Thursday, September 30, 2010

BeBop House - a great place to stay while visiting Seoul

If you're planning a visit to Seoul, and are looking for a place to stay during your visit, check out the BeBop House guesthouse.

BeBop House is located in the Hongik University area, a part of Seoul that's well-known for its night life. Hongik University is an art school, and the neighbourhood around it has a very nice atmosphere. There are many restaurants there, as well as bars, pubs, clubs and cafés. In addition, all parts of Seoul are easily accessible from BeBop House, as it is located only a short walk away from the Hongik University subway station.
 
Sign pointing to BeBop House.  BeBop House is located in an alley.
BeBop House logo.
BeBop House front entrance.

The house is clean and well decorated. Flower print wallpaper and movie posters adorn the walls, giving the house a very artsy and homey feeling. But most importantly, it is a great place to meet people while in Seoul. When I stayed at BeBop House, people from Canada, the USA, France, China, and other countries were also staying there. It was great fun sharing travel stories with these people, and they gave me lots of useful travel advice. In addition, one of the co-owners of BeBop House, Olive, is very friendly, and she enjoys introducing house guests to the Hongik area's best night life. During my stay at the house, I went out with Olive and other house guests almost every night. One night, we went to a pub. Another night, we went to a jazz club. And on a third night, we visited a rock music club. These nighttime outings made my trip to Seoul all the more memorable.

BeBop House kitchen area.
BeBop House hallway.
BeBop House living room.
Olive - friendly and helpful BeBop House owner.

For all these reasons, I highly recommend BeBop House. It is a great place to stay while visiting Seoul.

Tuesday, September 28, 2010

Impressions of Busan after visiting Seoul

OK...  I hate to admit it, but after my first day in Seoul, I wasn't super happy about living in Busan.  The atmosphere in Seoul was just amazing, and there seemed to be so much to see and do in that city.  Busan felt small and boring in comparison.

But a few days later, I started to miss Busan.  And when I stepped off the train at Busan station, I felt the joy and relief I always feel when I come home after a trip.  It was the first time that I had felt this way about Busan, and it made me smile.

However, almost immediately, I thought of Ottawa, the city that has most often given me this feeling, and I was saddened by the thought that the people most dear to me are half a world away.

Two days later, I am over this sudden loneliness, and I see again all that Busan has to offer.  I have a great job here and the city is very cool.  And Busan, though smaller than Seoul, has a lot going for it.  Because there are so many mountains within the city, it is very green.  Its downtown core, Seomyeon, has been full of life every time I visited, and it has many good restaurants and coffee shops (though no Planet Coffee).  Also, my visit to Seoul has given me ideas of things to seek out in Busan (e.g. jazz clubs).  And finally, since my return from Seoul, I noticed something for the first time that I think is really cool...  From my apartment, on a clear day, I can see Japan!!!!

view of the Pacific from Busan:  Tsushima Island, Japan, is just visible

Sunday, September 26, 2010

추석 in Seoul (part 2)

My second and third days in Seoul were as awesome as the first.  During these days, I visited some traditional areas and some of the modern areas of the city.  The following are some of the highlights, in my (not-so-) humble opinion.


Hwa-seong (화성)

Hwa-seong is a fortress.  It is located in the central part of Suwon (수원), a city accessible by the Seoul metro.  Apparently, one of the Korean kings thought the capital should be moved from Seoul to Suwon.  He ordered the construction of a fortress wall to surround Suwon.  The wall was built, but the king died and the capital was never moved from Seoul.  Today, the wall is a UNESCO world heritage site, along with its many gates, signal stations and observation turrets.  In my view, it's as imposing as the fortress of Québec city.

One of the entrances of Hwa-seong fortress

The fortress wall, with the city of Suwon in the background.

Yin and yang symbols on the inside of the fortress wall.

Painting on the roof of one of the fortress gates.

