Seoul - Part 4

Saturday

I certainly did not want to spend my last full day in Seoul wasting away in bed even though my body was telling me otherwise. After calling the other two guys that had gone out with us the first night, we rendezvoused on the street and then trekked 30 minutes until finally reaching a sanctuary that was assured to pacify our ravenous appetites – Burger King. Living in the Orient where fast food is monopolized by McDonalds, KFCs, and Pizza Huts, it was nice to throw down a Whooper at a Korean BK. Seoul’s diverse fast-food market includes chains like Quizznos, Dunkin Donuts, and Wendy’s. Unfortunately, my acidic stomach was unpleased by the intrusion of greasy American food, thus forcing me to only eat half of my burger – Seoul had already drained the life out of me, transforming me into a scruffy vampire that can’t even finish a whole Whopper.

To reboot, my friend and I decided to take a stroll in “Seoul’s Forest” – basically a park with trees. This park was very much to my liking in that it reminded me of the open spaces in New York’s Central Park. Families were picnicking, teenagers were tossing a Frisbee, and children ran around in a huge playground which included a monstrous jungle-gym in the shape of a person, man-made streams and tunnels, and the longest old-school metal slide I had ever seen. Until then, I had completely forgotten how much I love parks. In Beijing the parks charge a small entrance free, are mainly populated by senior citizens practicing taiqi or playing Chinese Chess, and by no means are you allowed to walk on the grass. What is the point of the park if you can not walk, sit, or play in the grass!

The highlight of our leisurely walk came when we happened upon a traditional Korean dance performance given on a stage in front of dozens of Korean families sitting on blankets. As we sat down (on the grass) to rest and take in the seemingly Asian melodies, I became increasingly nostalgic. Responsibilities, girls, and alcohol had taken away my youth and landed me in my twenties – before all that, I recall going to see Shakespeare in the Park with my parents and jumping into streams barefoot looking for salamanders. I missed having wholesome fun. Engulfed in nostalgia, sober as a bird, and trapped in a state of bliss, I relaxed in the grass for the first time in months and watched a beautiful performance – there’s something about the combination of nature, music, and warm summer nights that puts me totally at peace.

After watching men shake there heads to maneuver their long twirling hats while dancing for over 45 minutes (a workout I thought), we decided it was time to meet up with my girlfriend and have one more night out on the town. We met my girlfriend in a coffee shop up in Insadong where we soaked in the calm with an ice coffee and a rooftop view of the neighborhood. Before heading to our final destination we decided to stop by Sinchon, another bar area, to get some food. This area seemed more compact than others (if that's possible) and possessed a back-street aura. It was great. We settled on an outdoor Korean barbeque joint and destroyed three large slabs of pork (after it is cooked you must cut the meat into smaller pieces using scissors).

During our meal, I noticed a child running amuck – I definitely feel bad for any poor soul who has to grow up in any one of these mini sin cities. Before leaving Sichon, we took a stab at a random bar called “music bar” …and we missed. The bar had terrible music, was located in an underground crave (similar to a bar they would have on The Flintstones) and the waiter accidentally served us the largest jug of beer they had – it was rough going down. The best thing the bar had to offer was a free basket of “air puffs” similar to cheese puffs minus the taste and minus the crunch.

We eventually made our way to the bar area next to Hongdae University which was naturally filled with young students. The area was quite expansive (it took us 15 minutes to walk to our first bar) and many of the Koreans that I saw walking around in this area seemed more atypical and expressive in their forms of style. It was nice to be in a place less vain and mainstream filled with young open-minded individuals hanging out and having fun …at least before society sucks away their ideals. After much exploration, I was really impressed by some of the amazing venues I saw in Hongdae. During the rest of the night, we visited a hookah bar, a bar and night club that catered to foreigners, and a place with bars attached to the ceiling for those who enjoyed dancing on tables. The night was long but enlightening. At 5 am, although the subways had started running again, we took a cab home.

2 hours of sleep, a bus ride, a short flight, a taxi ride and I was back in my Beijing bed. I was exhausted, my holiday was over, and my life in Beijing would continue once again.

First of all, I have to thank my friend Ray (I don’t know why I’ve been concealing his name this whole time, Chinese police can’t get to him) and my girlfriend (no name) for showing me an absolutely amazing time – I wouldn’t have expected anything less - Kamahamnida. As you may know, I find passion in exploring foreign lands and learning new cultures, and I love being with friends and sharing my experiences with them – all in all, Seoul was a great success and I look forward to my next adventure to wherever the winds may take me.