SOUTH KOREA: MY HEART, MY SOUL, MY LIFE’s RUIN
I don’t really know where to begin with explaining why I wanted so badly to go to the Republic of Korea. I guess I could talk about how many hours I spent watching Korean dramas on my sister’s borrowed Netflix account. How I begged my friends to go with me to one of two Korean barbecue restaurants in all of New Orleans. Or perhaps how I started buying kimchi weekly from Whole Foods Delivery and insisted on eating it almost every day for about two years. I could tell you about starting to listen to BTS, but then moving on to BlackPink, Ateez, and my favorite Stray Kids.
I am not sure where exactly my obsession/love with all things Korean started, but I guess if I was going to put a pin in the cushion of my past decisions, I would say it started with food. And, I guess, in an ironic sort of way, it ended with food too. I was introduced to Korean food, or at least Korean influenced contemporary cuisine at my job. Perhaps I should have lead with that, I used to be a chef. One of the chefs I worked under was married to a Korean woman, and in addition to the Latin American influence his own heritage lended to his food, Korean flavors came through in his menu. Grilled Short Ribs with cucumber kimchi, Fried Chicken Wings with Gochujang - these items may not seem that unique now, but 10 years ago, they were fresh AF.
So, even though it was like background noise at first, Korean food was on my radar. Then, I discovered Hamzy and the infamous mukbang. I think more than my job, this one YouTuber taught me about Korean food. And I loved it! I couldn’t get enough. And from that it grew and grew. From Food to Music to TV to Movies to Culture to the ultimate - picturing myself there. Once I began to imagine traveling there, it became this slightly unattainable dream. And once I acknowledged to myself how deeply unhappy I was with my job, my life, and myself, it became the light at the end of the tunnel that kept me going.
I had always wanted to travel, and I had imagined many destinations. South Korea had never been one of them until the three years leading up to my big bang. I figured if I was going to blow up my life then I better make it count. I booked my flight to Korea and about a week later gave my notice at work. A month later, I was on a plane to Seoul, and I had never felt so happy to be alive.
I arrived in Incheon Airport on March 18, 2024. When the plane first landed and the passengers were preparing the depart, I was full of nervous energy. Would my eSIM work when I turned it on? Could I navigate the subway system? Would South Korea be everything I expected it to be? The answer to all of my anxious questions was luckily “Yes.”
MY TOP 3 WORDS OF TRAVEL WISDOM:
1. Purchasing an eSIM: Now, rest assured, you can absolutely buy a SIM card in the airport if you choose to do so. I, however, felt more comfortable having the eSIM loaded onto my phone before getting on the plane. It gave me peace of mind and helped me to feel more prepared. And, I’m glad I did! Because it wasn’t until I tried to load the eSIM onto my iPhone the day before my flight from New Orleans that I realized I couldn’t, not until I unlocked my phone. A stressful couple of hours later and a visit to my phone store, I had it figured out. My trip hadn’t even started, and I’d hit my first road block. My trip hadn’t even started, and I had already solved my first problem! I bought my temporary eSIM via Trip.com. There are many options, just choose the data coverage that is right for you.
2. Navigating Local Transport Systems: I was very concerned about getting around the city. I had plans to exclusively use public transportation while in Korea, so it was paramount that I got comfortable fast. There were several apps that I downloaded in anticipation of my trip, but the two I used the most were NAVER Maps and Google Translate. There was also KakaoT and Papago, but I didn’t really need them. The most important app to me was the NAVER Map, as it is THE navigation system in Korea. I bought and loaded money onto my TMoney card while stile in the airport. This is a rechargeable smart card that works on all public transit. To get from the airport to Seoul, I took the express train. Then I took the metro to Itaewon and walked a short way to my stay. I figured if I could manage to get to my hotel from the airport with the fatigue and stress of a long travel day, then I could handle the next three weeks.