In-wang-san (인왕산)

In-wang-san is a mountain located in the northern part of Seoul.  On this mountain, there is a neighbourhood that is known as a Shamanist village.  The village is interesting for a number of reasons.  First of all, the streets there are very narrow, too narrow for cars.  In fact, they can more accurately be described as staircases than streets, staircases that climb up In-wang-san.  Secondly, there are a number of Buddhist shamanist shrines in the village.  One of them is like other Buddhist temples that I have visited.  Another is an unusually eroded rock that appears to have been deposited on the mountain by a glacier.  Thirdly, it is possible to climb to the top of In-wang-san after walking through this village.  The view of Seoul from the top of the mountain is spectacular.  The mountain itself is also quite interesting, as there are many large boulders on it, boulders that I think could fall down the mountain at some point in the future.

A street in the Shamanist village.

The view of Seoul from the top of In-wang-san.

Boulders on In-wang-san.

Gyeong-bok-gung (경복궁)

Gyeong-bok-gung is one of the palaces of the former royal families of Korea.  It is located in the northern part of Seoul, a kilometer or two north of Seoul city hall, in front of two gorgeous mountains.  Leading up to the palace's main gate is a walkway featuring a statue of King Sejeon The Great (세종대왕), one of Korea's most respected kings.  Perhaps his greatest accomplishment was the introduction of the Korean writing system, Han-gul (한글).  A little further south, there is a statue of Admiral Yi Sun-Shin (이순신), who was instrumental in repelling an invasion of Korea by the Japanese in the late 1500's.  He is credited with the invention of the turtle ship.

The statue of Admiral Yi, with Gyeong-bok-gung in the background.

The entrance of Gyeong-bok-gung.

Close-up of the statue of Admiral Yi.

Miniature replica of a turtle ship.

Cheong-gye-cheon (청계천)

This is a stream running through downtown Seoul.  Until recently, it ran through a culvert underneath the city. The current president of Korea, when he was still mayor of Seoul, undertook to restore the stream to a more natural state.  Cheong-gye-cheon is gorgeous!  I particularly appreciated the contrast between the natural greenery of the stream and the urban landscape of the city.  One criticism...  It seems to me that the area surrounding the stream has been overly americanized.  It would be nice if more Korean shops and restaurants were located there.

A view of Cheong-gye-cheon.

Another view of Cheong-gye-cheon.

Buildings beside Cheong-gye-cheon.
More buildings beside Cheong-gye-cheon.


Hong-ik University (홍익대학교)

This is an art school located north of the Han river, but west of Seoul city hall.  Restaurants and bars in the vicinity of the university don't seem to have a closing time.  There's something for everyone near Hong-ik University.  Dance bars, pubs, jazz, hardcore indie rock, cuisine from all over the world...

추석 잘보내새요 - a visit to Seoul (updated)

추석 잘보내새요 - a visit to Seoul

It's "추석" ("Chu-seok")! And the sentence "추석 잘보내새요" ("Chu-seok chal-bo-nae-sae-yo") is a Chu-seok holiday greeting.

Chu-seok is an important holiday in Korea. It happens at a different date every year because it is defined on the lunar calendar. It is a thanksgiving festival. Historically, its purpose was to celebrate and to offer thanks for the harvest. In modern times, it has become a major family holiday. During Chu-seok, a large number of Koreans travel to visit their families and friends. It seems to me that the holiday is comparable to Christmas in Canada.

This year, I'm taking advantage of the Chu-seok holiday to visit Seoul.


Seoul is an AWESOME city! I love it!

There are a few places that I have visited where I have been struck by the life and the energy of the city. Montréal is an example of such a place in Canada. In these cities, I felt that life could be fast-paced and intense. And yet, the inhabitants seemed relaxed, friendly, and enjoying life to the max. Seoul is like that. This is a city that, in some neighbourhoods, literally never sleeps. And the people here are friendly, cheerful and fun.

