Korean Job Discussion Forums

[Soul Forest]

The rain has stopped. The sun is shining. The outdoor swimming pools are open across the city.
They are chaotic places. Grown men spend the entire afternoon splashing each other. Idiots do great dives into the shallow water, without thinking of the possible spinal injuries. Through great crowds of people, strong swimmers show off their butterfly stroke. Ajunma, determined to exercise, beligerently do the backstroke through crowds of people. And the kids are probably peeing in the water.

I'm working on a list of places to swim outside in and around Seoul. Here are the places that I know about so far:

1. Hamilton Hotel, costs 10,000 won (12,000 on weekends), hours 10 - 6
- I have not been there yet for that price. How is it?

2. Dongguk University, costs 7,000 won, hours 10 - 6
- located near Dongguk Station on line #3. It's good to combine a swim here with a walk up Namsan Mountain.

3. Dreamland, located near Miasamgeori in Northern Seoul, (last year price: 7000 won)
- A Korean friend told me there's a lot of gangsters here. But there weren't many people at all on the morning I was there. There is also a rather pathetic amusement park.

4. THE HAN RIVER, free
- but very dirty, and very dangerous in some areas.

5. The Han River parks
- This site lists all the pools in the park:
http://hangang.seoul.go.kr/park/p_info_jamwon3.html?menu=3&lefm=3
Here is the link to an English site:
http://hangang.seoul.go.kr/eng/index.html

I was swimming in the pool by Han River, and could not even see the bottom of the pool in 1.5 meter deep water. I could hardly see my own hand through the murkiness.

It's too bad that there's only one month to use all these pools.
Besides Olympic Park, I don't know of any good swimming pools in Seoul.

[Roch]

The Hamilton Hotel's swimming pool is supposed to be pretty good according to a friend of mine who used to go up to it every weekend last Summer.

[Son Deureo!]

Or save yourself the pool fee, lanes and chlorinated nastiness and go swim in the Yellow Sea. From Incheon airport you can catch buses to either Muido or Eulwangni Beach for about the same as it would cost you to pay for a hotel pool. It might be a longer trip for some, but it's worth the trip if you can make it.

[VanIslander]

or catch a bus to the east coast and enjoy great beaches BEFORE noon on Saturday

bus rides under 25 bucks on the very comfy luxurious excellent buses

from the express bus terminal on line 2 take an express to Gangneum and you're near several great beaches



or go the nambu bus terminal on line 3 and take an express bus, two leaving hourly, bee line straight down to the south coast, the "Sangju" bus, goes to Namhae island, get up at dawn, leave two hours later and be there by lunchtime saturday



It's less hassle and much cheaper than you think! This IS a SMALL country, especially if you get about by express bus.