Seoul is a very big city...24 million people or so, that's almost as big as Canada but in a country the size of Southwestern Ontario. It is very obvious walking around what it is that Koreans love or atleast what is popular...you truly cannot escape them, always in your face but it's what makes Seoul Seoul :0)
Koreans love...
1) High heels...well atleast the girls do. When I was at Everland (an amusement park), I was probably the only one wearing running shoes because all the girls here wear high heels pretty much everywhere they go. I'm not sure what it is...a height thing, the attempt to make their legs look long, either way I just don't get it and more so would like to know their secret for being able to wear heels all day everyday...pain is beauty apparently.
2) Coffee shops...every other building is a coffee shop for sure, its insane how much coffee the people here much consume. Not only are they coffee shops, they are luxurious and usually 3 or 4 floors. They even have Dunkin Donuts here and its nice, really modern, I don't get it! Oh and that's another thing...Koreans love donut shops, there's Krispy Kreme too...all that's missing is Timmy's :)
3) Drinking...if its not a coffee shop then its a bar. Public drunkenness is accepted and drinking after work is a ritual...beer and soju are so cheap that if it were like that at home it would be the same. Walking home from work I have run into many drunken men napping on benches and the street or passed out...either way Korea is so safe that you can do that, well I wouldn't but they can and its all good. Everywhere serves alcohol, even the little markets, its amazing!
4) Weird style quirks such as socks and sandals, socks and high heels, socks and anything that socks shouldn't be worn with.
5) Making sure everyone knows if you're in a couple. Couples here wear matching clothing...this is no a joke, I'm serious. They walk around with matching shoes, t-shirts, sweaters...its ridiculous but quite entertaining. Also the boyfriends carry their girlfriends purses all the time and everywhere, haven't quite figured that one out yet either.
6) They loooove to shop...looks like I came to the right place! There are street markets everywhere and they are always packed. You can seriously find anything at all hours in the night. There are electronics markets, glasses markets, alcohol markets, clothing markets, pottery markets and the list goes on.
7) They love to not be home. I swear that Korean never stay home, they just love hiking and shopping and wandering. That must explain why bars and clubs and Norebongs are all open into the wee hours of the morning...the city never sleeps. Its amazing because there's always something to do, you're never bored and there are people everywhere you go no matter the time or day. You can hop from a restaurant to a bar to another bar to a club to a Norebong to another bar to a dvdbong to another club and its only 2am and things are still just starting, the usual go home time is between 4-6am...good thing I'm a night person!
8) Being connected....Korea has the fasted downloading speed of anywhere in the world and is so connected that people walk around the streets and sit in the sbuway watching tv on their cell phones...no one reads books, there's no need when you have everything on your cell phone from a dictionary to a sweet camera to a tv and movie player...its crazy, there is no time when I will use half the things on my phone and what's better is that most of it is free. In Korea all incoming calls are FREE...like seriously, imagine they had that in Canada!!
OK that's all I can think of right now although I know there's so so much more I will discover....its been an adventure so far....another update will come after Bejing which is in 3 days woot woot LOOOOOVE Chuseok weekend and getting time off. Wish me luck on my first traveling adventure...that goodness I have Rexy with me!!
Sante!
xo
No comments:
Post a Comment