Beside the Stars, Beneath the Cherry Blossoms -- Impressions of Seoul

Day 1: Arrival in Seoul

On the last day of the Qingming mini-holiday, I traveled to South Korea on business. While South Korea has been thoroughly explored and worn out by Chinese tourists, I was actually visiting Seoul for the first time. When we were young, Seoul was still called Han City. I still remember that during the Han City Olympics, China won a lot of gold medals. At some point, Han City turned into Seoul, and for a moment I almost thought South Korea had moved its capital. It is said that the Korean people didn't want to be associated with 'Han,' as if they were a vassal state of the Great Han Dynasty. So, Chinese characters were no longer promoted; they became these stick-and-circle characters like soup spoons and chopsticks. In this regard, the Japanese are more generous; they still borrow some of our leftover Chinese characters and use them quite happily. Actually, this move has caused considerable trouble for Chinese tourists traveling in South Korea. Although Japanese and Koreans are equally bad at English, at least you can guess a thing or two from the half-Chinese characters; Korean script is completely baffling. Nowadays, middle-aged women have become the backbone of the tourism economy. Pudong Airport was full of them. I was mixed in with a group of Chinese middle-aged women traveling to South Korea and a group of Korean middle-aged women returning home from China. The two groups were evenly matched, except for the language; they were almost indistinguishable. I hate rainy days, I hate shuttle buses, and I hate the expressionless faces of China Eastern Airlines flight attendants. Arriving at Incheon Airport in South Korea, it was just like any other international airport, except for the extra Korean characters.

I exchanged some Korean won, left the airport, and took the bus to Lotte Hotel. The airport bus was very clean, costing 1,600 Korean won, about 100 RMB. The driver even bowed before departure, which was quite different from home. At the hotel, the staff were very polite, feeling quite similar to Japan. The hotel room was very Korean-style and minimalist, with white furniture—a style I really like. Like the Japanese, Koreans are good at utilizing space; the wardrobe for hanging clothes was designed to be flat, which I saw for the first time.

Also, as the travel guide said, the exchange rate at the airport was really bad: 1 RMB was 161 Korean won, while I later saw 174 Korean won on the street. The biggest feeling in South Korea was that I seemed especially rich—staying in a hotel cost millions, eating fried chicken cost 20,000 won. After unpacking and resting a bit, I went out to find food. I was really hungry. It proved once again that airplane food is terrible. Across from the hotel was the famous Myeongdong. I had always thought that Myeongdong, as a famous scenic spot on the rankings, should actually be a cave. Now I found that Myeongdong is actually a commercial district—bustling but nothing special. Then I discovered that in Korean, 'dong' means 'street,' so no wonder Seoul is full of 'dong' names. But all the signs in Korea have English, Korean, and Chinese, fully showing that Seoul is a huge shopping mall for Asian people, especially Chinese.

In Myeongdong, I looked for the famous TWO TWO Fried Chicken restaurant. Then I found that the streets were full of beer and fried chicken. After the hit drama 'My Love from the Star,' it seemed like all Koreans had started having beer and fried chicken. I ordered a plate of fried chicken, sat by the window, looked at the scenery, and wrote some notes. The weather was too cold, so I skipped the beer and had some coffee with the chicken instead. The fried chicken was truly delicious. It was perfect for two people to drink beer and chat for hours. Also, in South Korea, you can freely take photos, selfies, have others take your photos, pose in any way, make peace signs, act cute—no one finds it strange. Korean tableware is stored in a drawer on one side of the table. I first saw this in a Korean BBQ restaurant in the United States, and now that I'm in Korea, I realize it's really true.

Day 2: Korean BBQ

Today, there was nothing particularly noteworthy in the office. In the afternoon, I went to Mango Six to buy a drink—the place where the four gentlemen in 'A Gentleman's Dignity' often went to chat.

After work, I went with colleagues to eat Korean BBQ at a restaurant called Wangbijip, which was very close to the office. Korean BBQ is truly delicious. The thing in the middle that looks like a copper tube is actually for sucking up the smoke, which explains why clothes don't smell much after eating Korean BBQ. Unlike in China, where after eating hot pot, your hair and clothes are all smelly. Later I realized that I was out of date—Chinese Korean BBQ restaurants already have that too. I had planned to go to the gym, but the hotel gym closed at 10 PM.

