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I believe that getting off the plane in a new place is one of the most exhilarating experiences there are. It starts about ten minutes before you land when you can gaze over the city that is sprawled across the landscape. It’s amplified even more if you’re landing after dark because that jungle of concrete and glass is lit up with a million twinkling lights, mirroring the night sky. Every time I see it I’m overwhelmed by both peace and awe; all while feeling oh so very small. This is exactly how I felt as we began our descent to spend Christmas in Korea.
My Arrival
Getting off in Korea was your standard airport experience, although much different from Mongolia and from what I had come to expect of Asian airports. I filled out my little form and went through all the checkpoints. After getting my passport stamped I was free to go where I wished. With it being already past midnight I was having a huge issue trying to figure out where to go to be able to get to my hotel. I also didn’t have any Korean money. So I stopped at an ATM (currency exchange shops usually charge a large transaction fee. Especially in airports), grabbed some cash, and asked the lady at the info booth what I should do.
She took the next 20 minutes explaining how the transit systems work including taxis. It was the same as in China where you get a transit card, load it with cash and use that when you get on and off the transit or to pay the taxi. Just tap it on the little pad and you’re all set. I went and got on the next bus heading into Seoul, avoiding the black and unmarked taxis whose drivers were calling out to me (these are always a scam!).
I hopped on the bus and waited for its departure after inhaling a quick cigarette. After I waited about 20 minutes the bus finally started its 70-minute journey to Seoul. I had been up since 6 that morning and worked with the kids all day so it wasn’t long until staring off into the dark to see the city lights turned into nodding off. Trust me I tried staying up, but as we rounded the corner of 1 am and were rapidly approaching two my eyes grew heavy until they felt as if they were atlas and sunk under the pressure.
Getting to the Hotel
The next thing I remember is the bus stopping at its destination and the driver insisting I get off. Having just woken up I was groggy and out of it. Just imagine being in a place where you don’t know a single word of the language, it’s 2 am, your vision is borderline blurry, and your head feels like it’s full of a thick fog that swallows every other thought. I must admit it was a bit scary.
I walked back and forth in front of the main bus terminal attempting to ask the few souls going around how I could get to my hotel. Eventually, I was able to find a taxi driver who was willing to take me there. Big mistake! I got in, he set the meter and we were off. In the wrong direction. I watched the streets as we made 3 very different large circles, passing the same bus terminal each time.;
I tried to communicate that I know what he is doing using google translate as this guy doesn’t speak a lick of English. He probably gathered from how distressed I was that I had caught on to his little charade and we were in front of my hotel in less than ten minutes.
I walked through the doors to check in sometime between three and four in the morning. It was your average Ramada. Sleek granite-like walls, a couple of real and fake plants littered the room and an elevator. If you looked past the front desk you could see a small restaurant that was closed at this late hour.
The receptionist was very surprised to see me. You could tell she had assumed I wouldn’t be showing up due to how late it was. Alas, there I was! Overtired and ready to fall into bed and pass out. After a quick check-in, I hurried to my room.
I believe I was on the 10th floor. It’s possible I’m mistaken, my memory isn’t flawless. I do know that this was the first time I had ever experienced a door that opens with the key being tapped on it instead of inserted into a slot by the handle. I opened the door to a small hallway with a door on the left and a midsized room at the end. On the floor in front of the dip down into the main room was a brand new pair of fluffy black house slippers
The Bidet
I put my bags down in the main room and headed to the bathroom. It was a small room with a glass shower, a white sink area, and a toilet with a bidet. I had never used a bidet before and I had to go so I relieved my bowels and figured I would try it out.
To really explain this I’ve got to tell you that all the buttons were in Korean. I had no idea how to use this magical device to clean the tushy so I just started pressing buttons. The first one was the flusher. OK, cool got to remember that one. The next sent a jet of water down my Grand Canyon that was shocking. I believe I had let out an audible yelp paired with the most intense clench I have ever done. It was intrusive and violating. That is until I found the button to turn that high-powered super soaker 7000 down to something far more reasonable. After taking a few seconds to get used to it I kind of enjoyed it and my behind was so clean you could eat out of it.