I even like the Korean spelling and pronunciation of the word "Seoul". The Korean spelling of Seoul is "서울". It is a two-syllable word. The first syllable, "서", is sort of pronounced like the English verb "sow", but more like the "so" in the French word "soleil". The second syllable, "울", is pronounced "oul", as in the French word "roule". The Korean pronunciation of the word Seoul is therefore not quite the same as the pronunciation of the English word "soul". It actually sounds more like So-oul.


Seoul is both a modern and a traditional city. During my first day here, I chose to visit some of the city's historical sites.

First, I visited a traditional Korean palace called Chang-deok-gung (창덕궁), located in the northern part of Seoul. It is a beautiful place. I found the traditional architecture and decoration of the palace buildings to be very interesting. I was particularly intrigued by the triple tae-guk pattern appearing on the inside face of the doors of the palace. I had seen the double tae-guk pattern before, and knew they represented the concepts of yin and yang. But I had never seen a third part added to this symbol to represent humanity.



Entrance gate of Chang-deok-gung.
Inner side of the entrance gate of Chang-deok-gung.  (Triple tae-guk patterns are visible.)  

Architectural detail of some buildings at Chang-deok-gung.


What I appreciated the most, however, were the forested grounds located behind Chang-deok-gung. Usually, visitors can only take a guided tour of these grounds. However, during the Chu-seok holiday, visitors are allowed to explore the grounds unescorted. The Asian tree species that populate the grounds were fascinating to me, as they reminded me of some Canadian tree species, but were slightly and subtly different.

A conifer tree in the forested grounds at Chang-deok-gung.



** Note. This is an updated version of a post, originally published on 2010-09-23.
In the original, I wrote that I visited Gyeong-bok-gung (경복궁).
In reality, I had visited Chang-deok-gung (창덕궁)
I also added photos to this version of the post.

Friday, September 24, 2010

추석 잘보내새요 - a visit to Seoul

It's "추석" ("Chu-seok")! And the sentence "추석 잘보내새요" ("Chu-seok chal-bo-nae-sae-yo") is a Chu-seok holiday greeting.

Chu-seok is an important holiday in Korea. It happens at a different date every year because it is defined on the lunar calendar. It is a thanksgiving festival. Historically, its purpose was to celebrate and to offer thanks for the harvest. In modern times, it has become a major family holiday. During Chu-seok, a large number of Koreans travel to visit their families and friends. It seems to me that the holiday is comparable to Christmas in Canada.

This year, I'm taking advantage of the Chu-seok holiday to visit Seoul.


Seoul is an AWESOME city! I love it!

There are a few places that I have visited where I have been struck by the life and the energy of the city. Montréal is an example of such a place in Canada. In these cities, I felt that life could be fast-paced and intense. And yet, the inhabitants seemed relaxed, friendly, and enjoying life to the max. Seoul is like that. This is a city that, in some neighbourhoods, literally never sleeps. And the people here are friendly, cheerful and fun.

I even like the Korean spelling and pronunciation of the word "Seoul". The Korean spelling of Seoul is "서울". It is a two-syllable word. The first syllable, "서", is sort of pronounced like the English verb "sow", but more like the "so" in the French word "soleil". The second syllable, "울", is pronounced "oul", as in the French word "roule". The Korean pronunciation of the word Seoul is therefore not quite the same as the pronunciation of the English word "soul". It actually sounds more like So-oul.


Seoul is both a modern and a traditional city. During my first day here, I chose to visit some of the city's historical sites.

First, I visited a traditional Korean palace called Gyeong-bok-gung (경복궁), located in the northern part of Seoul. It is a beautiful place. I found the traditional architecture and decoration of the palace buildings to be very interesting. I was particularly intrigued by the triple tae-guk pattern appearing on the inside face of the doors of the palace. I had seen the double tae-guk pattern before, and knew they represented the concepts of yin and yang. But I had never seen a third part added to this symbol to represent humanity.

What I appreciated the most, however, were the forested grounds located behind Gyeong-bok-gung. Usually, visitors can only take a guided tour of these grounds. However, during the Chu-seok holiday, visitors are allowed to explore the grounds unescorted. The Asian tree species that populate the grounds were fascinating to me, as they reminded me of some Canadian tree species, but were slightly and subtly different.


I will be updating this article with photos when I return to Busan. But for now, I'm leaving you with only words.

À bientôt.

Friday, September 17, 2010

Premières aventures coréennes - des cigales bruyantes, de l'humidité tropicale et une ville remplie de vie

Mes premières aventures à Busan, qui ont été en même temps mes premières aventures en Corée, je les ai vécues au mois d'août, durant ma première journée ici.


Mon voyage à Busan a duré plus d'une journée. Le jour de mon départ, je suis parti d'Ottawa dans l'après-midi pour me rendre à Toronto. De là, j'ai pris un vol de nuit pour Séoul, la capitale Coréenne. À Séoul, j'ai atterri tôt le matin, avant le lever du soleil. Là, j'ai dû me déplacer vers le deuxième aéroport de la ville, histoire de prendre un deuxième avion vers Busan. Enfin, j'ai atterri à Busan dans la matinée, environ 30 heures après mon départ d'Ottawa.

À l'aéroport de Busan, j'ai été accueilli par un collègue qui m'a porté d'abord à mon nouveau lieu de travail. Dans le stationnement, en sortant de sa voiture, je n'ai pu m'empêcher de remarquer un vacarme assourdissant. Il ne s'agissait pas du vacarme de la ville, quoi que mon lieu de travail est situé à proximité d'une des principales axes routières de Busan. J'ai demandé aux gens qui m'accueillaient de quoi il s'agissait. Il m'ont répondu qu'il s'agissait d'un bruit d'insectes, insectes qui étaient présents dans les arbres autour du stationnement. Un peu plus tard, après quelques recherches sur internet, l'une de mes collègues a pu m'informer qu'il s'agissait de "cicadas", de cigales. Ces insectes vivent en grand nombre dans les arbres et les régions boisées de la Corée. Lorsqu'on est à proximité d'un regroupement (troupeau?) de ces insectes, leur chant peut être si fort qu'il est difficile de s'entendre parler.

Puis, dans l'espace de quelques minutes, j'ai remarqué un deuxième aspect frappant de la ville de Busan, soit que son climat peut être vraiment TRÈS humide. Par le simple acte de marcher au soleil durant une journée d'été à Busan, on se retrouve complètement recouvert de sueur. Puisque j'avais vécu plusieurs années à Ottawa, ville canadienne réputée pour son climat humide, je me croyais adapté à ce genre de climat. Après quelques heures à Busan, j'ai compris que je n'avais jamais réellement sué durant les années que j'avais passées à Ottawa.


Malgré ces aspects un peu surprenants de Busan, j'ai tout de suite apprécié ma nouvelle ville. Il s'agit d'un centre vraiment très urbain et j'ai été impressionné par ses infrastructures routières et ses hautes constructions résidentielles. De plus, la ville est située au bord du Pacifique, dans une région assez montagneuse. Elle est construite autour de plusieurs montagnes, ce qui fait qu'il y a beaucoup d'arbres et de verdure dans la ville. Je crois que, par sa géographie, elle ressemble un peu à Vancouver. Aussi, par la façon dont sont aménagés ses routes et ses trottoirs, elle me rappelle un peu la ville de Mexico. Enfin, par son humidité, elle me fait penser un peu à Ottawa. La ville me semble donc familière et elle me plaît beaucoup.

Enfin, les habitants de Busan sont gentils et accueillants. Ce sont des gens qui rient de bon coeur et qui aiment se taquiner. Quelques-uns m'ont beaucoup aidé à m'établir ici et ont été très généreux envers moi. Je suis convaincu que plusieurs d'entre eux deviendront mes amis.

Je me considère donc chanceux d'avoir la chance de vivre quelque temps dans cette ville.

Monday, September 13, 2010

Korean adventure number 27 - a first promenade on Baek-yang mountain

Alrighty...  I don't know if this is my 27th Korean adventure.  But I've been in Busan for a month already, and I think a pretty reasonable, not-too-conservative estimate of the number of adventures I've had so far is about 1 per day, with perhaps a few exceptions.  I plan on reporting on some of my earlier adventures later.  This one, I've decided, is number 27.


On Sunday afternoon, after spending a few hours marking assignments at Holly's Coffee in Seomyeon (more on Holly's Coffee later), I headed back home around 5 pm or so.  As I approached Baek-yang tunnel, or "백양터널", I came to the entrance of a path leading up Baek-yang mountain (in Korean, "Baek-yang san", or "백양산").  I walk by this path every day on my way to work, and I've been meaning to explore it some time.  Though it was late and I was hungry, I decided that a short walk up the path was in order.

As I climbed up from the sidewalk to the path, I understood why, as I walked past it before, I often thought I heard the sound of running water over the noise of the traffic coming out of Baek-yang tunnel.  There was a stream flowing down the mountain, and it entered an underground drainage system just before it reached the sidewalk.  The path, it turned out, followed this stream as it coursed down Baek-yang san.

A few seconds later, I heard a voice speaking loudly in what I assumed was Korean.  A group of three middle-aged men were sitting on a blanket or a tarp on the right side of the path.  One of them was speaking loudly in my direction.  On the other side of the path sat two women who appeared to be preparing some food.  They were sitting in front of a small grille under which a fire appeared to be burning.  A kettle was on the grille.

The loud-speaking man seemed to be very excited that a foreigner was passing by.  He was trying to communicate with me, but when he realized that all I could say to him was hello ("an-nyong-ha-se-yo", or "안녕하세요"), he began repeating a word that sounded like "man-ji" (although to be honest, I'm not sure I remember correctly at this point what the word he was repeating sounded like).  I think he was offering me something to drink because, as I stood there unable to communicate with him, he began repeating the word to one of the women.  Seemingly in response, she picked up a bowl, took the kettle from the grille, and approached me.  In the kettle was a white effervescent liquid.  She poured some into the bowl, and one of the men added water from a plastic bottle into it.  I honestly did not want to drink it, as I believed that the brew was made with water from the stream.  But the three men, the loud-speaking man in particular, did not seem about to accept that I turn down the drink.  I decided that the liquid was probably safe, as I figured that if it came from a kettle, it had probably been boiled.  Plus, the three men were all drinking from a bowl identical to the one that was brought to me by the woman.  And none of the five individuals who were before me seemed like people who would try to poison me.

The liquid was delicious!  I have no idea what it was.  It tasted somewhat sweet, but not too sweet.  It was also bubbly, but not too bubbly, and it was very refreshing.  I drank it slowly, one or two sips at a time.  This appeared to somewhat displease the loud-speaking man, as he made gestures that I interpreted as suggestions that I should consume the contents of the bowl in one gulp.   After I finished drinking, another one of the men offered me some food, which was also delicious.  It was a large piece of tofu with a piece of octopus.  I had never yet tasted octopus that was this fresh.  He handed me a piece of dried seaweed to go with it.  It was also incredibly fresh and tasty.

After I finished eating, the loud-speaking man started gesturing at me again.  I thought he was suggesting that I carry on with my walk up Baek-yang san, as the sun was already getting low.  I thanked him and his friends, saying the second Korean expression that I currently know, "kam-sa ham-ni-da" or "검서헙니더", and started up the path.


Baek-yang san was gorgeous!  I quickly found myself surrounded by forest, with not a sight or sound of the city.  The path wound upwards fairly steeply, sometimes crossing the stream, sometimes crossing small clearings, sometimes passing through patches of tall trees.  In many locations, people had arranged rocks or built wooden platforms to make rest stops.  And in one location, there was a small Buddhist shrine.  There was a mythical feeling to this place, and I wondered how long ago it had been constructed.

