One of my big goals in coming to Korea was to travel. While I am here I want to see and do as much of Korea as I can (well at least the southern part :) Over these last couple months I have been to many of the major cities of South Korea and a couple cool festivals too. This blog will be about some of my traveling adventures thus far!
~Daegu~
My first weekend after settling into my new home was spent in Daegu.
I have thus spent many a weekend in this wonderful place. It is only a 30 minute train ride (with a 15 min taxi ride or a 45 min bus ride to the train station) into the city. Maybe the 4th largest city in Korea, this gem is the place I go when I need a little western in my life. I can hit up the Costco and am a proud card carrying member, get a burger, see other foreign people, get some pretty decent beer, and even buy clothes at the occasional western store like my favorite H&M.
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| Go Go's |
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| Birthday Ball Game |
I was lucky enough to celebrate my birthday here with some wonderful friends. We had cupcakes for breakfast and sushi for lunch. Then we went to cheer on the Samsung Lions, the Daegu baseball team. Korean baseball is pretty fun and very popular. The stadiums are smaller and they don't serve hotdogs, but on the plus side you can bring in your own food and drinks and the ticket prices are pretty cheap. The popular thing to eat at baseball games is fried chicken and beer... delicious! After the game we went downtown and visited one of my favorite hangouts, Go-Go's! They sell alcoholic drinks from iv bags and people congregate in the streets with them. In Korea you can carry and drink alcohol in the streets. For 5,000w ($5.00) you can get a drink and a sparkler... the sparkler really makes it so much better :) Finally we hit up some of the other western friendly bars and met cool people from all over the world. A night out is never complete without a norebang experience. Norebang is a private room set up with couches, tables, a screen, and all the karaoke one could ever want. Sometimes they even have tambourines. You get a group together and everyone orders food and drinks, and then you sing your heart out in a swanky room. It is quite wonderful!
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| My first ballet. |
Daegu holds a special place in my heart because many of my friends call it home. I always have a floor, bed, or couch to sleep on and great people to hang out with. The city is foreign friendly and easy to get around! There is always something fun to do, good food to eat, and fun people to meet!
~Busan~
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| Busan sign when you get off the train! |
Busan rocks my socks off... quiet literally because there are some great beaches there, and well beaches and socks... not such a good combination!It's only an hour and a half train ride to get to Busan from my place. Busan is laid back, foreigner friendly, and on the ocean... what's not to love! It is the second largest city in South Korea and when traveling around the city, the size is very noticeable. It takes quiet a bit of time to get from place to place. Unlike Seoul though, the feeling of Busan is much more relaxed... must be the whole beach thing. You can buy drinks from street carts, head down to the beach, buy fireworks from a cute old women and borrow her lighter and you have yourself a perfect night. Busan has great bars with drinks like champagne and hard cider (things that are hard to find in Korea), wonderful food, and fun people.
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| Beach fun |
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| Holi Festival |
I have been to Busan 3 times so far, and will be spending the 4th of July here too. My first time in Busan was in March. I went for Holi festival, an Indian festival (there are quite a few Indians in Korea). We threw color powder and celebrated spring with hundreds of others on the beach. I also visited the where the International film festival is held, Nampo, and ate an unhealthy amount of street food. My second time in Busan I was mostly passing through... but because of some difficulties reading subway maps and bus information, I was able to see much more of the city than I wanted to :/ My last time in Busan was spent on the beach, drinking champagne, hanging out with great friends, and catching a baseball game. The baseball stadium is great and I was able to see the Giants game after acquiring some scalped tickets... that was an adventure!
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| Giant's Game |
-Seoul-
Seoul is dynamic, always buzzing with energy, and overwhelming in almost every capacity. This gigantic city has about 10 million people (1/5 of the population of Korea). I've been to Seoul a couple times and have seen so very little in this city. I love the historic feel of Gyeongbukgong (an old palace) and the traditional Korean homes near it. I love that next to this old palace are skyscrapers and modern feats to make Korean ancestors proud. Any kind of restaurant or shopping you could ever want is available in this massive city. There is also a huge foreign presence. Itaewon is a neighborhood that attracts many foreigners and it is a fun place to see many cultures mixing and mingling. You can grab a gyro, pop into an Irish pup for a cider, go dancing at a club with techno music, and hit up a Taco Bell on the way home. I like visiting Seoul and will probably have more to post later, but I am happy that I don't live there. The crowds and hustle bustle would get to me after awhile.