After finishing up in the bathroom I headed downstairs to have one more smoke and as I pass the lady she tells me there’s a terrace for smokers on one of the higher floors. I decide to go there instead and check it out. I was glad I did because the view was stunning. The twinkling lights of this concrete jungle stretched out towards the horizon in every direction. You could tell that in the day this city was a bustling arena of activity, but in the wee hours of the night, it was peaceful. It was the metropolitan equivalent of looking up in the sky while far away from any light pollution. It just took my breath away, but that might’ve just been the cigarette.
After I finished I pinched out the cherry, threw the butt in the Garbage and headed to bed. It was shortly after four so I left the curtain open on the window that stretched the span of the room so I could watch the star-like lights as my vision faded to black.
Dawn of the First Day
The next morning came too quickly. Sometime between seven and eight my eyes fluttered open as the sunlight invaded every corner of my room. I sat up, my head full of fog as I sauntered to the washroom dragging my feet like the dead come back to life. After quickly showering and got dressed, grabbed my day bag before heading downstairs.
I stopped at the reception to ask what I should see (poor planning on my part). After getting the low down on some of the local sights and a detailed description of how public transport worked I set out. The excitement of a new place to explore made me forget about breakfast as I headed toward the nearest subway station. As I walked I took note of how the buildings in that area were a bit worn down and rugged. In weird places, pallets and boxes were stacked and left longing to be picked up and taken away. The whites had faded or been replaced by black streaks down the walls. The streets were barren as few people were walking around at this early hour. The smell of green onion wafted into my nose as I passed a small restaurant preparing breakfast for the world.
I finally reached the subway station and descended the stairs. As my eyes adjusted and the air around me cooled I looked around in awe. The pillars were made of a material that looked to be a beige marble or granite that was polished to a shine. If you took a moment to stop you would be able to see yourself reflected in the beautiful stone. I used the card I had bought at the airport the night before to get access to the platform. I didn’t have to wait long before the train arrived and jetted away with me inside.
King Sejong the Great
At the stop for Gwanghwamun, I got off and made my way out. Taking the stairs two at a time before breaking the surface and looking around. Immediately a towering statue of a man sitting on a throne caught my attention. It was almost as if this man was protecting the large square that stood behind it. In the square stood hundreds, if not thousands, of people. It was a unique time for me to come to visit as people stood around, breaking into the odd chant. Some people at the far side of the square spoke through a megaphone, sending the crowd in the odd roar with each pause. I decided that I would check it out later as something on the back of the statue caught my eye.
A door stood in the back of the statue so out of curiosity I tried it. The door opened freely so I went in and walked down the stairs. It was immediately apparent that this was a museum of sorts. A free museum dedicated to the emperor who founded the Korean language hidden under the base of his statue.
I spent about 25- 30 minutes walking around the museum reading the plaques and tapping the interactive screens with my fingertips. The museum tells the Story of King Sejong the Great and how he created Hangul, the Korean writing system, and made it popular. It also spoke of his reign and the other amazing things he had done for his country. This museum was connected to another free museum for Admiral Yi Sun-Shin as his story is connected to King Sejong’s. Unfortunately, I didn’t go into that museum, but instead headed out to see what all the commotion was about.
Gwanghwamun Square
After I had pushed open the door and let my eyes adjust to the brightness of day I noticed even more people had gathered in the square. It appeared as if I peaceful protest was going on so I made my way around to the front to see what exactly was happening. As I neared the front, I started to see the signs and banners held by many people. They had written the words “Peace in Korea” in both English and Korean.