Day 3: A Date with the Stars

Second day at the office in Korea. As two super fans of 'My Love from the Star,' our dining route in Seoul turned into Do Min-joon's eating route.

For lunch, we went to the small udon noodle restaurant (Yo Rim Noodles) where Do Min-joon and Cheon Song-yi ate together.

For dinner, we ate the marinated crab that Cheon Song-yi loved in the drama. Actually, I found that Myeongdong's marinated crab is just Ningbo's drunken crab, isn't it? I hope Koreans won't take our cuisine to the UN for cultural protection again.

Next few days:

Day 3 in Seoul. I noticed an interesting phenomenon: on Seoul's streets, you can cross diagonally. To go to the diagonally opposite corner, you don't have to go straight and then across.

For lunch, I had the famous ginseng chicken soup. The young chicken's belly was stuffed with sticky rice, ginseng, and other medicinal herbs—delicious.

In the evening, I went to eat again... Business trips are all about eating. I had Korean set meal (jeongsik).

First Friday in Seoul: Dongdaemun

On the first Friday in Seoul, I was in a great mood. For lunch, I had bibimbap, which is called 'Binbinba' in Korean—I felt the pronunciation was like 'ping ping pah,' the lively sound of pounding pots and pans. Bibimbap had too many vegetables and too little meat. It was tasty, but not enough to satisfy a meat-eater like me. This business trip with a female colleague let me fully indulge in taking photos. We seriously took pictures from all angles before every meal.

At noon, I went to a bookstore to buy some cute stationery for the kids. Korean stationery is really beautiful. The sun came out at noon, sweeping away the gloom of the past few days. On the way back to the office, there was a cherry blossom tree in full bloom. After several days of rain in Seoul, I finally saw the brilliance of spring.

In the afternoon, I got off work a little early. The sunset was still there, and the breeze was gentle. I walked from the office along Cheonggyecheon Stream all the way to Dongdaemun. Every city has a river. Paris has the Seine, London has the Thames, Shanghai has the Huangpu River. Seoul's river is indeed more like a stream than a river. By the stream, a wandering singer was singing a touching Korean love song, with a melancholic melody that made me feel like the heroine of a Korean drama. There were also parents with children and young couples strolling leisurely. More common were travelers like me, constantly taking photos.

Arriving at Dongdaemun, it was packed with people. The Doota Mall, open until 5 AM, was impressively grand. The Dongdaemun Design Plaza, designed by the 'queen of architecture,' British architect Zaha Hadid, has become a landmark of Dongdaemun. Basically, we used the Design Plaza as a reference point to find restaurants and shops.

Before shopping, we first had army stew (budae jjigae). Actually, it's not much different from our hot pot—a hodgepodge stew of low quality. It is said that the origin of army stew was during the war between South Korea and North Korea; the army had nothing to eat, so they threw everything into water to make this pot. Although the stew didn't look great, the taste was pretty good.

After eating, we started shopping, beginning at Lotte. I found that Korean-style clothes were quite nice, and the prices weren't exaggerated. After shopping, I finally found the Two Two Fried Chicken restaurant I had been craving for days, but the taste was very average, and the staff attitude was also average. I didn't understand why it was so popular. I shopped until 11 PM and felt exhausted, so I went back to the hotel to sleep. I discovered that Korean taxi drivers can also refuse fares and can have a bad attitude.

