Seoul Travel Diary: Vol. 2

When we first went to Myeongdong, whatever sense of calm, zen and "chill" I had ever known was washed out of me. Big groups of locals marched in their choice sneakers, couples locked arms and the more-than-occasional lips at dodgy corners, "ommas" and "oppas" would yell at you to stop lurking if you aren't buying, and there was absolutely no escaping the thick smoke from every BBQ place. It was all around chaos.

That's not to say I didn't enjoy bits and parts of it. I loved how cheap the shopping and the food were. On top of that, I enjoyed feasting on my observations of how despite geographically close Japan and Korea are, the people are completely different (Korean guys and their beautiful heads of hair and sockless feet). The crowds (and frequent shoving) are something that will take a lot of patience and may even be just an acquired taste but it's every bit of the reason why thousands rush in rain or shine. It would be my literal example of a tourist trap but it's definitely a place where I got to get a good feel of what South Koreans are like. If ever I'm lucky enough to make a return trip, I think I'd probably skip it but it's one of the places you just have to check out at least once because when in Korea..