So, this is the last of my series of blogs about culture and the differences and things that I have had to come to terms with being in Korea. Since I knew that I was going to be spending this last weekend in Seoul, I thought that I would save this one for last.
The first thing that struck me when I got into Seoul is the sheer number of people. I suppose I should have expected this, as it is the largest city with a population of over 10 million people and is the hub of activity in Korea, but I wasn't expecting it and it kind of bowled me over. The first place that I noticed just how many people there were was on the subway.
There are a few things that you should know about traveling on the subway in Korea. First of all, if you intend on going there on a fairly regular basis, you should invest in a T-money card. You pay a small fee to acquire the card, but then you can just top it up and it saves you the hassle of waiting in queues to get a subway ticket. Once you have your ticket in hand, you can head through the turnstiles and onto the subway. The trains themselves arrive on a fairly regular basis, every five minutes or so, but are usually ridiculously busy despite that, and you will often find yourself without a seat. This means that you will be jostled by a number of people who will bump into you or stand on your feet. Don't expect an apology from them. In Seoul, because there are so many people, you will not find people excusing themselves for bumping into others or for minor mishaps. This is purely because, if they were to do so, there would be a continual chorus of apologies. You are not expected to excuse yourself either. Just expect to be bumped into and don't take it to heart when the person doesn't turn around and say sorry. After standing around for awhile, you might notice some seats open up. If the seats are at the end of the train, don't sit in them. These seats are specially reserved for the elderly, the disabled and the pregnant. If you sit there, even if there is no one fitting those descriptions to take the seats, it is very likely that you will be glared at or shouted at. Just don't do it.
So you have figured out the Seoul subway and have managed to get where you want to go without being scolded by a grumpy old ajumma (though you may have been stared at - ajummas tend to openly stare). Now it is time to find somewhere to stay. Seoul is filled with accomodation of varying shapes and forms, and I thought that I would tell you a little about them.
At the bottom wrung of the accomodation ladder are the minbaks and jimjilbangs. A minbak (sp?) is an empty room that can be rented for a night. It will come with a number of mats and duvets that can be used for makeshift beds and has a small bathroom with the traditional shower head. Four or more people usually share these rooms as they provide cheap accomodation for groups, but when if it is just you, you might want to look elsewhere. Jimjilbangs are bathing rooms or spas which usually have saunas and I believe occasionally offer massages. I have never been to one and cannot say for certain what they are like, but what has always put me off the idea is that you would be sharing a room with a number of people (many of whom may be naked) and using the pajamas that the spa provides you with. It really isn't my idea of fun, but it is very cheap and would give you a place to sleep for the night (though you would still be sleeping on a mat rather than a bed).
If neither of those sounded appealing to you, the next step up are the hostels and guesthouses. These are places where you can rent a bed for a night, occasionally sharing with other people. They are the cheapest beds you will find, and if you are going with a friend, you might be able to get a two-person room to share, which might not be so bad. Utilities such as bathrooms and lounges are also often shared. Think backpackers, and you will probably have the right picture.
If backpacking isn't really your thing, there are tons and tons of love motels. This is exactly what it sounds like - a motel where people often go to rendezvous for sex. However, while this may sound completely dodgy, this is a foreigner's paradise. The rooms are often cheap (ranging from 40,000-70,000 won which, when shared, isn't too far off from the price you would pay at a hostel) and more luxurious than the hostels. They are fitted with double beds, a bathroom which usually includes a proper shower and a bath, a large TV and often a computer with free internet. While you might find a condom or packet of lubricant amongst your shampoo, soap and other bits and pieces, it is easy to forget that these rooms are rented out by the hour and just see them as another motel. In fact, I have stayed in a number of uber-luxurious love motels that are far nicer than any hotel that I could afford.
If you have a little more cash to burn and the idea of staying in a love motel freaks you out, there are of course hotels available for you to stay in. These are often very overpriced however, the cheapest I have found being 100,000 won, and do not provide anything that the love motels don't (at least not the ones that I have been to).
Now that you have found a place to stay and have left your luggage behind, it is time to hit the streets. You might have a place in mind, and might decide to take the subway to your destination, but if you decide that it would be far easier to taxi, there are two things that you should keep in mind. Those are the traffic and the black taxis. Seoul has a huge number of people, as I said before, and while a ton of them use public transportation in the forms of busses and the subway, a lot of them also use cars and taxis. If you are going by taxi, you should anticipate traffic, as there is likely to be at least some of it at all times of the day and night. When hailing a taxi, be careful about which ones you catch. The black cars are known as 'luxury taxis' (though what makes them luxurious, I will never know) and charge a lot more than their white, silver and yellow counterparts.
So you decided to go to one of the markets did you? Or perhaps you have gone to a beautifully traditional site and are wanting to buy a souvenir. One thing that you should know about vendors is that they almost expect you to haggle. This took me awhile to get used to, but I have found that even those who are not prepared to haggle don't particularly mind you asking - they might laugh off the thought, but there will be no need to be embarassed, and you will often find them throwing something into the bargain even if they do not reduce the price. This only applies to the more informal vendors and shops, of course. You cannot expect to haggle at Shinsegae and get anything out of it. What you might find though, and should keep in mind, is that most places do give discounts for cash.
And so, I have come to the end of my culture series of blogs. I realise that a lot of the people reading these will be breathing a sigh of relief wondering why the hell I ever did this in the first place, but if you did enjoy reading this and want to know more about the other 'lessons' that I wrote about in the series, they can be found here, here and here.