Saturday: Exploring Seoul on Foot

A day of exploring Seoul on foot started at Gyeongbokgung Palace. Gyeongbokgung, often called the Korean Forbidden City, is located in a corner of the bustling city. It took about 15 minutes to walk from Lotte Hotel. The spring sun was warm, the cherry blossoms were in full bloom—perfect for wandering. The name Gyeongbokgung comes from the 'Book of Songs' (Shijing), with the phrase 'May the gentleman live ten thousand years, and may his blessings be abundant.' Because it is located in northern Seoul, it is also called 'Bukgwol' (Northern Palace). Inside Gyeongbokgung, Chinese names can be seen everywhere, showing the profound influence of Chinese culture on Korea—whether Koreans like it or not, it cannot be erased. I sighed, thinking that Korean students have done a good job preserving their national culture. At the entrance of Gyeongbokgung, there were soldiers wearing Hanbok, and there was a changing of the guard ceremony, probably inspired by Buckingham Palace—small in scale but quite serious, recreating ancient customs. Many young women in Hanbok walked around inside the palace, giving a sense of time travel.

The downside of traveling alone is that there is no one to take photos for you, especially for someone as vain as me (my theory is: take as many photos as possible while I still look okay). I had to keep asking passersby to take my photos. I wondered if I should buy a selfie stick. Although the streets of Seoul are full of people with selfie sticks, I still found them a bit strange. It was a sunny April day, with grass growing and orioles flying. The spring flowers in Gyeongbokgung were charming. I had a map of Gyeongbokgung and my obsessive-compulsive disorder kicked in again—I had to walk through every marked spot and listen to all the audio guide explanations to feel complete. I remembered exploring Singapore alone the same way; it seems the occupational hazard of auditing is serious. The upside of this obsession was that my understanding of Gyeongbokgung probably reached the average level of Koreans.

Exiting from the east gate of Gyeongbokgung, I could have gone directly to Bukchon Hanok Village, but since I had borrowed the audio guide, I had to return it at the north gate, so I had to detour. On the way to Bukchon Hanok Village, I passed through Samcheong-dong. A beautiful, artsy street with many unique cafes, galleries, and small shops.

Samcheong-dong is built on a hillside, with staggered buildings. Many shops had blooming flowers in front, giving it a bit of European village charm.

I rested at a cafe in Samcheong-dong whose name I forgot, just because I liked the words on the wall outside.

I got lost in Samcheong-dong, asked a volunteer in a red vest, and finally found the entrance to Bukchon Hanok Village. The volunteer also gave me a map of Bukchon, which showed that there were eight scenic spots. Oh no, I thought. That's going to force my OCD to visit all eight. The eighth scenic spot was a stone stairway, said to be made from a single large stone. Climbing the stairs led to the center of Bukchon Hanok Village. This Korean residential area still retains its appearance from over 600 years ago. The village is built on the hillside, layered and undulating. Every door is different. Real residents live here; I could see children playing ball at the doorsteps. Throughout Bukchon, there are signs asking for quiet, and visitors are expected to leave after sunset. Strolling through, it felt a lot like a small town in southern France—that forgotten simplicity and tranquility. This might be the only place I would want to visit again.

In Bukchon Hanok Village, I finally restrained myself from visiting all the attractions due to my OCD. Actually, it wasn't that I didn't want to; the roads inside Bukchon were so winding and twisted that I completely lost my sense of direction. Plus, there were uphill and downhill slopes. After a whole day of walking, I was exhausted. But I still managed to find the first scenic spot, Changdeokgung Palace. As the travel guide said, the first and eighth spots in Bukchon's 18 views are far apart. I heard that the Secret Garden of Changdeokgung is the most beautiful garden in Korea. However, it was already after 6 PM, and Changdeokgung was closed. I didn't feel too regretful, as I have only average interest in palace gardens.

Since I was exploring Seoul on foot, I decided to keep walking. Looking at the map, it seemed that from Changdeokgung to Gyeongbokgung wasn't too far, so I walked that way. Along the way, I had a skewer of grilled chicken from a street stall. It was tasty. Eating street food in Seoul didn't seem psychologically daunting.

After walking 20 minutes, I arrived at Gwanghwamun Square. But I saw truckloads of Korean police on high alert, and I heard someone speaking Korean excitedly in the square. I grabbed a passerby and asked what was going on. Unfortunately, the passerby's English was too poor, so I had to use Google Translate to explain.

In the evening, I returned to Myeongdong. Myeongdong at night had a different kind of bustle. Many snack stalls had set up, along with small stalls selling clothes and accessories, reminiscent of the old Qipu Road scene. A colleague sent me a short video of live octopus, and I suddenly wanted to try it. I randomly found a place called Hwayeollo in Myeongdong. Although the live octopus tasted similar to sashimi, seeing the tentacles still wriggling on the chopsticks made me feel creeped out. I mustered my courage and ate a few pieces, then felt nauseous and didn't want to eat anymore.

Sunday: A Date with Cherry Blossoms

I slept in and made a brunch appointment with colleagues. It was a small corner restaurant called Mama Cafe recommended by a Korean colleague, similar to my favorite place in Jersey City. The breakfast portion was surprisingly large, like in the US. One portion could basically feed two people. The best part of being with colleagues was that I could continue to use their beauty camera for photos.

After breakfast, three of us girls went to Ewha Womans University. Ewha Womans University is on Line 2, and the station is named 'Ewha University.' At the university gate, one side had the school name, and the other side had a white relief sculpture of a pear blossom wall. Cherry blossoms were blooming everywhere.

Entering the campus, at the top of a high staircase was a small chapel, like many American campuses. I have a thing for sitting on high steps and taking photos; I think it looks very artistic. I guess I'm not the only one who feels that way—groups of two or three tourists were sitting on the steps taking photos or selfies.

The most special thing about Ewha Womans University is its sunken lecture hall, designed by French architect Dominique Perrault. Two buildings are built into the hillside, with a narrow walkway between them, giving the feeling of walking through the Rose Gorge in the ancient city of Petra in Jordan.

In spring, the Ewha Womans University campus is filled with blooming cherry blossoms. Tourists were constantly taking photos, while students hurried by holding books. Whether tourists or students, everyone was romanticized by the floral scent in the air.

Around Ewha Womans University were many cute little shops selling accessories, hair ornaments, and clothes. A casual stroll killed quite some time, and I bought a lot. Tired, I found a Hello Kitty Cafe. The pink, cute Hello Kitty always lives in every girl's heart. Actually, Hello Kitty was born in 1974, so strictly speaking, she is a Korean ajumma (middle-aged woman). I took a cute selfie with the beauty camera.

The last stop was N Seoul Tower. N Seoul Tower is also called Namsan Tower. 'N' stands for Namsan. N Seoul Tower sits on the peak of Namsan Mountain. We climbed the steps along the way to enjoy the blooming cherry blossoms. Although the cherry blossoms were beautiful, the weather was cloudy that day; without sunlight, the cherry blossoms looked pale. Moreover, Namsan was crowded with tourists, and some Chinese tourists were talking loudly, ruining the peace and romance of cherry blossom viewing.

Climbing to the top of Namsan was quite tiring. At the summit, I saw the Locks of Love wall. Many scenic spots have places for people to hang love locks: the Love Locks Bridge in Paris, the Locks of Love on Mount Huang, and now Seoul Tower. It's not necessarily true that one more lock will create one more beautiful love story. Just as every city must have a river, every city must have a tall tower as a landmark. Seoul Tower, like other tall towers such as the Eiffel Tower, Tokyo Tower, and the Oriental Pearl Tower, is simply very tall, and its elevator is very fast. Taking a photo below is just a token of 'I was here.'

The observation deck was just like other towers' observation floors, with signs indicating cities and distances in all directions. The only difference was that here you can send postcards to friends, with the theme 'Love is in the air.' Very romantic, just like a Korean drama. Also, looking out from the window, cherry blossom-lined paths could be seen.

At the top of Seoul Tower, there is a revolving restaurant where Cheon Song-yi waited for Professor Do in 'My Love from the Star.' If you make a reservation at the restaurant, you don't need to buy a ticket for the observation deck. A prefix menu costs about 125,000 won, while the observation deck ticket is 9,500 won. Considering the revolving restaurant's scenery, service, and Michelin chef's cuisine, I felt it was worth the money. The only regret was that weekend dining had a time limit (no limit on weekdays)—dinner had to be finished between 5:00 and 6:50 PM, so I missed the sunset over Seoul. But the weather was cloudy that day, so the sunset probably wouldn't have been beautiful anyway.

