Email about Korea

I'm too lazy to write a post about Seoul, after I have had to keep writing emails about it, so here is a ctrl+c ctrl+v of one email to a girl who is going there in the Spring:

I was only there for a few days but here are some thoughts for you (grossly inorganized, I might add).

Seoul is like what you expect Tokyo to be 20 years ago. The subway is convenient, but slightly difficult to understand. The machines only except coins, and 1,000 won bills, so if you have more, you have to go to the subway ticket counter where they get angry at you for wasting their time (well, during rush hour, at least). Sometimes the tickets don't work, and you will have to do the unthinkable and hop a gate.

There are street vendors EVERYWHERE, and you can talk down their prices with this useful phrase: gak gak jeoseo. Crap, I forgot how to say how much.... Oh well, the pronunciation is difficult, and I can tell you this weekend. I was with a Korean friend he was painstakingly teaching me the "language". She says, however, not to eat at street vendors because they are unsanitary. But then again, she also told us not be out past 8 o'clock. After she said that, it was pretty easy to write her off as a crazy and be done with it.

The East Gate has a traditional marketplace where you can buy cultural goods, although some smack of mass production. It also is home to the only Starbucks that has ever bothered to write it's name in another language. It is a popular place to take photos, and the Koreans are pretty proud of it. Around here is a shopping mall that is worth a visit if your sick of Japan's fashion, prices, and sizes. It's called Doota. Here you can also bargain, but you can't try anything on really. Jackets, and shoes are a yes. Shirts and pants are a no. The building is enormous, the prices varying, and the experience exhausting. The mall is also by Korea first attempt/successas cleaning up the enviroment. There is a pretty river where many people walk just to feel the "purity of it all". So says my friend. She ushered us passed it pretty quickly so, I didn't get to enjoy it very much.

The arts district is super awesome, but I can't remember the name at the moment.
If there is one show you should see, it's the show I didn't get to (so I'll live vicariously through you): The Donkey Show. It sounds somewhat dirty, but what it really is is a drag show about love and betrayal all done to disco music. I WISH I had gone. Oh, do I ever.

Seoul Tower is supposed to be a big place to go, but I didn't have the
courage. Buses in Korea are scary, because you often have to flag them down, and they don't do a great job of announcing their stops so there is a danger you'll miss them. However, since Seoul tower is so big, it seems likely that bus will stop there for some other tourists anyways. I'm sad I missed it.

There is supposed to be another market by the South Gate, but we didn't get to see it.

There is also a massive underground mall that is worth seeing if you want to buy pop culture goods. Also, there's a Pizza Hut (something I didn't know I missed until I saw it). There's an aquarium, a movie theater, and arcade, a bookstore with a large English book selection (honest to god, they had Derrida there), and a CD store with good prices. You have to be careful, though, because they don't give you bags. I believe you have to buy them, but I'm not exactly sure. I forgot the name, yet again, but if you're interested, I'll find it. There is a Shamanist temple, but don't go there by yourself! There are many homeless people who live along all the paths. I knew it was unworthy of me to be scared, but their eyes watching me as I passed was somewhat disturbing. It's an interesting site, if only to know that the mountain once used to be dangerous with many tigers, only now to be victim of massive urban sprawl. The sacred rocks overlook thirty-year old apartment complexes, and the day I went,
it was so smoggy that you couldn't see much of the horizon. If you're interested, I'll tell you the name. But, I must warn you! It is on the seedy side of town.

Koreans, for the most part are very friendly. They are better at communicating even with the language barrier than the Japanese, and are less afraid to talk to you.

There are some differences, however. They use metal chopsticks, which is difficult because they are slippery. You use a spoon for the rice, and you cannot shovel food in with your chopsticks. Other than that, I can't remember. Restaurants operate in much the same manner Japanese ones do, so you should be ok there. When in doubt, just point at things on the menu.

Foods you should try: bulgogi, bibimpo, I forgot the name, but it's like an egg pizza, and korean bbq.

Also, I have to share this aweseom music video I saw at the hotel: