Seoul: Arrival in the land of mushroom hairstyles

Next day, we flew from Kota Kinabalu to Seoul via Kuala Lumpur. The journey took the whole day, including layovers and a stay in Kuala Lumpur. We arrived at Seoul Airport late in the evening as planned. We got a SIM card and looked for transportation. To our surprise, the subway service was already discontinued before 11:30 pm. For an airport of this size, it was quite surprising. The newcomers had no choice but to join the queue for the night buses. To our disbelief, we found out that they only run every 50 minutes. The queue kept growing and soon we realized that not all the waiting passengers would fit in one bus. And that happened. We missed the first bus and had to wait for another fifty minutes - a real test of patience after such a long journey. Finally, we were on the bus when we received the next negative news. The hotel platform Agoda informed us via email that our booking had been canceled because we did not arrive at the guesthouse on time. After a long back and forth with many misunderstandings, the cancellation was reversed. However, we could not go directly to our accommodation because there was no one there to receive us. A tricky situation. We finally arrived in the city around 2:00 am. We decided to look for a hostel for the night. Unfortunately, the search was unsuccessful as all the hostels in Seoul only have a staffed reception until midnight. We only found a few hotels with a 24-hour reception, and most of them were definitely out of our budget. We found a mid-range hotel that would have been open until 3:00 am. Hopefully, we got into a taxi. Unfortunately, the driver did not speak English and could not understand our signs. Frustrated, we got out of the taxi ten minutes later. After six months on the go, we never expected to encounter closed doors in the bustling city of Seoul. It was a real shock! We had no choice but to spend the remaining hours outside. Like two homeless people, we set up camp right in front of a closed café. We watched the partygoers stumbling through the streets in the early morning, active early morning athletes, older people who probably couldn't sleep anymore, and other characters. Most of them looked at us with surprise, and one gentleman even offered to help us. Around six o'clock, we took the metro to our accommodation. We waited another hour on-site until finally, at 8:00 am, the wait was over. Relieved, we fell into bed. The start in Seoul was anything but successful.

Around 3:00 pm, we got out of bed and went on an exploration tour in our neighborhood. Hongdae is a trendy, modern, and lively student district. There are many small and stylish cafes, different restaurants, and plenty of shopping opportunities. Beauty shops are particularly abundant. The Koreans are obsessed with beauty - about 45% of men's cosmetics produced worldwide are sold in Korea. We had the impression that all Koreans are wearing makeup. Colored contact lenses, colored hair, and mushroom hairstyles seem to be very trendy - all in line with K-Pop (Korean pop music). Elegant business attire, casual everyday clothing, or shabby beachwear - anything goes in Korea. And the really beautiful thing about it: no one cares about what others wear. We find the male K-Pop fans particularly amusing with their colorful mushroom hairstyles, tight pants, and a single earring. In Switzerland, someone dressed like that would clearly be seen as eccentric.

Hongdae is also known as the entertainment and party district of the city. Every evening, regardless of the day of the week, the streets are lively, and numerous street artists showcase their talents to small or large audiences. They dance, sing, rap, and even breathe fire to K-Pop music. We like the relaxed atmosphere and the lively (maybe a little tipsy) mood. People gather for food and drinks and enjoy a cozy evening. We also treated ourselves to a Korean barbecue. Hungry, we eagerly devoured the meat and side dishes. We also ordered a bottle of Soju (rice wine). It is drunk either straight or mixed with beer. We preferred the mixed variant. The food tasted delicious.

After dinner, we strolled through the alleys and let the nightlife soak in. We sat down in a small park and watched the street artists. Some were talented singers, others not so much. By chance, we even met a Swiss person. This person gave us many valuable tips for Seoul and the surrounding area. When we made our way back around midnight, there were still hundreds of partygoers wandering the streets of Hongdae. Despite the bumpy start, we immediately fell in love with the lively city and its residents.

