Seoul Searching - Part 2

Joanna

8 hours ago

9 min read

I've been staying in a neighbourhood called Myeong-dong, which is pretty central Seoul... and a great base for exploring. There's shopping everywhere... as I "might" have mentioned... plenty of food options, and it's a convenient location for getting around the city. Although I really think the last thing I need is MORE shopping.

My accommodation, Slow Vibe, is… okay. Meh...

I've already mentioned that the walls are paper-thin, but there are a few other things worth mentioning. The bed feels as though there's a plastic waterproof sheet underneath the bedding. Maybe that's for people who don't think they'll make it to the shared bathroom in time during the night?

Maybe. Just a thought.

I also desperately wish there were more hooks to hang things from. There are also no pictures on the walls... nothing. I've been hanging things off the door handle, the fire alarm knob, the light switch and even the curtain ties...

It's quite irritating.

There are alarms on each door, with codes to enter. Unless you open your door properly by pressing a particular button, the ding-ding-ding-ding alarm goes off. Which is particularly embarrassing in the middle of the night when you're standing there, half asleep, desperately trying to figure out how to turn the damn thing off.

I'm also beginning to question whether I'm still a fan of sharing bathrooms. Sure... it definitely makes the room cheaper... but... at what price?

I think I'm at the age where I'd quite like a bathroom of my own when I'm travelling... preferably attached to my room, where I can wander in & out without worrying about whether someone else is using it. Or if I'm going to set an alarm off.

Seoul, South Korea
Seoul, South Korea
Seoul, South Korea
Seoul, South Korea
Seoul, South Korea

It's interesting to look back at how my travel preferences have evolved over the years. There was a time when I thought staying in a hostel was the absolute pinnacle of travel. Why would anyone want anything else? I remember staying in Bundaberg (Australia) and sharing a room with nine other people. I loved every second of it. I've lived in Edinburgh with six other girls in a shared house with one bathroom. I've done camping tours, slept in those little tube beds and hammocks, tried capsule hostels and pretty much worked my way through every imaginable version of budget accommodation. I've even had the hole-in-the-floor toilet pits.

I've always been quite happy to rough it. Kinda...

But things are changing.

Oh yes...

Maybe I've reached the stage in life where I don't necessarily want to share a bathroom with twelve strangers or hang my underwear off a fire alarm.

Perhaps it's time to add a little luxury to the travel experience.

I think I've earned it.

Definitely.

I wish my bank account agreed...

Over the last couple of days in Seoul, I kept walking through the city, exploring every neighbourhood that looked interesting.

What I find fascinating about Seoul is how many little worlds seem to exist within this enormous city. It's like each neighbourhood has its own personality. One minute you're wandering through a traditional market filled with street food and colourful stalls, the next you're surrounded by designer boutiques and quirky cafés. Some pockets are young, creative, and edgy, while others are ridiculously trendy.

During one of my city explorations, I wandered past Jogyesa Temple, and my eye was immediately caught by the most incredible display of vibrant flowers. I couldn't resist. I had to go in and see for myself. Something almost magical and mystical about the place. So colourful, so peaceful, and absolutely overflowing with flowers. It turns out I had stumbled upon their autumn festival and chrysanthemum display. There were enormous flower elephants, fish, hands and all sorts of elaborate floral creations.

Of course, not every place I ventured off to was quite as impressive as I'd hoped. Most of them were fabulous... and I couldn't stop taking photos. Others turned out to be a little disappointing. Some were ever so slightly too young, too crowded... and quite frankly... way too claustrophobic for me.

At one point in my excessive exploration... in an overly crowded area... I stumbled upon a pizza joint down a side street, and decided to retreat inside for a slice and a 7-Up. I then called an Uber to take me back to my accommodation.

And that... was an experience in itself.

The driver was possibly the angriest man I've ever seen behind the wheel. His driving was aggressive, his mannerisms were even more aggressive... and he seemed to be having a personal battle with pretty much everyone on the road. At one point, I genuinely thought things were going to come to blows between him and a pedestrian. Both were yelling, gesturing wildly and showing each other their fists.

It was definitely a "seat belt on" situation.

He kept getting caught in traffic, and every time we stopped, I could hear him cursing under his breath. Probably at me too... for doing nothing but ordering the taxi. I wouldn't have been surprised. I almost considered getting out and walking... but my legs, my brain and my general stamina were all at an all-time low. I decided to stay put and hope for the best.

I survived...

One evening, I came back to my accommodation absolutely exhausted after walking all over the city. I had an 8pm Ghost Tour booked, and the meeting point was about a 45-minute walk away.

I figured I'd lie down for an hour. Just a wee shut-eye. A quick rest before heading out.

Well… I slept right through it.

Yep. I missed my ghost tour because I was sleeping.

I have said many times that after this summer and the past couple of weeks at home, I desperately needed some rest and relaxation. I knew that. I knew it before I even arrived, and I certainly knew it after the first couple of days. Yet somehow... frantic to see everything, I'd managed to cram an almost ridiculous number of activities into a very short time. The DMZ tour, which you may or may not have read about by now, was one of them. I was jet-lagged, exhausted and, quite frankly, miserable. I really should not have been on that tour in the state I was in. I also did a food tour on my first day in Seoul, but that deserves its own blog post.

And it's coming...

Seoul, South Korea
Seoul, South Korea
Seoul, South Korea

One morning, I set out with three priorities: Laundry. Spa. Jacket.

Not necessarily in that order.