The first thing that struck me when I got into Seoul is the sheer number of people. I suppose I should have expected this, as it is the largest city with a population of over 10 million people and is the hub of activity in Korea, but I wasn't expecting it and it kind of bowled me over. The first place that I noticed just how many people there were was on the subway.
There are a few things that you should know about traveling on the subway in Korea. First of all, if you intend on going there on a fairly regular basis, you should invest in a T-money card. You pay a small fee to acquire the card, but then you can just top it up and it saves you the hassle of waiting in queues to get a subway ticket. Once you have your ticket in hand, you can head through the turnstiles and onto the subway. The trains themselves arrive on a fairly regular basis, every five minutes or so, but are usually ridiculously busy despite that, and you will often find yourself without a seat. This means that you will be jostled by a number of people who will bump into you or stand on your feet. Don't expect an apology from them. In Seoul, because there are so many people, you will not find people excusing themselves for bumping into others or for minor mishaps. This is purely because, if they were to do so, there would be a continual chorus of apologies. You are not expected to excuse yourself either. Just expect to be bumped into and don't take it to heart when the person doesn't turn around and say sorry. After standing around for awhile, you might notice some seats open up. If the seats are at the end of the train, don't sit in them. These seats are specially reserved for the elderly, the disabled and the pregnant. If you sit there, even if there is no one fitting those descriptions to take the seats, it is very likely that you will be glared at or shouted at. Just don't do it.
So you have figured out the Seoul subway and have managed to get where you want to go without being scolded by a grumpy old ajumma (though you may have been stared at - ajummas tend to openly stare). Now it is time to find somewhere to stay. Seoul is filled with accomodation of varying shapes and forms, and I thought that I would tell you a little about them.
At the bottom wrung of the accomodation ladder are the minbaks and jimjilbangs. A minbak (sp?) is an empty room that can be rented for a night. It will come with a number of mats and duvets that can be used for makeshift beds and has a small bathroom with the traditional shower head. Four or more people usually share these rooms as they provide cheap accomodation for groups, but when if it is just you, you might want to look elsewhere. Jimjilbangs are bathing rooms or spas which usually have saunas and I believe occasionally offer massages. I have never been to one and cannot say for certain what they are like, but what has always put me off the idea is that you would be sharing a room with a number of people (many of whom may be naked) and using the pajamas that the spa provides you with. It really isn't my idea of fun, but it is very cheap and would give you a place to sleep for the night (though you would still be sleeping on a mat rather than a bed).
If neither of those sounded appealing to you, the next step up are the hostels and guesthouses. These are places where you can rent a bed for a night, occasionally sharing with other people. They are the cheapest beds you will find, and if you are going with a friend, you might be able to get a two-person room to share, which might not be so bad. Utilities such as bathrooms and lounges are also often shared. Think backpackers, and you will probably have the right picture.
If backpacking isn't really your thing, there are tons and tons of love motels. This is exactly what it sounds like - a motel where people often go to rendezvous for sex. However, while this may sound completely dodgy, this is a foreigner's paradise. The rooms are often cheap (ranging from 40,000-70,000 won which, when shared, isn't too far off from the price you would pay at a hostel) and more luxurious than the hostels. They are fitted with double beds, a bathroom which usually includes a proper shower and a bath, a large TV and often a computer with free internet. While you might find a condom or packet of lubricant amongst your shampoo, soap and other bits and pieces, it is easy to forget that these rooms are rented out by the hour and just see them as another motel. In fact, I have stayed in a number of uber-luxurious love motels that are far nicer than any hotel that I could afford.
If you have a little more cash to burn and the idea of staying in a love motel freaks you out, there are of course hotels available for you to stay in. These are often very overpriced however, the cheapest I have found being 100,000 won, and do not provide anything that the love motels don't (at least not the ones that I have been to).
Now that you have found a place to stay and have left your luggage behind, it is time to hit the streets. You might have a place in mind, and might decide to take the subway to your destination, but if you decide that it would be far easier to taxi, there are two things that you should keep in mind. Those are the traffic and the black taxis. Seoul has a huge number of people, as I said before, and while a ton of them use public transportation in the forms of busses and the subway, a lot of them also use cars and taxis. If you are going by taxi, you should anticipate traffic, as there is likely to be at least some of it at all times of the day and night. When hailing a taxi, be careful about which ones you catch. The black cars are known as 'luxury taxis' (though what makes them luxurious, I will never know) and charge a lot more than their white, silver and yellow counterparts.
So you decided to go to one of the markets did you? Or perhaps you have gone to a beautifully traditional site and are wanting to buy a souvenir. One thing that you should know about vendors is that they almost expect you to haggle. This took me awhile to get used to, but I have found that even those who are not prepared to haggle don't particularly mind you asking - they might laugh off the thought, but there will be no need to be embarassed, and you will often find them throwing something into the bargain even if they do not reduce the price. This only applies to the more informal vendors and shops, of course. You cannot expect to haggle at Shinsegae and get anything out of it. What you might find though, and should keep in mind, is that most places do give discounts for cash.
And so, I have come to the end of my culture series of blogs. I realise that a lot of the people reading these will be breathing a sigh of relief wondering why the hell I ever did this in the first place, but if you did enjoy reading this and want to know more about the other 'lessons' that I wrote about in the series, they can be found here, here and here.
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