On the following day, we embarked on a journey through the history of Seoul. We headed to the northern center of the city. Seoul still has five palaces that bear witness to the Joseon Dynasty (1392-1910). We visited Changgyeonggung Palace and Changdeokgung Palace - no, we don't know how to pronounce the names correctly. Only one-fifth of the original buildings of Changgyeonggung Palace are still standing. However, it has some architectural peculiarities. The surrounding park and the old Victorian greenhouse are also worth seeing. While Changgyeonggung Palace was only used as a second residence for the royal family, Changdeokgung Palace served as the main residence for over 250 years. The palace is well-preserved and has a 'secret garden'. This garden can only be visited on a guided tour. We joined the hour-long tour for less than two Swiss francs per person. We learned many interesting details about the park and the royal family. We really liked the secret garden - it must be even more beautiful during the blooming season. After the palace tour, we visited the craftsman street. This very touristy street is also home to the famous Poop Cafe. We couldn't resist slurping a cafe latte from a toilet bowl. Strengthened, we visited a recreational area. In the midst of huge skyscrapers, there is a small canal. There is a path on both sides of the canal. At certain points, it can be crossed by jumping from one stone to another. This is a suitable playground, especially for children. The river is so clean that you can swim in it. Fish have also been released, and the surroundings have been beautified. It is truly a beautiful and peaceful retreat. We left the oasis and headed to the viewpoint. From the small hill - where a piece of the former city wall is still intact - a part of the city can be seen. We were lucky with the weather (and the smog) and enjoyed the relatively clear view of the skyscrapers. After this extensive walk, we took the metro back to the hotel.

With the purchase of the SIM card, we obtained a discounted entry to the Everland amusement park. We were very excited to redeem it. Instead of taking a special bus, we decided to use the metro for the journey. We wanted to be at the park's entrance gates at 10:00 am when it opens. Unfortunately, we completely underestimated the travel time by metro. It was only after two hours, around 11:00 am, that we finally stood in front of the entrance gate. We were annoyed by our delay because we definitely did not want to wait two hours in front of the main attraction, a huge wooden roller coaster (T-Express). We were somewhat surprised that only three of the fifteen ticket booths were open. Inside the park, we encountered only a few people, and most of the rides and restaurants were not yet open. We were happy about that. We made a beeline for the roller coaster. It only opened at 1:00 pm. Now we were glad about our delay. Typical Korea - life happens in the evening. The park is open until 10:00 pm.

After having a Korean noodle soup, we visited the European Village again, where the wooden roller coaster is located. The first thing we heard was a Swiss folk song blaring from the speakers. After six months on the road, the touch of home felt good. Interestingly, the T-Express is also in the Swiss corner. Since we had time, we first visited the 4D cinema - an interesting experience. Then we joined the queue for the T-Express. The path to the coaster passed the Grindelwald train station and many signs (Interlaken Ost, Bönigen, Iseltwald, etc.). We really enjoyed the beautiful scenery. After forty minutes, it was our turn. We took the front seats. After a steep climb, we raced down the other side at high speed. The drop is 77% - only three other wooden roller coasters in the world are steeper. The ride was over in less than two minutes. It was definitely worth it. The park's other highlights include a coaster with two loops and a vehicle that spins around its own axis. However, the real highlight was the Asian animators. Some were really in their element. They chattered, sang, and danced wildly. They performed a different choreography for each ride. We laughed our heads off. We left the amusement park around 7:00 pm. To avoid the two-hour metro ride, we planned to take the special bus back to the city. Easier said than done. The bus to Hongdae only departed at 9:00 pm. So we went from sign to sign and checked which bus would take us closer. It was a nerve-wracking experience. Finally, we found a somewhat suitable solution. We didn't reach our home until around 11:00 pm. Luckily, there was still a restaurant nearby open - half-starved, we devoured the food. The trip into a world of illusion and fantasy brought out the child in us. It was a wonderful day.

On the last day, we visited Bukchon Hanok Village. We really liked the old but very stylish houses. The influx of tourists, however, was not so nice. Many of the tourists had borrowed traditional costumes for their visit. We have to admit that the clothes looked really good on the Asians. We took some pictures of the visitors. After dinner, we went back to the small park in Hongdae. This time, we met a group of former students. A young man from Kyrgyzstan had seen us on the street two days ago. Like everyone else, he works as a translator. We hadn't encountered such a mix of languages and nationalities in a long time. People were speaking in Korean, English, Russian, and Japanese. Almost all the attendees looked Asian in appearance. However, they had all grown up in different countries: Italy, Russia, Kyrgyzstan, Hawaii, etc. Not everyone spoke English, so sometimes a conversation had to be conducted through an intermediary - a translator. We learned a lot about the respective cultures and made contacts for Japan. We also learned how to properly drink Soju and which snacks go well with it. Together, we continued to a nearby bar. We enjoyed the evening in good company.

After four days in bustling Seoul, it was time to say goodbye the next day. We continued to the small town of Jeonju, which is about three hours away by bus.