I was already getting desperate for laundry... obviously.

I could definitely use a spa treatment... obviously.

I needed a warmer jacket... obviously.

Three simple things. Surely I could manage that?

I decided to just start walking and see what turned up.

What actually appeared was quite a welcome sight... Tim Hortons. Just a little slice of home, thousands of kilometres away. They were having a maple festival, so naturally, I had to pop in for a maple latte. How could I possibly resist?

Now, I'm not usually one to seek out familiar chains from back home when I'm travelling. Half the fun of being somewhere new is discovering what's different. But I decided to make an exception this time. A little taste of Canada in the middle of Seoul felt entirely justified.

Seoul, South Korea
Seoul, South Korea
Seoul, South Korea

Then I kept going... determined to complete my list. Laundry. Spa. Jacket.

Laundry? Not so much.

Although, to be fair, I didn't look particularly hard.

To be honest... I hadn't really brought my dirty clothes with me... and... I was kinda looking for a spa.

The jacket?

Ya,.. Well, that wasn't overly successful either. Every jacket I tried on seemed to have sleeves that were about three inches too short. Apparently, my body and Korean clothing sizes aren't quite on the same page. I think I'll just have to persevere with my fleeces and rain jacket until I get home. As long as the weather doesn't turn out like it did the other day, I have a reasonable chance of survival.

Hopefully.

And the spa...?

Oh, the spa.

There was one right around the corner from where I was staying, so I decided to pop in on my way home. What I really wanted was a foot massage and a facial. That's it. They didn't have to happen at the same time. I was happy with one or the other... or both, if the universe was feeling particularly generous.

Unfortunately, neither was on the menu.

I felt a bit ridiculous standing there while the pushy (and greasy) reception man held out a list of treatments and prices. I panicked slightly and opted for an 85-minute full-body massage for around $60 Canadian.

Was it pressure? I don't know. Perhaps.

Was it a good deal for an 85-minute full-body massage? Damn straight.

They were fully booked at that point, so I agreed to come back at 8pm, hoping I wouldn't be sound asleep by then. I did make it back. Obviously, massages rank considerably higher than ghost tours when it comes to prioritising my sleep schedule.

I arrived at 7:50pm... on the dot... and as soon as I walked through the door, I had a few reservations. The place had very little of a woman's touch. It felt a bit grimy, decidedly male-oriented... and I hadn't seen a single woman working there. All men. I don't want to sound like I'm profiling, although perhaps I am... but one thing I've noticed with Korean men is the abnormal amount of loud snorting, grunting, coughing and hacking up phlegm that goes on in public. I've worked in hospitality for years, and it really stands out to me. I understand that cultural norms differ... and what might seem incredibly rude to us isn't necessarily considered rude here. But there's something about the whole production that I find particularly difficult to reconcile with the idea of a relaxing spa experience.

It just felt... sketchy.

Then there was the receptionist. I can't prove it, but I'm fairly certain he was trying to scam me. He kept pointing to the treatment I'd selected and insisting it cost more than the price printed on the sheet. Rather than blindly handing over the money, I stopped, put the money back in my wallet... and calmly asked him to explain the difference.

He had no explanation. Of course.

His English was only marginally better than my Korean. The prices and explanations were written right there for me to choose - IN ENGLISH. He just finally relented... nodded towards the price printed on the paper. I pulled out my wallet and paid him exactly that.

I sat there looking around, wondering what on earth I was doing and regretting just about every decision that had brought me there. Then the man at reception, the same one I'd originally booked with, directed me into a room and instructed me to take off all my clothes and put on a little T-shirt and shorts set. The shirt had a zipper down the back.

So I did.

When I came back out into the lobby, he motioned for me to lie down on what I can only describe as a communal, blanket-covered mattress. It was enormous, with enough room for three people to lie side by side.

My first thought was, It's like the felucca in Egypt.

My second question was, How often do they wash this blanket?

Before I could think about it for too long, he zipped my legs and feet into this bizarre contraption that looked a bit like a snowsuit with the top half missing. When he pressed start, it began inflating and deflating, squeezing my legs and feet like an enormous blood pressure monitor.

It was weird. And not particularly comfortable.

Eventually, I'd had enough. I unzipped myself, climbed off the communal felucca mattress and went back out into the lobby to wait for my actual massage. Although, by this point, I was beginning to wonder whether I was getting an actual massage or simply being zipped into another snowsuit. I sat there listening to the ongoing soundtrack of grunts, coughs and impressive phlegm production. This was the moment I seriously considered putting my clothes back on and leaving. Yes, I'd be out $60. But I'd already lost $60 on the missed ghost tour, so perhaps I was developing a bit of a theme for the trip.

I might as well go through with the sketchy massage.

Right?

Eventually, another man appeared and directed me into a treatment room for my massage. To be fair, the massage itself was good. I'd chosen an aroma massage, imagining something gentle and relaxing. A little soothing music, some lovely oils... a bit of pampering. Exactly what I thought I needed. Instead, he pretty much beat me up.

And throughout the entire 85 minutes, he grunted, hacked up phlegm and carried on conversations with other men elsewhere in the facility.

Not exactly the tranquil escape I'd had in mind.

I left feeling a little violated and considerably less relaxed than I probably should have been.

And no facial.

No foot massage.

No jacket.

No laundry done.

And that... in a nutshell... has been my introduction to Seoul.

Not a bad few days, really.

Although there is one thing I've noticed... there is absolutely no stopping during the day for a glass of wine.

None.

That's a fact.