3. Deep Breaths: One of the main skills I had to learn in traveling alone was to calm down and figure it out. It sounds simple to say, but harder to do. Often we are surrounded by family and friends who help us in day to day life. Couples and groups travel together and share the responsibility and burden of exploring a new place. Solo traveling is very rewarding, but when a problem arises, the onus is 100% on you. Did I get lost? Did I have issues communicating? Did I freak out a couple of times? Absolutely I did. But I got through each struggle and came out feeling capable of handling just about anything.
The hotel I booked in Seoul was not very nice, and honestly, it had more of a one-night-stand motel kind of vibe than anything else. I was just excited to be in Itaewon. My expectations of this area of Seoul were absolutely based on the Korean Drama Itaewon Class, and did I visit filming locations from the show? You know I did! It was an eclectic neighborhood and centrally-located, in my mind, to many walkable tourist attractions. I spent five full days in Seoul, and I had a plan for each and every one of them.
THE HIGHLIGHTS FOR ME WERE:
Namsan Tower and installing my own love lock
Namsan Tower ❤️ Locks
“The elevator took groups up to the deck, which had a 360 view of Seoul. It was a great start to the trip, to feel like you could see everything and nothing all at once. I then headed down to the gift shop to redeem my love lock. The cashier said I only got one shot, as there wasn’t a key. Perfect! I walked along, looking and videoing all the locks, many were rusted from time, some weren’t locks at all, but phone cases zip-tied on to other locks. There was also a lot of graffiti on any available space. I tried to find the perfect spot for mine, but in the end I spotted an old bear lock, and it seemed like mine would be safe there. If I come back, I suppose I can find my lock again.” -Journal Entry, 3.25.24
The Korean National Museum
The Korean National Museum
“Next was a walk to the Korean National Museum, again the size of this museum and the expanse of the entrance was awesome. It gave the impression of a palace entrance without being one….I started on the third floor, I don’t think I was supposed to, but I don’t really like being told what to do. The third floor held the world (global) exhibits. The Greco/Roman exhibit was my favorite, most of the items were from a museum in Vienna. They had a China and Japan exhibit, as well as a couple others I can’t remember at the moment. The Japanese one was small, and coming from the War Memorial before this, I can see why. There was an entire exhibit of Buddhist sculptures, some were 9-10 feet tall….The second floor housed an exhibit of donated works from Korean benefactors, I suppose that is the right word. This exhibit was my favorite. The only connection was Korean history. It varied from sculpture to ceramics to paintings to roof tiles to furniture. By the time I got the first floor, I was about done with museums, but I’m glad I did it in that order. The first floor was Korean history, ancient. And many of the exhibits didn’t have English descriptions. I feel the first floor was designed for Koreans, not visitors.” - Journal Entry, 3.25.24
Gyeongbokgung Palace
My Favorite Meal in Seoul: Kimbap and Fried Chicken in Itaewon
“On to the food, tuna kimbap with carrot, cucumber, lettuce, and perilla. The rice was still slightly warm. And crispy fried chicken with fresh green chili. The breading was super crispy. Definitely an egg wash/thick tempura batter, and the outside coating was like savory caramel. It hardened on the outside, sealing in the crispy shell on this chicken. It was glorious. I also stopped and got some kimchi, radish, and noodle from the grocery store.” - Journal Entry, 3.25.24
I was a couple of weeks early to see the cherry blossoms blooming in Seoul, but I did indeed see them in the second half of my trip. The Dream Forest was not yet blanketed with cherry blossoms when I went, so you might even wonder at my decision to go there. I had to take a subway 45 minutes each way, and the trees were essentially bare. Planning my trip in the months prior, I had come across this forest on a map, and it just seemed so appropriate to me. Sometimes I am extremely literal; it’s the English major in me. I was already living my dream of traveling, and in Korea no less, so I should also visit the forest of dreams. While I didn’t see it in full bloom of spring, I could picture it. And what is a dream but the future imagined?
Bukchon Hanbok Village
WHAT I WAS WATCHING:
NETFLIX: It is something I never really thought about until I started traveling, but the shows and movies available on Netflix vary by location. There was one Korean drama in particular that I had tried to watch in the US. The show is touted in many lists as one of the best of all time. It’s called Guardian: The Lonely and Great God, and needless to say, I watched it over the next three weeks.