Because it was late, I could not go very far up the mountain.  But I plan on going back soon.  I want to find my way to the top, and then down its northern slope.  Perhaps next week-end...


As I was leaving the mountain, the five Koreans who had greeted me with food and drink were still at the start of the path.  They offered me a drink again, but I gestured this time that I wanted to go, and they signalled me on.  One of them said in English; "It was nice".  I shook his hand, and that of the loud-speaking man, and again said "kam-sa ham-ni-da".  The sun was already below the horizon, below the crest of Baek-yang san, as I walked the rest of the way home.

Sunday, September 12, 2010

Disoriented in Busan

Hello.

My name is JP.

I'm Canadian.  To be more precise, I'm Franco-Ontarian.  I grew up in a small town called Hanmer.  I then spent a long period in the Canadian capital.  I have recently obtained work in the Korean city of Busan.

I've been here for about 4 weeks already.


Yesterday, after dusk, I went for a walk in my new home town.  I like going for walks to relax before going to bed.  Last night, I wanted to walk down to Seomyeon, a part of town that I think is the downtown core of the city.

I'm not that familiar with Busan at this point, but I have a pretty good sense of direction.  I thought I would have no problem retracing a route I had walked a few times before.  Busan is an easy city to navigate as there are a number of mountains within the city.  They're visible from almost any part of town, and most of them are easily recognizable.  I did not foresee that they would be much less recognizable in the dark.

Walking through the city, I had a gut feeling that I was not heading in the right direction, but I was not certain of it.  The street I was following somehow felt unfamiliar, but yet it also felt familiar at the same time.  After walking for about 30 minutes, I came to what appeared to be a large intersection.  At this intersection, I turned right, believing that after doing so I would be heading south.  The street turned out to be a cul-de-sac.  It ended on the edge of a mountain.  Up-slope were two large apartment buildings.  Down-slope was one of Busan's older neighbourhoods.  From there, the location of a mountain that I know to be located just to the east of Seomyeon was completely unexpected to me.  It is then that I realized that I was not on my usual path to Seomyeon.

I retraced some of my steps, and took another street that I thought was heading south.  This turned out to be my usual avenue to Seomyeon, but I did not immediately realize it.  At one intersection, I had to wait for a pedestrian signal.  While waiting to cross the street, I finally realized where I was.  There in front of me was a sporting equipment store named "Treksta".  I recognized it as it is one of the rare businesses on the street with an English name.  Across one street, there was a Baskin Robin's.  And a few steps further, there was a McDonald's.  The experience of knowing again with certainty my location was quite interesting.  I felt relieved and I smiled.

Today, looking at a map, I understood how I became disoriented.  I thought I was heading southwards, but the street I was following turned gradually towards the east.  Since I thought I was heading south, I thought I had to make a left turn at some point to reach Seomyeon.  I therefore turned towards the north and eventually found myself on the south slope of Baek-yang-san, one of the larger mountains in Busan.  I found it strange that buses that I would see near my apartment were making a left turn at the intersection where I turned into the cul-de-sac.  In my mind, they were turning towards the north.  They were actually turning towards the west.

During this little adventure, I did not once fear for my safety.  Busan is a very safe city and its inhabitants (Busan-ites?) are very friendly.  But had I not recognized the street when I did, I might have begun to worry about how I was going to get back home.  I was already thinking of hailing a taxi, hoping that the driver would not take advantage of me by taking a long detour on the way to my home.  In the end, it took me less than 30 minutes to walk back to my apartment.


This little adventure is, in my mind, analogous to my adventure in Korea. 

I have a clear idea of where I hope my experience here will take me.  But who knows...  It may surprise me and disorient me in ways that I can't even now imagine.  Whatever happens, I'm sure that my experience here will be positive.  All I have to do is relax and keep an open mind, and I'll get back home in the end having lived an interesting and eye-opening experience over here.

I hope you'll be reading along as it happens.