We will be taking a vacation to Seoul and Busan and I was looking for some tips as this is our first time there.
Where is the best place to exchange for Korean won? Is it as convenient as in Taiwan? Should I just pull $$ from an ATM?
My kids are already looking to purchase some Gentle Monster eyewear as they were told itās way cheaper in Korea. My wife and daughter will be looking for beauty products. Are there any other things that one āmustā buy either because they are cheaper in Korea or itās just plain unavailable in Taiwan or in the USA?
I had the cold spicy noodles a few times and itās delicious.
We also tried a fried dumpling or pancake type dessert called Hotteok. Itās filled with brown sugar and fried. The ones we had also had different types of seeds (pumpkin, sesame etc) This is our new addiction.
I used to love kimchi on Korean stopovers in my youth.
Kimchi ladies, oh kimchi ladies, a fiery delight
Your pungent aroma, a flavor so bright
Cabbage and chili, fermented just right
A kick on the tongue and cheeks, both morning and night
Iāve had many types of kimchi over the years as I live in an area with a sizable Korean population but so far all the places here taste a lot better. The larger restaurants and the smaller ones all taste better than back home.
Oh, one thing I learned in Korea is when they say spicy on the menu they arenāt kidding!
How many days would you want to spend in Kaohsiung?
Busan is nice. It has nice beaches (with a very striking bridge going across one), some interesting temples and hiking areas, a famous Chinatown, and also a famous fish market/ port. I once got violent food poisoning from eating sashimi and oysters at that fish market. Projectile vomiting, fever, uncontrollable diarrhea in my pantsā¦ all in front of my new girlfriend. Needed to be hospitalized overnight and put on IV fluids. The girlfriend stayed with me, which I was surprised by since we were still at the early part of our relationship when we didnāt even fart in front of each otherā¦ and here I was shitting my pants and painting the walls with pea colored vomit!
Anywayā¦ thatās my Busan story. Well, that was just the most memorable visit. I went three times, I think.
I went a few times for the film festival. Busan has fantastic nightlife and the area around Haeundae really improved in the last decade or so when they built the Park Hyatt. But the best thing about Busan is the people: real passionate, emotional and hospitable Koreans, not the watered down version you get in Seoul.
Iād say 10 days would give you a chance to not just see the tourist sites, but also get a good feel for the city, its people and to savor the excellent food.
There are. Some fancy ones, some hole in the wall kinda rooftop bars. Koreans know how to spend the hours from 6pm to 6am.
You need the 10 days because after your first good night out, you get calls and Kakao messages from 3 Kims and 2 Parks inviting you to their house for dinner, to join their table at club xxx, for drinks to meet their friend who studied at Alabama State, or to go with them to the fish market for some chili sauce sashimi. That then pretty much self-perpetuates, so that after a week you know a third of the population Busan. If you only stay for 2-3 days, you miss out on the whole dynamics.
Honestly donāt want to go back to Europe. Seafood here is great. Beef and porkā¦delicious.
Not saying korea doesnāt have its problems but itās the little things in daily life that really adds up for me. Iām walking around in busan on the busiest beach and not a single trash left around. Idk how because thereās a serious lack of trash cans in public thatās annoying.
On the train back to Seoul now and some Malay guy was on the phone and staff immediately came and told him thatās not allowed.
When I took the train to London to work people would have loud conversations on speaker phone or even play music out loud.
Left my phone and wallet on the table to use the toilet and didnāt even give it a second thought.
