (not English Teaching). She has been asking me a lot of questions and so for information on Seoul as a whole, I wrote her a rough, introductory guide. I know daves esl has a ton of great info about Seoul, yet it is a bit scattered. Maybe this can inspire some of you to write your own guides and it can eventually become a sticked thread.
Just a word of warning-this is a guide based on my own experiences and opinions. It is somewhat rough and I know others might not agree with the things I said in here. Its my goal to make this a collective resource for those needing information about Seoul. If you disagree with something I said or have any ideas of other major topics I should include, please let me know via message. I have already spoken in person a lot about culture, etc. so there might be some obvious things missing. In addition, I am using this as kind of a survivors guide. I have my own opinions about living in Korea and there is a reason I don't anymore. However, I feel that it is possible to be neutral when giving advice for people who do live there to help them find what they need. No matter how much you love or hate Korea, it is still possible to give helpful information.
Anyway, here is my guide that I have made so far. It is volume I.
The Basics:
So when you first arrive, you will no doubt need to buy stuff for different things such as food, clothes, cleaning supplies, and other things to make your life more comfortable.
Department Stores-are located all over Seoul and outside of Seoul. They are a sort of "one stop shop" for everything you need. Some names of them include Hyundai Department store, home plus and homever. As I said, you can get EVERYTHING you need from here, but it can be a little expensive at times, especially if you are buying electronic things. I also told you about Costco, which is a store where you can buy lots of western things, but you have to have a membership card to go here. You can probably buy one there or find a friend who has one. The prices here are very fair.
Convienience stores- These places are around every corner. Just walk in and buy the little things that you need. Some will be nice and have some fresh fruit and vegetables for you. Eventually, you will get a favorite one and they will know you well and be nice to you.
Buying Clothes- As I mentioned before, department stores have everything, including clothes. However, they are quite expensive. If you want some good stuff for good prices, you have to go to a place called Dongdaemun. It is located on the subway Line #1 and Line #4. The best time to go is at night around 10 p.m. or later. The place is PACKED with people, but there are more stores open. You can search on the street for some deals or they have about 3 or 4 buildings which have about 7 or more floors filled with tables with different clothes and fashion. Some of them will have prices listed and others won't. You should ALWAYS ask for a discount at these places. At the places without price tags, they will often charge almost double what it is worth. Don't be afraid to ask as much as 50% off. If you can, its best to bring a Korean along with you, but it isn't always necessary. Sometimes a pad of paper and a calculator can help you communicate well. One useful phrase is "Jom Kok a jew sae yo" which means can you give me a discount.
Books- At some point, you might need to get some books, movies, music, etc. The BEST place for this is a bookstore chain called Kyobo Books. These stores are MASSIVE and really nice. There are three that I know of, one in Kangnam, Mok Dong (Line 5) and Gwanghwamun (line 5). Sometimes its nice to go here to just kind of relax and get away from Seoul life.
Electronics-Eventually, you might need a camera, mp3 player, hair dryer, etc. There are two places to get these kinds of things: Yongsan and Hapjeong. Yongsan can get very overwhelming at times, so Hapjeong with its new electronics department store is quite nice. These places have prices, but you really need to bargain. If they know you will walk away, they will sell you the best thing for a lot cheaper. Again, its best if you come with a Korean.
So these five places will get you all your essential things that you need to survive and feel comfortable in Korea.
Places to go, things to see:
Tourism is definitely not as well developed in Korea, but there are still some interesting things to do in see in Seoul, and good places to hang out on the weekends.
Night Life-Seoul has a pretty decent night life, ranging from bars (hoffs), clubs, and nightclubs (don't recommend these).
-Famous Nightlife Areas- The two biggest areas for nightlife are Hongdae on line #2 (where I lived and seriously recommend) and Kangnam, also on line #2. Hongdae is kind of the artsy district of Seoul and very popular with young people. On the last friday of each month, they have what is called "Club Night." You can buy a ticket for about $20 and get into every club for free. Korean clubs are VERY crowded at times. Sometimes you cannot even move at all. Two clubs I recommend to you in Hongdae are NB2 (hip hop) and M2 (house, trance). It is a bit of a walk from the subway station, but you can find it. Kangnam is kind of the "rich person area". A lot of people talk about how nice it is, but I prefer Hongdae. Kangnam is pretty good for bars there too. *A note about Bars in Korea. Most Korean bars are not western style. You usually sit at tables and order food as well as drinks. Koreans always eat whenever they drink. This kind of food is called "Angu". Other decent areas include Jongno 5 (located on line 1) and Itaewon (Itaewon is foreigner central. You can find lots of shops, bars and clubs here. There are tons of mililtary guys here and they can be kind of aggressive towards women. Just be careful here at night. Not a bad area if you need to escape Korea and find some good foreign food, maybe even Thai food).
-Places to visit- on the weekends, you might need something to do during the day time. Most places are outside, though there are a few museums that you can visit if you want. Yeouido is a nice open park. Lots of people go here on the weekends to hang out. Another is Anguk where they have a long street with some shops and cultural things. Ewha womens university is a big, open campus and is very nice to walk around. Lots of lonely women here looking for boyfriends from what I hear, so they may not be interested in you, haha. Between Dangsan and Hapjong station, there is a park in the middle of the river. VERY nice place to go. You can get here by bus, taxi or by walking from Hapjong station. Can be kind of dangerous with all the crazy driver around but its worth it for some nice nature. Samseong is a popular area again for shopping and such, but they have an aquarium there, movie theater and its a nice place to hang out with friends sometimes. Green space is sometimes hard to find in Seoul. Myeong Dong is another area, again for shopping but nice to walk around too. VERY crowded at times on the weekend, but lots of restaurants and its a colorful area. Namsan mountain is where Seoul tower is, though I am not sure how to get there exactly, sorry.
One thing I liked to do sometimes is just pick a subway station and go there to explore. It gives you different views of Seoul and you can find some interesting areas that you never knew about.
Transportation:
You can get ANYWHERE in Korea by using transportation. Buses can take you EVERYWHERE in the country and the city, though sometimes they can be kind of confusing. They usually don't announce the stops and so its hard to know where to get off. Also, they can be very crowded depending on what time you are traveling at. The subway seems confusing but it will be your best friend. It can take you everywhere and is cheap and efficient. To use the subway, go to the station and ask for a t-money card. You might be able to get them at 7-11 also. When you need to put more money on it, just go to the station and give them money and your card. Subways can get crowded at night sometimes also. Taxi's are frequent but a bit pricey. The drivers are usually not too friendly and speak very little english. To get them to take you somewhere, say ______ ka ju sae yo (ex. Hongdae ipgu ka ju sae yo). They always use the meter. You might have to use them at night because the subways close down at about 12 to 1 in the morning. At times, it can cost you $20 or more to take one depending on where you are coming from. Also be careful with traveling in taxi's at night. There have been some disturbing stories about girls getting kidnapped, raped and killed from crazy taxi drivers at night, even when its 2 girls in a cab. A friend of a friend had a bad incident with this happeneing that could have been VERY bad.
Ok, so this ends Volume one. If you have any questions about details, please feel free to ask. |
|
FAQ
Search
Memberlist
Usergroups
Register
Profile
Log in to check your private messages
Log in