This was the first time I had ever seen any form of protest. Coming from Canada the thought of not living in a peaceful environment was bewildering. I hadn’t ever considered the fact that the Koreans were still in a dynamic such as they are. That there was still dynamics of conflict between North and South Korea to an extent that some people hadn’t seen family members of theirs in years or even decades. It was a foreign thought to me.
I crossed the street and watched as they began to march down the road, officially beginning their protest. It was a short, but eye-opening experience for me.
Gwanghwamun
After finally crossing the road I waited and watched on in awe as the guards performed their ceremonial change of shifts beneath the towering gate. The red, yellow, and blue garments flashed brilliantly under the rising sun. Their steps were perfectly coordinated; not a single person was out of alignment as the guards switched posts.
Once finished I followed in their footsteps, looking up as I passed under the giant gate. I looked down just in time to weave and bob through the crowd to avoid bumping into someone by accident.
I entered into a large courtyard that had two rows of guards facing each other on opposite ends. People were crowded around the edges of the courtyard to watch their movements. After watching their dance-like movements I continued through the next gate.
There was the option to wear traditional garb as you walked the grounds of the palace. I chose to forgo this option and continued on. As I marvelled at the intricate designs of the palace I soon came to realise there were two young ladies following me at a small distance giggling and pointing at me.
It took some time before they felt comfortable enough to approach me, but when they did the questions came flooding out.
“Hello! Are you American?”
“Haha hello. No, I’m originally from Canada”
“Ohhhhhh. I hear it’s cold there. Is it colder than here?”
It was Christmas eve and the only hint of snow were small piles that had mostly melted.
“Yeah, it’s quite a bit colder. There is probably snow up to your knees on the ground where I’m from.”
“Wow! What brings you to Korea?”
“I’m actually teaching English in China right now and had some time off from work so I figured I would come to see Seoul. Are you guys from here?”
“No, we are from a town down south. We came here with our school for a trip. How long are you in Korea”
“I should be here for a couple of days”
The conversation continued for about another five to ten minutes. I can’t remember what all was said, but they requested taking some pictures together so I obliged. Shortly after I dismissed myself and continued looking around the enormous grounds. Throughout the several hours I was there I caught them following me around with, what I can only assume was different people from their group.
For hours I wandered around the grounds checking out the different sections of the palace, ancient dining halls and living quarters. One of which had an entire museum inside it detailing the history of conflict between the Koreans and the Japanese. The climax arrived when one of their princesses was assassinated which, of course, the Koreans blame the Japanese for. It took the Japanese over a century to apologize for this, but they did in the end.
After taking my time in the princess’s museum I continued to wander the grounds and soak in the history of the place. Eventually, I came to a large museum which I meandered my way through.
By the time I was done there it was late afternoon. Walking the grounds and through the museum had just eaten away at my day. Speaking of eating I was starving. I hadn’t eaten since either breakfast or lunch the day before. So I asked around about the best place to eat Korean barbeque. Everyone had a differing opinion about what are was best.
Finding Food
So began my journey to find some delicious dinner. I began to walk. Starting with the closest region of town I dipped into the different shops that caught my attention, but was constantly turned away.
I was shocked. I didn’t understand why I was continuously being turned away. Nor did I smell bad; I had just showered that morning! Maybe I looked, as my wife would put it, too hobo-ish. I was determined to ask in the next restaurant I got turned away from why it was that every place was turning me away.
After a short time more walking I found a place that looked good. I walked in, asked about the barbeque and got turned away again! This time I made sure to ask.
“Why is it that every place I ask for Korean barbeque I get turned away?”
“Most places only serve barbeque for two or more people. You will have to find a place that will only serve one sorry.”
Then it made sense. The fact that I was having my Christmas in Korea as a solo traveller is what was hindering me. There fore my thoughts were: Should I find a random Korean girl to ask to dinner or continue to look for a place that will serve one person?
I decided on the latter. Going around asking women out is kinda creepy and I wasn’t about that life.
