Yesterday I decided to check out this place 'Seoul' that everyone has been talking about over here. Turns out it's kind of a big place, so I didn't quite get to see it all, but I had a pretty interesting day.
I left my apartment with camera, wallet and a scrawled sheet of instructions reading "138- Uijongbu, turns left 2ce, 2nd time get off and walk back. no.1 line -> dongdaemun". First stop, Family Mart to buy a T-money card. This is a sort of prepay card for buses and subways in Korea, and makes everything half the price and a million times more convenient.
Next, the bus stop on the main road, where I will find my 138 to Uijongbu city. The rid is relatively smooth and only a little terrifying. The driver insists on gesturing wildly while talking on his cellphone. I'm fairly sure this is not the point of hands-free calling. An hour or so later, I'm at the subway station in Uijongbu, One of the many satellite cities at risk of being entirely swallowed by the ever-expanding Seoul. Of course at this point it's more of a superway (read: train) because the tracks don't go underground until they enter Seoul proper.
The system for paying and riding the subway can only be described as entirely painless. The fares are absurdly low, deducted automatically from my new plastic friend, and partially refunded automatically if i get off the train at a nearby stop. The train is cool, dark, not particularly crowded, and most of the useful information is written in English. There is an interesting view from the superway, and the subway is calm and relaxing. Fifty minutes later, I am in Dongdaemun, and all of a sudden there is a city all around me.
Sights, sounds and smells. Oh god the smells. Roadside stalls are a specialty in Dondaemun, and entire roads are essentially closed to traffic, becoming markets by sheer force of will. It seems everyone is selling wallets, belts, fans and batteries. There are rows and rows of shoes set out on low benches. There is a cobbler. There are food and drink vendors, ranging from a large tub of tea with paper cups and a hand-drawn sign, to a full on restaurant in a tent, with plastic furniture.
There is an actual restaurant that smells so strongly of fish (dried, I think, or drying) that I consider crossing the street.
A day of firsts for me in Korea... I see my first army base. I've seen plenty of trucks, jeeps and young men in fatigues around Pocheon, but hadn't spotted the base about five minutes out of town. I see my first fight in the street in broad daylight. An old man assures me in Korean that it's not serious, before managing "boxing" in English and a contagious laugh. I see my first crippled beggar, and my first man in a dress.
Food is on offer, and it is consumed. A cup of very odd tea with ice, necessitated by the heat. Some sort of fried bread in a cup, because why not right? And finally, curiosity overcomes me, and I must know the Lotteria (Korean fast food!) Red and White Shrimp Burger.
Think Filet-o-Fish with chili sauce, twice the size for $5 all up. Also, they give you a nifty pager-like gadget to tell you when your order is ready. I waited 35 seconds, and wondered why I had gone to sit down. Still, neat idea.
Having had my fill of insanely cheap things I don't want to buy, I decide to test out this subway thing or real. How do transfers work? Does it cost more? What if I don't really know where I'm going? So I set off to find a place i know the general location of, using subway maps and the fact that I have way too much time on my hands. After transferring to the wrong line, getting off at the wrong stop, and finally leaving the station travelling in the wrong direction ("three blocks down, three to the left, where the $*%@?... oh") (not a complete loss, as I did find what I can only describe as a luxury scooter that was pretty pimping)
I arrive at my destination.
The shop's closed, but I chalk it up as a victory. ...Yeah, it's the only Games Workshop store in Korea, so? It was the only thing I happened to know the location of in Seoul. Sue me.
And that's pretty much it. Two hours home, and back to work in the morning.
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