After dinner, I hurried to catch the 8 PM Nanta Show. Nanta Show elevates all kitchen utensils into percussion instruments, blending traditional Korean elements like the four things (drum, long drum, gong, cymbals). Nanta Show has been successful for 18 years since its debut in 1997. Every time I visit a country, I want to see a local show. In South Korea, watching Nanta Show satisfied my artistic appetite.

After the show, I snacked on Myeongdong street food—a perfect day.

At noon, I took the subway to a distant Toy R Us to buy gifts for the kids. Korea's Toy R Us was small, just a toy corner in the Lotte Mart. A large portion was dedicated to the Korean cartoon character, the Penguin (probably Pororo). It was raining in Seoul, damp and cold. After work, I went to eat fresh rice cakes (tteokbokki), which felt like army stew with rice cakes but no added water, making the broth thick. Although it was another unsophisticated hodgepodge, it tasted good.

Next, second round: beer and fried chicken. On my first day in Seoul, I had actually wanted to find Two Two Fried Chicken, a popular fried chicken place on Dianping (Chinese review site). I accidentally stumbled into this unknown little shop, and the fried chicken there amazed my taste buds, leaving me longing for more. Today I came again. This shop's fried chicken was far better than Two Two's, but it was hardly mentioned on any Chinese travel websites. Maybe because its name doesn't sound like a proper shop name: 'Better Happier Choice' (BHC). Later, I looked it up on a Korean international student website and found that BHC is actually the 6th most famous fried chicken chain in Korea, with actress Jun Ji-hyun as its spokesperson. So those posters of Jun Ji-hyun in the shop were not just decorations; she is the real endorser. No wonder when I initially asked the staff where Two Two was, they said disdainfully, 'Our fried chicken is better.'

Last day at the office on the business trip to Seoul. I was busy finishing various tasks in a flurry. In the morning, I finally tried a local Korean coffee. 'Angel in Us Coffee,' apparently under the Lotte Group. A Vanilla Latte was too sweet for my taste—I didn't like it much.

For lunch, I found a noodle hot pot restaurant downstairs. The noodle hot pot was actually cooked fresh in front of you. The noodles were okay, but the highlight was when they took the leftover soup, added some leftover rice, vegetables, seaweed, and an egg to make a delicious porridge. After work, I went to Sinsa-dong in Gangnam to continue eating marinated crab. Because I had an upset stomach, I didn't dare eat much.

Last Day in Seoul

On the last day in Seoul, I prepared to go to the airport. I had breakfast at the Lotte Hotel in the morning. Breakfast costs 60,000 won if bought on the spot, but 36,000 won if purchased in advance—a big difference. Although the breakfast buffet was expensive, it was worth the money. After breakfast, I packed up a bit and headed to the airport. (As a result, I was so busy figuring out how to stuff the overweight items into my suitcase that I left a cleanser worth hundreds of yuan in the hotel bathroom.) I had heard that customs and tax refund lines at the airport are very long. In the end, it proved wise to go to the airport early. First, there were too many domestic travel groups; second, the tax refund process at the Korean airport was quite chaotic, with lots of noise. Seoul Airport's tax refund requires you to check in first, get your boarding pass, and then go for the tax refund, but you cannot check in the items you bought because they might be randomly inspected. First, you line up to get the tax forms stamped, then scan your passport and tax documents at a few machines. Then, if you have too much luggage, you need to line up again to check in your bags. After passing through security and customs, go to Gate 27 for the tax refund, where you scan your passport and tax documents again, and finally get the money. I kept wondering why the steps of stamping, scanning, and returning money couldn't be integrated and simplified. After that, I finally had time to browse the airport to buy gifts for family. I was a bit frustrated: I had accumulated 95 points (worth $95) after staying at Lotte Hotel for 10 days, and I planned to use them at Lotte Duty Free, but I found out that you need at least 100 points to spend. One more day for my colleague made exactly 100 points. Nevertheless, I still bought this pair of Fendi sunglasses because it's one of the few pairs I can wear on my head.

The plane took off, ending my Seoul trip.