After walking around aimlessly for a while I ended up finding this very traditional-looking restaurant in a random back alley. The building was made out of wood and it had sliding doors in one part and swinging in the other. By the time that I found it it was well past sunset.
The seating plan was very open With long wooden tables surrounded by plastic chairs. I asked the older lady who was over by the cash register if they would be able to serve only one person barbeque. She was quite enthusiastic about answering yes; immediately steering me to an open seat.
I had asked what was good and before I knew it I had a pot for cooking and a bunch of raw meat and sauces in front of me.
The meats would release a sweet scent and it was grilled upon the tiny stove. There were sweet, salty and spicy sauces. Everything melted in my mouth in the most pleasing ways possible. To this day it is still in the top five meals I have ever eaten.
The way the meat and sauces brought each other to fruition in an explosion of flavour. Just writing about it now after so many years makes my mouth water. I wish I had kept the name of the place written down or in a picture.
After my meal, it was pretty late. The restaurant closed its doors as the large group left behind me. Completely locking up. I continued to walk around the city for a couple of hours before heading back to the hotel in the Wee hours of the morning.
It was Christmas eve, but there were no signs of it anywhere. Christmas in Korea wasn’t really Christmas.
The moment I got back to the hotel my head hit the pillow and the world faded to black.
Dawn of the Second Day
Once again the sun woke me up very early in the morning. It stared intently into my closed eyes until I had no choice, but to open them. Even after the very few hours of sleep that I had received, I pushed aside the fatigue and forced myself to get up.
After a triple ‘S’ without the shave, I headed down to the lobby. While there I ran into a very lovely American couple who struck up a conversation almost immediately.
We talked about what there was to do and why we were in Asia as we walked together to the subway stations. Both of us happened to be leaving the next day so we declared our intents to see each other the next morning before we left as we went our separate ways on the subway.
My first stop was Insadong, also known as the tourist area and host the biggest shopping street. I spent a few hours marvelling at the different things for sale as the cold morning air turned to a beautiful afternoon. I ended up spending a tidy sum picking up some gifts for people back in Canada as well as a nice wall scroll for myself.
After doing my tourist purchases I walked around Insadong, marvelling at the different buildings that made up this area of town. After about an hour I came across a busker playing his music beside a building. The wall was made up of alternating protrusions of stone.
After a couple of songs, he noticed my attention and asked me if I would like to play something. I politely declined, but he insisted until the next thing I knew I was sitting on a rock and playing some of the songs I wrote.
That drew quite the crowd. A foreigner singing and playing guitar drew the attention of many of the locals and tourists in the area. I played a few more songs for the gathering crowd before giving the man his guitar back and continuing on my way.
What a way to spend Christmas in Korea, eh?
Tattoos and South Korea
I knew I had wanted to get a tattoo while I was there. Foolishly enough I hadn’t had the foresight to do any of the research that I probably should have. Instead, I pulled out my phone and looked up tattoo shops.
The first place I found led me to a very sketchy, run-down building half-hidden underneath a bridge. It did not appear to be open and I knocked a couple of times before continuing to the next locale on the map.
The next three or four places had me going to various ends of the college area. Not a single one of the places appeared to be open. Hell, they didn’t even look like they were tattoo shops!
So I sat down and looked up why this was. I mean it was Christmas so there was a chance they were closed, but from what I had seen up until that point Christmas in Korea wasn’t really celebrated.
After a few minutes of research, I stumbled upon the answer. Tattooing was illegal in Korea. To this day it still is.
To be able to do anything with human skin in Korea you have to have a medical license. Let’s be honest at that point I doubt you are going to use that license to tattoo.
This has caused the tattooing scene in Korea to be completely underground. To get an appointment you need to have contacted an artist online weeks ahead of time. If they don’t just assume you’re a cop and are willing to take you on as a customer they will send you the actual address of their shop a few days before your appointment.
