climb a hill and catch those falling leaves

it's that time of the year again- fall.

the best season of beautifully-colored leaves, the weather fresh, crisp, and just cool enough to have an outdoor bbq session with the most awesome samgyeopsal (bbq pork) and hopefully, a piping pot of xin ramen. then of course, if you know the koreans, autumn is also never complete until one goes for a leisurely hike through the mountains to catch the autumn foliage.

families, friends, colleagues even- they'll take weekend breaks and make camping trips, armed with their overnight sleeping tents and outdoor cooking gear, because everyone wants mini holidays but great memories (and all in the comfort of their own country too!)

so if you're headed there these coming weeks, why not join the locals and make time to visit some of korea's best nature spots too? you'd be awed, i promise :)

have a heart-thumping time!

source: google

i've always enjoyed a good show, and am also a strong believer of visiting local theaters for the necessary cultural immersion when in a new country. of course, sometimes you get the usual suspects of boring, disappointing gigs and those trying too hard to be humorous, but i'll usually sit through the entire thing politely. that said, i'm not high-brow (hardly, actually!) and like most, appreciate simple plots made entertaining by energetic performers and funny dialogue.

so i don't know if i'm biased, but korean gigs appear to tick all my boxes. from the world-famous nanta show to the absolutely stunning bboys' performances, i'd recommend making time to catch at least one during your trip to seoul!

it comes through very strongly in their choreography, the unique korean culture and way of living; which explains why despite lacking sophisticated stage set-ups, korean shows still make their way to the world stage and receive raving reviews. distinctly different from the more showy and glitzy performances of broadway or west-end theaters, korean gigs are on the other hand, more subtle and intimate.

my instant coffee princes

there was a time i didn't drink coffee. not a single drop. i'd termed it "that evil thing" because it always came scalding and bitter, left a sour aftertaste and kept me up all night. then i arrived at seoul, where everyone was drinking it ALL THE TIME. and it soon became obvious that if i wanted to survive, i'd better learn how to appreciate a nice brew.

so from instant cups to an aromatic pot, painstakingly made from imported roasted beans, i drank them all. and if you're also looking for a nice cuppa while in seoul, why not check out some of my recommendations?

the world's most wired city

source: http://www.halifaxcap.ca/

given the amount of time we spend online these days, it is not surprising if one of your first few concerns about heading to seoul is connectivity. like you, i debated about bringing the laptop, wondered if i should set up data roaming, and fussed over the expensive international calls. but soon, i realised all those concerns were for nothing because really, seoul is the world's most wired city!

hug you right back!

if you've ever been to seoul, you'd know they operate in numbers. but if you havent, don't be surprised! common sights are huge groups of colleagues lumbering into restaurants, large extended families sleeping together at jijimbangs, or simply just friends jostling around on the streets. the thing about koreans is, they are rarely alone. and they don't expect you to be, either!

from discussing the korean notion of a family, to introducing the typical forms of addressing one another, this feature will attempt to explain why they can brush against you like hooligans on the metro platform, yet turn around to hug you the next moment!

the reason for seasons

 for reasons still unknown to me, seasons are a huge topic among koreans. i'd thought initially maybe it was a conversation-starter, but that was such a wrong observation because its more than that- the koreans love their seasons! they'll discuss endlessly the weather, tweet/ retweet reports on temperature, film entire drama series based on the seasons (winter sonata and its season-themed sister dramas, case in point) and proudly proclaim (with or without realising they're not the only ones)"WE HAVE FOUR SEASONS, you know?"

sooo, i'll talk about it too, just so we can indulge in the occasional fantasies of crisp spring days and cool autumn breeze :)

getting around town

its confusing when you first arrive, because well, everything's in korean, aint it? and for first-timers, its difficult to get your bearings (i was lucky because my homestay dad came to pick me!) so i thought some info on transport in seoul would be good, and there you go!

now, where should i stay?

when i first started preparations for my stay in seoul, i had a lot of trouble settling accomodations. reason being, i wasnt going for a holiday; instead it was a "not-too-long, but not-too-short" stint of three months and it was impossible to book a hotel for that long (unless of course, you're rolling it in, and im obviously not!)

and it was only after much online research and frantic emails, i finally booked my stay, one short week before i was due to depart.

so i came to realise the utility of an accomodation guide, esp for non-korean speakers, and this is my version of one: a short introduction on where to stay in seoul, based on various needs of different travelers. hope it'll be of help while you're planning for that wonderful trip to seoul!

the white seoul tower

well, hello! 

this is the very first, and i wanted to include a special picture. i took this on my first time at the N Seoul Tower, and it was a cold winter night. Despite the fog, my friends and i paid to go up the observatory deck and what spread out in front of us was the entire city of seoul. bathed in beautiful lights, late at night. gorgeous.

so anyway, back to this. yep, as part of this blog, im starting a series of articles to be written on various bits of seoul by different contributing writers, in the hope that this could eventually become a newsletter for korea-lovers. so i'll be gathering the help of my friends in seoul, random strangers who've travelled there and love the place, k-pop lovers, basically anybody! in fact, if you have a piece to share, some thoughts maybe, drop me a mail- i'll love to hear from you :)

i'll start the ball rolling with the next post, and in the meantime, be good!

안녕 (goodbye!)

love, anch
editor of typeseoul