Therefore I was S.o.L. It was a sad day. My Christmas in Korea present to myself was no longer possible. Regardless of this, I reached out to the shop that I had really wanted to find, Studio by Sol, in a last-ditch effort to try to secure my Korean tattoo.
No luck. The sun was going down too. So I grabbed my stuff and headed to a different area of the city to go to the N Seoul Tower.
Gondola Ride
By the time I got to the outside of the gondola building at the mountain base, the sun had already been swallowed by the night. The line wound through the building and out the door.
As I walked up to the building I got my first taste of Christmas in Korea. There was dark blue Christmas light just above our heads leading up to the door.
The line to get up to the ticket booth was around 20 minutes, but from there to the gondola was over an hour. So I sat in line and chatted up some other tourists until we were able to get on the gondola.
The ride itself was fairly short but the view over the city as the people below shrunk to the size of ants was phenomenal. It felt like you were floating just above the city, raising with the natural lift that sent the small metal box swinging.
Forest of Locks
When the gondola stopped we were shuttled out onto a path that led up the mountainside. Halfway up that path was a little store that you could buy locks and little plastic hearts.
Out of curiosity, I decided to buy one and I am glad I did cause as I climbed the path a bit more and turned the corner I saw the forest.
This forest was made of metal spruce trees that were so full of locks that you couldn’t see the framework. Yet it wasn’t only the trees, but the railings surrounding the cliffs that were chockful of locks and hearts.
At first glance, you would assume that these trees are just fake Christmas trees. That all of the celebration of Christmas in Korea was boiled down to this spot.
Alas no! It is the locks of lovers and hopeless romantics all placed as tightly packed as humanly possible.
So I wrote a note and placed my lock and the top of one of my trees before continuing up to the tower.
N Seoul Tower
I continued up the mountain. As I arrived at the top I took in the sheer height of the tower as it stretched up towards the sky. The needle pierced the clouds huddled above the tower.
A gazebo lay lit up about 20 to 30 feet away. Made of wood stained with brilliant reds, browns, greens, and yellows. Intricate patterns wound throughout.
I strode into the tower excited for what I would see. This was one of the key things I knew I had to do whilst here.
Once in the tower, things weren’t marked very clearly and I ended up making several rotations before figuring out where I needed to go to buy my tickets. After finally purchasing them it was a quick shot up the tower in an elevator.
At that time I was a bit of a sap and sucker for the touristy things that come with being a tourist. That means I both took and bought the picture offered at the most touristy place in all of Seoul.
Yet, even with saying that I will stand by it. I ended up giving that as a gift to my mother. It is one of the few, if not the only, pictures she proudly displays of me. She does so right in her living room if I remember correctly.
Anyway, I ended up taking my time looking over the city from the tower. The view was astounding. The city twinkled down below as if a reflection of the stars above as a light haze or mist twisted and turned between the buildings.
At some point in my revolutions of the round tower, some Korean girls asked me to take some pictures with them. I humoured them, taking all the goofy photos before continuing on.
I enjoyed my time looking over the city until the tower closed and I had to leave. The cool air crept into my skin as I made my way back to the hotel.
I don’t know how long it took me to get back, but I remember falling asleep the second I did.
Dawn of the Third Day
I awoke at dawn, rising with the sun. Not because I wanted to this time, but because I had to. My airplane left in the early afternoon and I had to be on it. I had to work the very next day.
So I got up and packed my very small bag. Always gotta pack light!
I ran down the stairs. I did not want to be late seeing as the ride to the airport was over an hour long. When I got down to the lobby I ran into the couple from the previous day.
“We are headed to the airport. Do you want to come with us?”
“Yes! 100% yes. I’d love to join you guys”
We all hopped into the cab after having checked out and talked while we made our way to the airport. Once there we went our separate ways after a polite farewell.
I checked in for my flight, slogged through security, and got to my gate well within the time constraints. Before I knew it with less than 8 hours of sleep and one meal in my stomach I was headed back to China.
It was the Christmas in Korea for me.
